Washed Out plays 9:30 Club on Thursday (Photo by Shae DeTar)
TUESDAY, AUGUST 29
As Hothead, Laurie Spector makes lo-fi rock songs that are fuzzy but never scuzzy. After coming up in the D.C. scene, Spector moved to Baltimore last year. This is the first Hothead show in town in nine months, so don’t miss it. She’ll be joined by Nonzoo, Radiator Greys, and Mount Rainier at the Black Cat. Doors 7:30 p.m. $10.
Boston alt-rock quartet Dreamer & Son teams up with Portland, Maine five-piece Acadia, and D.C. rock nostalgists Elizabeth II at DC9. Doors 7:30 p.m. $10.
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 30
Rhizome promises a night of “explosive improv, noise rock, and found instrument weirdness” with free jazz outsiders Creative Healing, New York trio Trigger, D.C. experimenter Joshua David Hoffman, and the free folk trio of Layne Garrett, Jenny Moon Tucker, and Pony Payroll Bones. Doors 8 p.m. $10.
Up-and-coming singer-songwriter Henry Jamison brings the intricate folk of his debut album The Wilds to Songbyrd with similarly subtle New York pop duo Gracie and Rachel. Doors 7 p.m. $12/$14.
THURSDAY, AUGUST 31
The new album from chillwave innovator Washed Out does exactly what it says on the tin: Mister Mellow is heavy with the kind of laid-back grooves and sun-dappled melodies with which the Georgia musician has made his name. Get lost in the mix at 9:30 Club with Washed Out and DEGA. Doors 7 p.m. $35.
Head to the Fillmore to take a trip to the ’90s at DC101’s Grunge Gala, featuring acts that pay tribute (aka “cover bands”) to Soundgarden, Stone Temple Pilots, and Red Hot Chili Peppers. Doors 8 p.m. $15.
Velvet Lounge hosts a trio of local artists that mine the landscape of ambient and drone music: Small Craft, Tag Cloud, and Tony Risotto. Doors 7:30 p.m. $10.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
Youngboy Never Broke Again (formerly known as NBA Youngboy) is a 17-old-year rap prodigy from Baton Rouge whose rapid-fire recollections of street life are reminiscent of early material by Lil Wayne and Lil Boosie. Catch him at the Fillmore. Doors 8 p.m. $32.50-$75.
It’s an evening of eclectic D.C. soul as six-piece band Champion Sound, Jamal Gray’s futuristic funk ensemble Nag Champa, and D.C. newcomer Jenna Camille take over the 9:30 Club. Doors 8 p.m. $15.
D.C. party starters Mista Selecta and Mane Squeeze bring their tropical club party, Jungle Fever, to U Street Music Hall with guests K-Meta and Jessicunt. Doors 10 p.m. $10.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 2
Bryson Tiller calls his music “trapsoul,” and the rapper-singer’s moody mix of hip-hop and R&B is perfect for fans of Drake and The Weeknd. He’ll be joined by mysterious R&B upstart H.E.R. and hit-making rap producer Metro Boomin at Wolf Trap. Doors 7:30 p.m. $35-$65.
West Coast rapper Nipsey Hussle heads to the Fillmore with support by Tokyo D, ELLIS, and D.C. talents Ras Nebyu and DJ Quiksilva. Doors 8 p.m. $30.
Catch D.C. hardcore band Pure Disgust for the last time at the Black Cat alongside Blazing Eye, Exit Order, as well as fellow D.C. bands Protester and Rashomon. Doors 7:30 p.m. $12.
The National Harbor’s Summer Snow Globe turns the last days of summer into a winter wonderland. Head there to catch two D.C. bands—Three Man Soul Machine and Backbeat Underground—that mix jazz, soul, and funk, along with crate-digging D.C. DJ Honest Lee. Doors 2 p.m. $10.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 3
Peruvian-born, Queens-raised singer-songwriter A.CHAL is a rare Latino voice in the space where R&B and hip-hop cross-pollinate. At Songbyrd, he’ll be joined by Atlanta production duo FKi and R&B newcomer Nesta. Doors 8 p.m. $18/$20.
Nostalgia is in full effect as TLC, Kid N Play, Montell Jordan, Rob Base, C&C Music Factory, and Snap take over Wolf Trap as part of the I Love The 90s: The Party Continues tour. Doors 7 p.m. $45-$87.
D.C. DJs Will Eastman and Ozker pay tribute to Daft Punk, French house, and indie dance music with REV909 at Eastman’s U Street Music Hall, with visuals by Capsaicin. Doors 10 p.m.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 4
Start a punk-heavy Labor Day with a benefit show (and BBQ) for DC Jobs With Justice featuring D.C. bands Puff Pieces, Mock Identity, and Psychic Subcreatures, along with Minneapolis act The Miami Dolphins and Dallas duo Cut Shutters. Doors 3:30 PM. $10-$20 sliding scale donation.
Providence punk radicals Downtown Boys are fighting the good fight, taking aim at America’s “white-cis-het hegemony” all over its Sub Pop debut, Cost of Living. The band is joined at DC9 by D.C. comrades-in-arms: feminist punk band Hemlines and “snotty pissed off queercore” act Homosuperior. Doors 8 p.m. $12-$14.
For the first time in years, Baltimore hardcore band Trapped Under Ice is playing in D.C., hitting St. Stephen’s basement with like-minded acts from the District (Red Death and D.C. Disorder) and around the U.S. (California’s Fury and Michigan’s Freedom). Doors 6 p.m. $15.
