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Less Life, More “The Heart Part 4”

Drake, presumably peeved at this op-ed

Editor’s Note: Yeah, yeah, okay. Kendrick is king, I agree Emily. But if you keep fuckin w/ that OVO Sound you’re gonna catch these Music Director hands. I’m watching you. 

Some things I learned while studying for midterms this past week:

1. Despite his claims on “Jorja Interlude,” Drake has become delusional and needs to take a break.
2. Kendrick Lamar is the best hip-hop artist of our generation. (J. Cole fans, please sit down).

While I already suspected these facts to be true, the release of Drake’s More Life last Saturday followed by the release of Kendrick’s song “The Heart Part 4” five days later confirmed my beliefs. Continue reading “Less Life, More “The Heart Part 4””

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Andy Shauf @ DC9

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In a packed room on Monday night, Andy Shauf brought The Party and all the characters from his 2016 release to DC9.

Chris Cohen and his band opened things up with some jazzy melodies. Psychedelic guitar riffs intermingled with bass. A keyboard phrase, aptly substituting for a horn or saxophone in the piece, ran through a persistent minor key while the former Deerhoof band member’s lo-fi guitar chords brought “Drink from a Silver Cup” together in a slow swing piece with dramatic drum fills. Continue reading “Andy Shauf @ DC9”

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Jeff Rosenstock @ DC9

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Jeff Rosenstock, the DIY music legend and prolific artist, played DC9 Thursday night for one of the last days of a tour with Hard Girls and Katie Ellen.

The Long Island frontman has been a part of many successful bands and has an extensive discography tied to his name. But, his solo career has not gone unnoticed either. With the release of his third solo LP, Jeff Rosenstock has been selling out shows and continuing to spread compassion and love in dark political times. The new album, Worry, is reflective of the disillusioning environment Rosenstock sees today, releasing emotion to every listener who plays it. Continue reading “Jeff Rosenstock @ DC9”

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Still Corners @ DC9

Watching Still Corners in DC9’s intimate space on Tuesday night, it was hard to miss the surprising number of local music scene members that were in attendance. As the dream pop band from London played, everyone drifted into a collective dazed mirage.

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The presence of local bands and people in the DIY scene was mainly due to D.C.’s slow-tempo, dreamy opener, Cigarette. After their mystical, lo-fi performance and a quick set from country artist, Dougie Poole, Still Corners took the stage.

Continue reading “Still Corners @ DC9”

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REVIEW: Charged Up Music Festival

Image courtesy of Charged Up DC

Image Courtesy of Charged Up DC

On a beautiful but chilly day, the Charged Up Music Festival took place in Storey Park in the NoMA neighborhood of Washington D.C. The festival had a strong emphasis on the local community and culture featuring a line-up consisting of mostly local talent and vendors. The festival had two stages; the main stage at the front of the park, and another indoor stage that was called “Party Wars”. The tent had a nightclub theme, with lights and a bar inside with DJs spinning throughout the day. On the main stage, most of the performers were rappers, however they were able to sprinkle in a mix of rock bands as well.

One of the more interesting and promoted vendors of the festival was a mobile studio sponsored by Jack Daniels that has been travelling around the area for the past few months discovering talent. The Jackin’ for Beats competition pits rappers’ verses against one another after being recorded in that studio and the national winner received $5,000. This competition/truck were definitely the emphasis of the festival’s afternoon and it appeared the event was geared around the competition’s promotion.

Continue reading “REVIEW: Charged Up Music Festival”