Making the leap from cover band to performing original music, Party Like It’s brings their love of the blasting horns and singalong choruses of late 90s pop-ska bands like Reel Big Fish and No Doubt to the modern day. Their YouTube channel includes undeniably fun covers of “Shake It Off”, “All About That Bass” and “The Boys of Summer”, and now their debut original single “Clockwork Lover” gets the full music video treatment courtesy of DC Brau and The Coupe. We dug this song so much that we kicked off yesterday’s podcast with it, but the music video is even more fun. Vienna’s Jammin’ Java hosts a Back to the 90s party this Saturday night featuring Party Like It’s and other bands paying tribute to Sublime, Blink-182, Smashing Pumpkins and No Doubt.
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Category Archives: shows
Olivia Mancini – Easy Right Now
WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO!
Olivia Mancini is DC music’s sweetheart. Her big friendly smile and laid back musical style instantly disarm and captivate a crowd. Over the years she’s evolved from badass bassist in mid-2000s buzz band Washington Social Club to develop her own career as frontwoman for Olivia and the Mates, as well as her own singer-songwriter work. She also supports Jarret Nicolay of Virginia Coalition fame in the duo Astra Via and is currently a member of Sara Curtin‘s band. Clicking on Mancini’s Bandcamp page brings up a huge collection of assorted singles and EPs with her many collaborators, which makes the release of her new EP Walkabout surprising as it’s her first album under only her name. The debut single “Easy Right Now” is a love song with a relaxed vintage style, and we’re honored to premiere the music video below. Shot by Lindsay Dirienzo and Amy Hutchinson, the video takes us through a romp through the city with Olivia, with many affectionately lingering shots. The whole thing feels like a happy day in a wonderful relationship.
Grab Mancini’s new EP out on the Aerobic International label and come see her play one (or both!) of two release shows in town. If you’re more a living room type, head to Bathtub Republic on Friday May 13th to see her play with Fluffer, K Pasa USA, and Antonette Garoch; if you prefer ordering exotic craft beers at the coolest bar in town, Galaxy Hut has you covered on Sunday May 15th when Mancini plays with Yours Truly Michele.
Color Palette – Heartless
Synth rock band Color Palette continue the run up to the release of their debut full length album with another in their live take video series. “Heartless” features a killer bass line from Josh Hunter and driving drum beats from Matt Hartenau that fit with the 80s-style keyboard hook. When Hollywood makes Top Gun 2, put this one on the soundtrack. Color Palette’s album release show goes down at the POV Lounge on the roof of the W Hotel on Thursday May 26th with Near Northeast, but if you just can’t wait that long to see these guys live, get to DC9 next Thursday May 12th to catch them opening for Day Wave.
Maryjo Mattea – Getting Over You
SONG PREMIERE!
Maryjo Mattea has the charisma and the songwriting chops to rise above lesser singers and develop a substantial following. The garage-rock formula from her previous band Two Dragons And A Cheetah worked because of Maryjo’s captivating stage presence, and clearly none of the bro’s in her new outfit Maryjo Mattea & A Pile of Dudes are going to take away from that. Her solo EP Four Minute Symphonies comes out on April 28th with a release show at Songbyrd featuring Uptown Boys Choir and Party Like It’s, and Hometown Sounds is all atingle to premiere the second single from it. Unlike the first single, the catchy power-pop number “Rocket Science”, “Getting Over You” starts out as a classic torch song before ramping up the drums and slide guitar courtesy of blues rocker Jonny Grave. RSVP here to see Maryjo and her guitar summit the biggest pile of dudes in the city.
Paperhaus – Silent Speaking
Psychedelic indie rock band Paperhaus has undergone many changes in their 7 year history as a DC band. After recently vacating their eponymous house where they ruled the DIY/DIT house show scene, core member Alex Tebeleff rejiggered the lineup to include Deleted Scenes’ Matt Dowling and Rick Irby, who also goes by the solo moniker Jau Ocean, and took the band to Philly to record under producer Brian McTear. The first single in this new era is “Silent Speaking”, and Pree’s Ben Usie made a lyric video for it that should utterly creep you out if you have Ommetaphobia (google it, I just did). Come get trippy at the Black Cat tonight as Paperhaus celebrates the release of this single and also Blight Records’ CrushnPain’s new EP All Mountains, with support from Nag Champa.
Fellow Creatures – Wouldn’t You Like To Know
Sam McCormally and Will McKinley-Ward’s experimental rock group Fellow Creatures apply dreamlike qualities drawn from their musical collaboration into their newest music video. “Wouldn’t You Like To Know”, directed by the band, creates a moody, non-literal interpretation of a frightening event that occurred on a tour stop in Cincinnati. You can hear Sam and Will recount the tale of “party jail” on this episode of the ChunkyGlasses podcast, including their entire origin story as metamorphosis from the well-loved folk rock band Ugly Purple Sweater and reflections on our city’s music scene. Their debut full length self-titled album is $7 on Bandcamp, and the only better use of your hard earned money is to pay the door guy at U Street’s Tropicalia to let you into tonight’s party celebrating its release.
The Grey A – Unusual As Usual
Continuing this week’s theme of spotting local venues in music videos, rock band The Grey A took Comet Ping Pong’s status as both a busy restaurant and late night music venue as inspiration for their newest music video, “Unusual As Usual”. If you’ve ever worked in food service the antics depicted by director Adio Ash are probably old hat, but the rest of us would prefer to live in blissful and delicious ignorance, thank you very much. The Grey A returns to the scene of the crime next Wednesday April 20th to celebrate their new single release and kick off a quick tour with a late show at Comet featuring Indiana’s Austin Lucas and Joey Kneiser & Kelly Smith of Nashville band Glossary.
Lighting Fires – I Remember When
A common theme of ours on the Hometown Sounds podcast is how the music scene in the NOVA suburbs never get love & attention from DC proper. Perhaps I’m biased because I live over the river in Arlington, but old school Clarendon venues Galaxy Hut and Iota are two of the best spots to see live music in the whole DMV. Guitarist Andrew Gaddy and drummer Adam Neubauer of the dance-rock band Lighting Fires have deep ties to many bands in that scene, so of course they chose Iota for the shoot of their first music video for the insanely catchy single “I Remember When”, from last year’s pay-what-you-want 4 song EP Friend Fiction. Lighting Fires kicks off your weekend right with an early show Friday night at DC9 featuring DC’s Grey Gardens and Nashville’s *repeat repeat.
Amber Mimz – Never Be
Soul singer Amber Mimz has a honeyed, laid-back delivery that allows her songs to sprawl out for maximum effect. Her latest release THREE ep dropped three new mellow jazzy tunes into the world, and she celebrates tonight with an opening slot for Tiffany Gouché at an early show at U Street Music Hall that also serves as a launch party for literary sanctuary Chloe Society. Get in the mood with this music video for “Never Be”.
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