Happy first weekend of September – and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let’s take a look at what’s been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston’s firefighters bent over backwards all week long – first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else – like Tom…
When was the last time you went to see a band play for the first time and knew you were witnessing something special? Le Loup is barely out of the gate yet, but they’re making major waves and for good reason. The seven piece band is producing something so infectious, so engaging, and so very of-the-moment, it’s not hard to see why Hardly Art, a label started by some folks from the revered Sub Pop,…
The Whigs’ Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip was recorded in an old mansion in downtown Athens, GA in the sweltering heat of summer, sans air conditioning. The house dates back 170 years, and you can bet if those sessions sounded anything like last night’s blistering set at the Rock and Roll Hotel, they probably shook the Confederate ghosts right out of the rafters. A modest crowd, full of long-time fans, was treated to…
MONDAY >> While DCist tries not to be in the habit of taunting our readership too much, we would be remiss in not mentioning My Morning Jacket’s sold out show at the 9:30 club. The Kentucky band is notable for their innovative take on rock as much as their legendary live shows. Self-described avant-rock trio The Slip will be opening. Best of luck to those of you now scanning Craigslist for tickets. >> Alternatively, two…
By DCist contributor Graham Hough-Cornwell When opener Chad VanGaalen first walked out on stage to prepare his one-man band setup, things looked less than promising. Donning one of those white ninja headbands tied around his head, he arranged a bass drum, hi-hat, snare, and drum machine around a short stool and his hollow body electric. I typically run from something like this, jaded by previous unfortunate experiences with openers like VanGaalen’s fellow Canadian New Buffalo…
MONDAY >> If you’re not high-tailing it to the Maryland end of the Orange line to see the Redskins take on the Vikings, you may want to pay the Black Cat’s backstage a visit to see The Whigs. This trio from Athens, GA has been called the “best unsigned band in America” by Rolling Stone. $8, 9 p.m. >> The haunting, violin-driven alt country of the Black Swans is coming our way. Catch these boys…
Really, we should all be mad about Pink Mountaintops. Because they’re Canadian. And they’re doing down-and-dirty, makin’-it-behind-the-bleachers rock ‘n roll, a genre that we should theoretically own, hands down. And worse than that, they’re doing it well. I mean, as if Canada had not already asserted its indie rock dominance, now they come trouncing on home territory. Yet, it’s just really hard to be mad at a man with questionably short shorts and Jesus-hair crooning…
TUESDAY: >> All hail the mighty Pearl Jam! Their show tonight with openers My Morning Jacket has yet to sell out, so fulfill your duty as a child of the 90s and head to the Verizon Center at 7:30. $54. >> The locals alight on Arlington, as Pontiak, These United States and Brandon Butler take the stage at Iota. >> In “huh?” show #1 of the evening, T Bone Burnette and Jakob Dylan — remember…
FRIDAY: >> DCist is pleased to offer $5 off Forum Theatre & Dance’s performances of UpShot by Ami Dayan (a scene from the play is at left). It’s already received several positive notices, and director Shirley Serotsky has let us know that anyone who shows up at the box office with a print-out of this post can purchase a ticket for $13 (normally $18). This deal is good for the entire run of the play,…
