Very Full Docket of Late October DC Shows

Beginning tomorrow there is a crazy run of great shows to close out the month of October. So if you live, or will be, in DC (and don't have a 4 month old) you should take advantage. Almost too much to choose from, feels like feast or famine around here most of the time . . .

Thursday 10/17 
OFF! @ Black Cat 
Divine Fits @ 9:30 Club 
Hold Steady @ U Street Music Hall 
Davey Brown @ Velvet Lounge

Friday 10/19:
Hey Rosetta! @ Rock & Roll Hotel 

Saturday 10/20: 
Father John Misty @ Black Cat 

Sunday 10/21: 
Cheap Girls w/ The Front Bottoms @ DC9
The Flatliners & Dead to Me @ Black Cat (Opening for Lagwagon) 
Langhorne Slim @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Kopecky Family Band @ Iota

Monday 10/22 (couldn't we have combined or staggered these shows): 
Laura Stevenson and The Cans w/ The Wild @ Black Cat
Cat Power @ 9:30 Club

Tuesday 10/23:
King Tuff @ Black Cat
Milo Greene @ Rock & Roll Hotel
Franz Nicolay @ Iota

Wednesday 10/24:
Titus Andronicus w/ Ceremony @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Thursday 10/25 (wow what a night):
Dinosaur Jr. w/ Shearwater @ Black Cat
Sharon Von Etten w/ Damien Jurado @ 9:30 Club
Those Darlins @ DC9 

Friday 10/26:
AC Newman w/ The Mynabirds @ Black Cat
Old 97's @ 9:30 Club

Tuesday 10/30:
Heartless Bastards @ Black Cat

Wednesday 10/31
Freelance Whales @ 9:30 Club
Crooked Fingers w/ John Vanderslice @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Titus Andronicus - Local Business - Preview

NPR has offered up a stream of the new Titus Andronicus album 'Local Business,' which is officially due out next Tuesday 10/23.  It's a bit more melodic and less sprawling than 'The Monitor.' Actually upon first listen it's damn good and might be their best to date. Hear for yourselves below.

Friday Playlist - 10/12

Tracklist:
The Hold Steady - Magazines / The Pollies - Rebel Man / Constantines - Young Lions / American Aquarium - Abe Lincoln / Luther - The Concrete Sound / Alkaline Trio - San Francisco / Paws - Pony / Titus Andronicus - In a Big City / The Riot Before - We are Wild Stallions / Plants and Animals - Bye Bye Bye / Dear Landlord - Landlocked / Cory Branan - Karen's Song / Chase Fifty Six - Hey Bartender! / Bruce Springsteen - Used Cars

DPDC Friday Playlist - 10/12

Friday Playlist - 10/5

Tracklist:
Alone at 3am - Takes the Pain Away / You Blew It! - Terry vs. Tori / Through the Sparks - Warring Arms / Carpenter - Just Another Friday Night / Best Coast - Boyfriend / Fake Problems - Songs for Teenagers / Avail - Fix / Bohannons - The River Above / Wess Floyd - Hot Headed Rebels / Downtown Struts - Postcards / Todd Snider - Incarcarated / Campaign - Old Haunts / The Replacements - Left of the Dial / Chuck Ragan & Austin Lucas - Hold My Bed

DPDC Friday Playlist - 10/5

Friday Playlist - 9/28

Tracklist:
Gaslight Anthem - 1930 / Jawbreaker - Do You Still Hate Me? / Jr. Juggernaut - Wailing West / Heartless Bastards - Parted Ways / Banner Pilot - Western Terminal / The Menzingers - I Can't Seem to Tell / The Living Daylights - Wasted on the Rain / Glossary - At Midnight / A Giant Dog - Cowboy / Okkervil River - Black / Kid Dynamite - Bookworm / Jawbox - U-Trau / J. Tillman - Steel on Steel / The Wrens - Everyone Choose Sides / Laura Stevenson & The Cans - The Pretty One

DPDC Friday Playlist - 9/28

Bandcamp Roundup 9/25

In the past year or two, I've stumbled across plenty of great bands, either directly through, or via reference to their bandcamp pages, and alot of times I haven't had an occasion to feature them on a Friday Playlist because of my heavy reliance on Spotify.  Accordingly I thought I'd start profiling a few of these bands/albums every so often. If I had the luxury of more time or was more dedicated I'd do a write up for each, but this approach will have to do for now.

From my perspective (which is hopefully not misinformed) Bandcamp is a really nice platform for both artists to promote and sell their stuff (at prices they set), while owing a relatively small cut to the site, and fans to discover new music and buy it from bands they're already aware of.

Some of these albums are recent releases, some are older, just click through the tracks to hear them all.

Adam Hill - Discount Spirits
RIYL: Twangy Paul Westerberg, Exile or Let It Bleed Era Stones, Marah


Brandon Butler (ex Boy's Life, Canyon) - Helo 
RIYL: Tom Petty, Have Gun Will Travel, Limbeck


White Lung - Sorry
RIYL: Riot Grrl Stuff, Cloud Nothings, Dum Dum Girls, 80's hardcore


Typefighter - Fall Winter Fall
RIYL: Fake Problems, Tiny Engines Bands


Fistful of Beard - S/T
RIYL: Tim Barry, Cory Branan

Glossary Fall Show Dates - Oct 1 in DC

I'm a little late in relaying it, but Glossary is out on the road this fall, for some shows of their own and some dates supporting the Drive By Truckers, and they are gonna make it through DC this time around!  Next Monday, October 1 in fact.

As is probably readily apparent from the site, I think Glossary is absolutely one the best and most under-appreciated bands around, and has been for over a decade. Do yourself a favor and go see them, buy their albums, buy some other stuff and provide all of the support you can.

Fri Sep 21 – Hot Springs, AR @ Maxine’s w/ Some Dark Holler
Sun Sep 23 – Louisville, KY @ Zazoo’s w/ Slithering Beast
Mon Sep 24 – Columbus, OH @ Tree Bar w/ Shane, Micah
Tue Sep 25 – Toledo, OH @ Ottawa Tavern
Thu Sep 27 – Albany, NY @ Valentine’s
Fri Sep 28 – Coram, NY @ O’Brien’s Pub
Sat Sep 29 – Last Green Fest in Brooklyn, CT
Sun Sep 30 – Philadelphia, PA @ Urban Saloon (back room)
Mon Oct 1 – Washington, DC @ Comet Ping Pong
Wed Oct 3 – Knoxville, TN @ the Well w/ Mercer and Johnson

With Drive-By Truckers:

Fri Oct 19 – Memphis,TN @ The New Daisy
Sat Oct 20 – Lexington, KY @ Busters
Sun Oct 21 – Bloomington,IN @ The Bluebird
Tue Oct 23 – Detroit, MI @ St Andrews Hall
Wed Oct 24 – Cleveland, OH @ Beachland Ballroom
Thu Oct 25 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Smalls

Friday Playlist - 9/21

Tracklist:
Japandroids - Younger Us / The Whigs - Tiny Treasures / Uncle Tupelo - Factory Belt / Red Collar - American Me / Title Fight - Like a Ritual / Cheap Girls - Communication Blues / Lemuria - Keep Quiet / Langhorne Slim - The Way We Move / Todd Farrell - Ain't My Year / American Aquarium - Savannah Almost Killed Me / Drag the River - Br00tal / The District Attorneys - Madison Row / Middle Brother - Mom and Dad / The Sparklers - To Catch a Plane

DPDC Friday Playlist - 9/21

Friday Playlist - 9/14

Tracklist:
Superchunk - Learned to Surf / Bedford Falls - Prick / Ben Nichols - Tobin / Arliss Nancy - Wrong or Right / Young Statues - Athens / Paul Westerberg - AAA / PJ Bond - Solitude / The National - Abel / Damien Jurado - Reel to Reel / Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil - Sunday School / The Downtown Struts - Always Heading West / Ann Beretta - Vengeance / Centro-Matic - Biology Tricks / The Men - Open Your Heart / AA Bondy - Vice Rag 

DPDC Friday Playlist - 9/14

Friday Playlist - 9/7

Tracklist:
Alkaline Trio - As You Were / The Evening Rig - The Hilltop Pines / Bob Mould - Silver Age / The Weakerthans - Benediction / Johnny Foreigner - Our Bipolar Friends / Lauderdale - Fireworks / The Menzingers - Burn After Writing / Kite Party - Buried in Dogs / Fucked Up - Queen of Hearts / The Mendoza Line - Mysterious in Black / Justin Jones - As It Turns Out / The Dopamines - Public Domain / Oakley Hall - Lazy Susan / Songs:Ohia - Two Blue Lights

DPDC Friday Playlist - 9/7

Friday Playlist - 8/31

Tracklist:
American Aquarium - Burn.Flicker.Die / Cloud Nothings - Stay Useless / Ha Ha Tonka - Close Every Valve to your Bleeding Heart / Lucero - Bikeriders / Make Do and Mend - Oak Square / Tigers Jaw - Crystal Vision / The District Attorneys - California Fire / I Can Lick Any Sonofabitch in the House - Walkin' / Samiam - Capsized / Title Fight - Where am I? / The Hold Steady - Banging Camp / Banner Pilot - Saltash Luck / Trampled by Turtles - Wait So Long / Matt Mays - City of Lakes

DPDC Friday Playlist - 8/21

American Aquarium - Burn.Flicker.Die - Out today

Today is the official release date of American Aquarium's new (Jason Isbell produced) album Burn.Flicker.Die on Last Chance Records.

Assuming you are familiar with their sound, this album takes all of the impressive stuff they've done previously and somehow improves on it. That is to say it's really fucking good. If you haven't heard them, might as well start with this album and work your way back through the catalog.



Go here to buy Burn.Flickr.Die and their previous releases. Check out their tour dates too, live show is not to be missed. They'll be coming through DC on September 9 7th for a FREE show at Hill Country Live downtown.

Friday Playlist - 8/24

Tracklist:
Attack in Black - Broken Things / Richard Buckner - Believer / Constantines - Soon Enough / Nude Beach - Some Kinda Love / John Moreland & The Black Gold Band - Thought You Were Different / Superchunk - Seed Toss / Wood Ear - Leghold / Cheap Girls - Ft. Lauderdale / Blue Mountain - Let's Go Running / Dear Landlord - Park Bench / Matt Pryor - Polish the Broken Glass / Gameday Regulars - Hearts and Bones / The Rural Alberta Advantage - Drain the Blood / Deer Tick - Mange

DPDC Friday Playlist - 8/24

Davey Brown - Live EP

I got an email from Davey Brown introducing me to his live EP, and suggesting I give it a listen, since he perceived we have similar [good] taste.  Well I did, and if the stuff on this album is any indication, his assessment is pretty damn on. It also turns out he's from DC and the EP was tracked at Rock n' Roll Hotel.

It's fairly easy to rattle off references to the usual suspects of influences here; Lucero, DBT, outlaw country stuff, punk rock guys "gone country" like Tim Barry, Chuck Ragan, Jon Snodgrass etc. You'll notice that didn't dissuade me from doing so, and those comparisons are certainly relevant.

All of that said, if you are fond of any of the newer contingent of similarly inspired artists that often turn up on the site (Alone at 3am, Truckstop Darlin', Arliss Nancy, John Moreland etc.) you should check out Davey's EP and support the guy.

On initial listen I was particularly into "John Grady" and "The Whiskey Talkin" (the latter of which has a heavy 'mats influence and reminds me alot of The Evening Rig).

It's always a welcome occasion when I come across good DC stuff. So, here's to hoping more local acts send me their music.  I'm sadly somewhat out of touch with the city's 'scene' (cringe) these days, especially when you consider I have its moniker attached to the site name.

Listen to Davey Brown Live EP below . . .
  

Friday Playlist - 8/17

Tracklist:

Nothington - The Ocean / Truckstop Darlin' - South Carolina / Chuck Ragan - Seems We're OK / Spider Bags - Friday Night / The Wild - Together Underground / Lee Bains III & The Glory Fires - Centreville / Wrinkle Neck Mules - Liza / The Living Daylights - Wasted on the Rain / My Morning Jacket - Outta My System / American Aquarium - Hurricane / Limbeck - The Sun Woke the Whole State / Austin Lucas - Life I've Got

DPDC Friday Playlist - 8/17

Friday Playlist - 8/10

Follow the link or use the player below to listen . . .

Tracklist:
The Holy Mess - A Song for Tim Browne to Sing / Gasoline Heart - Backbooth / 500 Miles to Memphis - Fireflies / Bangers - Every Night's a Date Night / Dinosaur Jr. - Watch the Corners / Through the Sparks - Angel Fix / Red City Radio - The Benefits of Motion / Sharon Van Etten - Serpents / Patty Hurst Shifter - For the Record / Hot Water Music - Freightliner / Dikembe - Apology not Fucking Accepted / Lauderdale - The Grant / Those Darlins - Screws Get Loose / Kasey Anderson - Sooner/Later / Delta Spirit - Tear It Up

DPDC Friday Playlist - 8/10

Tiny Engines Full Catalog on Bandcamp

Carolina based label Tiny Engines has aggregated its full collection of tremendous releases on a single bandcamp page.

You should go there, listen, and support this label and its bands. A lot of their stuff gets a lot of attention on this site for good reason. I'd particularly recommend Restorations, Red Collar, and Signals Midwest but it's all well worth your while.

Friday Playlist - 8/3

Follow the link or use the player below to listen

DPDC Friday Playlist - 8/3

Tracklist:

Centro-Matic - Calling Thermatico / Downtown Struts - Postcards / Todd Snider - Play a Train Song / The Horrible Crowes - Behold the Hurricane / Restorations - Linear Notes / Shovels & Rope - O'Be Joyful / Blacklist Royals - Love in the Backseat / Grass Giraffes - Backstories / Glossary - Bend with the Breeze / The Whigs - Hot Bed / The Lillingtons - War of the Worlds / The Loved Ones - Pretty Good Year / Tedo Stone - Eastwood / Wess Floyd - Hot Headed Rebels / We Were Promised Jetpacks - It's Thunder and It's Lightning 

Friday Playlist - 7/27

Follow link or use the player below to listen . . .

Tracklist:
Pixies - I Bleed / Jon Snodgrass - Brave with Strangers / John K. Samson - When I Write My Master's Thesis / Damien Jurado - Arkansas / Lifetime - 25 Cent Giraffes / Wilco - I am Trying to Break Your Heart / How Dare You - Horizon / Neutral   Milk Hotel - Holland, 1945 / Richmond Fontaine - Winner's Casino / Elway - Note to Self / Sons of Bill - Santa Anna Winds / Red Collar - Dodge K / Duquette Johnston & The Rebel Kings - Roll Baby Roll / Two Cow Garage - Sally I've Been Shot / Dawes - Time Spent in Los Angeles / Glossary - Head Stones and Dead Leaves / Latterman - Good Morning, Here is Jan / State Lines - 5's on the Elephant

DPDC Friday Playlist - 7/27

Friday Playlist - 7/20

Follow the link or use the player below to listen . . .

Tracklist:
Japandroids - Fire's Highway / Arliss Nancy - Owen / Alkaline Trio - Cooking Wine / Spoon - Trouble Comes Running / American Aquarium - Ain't Going to the Bar Tonight / Austin Lucas - Life I've Got / Local Natives - Airplanes / The Riot Before - Words Written Over Coffee / The Weakerthans - Benediction / Todd Farrell - Hey Julie / Arcade Fire - Modern Man / Jessica Lea Mayfield - The One That I Love Best / Grand Champeen - Sparks / John Moreland & The Black Gold Band - Alright, Let's Go / LaGrecia - Baseball Ghosts / The Gaslight Anthem - Orphans / Hey Rosetta! - Another Pilot / Horse Feathers - Curs in the Weeds / Smoke or Fire - Integrity / The Dexateens - Naked Ground

DPDC Friday Playlist 7/20

Todd Farrell - Where Fake Cowboys Go to Drink EP

If you aren't listening to Todd Farrell, my unsolicited but sound advice is that you should be, particularly if you like Lucero and/or any of Mike Cooley's Drive By Truckers stuff.

Check out his debut self-released EP "Where Fake Cowboys Go to Drink" and you'll surely want to head over to his bandcamp page to pick it up for just $5.
    

Friday Playlist - 7/13

Follow the link or use the player below to listen . . ..

Tracklist:
JKutchma & The Five Fifths - Teenage DMZ / Great Cynics - In the Valley / Vivian Girls - Where Do You Run To / Signals Midwest - Milkcrate / Band of Horses - Laredo / The Menzingers - Good Things / The Sparklers - Gunfire & Confetti / 13Ghosts - Gimmie Back / Wild Flag - Future Crimes / Lucero - Smoke / Dillinger Four - Who Didn't Kill Bambi? / Cymbals Eat Guitars - Definite Darkness / Cat Power - Ruin / Doc Dailey & Magnolia Devil - Alabama Daydream / Titus Andronicus - Theme from "Cheers" / The Flatliners - Monumental / Maritime - Guns of Navaronne / Calexico - Cruel / Waxahatchee - Be Good / Tim Barry - 222


DPDC Friday Playlist - 7/13

DPDC Quarterly Report 2Q2012

As promised in March, in conjunction with the 1st Quarter Report, it's time for the second installment of this "feature" of the site, where I provide a run down of recommended full-length albums released in the past three months with an associated playlist. The following are some of my favorites from April, May and June of this year (as well as some I missed from the first 3 months).

Since i'm a bit pressed for time these days and there has been such a wealth of good stuff coming out this year, i'm primarily just gonna go with lazy comparisons as descriptions. Should give you a decent enough idea of what to expect of the album, plus you have the playlist to fall back on

Follow the link below to listen

DPDC 2Q2012 Quarterly Report

Japandroids - Celebration Rock: Don't know how these guys just came across my radar. Great anthemic fuzzed out rock.  Like a revved up Husker Du meets the Hold Steady (no they're not from Minneapolis. Vancouver actually).

Red Collar - Welcome Home:  If you are into Gaslight Anthem, Hold Steady, Titus Andronicus or any highly Springsteen influenced modern day rock you will enjoy this.  Also, frontman Jason Kutchma's "Pastoral" as JKutchma & The Five Fifths, released early July is sure to be in the 3Q post.

Alone at 3am - Midwest Mess: As I've written several times previously on the site, to me they sound like a cross between TMFW/Nobody's Darlings era Lucero and a rootsed-up (if that's a term) Hot Water Music (particularly in the rhythm section). I think I'd now say I also hear splashes of Glossary and Limbeck type sound in there. All of these are of course good things.

Cloud Nothings - Attack on Memory: Maybe a less esoteric, and more lo-fi melodic punk rock, Sonic Youth?  The Albini production touches are quite evident and suit the sound.

Cory Branan - Mutt:  Very apt album title. Stylistically it's all over the place, but it all works and works well. Some stripped down acoustic stuff, some rockers, some pedal steel, some elaborate instrumentation new to his sound, some Waits, Some Springsteen, songs that sound like Calexico or newer Iron & Wine, some that just sound like classic Cory Branan, with great guitar work and near perfect lyrics.

Lumineers - S/T: I'd honestly be amazed if you haven't heard this thing, if not you should, it really is great. One of those rare situations where the hype is to be believed. RIYL: Dawes, The Head & The Heart

Hot Water Music - Exister: After an 8 year hiatus, HWM is back with a new album, and while I don't love it quite like I do some of their back catalog (especially Fuel for the Hate Game and No Division), I still do. Now if only I could get to a show.

District Attorneys - Slowburner: Really just fun, sincere music. Guess I'd characterize it as jangly indie pop meets southern rock.  RIYL: My Morning Jacket, Band of Horses, Futurebirds, Paul Westerberg

Lee Bains II & The Glory Fires - There's a Bomb in Gilead: Former Dexateens guitarist Lee Bains and company really deliver with this thing, blending  southern soul and rock influences into one tight and intensity filled package. I hear everything from Skynard to the Stones to the Stooges, not to mention the Band, Allman Bros, Al Green, Otis Redding, etc. Of course given their Alabama roots Truckers comparisons are inevitable.

Royal Headache - S/T: Garage rock with classic soul and late 70's, early 80's punk inspiration. Like the Buzzcocks fronted by Sam Cooke or Otis Redding. Released last year in their home country of Australia, but re-issued for the first time in the States this year.

Apologies, I Have None - London: Former 2 piece British folk-punk band historically labeled with predictable Against Me! comparisons (not a bad thing) has a evolved with a full band, studio produced, album that to me sounds a lot like Frank Turner meets 90's emo-ish bands (a la Saves the Day, Grade, etc.)

Lower Dens - Nootropics:  Like a darker moody more psychedelic and ?better? version of Baltimore neighbors Beach House.

Wood Ear - Steeple Vultures:  Heart on its sleeve rock n' roll with underpinnings in Springsteen, 90's indie like Pavement and Dinosaur Jr.,  and Uncle Tupelo and lineage.

Dr. Dog - Be the Void: Yet another album of bouncy orchestral indie rock that unabashedly channels The Beatles (McCartney in particular) and other 60's classic rock staples. You'd think this formula would get old and tired but it just doesn't.

Torche - Harmonicraft: I've heard this referred to as sludge pop, bubblegum metal, doom pop etc., to me it's just solid heavy guitar driven rock. RIYL: Earlier Soundgarden and similar era subpop releases, Helmet, Queens of the Stone Age.

Truckstop Darlin - Hope and the Heart it Breaks: Really finds a nice balance between 90's alternative and country/southern rock (really lame description i know).  Good songs, steel guitar, drinking music. RIYL: Drive By Truckers,  Screaming Trees, Two Cow Garage

I also am pretty fond of new albums from Sun Kil Moon (this one's pretty much solely Kozelek and nylon strings again), Langhorne Slim, The Only Sons, Hiss Golden Messenger, Hospitality, Diamond Rugs, Tennis, Joe Pug, Best Coast, The Great Unknowns, Joyce Manor, The Pines and I'm sure more I'm missing . . . let me know.

Friday Playlist - 7/6

Follow the link or use the player below to listen . . .

Tracklist:
Kite Party - Welcome to Miami / The Apache Relay - American Nomad / Teenage Bottlerocket - Go With the Flow / Dave Hause - Heavy Heart / Todd Farrell - Take it Slow / The War on Drugs - Arms Like Boulders / Luther - Two Anglers / Lucero - She's Just that Kinda Girl / Parkas - You Get What You Pay For / Catfish Haven - Tell Me / Deer Tick - Baltimore Blues No. 1 / Braid - Killing a Camera / Have Gun, Will Travel - Now I Lay Me Down / Califone - 3Legged Animals / Phosphorescent - Heaven, Sittin' Down

DPDC Friday Playlist - 7/6

New Release - JKutchma & The Five Fifths - Pastoral

2012 has already given us a stellar album  "Welcome Home" from Durham, NC's Red Collar which was released in early June.  Roughly a month later frontman Jason Kutchma and collective band The Five Fifths has released an album of its own, "Pastoral," via Last Chance Records (Austin Lucas, Glossary, American Aquarium) that adds a little more twang and classic soul inspiration to the blue collar punk inspired rock n roll of Red Collar efforts.

I'd strongly recommend you take a listen below and purchase the album.