Category Archives: shows

Oct 25 2017
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shows, video

Sara Curtin – Blame Time

Singer Sara Curtin focuses on the insidious passage of time, the elusive enemy of much of life, in “Blame Time”, the third single and lead-off track from her new album Or So It Seemed. Sara writes:

“This song is a reflection on the importance of female friendships and the things that keep us from maintaining them as we grow older. It’s about grudges we never intended to hold onto, and of course the biggest excuse which we let get in the way: “I’m so busy.” Like plants, bicycles, and instruments, friendships also need to be tended to. Practiced. Nurtured.”

Documentarian Beth Geglia, one of Sara’s oldest friends, made the video and cast women of various ages close to Sara to help sing the song. Come celebrate the album’s release as Curtin’s fall tour comes back home Thursday night at the Black Cat with The North Country and PNMA.

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Oct 24 2017
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Light Beams – Soul Fire Pt. II (for Lee Perry)

Here’s what you need to know:
1) Lee “Scratch” Perry pioneered the reggae subgenre of dub music in Jamaica in the 70s.
2) Light Beams is the newest project fronted by long time DC musician Justin Moyer, also of the bands Edie Sedgwick, El Guapo, Supersystem and more.
3) Rounding out the band is drummer Sam Lavine of The Cornel West Theory
and Arthur Noll of Alarms & Controls.
4) Their new self-titled album is out now on cassette & digital through Don Giovanni Records.
5) Their debut music video for “Soul Fire Pt. II (for Lee Perry)” was directed by Ben Epstein and David “Spoonboy” Combs for Baby Pony Food. They’ve helmed some of our favorite videos, including Bad Moves and the amazing trilogy by The Max Levine Ensemble.
6) Light Beams plays the Black Cat Wednesday night in support of the album release show by Devin Ocampo’s band The Effects, along with Super Silver Haze.
7) Isn’t this video fucking fantastic?
8) See you there.

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Oct 23 2017
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shows, video

Makeup Girl – Something New

Young indie rock band Makeup Girl totally charmed us at their Fort Reno show this past summer. Brody, Bryce, Caleb and Avery make delightfully fizzy songs for wiling away a beautiful day in the nation’s capital. The subject of their new music video, “Something New”, mostly agrees with this assessment, even though he’s a faceless, posable mannequin dressed to blend in with DC office workers. It’s impossible not to share his delight in this warm, sunny weather and his sassy rage at the powers-that-be. Grab makeup girl’s new EP also called Something New and check them out live this Saturday night at the Mild Manor Murder Mystery show at a secret location in College Park.

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Oct 20 2017
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Paperhaus – Told You What To Say

Doing It Together (DIT™) indie rockers Paperhaus truly pulled out all the stops in promoting their third full length album Are These The Questions That We Need To Ask? on Misra Records. Billboard helped rack up the play counts for their first single “Go Cozy”, and exclusive music video premieres on Tidal and Apple Music followed. “Told You What To Say” is the newest single, with a beautifully glitchy and brutalist video from three directors: photographer Chris Prosser, art director Corynne Ostermann and Flash Frequency, vet of gorgeous DC vids from Dawkins and Will Eastman. Paperhaus’s album release tour lands in DC at the Black Cat next Friday October 27th, with a choice lineup of Tony Kill, Go Cozy and DJ Alex DB.

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Oct 17 2017
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Mr. Daywalker – Porcelain

Mr. Daywalker, the nom de musique of Donovan Duvall, attempts to use mind, body and spirit to connect with others and understand their perspective through music. His EP Warmth lurks on streaming platforms waiting for discovery. Though primarily a drummer, Daywalker recorded all the instruments himself to fully capture his vision of spiritual sonic experimentation. His new music video “Porcelain” features two fine upstanding gentlemen desperately running to escape a mysterious creature, but stay tuned to the end for the twist. Check this guy out opening for Brooklyn psych-soul band Space Captain at the Black Cat on Wednesday November 8th.

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Sep 29 2017
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Derek Evry & Ryan Walker – Rainbow Connection

Clarendon’s only full-time music venue Iota hosts its last live performers this weekend, as redevelopment pushes out the long time home of NOVA songwriters and acoustic performers. We’ve seen the end coming from a long ways off, but that doesn’t ease the mournfulness for many performers and music fans who loved the size, feel and community that Iota fostered over its more than two decades. Saturday the live music starts at noon and goes deep into the night, with many surprises and emotional moments in store from Justin Jones, No Second Troy, Gist, The Cowards Choir, Jumpin’ Jupiter and much more. We don’t usually run unedited phone camera videos on this blog, but sometimes the power of rules is knowing when to bend them. Last weekend Derek Evry played a release show for his delightful new album Pop Perspective, and ended the show as he often does with his version of Kermit The Frog’s “Rainbow Connection” with help from The Beanstalk Library’s Ryan Walker.

Live Music Forever.

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Sep 28 2017
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The North Country – Island

This weekend the Andrew Grossman fronted band The North Country celebrates the release of their long-simmering third album In Defense Of Cosmic Altruism with an audio-visual experience at St. Stephen’s Church on Saturday night September 30th. Earlier this year NoCo crowdfunded a similar show they called The Garden, and at the direction of their longtime manager Hersch Herschel they brought in legendary music video director Sphinx to film the band performing the psychedelic-tinged 70s soft rock song “Island”. Expect a heavy dose of black light neon beauty and lasers by Zak Forrest to compliment Grossman’s thoughtful songwriting.

If you remember, Hersch Herschel didn’t think highly of NoCo’s last music video. Let’s check in to see his reaction to Sphinx’s creation.

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Sep 25 2017
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Footwerk – Retrograde

There’s a time to get upset and anxious about all that’s going on in the world today, but that time is not while partying with Footwerk. This bedadzzled DC pop outfit is fronted by Kyle and Melissa as a self-described “friendzone” power couple, and uses many modern dating tropes in their mythos. The follow-up to their 2015 debut album Casual Encounters drops soon, but its new single “Retrograde” is here now. This clubby pop song is a perfect end of summer anthem, as the warm weather lingers here in DC and Kyle repeats the refrain “Let’s make this last forever.” Grab tickets now to see Footwerk open for SOJA at The Anthem on December 29th.

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Sep 21 2017
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Elena & Los Fulanos – Ponle Fin

Bilingual folk rock band Elena & Los Fulanos has a whole lot to say in the era of Trump. Singer Elena Lacayo originally hails from Nicaragua, and the plight of undocumented immigrants and other members of marginalized communities are frequent subjects of her pointed songwriting. “Ponle Fin”, translated as “Put An End”, is the lead single from her sophomore album Volcán, successfully crowdfunded earlier this year and set for release on October 20th. The song and Ellie Walton-directed music video feature the always-dapper Christylez Bacon on an English verse, and though the rest of the song is in Spanish, we don’t think you’ll miss the message. Catch Elena & Los Fulanos tonight at the Black Cat opening for Guatemalan singer-songwriter Gaby Moreno.

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Sep 13 2017
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The Electric Grandmother – Feedback Lives

You may know the distinctive Javier Diaz from the bands Spirit Plots or the newer Trajectories. His brother Nestor is a veteran of post-punk trio Golden Looks. But now, in the surreal fictional reality of The Electric Grandmother‘s new album Cancelled, the Diaz brothers are corrupt cops in the shlocky TV drama “Cop Force”, rival to the feel-good neighborhood romp “Police Department” from their previous music video. They’re probably better at violating civil rights than catching high-profile criminals, but these law enforcement officers always rock hard. Grab Cancelled for free while you can, and catch The Electric Grandmother next at the Uptown Art House on Monday October 16th.

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