Phosphorescent - Red Palace - May 10, 2011

Love Them Foolishly

One thing that was evident Tuesday night at the Red Palace - Phosphorescent tours incessantly.  Here's a band that's been to DC three times in the last twelve months alone.  And while frontman/brainchild Matthew Houck's voice was stretched a bit thin, he and the band were very well rehearsed.  They could've played that show blind, drunk, kidnapped, potato-sacked, you name it.  This was probably not their best live offering in recent months, and I took off points for the stage presence and sound.  The Red Palace is somewhat of a unique performance space - the stage is very high, but the room is long, not deep.  And given the location of the speakers, it was very difficult for the board engineer to adequately separate the monitors from the club speakers.  As was evidenced by an unquenchable guitarist, constantly pointing at instruments and then alternating between the floor and the ceiling.  The sound guy did his best, but the guitarist was right, it sounded a little off.

On a positive note, the setlist was relatively diverse and the crowd was extremely well-behaved. The set focused on the band's last album, taking it easy. The band stepped out mid set to give Houck a little alone time with the audience, who ate it up eagerly. It was nice to be in a quiet and respectful crowd, especially compared to many 930 club attendees.

In summary, this show was middle of the road but ultimately enjoyable. If you're a fan the band, I would certainly recommend catching them when they tour again (which will no doubt happen within the next year). But next time I hope I catch them on the front end of the tour.

We're rolling out a new scoring visualization - check it out below and let us know what you think!

Andrew Bird - Sixth and I - December 6, 2010

Lots and Lots of Loops

Andrew Bird, that wordy whistler, performed the first of three nights at historic Sixth and I Synagogue under his Gezelligheid series on Monday.  I expected violin runs, I expected perfectly-pitched whistling, and even expected the bizarre opener.  But what I didn't expect was the army of loopers and pedals employed to create the illusion of a real-live band.  Oy vey.

she + him = shim? sham?

She & Him - 9:30 Club - July 7, 2010

Okay, that's unnecessarily mean.  She and Him sounded great last night at the 9:30 Club.  Zooey Deschanel is apparently more than a cute face: she's got a sweet voice that translates very well to the live stage.  

But it was pretty sterile otherwise. 

She bopped around tapping a tambourine for the few glimpses I caught of her (I rarely see the club that packed, my usual places all taken!), said one or two words to the crowd ("I've never been to DC before," "you want some more?  okay we'll give you some more")... and that's pretty much it.  Anytime M. Ward got on the mic the club flipped--apparently he has a hearty DC following.

Otherwise, there really wasn't much chemistry on stage between anyone.  It felt like a band assembled for a movie, the kind where you'd buy the soundtrack to add the fake band's hard-to-find songs to a road trip mix, but you wouldn't expect to see them live, nor would you pay to do so.


That being said, I enjoyed myself enough.  I did the "washing machine" more times than I can count.

Check out my scorecard for a more thorough review.  And check out Click Track for some awesome pics... because really, the show is all about looksies.

Setlist after the jump

Destroyers of the Monday Void

Blitzen Trapper - 930 Club - June 14, 2010

This was kind of a one-off show that we chose to attend last minute, so I won't spend too much time on it.  It was nice to roll over to the 930 club a half hour before set time, pick up three tickets outside the venue for 75% of face value, and have plenty of standing room once inside.  Unfortunately we missed the Moondoggies, but Blitzen Trapper was quite enjoyable.  Nothing spectacular about their stage show, but their albums were well represented, and as always, the sound at the 930 club was on point.  See the scorecard for more details.

If It Ain't Broke, Don't Break It

Broken Bells - 930 Club - June 7, 2010

Its been less than three months since Broken Bells released the clandestine collaboration between Shins frontman James Mercer and side-project-extraordinaire Danger Mouse (aka Brian Burton), but I'm sure it feels much longer for the group as they are just wrapping up a 16-stop US tour.  They blew through DC Monday night with a sold out show at the 930 Club.

Openers the Morning Benders were a real delight.  Although my party missed the first few songs by the west coast upstarts (gotta get those Duffy's tots for pregame), I can only assume they were as pleasant and well-played as the last few.  These guys sound great, and if they can stick with it for a few more years, I think they have a real career ahead of them.  If you have tickets to the Black Keys show in July, do yourself a favor and get to the show early.  The crowd generally respected the group too, which is a nice change of pace for DC's typical busier-than-thou attitude.

Broken Bells came out at 930 on the dot with much aplomb.  They opened with a space jam reminiscent of a Pink Floyd  track, and jumped right into 'October'.  Danger Mouse rocked the kit for most of the show, but demonstrated his versatility by moving from drums to guitars to keys and back again.  There was a pretty sweet lightshow too, complete with DIY bedsheet projector screen and a psychedelic space travel video.  The sound was incredibly polished both musically and acoustically, which is always my first and foremost concern.  Throw in a couple of 60's AM cover songs and you got yourself a decent show right out of the gate.

Unfortunately, that isn't the end of the story.  This overcrowded, overhyped, and ultimately underwhelming show failed to razzle or dazzle.  Clocking in at roughly 55 minutes of playing time, it would be hard to do either.  I don't mean to undercut the musicianship of Mercer or Danger (or the four other nameless bandmates), but frankly you need to be able to do more than recreate fairly simple notes and rhythms on stage.  I have three highlights of the night: 1) Smokey Robinson cover (although some dates got a freaking Neutral Milk Hotel cover!!!); 2) twelve year old stating, "I've not seen it this crowded in a long time. This is like ANIMAL COLLECTIVE crowded!"; 3) being home before 11 PM.  Does that sound like a raging show to you?

In conclusion, regardless of my criticism, I enjoyed myself.  The band didn't overextend themselves by any means, and why should they?  This, after all, is merely a side-project for all parties involved.  I liken attending this show to seeing that movie you saw that one time.  You know the one with that guy?  About that thing?  The one you know you liked but absolutely nothing sticks out at you when you think back on it?  Oh yeah, that one.  Scorecard below.

XX marks the spot, but doesn't hit it.

The XX with jj and Nosaj Thing--Sixth and I Synagogue--March 28, 2010

Sunday night's XX show at Sixth and I Synagogue was weird, in both good and bad ways. I previously saw British trio at Webster Hall in NYC, and was so taken with the venue and vibe that I had high hopes. But in step with current trends in soundproofblog sold-out show-going, this one didn't totally live up to the hype. DC stacked the cards against the XX to begin with: two shows on a Sunday, in a synagogue, are a unique feat for a new-wave-inspired band. Yet even with the buzz from sxsw, which followed the opener too, the whole thing was kind of canned (yep, I went there).

Do Make Them a Target (just not at 930)

Spoon Review - 930 Club - March 23rd, 2010

Let me preface this review by stating that I saw Spoon live on the Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga tour. At Jazzfest. At dusk. With the Dirty Dozen's Brass Band in support. Drunk. THAT was an incredible experience. That was an experience that made me tell anyone who would or would not listen about how great Spoon was, and that their live show had gotten a bad rap. I wept tears of joy when I found out they were playing DC, not in some mid-sized, sterile theater (i.e., DAR Con Hall) but in my backyard at the 930 club. My away message that day read, "Buy tickets here (link); don't ask questions." I was prepared to be blown away.

Sugarfoot called me last night...

[Insert James Brown inspired grunt here.]

Do you like horn sections? Of course you do; who the hell don't? If you're unfamiliar with Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, do yourself a favor and check them out. Here's a quick run down of their show at the Rock and Roll Hotel from the past Tuesday. In short, it was too crowded to do anything, but the music was spot on. Keep up the good work Joe.

Happy Go Jackie: Delta Spirit @ DC9

It was cold and I was sick, but I made it to this show anyway. And I was glad I did. My highlights were the encore (it doesn't get much better than 'People, Turn Around') and the sweaty hug frontman Matt Vasquez laid on unsuspecting, sickly, old me as the band came back out to perform the encore. You, sir, are quite the entertainer. My only complaint is that beers were surprising expensive at DC9. But I guess that's the way of the dive bar in DC: sadtuba.com.