photos by author

At Monday night’s Black Cat show Thurston Moore  dished out jokes about Dischord house, stories about Black Flag, Jello Biafra, conspiracy theories about Jimmy Carter, credited Reagan for the birth of Hardcore, and had a gin & tonic chugging contest with his guitarist. Oh yeah, and played some amazing music too.

Moore, frontman of the iconic experimental/noise/post-punk band Sonic Youth is on tour in support of his latest solo album Demolished Thoughts, released in 2011 on Matador. He brought with him fellow Matador recording artist Kurt Vile, as well as a band on his own label, Ecstatic Peace Records – Hush Arbors, which features his touring guitarist, Keith Wood.

Kurt Vile took the stage by himself, sitting on a chair in the middle of the stage, acoustic guitar in one hand, bottle of wine in the other. His set was quiet, understated, but really beautiful. Beginning with “Laughing Stock,”  from his 2011 EP So Outta Reach, he drew the listeners in and set the mood with hypnotic guitar and delay-drenched vocals.

His set was filled mostly with songs from his 2011 album Smoke Ring For My Halo, and  from his 2009 album Childish Prodigy. Some highlights included “Peeping Tomboy”, and “Heart Attack.” He was joined onstage a few times by guitarist Jesse Turbo, who added depth and echoing layers with electric guitar, on “Hunchback” and “He’s Alright.” He was also joined by harpist Mary Lattimore for a couple songs, whose beautiful plucking added texture and soft beauty to the songs, including “Ghost Town.”

When Thurston Moore came onstage wearing a suit and carrying an acoustic guitar, I wasn’t sure what was in store. I listened to some of his most recent album, Demolished Thoughts in the week leading up to the show, and found what I heard beautiful and mellow, reminiscent at times of the quieter moments of the Velvet Underground. A far cry from the Sonic Youth that I’ve loved for most of my life, but awesome in it’s own right. (I’m a big Sonic Youth fan, and have seen them live probably more than any other band over the years. I’ve lost count…) Anyway, from the beginning Moore seemed at home onstage, talking to the crowd and joking about the band being called the Jimmy Carter Youth Patrol. (He went on tirade later about Jimmy Carter, but it’s funny because as he gets older he looks more and more like the former peanut-farmer President.)

Moore was joined by guitarist Keith Wood, harpist Mary Lattimore, violinist Samara Lubelski, and drummer John Maloney.  He introduced the first song, ”Orchard Street,” saying “This song was written after an all-night weed smoking session at Dischord House.” (Here it seems he was poking fun at his long-time friend Ian MacKaye, frontman of Fugazi, co-founder of Dischord, and well-known as straight-edge.) The song started out pretty mellow, but ended up building into an amazing acoustic wall-of-sound; everyone on stage madly strumming/bowing/beating on their respective instruments for a jammed out ending that lasted several minutes, assuring us Sonic Youth fans that yes, there would be noise.

Pretty soon into the set, clearly warmed up, he shed his suit-coat and tie, and shared about a time early on in his performing career when he made the mistake of wearing long-underwear onstage. A mistake he did not repeat.  A musically lighthearted, upbeat moment came with “Fri/End”, from Moore’s 2007 album trees outside the academy. Here Moore played a lush-sounding 12 -string guitar deftly, and after proclaimed that “soft rock is the new hardcore.” I’ll leave that one alone, but he certainly was able to translate a very mellow album into an exciting and vibrant live show. 

Two high points came from his 1995 album Psychic Hearts- the discordant, almost grating ”Queen Bee and Her Pals,” and  ”Ono Soul.” In between some songs Moore read some poetry, and told stories. I could have listened to his stories for the whole night. One recounted a time when he was at a Black Flag show in New York. He was taping the show (mock shock!) and there was this great expansive droning/feedback going on, which he was really digging, and then Lee Ranaldo (long-time friend and one of the co-founding members of Sonic Youth) ran up to him, super-excited and shouted how they needed to make a whole album that was just this droning noise. All he could think at the time was how Lee had just screwed up his tape of the show, but in retrospect he thought it was pretty cool to have that moment captured on tape, excited blurt and everything.

Moore and his pals ended up playing a pretty long set that didn’t feel long at all.  And he managed to do what he does every time I’ve seen him play live- renew and reinvigorate my faith in and love of music.

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

Happenstance is what brought The Grey Area together. It was March 2010 when Jason Steinhauer (vocals/guitar) stopped by Zoo Bar for an open blues jam. Drummer Timothy Jones (TJ) was playing with a few other guys on stage at the time, so Steinhauer sat at the bar and waited for his turn to join.

It didn’t take long for Steinhauer to get in on the action though. Instead of waiting for his name to be called, Steinhauer jumped on stage as soon as the song being played was finished. From there, he grabbed the mic, looked at TJ, and said, “‘You Shook Me,’ the Zeppelin version.”  TJ smiled, kicked the beat, and started the song. That’s all it took — an indie-rock band with the ability to write pop hooks and catchy choruses was born.

Steinhauer and TJ exchanged numbers that night, forged a friendship, and started writing music with each other. After toying around with the idea of adding a bass player, the duo made their official band debut eight months later at the Canal Room in New York City. Now they’re nominated for three 2012 Washington Area Music Association awards (including Best New Artist) and are playing an album release show at Strathmore this Friday.

Steinhauer took a few minutes to share The Grey Area’s story with We Love DC in anticipation of Friday night. Here’s what he had to say.

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

Rachel: The Grey Area’s had quite a memorable year. From being asked to perform live at Strathmore to filming music videos to being nominated for Best New Artist at the Wammies? Needless to say, the list goes on. What sticks out in your mind as one of your proudest moments?

Jason: It’s been a really great year, even better than we could’ve expected. It’s been surreal. Being recognized by our peers with three Wammie nominations is a great honor. Illegally shooting a music video on the New York City subway, as well as our new video shot inside a creepy greenhouse, has given us memories to last a lifetime. The bands we’ve collaborated with on shows have been awesome.

What stands out most are the people. Friends and family that push us. Musicians we’ve met that inspire us and keep us laughing. Talented photographers and filmmakers that make us look good. I guess we’re most proud of the community we’ve built around this project that’s enabled all the memorable stuff to happen. Sounds cheesy, but it’s true!

R: If fans read up on The Grey Area, they’ll find one consistent comment about the band no matter who’s writing the piece — the two of you sound more like a full band of five than a duo. What are your thoughts on that?

J: We love it. TJ and I both came from larger projects with a lot of instruments, a lot of parts, and invariably a lot of personalities. When I met TJ, I was looking to strip my songwriting and arrangements and get back to the basics of rock and roll. I think TJ was looking for the same.

R: So tell me then. How do you make two guys sound like five?

J: When we began to play together, we kinda looked at each and realized we didn’t need anything else. Our playing styles and personalities complemented each other perfectly. Someone wrote that it’s like we’re in mind-meld mode on stage, and it’s true: we shift rhythms a lot, have multiple tempos and parts within a song, songs alternate from heavy and blues to light and poppy. When you’re really in synch with someone creatively, anything is possible. What’s really fun is how we surprise each person that first sees us live. We hear, “I had no idea you guys would sound so raw,” a lot.

Photo Courtesy of The Grey Area

R: How would you characterize the DC music scene? Many have called it collaborative and supportive. Do you agree?

J: I would characterize the DC music scene as emerging. The scene is growing with the city. There’s a renaissance of sorts happening here now, with cultural events, concerts, poetry readings, talks, and exciting events seemingly every week. There’s a lot happening, and it’s only getting better. I think musicians and artists should continue to support each other.

If we’re all in it together, pretty soon people around the country are gonna know that DC’s music scene is united and a force to be reckoned with. And of course sites like We Love DC and others are crucial to supporting the scene and getting the word out about events like our Strathmore Friday Night Eclectic show. So we’re incredibly appreciative and grateful.

R: What do you think people in DC need to know about the local music scene that they don’t already know?

J: It exists and there are really good bands to see. Get out to Velvet Lounge, Rock n Roll Hotel, Iota or Wonderland Ballroom on a Wednesday and check out a local line up. You’ll be surprised by the quality of music, and how much fun you’ll have.

R: What’s your goal with The Grey Area and what sort of ultimate success do you hope to achieve while making music alongside TJ for as long as he’ll keep you around?

J: Who’s keeping who around! Ha ha. Seriously, I think TJ and I do a good job of challenging and motivating each other. We piss each other off sometimes —well, a fair amount actually—but he and I are like brothers. I love him in a way that’s hard to articulate. He’ll be a part of my life forever. That said, with The Grey Area our goal is to bring people together around a love of music, and to bring some fun and excitement to people’s lives. Our music is high-energy, enthusiastic, catchy, even “jaunty” as OnTap called us.

We want people to dance, move, and let loose. We want our music to be an experience. Even if an audience member doesn’t remember a single lyric we sang or riff we played, if they wake up the next morning saying, “Man, I really had fun last night, that was a great show,” then we’ve succeeded. We’ll keep doing that until someone tells us to stop. Actually, the cops did tell us to stop when we played at Eastern Market—they almost cited us for a noise violation. We still kept playing. I guess that tells you we’re committed to seeing this through.

You can see The Grey Area live this Friday during Strathmore’s Friday Night Eclectic show. Tickets are still available for $10.

You may have noticed the signs posted in the front windows of Tryst, Local 16, Solly’s, or maybe even Hello Cupcake. But in case you didn’t , here’s the low down. For the past four months, there’s been a monthly “DC Local Music Day” (FYI: It’s February 8 this month).

What is DC Local Music Day? It is the day in which the aforementioned shops (and others) stream music created by local artists from open to close. This is all thanks to Listen Local First.

If you haven’t heard of it yet, LLF is a new local music initiative in town. LLF is devoted to building awareness and creating opportunities for local musicians and venues in order to raise the profile of DC’s local music scene. All things considered, they’ve been doing a pretty good job so far. They’ve got a growing list of local business partnerships and show no sign of slowing down.

LLF is the brain child of co-founders Chris Naoum and Rene Moffatt and their next goal for the project is bringing the DC music scene to SXSW this March.

“We have some very talented very serious musicians in this town. Many of them will be heading down to Austin. What can we do to bring extra attention to these artists while they are in Austin and when they come back home,” Naoum said. “The Mobile Music Venue is all about exposure.”

Want to get involved and support the Mobile Music Venue campaign? It’s easy. Visit the Listen Local First Kickstarter page to learn how.

Like

Unlike

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Augustana at the 9:30 Club on February 4. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address by 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today does not turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts

Like

Unlike

photo by Sandy Kim

Cass McCombs turned Baltimore’s Ottobar into a spacey dreamworld during his set Saturday night. In the midst of his US winter tour,  he played with a full backing band, including keys, bass, guitar, pedal-steel guitar and drums. Opening was Frank Fairfield, along for the duration of the tour, and Walker and Jay. 

First to the stage was the Baltimore based trio Walker and Jay. Gathered close around one microphone, with only acoustic instruments, they looked and sounded like they could have walked right out of the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou?. There was an upright bass, providing the backbone and rhythm for the set, a fiddle, and the lead singer switched between playing banjo and what looked like some kind of steel guitar. Their old-timey country/bluegrass/blues was both lovely and rousing, and set an intimate mood for the evening. 

Next up was another musical anachronism, Frank Fairfield. Looking a little like a young Theodore Roosevelt, minus the glasses, he took the stage alone, seated on a chair in the middle of the stage, and started his set with an amazing number on the fiddle, accompanied by some foot-stomping. Again, he used only a microphone on the stage as amplification. The singer of Walker and Jay had mentioned him in their set, joking/praising him as being “on the cutting edge of antiquated music.” He was certainly extremely talented at what he did. He played a pretty long set, and switched between playing banjo and fiddle, sometimes singing, but softly and far enough from the mic that it was challenging to understand what he was singing. It really felt like he had been plucked from the beginning of the last century and dropped onstage via time-machine.   The only critique I would place on his spot as opener, was that instead of revving the crowd up for the headliner, he kind of lulled us into a tranquil(ized) space.

Finally Cass McCombs and his band took the stage. I was super happy that he started his set off with my current favorite of his songs, “Love Thine Enemy,” from his latest album Humor Risk, released in November 2011 on Domino Records. However, that proved to be one of the most upbeat moments of the set. Most of the songs hovered in ambient dreamland, soft, mellow, beautiful, hypnotic almost to a fault. The sleepiness of the atmosphere was not helped by the fact that he required all the lights in the house to be off, even stopping between songs to ask that the christmas lights overhead be turned off. There were no lights shining on him or his band either, the stage was only backlit by a wall of honeycomb-patterned, fuzzy, blinking lights. It created a beautiful effect, but combined with the super mellow music it had a bit of a narcotic effect. If I hadn’t been extremely caffeinated I might have slipped into slumber myself.

As far as the set went, he did a good job of mixing in songs from albums old and new. Highlights included the newer “Robin Egg Blue,” “My Master,” from his 2004 album A ,”My Sister, My Spouse,” from 2009’s Catacombs, and another of my favorites “County Line” from his earlier 2011 release Wit’s End.

photo courtesy of Cass McCombs

Cass McCombs brings soulful, mellow, dreamy rock to Baltimore’s Ottobar this Saturday night. He has received high praise from the likes of John Peel and Pitchfork Media, and has performed or toured with Cat Power, Andrew Bird, Blonde Redhead & Modest Mouse among many others.

His sixth album (and second in 2011), Humor Risk, was released in November of 2011 , to much acclaim, and landed him a cover story on Fader.

I am currently addicted to the single “Love Thine Enemy,” from Humor Risk, but I can’t find that anywhere online to share, so check out “The Same Thing” also on the new album.

Cass McCombs

Saturday, January 21, 2012, Ottobar

w/Frank Fairfield 

Walker and Jay

doors 9pm/show 9:30

$12

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Cowboy Mouth at the 9:30 Club on January 26. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address by 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today does not turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see D.R.U.G.S. at the 9:30 Club on January 24. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address by 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today does not turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts

Like

Unlike

Time once again to calculate and list the ten best musical performances I saw in the past year in and around Washington DC.* This ‘best of’ article is one of my favorite activities as a music writer because it embodies the very essence of why I take the time out of my increasingly busy schedule to attend so many concerts and write about them. Simply put, I am a fan of great live music and when someone or a group of someones delivers a really special performance I want to tell as many people as I can about it. There is real magic happening during a great musical performance that is unlike anything else I have ever experienced; if I manage to share just a fraction of that magic with my readers by exposing them to a band they might not otherwise have heard then my job as a music writer is done.

In the last six months, positive events in my personal life have greatly affected my ability to cover as many concerts as I’d like too with the quality of writing that I feel they deserve. Because of this I have been writing much less than usual and I predict that this trend will continue for most of 2012. I know from reader feedback and from conversations with some of the great people I’ve met at shows over the years that my writing about music has had an impact on their musical world. Knowing this enables me to walk away from music writing fulfilled.

2011 was kind of a weird year for live music. The entire year felt like an odd hang-over from 2010 (one of the greatest years of live music ever). In recent conversations I think I have been undervaluing 2011’s shows, because now as I revisit all of the sets I saw, I realize that there were plenty of great performances, they were just obscured by a lot more mediocre ones than I have seen in recent years. Once I dusted away the humdrum and the disappointing, I was left with about 35 really great sets to choose from for my top ten list this year.


“Brandt Brauer Frick” by Michael Darpino

10. Brandt Brauer Frick @ Red Palace: This ‘acoustic’ techno trio proved to be both the most unique and most high-energy of all the dance acts I saw locally in 2011. With their vintage analog synths and self-sampled chamber orchestra sounds these inventive Germans retconned Kraftwerk through the woodshed and I loved every second of it. (Special award for most criminally under-attended, brilliant performance of 2011).

9. The Ex @ Black Cat: Interviewing Andy Moor of The Ex in advance of this show was a personal highlight in my 10 years of writing about music. A landmark moment for me that could only be topped by seeing my favorite post-punk act deliver a blistering performance at the Black Cat. It was fantastic to see their new lead singer Arnold de Boer continue in the tradition of former singer G.W. Sok and wholly surprising to see how his presence reinvigorated this already frenetic group of amazing musicians.

“The Ex” by Michael Darpino

8. Liturgy @ DC9: Liturgy’s performance at Comet Ping Pong in 2010 was just shy of making the ten-spot on my best-of list that year. So I was thrilled when they came back to DC not once but twice in 2011! Their cultish “transcendent” spin on Black Metal philosophy combined with their speed-brutality-shoegazer sound makes Liturgy one of the most interesting American metal acts around. While I’ve absolutely loved all three times I have seen them, it was the second set at DC9 that really sticks out as the best for me. DC9 was the perfect setting for Liturgy’s “transcendence through sonic annihilation”-thing to really work for me. For a band that is always intense to watch, this performance at DC9 had an atmosphere that took it to a higher level.

7. Kyuss Lives! @ 930 Club: Before The DPD Project, I could not have told you a single Kyuss song. After The DPD Project, I could sing along to almost all of them. This highly influential 90’s stoner metal act was long gone by the time my cohorts introduced me to them and after they did, I never imagined the chance to see them in concert would ever present itself. Under the moniker Kyuss Lives! (to acknowledge the absence of their most famous former member, Josh Homme) 3/4 of the original Kyuss line-up along a brilliant Bruno Fevery on guitar transformed the 9:30 Club into a southern-Cali desert camp site and rocked the heavens for two hours. John Garcia’s voice was everything we secretly hoped it would be; and the instrumental prowess of the band was off the charts. I walked away from the show in a daze, thinking to myself that it would be hard to imagine them having sounded better during their original run in the early-90’s.

“Clutch” by Michael Darpino

6. Clutch @ Red Palace: A free show from one of the area’s most respected and bad-ass rock bands in one of DC’s tiniest performance spaces + the debut of a really strong new beer named after the them, resulted in one of the most fun concert experiences of the year. The atmosphere amongst the small crowd of lucky fans was electric, the beer was delicious, and Clutch delivered an amazing blend of acoustic arrangements and plugged-in jam versions of some of their best material.

5. The Foo Fighters @ Verizon Center: For epic rock showmanship in 2011, it did not get better or more heartfelt than Dave Grohl of The Foo Fighters. This show was ridiculously good. So good that it defied all of my (low) expectations and melted my frozen Grinch heart just long enough for me to fall under the spell of their big, mainstream rock sound for the night. This show was a three hour monster and was packed with so many genius rock gimmicks, guest-spots, solos, and song re-arrangements that I am still sorting through them. The only reason that this show does not place higher here is that the more distance I get from it, the more my momentary connection to their actual songs fades.

“The Foo Fighters” by Andrew Markowitz

4. Dillinger Escape Plan @ 930 Club: From various conversations I have had around town, I know I am in the minority of opinions in thinking DEP totally stole the show from Mastodon last year. DEP worked the room better than Mastodon and utilized the 9:30 Club sound system like it was the return of a long lost member of the band.** This was a great, great double-bill and I fully expected to enjoy both bands (which I did) but I was totally flabbergasted by how tight Dillinger Escape Plan sounded. Any band that can be that spastic AND that technically precise in a live show gets huge respect from me. While the median age of their average listener skews much younger than me, I was still all smiles during their 40-minutes of amp-tower jumping, emo-screaming, complex as advanced algebra, controlled chaos.

3. Little Dragon @ State Theater: I really talked Little Dragon up before their show at the Black Cat in the beginning of 2011. I was still high on their magical, festival-stealing performance on a Coachella side-stage in 2010. The Black Cat show turned out to be a fun one but it had a terrible warm-up act, was mired by technical difficulties, and the crowd was full of jerks. All told it was a nice show, but could have been better. So when Little Dragon made a swing through the area to play The State Theater in June, I kept the hype low. Of course now I wish I hadn’t. Everything magical about their Coachella performance that was missing at the Black Cat show, was back with a vengeance for their State Theater set. The sheer joy of this set can’t really be expressed in words (which is why I didn’t review it originally) so I’ll simply let its high ranking on this list speak for itself.

“Kid Congo Powers” by Michael Darpino

2. Kid Congo Powers and The Pink Monkey Birds @ Comet Ping Pong: It takes a ton of charisma and a heap of charm to make the back room at Comet Ping Pong the coolest, classiest, oddest spot on the planet and that is exactly what the mighty Kid Congo Powers did in early 2011, when he and his band performed as the opening act for Chain & The Gang. Their set of goofy, spooky, rockabilly, surf punk was a sheer delight that simultaneously tapped into multiple generations of basic rock principles to tickle the universal good music receptors in the brain of every human in the room. This set was so off-beat, good-natured, and down-right fun that as soon as it ended I knew it would easily trump 80% of what I would see the rest of the year.

1. Meek Is Murder @ Firehouse Grill: And so this is what it is all about. A random room in Fairfax, a bunch of bands almost no one has heard of, and a crowd so small it is easily outnumbered by the members of all the bands on the bill. The absolute joy of discovering an amazing new band well ahead of the curve and then spreading the word about them to every ear that will listen or eye that can read. It’s also about that gut feeling that gets me to go to these kinds of shows and the exhilaration of being rewarded by a set of music nirvana in one of the most unlikely places I can think of. Ever since I started ranking the concerts that I see each year, my criteria for the number one slot has been music nirvana; that eyes closed, ears open, transcendent spot when hearing music replaces ever other sense I’ve got. Not many bands can take it to that level, but the few that do…damn are they special. Last year it took just about the biggest band on the planet to take me there. This year it was a little known indie-metal band from Brooklyn called Meek Is Murder. As I reflect on the past year of live music, I almost can’t believe that this tiny show in Fairfax is the one I keep coming back to as the best one I saw. But I can’t deny that it was. As big as The Foo Fighters or as legendary as Kyuss or as favorite to me as The Ex all are; it was Meek Is Murder and their incendiary sonics, passionate rage, and unpolished performance that takes the top prize. Check them out!

“Meek Is Murder” by Michael Darpino

To check out my past lists click on the year:
2010, 2009, 2007, 2006, 2005, 2004.

* I know, I know – why is this article a week late? – see paragraph two.
** No hard feelings Mastodon!

I don’t know about you but I’ve been searching for an excuse to get my karaoke on for quite some time. There’s Japone in Dupont where I went a few times in college and Hill Country Texas BBQ has country karaoke once a week, but now there’s a whole new karaoke game in town.

Thanks to Nats fan Laura Murphy for pointing it out earlier today, we now know that Policy (1904 14th Street NW) will start hosting the inaugural season of District Karaoke – the District’s only social karaoke league – this February. For real.

According to the newly created Eventbrite “player” registration page, signing up for the league “comes complete with team t-shirt, beer and food specials, prizes, giveaways, and other season events and cool surprises.”

There’s a limit of six teams made up of eight people and each team must have a minimum of two guys and two ladies per team. It’s $40 to join.

The first night of league play begins February 8 and a pre-season kick-off party will go down on February 1. Check the Eventbrite for more details.

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see JB Smoove at the 9:30 Club on January 14. (Please note: This is a seated comedy performance and does contain material suitable only for mature audiences.) Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address by 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts

Like

Unlike

The Torches

Here at We Love DC we were asked to do a roundup of the year in some way, and so I decided to ask my bandmates in The Torches for some help picking some favorite tunes from 2011. The Torches are Stephen Guidry on vocals/banjo, Joe Barbee on accordion, harmonica and hollering, Jocelyn Frank on oboe/vocals, Tina Plottel on bass, Thomas Orgren on drums/vocals, Claire White on violin, and Alexia Kauffman (me) on cello/lap-steel guitar.

Stephen: JC Brooks and the Uptown Sound “To Love Someone (That Don’t Love You)”: technically came out as a single last year but then was released on their album this year, which I haven’t heard all of yet. Best falsetto of the year for sure.

Slim Cessna’s Auto Club: Unentitled: This is the entire album, as it’s just a bit too hard to pick out just one song from their records that I like in particular. Munly and Slim’s voices together give me similar chills to John Doe and Exene’s.

Brass Bed has an album with Feu Follett, the only indie pop/cajun split EP that I have ever heard, and although I am dear friends with the Brass Bed boys, I have to admit that my favorite track from the album is from Feu Follett, playing Brass Bed’s “Farmer Song,” probably cause it’s got accordion.

Alexia: Electric Guest is a new band that includes Cornbread Compton (founding member of Engine Down, Zetamale, and former drummer of Cursive, Har Mar Superstar and others, not to mention my former college roomate and good buddy) and Asa Taccone (co-writer of SNL digital hit “Dick in a Box,” collaborator with comedy group The Lonely Island and brother of Lonely Island member Jorma Taccone.) The duo recently co-wrote the digital short “Two Best Friends” featuring Katy Perry, Andy Samberg, Matt Damon & Val Kilmer! “Amber” was my favorite of the songs they’ve leaked out as a teaser to their 2012 release in the past year, but I can’t find it anywhere now. With a kind of downtempo almost dub feel to it, and laid back vocals it set a dreamy mood. I am super excited for their 2012 release, which is rumored to be produced with the help of super-producer Dangermouse.  ”American Daydream” is a great track too, and you can listen to it here. These guys are ones to watch in the new year!

photo courtesy of Electric Guest

I discovered Purity Ring by accident this fall- I went up to New York to see Electric Guest play at the Mercury Lounge for a CMJ showcase, and Purity Ring was headlining the night. They are amazing, weird, dark, electronic avant garde and remind me of one of my favorite bands of all time The Knife. Check out their track “Belispeak“.

Thomas: David Bazan – “Virginia” (album: Strange Negotiations) Actually the only record of 2011 that found its way into my music library (so far – I tend to run at least a year behind the times). A beautiful, understated song that asks more questions than it answers, with a simple four-note hook that burrows itself into your brain.

Joe: “Open Grave” by Tallahassee, and almost anything from the record Stay Sweet by The Goddamn Rattlesnake.

photo courtesy of Tallahassee

Tina: I have two favorite songs from the PJ Harvey record: “Written on the forehead” (which actually kind of has the same hook as the Rubberband Man) and “On Battleship Hill” (I really love how the guitar comes in dovetailing with the end of the trumpet’s “Charge”).

“Cherry Delicious” from the Poor But Sexy record that came out this year, “Let’s Move in Together.” We may have to give a full disclosure that our drummer is their sometimes guitar player.

“Claudia Lewis” on the M83 record!

Death Cab for Cutie’s “Stay Young, Go Dancing.”

“Witches” by Low. “All you guys out there trying to act like Al Green… you’re all weak!”

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see The Dance Party at the 9:30 Club on December 23. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address by 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see The Pie Tasters & The Slackers at the 9:30 Club on December 16th. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

all photos by "D"

Ruby-tressed siren Tori Amos brought a breathtakingly beautiful evening of music to DC’s D.A.R. Constitution Hall on Monday night. She is in the midst of a world tour in support of her latest album, Night of Hunters, released in September on Deutsche Grammophon Records. The album is described by Amos as “a 21st century song cycle inspired by classical music themes spanning over 400 years.” For the tour she brought along the string quartet who played on the album, Apollon Musaget Quartett, from Poland.

Seeing Tori play in DC, her hometown, is always a special experience, and Monday night was no exception. The stage of Constitution Hall appeared at once both grand and intimate- set with beautiful, draping curtains, drawn to expose a backdrop that was at times illuminated to look like a sky full of twinkling stars. Above her glossy, black, Bosendorfer Grand piano hung a chandelier. First on the stage came the string quartet, and they began a musical introduction. Then Tori entered the stage to a sea of applause, and bowed, as she always does, to her fans, before taking her seat at the piano.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/coffeeonice/

The group launched into ”Shattering Sea”, the first track from her newest album Night of Hunters, a dark, tempestuous piece with brooding piano and lively strings. The piece set the mood for the rest of the night- beautiful, lush, emotional, energetic and virtuosic. While the tour was clearly formed around the new album, the group also created arrangements of Tori’s classic repertoire, filling the set with new, exciting interpretations of old favorites.

A show-stopping moment came a few songs into the set, as Tori began playing “Tubular Bells” on the piano. (Known to many as the theme from the movie “The Exorcist”, which was coincidentally filmed largely in Georgetown, where Tori got her start performing in bars.) This turned into a mind-blowing medley (at least for any Tori fan), as she began singing her song “God”, from her 1994 album Under the Pink, and then wove in the Kate Bush classic “Running Up That Hill.” 

Another beautiful moment from the new album came with “Nautical Twilight,” with swirling strings, mysterious melodies and lilting vocals. This was followed by the delicate, touching “Winter,” from her 1992 album Little Earthquakes. At this point the quartet exited the stage, and Tori played a few songs solo with piano, including fan favorites “Crucify” and  ”Cooling.”

It is hard to highlight the high points of this show, as there were so many. I have seen Tori too many times to count, but this show was one of my favorites. Every fan has their favorite songs, but she played almost all of mine in this set, and made me fall in love with her new material as well. She threw in a light surprise with “The Wrong Band,” saying “get ready to Twitter!… I’m doing this because it’s here” (DC) “and here, down the street needs to hear this song.” Political statement? Some other pearls in the set were a cover of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” “Pretty Good Year,” from Under the Pink, and her emotional powerhouses “Precious Things” and “Cruel.”

After her main set the Apollon Musaget Quartett played one of their original pieces by themselves, before Tori returned for a generous encore including “Cloud On My Tongue,” “Spark,” and ending with the raucous “Big Wheel” from her American Doll Posse album. As always, she left her audience roaring for more.

Got plans tonight? Cancel them, and head over to the Kennedy Center for the 38th anniversary performance of TUBACHRISTMAS. 6pm. A volunteer group of tuba players (edit: and euphonium players. Whatever.) will gather and make a joyful noise unto the Millenium Stage. From past experience I can safely say you can stand or sit pretty much anywhere in the hall for good sound.

Like

Unlike

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Jane Birkin at the 9:30 Club on December 9th. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

photo by Graham Tolbert

Philadelphia’s The War on Drugs is the brainchild of Adam Granduciel- singer, guitarist, writer, Kurt Vile-collaborator. Their first full-length album, Wagonwheel Blues was released on Secretly Canadian in 2008, and they have toured extensively since then. Over the years the band’s members have changed, but Granduciel remains front and center. Their latest LP is Slave Ambient, released on August 16th, 2011. After a short break in their US tour they are continuing for most of December, and will be making a stop at DC’s Rock & Roll Hotel on Sunday, December 4th. During the break in their busy tour schedule Adam Granduciel took a few minutes to chat with WLDC’s Alexia Kauffman.

Alexia Kauffman: I’ve read that your influences include Bob Dylan, Sonic Youth, Neil Young, – can you tell me what were some of the most influencial albums for you growing up- what made you first love music?

Adam Granduciel: Growing up I was really into Harvest by Neil Young, and actually the Neil Young Unplugged was something I really liked when I was a kid. Led Zeppelin II, III and IV, then eventually got into In Through the Out Door, later Zeppelin. Uh, Jimi Hendrix, Neil Young Weld, which is like a live record that my brother had, a really weird one, but it was just kinda what I was exposed to. Some early R.E.M. records that my brother also had that I got really into. That was kinda the stuff that I really liked when I started out playing guitar, when I was like thirteen. I didn’t really get into like Petty or Dylan until later in high school.

Alexia: I see that the lineup has changed a lot since your first album. How was making the new album different from the first, and would you say the sound is different?

Adam: Um, I don’t think it’s different because of anything in particular…I mean none of the records have been made really with any sort of live band in place, so it wasn’t like the first one was like a full band and then I lost a band or something. They’ve all kind of been made in the same sort of way. Myself and then friends and people I play with have played on them. But yeah, I think the main thing is just that in the time from when the songs on the first record were recorded up until the new record it was like I’d kind of progressed so much as a songwriter but also mostly as like a guy who does a lot of recording at home, and like a ton of like weird kinda techniques and methods of arriving at certain things. So I kind of spent so much time working at home and just learning how to do things the way I wanted to do them, and that’s kind of why the new record sounds the way it does.

Alexia: Do you have a favorite place to play and or see shows in Philly?

Adam: Well the new place that just opened called Union Transfer, which I’ve played there once already, and it’s a super amazing, super pro kind of venue. Johnny Brenda’s is in my neighborhood, and I’ve been going to shows there ever since they opened four or five years ago. It’s an awesome venue- we were actually the first band to ever play on the stage there when they opened it, back in like 2007 or something. But yeah, that’s a great place to go. And then over the years there were a lot of places that we used to go, I used to really enjoy  playing the Khyber….. but that has since closed down and turned into like a restaurant or something. That’s no longer, but I used to love going to shows there, it was kinda like your classic gritty kind of rock club, you know, obviously not the most beautiful place, but it had a lot of character. But yeah, Union transfer is a new place, and I’ve only played there once, but they have a washer and dryer, which is awesome.

Alexia: That’s always nice for touring bands…

Adam: Yeah, and I don’t have one at my house, so I’ll probably end up going down there like once every two weeks and pretend I’m playing… bring my guitar and dirty laundry. <laughs>

Alexia: If you could pick an artist or band to collaborate with, who would it be?

Adam: The Waterboys, from Ireland, or I’d like to play guitar on like the next Wooden Ships record or something. If they’d have me.

Alexia: What artists are you really into these days?

Adam: Richard Swift, of Oregon makes some awesome records and produces records for other bands. He’s actually on Secretly Canadian as well, and he’s super good. I hope to do some recordings with him at one point. Carter Tanton, he’s actually originally from Baltimore. Um, Puerto Rico Flowers, from Philadelphia.

Alexia: Do you feel like The War On Drugs is a part of a scene right now either in Philly or nationally?

Adam: I don’t think so, it’s weird- I don’t think we are really. Which is cool, which I like. I mean there are a lot of awesome bands, but I don’t really know bands that we kinda fit well with, or who’s doing what we’re doing. It’s a strange thing with us, we’re kind of a little bit more insulated than other bands.  I think when we started we were part of a scene that was like making like this new crop of rock, like this new crop of kids doing weird rock music. But in the last couple of years I feel like we’ve just been traveling a ton. When we come back and play in Philly we feel definitely welcomed back into the city, and people come out.

Alexia: What’s on the horizon for you?

Adam: Some more touring, work on some new recordings, take it easy, and just doing the same thing we’ve been doing. Just keep at it, keep getting better, and keep collecting guitar amps, my current obsession. And just keep making cool music.

Check out the track Best Night from The War on Drugs’ latest album Slave Ambient. You can see The War on Drugs live this Sunday, December 4th at the Rock & Roll Hotel.

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see [your blogger's ole' college chums] Jukebox the Ghost at the 9:30 Club on December 1st. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.

Like

Unlike

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Markéta Irglová (of The Swell Season) at the 9:30 Club on November 28th. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly or at the 9:30 Club box office.

If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 5pm today. One entry per email address, please. Comments will be closed at 5pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within two hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if they are under 18 years old.