Shows We’re Stoked For: MH and His Orchestra, The Walking Sticks, and Black Masala @ The 9:30 Club – 8/30

MH and His Orchestra

This Saturday, August 30th, The 9:30 Club will host a holy trinity of DC art bands; MH and His Orchestra, The Walking Sticks, and Black Masala. In consideration of each band’s respective approach to their craft, it seems that the 30th promises a night of dizzying musicianship rarely seen on a weekend in The District.

MH and His Orchestra occupy an unexampled niche within the D.C music scene, masquerading as a crew of Jazz-age troubadours who mix great technical proficiency with striking artistry. Originally a band of forty-four, the now ten-strong ‘Orchestra’ puts on elaborate art-pop performances that steep in the baritone register of front man Max Holiday. Their sound is nomadic; with nearly every song moving toward a different influence from across the musical sphere- at times the inclusion of any genre seems too binding. While the phrase ‘one of a kind’ might seem like an uninspired attempt to describe MH & Co, its accuracy could not be sharper.

The Walking Sticks became WRGW favorites with the release of their EP Send The Night; which follows the hauntingly articulate and jeweled voice of singer Chelsea Lee across a melodic, synth-pop landscape provided by twins Spencer and Max Ernst. Their live performances are some of the most charged in D.C, and in recent months religiously feature currently unreleased tracks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChIL60EqKN4

Black Masala is comprised of eight musicians, some of whom already come from D.C music royalty (Thievery Corporation, Yellow Dubmarine, and See-I). The band blends together aspects of funk, jazz, reggae, ska and brass into lively grooves backed by an impressive stock of instruments and musicianship.

 

To Buy Tickets: http://www.930.com/event/595891-mh-his-orchestra-walking-washington

 

-Elliot Greiner