ShowlistDC Music Notes: Wednesday 04-11-12



Notes from Last Night


Yes, that was me at the Ozric Tentacles show last night at the State Theatre. They’re a psychedelic prog-rock band from England (who apparently live in California now….?) who are named after an imaginary breakfast cereal (other possibilities were Malcolm Segments, Desmond Whisps, and Gordon Lumps). I hadn’t seen them since 1995 when I reviewed their show for the Washington Post (you can read that review here). This time, they didn’t have anyone playing flute, and that was disappointing– the show was still good, but there’s only so much psychedelic keyboard/guitar noodling one can listen to before it all starts to sound like a stoner rave, and those flute melodies certainly used to add something. They played for about 2 1/2 hours, and there was a decent crowd– although not enough for them to open the balcony. I did take a photograph of the new balcony extension with my phone’s camera, and you can see that here.

On my way out, one of the State’s staff came up to me and said, “You have good taste in music!” I was a little confused by why he approached me specifically, but I guess most people don’t go to shows at the State Theatre in a full business suit.



Articles


• Planning guides: DCist’s This Week in Hip-Hop.

• Interviews: Steve Kiviat talked to Bombino and Vieux Farka Touré about the upheaval in Mali [Washington CityPaper]. Bombino performed last night, but you still have a chance to see Touré on Thursday at the Hamilton.

• Preview: Luke Stewart on saxophonist Steve Lehman [Capital Bop]. Lehman performs tonight at the Atlas.

• Announced: Lineup for the Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center [Washington Post].

• Listen: Mashup master Bad Domes is back at DC9 on Saturday, and MashupCiti has the bootleg from his last DC9 show.

• Listen: JuiceheaD and Osaka Popstar cover Fugazi‘s “Waiting Room” [Washington CityPaper].

• Listen: Caveman stopped by NPR’s DC office for a Tiny Desk Concert.

• CD Preview: Joe Warminsky on Lungfish‘s A.C.R. 1999, due out on May 19th [Washington CityPaper].

• Metallomusikum continues her countdown to Maryland DeathFest with a profile of grindcore band Napalm Death.



Live Reviews


• Another review of last weekend’s chickfactor anniversary shows: Valerie Paschall [DCist].

• Joel Church on the Magnetic Fields at the 9:30 Club [DC Style is Real].

• Jonathan L Fischer on Wale at the new Howard Theatre [Washington CityPaper].

• Michael J West on Afro-Blue and the Howard University Jazztet at Blues Alley [Washington Post].

• Stephen Bradley on Wild Flag at the 9:30 Club [Washington Times].



Contests


• The Vinyl District is giving away a pair of tickets to Matthew Sweet at the 9:30 Club on 6/9 (contest ends today at noon).
• The Vinyl District is giving away three copies of Portugal the Man‘s In the Mountain In the Cloud on vinyl. Winners must have a North American mailing address (contest ends Thursday 4/12).
• ShowlistDC is giving away two pair of tickets to Sister Sparrow & the Dirty Birds at the Hamilton on 4/19 (contest ends Friday 4/13 at midnight).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Creed at the Warner Theatre on 4/24 (contest ends Sunday 4/15).
NEW The Vinyl District is giving away a copy of Neil Nathan‘s The Distance Calls on vinyl. Winner must have a North American mailing list (contest ends Tuesday 4/17).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Nickelback at the Verizon Center on 4/30 (contest ends Monday 4/23).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to the sold-out Radiohead show at the Verizon Center on 6/3 (contest ends Sunday 5/27).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Dave Matthews Band at Jiffy Lube Live on 6/16 (contest ends Sunday 6/3).

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ShowlistDC Music Notes: Monday 03-26-12



Notes from this weekend


So I spent most of the weekend out in Reston for the annual SingStrong a cappella festival, which featured a long list of performers including Sing-Off winners Pentatonix, locals– and Sing-Off alums– Afro-Blue, and live-looper Julia Easterlin. Easterlin was by far my favorite performer of the weekend; her original compositions were outstanding, and it was really impressive to watch her build her layered harmonies live.

Then last night, I headed up to Baltimore to see technical instrumental trio Dysrhythmia at Sonar’s Talking Head Lounge. Really awesome show– the guys previewed all new songs from their as-yet-unrecorded album, and bassist Colin Marston broke a string twice. (Luckily, both of the opening bands on the tour played 6-string basses, so he just borrowed one for the rest of the set.)



Articles


• Local band news: death-doomers Ilsa have signed with A389 for their next album [Brooklyn Vegan].

Midori is coming to Alexandria– to perform and teach [Washington Post].

The end of Justin Moyer‘s “Edie Sedgwick goes to SXSW” [Washington CityPaper].

• CD Review: DC writer Zach Kelly on TanlinesMixed Emotions [Pitchfork].



Live Reviews


• Mark Jenkins on Gotye at the 9:30 Club [Washington Post]. It’s hard to describe Gotye without making him sound more exotic than he really is.

• Mark Jenkins on Angelique Kidjo at Lisner Auditorium [Washington Post].

• Michael J West on Kevin Eubanks at Blues Alley [Washington Post]. While most Americans know Kevin Eubanks for his 15 years as Jay Leno’s bandleader and sidekick, jazz devotees remember the guitarist’s straight-ahead bop and funky, world-music-imbued experiments from his pre-”Tonight Show” career. The audience that packed Blues Alley to see him Thursday night, however, got neither of the above.

• Anne Midgette on Shuffle.Play.Listen (the collaboration between Christopher O’Riley and Matt Haimovitz) at George Mason [Washington Post].

• Stephen Brookes on the BSO performing works of Higdon and Tchaikovsky at Strathmore [Washington Post].

• Tom Huizenga on the NSO‘s performance of works by Janacek and Dvorak at the Kennedy Center [Washington Post].



Contests


Darkest Hour is giving away Grindesign art to peopele who “like” this facebook image and page (contest is open until it reaches 1,000 likes).
• The Vinyl District is giving away a pair of tickets to see DJ Shadow at the FIllmore Silver Spring on 3/27 (contest ends today at noon).
• The Vinyl District is giving away a pair of tickets to see the Joy Formidable at the 9:30 Club on 3/26 (contest ends today at noon).
• DCHeavyMetal.com is giving away a pair of tickets to see Alcest, deafheaven, Black Clouds, and Auroboros at DC9 on 3/29 (contest ends Tuesday 3/27 at 5 PM).
• The Vinyl District is giving away a 2-LP set of the Mastodon album The Hunter. Winner must have a North American mailing address. (contest ends Thursday 3/28).
• The Vinyl District is giving away a copy of VCMB‘s Ssss on vinyl. Winner must have a North American mailing address. (contest ends Friday 3/29).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Creed at the Warner Theatre on 4/24 (contest ends Sunday 4/15).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Nickelback at the Verizon Center on 4/30 (contest ends Monday 4/23).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Marilyn Manson at the Fillmore Silver Spring on 5/1 (contest ends Sunday 4/1).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to the sold-out Radiohead show at the Verizon Center on 6/3 (contest ends Sunday 5/27).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to Dave Matthews Band at Jiffy Lube Live on 6/16 (contest ends Sunday 6/3).

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