Are you a local band? Did you release a full length album in 2011? Did we forget to review it? If you answered yes to the first two questions, the answer to the third is probably also an affirmative. Oops. Our bad. We’re sorry. We’ll do better in 2012. Still, since “we’ll do better” doesn’t sound much like a retroactive “we’ll review your album,” relax. We’ll do that, too. Here are some brief thoughts on the local LPs that we’d meant to analyze earlier.
MONDAY
“Gezelligheid” — a Dutch word loosely translatable as “cozy” — is the term Andrew Bird uses to characterize the unique and intimate series of holiday concerts he debuted last December at churches in Minneapolis and his native Chicago. This week, the show comes to D.C. for a three-night stand at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, the dramatic architecture and superb acoustics of which should make it an sublime setting for Bird’s captivating, loop-layered solo violin compositions. Julianna Barwick opens tonight and tomorrow night, with Marissa Nadler taking over the supporting slot on Wednesday. Sold out. 8 p.m.
Last year we reported on the strong presence the District had at the annual music industry spring break that is SXSW in Austin, TX. This year, in addition to official shows from The Hall Monitors, Benjy Ferree, These United States and, oddly enough, Frodus, there were a number of unofficial appearances as well. The DC Does TX day party returned to Austin for its second year, District-based Exotic Fever Records held a shindig of their…
Between her stellar voice, aggressive riffs and critical praise, recent Three Stars alum Carol Bui has given us plenty of reasons to pay attention. But for those who haven’t yet caught on, here’s another one: she’s just finished a video for “Modern Dance,” directed by former Let’s French guitarist Maxwell Sorensen. For a video that relies a lot on special effects, the end product is decidedly lo-fi, hearkening back to some of the cooler…
There’s more to Carol Bui than meets the eye (or the ear). Which is saying something considering that her latest release, Everyone Wore White, is a complex tapestry that not only showcases her capabilities as a guitarist but fleshes out several corners of her history and personality. Bui draws from influences as disparate as Fugazi and traditional Vietnamese tunes (one of which she sings a capella to close out the album) and sings about…
The name may be unfamiliar, but the players behind Club Tiger Promotions are highly recognizable to any one who follows the D.C. music scene. Local artists Carol Bui and Jay Smith of Middle Distance Runner have started an all-ages venue, The Lab in Alexandria, which will both give under-age bands a place to play with their more seasoned peers and serve as an environment where, as Bui puts it, “kids feel totally comfortable and safe…
After listening to local artist Carol Bui’s Everyone Wore White, released earlier this month on 54º 40′ or Fight! Records, one gets the feeling that she would have been a superstar if the album came out in 1995. Owing more to P.J. Harvey and post-grunge than Lily Allen or Feist, the album seems like an out of place throwback as far as the mainstream goes. What we are left with is a strong effort…
MONDAY >> At the ripe young age of 24, Patrick Wolf has already achieved a lot: three albums of brooding electronica and orchestral pop, modeling campaigns for Burberry, headlines in the British tabloids and at least one on-stage altercation that found the lupine violinist attacking his strung-out drummer with a cymbal. Drama notwithstanding, Wolf’s latest, the surprisingly upbeat The Magic Position, is undoubtedly one of this year’s best. Come see what all the fuss is…
FRIDAY: >> Starting tonight, George Mason Stadium plays host to the region’s annual D.C . College Cup. The soccer teams of George Washington, American, Howard, and George Mason will square off in two rounds of games. Though the tournament is conspicuously missing national powerhouses UMD and UVA, the event will still showcase some of the best young talent around. GW and AU kick off tonight’s slate (5:00 p.m.), with Howard and GMU rounding the night…
>> The Capitol Fringe Festival officially kicks off tonight, and we’ll have our daily picks of Fringey goodness rolling out for you soon enough. You can buy all your tickets online, by phone at 866-811-4111 Mon–Fri, 9 a.m.–9 p.m. and Sat–Sun, 10 a.m.–6 p.m., or in person at the festival box office at 507 7th Street, next to the Warehouse Theater. The festival runs through July 29, and features over 100 productions from D.C….
