When I think about the band Dawes, I’m remind of that line in Oh Brother, Where Art Thou when George Clooney’s character, Ulysses Everett McGill, is explaining the sound of his band, the Soggy Bottom Boys. In an attempt to convince the old blind radio station operator that the group is worthy enough to play on air, Everett says, “Uh, sir, the Soggy Bottom Boys is been steeped in old-timey material. Heck, we’re silly with it, ain’t we boys?” Now if you consider CCR, CSN, Neil Young, The Byrds, The Band, and Gram Parsons, “old-timey material,” then Dawes too, are steeped in, and silly with it.

Bluebrain is the brainchild (rim shot!) of Ryan and Hays Holladay. The brothers grew up in D.C., but left the city in their teens for the Big Apple. There they were in a solid band called The Epochs. Recently, they returned home to pursue a new direction for their songwriting. When asked about their recent emigration from New York to The District, Ryan said, “Brooklyn is a fantastic place but eventually it just becomes unsustainable. We grew up here in DC and it feels like we’re back home. That said, this city has changed so much since we left ten years ago. Right now, especially, it feels like an exciting time to be here.”

In March, we started hearing passing recommendations about a band out of New York called Here We Go Magic. Once you get past the awkward syntax, those recommendations add up. The woozy dream pop that songwriter Luke Temple says to have recorded in a “two month period of stream-of-consciousness recording” is perfect for post-work mental detox and an unsurprising choice as openers for the ethereal, meandering indie rockers Grizzly Bear. Here We Go Magic’s…

Steve Wilson Over the past two decades, saxophonist Steve Wilson has earned himself a solid reputation within the jazz community, both as a sideman and a band leader. He is probably best known for his mid-90s work with Chick Corea’s Origins ensemble, but he has also made notable appearances with legendary saxophonist Joe Henderson, bassist Avishai Cohen, and clarinetist Don Byron, in addition to a host of others. Over the past several years, the…

The Blind Boys of Alabama The after effects of Hurricane Katrina rarely get headlines these days. A historic presidential election, economic troubles, and other natural disasters have seen to that. Still, the suffering continues for many despite the inattention of the national debate. While artists don’t have ability to enact policy changes to save a city on the brink, they can use the stage and microphone to draw attention to this ongoing issue. Thankfully,…

The Faint are playing a sold out show Saturday night with Shy Child and Jaguar Love at the 9:30 Club. Doors open at 8 p.m. Although Bright Eyes became the defining face and sound on Omaha’s Saddle Creek Records, arguably it was The Faint who helped first bring the label into the spotlight with their synthy, dance-punk anthems. The Faint not only made people dance, they made people think, with songs like “Agenda Suicide”…

New York’s The Flail is a rarity in today’s world in that they are an actual jazz band. While most ensembles are collections of musicians under the direction of a leader, or a group given a name solely for marketing purposes, the five members of this group have been a tight unit since their days as students at the Big Apple’s New School for Jazz & Contemporary Music. This leads to another rarity in today’s…

When Blitzen Trapper’s last record, Wild Mountain Nation, burst on the scene in June 2007, it was a breath of fresh air just as the summer heat wave struck. The opening Neil Young guitar peals of the title track and the rollicking campfire singalong “Country Caravan” had the internet going crazy, but the record itself — for all its jumps in style and frenzied rhythms — was a slow-burner, rewarding the fans who stuck around…

In recent years, France has been getting a lot of the publicity for electronic music — Daft Punk, Justice, and other Gallic house musicians have been all over. So when we saw that Digitalism, who play DC9 tonight, were from Germany, where minimalist bleeps and bloops dominate, it was a little surprising. They’re not Parisians in a cafe, but Hamburg residents who record in a World War II bunker. Jens Moelle, one half of the…

How do you feel about rock? How about songs about The Hobbit? While Black Mountain don’t play any obvious ones, they do play rock that’s been compared to Tolkien-loving Led Zeppelin. The five British Columbians play thunderous psychedelic (some say stoner) rock that sometimes drops to a whisper, sometimes is toe-tapping, and sometimes is just heavy. And sometimes that’s all in the same song, like the 8-minute “Tyrants”. Vocals are shared by Steve McBean, who…