Garutachi Presents Underwear Party VI – Rock & Roll Hotel; Sept. 15; $10 or free if clad in undies
Admittedly (and ashamedly), this writer has little experience with the Rock & Roll Hotel’s apparently long-standing tradition of Underwear Parties. Here are the facts: The event is advertised with the phrase “Undress to Impress” and features DJs John Redden, Ca$$idy, Mikey Vader, and Cale; the venue charges $10 at the door, but entry is free if you check your clothes.
Hanson w/ Locksley – 9:30 Club; Sept. 16; $30
Everyone’s favorite girl group is back and mmmbopping it up at that oh-so-hip V St. establishment. I know what you’re thinking: “Hanson is playing for $30 a pop, and it’s not sold out yet?! Omigod, I’d totally miss the premiere of Gossip Girls for this.” I know! Isn’t Zack like totally GORGEOUS?!!! But, really. Stop reading this magazine. Now. CVS sells BOP.
Do Make Say Think – Black Cat; Sept. 17; $12
Don’t call it a post-rock comeback. In their latest, You, You’re a History in the Rust, Toronto’s favorite instrumentalists weave a delicate texture of bluegrass strings, freak-folk and, alas, vocals. DMST will intoxicate you with their haunting woodwinds and jarring acoustics.
Akron/Family – Rock & Roll Hotel; Sept. 18; $12
Like John and Yoko, Akron/Family keep the message short and sweet on their forthcoming long player, Love Is Simple. But in between exhortations to “Go out and love, love, love,” the band squeezes out extended jams that fuse folk, Americana and noise rock. Not quite the music that John and Yoko made, but they’d still be proud. Tune in to WGTB Georgetown Radio at 3 p.m. this Tuesday to hear the band play an acoustic set.
Apples in Stereo – 9:30 Club; Sept. 19; $15
The Elephant 6 veterans are back in full-on, psychedelic action after a five-year hiatus from the indie scene. New Magnetic Wonder boasts some of their best tunes since Fun Trick Noisemaker, combining their signature Brian Wilson-esque pop magic with everything from church bells to mellotron. Wear your heat-resistant shoes; listening to The Apples is like dancing on the sun.
Girl Talk & Dan Deacon – Black Cat; Sept. 19; Sold Out
Greg Gillis (a.k.a. Girl Talk), biomedical research engineer/sample mixer extradonnaire, will throw a piece of every song you’ve ever heard anywhere into his cauldron of electronic goodness to create the best dance music you haven’t yet heard. Dan Deacon creates the same energy, but with all his own beats and a hint of pure weirdness.
But before you get down and beg for scalped tickets to this sold-out show, look in your own backyard: Both Girl Talk and Dan Deacon will (with the grace of the Georgetown bureaucracy gods) be playing on campus separately at the end of October and the end of November. No details now, but save your bus fare and cross your fingers.
Mountain Goats & Bowerbirds – Black Cat; Sept. 20; $15
John Darneille’s hyper-literate, lo-fi folk contains some of the most persistently melancholy and painfully honest lyrics to come across in recent years. Something like a male Joni Mitchell with a sarcastic edge, Darneille strikes that tenuous balance between high quality lyrics and melody that is so elusive in folk music. Freak-folk newcomers Bowerbirds open and shouldn’t be missed if Devendra Banhart or Vetiver mean anything to you.
Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals – Rock & Roll Hotel; Sept. 20; $12
Goofiness and pop often go hand in hand, though few bands have married the two as successfully as Super Furry Animals. Frontman of the Welsh psych-poppers Gruff Rhys is touring in support of his second solo collection of charming melodies, Candylion. Attendance at his live show comes with a money-back smile guarantee.
John Vanderslice & Bishop Allen – Rock & Roll Hotel; Sept. 22; $12
John Vanderslice, formerly of MK Ultra before they broke up in 1999, calls his music “dirty hi-fi.” In other words, Vanderslice uses analog recording and performance techniques rather than the digital methods that most artists use today to create a richer, more raw sound. Vanderslice cuts folk with a serrated knife, creating rough and sharp rock tempered by his unmistakably incisive voice.
Kings of Leon & Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – 9:30 Club; Sept. 23-24; Sold out
Hailing from Nashville, Kings of Leon channel Americana rock ‘n’ roll with a southern bite. Ironically, the four-piece (three brothers & their cousin) has garnered more attention in Europe than in the United States over the past few years, despite their homegrown influences. While the Kings’ latest effort Because of the Times may not be as melodic as 2004’s Aha Shake Heartbreak, chances are that their live set will prove to be even more riotous.
Dirty Projectors – Black Cat backstage; Sept. 26; $10
On their latest release, the critic-approved Rise Above, the Dirty Projectors reinterpret the hardcore punk of Black Flag’s Damaged in their own skewed avant-folk language. Eschewing the two-minute teenage fits of the original songs in favor of impressionistic vocals and free-form song structures, the band’s new material will likely make for a cerebral live show. Your mom might even give you permission to go.
Rilo Kiley w/ Grand Ole Party & Art in Manila – 9:30 Club; Sept. 26; Sold out
Rilo Kiley is back with an (even more) accessible vengeance. Reppin’ the freshly released Under the Blacklight, Jenny Lewis, Blake Sennett and company promise to saturate your ears with another helping of translucent indie pop. No word yet as to whether or not Lewis will don the infamous Pink Power Ranger costume for the show, but feel free to let your eight-year-old self entertain the thought.
Magnolia Electric Co. & the Watson Twins – Black Cat; Sept. 27; $13
Neil Young doppelganger Jason Molina writes songs appropriate for drives through the wind-swept plains of middle America, and his latest release under his Magnolia Electric Co. moniker, Sojourner, recognizes this connection between travelling and music. Come experience his dusty, road-tested blues and hear (fingers crossed!) a mind-blowing live cover of Warren Zevon’s “Werewolves of London.” Sisters in folk group the Watson Twins open.
Venue Information
9:30 Club
815 V St., N.W.
Black Cat
1811 14th St., N.W.
Rock & Roll Hotel
1353 H St., N.E.
