The Sound of The District
On the day a century-old record was smashed for coldest day at 5F in Washington, D.C., I thought everyone would be bundled up and avoiding social interactions that could risk any heat loss. So imagine my surprise when I finally made it to U Street Music Hall, saw the nonexistent line outside, and then went downstairs to, hello, a well-filled room, which set the precedent for the hometown show of all three groups.
Continue reading “Young Summer at U Street Music Hall, Feb. 20th”
Photo credit: Jordan Farley
After a beautiful symphony of tropical beats, along with the first live performance of the recent remix of ODESZA’s “All We Need (feat. Shy Girls), we caught up with Jake and Louis, the duo known as Autograf, to chat after their Saturday night set at U Hall. The duo delivered an upbeat, groovy, move-your-body set infused with their signature future summer style. And after their set, the boys were gracious enough to hang out with us while we enjoyed the funky stylings of Zimmer.
All photos: Lotanna Obodozie
If there’s one thing I really enjoy, it’s when artists have epic intro music play before they hit the stage. It’s a great way to build up excitement for the crowd, and it’s also interesting to see what the artist chooses – a song of theirs or a song by someone else. Maryland electronic-R&B duo abhi//dijon chose to go with the latter, choosing “Know Yourself” off of Drake’s new mixtape. It had been out for less than 24 hours, but thanks to abhi//dijon, I got to hear part of it blasted through U Street Music Hall’s glorious sound system.
The lights were low, and the mellow R&B that had been playing through the speakers was abruptly interrupted by Drake’s voice shouting “I was running through The 6 with my woes.” Abhi//dijon then took the stage and chatted briefly with the crowd before beginning their set, mentioning that this was only their second performance ever. Despite this being the second time they’ve ever taken the stage, they played with so much heart that any rough spots (which were few and far between) were immediately forgiven by the crowd. Their music is so lush, and so good, that it speaks for itself and those in the crowd seemed to be fans of abhi//dijon since day one. This was especially apparent when abhi//dijon played some of their older songs; audience members would cheer at the sound of the opening notes and sing along to every word.
Before his sold out show at U Street Music Hall this past Friday, Christian Berishaj, known to most as JMSN, chatted with us about his career, covering a song by Nirvana, and his baller dance moves.
R&B musician JMSN is bringing his experimental, brooding sound to U Street Music Hall this Friday the 13th (spooky, huh?) along with abhi//dijon and Rochelle Jordan.
Don’t be fooled, this isn’t JMSN’s (nom de guerre, Christian Berishaj) first time around the block. He’s made music under other pseudonyms, but has settled upon this name and signature electro-tinged soul music. It’s important to note that these aren’t your mom and dad’s old school bedroom jams; instead, JMSN draws inspiration from 90s R&B and makes it his own, like a breath of fresh air.
Continue reading “Shows to Know: JMSN & abhi//dijon @ U Street Music Hall 2/13”