Ticket giveaway: the Killers at Merriweather Post Pavilion, 8/10/13

The Killers are coming to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday, 10 August, 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 what song you’d most want to hear the band play live, and I’ll pick the winners at random (using random.org) on Thursday, 16 May 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, 17 May at 10 AM, so we’ll be sure to let the winner know before then!

The Killers formed in Las Vegas, Nevada, in 2001 and released their first album, Hot Fuss in 2004. That album sparked several hits, including “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me”. They followed that up in 2006 with the album Sam’s Town, which wasn’t as well-received critically but did produce their second-highest-charting single, “When You Were Young”. After their next album, Day & Age, the Killers took an 18-month hiatus (during which frontman Brandon Flowers released a solo album entitled Flamingo), returning last September with their most recent studio album, Battle Born. Throughout the course of their history, the Killers have recorded a ton of catchy songs, so check out some of their videos below and let me know in the comments which song you’d most want to hear them play live!

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, think back to 2003 and let us know if you got to see the Postal Service live– stories are always welcome!

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 $40-75, plus service fees, via ticketfly.com after 10 AM on Friday, 17 May.

The contest has ended and the winner has been contacted. Thanks!



Ticket giveaway: Bob Dylan, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket at Merriweather, Tuesday, 23 July 2013

Bob Dylan, Wilco, and My Morning Jacket are coming to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Tuesday, 23 July, 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 of these three great bands you’re most excited to see, and I’ll pick the winners at random (using random.org) on Thursday, 2 May 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, 3 May at 10 AM, so we’ll be sure to let the winner know before then!

These bands almost need no introduction at all. Bob Dylan (who will be performing with a band at this show) released his first album, Bob Dylan in 1962, and he’s been steadily releasing albums all the way up to last year’s Tempest (that’s his 35th studio album, for those keeping track at home). Chicago’s Wilco formed from the ashes of alt-country band Uncle Tupelo in 1994; its most famous album is probably 2002′s Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, which Wilco streamed for months on its web site before releasing it officially on Nonesuch (the album was rejected by Wilco’s previous label, Reprise Records, who then dropped the band but gave it the rights to the album). Their most recent album is 2011′s The Whole Love, and we’ve included a video from their song “Born Alone” from that album below. My Morning Jacket is a psychedelic rock band that formed in Louisville, Kentucky, in 1998 and has been steadily releasing albums ever since; its most recent is 2011′s Circuital. It looks like you can stream all of MMJ’s albums on their web site; just click on the album’s cover and then hit “Play” next to any song.

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, check out the videos below and let us know which band you’re most excited about seeing!

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 $45.50 to $215 via ticketfly.com after 10 AM on Friday, 3 May. Good luck and enjoy the music!

The contest has ended and the winner has been notified!




Ticket giveaway: the Postal Service at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Tuesday 18 June 2013

The Postal Service is coming to Merriweather Post Pavilion on Tuesday, 18 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 if you got the chance to see the Postal Service the first time around, and I’ll pick the winners at random (using random.org) on Thursday, 7 March 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, 8 March at 10 AM, so we’ll be sure to let the winner know before then!

The Postal Service is a collaboration between vocalist Ben Gibbard of Death Cab for Cutie and producer Jimmy Tamborello of Dntel and Headset. They will be joined on this show by Rilo Kiley’s Jenny Lewis on background vocals and keyboards. They released only one album, 2003′s Give Up, which is getting a deluxe 10th anniversary reissue with rarities and new songs. This is their first tour since 2003 (and even back in 2003, they didn’t play all that many shows!), so this is a rare treat to see this group perform! If you think you know the Postal Service but just aren’t sure, then check out the video to their single “Such Great Heights” below, because that’ll surely jog your memory — or think back to the soundtrack of the 2004 film Garden State. The Postal Service was everywhere for a while, and some people even blame the group for influencing the band Owl City (remember “Fireflies“?).

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, think back to 2003 and let us know if you got to see the Postal Service live– stories are always welcome!

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, 8 March.

The contest is closed and the winner has been notified!




Ticket giveaway: the xx and Grizzly Bear at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Sunday 16 June 2013

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!




Ticket Giveaway: Hot Chip/Sleigh Bells at Merriweather 7/22 -and- Metric at Strathmore 9/21

We’ve got a double “win ‘em before you can buy ‘em” contest this week here on ShowlistDC! Hot Chip and Sleigh Bells are playing at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday, July 22nd, and Metric is playing at Strathmore on Friday, September 21st. Tickets to both shows go on sale this Friday (May 18th) at 10 AM, but we’re giving away a pair of tickets to each show before you can buy them! You can enter to win tickets to either show (or both shows!), but you can only win tickets to one show. All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me which show you’d like to enter for (remember that you can enter for both!) and I’ll pick the winners at random (using random.org) on Thursday, 17 May at 7 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).

The first of the two shows is Hot Chip and Sleigh Bells with a special DJ set by James Murphy (DFA/LCD Soundsystem). Hot Chip is a British electropop group that formed in 2000. The group has released four albums which have all been extremely well-received (the lowest score they got on Pitchfork was a 7.0, with the other three albums receiving an 8.0 or above). They’ve got a new one coming out in June, In Our Heads, so this show is certain to feature a lot of new songs as well. Opening the show is Sleigh Bells, a New York duo of Derek Edward Miller on guitar and Alexis Krauss on vocals. It’s been a busy year for Sleigh Bells: they put out their second album, Reign of Terror, in February, sold out the 9:30 Club in March, and opened for the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Verizon Center last week. Then there’s James Murphy, who co-founded DFA Records and performed in LCD Soundsystem, who’ll be doing a DJ set to open the whole show. Murphy announced that he was retiring LCD Soundsystem last year (the group’s last concert was in New York in April 2011), but he didn’t drop out of music entirely: he released a song with Gorillaz and Andre 2000 earlier this year, and it’s great to see him still out performing, so make sure you get to this show early enough to catch his opening set. When tickets go on sale, they’ll be available via ticketfly.com for $35 (lawn) or $45 (pavilion) plus applicable fees. (Note that we’re giving away lawn tickets.)

In September, Canadian indie-rock group Metric is playing the majestic theatre Strathmore up in Bethesda– this place has fantastic sound, so it’ll be great to hear these guys in such an incredible space. Metric formed back in 1998 and has released four studio albums, with a fifth– Synthetica– coming out in June. Another show that’s sure to feature a bunch of new tunes! Frontwoman Emily Haines posted a note on the group’s official site about the album, writing, “SYNTHETICA is about staying home and wanting to crawl out of your skin from the lack of external stimulation. SYNTHETICA is about forcing yourself to confront what you see in the mirror when you finally stand still long enough to catch a reflection. SYNTHETICA is about being able to identify the original in a long line of reproductions. It’s about what is real vs what is artificial.” We’re not entirely sure what that means, exactly, but it sure sounds intriguing. Tickets for this show will go on sale 5/18 via ticketmaster.com for $47 plus applicable fees.

Check out some music videos of all of these bands, then let me know in the comments which show (or both!) you’d like to attend. And if you come across this post after the contest has closed, you can pick up tickets via Ticketfly for Hot Chip/Sleigh Bells and Ticketmaster for Metric.



And 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). We also make concert recommendations and post a daily round-up of DC-area music news and reviews. You can also follow us on twitter @showlistdc or like us on Facebook!

The contest is now closed and the winners have been notified!


ShowlistDC Music Notes: Tuesday 05-01-12



Today’s New Releases (with local reviews)


B.o.B.: Strange Clouds – Reviewed by Sarah Godfrey [Washington Post]. At U of Maryland’s Byrd Stadium on 5/4.

Norah Jones: …Little Broken Hearts – Reviewed by Erin Williams [Washington Post] and by Andrew Leahey (scroll down) [Washington Times]. At Wolf Trap on 6/27.

Light Asylum: Light Asylum – Reviewed by Zach Kelly [Pitchfork]. At U Street Music Hall on Saturday 5/5.

Lower Dens: Nootropics – Reviewed by Joe Colly [Pitchfork].

Santigold: Master of My Make-Believe – Reviewed by Bill Friskics-Warren [Washington Post]. At the 9:30 Club on 6/18 and Rams Head Live! on 6/19.

Trouble Books: Concatenating Fields – Reviewed by Zach Kelly [Pitchfork].

Carrie Underwood: Blown Away – Reviewed by Chris Richards [Washington Post] and by Andrew Leahey [Washington Times].



Articles


• Planning guides: DCist’s Weekly Music Agenda. Washington Post Going Out Guide’s best events in DC this week and Nightlife Agenda.

• Chris Richards writes of Young Jeezy, President Obama, and the White House’s complicated relationship with hip-hop [Washington Post]. The zingers were zinging at Saturday night’s White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, but one seemed to fall a smidge flat: President Obama’s promise to start singing Young Jeezy songs in public if he wins a second term. “In my first term I sang Al Green,” the president said, referencing his off-the-cuff performance of Green’s “Let’s Stay Together” at the Apollo Theatre in January. “In my second term, I’m going with Young Jeezy.”

• Preview: Nancy Dunham on Marilyn Manson [Washington Examiner]. Tonight at the Fillmore Silver Spring.

• Not really a live review, since the writer wasn’t there: Jonathan Fischer on Ian MacKaye‘s surprise 50th birthday party concert at St Stephen’s on Saturday night [Washington CityPaper]. There’s more information over on WTOP.

• What else did you miss this weekend? A$AB Rocky brought out Fat Trel at the 9:30 Club [Washington CityPaper]. You can see Fat Trel headline later this month at Empire (the Springfield club formerly known as Jaxx).

• All Our Noise goes backstage with Perfume Genius at a recent show at IOTA.

• If you’re planning on using the IMP-sponsored Rock & Bus to get to shows at Merriweather Post Pavilion this summer, do your homework first: the service was a disaster at this weekend’s Sweetlife Festival [Washington CityPaper].

• Listen: you can download Black Cobain‘s Cheers [Washington CityPaper].

• Listen/watch: NPR recorded Kishi Bashi at the 9:30 Club on April 3rd.

• Bassist wanted: for local metal outfit Yesterday’s Saints. Check out the ad.



Live Reviews

Sweetlife Festival at Merriweather Post Pavilion reviewed by Tanya Pai [Washingtonian] and Francis Chung [DCist].

• Stephen Bradley on Kina Grannis at the 9:30 Club [Washington Times].

• Cecelia Porter on Washington Bach Consort at the National Presbyterian Church [Washington Post].

• Joan Reinthaler on Kioi Sinfonietta Tokio at the National Gallery of Art [Washington Post].



Contests


• The Vinyl District is giving away a copy of I Break HorsesHearts on vinyl. Winner must have a North American mailing address (contest ends today).
• ShowlistDC is giving away a pair of tickets to see Rush at Jiffy Lube Live on 9/9 (contest ends Thursday 5/3 at 5 PM).
• The Vinyl District is giving away a copy of Megan Reilly‘s The Wall on vinyl. Winner must have a North American mailing address (contest ends Thursday 5/3).
NEW The Vinyl District is giving away a copy of 4onthefloor‘s Lion & Lamb on vinyl. Winner must have a North American mailing address (contest ends Friday 5/4).
• 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).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to see 311 and Slightly Stoopid at Jiffy Lube Live on 7/28 (contest ends Sunday 7/22).
• DC101 is giving away a pair of tickets to see OAR at Merriweather Post Pavilion on 8/10 (contest ends Sunday 7/29).

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