December 19, 2006
Weekly Music Agenda
Sorry for the late arrival of this week's agenda, but you see, I work in Tysons Corner and I was stuck in traffic. Now on to our picks!
TUESDAY
>> If you don't think there is such a thing as hardcore klezmer music, Gogol Bordello are in town to prove you wrong. These Eastern European transplants to New York serve up Slavic ska, polka punk, and lots of other funky fusions, but those were the best alliterations we could come up with. At the 9:30 Club, $20.
>> In what we can only hope will become the tradition the name would suggest, Aimee Mann plays the first of two nights of her "First Annual Christmas Show" at the Birchmere. We'll refrain from arguing the semantics of whether or not Wednesday night's show should actually be called the "Second First Annual Christmas Show". While Mann's track record for downer balladry might not seem like a recipe for Christmas cheer, her recent record of holiday tunes is a surprisingly traditional reading of the classics, so be prepared for some heartfelt nostalgia among the melancholy. Grant-Lee Phillips opens, and Fred Armisen hosts. 7: 30p.m., $45.
>> If you find yourself on H Street, pop on over to The Red and The Black for a set from Three Stars alum Michael Jantz. With Adam Klein, $7.
WEDNESDAY
>> Thievery Corporation is coming home for the holidays, for four whole nights at the 9:30 Club. Tickets have been sold out for pretty much ever, but perhaps Craig or Santa could help you out.
>> Local band feast at the Black Cat backstage: The Alphabetical Order open with what they refer to as power pop but is really more like the quirky indie rock Tapes N Tapes brough back in style. Little Armadillo, out of Arlington, go next, followed by College Park hard rock vets Velvet, set to release their fourth full-length soon. $8, 9 p.m.
THURSDAY
>> If you're still in town, DCist Three Stars Alums The Roosevelt will be at the Rock and Roll Hotel with another local favorite, These United States, and the up-and-coming Brooklyn-based band Phonograph. $10, 8 p.m.
>> Head on over to the Black Cat to see local faves Nethers cap off 2006 with their last area performance before they ship out to the west coast in January to record the follow up to In Fields We Will Lie. Baltimore's Page France open. $8, all ages.
FRIDAY
>> Be sure to pick up a copy of Luke Brindley's latest self-titled album this weekend at one of two CD release parties at Jammin Java. We previewed
it last week and now you can check out Luke as he performs the new tracks live with full band and a small horn section. Friday, 8pm, $12. Saturday, 2pm, $10 or $25 for the whole family.
SATURDAY
>> It's a very D.C. Christmas at the Black Cat tonight. Well, we're not sure about the Christmas part, but Soccer Team, Statehood and The Bow Shock couldn't cram more D.C. music mainstays if they tried. Made up of Dischord and D Plan and Del Cielo (oh my!), it'll be a great chance to see exactly how the central sounds of this city have evolved. $9, 9 p.m.
>> If you're in the 'burbs for family time, head to Arlington's Galaxy Hut. Well, you should always head to Galaxy Hut, because it's pretty much the best place around, but otherwise, they've got D.C.'s own motown-inspired rockers The Ambitions and former The Timothy Bracken Complex (***).
Abby Lavin, Chris Snyder, Ian Buckwalter, Matt Sedlar and Graham Cornwell contributed to this week's agenda. Photo from Gogol Bordello's MySpace page.
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Isn't that a picture of Gogol Bordello members? What a tease! I thought maybe there was some kind of Christmas-gypsy-punk explosion headed my way.
Actually there is! Some errant html hid that blurb for a while, but Gogol Bordello are in town tonight at the 9:30.
just a kind suggestion-- you all often seem to litter your "holiday-edition" articles with phrases such as "if you're still around" or "before you leave for the holidays." i understand what you're getting at, but keep in mind there are some of us that are actually from here.
It may be worth noting that Gogol is sold out.
The Little Armadillos should be interesting, though the disclaimer is that I used to live with two of the guys. Afficianados of the DC scene may know of their guitar players already--Dave Hennessy is playing guitar for them-he was in Wino's band Hidden Hand on drums and he still plays guitar with Ostinato. Also on guitar is Pierre, formerly of The Chance. Two spaced out really good guitarists whose playing I admire. The bass player is shrouded in mystery.
Valiant Thor, the band opening for Gogol Bordello, is really amazing. So much energy. If you managed to get tickets, you're in for a good time.
i understand what you're getting at, but keep in mind there are some of us that are actually from here.
Indeed. Just like DCist likes to mock interns, hipsters, and incompetent gov't bureaucrats; they should also be directing their snarky barbs at the carpet baggers who flee DC at the drop of a hat.
Since we are nearing the end of the year, I figure I will do my best to spur a comment string about best albums of the year. I'll start by throwing a few of my favorites out: Junior Boys - So This Is Goodbye; Ghostface Killah - Fishscale; The Rapture - Pieces of the People We Love. Thoughts?
I saw Gogol Bordello last year, they definitely put on a good show. And the frontman bears a resemblance to Borat.
So if you don't have tickets, you're missing out.
Sorry suggesto. I'm guilty of the "if you're still in town" in The Roosevelt blurb, but that doesn't mean I'm a carpet bagger. That was more directed at people like me who have to travel during the holidays because 99 percent of my relatives live somewhere else. Believe me, I would love it if my family came to visit me in D.C. instead. I wouldn't have to spend so much money on plane tickets. :)
Don't forget Lucky Day will be playing at Jammin Java tonight. It's an end of year show and we'll play some xmas tunes. It's All Ages.
Shows starts at 8PM, w/Allison Cornell & Van Davis, $10 cover, we go on at 9PM:-)
Happy Holidays!
Don't forget Lucky Day will be at Jammin Java tonight.
It's our All Ages, end of year show and we'll also play some xmas tunes.
Show starts at 8PM, w/Allison Cornell & Van Davis, we go on at 9PM. $10 cover.
Happy Holidays:-)
Until this comment thread, I didn't know it was just a DC thing to go out of town and meet up with relatives for the holidays. My fault, Suggesto.
Really? We called ourselves power pop? Where was I???
I saw The Alphabetical Order once before (at Velvet Lounge, maybe?) and enjoyed them... Good stuff (from a random fan).
Kate, it says powerpop on your myspace page. You should change that to pedal pop...
Ah, Myspace. Paul, you should never believe what you read there. My page says I'm a bodybuilder! Of course, that's true, but there's other stuff on there that isn't.
I went to the Black Cat last night to see my friend Paul Michel perform in the blue room. It was a really great show. Paul is a local musician that recently signed with a small start up label and has been touring the country for the past couple of months to support his latest CD. I came to your site to see if there was a review and I was shocked that there wasn't even a mention in the weekly music agenda. It seems really strange not to see Paul Michel mentioned. Do you guys know about him? He was recently spin.com artist of the day. One of the most hard working dedicated musicians in the DC area. Blows my mind that he wasn't mentioned.
I think you guys dropped the ball. For anyone that's interested check him out at www.pmichel.com
I was under the impression that Paul Michel's awesomeness was old news, as he has been pretty awesome for some time now.
Also, from Wikipedia:
"Power pop is a musical genre that draws its inspiration from 1960s British and American pop music.
The music is characterized by strong melodies, crisp vocal harmonies, economical arrangements and prominent guitar riffs. Instrumental solos are kept to a minimum, and blues elements are largely downplayed. Recordings tend to display production values that lean toward compression and a forceful drum beat, most often in a dance vein. Instruments usually include one or more electric guitars, electric bass guitar, a drum kit, and perhaps electric keyboards or synthesizers."
So yeah, the A.O. is powerpop. I will be available tonight at the Black Cat to lecture pompously on this and other subjects.