Summer Colors

I'm still catching up from earlier this year.  It's fun to look through photos and remember the summer without reliving the heat.

The Corcoran Gallery of Art was the oldest and largest non-federal art museum in DC.   It was right around the corner from my freshmen dorm and I loved being in a city where I lived in such proximity to art.  It was a big change from small town USA.  The museum was sold this past year to GWU and the National Art Gallery and the institution will no longer be the same.  I made an effort to visit before it closed and I had forgotten the wealth that was in their permanent collection.  I'm curious to see how it will look in the future.

I still contend that the best tacos in DC are in Northern Virginia at Taco Bamba.  I have yet to be proven wrong.

So happy that Osteria Morini opened in DC.  I went with Jen for brunch and we both left very happy.

Restaurant week in August - I had forgotten about this but I did really like the food.  I'm craving the food from summer now that I have months until I'll eat corn and fava beans again.

Bishop Allen always makes me happy.  They released a new album earlier this year.  Such good indie pop music.

Wye Oak

I finally saw Wye Oak live last month at the 930 club.  I'm not very familiar with their newest album but I really love Civilian which came out a few years ago.

They make music that I like to fall into.  Take a listen.

Kraftwerk

There are certain bands that when they decide to tour bring out such a varied audience.  This was my first time standing next to folks in their 60s and also families with very small children at the 930 club.  But this is what happens when I see a music group that has been around since the 1970s and one that's been an influence on most of my current favorite bands.

People arrived very early to stand in line for this event.  It was a 3D tour and standing room only so the choice standing room was upstairs near the the balcony.  Phor and I arrived a little later because we were both coming from work and missed the balcony but stood on the bleacher seats up top.  I was still able to see most of what was going on.

The music was great and the images added to the whole concert.  Brookyn vegan has a great post on the shows in NYC which appears to have been identical in playlist to the show in DC.

The playlist -

The Robots
Metropolis
Numbers / Computer World
It's More Fun to Compute / Home Computer
Computer Love
The Man-Machine
Spacelab
The Model
Neon Lights
Autobahn
Prologue
Tour de France 1983
Tour de France 2003 (Étape 1)
Tour de France 2003 (Étape 2)
Airwaves
Geiger Counter / Radioactivity
Trans-Europe Express / Metal on Metal /Abzug
Boing Boom Tschak / Techno Pop / Musique Non Stop

Encore:
Aéro Dynamik
Planet of Visions

Unexpected Patterns

The weekend of March 1 was one of my favorite music weekends in a very long time.  On Friday night, Phor and I saw Stephen Malkmus & the Jicks at the Black Cat.  We were surrounded by a forest of tall men but I was happy to just hear what was being played for me.  I fell in love with Stephen Malkmus when he was in Pavement singing about cutting your hair.  I first heard it on WHFS in DC and I was stuck from then on.  I loved them even more when I found out the band was from Stockton. They truly know and understand my angst of growing up in the Central Valley.

I gladly followed him when he went solo.  I was listening to him and trying to articulate in my mind why I love his music.  I came to the conclusion that it's because of the unexpected patterns of his music - the vocals and the melody.  His songs continue to surprise me and they tickle my thoughts.

No photos because of the very tall men but it was a lovely show.  He was engaged with the crowd and the crowd reacted likewise.

The next night we went to the 930 to see St. Vincent.  I was so looking forward to this show after I fell hard for her Strange Mercy album.  The show was sold out and it's not often that I see the club fill up so quickly.  We couldn't wait for her to get on the stage.

I have a full blown crush on this woman.  Her songs, her style, her movements.  I couldn't get enough and I was so happy the entire night.  She played a great mix of old and new songs and the crowd loved them all.  I highly recommend her just released self-titled album.  I was thinking why I love her music so much and it's the same reason as Stephen Malkmus - unexpected patterns of music, the surprise of where she is going next.

It was a lovely weekend of music.

Just Play LCD and Ms. Jackson

I will travel to a party that Brig is dj'ing.  In some instances, I will ask Brig to travel to dj. And he'll come.

But first we will all stand in a parking lot eating tacos. Really good Korean tacos.

I will also witness a beautiful friendship forming over the discussion of video games.

And then the night comes and Brig will work his magic.  None of these people knew how good it would be.  They danced all night.

James Murphy Is Playing At My House

By my house I'm referring to the 930 club but still it's in DC.  Phor and I bought these tickets a while ago and I kept thinking that this was happening in November.  It was a nice surprise to realize that was not the case.

The doors opened at 11 pm and the first set was by a pretty boring local dj.  Everything got louder and better once James started spinning.  He started by telling the crowd to not worry about looking at him because it's more fun to look at the people dancing around us.  He was up in the balcony and the stage was open for dancing.  I was excited to be up there for a few songs considering the caliber of musicians that have played on that very stage.

I went up to the 2nd floor to look at the view and I could see James dancing behind the equipment.

His mix of David Bowie's Love is Lost was just named by Pitchfork as best new music. 

belle and sebastian

I went to a few really good concerts this summer but this was my favorite.  I love seeing Belle and Sebastian so much and the crowds are so calm.  They still dance like crazy but they are all cool about it.

The tour was not to support an album but just to get the band back together after a prolonged break.  This is wonderful because it was a show of their hits.

Judy is a Dick Slap
I'm A Cuckoo
Another Sunny Day
The Stars of Track and Field
Expectations
To Be Myself Completely
Lord Anthony
Funny Little Frog
Piazza, New York Catcher
I Don't Love Anyone
I Didn't See It Coming
The Boy With The Arab Strap
Legal Man
Judy and the Dream of Hourses

Encore
Get Me Away from Here, I'm Dying

The set was only 90 minutes but we could have listened for so much longer.  I don't know if they would have played any more but they ended after only one encore song because of the Merriweather noise restrictions.  

They invited members of the audience to dance on stage for The Boy With The Arab Strap and they stayed up there for Legal Man.  If Phor wasn't broken with her twisted ankle, I would have gone up.  We were close enough this year.

I love this band so much.  They fight for room on my iPhone with Radiohead and Sufjan.  I recommend any of the songs they played if you've never had the pleasure of hearing them.

NKOTB

Sometimes life kind of works out in a way where you have a friend visiting who knows the tour photographer and the tour is in your town all on the same weekend.  And sometimes the tour just happens to be New Kids on the Block with Boyz || Men and 98 Degrees and you go because of the experience.

I admit to knowing some of the songs from NKOTB but I was never a fan back in the day.  I have some friends at work who knew all the dance moves to all the songs and I was definitely not that person. But I know who they are and I know who the cutest one was.

We walked around back stage and our seats were pretty close.  

Because the Boyz were all in white, all I could get was a glowing photo of them.

We glimpsed 98 degrees performing but neither of us really knew them.

We sat during the NKOTB performance and we were probably the only two in the entire center doing that.  The audience went crazy for them.  I had no idea they still had so many fans and they sold out the Verizon Center.

We left an hour in to eat food at Zaytinya.  But now I can say that I was backstage at a very large concert.

Sweetlife Festival 2013

It's kind of wonderful when you text friends in NYC about a great lineup at Sweetlife, an all day festival in Maryland, and they immediately buy tickets.

The food options were very good.

The return of certain 90s trends not so good.

Ty's excitement over the Yeah Yeah Yeahs very good.

Karen O was amazing.

Not pictured is a couple standing next to me having sex - not amazing at all.

My NYC friends always great.  So was Phor but not pictured.

Passion Pit so much fun.

And Phoenix also great.

Especially when Thomas Mars is on stage and then all of a sudden he is singing directly in front of us.

Other highlights - Gary Clark Jr and Haerts.  And the pavilion that kept us dry from the pouring rain.

Postal Service 2014

A boy I loved introduced me to Postal Service back in 2003.  I've always felt like it was the soundtrack to those initial few months of just happiness.  A couple of months ago, I heard they were touring to celebrate the 10 year anniversary of Give Up and I convinced Phor that we had to go.  The music still holds lots of happy memories and feelings and none of the bad that came when the relationship didn't last.  I was really sad to hear that Postal Service played at the Black Cat in 2003 and I was not there but I was really happy to be there this last week at Merriweather.

Jenny Lewis is kind of incredible.  And I was impressed with Phor for recognizing the keyboardist Laura Burhenn who we had seen perform years ago in the DC-based band Georgie James.

They played the entirety of Give Up and covers from Beat Happening and Dntel.

The District Sleeps Alone Tonight
We Will Become Silhouettes
Sleeping In
Turn Around
Nothing Better
Recycled Air
Be Still My Heart
Clark Gable
Our Secret (Beat Happening cover)
This Place Is a Prison
There's Never Enough Time
A Tattered Line of String
Such Great Heights
Natural Anthem

Encore:
(This Is) The Dream of Evan and Chan (Dntel cover)
Brand New Colony

I was hoping they would play Against All Odds (Phil Collins cover) and Suddenly Everything Has Changed (Flaming Lips cover) but I have something to look forward to if they ever tour again.

Let the Summer Begin

This summer is all about concerts that I can't wait to see.  And I feel like Hot Chip completely lived up to my expectations.  I can't say the same for a couple of other shows but they do not need to be mentioned.

Phor and I stood on the second level where we usually have loads of room to dance and the sound is perfect.  This concert was odd with the family of four including two kids under the age of 12 standing behind us.  The kids were bored but the parents just didn't care.

Regardless, we danced a lot.  

If you don't know Hot Chip, please watch this.  It's an old song but so very good.  Sorry for the advertisement in the beginning but the 30 second wait is worth it.