Showlist DC : More

The xx and Grizzly Bear are coming to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday, 16 June, and ShowlistDC is giving away a pair of lawn seats– before they go on sale to the public! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me which song (by either of those two bands) you most want to hear at the concert, and I’ll pick the winners at random (using random.org) on Thursday, 14 February at midnight Eastern. Be sure to use a valid email address when you enter, so I can contact you if you win (and don’t worry: your email address won’t be posted publicly when you comment on this entry and won’t be added to any sort of mailing list). If you’re a hotmail user, please add showlistdc@gmail.com to your address book or no-spam list, as other hotmail users have had problems with emails from us not getting through. Also note that we ask winners to respond within 24 hours, or else we have to pick another winner, so make sure to check your email regularly! Tickets go on sale on Friday, 15 February at 10 AM, so we’ll be sure to let the winner know before then!

The xx is an English indie-pop band that formed in 2005 but didn’t release its first album until 2009 (the self-titled xx). They followed that up last year with the excellent Coexist, and over the past few years, they’ve played at a bunch of festivals (and their music has been on a ton of TV shows), so it’ll be awesome to have them headline a big space like MPP! If you’ve already heard a lot of the xx’s music, you might be interested in Jamie xx (aka Jamie Smith)’s remix of the group’s song “Sunset”, which we’ve linked to below.

Brooklyn indie-rock band Grizzly Bear formed over a decade ago and has released a number of great albums; 2006′s Yellow House is what first put them on the map, thanks in no small part to a Best New Music note from Pitchfork, but its two subsequent albums– 2009′s Veckatimest and 2012′s Shields– each received that “Best New Music” nod as well. They’ve got a new video out for their song “Gun-Shy” which we’ve linked to below, so have a listen!

Hey, if you’re new to ShowlistDC and wondering what this site is all about, check out our extensive calendar of upcoming events in the greater DC area (including Northern VA and Baltimore) and our concert recommendations. You can also follow us on twitter @showlistdc or like us on Facebook! While you’re checking all that out, listen to the two songs below and let us know which song from these bands’ catalogues you’d most like to hear live!

If you come across this post after the contest has closed, or if you’re not the lucky winner, then you can pick up tickets for $30-40, plus service fees, via ticketfly.com after 10 AM on Friday, 15 February.

The contest hsa closed and the winner has been notified!

The Joy Formidable is coming to the 9:30 Club on Sunday, 21 April, and ShowlistDC is giving away a pair of tickets! All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me why you want to go to this concert, and I’ll pick the winners at random (using random.org) on Tuesday, 12 February at 5 PM Eastern. Be sure to use a valid email address when you enter, so I can contact you if you win (and don’t worry: your email address won’t be posted publicly when you comment on this entry and won’t be added to any sort of mailing list). If you’re a hotmail user, please add showlistdc@gmail.com to your address book or no-spam list, as other hotmail users have had problems with emails from us not getting through. Also note that we ask winners to respond within 24 hours, or else we have to pick another winner, so make sure to check your email regularly!

There’s a lot to like about The Joy Formidable: big hooks, catchy songs, a charismatic frontwoman, and a fun live show; the Welsh band formed in 2007 and just released its second album Wolf’s Law. The album’s been getting some great reviews– an A- from the AV club, a 7.2 from Pitchfork, and 3.5 stars from Rolling Stone. It’s full of hooky guitar anthems that could fill booming spaces (it’s probably not that surprising that they opened for the Foo Fighters at the Verizon Center in 2011), so the 9:30 Club should be a great venue to see them at! They most recently played locally at St. Stephen’s Church last November, and you can see a review of that show and some photos of the band here.

If all the press buzz isn’t enough to convince you, then have a listen for yourself: they’ve got a video out for their new song “This Ladder is Ours” which we’ve linked below, and they’ve also got the audio for all of Wolf’s Law streaming on their youtube page. And if that’s not reason enough to go to the show, then check out the two opening bands, Brighton alt-rock duo Blood Red Shoes and Massachusetts band You Won’t, and tell us why you’re most excited for this show: is it the new songs? an old favorite from TJF’s first album The Big Roar? Did you miss out on tickets to their last show before it sold out? Tell us why you want to go see the band on 4/21 at the 9:30 Club!

If you come across this post after the contest has closed, or if you’re not the lucky winner, then you can pick up tickets for $25, plus service fees, via ticketfly.com.

The contest hsa closed and the winner has been notified!