Ingrid Michaelson, Storyman, Sugar & the Hi-Lows, May 23, 2014 at Lincoln Theater

Eric, Laura, and I went to the Ingrid Michaelson show at Lincoln Theater on U Street last night. It was Laura's first time at that venue and she was very pleased with it. It's a pretty restored historic theater, it has seats, and it's across the street from the metro - so it's a welcome pleasure for old folks like us gen-Xers. Eric and I arrived a few minutes before doors were supposed to open for this sold out general admission show and the line was literally all the way around the block and back down the alley, nearly circling the building. I feared the worst, but they got us all into the building in about 20 minutes - impressive!

Sugar & the Hi-Lows, 5-23-14, Lincoln Theater

The first opener was Sugar & the Hi-Lows, a Nashville-based duo that was very good at the retro/twangy Nashville sound. They also has a great stage presence; they were very comfortable engaging the crowd. I was particularly impressed by their marketing savvy. They did the smart thing for an opener: they projected their name HUGE on the screen behind them. (I can't count the number of opening acts I've seen that never told the crowd their name.) This duo talked up the merch in a charming way, too. So if I were a fan of their type of music, I'd be singing their praise right about now. None of us loved it, though, because none of us are into that sound.

Storyman, 5-23-14, Lincoln Theater

The second opener was an Irish duo called Storyman that used to be called Guggenheim Grotto. Again, great banter, excellent voices, very good musicianship, but again, not our favorite style of music, or at least, none of the songs wowed us. We all agreed that we liked them more that the first opener, but no one in our little group was excited about them.

Ingrid Michaelson, 5-23-14, Lincoln Theater

Ingrid Michaelson was REALLY good. She's much better live than recorded. Her vocal range and the power of her voice are completely impressive, and she is a very entertaining performer, with the a slightly geeky, hot-awkward-chick stick she does. You can tell that she and her band put a lot of effort into delivering a memorable experience to the crowd. There were sing-alongs, there were silly gags, there was a rendition of a popular song performed as a polka, there were celebrity impersonations, there were guest artists - it was a full-on variety show. This was the third time Laura and I have seen her live, and we were both glad we did. Ingrid puts on a reliably fun concert - worth the money and time.  I recommend it.

Tokyo Police Club, Geographer, and Said The Whale May 13, 2014 at Black Cat

If you expect nothing, you're often pleasantly surprised. The inverse - expectations often disappoint -  is also true. I experienced both first-hand at the Tokyo Police Club concert last Tuesday night.


I had a ticket to go alone to this sold-out show at Black Cat. It was on a weeknight, so neither my husband nor my friends were interested in joining me. When that happens, I look to the DC Indie and Local Music Meetup for people to hang out with at the show. Meetup has introduced me to some people I like and others I would be happy to never run into again. So you just never know, but I'm always up for meeting new people. The Tokyo Police Club meetup was great - I enjoyed talking to everyone I met there. So here's my shout out to John, Lindsay, and Arthur.  There was one more person, but I didn't catch her name and she didn't RSVP, so I can't look it up.  Hey to you too, mystery girl.


So socially, exceeded expectations.  Musically, not so much. 

I went into this show with very high expectations. I'm a fan of both Said the Whale and Tokyo Police Club, at least casually. When a band has at least 2 singles on my favorites list, I consider myself a fan. I'm lazy about exploring back catalog songs or the rest of an album from a band. I'd rather spend my time looking for the next exciting band than getting to know a band inside and out. That strategy backfired on me at this show. 

Tokyo Police Club, Black Cat, 5-13-14

Sure, I heard all 5 songs I love from Said the Whale and Tokyo Police Club plus a few others I liked enough, but I also heard tons of stuff that bored me. Worse, I had this incorrect idea in my head that Tokyo Police Club would be high-energy. Not so much. Their songs are mostly a relaxed tempo. Not so good when you are sleep deprived and fighting to stay awake. Based on his banter, the lead singer seemed like a very nice person to talk to, though. 

Said the Whale, Black Cat, 5-13-14

Said the Whale were unremarkable in their stage show - just a bunch of people on stage. I liked their set, but didn't find any new favorite songs in it. They announced they were from Canada, so I thought maybe it was an all-Canadian lineup until I Googled Geographer and found out they are from San Francisco. Geographer is absolutely not my cup of tea. Entirely average 80s-throwback song. Nothing exceptional about it. 

Geographer, Black Cat, 5-13-14

Chvrches concert, 9:30 Club, April 29, 2014

Chvrches, 9:30 Club, 4-29-14

I was very excited to see Chvrches again for the second time in less than a year. The first time was at Freefest, and for a festival performance, it was really good, so I was anxious to see what they could do at a traditional show. I was also excited to be going to the show with friends. Dana, Trish, and Em went with me that night, while other friends ended up going to the Wednesday night show because Tuesday sold out in the blink of an eye. So I went in with high expectations for a great night, but those expectations weren't quite met. First problem, I was tired, which is never a great start to a late night. Second problem, a gang of 20-something women pushed their to the edge of the balcony next to us, forcing me to fight for my spot constantly throughout the night. Third problem, strobe lights. I HATE when artists flash strobes at the audience, and unfortunately, there was a fair amount of it in their lights show. So three strikes, but they still weren't out. The sound quality was excellent and they were solid performers. The lights show was varied and interesting and would have been a positive if it weren't for the strobes. There was too much fake smoke, too, which annoyed me. So I really only lost myself in the music for one song that evening. The night didn't really live up to my expectations, but most of that wasn't the fault of the act. It was just one of those nights.

I thought Chvrches had already crossed over to mainstream, but it seems that they haven't quite yet. Before the show, I kept telling people I was excited about the concert, and no one knew who they were. I would have guessed that they were being played in Target and the mall by now, but I guess not.

The Range, 9:30 Club, 4-29-14

The Range was the opener, and he was really uninteresting to the crowd, those clearly didn't realize it (or care). It was electronic music without vocals, and it got old fast. It also went on FOREVER. Perhaps because Chvrches had a short set, so the opener had to make up some of the time.

Em, Trish, Anita, 9:30 Club, 4-29-14

Moon Hooch at Gypsy Sally's May 4, 2014

Moon Hooch at Gypsy Sally's 5-4-14

Moon Hooch at Gypsy Sally's 5-4-14

Saxes are sexy again! I know you have been hearing saxophone in all sorts of indie rock/pop with 80s throw-back sounds (think M83, for example), but there's a new sound out there you should not miss! Moon Hooch are a trio of young men - 2 saxophonists and a drummer - who have created an amazing dance sound they call cave rock. Silly name, amazing music. They use some computer-generated dance sounds mixed in, and some of those sounds seem to be controlled by a very strange looking saxophone. I'm usually all about vocals, and their music has almost none, but I still think it's some of the best I've heard this year. YOU CAN NOT HELP BUT DANCE TO THIS! It's incredible. They don't pause in the music for a second, and they went on and on - a long set.  When do they even have time for a breath? They don't talk to the audience, but still they engage the audience completely. The front-men saxophonists (and occasional electronic musicians) are both very attractive young men with an unstoppable amount of energy. They bounced around stage the entire show. I now totally understand why young people went wild for jazz during its heyday - these guys made sax hot. I'm so impressed by them. Definitely go see them. They are a don't-you-dare-miss-them kind of act. I found out about them from NPR All Songs Considered. They were an it-band from SXSW 2014. Apparently, there's a Moon Hooch Tiny Desk Concert coming soon on NPR.

The opener was an entirely forgettable electo-rock jam band called Sakima from New Jersey.  I read a book through their set.  Boring.

The venue was new to me - Gypsy Sally's. It's under White Hurst Freeway on K Street in Georgetown, at the far dead end of the street.  Wonderful venue! I really loved the set up. There's a raised stage and dance floor with a couple bars on each side, then a large raised area with tables, then another higher tier of tables behind that. Great views of the stage and tons of seating. Pretty good parking availability, at least on a Sunday night. I didn't try the food, but the space was wonderful. Just wish they had more bands I like.