New Orleans rapper Pell plays Black Cat on Wednesday.
Tuesday
Ezra Furman, Brnda @ Rock and Roll Hotel 7 P.M. $12. All ages, accessible venue.
Ezra Furman is a gender-fluid singer from Chicago, IL, who makes post-glam garage rock. His tracks are bouncy but a dark undercurrent in the lyrics. Usually singing about mental-illness and depression, Furman states things plainly, listing out problems while trying to reconcile everything bad going on around him. Furman has had many backing bands, but releases records under his own name. His latest record Perpetual Motion People is his best, and it is great time to jump on the Furman bandwagon.
>> Songbyrd Music House & Record Café: Br’er, Hallowed Bells, The Galaxy Electric 7:30 P.M. $10. All ages, inaccessible venue.
Wednesday
Pell, Daye Jack @ Black Cat 7:30 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
New Orleans rapper Pell has been bubbling in the scene for a couple of years. Last year he released LIMBO, a record produced by TV on The Radio multi-instrumentalist Dave Sitek. Pell’s beats are sharp and electronic, which match his socially conscious tracks, and he has a flow like early Kid Cudi, just with less weed clouds and a sweeter singing voice sometimes recalling Sitek’s bandmate Tunde Adebimpe.
Thursday
Jack on Fire, Grogan Social Scene, Emperor X @ MLK Library 5 P.M. Free. All ages, accessible venue.
D.C’s Jack on Fire are sarcastic punks who hate gentrification. Fuck condos and light the Brixton ablaze … Jack on Fire’s message is blatant. The band’s danceable tongue-in-cheek songs are just what the city needs, as the band is permanently woke. They are playing an acoustic free show with noise/electronic artist Emperor X which is not to be missed.
>>Echostage: Kid Cudi 8 P.M. $65. All ages, accessible venue.
Friday
Hey Marseilles and Bad Bad Hats @ U Street Music Hall 7 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
Seattle’s Hey Marseilles might be headlining the show, but reason to go out is opener Bad Bad Hats. The Minneapolis, MN three piece make heartwarming indie rock that spans from 90’s leaning rippers (“Spin”) to catchy, sing-along indie-pop (“Fight Song”), The band’s debut Psychic Reader is varied in style, but everything in the 10 songs fit together perfectly. If they are your thing, stick around for Hey Marseilles, but BBH is sure to end early so you still have time in your night to do other things.
>>Rock and Roll Hotel: Heavy Breathing, Time is Fire, Smoota 8 P.M. $12. All ages, accessible venue.
Saturday
The-Dream, Abir @ Howard Theatre 8 P.M., $25. All ages, accessible venue.
Terius Nash aka The-Dream had a trilogy of albums that are some of the highest quality R&B og this decade. While he is better known for penning hit for stars like Rihanna and Beyonce, The-Dream’s solo output is a wealth of should-have-been hits. Since releasing a Love IV, The-Dream has been in a little bit of a rut. But with this year’s surprise visual album Genesis, he has reinvigorated his career of making top-shelf tracks. It has been a couple of years since The-Dream has played this area, but his shows are electric, mixing the showmanship of Prince and the sexiness R. Kelly into a must-see package.
>>St. Stephen & the Incarnation Episcopal Church: Aye Nako, Governess, Didi, Chimp Suit All ages, accessible venue.
>>Black Cat: Voivod, Vektor, Eight Bells 9 P.M. $20. All ages, accessible venue.
Sunday
Protomartyr, Priests, Protect-U @ Black Cat 7:30 P.M. $15. All ages, accessible venue.
Don’t have plans on Valentine’s Day, or are you and your boo looking to blow your ears out? Well, yhis stacked triple bill is probably the most romantic and intimate show of the year. Detroit’s Protmartyr take the best of The Jesus Lizard and add in more spit and bile, while D.C’s Priests are hot off of finishing recording their debut record, and are ready to blow audience’s minds. With the added help of D.C.’s premier electronic group Protect-U, this show will make you forget you are single.
>>Baltimore Soundstage: Cannibal Corpse, Obituary, Cryptopsy, Abysmal Dawn 6:30 P.M. $25. All ages, accessible venue.
