Archive for the ‘Pop’ Category

Photos: Teenage Fanclub and The Vaselines @ 9:30 Club

You may already know this story: Band forms in 1986. Puts out a couple of EPs and its first (and up until last month, only) record in 1989. American grunge god name-checks them often as one of his favorite bands, names his only daughter after one of the singers, covers a few of the band's [...]

Photos: Virgin FreeFest 2010 (Night)

Finally! The second half of our belated FreeFest photo roundup. Check out the first installment here.
The evening portion of this year's Virgin FreeFest was bookended by two equally cool events. It started with randomly meeting Mark Ibold, bass player of Pavement, and ended with making out with M.I.A. (really!sorta!) But more on that shortly...

International and Roots Music Roundup: Bamboleo, Shonen Knife, Bluebird Fest

Are you curious about rock music’s influence in Asia? This weekend offers a couple of examples, plus a rare visit from a Cuban band, a return visit from a soul music veteran, and more.
Friday September 24
Los Angeles band Dengue Fever has a Cambodian lead singer, Chhom Nimol, and instrumentalists in love with 1960s Khmer rock [...]

“The Beard for the Pornography”: A Chat with Author Gail Dines

Gail Dines is a sociologist and anti-porn feminist. Hew new book, Pornland: How Porn Has Hijacked Our Sexuality, describes how the porn industry grew out of control and evolved into a multibillion-dollar industry. Dines examines the effects of porn on our psychology, and argues that for the sake or our sexuality, we should reject inauthentic [...]

Photos: Taylor Swift @ Verizon Center

Yesterday was the first night of Taylor Swift's sold-out two-night stand at the Verizon Center. Swift played all of her hits with some crowd-pleasing gimmicks thrown in—namely, playing a few songs in the middle of one of the lower-level concourses, surrounded by fans, then making her way down to the floor and playing to the [...]

Photos: Bamboozle Roadshow @ Merriweather Post Pavilion

If you've ever wished the beer lines at Merriweather were shorter, just go during Warped Tour or the Bamboozle Roadshow, when the only people old enough to buy alcohol in the whole amphitheater are parents, staff, and some of the musicians. While you're at it, you might learn a little something about pop-punk, power-pop, the [...]

Tonight: Afghan and Tajik Pop Plus Jamaican Dancehall

Tonight’s Superstar Tour  2010 concert—featuring Afghan singer Ghazal and Tajik performer Jonibek at the Sheraton Premiere in Tyson’s Corner— might seem to have nothing in common with this evening’s Jamaican dancehall Ladies Night Out at the Mirage Hall in Hyattsville—headlined by Lady Saw and Assassin—save this: I discovered both shows via postcards left around town. [...]

Free Saturday: Janine Wilson and Her Band

The local roots rocker Janine Wilson’s recently released third album Wakin' Up adds a guitar-pop flavor to her songwriting: Often on the new disc, she and her band come across like a more tradition-minded Pretenders, an approach that helps accentuate her deep, warm vocals. Janine Wilson and her band are performing tomorrow at the city [...]

The Wammies: Are Good Performances and Good Intentions Good Enough?

Once again last night, the Washington Area Music Association’s 24th Annual Wammies at the State Theatre in Falls Church exhibited the inspiring and  troubling aspects of  this self-described “umbrella organization of Washington area musicians, concert promoters, lawyers, recording engineers, managers, graphic artists, and related businesses working together to address areas of common concern.” Hosted [...]

Photos: Black Eyed Peas @ Verizon Center

I'll never be able to forgive the Black Eyed Peas for inflicting "My Humps" on the world, but they sure put on a pretty fun show. More photo evidence after the jump and at the full gallery.