Ryan Adams - Strathmore - January 24, 2012

Ryan Adams is a guy everyone hates to love, his attitude problems so well publicized (mere mentions of Summer of '69 cause his spit to gather) and his image so opposite of Southern it even hurts to call him alt-country (although he was born and bred in NC).  His incessant self-loathing and slightly belabored banter made it even more difficult to love him Tuesday night at the hipster-packed solo Strathmore show.

I'm not sure if it's good or bad, then, that he's talented as hell, the strength of his voice surfacing in the first note of the setlist opener, Oh My Sweet Carolina.  And the loveliness of his voice shone through standouts like Firecracker and Everybody Knows, through the beloved Come Pick Me Up, even through a bare piano-backed rendition of New York, New York.

And yet, perhaps the show was a little too bare; it's nothing like seeing Adams with the Cardinals, for example.  As he hopped from piano, to guitar--seated, then standing--it became clear that this was a true singer-songwriter showcase, which meant it was a little slow, and a little long at almost 2.5 hours.  The appearance of opener Jason Isbell was welcome during the encore.  It added a dimension that had been lacking.

But damn, Adams' voice sounds better than before--did he quit smoking?  And after hearing an opener like Isbell followed-up by Adams, it's clear why one singer-songwriter is selling out venues, and one isn't.  While it takes guts for anyone to put their work out there, it takes true talent to be an economist with words, selecting the right ones and allowing for the music to speak for itself on occasion.  Isbell makes the mistake of choking his songs with lyrics, which Adams doesn't do.

One downside to what was primarily a good show: the girl next to us sang along the whole time, and was generally annoying (we get it, you are SO into this show--but if you know all the words, it's a little scary given the volume of albums Adams releases).  And Adams insisted on commenting on how the show featured slow, depressing songs, which only made a long show feel longer. Done

A Year in Review

It's a fraction of the whole, but it's so hard to control... Best-Of Live, 2011

Despite the fact that our posts slowed towards the end of 2011, the year went out with a big bang.  We saw more shows than we could review, and heard more music than we could comment on.  Here are our top five shows of 2011.

1. Foo Fighters, Verizon Center, November 11
Dave Grohl and the Foo crew (including original Pat!) plowed through an unforgettable 2 hour-plus set of the classics, and standouts from Wasting Light, including an encore of Dear Rosemary featuring Bob Mould. Grohl is a frontman to envy, commanding a stage with a catwalk clear to the other side of the arena with ease and energy. Words can't describe this show.

2. Dale Earnhardt Jr Jr, Red Palace, September 22
DEJJ is hardly just another hipster band.  Think more party and way less pretentious. Their set at Red Palace on 9/22 was well worth the $12 ticket price. We've spotlighted DEJJ before, their somewhat retro remix of R&B and rock becoming a fast favorite for 2011.

3. Bon Iver, 930 Club, August 1
Bon Iver and crew crooned their way through an epic setlist including selections from the new album and the best of the rest (Skinny Love, Re: Stacks).  It was a memorable show, one that couldn't have happened anywhere but 9:30.

4. Avett Brothers, DAR, February 19
To be in the presence of such awesome songwriters who hide hubris in the face of real talent, who recognize the importance of maintaining an audience, who give one hundred and twenty percent in performance (see broken bow strings of the cellist, singers running and jumping on the speakers, innumerous wails and shouts)... it's an experience worth reliving every time they come to town. 

5. Paul Simon, 9:30 Club, May 27

Paul Simon at the 9:30 Club - enough said, right?  He played for just over two hours, which was longer than the older crowd could patiently listen... Everything about this show was fantastic with the exception of said crowd. 

You Can, Can Count on a Second Chance... Best Albums, Etc.

We all have regrets when it comes to music: guilty pleasures, concert faux pas, you name it.  Our regrets are that we didn't give some of our all-time favorite artists a second chance when it came to their new releases this year, and that we missed a few standouts from the best-of lists.  Here are a few things we missed, and a playlist of what was on repeat this year.

1.  Radiohead's King of Limbs.  This album was an initial letdown, a lame climax following years of waiting for a follow-up, taking esoteric to the extreme.  But come on, it's Radiohead.
2.  Wilco's The Whole Love.  A second, then third listen, made us realize that this sounds more like the old Wilco we wholly love, than we originally thought.
3.  Feist's Metals.  As a pretty avid fan of Feist, a cursory listen didn't really grab me.  Then again, I actually enjoy Mushaboom...
4.  Kurt Vile, in general.  Our first listen left a bad taste in our mouths.  But critics are obsessed, and he's playing Black Cat with Thurston Moore in Feburary.
5.  Metacritic's Music Critic's Top Albums of 2011 [esp. PJ Harvey & Adele].  We're data nerds.  And the fact that the top two albums of the year--according Metacritic's unique data--slipped our radar means we need to recalibrate.
6.  Paul Simon, So Beautiful or So What.  Didn't anyone else think it was... hokey?

Hipster Christmas Playlist

The name says it all, an eclectic mix of holiday-related songs I'm enjoying, in an embedded playlist for you to enjoy as well.  What are you listening to this holiday season?

St Lucia - Gibson Showroom - December 1, 2011

Caribbean Island or Indie-Pop Quintet?

Try both.  The New York-based group came in support of All Things Go's concert series New Noise at the Gibson showroom.  The band has popped up in a few emails and blogs, so I decided to check out the show.  It was an interesting vibe, equal parts hipster, young professional, and cool.  The band was fantastic - think a more accessible xx.  The venue was pretty cool, although it felt a bit like Ashton Kutcher's loft or something.  There were several Gibson's hung along the main space, but it didn't feel at all like a guitar showroom.  And the crowd was pretty reasonable; they were clearly interested in the music and not just the open Tito-and-Flying Dog-bar.  Check out the photos below as well as a sample of what St Lucia is kicking out.  I would highly recommend seeing this group sooner rather than later - you too might just be able to catch them up close and personal before they start playing larger venues.

Ha Ha Tonka - Rock and Roll Hotel - October 7, 2011

Last Friday night, Rock N Roll Hotel was the place to be, on paper--with a line-up like Hoots & Hellmouth and Ha Ha Tonka, it was not to be missed!  But in typical DC style, what once was cool has become popular, with giggling twenty-something women replacing hipsters at the once divey music venue.  And don't get me wrong, as a twenty-something woman, I love a good girls night out. But singing Michael Jackson at the top of your lungs, and taking flash-filled self-shots, should not take place at a show where people paid money to get in... there's a time and a place for that.

In fact, it was just upstairs, where a nineties party was happening for free with a near empty dance floor.  Did you hear me, ladies?  EMPTY DANCE FLOOR.  And here I thought the evening would go perfectly.  The friendliest bouncer ever greeted us upon entry, as did the nicest bartender! 

But one speed bump followed another that Friday evening; after the gaggle of giggles came an excessively long soundcheck from Hoots & Hellmouth, a band I had previously seen at a BBQ restaurant.  Not sure if that was the venue's fault, or the band's, but you would forget they were an opener with such an in-depth check.  That being said, H&H once again put on a hell of a show, albeit over the chatter of dozens of the disinterested.  I'm chalking this talking up to Friday night crowd on H Street.

Then the venue randomly emptied, and Missouri-based band Ha Ha Tonka came on, bringing their brand of Ozark folk rock to a somewhat more attentive audience, although a highlight of the set--an acoustic version of Hangman--was drowned out by familiar chatter.  Ha Ha Tonka fits the niche of what my ear's been tuned to lately: Americana with a rock edge in some parts, soul in the others, and a mandolin.  And the standouts from the album also stood out live: The Humorist, Usual Suspects and Death of A Decade... if I have to pick a few.

Really, I woke up humming their songs the next morning, which for me is a mark of an all around good time.  See the scorecard, and a fun youtube video, for more on the show and the band.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Red Palace - September 22, 2011

Detroit duo Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. has annoyed plenty of people with their weird band name; the Hollywood Reporter called it sheer "stupidity."  It's bothered me too, seemingly the mark of yet another hipster band trying to set themselves apart from being obscure, through total obscurity.

DEJJ, however, is hardly just another hipster band.  Think more party and way less pretentious. Their set at Red Palace on 9/22 was well worth the $12 ticket price. We've spotlighted DEJJ before, their somewhat retro remix of R&B and rock becoming a fast favorite for 2011.

Their live show scored similarly well in our books. For their set at the Red Palace they rocked matching Detroit Tigers ensembles, their own band's tees, and for the encore, matching dayglow patchwork blazers emblazoned with "Jr, Jr" on the back.

But outfits aren't all that they rocked. Bubbles and brightly-lit Jr, Jr signs set the stage for a full on dance party, electrifying the audience from one end of the setlist to the other.  Highlights included We Almost Lost Detroit, and an encore with two of the finest performances of the evening: Simple Girl, and a cover of Whitney Houston's I Wanna Dance With Somebody (I kid you not).

It took me entirely too long to post this review, but I'm glad I waited; after seeing a few shows from more seasoned artists the following week, I realized just how much I enjoy ones from bands on the way up. They don't wait until the sixth song to address the audience, or play songs just as they are on the album, or seem ungrateful in the slightest. They do so much more with so little (rich sound, awesome visuals, full-on energy, little name recognition) that nowadays it is incredibly difficult to justify paying a $40+ per ticket pricetag.

All that is to say, next time DEJJ rolls into town, you should be there.

Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. - Red Palace - 9.22.2011

Wilco - Merriweather Post Pavilion - September 25, 2011

The Semi-Whole Love

Photo from Washington City Paper

Touring on their new record The Whole Love (out today on their recently formed label, dBpm Records), soundproof favorite Wilco came into "town" on a breezeless, September Sunday night.  Merriweather was abuzz with thirty-somethings and in many cases their recently sired offspring for a night of rock, roll and a little bit of sheer musical magic.  NPR opened up their airwaves, Maryland opened up her highways, and IMP opened up their beer taps for my most anticipated show of the year.

Unfortunately the boys, who know how to deliver a near perfect show, seemed a little off.  Opening with lead track Art of Almost, the band got off to a promising start, winding through the digitally-infused space jam with aplomb, Tweedy looking dapper as always.  They followed that up with I Might, the rocking single from the new record.  Sounds pretty good, they know this new record already.  The crowd, however, did not.  The pit was absolutely stagnant, the pavilion nearly completely seated after the third new track, Black Moon.  Jeff, who normally begins his crowd interactions after the fourth or fifth song, was distant, disengaged, uncharacteristically reserved.  And his energy is what drives the live show without a doubt.  I'm not sure if it was illness, fatigue, nerves, or just generally unhappiness with the crowd, but without that Tweedy pixie dust, the band became a jukebox playing well-rehearsed songs sans intensity.

And It wasn't just the lack of energy that showed the band wasn't clicking.  Nels had a couple of out-of-tune solos; the mix was all Tweedy rhythm guitar and drums; the keys of Jorgensen were obviously absent; Nels' brilliance was understated on every song save Impossible Germany.  And the venue was terrible - $9 beers; food stands that over-charge and then close early while the employees eat the very food they are out of in front of you; recycling bins removed prior to the encore; bathrooms that haven't been cleaned since April.  It's clear to me more and more that customer satisfaction at IMP venues is at or near the bottom of any priority list that may exist.  At least with Live Nation I expect to be treated poorly.  Finally, the audience alternated between cool person, asshole smoking some sort of unidentified herb that smelled like a burning couch cushion and thirty-something with his two-year-old daughter on his shoulders (with no ear coverage for the little ones of course).  I suppose one in three ain't bad.

But, per usual, I had a great time.  Opener Nick Lowe was charming, jangling through hits penned for musicians more famous than himself then later rocking out just a little with Wilco.  Setlist highlights were new songs I Might, One Sunday Morning, Whole Love and Standing O combined with classics like Nova, Letters, War on War, Shot in the Arm, HMD and I'm the Man.  And clocking in at just under two hours, even when things don't seem to click the boys know how to put on a show worth the price of admission.

See scorecard below; in order to show you just how much we love Tweedy et al, I included the average of all other Wilco-related shows we've scored in the past (five in total) as well as the average concert we've score in our history.  Think I'm crazy?  Making this all up?  Too lofty expectations?  Tale of the tape time - listen for yourself and tell me I'm wrong: Merriweather Show vs. Sasquatch! Show.  Is this the signal that Wilco is no longer a must see, a permanent buy order here at soundproofblog?  Hardly.  In my opinion this was a blip, a speedbump, a hiccup in an otherwise healthy band's tour.  So friends in Nashville, don't go selling those Ryman tickets unless its to me.