Sunday, April 7, 2013

Local Natives and Superhumanoids at 9:30 Club April 5, 2013


I was supposed to go to this show with Eric, Jill, and Bernie, but Eric was sick most of this weekend, so Trish filled in for him last-minute. We had a wonderful spot on the balcony that I guarded jealously until everyone else arrived, but was very glad for it when the show started.  The view was fantastic.
Superhumanoids were an entirely forgettable opening act. Electronic with pretty female vocals. Jill compared them to Purity Ring, though not as good. Good enough for background music and not particularly great on stage.

LocalNatives lived up to the hype. They were amazing musicians and had great energy on stage. It was also refreshing to see people on stage who looked like adults. I think I’ve been overdosing on bands that probably can’t all drink legally yet. The audience was 100% with the band, singing and dancing until the balcony shook. It was a great show. Well worth it.
Local Natives, 9:30 Club, 04-05-2013

Superhumanoids, 9:30 Club, 04-05-2013

The Hill and Wood and Bethany and the Guitar at a house concert April 6, 2013


I went to this house concert alone because Eric was sick and I really wanted to see The Hill and the Wood.  It was part of a house concert series organized by NXNWpresents. The venue was a twenty-something group house that seemed to be inhabited by young men, based on the décor. The audience was likewise almost entirely 20-somethings. I got there about 40 minutes before the music started and parked myself in a corner, checking Facebook on my phone, being antisocial, because I didn’t feel like engaging the 20-somethings in conversation.

Bethany and the Guitar was the opener. They are a local DC act, and were really pleasant to listen to, though none of their songs seemed memorable to me. I would enjoy hearing them in a bar or club as background music, but nothing they performed that night intrigued me enough to download their music.

The Hill and The Wood made it obvious how much work Bethany still needs to do to be a national-caliber act. Typical indie, slightly folksy with interesting songwriting, but so well done. Their vocals were amazing, and several of their songs blew me away live. I absolutely want to see them again, and I want to drag my friends along next time.  Listing to their music here.
Bethany and the Guitar, 04-06-2013
The Hill and the Wood, 04-06-2013

 

Monday, April 1, 2013

Phosphorescent, Strand of Oaks at Rock & Roll Hotel, 3-26-13

Phosphorescent at Rock & Roll Hotel, 3-26-13 
Brian, Julia, Joel, Jill, and I all went to this show, but Jill and I arrived earlier and since the show was sold out, the place was packed, so we never connected with the others. We did find the Indie Meetup group, though, and met a few interesting people that we talked to between acts.

We had trouble finding parking that evening, so we missed the first part of the opener Strand of Oaks, but I can't say that I was sad about it. It's a singer/guitarist and a drummer, and they were good, but I wasn't all that engaged in the performance. Mostly, I remember the drummer bobbing his head like Animal from the Muppets. It was pretty funny.

Phosphorescent is technically just the singer/songwriter Matthew Houck with a hired backup band. The last time I saw him was at Black Cat and I was blown away by how amazing he was live. I had never before thought I was an alt-country fan, but that sold it for me. This show was not as good. The sound was poor at Rock and Roll Hotel so I ended up not enjoying the new songs I don't know yet, because I couldn't really make out the vocals. I was also distracted by an obnoxious audience member for quite a few songs, and at other times by the seemingly drugged-up keyboardist who kept trying to steel the limelight. The show was ok, but it didn't live up to the hype from SXSW that I heard about on All Songs Considered, so I was a bit let down. I'd still go see him again, but I'm hoping for a better venue next time - one with good sound.

Robert DeLong, U Street Music Hall, Feb 14, 2013

Robert DeLong, U Street Music Hall, 2-14-13
I can't believe I forgot to review this show for so long! That's what I get for spending all my time planning my 40th birthday party last month. I saw this show on Valentine's evening with Trish and Jill. We all have awesome husbands for letting us go out that night.

Robert Delong was actually the first opener at this show, but he certainly had the most enthusiastic following. There were tons of people with neon face paint, bandanas and home-made orange X shirts showing their love for DeLong. It was well deserved. His set was fantastic and it absolutely "made us fucking dance" (from Global Concepts, his biggest hit.) I ABSOLUTELY would go see him again.

The Virgins were second on stage and were an absolute snooze-fest. I happen to love their single Rich Girl, but apparently, that's the only tune they have going for them, and they were boring on stage.

Haim is a sister act of 3 women and a pretty boy drummer that I think was hired help. They were really good live (better than recorded), but by the time they went on I was beat, so I listened from a bar stool where the view was really bad. I'd be happy to see them again paired with another act I was excited about.

Shoulda, coulda, but didn't write these concert reviews

I rediscovered music in 2010, not too long after getting my first iPod (years after everyone else) and having my 2nd baby. Suddenly I was able to find music I like again. Back then, I wasn't as obsessed with documenting all the great shows I saw, and I don't have any reviews to post about my early concert-going experiences, but here are a few memories I have from the missing shows:


June 7, 2010
Broken Bells and POP ETC
9:30 Club
Trish called me up day-of with a spare ticket and I met her there. We talked to a funny drunk kid and wormed our way near the front on the floor. I didn't like the show much - too slow for me.

June 11, 2010
Mason Jennings
State Theatre
Went with Eric. The opener was Jessica Lee Mayfield who was really impressive and has been making a name for herself for the past few years.  Love the venue, just wish they booked more acts I like.

July 2, 2010
Sleigh Bells
Rock & Roll Hotel
Saw this show with Eric and LOVED it. We made instant-friends with the couple standing next to us in the front row, I got to talk to Alexis at the merch table, and she even spit water on me from the stage. Awesome.

July 7, 2010
She & Him The Chapin Sisters
9:30 Club
Dana scored us last minute tickets from Craigslist - back before Stubhub took over! It was a good show, but not that memorable. I did completely creep out the instant-friends from July 2 by finding them in the crowd. They thought I was a stalker.

July 12, 2010
Civil Twilight and Paper Tongues Neon Trees and ME TALK PRETTY
9:30 Club
Only $10 and I got to see Neon Trees when they were nobodies. He's got an amazing voice and stage presence.

August 5, 2010
Keane Ingrid Michaelson and Fran Healy
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Went with Laura while Eric watched all 4 of our kids. Ingrid was so fun, Keane was boring.

August 6, 2010
Arcade Fire Spoon
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Went with Anna, Paul, Dana, and Trish, and it was AMAZING. Only the 2nd? show of the tour supporting the Suburbs album, which later took off.

August 9, 2010
Phosphorescent J. Tillman
Black Cat
Trish talked me into this one. J. Tillman had a great way with the audience. I don't remember much of his music, but I remember he was charming. Phosphorescent impressed the socks off of me, and they played forever. I think I got home at around 2 am.

August 14, 2010
MGMT and Devendra Banhart Violens
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Eric and I went because I talked him into it. It wasn't a very memorable show. Mostly, I remember that I wore a pink sparkly shirt. That's about all.

September 7, 2010
The Airborne Toxic Event Calder Quartet
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
First time I saw ATE live, and it was amazing. They brought strings, and the acoustics in the synagogue made it an unforgettable show.

September 8, 2010
Best Coast Cults
Rock & Roll Hotel
I wish I could forget this show. Trish talked me into it, and I hated every second. I ended up leaving early and sitting in a nearby bar waiting for it to end so Trish and I could leave together.

September 11, 2010
Vampire Weekend, Beach House and Dum Dum Girls
Merriweather Post Pavilion
A great weather night out on the lawn. I liked the chandeliers on their set.

September 13, 2010
of Montreal and Janelle Monáe
9:30 Club
Janelle Monae is one of the very best acts I've ever seen live. Absolutely enthralling, and I don't like R&B inspired music. She's a consummate performer. Of Montreal sucked by comparison.

Sept 25, 2010
Virgin Mobile FreeFest 2010 T.I., M.I.A, The Temper Trap, Ludacris, Jimmy Eat World, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Matt & Kim, and Yeasayer
This was a transporting experience for me. The first full day to myself without family obligations in YEARS, coupled with discovering several acts I came to love - Edward Sharp, Matt & Kim, and Yeasayer especially.

Oct 3, 2010
Foals Girl In a Coma
Black Cat
Loved Girl in a Coma, then left early during Foals. I bought a shirt and got to talk to the band.  I'm such a fangirl about this band.

Oct 5, 2010
The xx and Zola Jesus Warpaint
9:30 Club
LOVED Warpaint, hated Zola Jesus, left early underwhelmed about XX.

Oct 22, 2010
Two Door Cinema Club Grouplove and Penguin Prison
Black Cat
Grouplove blew me and Eric away live. They are great performers. The rest was unmemorable.

February 17, 2011
Darwin Deez Painted faces
Black Cat
Went with someone who know a band member. Darwin Deez was funny, but not very good musically.

February 18, 2011
Max Bemis and Say Anything and River City Extension
Ottobar
Went for River City Extension (3 pieces out of 10, acoustic set) and got to talk to a band member at the merch table. Again: FANGIRL!

February 24, 2011
The Low Anthem Bobby and Daniel Lefkowitz
Sixth & I Historic Synagogue
Saw with Dana, Alex and a friend. Beautiful, but sleep inspiring. Loved the bug-chirp cell phone trick.

April 2, 2011
Warpaint PVT
Black Cat
Took Eric to see Warpaint. They weren't as good the second time.

June 28, 2011
Matt & Kim
The Thermals and
Autobot of Flosstradamus
9:30 Club
AMAZING live, as usual. You can't help but party out with the band. Love Kim's crowd-surfing booty dance.

Sweetlife Festival Recap, Merriweather Post Pavillion, 5/1/11

If you were torn about attending the Sweetlife Festival, you really didn't miss much. I was disappointed. I got there near the end of the second band, U.S. Royalty, which was pretty good from the one song I heard, then Walk the Moon came on for a blink of an eye while I was away from my seat and was done by the time I got back. I barely paid attention to the hip hop band Theophilus London- all I remember was his shiny silver hat. Ra Ra Riot sounded beautiful but had an entirely forgetable stage presence, as did Cold War Kids. Crystal Castles was unbelieveably bad. The sound quality was horrible. Lupe Fiasco was another hip hop band, so I paid no attention at all. Girl Talk had the best stage show, but that's a DJ that does mash ups of popular songs, so all he did was push play and then jump around the stage yelling "yeah" now and then while an army of people danced on stage and shot toilet paper and confetti and balls and ballons into the audience. The Strokes had absolutely no stage performance, just an entertaining lights show, though they sounded great. Julian seemed to be blissed out on something. And it rained. We had seats in the pavillion, but because it
was general seating, if you left for the bathroom you gave up your seat, so I held it for 5 hours.

You missed nothing. I'm glad I heard the Strokes, though, and that I passed on buying 9:30 club tix for Cold War Kids and Crystal Castles earlier this year. 

Free Fest, Merriweather Post Pavillion, Sept 10, 2011

Two Door Cinema Club was just as dull as the last time I saw them. An uninspired live performance. I didn't stay long. They weren't good enough to overcome the cow field smell of all the hay covering the muddy tractor tracks and the other unsavory scents of the unwashed masses. Festivals are better with a strong breeze.

Okkervil River put on a good show, if you are into their music. I'm not, but I respect their stage presence and talent. Same for Grace Potter and the Nocturnals.

Cut Copy was ok - not special, but ok. Not as engaging as I had hoped, so I ducked out and went to !!! (chk-chk-chk), which was one of the best surprizes of the festival for me. You can't imagine 6 more nerdy-looking 40-somethings that the members of !!!, and yet, it was very fun and dancable music. The lead singer steals all his moves from Mick Jager and is really fun to watch. If there had
been a bit less pot in the audience, it would have been perfect.

Patti Smith was old. Really old. So were her band mates. Not my thing at all. It's disconcerting to see a 70 year old man in a leather vest.

I saw one song by Cee Lo that was broadcast in while they set up TV on the Radio and felt I missed nothing. He's a big dude, so all he does is pace up and down the stage while he sings. His band was a bunch of very attractive women.

TV on the Radio was hugely disappointing. Much of their set was frenetic noise. They should fire their sound guy. The tempo was faster than the recordings, the instruments overpowered the vocals, and the overall volume was louder than every other act at the festival. The sound quality ruined any appreciation I might have otherwise felt, and I do like a lot of their stuff. I was glad that I didn't pay to go to the 9:30 Club to see just them.

Black Keys was my best experience at the festival. They rocked out! I didn't know they fit in the classic-rock genre just as well as they fit into bluesy rock. I intended to watch only the first half of their set, but they were so good, I couldn't tear myself away until a few songs before the end. This is the only one I'm tempted to go see again next time they come to town. Really excellent.

I went to check out all the hype surrounding Deadmau5. There certainly were plenty of people dressed up for it all day long. (Though I learned that the aliens were actually part of the circus side show.) I don't get it. It was just trancy dance music - a low key rave with a fantastic screen show to accompany it. I think you have to be high to truely fall in awe to the alter of Deadmau5. He's got great merch, though. The mouse-ear booty shorts were especially striking on the young ladies. (Oh to be 20 again...)

I went to Ghostland Observatory for a couple songs to kill some time letting the parking lot clear out. They were a great dance act. Crazy pretty laser lights show, and I think they were playing real instruments on stage, though it was hard to see. Guitar-driven music with some vocals that went on and on, but was fun to dance to. I would have understood the Deadmau5 hype if Deadmau5 had
been more like Ghostland Observatory.

Ian Axel, Bess Rogers, Allie Moss, house concert, Sept 9, 2011

I went to the house concert of Bess Rogers, Allie Moss and Ian Axel last night with my husband Eric and it blew us both away. They were all incredible musicians. It was one of those concerts that was 10 times better than hearing them recorded. And I will never pass up a chance for a house concert again, though I think it was the quality of the performers more than the setting. The intimacy was great, though. There were about 40 poeple there . The three are playing an early show at about 6 ir 7 tonight at Jammin Java, and then at 10 my very favorite band River City Extension is playing. I don't know the openner for that one, but I can personally recommend 4 out of 5 acts playing there tonight
as being really fantastic live performances. And Jammin Java is cheap. If you are looking for something to do tonight, that's a good choice.

Joy Formidable concert review - Black Cat, 3/25/11

Eric and I went to see Joy Formidable at the Black Cat last night.

There were two openers, neither of which was very memorable. The first was Lonely Forrest. They were ok in a good-college-band kind of way. I could see hiring them to play a party. But there was nothing unique about them. They were just a generic 4-piece rock band and the members didn't know how to work a crowd.

Mona came on next, and it too was a generic 4-piece rock band, this time seemingly inspired by Bon Jovi. (In sound, not appearance.) Few in the crowd seemed appreciative of them. I certainly didn't. I almost fell asleep during their set, even though it was loud and fast.

Joy Formidable certainly deserves the hype. They have a unique sound, are mature in their musicianship, and have good stage presence. I understand why so many people think they are amazing. They are impressive and talented, but only a couple of their songs appeal to me. Most of their music is hard, driving, and fast with plenty of distortion and ethereal vocals. Eric thought they were great and even bought the shirt. I will pass on them next time they come to town.

River City Extension and Kevin Devine concert review, Red Palace 3/26/11

Meg and I went to see River City Extension and Kevin Devine at the Red Palace last night, and I thought it was fantastic! Turns out it was the last stop on their tour and they all seemed to be exuberent, in high, sometimes goofy, spirits.

Red Palace has a capacity of 225 people and this was a sold out show. For comparison, Rock and Roll hotel holds 400, 9:30 club holds 1200, Black Cat mainstage holds 700 (backstage 200), Merriweather holds 19,000 (including lawn - I'm guessing this is festival capacity), and the Filmore will hold 2,000 when complete.

River City Extention was amazing. They fit all 8 members of their band on the tiny stage and had tremendous energy. Some of the members were clearly excellent multi-instrumental musicians. The end of the set was the best - they all came into the crowd and sang accapella while milling about. LOVED IT! I so recommend this band. They are my current obsession and I can't wait until they come back. They seem like a bunch of gypsy pirates with a ton of energy. I really hope this band makes it big.

Kevine Devine was MUCH better than I expected. Based on MySpace, I thought it was just a guy with a guitar and witty lyrics. Instead it was a guy with a rockin band with witty banter and intelligent lyrics that you could actually understand most of the time. Smart guy, and apparently he's been around for a while. I had no clue, but I'd happily see him again at a festival, though I wouldn't search him out.

Girl in a Coma, Smoking Popes, Vox Hall, Airborne Toxic Event, May 2011

I went to two concerts in a week. The first was Girl in a Coma opening for Smoking Popes at Re Palace on May 4, 2011 - Alex and I went. I loved Girl in a Coma (they were the reason I went.) They had a lot of energy on stage and the vocals were strong, I even liked the not-yet-released songs they played. I loved the Spanish language songs they threw in, even though I don't speak a word of Spanish. I last saw them at Black Cat as an opener, and I think they had stronger stage presence this time - the last 8 months on the road have done them good. I'm hopeful that they will continue to improve as a band.

Smoking Popes is new to me - Alex was there for them. They were an indie band in the late 90s or early 2000s that at one time toured with Morrisey, but broke up and then reunited for this tour. I had never heard them before, and I wasn't impressed. The vocals were supposed to be the draw for this band, but the sound sucked - I couldn't hear his voice over the instruments, so I didn't really think much of it. I'm sure it was more fun if you knew the songs.

Dana and I went to the 9:30 Club May 8, 2011. Vox Hall openned for Airborne, and just wasn't good. They weren't horrible, but they didn't have it together, and again, the vocals were lost to the noise. From a distance, the guys on stage were fairly cute, though.

Airborne Toxic Event had a FANTASTIC show. I especially liked when the lead singer climbed the speakers up to the balcony and the use of colored lights on white umbrellas hanging from the ceiling. Those were just gimicks, but they were entertaining. Maybe it's my latent orchestra geek coming out, but I LOVED the bowed standing base and the violen in so many of their songs, and I love the lead singers deep and powerful voice. A high-energy show, with a surprizingly older crowd.

Vaccines and Arctic Monkeys, 9:30 Club, May 17, 2011

Rachel, Meg, and I went to see Arctic Monkeys and openning act the Vaccines at the 9:30 Club last night.

The frontman for the Vaccines was very nice to look at, and the music was pretty good, but the instruments were amped up louder than the vocals, so I couldn't really enjoy the songs. I hate it when sound engineers do that. I really wanted the lead singer to stand up straight, tough - he had horrible posture, like he was permanently slouched over. He would have looked more confident if he threw
his shoulders back now and then. The guitarist's grandparents were rocking out on the balcony singing along to every Vaccines song. They had to have been 80. He went up and joined them for the Arctic Monkeys set, which is how we knew they were with him. Looked like some other relatives were with them too, including a kid.

The singer from Arctic Monkeys seemed stoned, which could explain the badly written songs on the new album that just came out, but the old stuff was still very good. The sound engineering at the beginning of the set made it hard to hear the vocals, but I think it improved a bit by the end. It was the first stop on their tour, so not too surprizing that there were technical problems. What did surprise me was how uninterested in the crowd the band seemed - but again, I say, I think it was drugs. The crowd couldn't have had more excitement and energy - it was the crowd that bands dream of. I'm glad I saw them once, but I'm not interested in seeing them again.

Decemberists, Merriweather Post Pavillion, June 13, 2011

The weather was beautiful that night, and Colin Meloy was an amazing vocalist. Jenny, the accordion player, is not touring due to breast cancer treatment, but the substitute did a fine job on keyboards, the violin, and vocals. I don't remember all the songs they played, but it was a great mix of old and new stuff. I was really happy about the performance, though nothing in particular stands out except for a joke about submitting "Dracula's Bride" or something like that to the New Moon soundtrack and being rejected. The music was absolutely beautiful and left me feeling all warm and fuzzy, even if some of the lyrics are dark.

Best Coast still sucked as much as last time I saw them. I have no idea what anyone sees in that band. The lyrics, performance, and musicality just aren't that good. I simply don't get their fan base at all.

Yeasayer, Hush Hush, Smith Westerns, 9:30 Club, June 16, 2011

Dana and I went to Yeasayer at the 9:30 club last night. We were both rather tired, but it was still a really fun show.

Hush Hush was the first opener and a fantastic surprise. If you listen to him (solo act) online, you'll probably hate the music, but live, he had so much personality and such a wacky, fun, charmingly (sex-crazed) stage show, we couldn't help but love him. It's a German guy with absolutely no shame - a born performer. He sang and danced to music that he played from his Ipod. There were lots of costume changes on stage, too. The lyrics were graphic and about sex.  For a while he had the audience chanting "drinkin' from my pussy cup". And yet he was charming. VERY memorable. See him live if you get the chance.

Smith Westerns bored me. I spent their set daydreaming. Dana said she liked them, though. That's another band about which I just don't understand the hype.

Yeasayer was wonderful. I saw them at Free Fest in September and wanted to come back because I couldn't help but dance to them. Still dancable, but we were on the balcony this time, which gave us a really good view of what the lead singer was doing in his little "DJ booth." Nothing that exciting (pushed buttons), but I have a hard time imagining how someone comes up with all those layered sounds to make such complicated and catchy music. It's kind of brilliant when you think about all the elements in each of the songs. This isn't just a guitar, drums and bass - the electronics, multi-part vocals, and effects make it something extra special. I think there were 5 guys on stage. The band talked a whole lot about how excited they were to play 9:30 club because some of them grew up in
Baltimore and used to come to that club to see bands.

Foster the People, 9:30 Club, June 22, 2011

So, I went to Foster the People (I ended up with 5 people from the DC Indie Concerts Meetup group), and the verdict is: worth seeing.

The openners were entirely forgetable. Nothing wrong with them, but nothing special either. Just two guy bands standing around doing their average music. One of them was from California and only mumbled their name one time. (Seriously? You're trying to sell music and not telling audiences your name?? Get a clue!) The second band was from Nashville and had the word "villa" and maybe "garden" in the name. I'm beginning to think that 9:30 club deliberately makes the vocals impossible to hear for all openners. Or maybe the fuzzy distortion was their "sound". Meh.

Foster the People didn't go on until after 10:15, and concluded at around 11:15. To the best of my knowledge, the lead singer is also the songwriter, so I tend to think of their music as "his" music. It's a 5 guy band heavy on synths and drums, but with guitar and bass too. All the guys were barely-out-of-college young and energetic, clean cut and cute (not hot, just cute - not mature enough looking to be hot). I was surprized that the lead singer's vocals were consistently nasal, but I came to accept that it's just his sound; it is distinctive and has a 1970's teen soul vibe to it. The impressive part of the show was how confident they all were on stage. No pretention, just physically comfortable acting engaged and energetic on stage. It was a solid show. The guys switched instruments often, and the singer was bouncy and dancing with seemingly boundless energy. He also COMMITTED. When he sang all out, you could see his back molars. (Well I could. I was in the 3rd row from the stage.) I
wish there had been more banter with the audience, but that's my only critique. I left the show amazed that such a young band (like 1 year old) had such impressive stage skill. I'm pretty confident that this band is heading towards mass popular success. The September show will likely be your last chance to say you saw them when. It's also probably your last chance to see them while their
music still seems new - before they are overplayed on the radio and used in commercials and teen soap operas on TV. I kept comparing them to Maroon 5 in my head.

I recommend you go (several of you want to, and I've met you all and you will like each other), but I will sit the September show out. It was a solidly good show, but not one I want to see twice.

As for the Meetup group, that was a good enough experience to do again. They weren't as extremely young as I'd feared - probably late 20s/early 30s. A couple of them were recent transplants to the area. Nice people, though I didn't meet any concert-going soul mates. It wasn't creapy, if you want to give Meetup a try. It seems like a really good option for obscure bands at Red Palace and Rock and Roll Hotel that you might otherwise have trouble talking this list into.

TuneYards, Pat Jordache , Black Cat, Oct 8, 2011

Eric and I went to Tune-Yards last night. Meryl (who IS Tune-Yards) was REALLY impressive. She is the real deal when it comes to inspired artistic creativity, and she clearly doesn't care what anyone else thinks about her or her work. I am amazed at how she layers music with loop pedals. I had a front row spot, so I could see exactly how she did it. Her mind must work is a really interesting way
to be able to imagine a finished product from all those elements, but it works. If you've never heard TuneYards, it's one white woman who sounds like an african man - and the music is really  distinctive. Give it a try.

I hated the opener, Pat Jordache. His vocal style was irritating to me.

Deerhoof, Benjy Ferree and The Dees & E.D. Sedgwick, 9:30 Club, Oct 1, 2011

Deerhoof turned out to be WAY experimental. The couple songs I know were the only ones I liked of their set (they seem to be the only ones that have vocals and are commercially approachable, too), and we ended up leaving early. I was impressed by how they made a couple guitars, a bass and a minimalistic drum kit sound experimental, without synthsizers or other miscellaneous instruments.

Benjy Ferree was good enough, but seemed like a one-trick pony. All his songs sounded the same. He looked like a middle-aged nerd, and for a while, he and I suppose his wife invited 2 kids to play on stage with them. The kids did well. I learned later that Benjy is local, and it seems the kids are not his own. He used the star-treck sounding instrument (ther-something), which I'd never seen live before.

The Dees and E.D. Sedgwick weren't great, but Eric and I both thought there was something interesting about them. I'm going to listen to them again and see if they are better recorded. The are very creative in their lyrics. There was a song about a serial killer that they should submit to Dexter. I liked the vocal contrast. Sortof like the guy from the B-52s and a soulful black woman as backup.

James Blake, 9:30 Club, Oct 9, 2011

OH MY GOD, James Blake is FABULOUS! I was not excited going into that show - I had considered skipping entirely if anyone had wanted to buy both my tickets. SOO glad I stayed. The openner, Chairlift, was fine, but looked frumpy and timid on stage. I like their song Bruises, but apparently nothing else they do.

James Blake, though, amazed me. How the hell did he make such minimal music rock the audience? Something I didn't understand before seeing him live: his live music uses ultra-deep sounds that vibrate the entire block. I overheard the guy next to me yelled to his friend "that feels good!" and I agree. It makes the concert into a full-body experience. I swear I could feel my spleen vibrating.
There were 3 musicians on stage most of the time. James Blake on keyboards/vocals and pedal repeater (and something that distorts vocals), a guy on an electronic drumset, and a guy on the machine that creates the vibrations who also sometimes played guitar. The arrangements were fuller than his recorded music, and they were excellent. I'm not certain that everyone would love this music, and I'm mostly ignorant of dub-step, but this show is now at the top of my list this year. If you get a chance, see him live. Wow.

Smashing Pumpkins, 9:30 Club, Oct 17, 2011

Trish was at this concert too, and I bet her review will be entirely opposite.

I paid $65 (face value+service charges) for this ticket, which is a lot less than most people in the audience who had to buy this high-demand ticket from scalpers. I got about $5 worth of enjoyment out of it, and that was entirely about seeing my husband so extremely happy to be reliving his youth watching his favorite band. I did not like anything about the concert itself.

Last FM was forgettable 90s pop, and the backup vocalist sang flat.

Fancy Space People were simply horrible. They had a gimic of dressing up in silver skin-tight 1970's-inspired outfits and pretending to be aliens. It looked like a spoof, but they never stopped with the silly songs to get to real music. Shocking that they can support 7 band members with something so incredibly bad. They did have a cute Tshirt for sale, though.

I stayed for the first 25 minutes of the Smashing Pumpkins concert. It was loud, even with the earplugs. They blinded the crowd with strobe lights the entire time. They did not interact with the crowd in any way. They just stood on stage in place, swaying a bit, playing instruments. They played mostly new stuff, which is hard and fast and incomprehensible. They crowd was mostly muscle-men;
the average size of the attendee had to be twice the size of an average indie concert goer. I think that's why the space looked like it was over capacity. It was hot and everyone was pressed tightly together. A lady next to us puked. Some random dude wouldn't stop talking to Eric about his job and near-foreclosure on his house. The guy behind me was drunkenly chatting up an Italian couple by telling them every stereotype he could think of for Italy and America. After I left, Eric said that the staff had to break up 2 mosh pits. The Smashing Pumpkins set was 2+ hours long. I am SO glad I bailed. I love my husband, but never again.

My husband belongs to the Smashing Pumpkins fan club, and he got a Facebook invite from the band to go to a meet and greet before the show. He and Trish went. He said it was a wonderful experience. Only about 20 people, and they all got to ask questions.

We Were Promised Jetpacks, Naked and Famous, October 2011

Black Cat
October 27, 2011
Rachel and I arrived a bit late for We Were Promised Jetpacks, missing all but 3 songs by Royal Bangs, but the three I heard were good enough. Nothing about them stood out in my mind, though. Bear Hands were much the same - good enough, but not remarkable. I might even have the two openers confused. They didn't remind the crowd of their names all that often.

We Were Promised Jetpacks was a mixed experience for me. Loved their energy on stage, disliked how they didn't attempt to connect with the crowd at all. (The lead singer spent most of his time with his eyes closed and didn't smile once.) Great sound, though. I loved the vocals, and so I really enjoyed about half of their set. The other half was heavily instrumental, like a jam band. Not
appealing to me. Overall, I had a good time, but I'm not certain I'd see them again until they come out with more lyric-driven material.

9:30 Club
October 28, 2011
There were 2 openers for the Naked and Famous show. The first was White Arrows. I did not like their style. It was retro-inspired in a way that doesn't appeal to me, and the sound quality was really bad. The Chain Gang of 1974 was also unappealing to me because the sound engineering was again very bad. Then FINALLY at 10:30 or so (an hour late - it's the 9:30 Club!!), Naked and Famous came on. AGAIN, the sound was unbelievably bad. I had earplugs and the noise still hurt! For the entire night, the instruments were in front of the vocals - you couldn't make out a single word. It sounded nothing like the radio versions I love.

Add to this being made to wait outside in the 35 degree rain before the doors opened, and the unusually high number of jerks near us on the balcony, and altogether, it made for a really worthless concert experience.

So a mixed bag this time. C'est la vie.

Mister Heavenly, Metro Gallery, Nov 5, 2011

I went to this show with Genevieve and Betsy, and we met up with 3 more people there, 2 friends of Betsy's and one woman from Meetup.

Mr. Heavenly had fantastic energy on stage and was a joy to watch. (Funny, since all their lyrics are doom and gloom.) I loved every second of their set. My only complaint was the sound mixing. They should have increased the vocals - it was really hard to hear the voices, and the vocal disparity between the two singers is what makes this band really special. The audience was through the roof enthusiastic, with a real mosh pit for at least one of the songs, and mini-moshing for others. Ryan (Man Man singer) came out into the crowd with his mike and moshed with them for part of a song. The rest of it, he jumped on top of speakers and a piano, and even leaned on one of my concert buddy's heads while he was up there. Very entertaining.

The opener was Mr. Dream. I didn't like them. I thought the vocals were poor and the music forgettable. I can't imagine them ever making a real career out of music, but cheers to them for giving it a try. The crowd was enthusiastic anyway, and the band really seemed to appreciate it.

The venue was new to me: Metro Gallery in Baltimore. It's a little bitty art gallery/bar/performance space. It was pretty in a modern art way, warm and inviting. There were a few couches and tables scattered about, and area rugs on the floor in front of the stage, where everyone sat and talked until the opener got on stage. They were serious about not letting people in until the official "door" time, but the line wasn't bad and they moved everyone in quickly. The stage backdrop was a trippy pattern of colored duct tape that I really liked. Only one bathroom though, with a very long line.

Locksley, 8x10, Nov 12, 2011

I went into this show in a bad mood. The Federal Hill neighborhood of 8x10 in Baltimore has the worst parking situation I've ever encountered. In 40 minutes of circling, we couldn't find a single legal spot, and the only neighborhood parking garage was full. My husband ended up dropping me off and driving over a neighborhood where he paid a lot for a spot in a private garage and then walked back. He got there in time for the show, though.

Once Locksley took the stage, my mood immediately changed. These gents are consummate showmen. The 2 guitarists and the bassist take turns as the primary singer, creating a band with 3 front men who all deserve that title. They interacted heavily with the audience, keeping the energy up even during tuning. They danced around constantly, and they looked great doing it. They oozed
confidence - it was like watching musical theater, but much cooler. They were sort of costumed - they all had great hair and fancy duds that seemed appropriate to their musical style. I especially liked the drummer's 3 musketeers style, perhaps because it was different, or perhaps because I've a sucker for great hair and a handlebar mustache. They even did tricks on stage with their instruments. Even if you don't like their music, you can't help but love their performance - it's incredible. If you EVER have the opportunity to see this band live, take it! You won't regret it.

According to Wikipedia, "their songwriting is heavily influenced by early British Invasion bands with an instrumental style based more on early American punk bands and modern garage rock groups. The band describes their sound as doo-wop punk."

8x10 is a cute little Baltimore venue. Clean, with a u-shaped balcony and good sized stage for the space. There was even some seating on the balcony. Good sight lines throughout. The only problem was the parking in the neighborhood.

Manchester Orchestra, White Denim, 9:30 Club, Nov 14, 2011

I felt there was little reason to go to this show. All three bands just stood in place on stage and played their instruments and sang. No audience interaction, no energy, nada. There were even huge gaps in the sets for tuning when no one talked to the audience. They just stood there like deer in the headlights. You might as well just listen to their recorded music. It sounds exactly the same. It wasn't worth the price of the ticket to see them live.

Otherwise, White Denim made the mistake of failing to play the only song anyone knows by them - Drugs. White Denim and The Dear Hunter both sounded good, but then Manchester Orchestra took the stage and sounded so much better. I can't complain about the sound quality at this show - it was excellent. And I really do like Manchester's song catalogue, I just hate their live act.

Airborne Toxic Event, Mona, 9:30 Club, Nov 22, 2011

I went to Airborne Toxic Event's concert at the 9:30 Club Tuesday, Nov 22 - my third time at one of their shows in just 15 months. It was very good, again.  The lead singer climbed across the balcony railing to the bar and sung from there part of the time, which was really entertaining. I have to say, though, the band looked exhausted. They've been touring non-stop for about a year, and I think it shows in their energy levels. They are still good, but I think most of the energy on stage came from the frantic lights show, not the performers. The lights pissed me off. My eyelid was twitching from the heavy use of strobe lights. I spent too much of the show looking at the floor to avoid them.

Mona was really good, too. I could see them gaining steadily in popularity and become as mainstream as Spoon. They had a ton of energy on stage. They engaged the audience, and I liked all of their songs - even the one's I'd never heard before. They were cute, too, which never hurts. I recommend them.

Drowning Men were bad. They tried really hard to be cool, but they just don't have talent. They dressed the part and used lots of unusual instruments, but couldn't pull it off.

River City Extension, State Radio, 9:30 Club, Nov 25, 2011

You all know I love River City Extension. They openned for State Radio at the 9:30 Club Friday night, and I went with an indie concert Meetup group of 8 people. River City was fantastic. They've been touring a lot this year, and it shows in their stage presence and crowd banter. They did several new songs, most of which were folksy verging on country. They sounded fabulous, and the crowd
was very into them. There were a few audience participation moments that were fun. Great live act.

State Radio doesn't appeal to me, though if you like their sound, it was a good show. I left after a few songs, though I heard that there were several encores, lots of crowd surfing, and the drummer actually trashed his drum kit at the very end. (It was the last show on the tour.) So apparently I missed quite a
spectacle, though I was happy to be in bed early after so many shows these last couple months. Eric and I have just one left in 2011 - Birthday Massacre in Baltimore. I'm looking forward to a quite couple months before the spring touring starts.

The Birthday Massacre, Dir En Gray, Sonar, Dec 10, 2011

My husband Eric discovered The Birthday Massacre on Last FM recently and we went to their show at the Sonar in Baltimore last Saturday night. They look like goths and the instrumental music sounds metal, but the female vocals are gorgeous and melodic. Eric also noted that most metal bands don't use synthesizers, and synth was a prominent element in their music. The sound mixing was perfect for the room - not ear splitting - and you could understand the vocals the majority of the time. The lead singer was fun and engaging. We were both incredibly impressed. I would say that this is an edgy pop band more than an actual metal band, and an extremely talented one at that. I highly recommend the show.

Dir En Gray is a Japanese metal band that apparently has quite a following, though I can't see why. I found the 2 songs we watched of their show to be comedic. They looked like style-challenged little teenage boys with dour facial expressions. The music sounded like noise - nothing interesting or special. The audience, though, was into them. There was a big mosh pit and plenty of head banging. I actually burst out laughing at a group of teen girls behind us who were moved to get down on their hands and knees to whip their hair around. Funniest part for me: many of those fans paid $150 for tickets to the pre-show meet and greet with Dir En Gray. Way to monetize a lack of talent, little
Japanese boys.

Sonar was about the same size as Black Cat inside, so roughly 800 or 1000 capacity. It was the gutted ground floor of an old office building, painted black. Cement floors and black fabric curtains against the walls and 2 bars that looked entirely portable, like they might have to take them down for a police
raid at any moment. The stage height was limited by the fairly low ceilings, so you could only see from the waist up of the performers. (Less for the short ones.) Parking was easy in the neighborhood and we found a free spot quickly. The line to get in was crazy long and slow-moving, though. We were waiting to get in for the better part of an hour in the cold. The bathrooms were pretty nice for a rock club, though. It was just a big dark room with a stage and some lights and a few small risers on one side. No food, no coat check that I could find.

Zee Avi w/ Matthew Hemerlein at Ram's Head On Stage in Annapolis Feb 25, 2012

Zee Avi, Ram's Head on Stage, 2-25-12
This was my first visit to Ram's Head On Stage, which is a dinner-theater type venue next door (and attached) to Ram's Head Tavern. We parked about a block away in a pay lot and had lunch at the Tavern before the show, which has a cozy brew-pub feel to it, but the food was only so-so. The venue itself holds about 300 people all seated at 2 to 6 top tables. There is food and beverage waiter service at the tables. The stage is large for the space and projects into the room so that 2 sides face the audience - the tables are configured in an "L" shape around it. I recommend getting tickets facing the long side of the stage, even if you are several rows back, because they set up the performers to face the long side and the performers don't always remember the people facing the short side of the stage. The decor and bathrooms are both nice - this is the kind of place a grown-up crowd would especially appreciate. Acoustics are really good, and the sound was level was comfortable. The ceiling is lower than I would prefer, but not unusually so.

The most unusual part about this show was that it was a all-ages matinee, and Eric and I took our kids with us, which meant I spent a LOT of energy encouraging the 3 year old to remain calm throughout. He did a good job, only losing it at the encore. Eric took him outside for that.

Matthew Hemerlein opened. I'd never heard of him before. He was easy on the eyes, ladies! His thing seems to be pedal-repeaters with violin and guitar and a sensitive-guy voice. He performs barefoot. I loved his cover of "Creep". I wouldn't seek him out, but if I saw him as an opener again, I wouldn't be upset. He didn't engage the audience much, though, and forgot to turn to the other half of the audience on his right.

Zee Avi, a Malaysian woman with a gorgeous old-school 50's style voice had a very world-music inspired set. She played with 3 band members who used some novel instrumentation. She had a good stage presence and engaged the audience well. She was much better at acknowledging both sides of the stage, though it clearly took a few songs for the band to realize they needed to consider that other half of the audience and play to them, too!

Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeps, Rock and Roll Hotel, Mar 1, 2012

I'm doing this review a week late, so my memory is a bit fuzzy. The first opener was a local trio named Kindlewood that was extremely ambitious. Each band member played about 3 instruments simultaneously. The music wasn't great, but I thought it had some promise. The second opener was a duo called Dietrich Strause. They had a nice enough sound, but all the songs sounded the same and they all seemed appropriate for a depressing folk festival. The singer kept trying to encourage
complicated audience particiation. I looked at my watch a lot.

Caroline Smith and the Good Night Sleeeps was worth the wait. The band sounded good and her voice was amazing! I never would have guessed that such a rich, mature voice comes from someone so young. They seemed to have a lot of experience on stage and were very good at engaging the audience. The songs they played had some stylistic repetition, but were still very interesting. I
absolutely loved the show and recommend them if they come back to town. This one was a gem.

Purity Ring, Ava Luna, Red Palace, March 22, 2012

Purity Ring, Red Palace, 3-22-12
I went with Trish to this show, mostly to avoid my mother-in-law, who was in town for a week.
The opener Ava Luna was pretty bad. Every song had something about it that made me cringe. I think they were trying to experiment with dissonance, but mostly failed. There were moments when I thought they might have an interesting sound, if only they could refine it. I don't recommend them.

Purity Ring is much more chill than my usual concert fare, but I still enjoyed it. The singer's voice was gorgeous and clear, and the electronic-playing dude had a great gimmick using touch-sensitive lights as an interactive stage set element. Very impressive for such a new band. I did want to counsel the singer to visit a stylist. She had the worst 80s-retro hair I've seen in a while. This was a worthwhile show, especially if you like chill wave.

Cloud Nothings, A Classic Education at Red Palace, March 31, 2012

I really disliked A Classic Eduction. It was completely unmemorable to me - I only remember that I was impatient for them to leave the stage. Cloud Nothings let me down in their live show. I really like singles from their new album, so I was expecting fun pop-punk. I got really bad sound mixing, overloud guitars, unintelligible vocals, and WAY too many ultra-fast instrumental jams.  Eric and I were both bored and disappointed, so we left early.

Magnetic Fields and DeVotchKa at 9:30 Club on April 9, 2012

DeVotchKa at 9:30 Club 4-9-12
Jill and I went to this concert. Alex was right. Magnetic Fields are boring live. They sound just like the radio and do absolutely nothing on stage. The music was fine, but a few dozen 3 minute ditties back to back aren't all that engaging.

DeVotchKa was very good - I'd be happy to see them again. The gypsy-inspired instrumentation and obvious talent of the trio got me interested in checking out more of their music.

Free Energy at DC9 April 19, 2012

Free Energy at DC9, 4-19-12
This was my first time at DC9, and I like it as a venue. The space was small - maybe 200 capacity, but it was a squarish shaped room with a stage in the corner and bar in the back, so sight lines weren't really bad anywhere, though the stage is only a foot off the ground. (So don't stand behind somone tall!) Parking was pretty easy in the neighborhood, too. There's even a rooftop bar from which you can see Howard U Hospital. (It's not that far from 9:30 Club.) Like Red Palace, the ticketing system is just a list of names and a stamp on the hand.

Free Energy is a fun pop rock band with a lot of energy on stage. The lead singer looks much better with shorter hair, but the justin beiber cut is not doing him favors. He's a very engaging frontman, though. The band played well. My complaint is the sound mixing at the club. They didn't have the vocals up high enough to hear them clearly over the instruments. For me, that's a fatal flaw in sound. I don't go to shows to listen to instruments; I go to shows to hear the songs, which includes the voice front and center.

Death Cab for Cutie and Youth Lagoon, Strathmore, May 30, 2012

Dana and I had AMAZING seats at Strathmore music hall. (Orchestra box 31 - center, front row of the low balcony - perfect view.) It felt incredibly civilized to see a show there because the venue is beautiful and the seating very comfortable.

Youth Lagoon opened. I am not much of a fan of Youth Lagoon, but they/he sounded fine. My only criticism is that he never clearly enunciated the name of the band, so we had to look it up.

Death Cab for Cutie sounded excellent and did a much better job of talking to the audience to try to connect. It wasn't especially genius banter, but it got the job done. There were plenty of recognizable favorites in the set list, and a few newer songs. The lights show was a bit annoying when it blinded us, but pretty cool when it cast huge shadows of the performers on the side walls of the auditorium. The orchestra back-up was beautiful live. I thought it was funny cute how Ben Gibbard seemed to have only a couple dance moves, but then again, it can't be easy to dance, sing, AND play a guitar or piano, can it?

Ingrid Michaelson and Scars on 45, 9:30 Club, May 9, 2012

Ingrid Michaelson at 9:30 club, 5-9-12
Opener: Scars on 45
Their music was almost easy-listening, it was so bland, but they had a lot of personality and were friendly and entertaining on stage. And they remembered to let the audience know who they were clearly and frequently, which is important for an opener! After the show, they were milling in the crowd selling CDs themselves.

Main Act: Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid is absolutely amazing live. If you like her recorded music, you will LOVE LOVE LOVE her live show. She is vivacious and funny, with incredible vocals. Bess Rogers and Allie Moss, her backup singers, are really good solo artists, too.

Verdict:
Worth checking out.

River City Extension, Drowning Men, Secret Mountains, 6th and I basement, 5-31-12

Secret Mountains (a local band from Baltimore) was the first opener. The instruments were good - death metal meets atmospheric, the vocals off-pitch and too quiet. I was bored.

The Drowning Men were more interesting and better, though they relied a little too much on the sci-fi instrument you play by moving your hands in the air. Again, the vocals were too quiet - I couldn't hear the words. The sound guys for this show were terrible and so self-important. They were on the stage moving microphones an inch, then off to the side motioning the the performers every other minute. Very amateur.

River City Extension had a couple band member changes that saddened me. They seem to have swapped out two people I really liked. Again, horrible sound mixing, though great energy. They featured songs from the new album, and I liked most of them.

Gaslight Anthem and Dave Hause at U Street Music Hall, July 20, 2012

Gaslight Anthem, U Street Music Hall, 7-20-12
Brian, his wife Julia, my husband Eric and a few of our friends all went together to the Gaslight Anthem in July. It was a "gift to fans" sort of concert - a tiny venue that holds no more than 500, when they could easily sell out a 2000 person venue.

The opener, Dave Hause, used a ton of profanity for no clear reason, and had an earnest, downtrodden working-stiff vibe to his music. It made sense as an opener, but I didn't love him.

The crowd was crazy about Gaslight Anthem. I heard one 20-something man gushing as he geeked out with a fellow fan about how they changed his life. The music was fun - I danced to a lot of it, but I was again disappointed by the sound quality at U Street. The music was played well, but I really couldn't make out the lyrics over the instruments. (Brian called it "tight, but not right.") And whenever the lead singer got chatty, it sounded mumbled. Eric thinks it was where I was standing - off to the side near the entrance bar. He was in the middle near the mosh pit (or at least the extremely enthusiastic dancing men), and he claims he had no problem understanding the conversational parts. I bailed  from that location as soon as large men started slamming into each other. Brian commented that he was expecting more Springstein-channeling and was pleasantly surprised when they seemed Social Distortion-esque for many songs. He's absolutely right that they seemed harder-edged live than I ever would have guessed. Good, though.

I was actually surprised by their lack of concern with their appearance. They did not look rock-star to me. They looked lazy slob, getting fat on too much pizza and beer. I have them plugged into a "rock star" category in my mind, which was sort of wrong.

Verdict:
Not interested in seeing them again.

Santigold and Theophilus London at 9:30 Club on June 18, 2012

The opener was Theophilus London, who is an alt-rap darling of the indie scene. I get that he is pushing the normal boundaries of rap, but not enough to make it compelling to me. I could see why some people like him, even though I didn't.

Santigold was AMAZING live. That woman knows how to put on a good show. It goes without saying that she is an excellent singer, but she also hired a couple dancing girls who kicked ass. They went non-stop, the whole show. There was also something so appropriate about the choreography, so fitting to Santigold's music and messaging. The dancers were clearly skilled, but also willing to do
anything on stage. Sometimes it seemed like they were daring you to laugh at them, and would kick your ass if you did. It was all about respect, regardless of whether you would make the choices they did. Even the costuming had that same "What you looking at?" vibe to it. Ridiculous, but not trying to make you laugh - more like they were making a point about stereotypes, but without hitting you
over the head with it. The show was also fun - they brought a bunch of audience members onto the stage to dance with them, and I think there was an audience participation song, but I'm a little fuzzy on that.
Verdict:
Santigold is a must-see.

Theophilus London, 9:30 Club, 06-18-2012

Santigold, 9:30 Club, 06-18-2012

Santigold, 9:30 Club, 06-18-2012

Firewater w/Bearshark, Black Cat backstage, Sept 17, 2012

Bearshark was the opener. I had checked them out on Spotify before the show and either there are 2 bands with that name sharing Spotify, or this band played none of their new stuff. On Spotify, the 2012 release was guitar-driven, classic rock sounding with weak vocals. The 2011 stuff was interesting and entirely instrumental. The show was entirely instrumental. I'm a vocals fan, so I was
very bored, and my phone didn't work in the backstage part of Black Cat. I spent my time people watching instead. There was a lady that would have looked perfect on the set of a Star Wars prequel. And a guy whose profile belonged on the cover of a fantasy novel – that guy looked like he could kick elf butt and sweep a heroine away from a dragon. There was also a strangely androgynous looking older person with long hair. I thought for sure it was a man until she took her jacket off. There were lots of gen-Xers in the crowd.

I didn't do my homework on Firewater before buying the ticket. I discovered them around 2009 and am exceedingly fond of a few singles from their 2007 release, but they haven't toured since I discovered them, so I was excited. I didn't realize how OLD the main guy is. He looked and sounded like a man in his 50's (maybe early 60's) who's rocked hard his entire life. The vocals just weren't
that great. Not horrible, but weaker and less committed than I expected. The backup band was a bunch of guys in their 20s and 30s who were excellent, but there was almost no energy on stage and the lead guy didn't like the lights in his face, so you couldn't see much, it was crowded and hot, and I was behind lots of tall people. The music was good (not great), but it didn't overcome the negatives for me, so I bailed after 45 minutes. I won't go see the again.

Metric with Half Moon Run, Strathmore 9/21/12

Eric and I went to this show because we loved Fantasies by Metric so much. We bought the tickets before we'd heard the 2012 album. We should have waited. The 2012 album is not all that good.

Half Moon Run was really good live. We both felt they were a find, though they were helped by the amazing acoustics at Strathmore. Their debut album is a 2012 release and they are from Montreal. I'm not sure their recorded music is quite as good.

Metric sounded just like the album, and Emily, the singer, was beautiful, but only had a couple dance moves. The guys in the band just stood there. Eric would point out that I'm not really qualified to comment on the stage show because I was sitting while surrounded by standing people because of the strobe lights aimed straight at the audience - 20 foot towers of strobes lining the back and
side walls of the stage. I couldn't bear to look at the stage - it was horrible. So I read a book on my phone for most of the concert. Really disappointing.

Verdict:
Never again.

Grimes, Elite Gymnastics, MYTHS at U Street Music Hall Sept 2, 2012

Grimes at U Street Music Hall, 9-29-12
Trish, Jill, my husband Eric and I all went to this show. The first opener, MYTHS was a 2-girl electronic experimental duo. They clearly had commitment to their music, though that music was not approachable. Good strong voices used in odd ways that sounded great for a few seconds of each song, then tried something that ruined the song. As Eric said, it was easy to respect them for going for
it, but not as easy to love their music. They both looked a bit self-conscious on stage, but tried to be good showmen anyway. It was a tolerable opening act, but I wasn't sad to see them go.

Elite Gymnastics is one guy - a seemingly gay man who sings/chants about a girlfriend, who is extremely effeminate and rolls his eyes constantly. He also talks with his hands while singing and does stress-relieving breathing exercises while he talks about his stage anxiety. The music was unbelievably bad. It was such a train wreck. Every time you thought he couldn't get worse, he did. Very memorable.

Grimes was backed by the MYTHS ladies, and MYTHS were fabulous as backup singers and dancers. I loved their skeleton shorts and shirts. Clair (Grimes real name) was extraordinary. She dressed a bit like a samurai in a very non-sexy way, which was cool, she moved beautifully (later learned she's a trained dancer), and even though she was high as a kite on pot, she connected with the audience. Grimes is truly talented - the real deal creatively. Absolutely amazing to watch. If you don't know her music, it's electronic with strangely beautiful atmospheric vocals on top. Upbeat and danceable. There was a lot of dancing at this show.

My only complaint was the mosh pit the broke out next to me. What the hell is it about U Street that encourages young men to mosh at EVERY show?

Verdict:
See GRIMES!  She's wonderful.

FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavillion on Oct 6, 2012

Merriweather Post Pavillion on 10-6-2012
I was disappointed with FreeFest this year. Not one act stood out as a really special discovery, it seemed over crowded compared to the last couple years, and the organizers scaled back on the extras that make it more festive. I went with Eric for the first time, and neither of us really enjoyed it. The sound quality was universally good on all stages - I have to give them that.

Act by act:
Das Racist - Last minute cancellation

Volta Bureau - Boring dance/rave music

Justin Jones - Good for what he does, but uninteresting to us. Workin' man's music - rock, sometimes with a little country or a little blues influence. Springstein influence, too. Nothing special about his stage show.

Allen Stone - I think I threw up in my mouth a little at this one. And I wasn't drinking. I hated this act. Motown white soul with weird quasi-religious overtones. Bleh.

Future Islands - The music is interesting - techo instrumentation with a monster voice for vocals. The lead singer had personality, but no charisma. He was 40 something and balding (as were his band-mates) with the weirdest lunging hunchback dance style. The show was great as long as you didn't look at the stage.

Penguin Prison - Good techno/electronic dance with vocals and great lights show. Just not amazing.

Portugal the Man - Standard rock band. It was Eric's first exposure to them and he really liked them. I feel that I've heard them so many times they bore me.

Trampled by Turtles - A 5 piece stringed American folk group. They were very good, though I almost dosed off a few times during their sleepier tunes. No showmanship, just musical excellence.

Nervo - Two hot female Australian DJs. The 20-somethings had a great time. We weren't all that impressed.

Ben Folds Five - A better showman than most, and an excellent musician, but Eric and I both hate most of his musical catalogue. I read a book during his act to kill time.

Santigold - Same show I saw at 9:30 Club, which was excellent, though it loses something on a huge stage. You really have to be able to see the stage well to enjoy her show-the dancers and crazy costumes. She did the best of anyone that day, but it wasn't mind-blowing.

Alabama Shakes - I couldn't see anything from our location - just a few glimpses of the screen. Incredible vocals, though. I liked the sound, even though I'm not into this group.

Nas - A potty-mouthed rapper. Bleh. Eric wanted to see what he was like, so we watched a couple songs to kill time.

ZZ Top - They had a great video stage show, but those men are creaky. They don't move much at all on stage, and their voices have not held up. They sounded and moved like they are ancient.

M83 - Pretty good live. Good stage set and energetic hired help musicians. The main guy didn't do much, though. I liked the one time he talked to the audience with his French accent. He should have done that a lot more.

Jack White - He was backed up by his all-girl band at this show. The music all sounded excellent, and the staging was attractive, but there was no connection with the audience, and I don't care for jamming. Apparently Jack White likes to jam sometimes. Eric and I left early, bored.

The Verdict: Very disappointing. Not one of the acts impressed me or exceeded my expectations. The only one that moved me to dance much was Santigold. Very few of the performers engaged the audience or spoke to them at all. They all seemed devoid of personality and didn't do anything outside of their normal recorded sound. It was nice weather, so it was a pleasant day out, but nothing great.

Generationals, Kimbra, Titus Andronicus, and Wolf Gang Oct 2012



Generationals at Red Palace, 10-20-2012

Stepkids at 9:30 Club, 10-23-2012
Kimbra at 9:30 Club, 10-23-2012


Ceremony, Rock & Roll Hotel, 10-24-12
Royal Concepts, U Street Music Hall, 10-27-12

I went to all of these shows with Shane (and Eric came to the Saturday shows, too) during his visit. Shane is a childhood friend of mine from Kansas who is shopping around for a new home city. He loves music, so concerts were a big part of my pitch.

Saturday, October 20
8:30 pm J. Thoven
9:30 pm Maus Haus
10:30 pm Generationals
At Red Palace
J. Thoven said they had played 4 shows in the last 24 hours because they were fresh from CMJ in New York. You couldn't tell. They were really good and professional. They seemed like they were ready to get big. I liked their music enough and will give them another listen, but nothing jumped out at me much. Maus Haus had 2 bassists, which impressed Shane and Eric a great deal. I thought
they were horrible, but I get that they were doing something a little fringe. Generationals did not sound as good live as they do recorded, but the show was good and energetic. I won't bother seeing them again live, though.

Tuesday, October 23
8 pm The Stepkids
9:30 pm Kimbra
At 9:30 Club
The Stepkids were fantastic live. They did everything right. They had an incredible projected lights show that was different for each song. They were comfortable on stage and interacted with the audience, and they made sure everyone knew their names. The music was 70's inspired Bee-Gees-esque at times. Not my thing, but still a great show to watch. I can imagine them getting big.
Kimbra was phenomenal live. Tremendous energy, lots of costume changes, and excellent vocals. I highly recommend her show for both the music (better than average pop) and the spectacle. Side note: we were on the balcony across from Kimbra's changing room, and she must not have realized (or cared) that there was a small window. Shane got an eyeful as Kimbra was getting dressed. I wasn't tall enough to see as much, but she wasn't all that modest.

Wednesday, October 24
8 pm True Head
9 pm Ceremony
10 pm Titus Andronicus
At Rock and Roll Hotel
We skipped True Head and just wished we'd skipped Ceremony. It seemed like a parody of a punk show. Neither Shane nor I could think of anything good to say about the performance. Maybe that they were nice for throwing candy into the audience? So one thing. Titus Andronicus just stood there, loudly, and we weren't feeling it, so we left early. I don't recommend either show. Shane entertained himself by stealing glances at the pretty brunette standing in front of us. There were no pretty boys for me to stare at, though. Just a bunch of gawky teens.


Saturday, October 27
6:45 pm The Royal Concept
7:45 pm ATLAS GENIUS
8:45 pm Wolf Gang
At U Street Music Hall

The Royal Concepts are a Swedish pop band with a really pretty (seemingly gay) lead singer. (He's blond and truly beautiful. Look him up.) They sounded like Radio Disney with occasional words that wouldn't be allowed on that station, but they had tons of energy and really got the (mostly underage) crowd going. Afterwards, the band posed for endless photos with pretty young women who didn't
even buy their t-shirts. I think they need to work on that marketing angle. Atlas Genius was boring. I liked nothing about their performance. Wolf Gang sounded too much like Cold Play (an insult from me) and the sound was bad – instruments on top of vocals, again. U Street has a real problem mixing sound.  Plus, they had no energy on stage. Not the best show.

Birthday Massacre at Empire in Springfield, VA on Nov 29, 2012

Birthday Massacre at Empire 11-29-2012
Eric and I went to Springfield, VA on a Thursday night to see one of his favorite bands - a pop goth metal band called Birthday Massacre. I really like them live, too, so I was happy to go, but it was quite an experience.

First off, getting from Silver Spring to Springfield early on a weeknight is not easy. It took over an hour - maybe 90 minutes - to drive there.

Empire is in a space that used to be called Jack's. It's on the second floor of a suburban strip mall, and it caters to a goth/metal/industrial crowd. It was an all-ages show, but I was surprised by how many 30 and 40 somethings were in the crowd. It wasn't the teens I expected. Most of the crowd was old enough to drink. The people watching was fun - lots of goth dress up going on. Eric and I speculated that the group next to us was a poly trio, or else just VERY affectionate among friends. There was a very large, very aggressive woman who dominated the mosh pit. Interesting all around.

The venue is a spacious high-ceiling room with a stage that is a bit too low to see the performers well, and a tiered area surrounding the floor with bars, T shirt stands, and some bar stool seating. Eric complained that the sound quality in the room was not good. There's also a lounge-y bar room next door that is cute and has ambitious food on the menu. It's got lots of couches and is quiet
enough for conversation. So the venue is not bad, and there's plenty of free parking within a block.

We arrived about an hour and a half after the doors opened and got our first big surprise of the evening: instead of the 2 openers that were advertised, there were 6, and the third one was already on stage. My comments about each are below:

Spellborne - opener we missed

The Coming Of Astro- opener we missed

My Enemy Complete - opener we saw a bit of. Hard rock vibe, but not metal. The lead singer had a good enough voice, and he was wearing a tight shirt and had really great muscle definition, so I did not mind this act at all. All of the performers looked like midgets on the stage, though. I soon realized that the stage wasn't the usual height, which causes everyone on stage to look even shorter than they are.

Creature Feature - opener we saw - A duo that plays up spooky Halloween-esque references in their music. The singer has big hair that looks like he's turning into a werewolf and the synth player looks a little like Igor. There used the carnival pipe organ sound in a lot of their music and made references to Edgar Allen Poe. An entertaining novelty act.

Aesthetic Perfection - opener we saw - A gay duo with a somewhat punk/metal vibe. The lead singer was very flamboyant, which led Eric to ask me if he was gay. If even Eric's gaydar goes off, you know it was over the top. A fun entertainer, but completely unmemorable music.

William Control - opener we saw and walked out of - This act was HORRIBLE. Their music was noise, they cranked the smoke machine up so high you couldn't see (or breath), and the singer had a mean attitude towards the crowd. We hung out in the bar next door during this act.

The Birthday Massacre - headliner - I mean it when I say they are a POP goth metal band. Most of the songwriting is purely rock and roll inspired pop, with occasional metal instrumental bits. The female vocalist has a beautiful voice, and everyone on stage dresses up goth, but the vocalist spends all her time signing I heart you to the crowd. They are great entertainment, and I recommend
them to everyone. The problem was our next surprise of the night: during the third song, the singer jumped off a speaker, landed wrong, and twisted her knee. She had to be taken to the hospital. So we watched 4 not-so-good opener on a weeknight after a very long drive for 3 songs. Bummer, but at least it's quite a story.

Jeremy Messersmith house concert on Nov 17, 2012

Jeremy Messersmith house concert 11-17-2012
Genevieve and Eric and I went to a house concert in Cheverly, MD that turned out to be my FAVORITE concert of the year. It was so fun! I think house concerts of artists you like are amazing, but this one was exceptionally so.

The artist was Jeremy Messersmith, a 30 year old singer-songwriter from somewhere in the upper mid-west. Most of his music is pay-what-you-want on bandcamp, if you want to check him out. A lot of quirky material, lots of love songs, nicely sung. I like him quite a lot. Organ Donor, A Girl a Boy and a Graveyard, and Novocain are three of my favorite songs. http://jeremymessersmith.bandcamp.com/

So Jeremy was very good, and it was fun to be able to walk right up to him and chat before and after the show, but it was everything else that made it an extraordinary night. First off, it was a pot luck, and being an indie crowd, there was plenty of vegan food I could eat, which made me happy. But that wasn't the main reason. The really incredible thing was the stage the host built in the back yard. He bought backdrops from the Shakespeare company garage sale and hung them on either side of a huge tree, then places a riser below it and made a back wall of wood cords with colored bottles interspersed. Each of those bottles was lit from within by christmas lights, and there were spotlights trained on the stage. There were also fire pits in either corner, and some people roasted marshmallows. After it got too cold for Jeremy, we moved inside to the living room where at least one song was a sing-along. Even the inside of the house was adorable, with all sort of art scattered around. There was a magical, beautiful, mellow vibe to the evening that was rare and perfect - I felt like I was in a Gilmore Girls episode, in a good way.

Verdict:
Jeremy Messersmith: Best show of the year, I swear.