Of Monsters and Men, Haim, & Half Moon Run at MPP on June 11, 2013

Of Monsters and Men, MPP, 6-11-13

I went to the Of Monsters and Men show (lawn tickets) with the Indie Concerts Meetup group at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Tuesday, June 11, 2013, and I had a great time.  First, I saw Sharon, but she and her friend had standing room floor tickets, so we just said hello and they went to try to get a good spot. Then I found Krystle and Scott(?), who were really fun to hang out with. Krystle I had met at an earlier Meetup. HJ, a new acquaintance, showed up late because of a trip to the emergency room for a bad cut, but she was just as music geeky as me, so we had fun chatting right before OMAM.  It was a fun social evening, in good weather, though the ground was a bit soggy from recent rain.
Half Moon Run are still cute Canadian boys, and they sounded really good, but the lighting was dim and they didn’t engage the audience much. They did mention that their album was only recently released State-side, so it’s no wonder I couldn’t find the couple songs I liked after the first time I saw them (last year, opening for Metric, I think).
Haim had a new boy-toy drummer. A brunette instead of the blond from the last show. Their energy was MUCH lower than the last time I saw them, and the state lighting was again very dim. I know they are supposed to be a great live show, but if I had only seen this performance, I would not believe it. The potty-mouthed sister was still potty-mouthed, despite the huge number of kids and tweens in the audience.
Of Monsters And Men put on a very good show, though I quickly realized that I really haven’t explored the majority of their music. Most of it was slow, and you know I am not a fan of slow music at concerts. They had much better stage lighting (and actual stage set), and their costumes were entertaining. They talked to the audience a few times, which was great – I love their accents.

Dirty Projectors and The National, Merriweather Post Pavilion, 6-6-13

Horrible shot of Dirty Projectors, 6-6-13, MPP

Horrible shot of The National, 6-6-13, MPP

I arrived late for Dirty Projectors on Thursday, June 6, 2013 at Merriweather Post Pavilion because of the rain and subsequent traffic jams, and that was a pity, because I bought this ticket specifically to go see Dirty Projectors. It was raining and I had a lawn seat, but Merriweather was nice and let the lawn folks into the unsold Pavilion seats in the loge area. So I got to see most of the act out of the rain. They really are amazingly impressive musicians. I think it would have been incredible to watch them in an intimate venue. The voice control alone is astonishing. I didn’t even mind that they barely acknowledged the audience.

Jill and Bernie arrived in time for The National. I wasn’t impressed. They had some good lights on stage, and I learned that the band members are quite a bit older than I had imagined, but it sounded just like the recordings and there wasn’t all that much audience interaction to beef up the stiff performance. I left early and was perfectly fine with that.

Charli XCX and Little Daylight at U Street Music Hall 6-3-13

Little Daylight at U Street Music Hall 6-3-13

Charli XCX at U Street Music Hall 6-3-13

I went to see Charli XCX with Trish at U Street Music Hall on Monday, June 3, 2013. We got dinner a block away at Chix first (I recommend it highly, by the way), so we were late to Little Daylight. The few songs I saw them perform were good, but not memorable. Charli XCX is a wunderkind British singer-songwriter. She wrote “I Love It” by Icona Pop and has a new album she’s supporting. She got rave reviews for her live show at SXSW, so I was excited to see her. I felt she delivered, though I had a horrible view for most of the show. The songs are all pop rock – the kind you can dance to and sing along with.  She talked to the audience some, and she was energetic on stage. I hope I get to see her again from a better vantage point. Trish HATED the cover song she did – some 80s crap that I can’t even remember now.



Hey Marseilles at Ram's Head On Stage 6-23-13



Cole Cash at Ram's Head on Stage 6-23-13

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Sunday, June 23, 2013, Geri and I both took our 8-year-old daughters to see Hey Marseilles at an all-ages matinee at Ram's Head On Stage in Annapolis, which is a seated dinner-concert venue. It was a great time! I was sorry to see such a bad turn out, though. Not even ¼ of the seats were filled.  The last time I went to a matinee, it was nearly full. The music was beautiful. The artists authentic and engaged. They looked joyful playing on stage. I thought the lead singer sounded more like Colin Meloy in person than recorded. The band is chamber-pop from Seattle and includes a cello (played standing) and viola. Most memorable was when the lead singer talked about the girl’s milkshakes.  He called them temptresses for drinking them in front of him (he has a serious milk shake addiction.)

The opener was Cole Cash, a duo from Annapolis, MD. They were folksy/country sounding and did several covers.  (Maybe all covers. I couldn’t tell.) The woman has a beautiful voice. The man, not as good, but sounded great with her in duets. They played guitar and slide guitar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Features with opener Heyrocco at Black Cat, Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Heyrocco at Black Cat 5-15-2013

The Features at Black Cat 5-15-2013

 

I like a couple songs by both the Features and Heyrocco, the tickets were cheap at Black Cat, and the set times were early enough to take the metro home, so I took a chance on this show.  It was worth the money, but being worth $15 isn’t really fabulous.  Heyrocco seems to have some promising songwriting, but their stage presence and sound engineering wasn’t great. Their main effort at connecting with the audience was asking everyone to dance over and over, but the music wasn’t all that dance-inspiring. It came across as cute and slightly clueless about getting an audience going. They did not provide any examples of dancing to their music themselves. They were very polite to the audience, and towards the end announced sheepishly that their van had broken down and they needed a place to stay.  They suggested a sleepover where they could play songs for the host.  I so wanted to volunteer – if I had a bigger house, I would have.

The Features sounded a lot better, though they also struggled with instrument vs. mike levels. I think that was the sound guy’s fault, since it plagued both acts. Their act wasn’t very engaging, though. They didn’t move around on stage much and only spoke to the audience a few times. They did appear to be completely professional in their musicianship, just not must in terms of performers.  I left shortly before the end of their set. The evening ended up rather forgettable.

Favorite song by Heyrocco: Elsewhere

Favorite songs by the Features: Another One and  I Will Wander

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