What’s better on a chilly Monday in November than to jump and sweat to the bouncing brass sounds of Rubblebucket? Well, after Monday night at the Baltimore Soundstage I can unequivocally say there is nothing better. Rubblebucket, the dance-pop-art ensemble that released their sixth full-length LP, Earth Worship, last year […]
DragonForce is a power metal institution. There’s the lightning-quick guitar licks; metronome perfect drums that seem inhuman; and soaring vocals that continue to be the mainstay of their work. And while they never take themselves too seriously, there is some serious talent at work. The London-based DragonForce started nearly 25 […]
Baroness has been through a lot in the more than 20 years the band from Savannah, Georgia has been around. From a near fatal accident in the UK 10 years ago to changes in band members – oh, and then there was a global pandemic which put the brakes on […]
Dave King, singer and band leader for Flogging Molly, has a knack for doing two things: 1) leading an incredible performance, and 2) putting together a touring line-up that can’t be beat. It’s a fact. I’ve seen Flogging Molly a handful of times now and each time it feels like […]
“Now see, that’s fuckin’ Baltimore. Baltimore’s always down,” Kim Schifino exclaimed to a packed room at Rams Head Live Saturday night. Schifino, along with Matt Johnson who make up the New York-based duo Matt and Kim, have a way of turning a soggy, wind-swept evening into a party in the […]
“How many of you are seeing us for the first time,” Jennifer Finch asked the sold-out crowd at The Black Cat as more than a few held their hands up. A testament to the strength and relevance of the California-based band who formed back in the mid-1980’s, L7 returned from […]
The amazing Brooklyn-based duo of Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino, better known as Matt and Kim, hit the road again after four years (and four years too many!) and it promises to be a great tour. Says Matt, “THIS TOUR IS GONNA BE SO RIDICULOUS! And we mean that in […]
“We wrote this around George Bush Jr time, and the lyrics are more relevant to what’s happening now than they were then,” Kathleen Hanna, singer of the dance punk trio Le Tigre told a sold-out crowd at the Baltimore Soundstage Wednesday night. “ I’m just saying it’s fucking weird… and […]
You know the adage, “Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life”? For most that’s a reminder – maybe something to pin on your cork board – or something to strive toward, but I get the feeling The Cure takes that old saying to heart. […]
@thenational return to DC to play two sold out shows at @theanthemdc
I remember hearing The Walkmen years ago with a couple of friends who were already into them. I think there was an unspoken competition to see who could find the next cool band or record. I liked what I was hearing, but it wasn’t until their second album, Bows + […]
photo by Andrew Palermo After, what was referred to as an “extreme hiatus” in 2013, The Walkmen – quintet of Hamilton Leithauser, Paul Maroon, Matt Barrick, Peter Bauer, and Walter Martin – are back! And they are headed to Philly for not one, or two, but THREE shows at the […]
There have been a bevy of bands over the last few years that seem to inject much needed energy into this thing that is rock ‘n roll, and the one I’ve been looking forward to seeing but hadn’t – that is, until Friday night – was the Dublin-based The Murder […]
This stupid world – it’s killing me / This stupid world – is all we have What can you say about a band who, for the better part of 40 years has been a driving force in American independent rock and roll and, along with contemporaries like Sonic Youth and […]
Flogging Molly is a force to be witnessed. Led by Dave King, the band is steeped in both Irish folk and the punk rock ethos of The Clash. It’s a mix that’s kept this band going strong for nearly 30 years. And with a new album, Anthem, having been released […]
On a chilly Friday night, Low Cut Connie rolled into Towson to heat things up at The Recher. Adam Weiner – band leader and driving force behind the Philly based band – is one heck of a showman, only matched by his boogie-woogie howl and that Jerry Lee Lewis meets […]
Dave Pirner, the principal songwriter and longest member of Soul Asylum, had paid his dues long ago. Co-founding the band in 1981 as Loud Fast Rules, the name was changed to Soul Asylum a few years later before their debut LP in 1984. For forty plus years, Pirner has crafted […]
Wrapping up 2022 feels like a real return to not only great live music, but for me it was the start of many firsts. From seeing my daughter experiencing her first concerts – caught up in the thrill of live music – to having the chance to step foot in […]
Foxing is one of those bands I had listened to; loved the song craft and texture of the music but had never witnessed live before. And if you know the band, you know the live show is an integral part of what makes this band. Made up of singer / […]
After taking a break as Bright Eyes in 2011, the trio of Conor Oberst (vocals/guitar/piano), Mike Mogis (guitar/lap steel/mandolin), and Nate Walcott (keys/trumpet) made their big return to not only performing as a band but also putting together their first album since that time – released in the midst of […]
There are times when dwelling on nostalgia can make a person miss what’s in front of them, and there are plenty of on-line squabbles about the death of rock ‘n’ roll, but I’m here to say if you are in that camp you aren’t paying attention to possibly the best […]
Back in 2019, when IDLES made their first US stops in Baltimore and DC I came out of the experience saying believe the hype, and after having again witnessed this band take the stage at the 9:30 Club last year for two sold out shows and then again this past […]
Sure to be on your “Do Not Miss” reminder, Fontaines DC returns to Baltimore at Rams Head Live! Monday, October 3, 2022. Doors: 7:00 pmShow: 8:00 pmTickets: $25 Hailed as one of the most exciting bands in decades, Fontaines DC have quickly risen in a short time from their first […]
Since the release of the fantastic Things Take Time, Take Time the latter part of last year, Courtney Barnett has been busy. Not only touring with her longstanding band of Dave Mudie (drums) and Bones Sloane (bass) but kicking off the touring festival “Here and There” which saw Barnett go […]
It’s not every day you get to see magic happen, but when you do you know it immediately. At Rams Head Live!, on a sweltering July evening, Richmond native Lucy Dacus brought her Home Video tour to a sold out (twice!) Baltimore stop. Previously scheduled in April, the new date […]
There’s something to be said for the knowing surprise. That sense that there’s something that you know is going to happen but you aren’t prepared for how it’s going to go down. Before Wednesday night at The Anthem in DC I knew Flogging Molly and had an appreciation of their […]
The Charm City Bluegrass Festival is back! After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the festival which started in 2013 was back at Baltimore’s Druid Hill Park and you couldn’t have picked a better weekend. The winter chill was gone (at least for now – I’m lookin’ at […]
What do you do when the world contracts and you start feeling boxed in? For Low Cut Connie, the creative vehicle for Philadelphia-based soul brawler, Adam Weiner, you find creative ways to push back outward. Shortly after the release of his most recently LP, Private Lives, Adam, frustrated with the […]
It goes without say, really, that a lot of things have changed over the past year and a half. In the world of touring musical acts, shows have been canceled or tours put on hold or, in the case of Local H, a show that was originally set for a […]
There are bands who write songs and record albums and then there are bands who create movements. If you’ve never experienced an IDLES gig it’s a little hard to explain. It’s hard to be a passive observer at an IDLES show. Even if you can’t move around, these songs – […]
The Hot August Music Festival at Oregon Ridge in Cockeysville, Maryland has been going strong for nearly 30 years! After not having a festival last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, festivalgoers were eager to get back to the lawn, and in addition to the great food and activities for […]
Just a few weeks ago things changed. With the spread of the novel corona virus (COVID-19) in the United States business has ground to a halt and with it many of the places where artists and musicians are able to perform and reach their audience. Performance is also where so […]
Top ten lists can be tough! Especially this past year, 2019, when I can’t think of a single show that was not a good one. So, for lack of space, here are a few of those shows that stuck with me. Some, like Jawbox’s reunion show at Baltimore’s Metro Gallery […]
Although it’s been 14 years between records and, other than a few solo appearances (including 2017’s Pranksgiving) Baltimore’s own Mary Prankster has been out of the limelight. That is, until, the songwriting bug bit again and brought back the brilliant LP, Thickly Settled. (check out our album review here!) And, […]
I’ve lived in or around Baltimore most of my life and have worked as a social worker in both Baltimore and DC for several years. And for more than 25 years I’ve been going to shows pretty regularly – whether it’s in a basement, art space, or big arenas going […]
