Robert Pollard brings the latest iteration of Guided By Voices to 9:30 Club this week.
Tuesday
Phoebe Ryan, Cardiknox, Secret Weapons @ Rock and Roll Hotel 7 P.M. $14. All ages, accessible venue.
Green-haired pop star Phoebe Ryan owes some of her discovery to Taylor Swift. After gaining a fan base from her YouTube videos, including a mash up of R. Kelly’s “Ignition” and Miguel’s “Do You…”, Swift released a handwritten note with all of the songs she had been obsessing over. One name stood out, the relatively unknown Ryan, whose song, “Mine”, made the cut. Ryan’s star has been shining brighter, and this year she will follow up her Mine EP with her full-length debut. Two songs have been released from the album so far, “Chronic” and “Boyz n Poison”. Both that build upon the strength of “Mine.” Rock and Roll is a pretty small venue, and if Ryan gets more popular, there is little chance of seeing her in a venue this close again.
>>DC9: Inter Arma, Earthling 8:30 P.M. $12. All ages, inaccessible venue.
Wednesday
Jessy Lanza, DJ Taye @ DC9 8:30 P.M. $14. All ages, inaccessible venue.
Jessy Lanza makes icy electronic music with help from her co-conspirator Jeremy Greenspan, of Junior Boys fame. Her first album, Pull My Hair Back, was a sexy collection of come-ons but with her latest album, Oh No!, Lanza’s sonic palate has grown. As a producer, Lanza’s beats can read as cold and confined as her home in Hamilton, Ontario, but with Oh No!, the feeling is less grey. Songs like the bouncy “VV Violence” and the tribal rave-up, “If It Means I Love You”, balance the slower more contemplative moments of the record with bursts of sunlight. Lanza’s voice has also been stretched, with the aid of vocal manipulation, to new heights, allowing her to be a sonic chameleon.
>>6th & I: Lion Babe, Kamau 8 P.M. $22. All ages, accessible venue
Thursday
Guided By Voices, Nap Eyes @ 9:30 Club 7 P.M. $35. All ages, accessible venue
In true form, Robert Pollard shuttered the last incarnation of the band, known as the “classic line up,” after four years and just as many albums. The Dayton, OH band has never been a stranger to line-up changes with the constant being Pollard himself. And while Guided By Voices would crank out a records at a dizzying pace, so too would Pollard, with solo albums and records released under different band names. To the surprise of no-one, GBV has been resurrected again, this time with Pollard and returning drummer Kevin March. The band released its 23rd album Please Be Honest this year, which Pollard recorded alone. While it can’t touch the heights of previous GBV albums, it has a few stand out tracks. Though the band continue to release records, live is where GBV thrives. Sets are freewheeling affairs with at least 50 songs played each night. On this tour, the set list has been expanded with Pollard solo cuts and tracks from his other bands, including Ricked Wicky and Boston Spaceships. Though it is no longer the “classic line up” the songs remain classic, and the show will be epic.
>>Jamming Java: Oh Pep!,We Were Pirates, Micah Subar 8 P.M. $12. All ages, accessible venue.
>>Warner Theare: Yanni 7 P.M. $53-$93. All ages, accessible venue.
Friday
>>Comet Ping Pong: BRNDA, Bueno, Governess 10 P.M. $12. All ages, accessible venue.
>>Black Cat: Sick of It All, Street Dogs, King Ly Chee 8 P.M. $16. All ages, accessible venue.
Saturday
The Coathangers, L.A. Witch, Hemlines @ Comet Ping Pong 10 P.M. $12. All ages, accessible venue.
Atlanta, GA trio The Coathangers have been making punk rock for the past ten years. The band released its bratty self-titled debut in 2007, and has been refining its style ever since. As the band got bigger budgets and recorded in better studios, its sound grew. The group’s evolution can be heard on the band’s latest album, Nosebleed Weekend, where tempos are slower, but the riffs are harder. There are still some danceable tracks, like “Watch Your Back”, that recalls the post-punk of Delta 5, but the majority of tracks are more garage rockers.
>>Black Cat: David Bazan, Laura Gibson 8 P.M. $20. All ages, accessible venue
Sunday
Steve Gunn, Spacin’ @ Black Cat 7:30 $15. All ages, accessible venue
Steve Gunn is a folk-rock guitar virtuoso who has the pleasure of being signed to one of the biggest indie labels, Matador. Like fellow label-mate Kurt Vile, who Gunn once played with, signing to Matador meant beefing up his sound and adding a full band. His first album with the label, 2014’s Way Out Weather, was his first with a full ensemble, and he continues on the path with this year’s Eyes On The Lines. The songs are full of expertly placed instrumental details that complement Gunn’s guitar playing and voice. The tracks take their time, and expand over the album’s run, never getting stuck in a monotonous loop. After a weekend, a Steve Gunn show is a perfect cap before starting the work week.
>>Fillmore Silver Spring: Cam’Ron, the Underachievers, G Herbo, Nyck Caution, Don’t Smoke Rock 8 P.M. $29.50. All ages, accessible venue
