Dr. Funkenstein. The Godfather of Funk. The cool ghoul with the funk transplant. Whatever name you know George Clinton by, when he and the massive collective that makes up Parliment Funkadelic come to town, especially to Washington, D.C., "One Nation Under a Groove" takes on a higher meaning. And on Tuesday, the 71-year-old Clinton and [...]
The Texting Epidemic?: In a lengthy essay, Washington Post film critic Ann Hornaday says we're having a crisis of moviegoing manners, citing a couple of amusing news stories from last year—like Alamo Drafthouse's amusing "trailer" featuring a patron the theater kicked out for texting, and the Connecticut indie theater that had to post a sign [...]
On Wednesday, Slate published a piece by Matthew Yglesias about why D.C. is, essentially, a terrible place for young, creative people to live.
The article has since flown about social media, causing many a sad emoticon and, apparently, excessive vomiting. The jab is all the more painful because there is some truth to it–D.C. is [...]
There are plenty of reasons why Perfume Genius' 2010 debut is striking, but let's start with the most obvious: The only instrument is piano. On Learning, the Seattle singer (nee Mike Hadreas) plumbs heavy topics like drugs, sexuality, and suicide—fragile, personal stuff that's only amplified by the bare arrangements and hushed, layered vocals. Hadreas recorded the album [...]
On the 9:30 Club stage last night, the Portland, Ore. indie-folk outfit Blind Pilot showcased many generations of instruments, from banjo, to stand-up bass, to squeeze-box. Luckily for the close-to-capacity crowd, the songs were pretty timeless, too.
Annie Clark, aka St. Vincent, played to a sold-out 9:30 Club last night, pairing her ethereal voice with off-kilter indie-pop melodies full of sometimes-frantic beats and a bass sound so big it would have made Chuck D jealous. From the start of "Surgeon" to the finale of "Your Lips are Red," she had the crowd in the [...]
It’s a confusing time to be a D.C. concert-goer. The Fillmore Silver Spring has invaded the established order. DIY spaces flicker and fade like so many lightning bugs. Perhaps you’ve had one too many drinks. If you find yourself at a rock concert and you can’t remember where exactly you are, this might help.
Illustration by [...]
If you've seen DJ Stereo Faith spin, you know he's a straightforward party starter who keeps it cool no matter where he's spinning. But when he opened last Friday for Peter Hook and the Light—the latest project from the former Joy Division and New Order bassist—he got uncharacteristically nervous, he says. No wonder: "Joy Division's my [...]
The sun shone bright Saturday at this year's Virgin FreeFest at Merriweather Post Pavilion, and while the grounds were a bit muddier than last year, at least the Dance Forest wasn't as dusty. It was the first nice afternoon in weeks—as well as the day before the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and the start of [...]
If it's hard to consider St. Vincent's Strange Mercy a misstep—its ideas are too strong, its resolve too robust—it's still easy enough to hear it as a failure to build on the foundations laid down on the first two records by the woman known to the taxman as Annie Clark. Maybe a little bit too [...]
