Three to Watch

I started out writing this piece about artists with whom I had a near miss. Twice in the last few months I have wandered into bars to find musicians nearing the end of their sets or packing up their gear. Add to this a third band I serendipitously caught at a favorite local club that I believe warrants attention.

Amy Regan is an enterprising young 20-something from New Jersey with a remarkably striking, clarion-clear voice. Her vocals bring to mind modern chanteuses like Regina Spektor, Sylvie Lewis and Ingrid Michaelson, as well as older favorites like K. D. Lang and Joni Mitchell. Her EP, And Then There Is This, showcases her singing a variety of styles, from breathy ballads to rollicking guitar-driven C&W to contemporary jazz. Amy's voice is remarkable, and I'm intrigued to see how it develops as she hones her skills.

I wandered into Solly's a month or so ago and heard the most wondrous music, soaring vocals and strings and even a tambourine. I made a beeline for the jukebox, and then realized the song was coming from the upstairs bar! I had just experienced Windows, the new single from Cleveland-based quartet The Lighthouse and the Whaler. They draw obvious comparisons to Ra Ra Riot, but offer a folksier take on their lushly instrumented sound. They will be returning to the DC area in support of their forthcoming album in October.

I'm not even sure where to begin with Tallest Trees. Ostensibly, they share a lineup with the Nashville quartet Naked Light, although the band members swap instruments between lineup changes. Whereas Naked Light is a fairly straightforward alt-country band, Tallest Trees is an experimental band that sounds an awful lot like a Grizzly Bear/Dirty Projectors mashup. I managed to catch them at Solly's on a lark while trying to find something musical to do on a Sunday evening. The band/bands/collective are embarking upon their "Summer of Trouble" tour, which may or may not have resulted because of one of the musicians getting involved with a grifter. Regardless of the circumstances, this is a promising young group of Nashville musicians with a great and infinitely versatile sound. I'm not certain when they'll be returning to DC, but I will keep you posted.

All photos courtesy of the artists

Local Music Triple Play at DC9 - Thursday, August 20 at 8:30

Come out to DC9 to check out a trio of local bands this Thursday, and enjoy DC9's generous happy hour specials if you happen to get there a little early. Bonjour, Ganesh! is a local legal supergroup, an octet who make it their mission to lay down some booty-shaking tracks and get the audience moving. Idea Track is an earnest, Northern Virginia-based punk-pop trio in the vein of Jimmy Eats World. Alex "the Red" Robert Parez is an acoustic performer who sounds like Nick Cave reinterpreting the early songbook of Bill Callahan (Smog).

A Case of the Mondays - Jenny Owen Youngs @ Iota Club & Cafe

Despite being best known for the R-rated tune F@%K Was I featured in Showtime's Weeds, Jenny Owen Youngs has overcome the dreaded sophomore slump with the astonishingly mature and funny Transmitter Failure. From bookend tracks like "First Person" and "Last Person", the electrically tinged "Led to the Sea", and the epically sad title track, this album keeps drawing you in to Jenny's tales of love, lust & heartbreak. She makes you want her, fear her, and ache for her in the course of 12 tracks and 48 minutes. Catch her tonight at Iota at 8:30.

Photo courtesy of Jenny Owen Youngs

Mid-Atlantic Band Battle Finals

This Friday, August 14th, Jammin Java will be hosting the finals for their first-ever Mid-Atlantic Band Battle. The following six finalists will be competing for a nice chunk of change and recording time:

8:00-8:25 The Independent
8:40-9:05 Sing Me Insomnia
9:20-9:45 Irresponsible
10:00-10:25 The Ok Corral
10:40-11:05 Memphis 59
11:20-11:45 Billy Woodward & the Senders

Julian Velard @ DC9 8/6

Julian Velard from BANM Music on Vimeo.

One of my favorite singer/songwriters, Julian Velard, will be in town this Thursday night, August 6th. Though he spends most of his time across the pond in Europe, he's on a US tour, and he'll be bringing his delicious Lou Rawlsy, smoky vocals and jazzy piano skills to DC9 in DC (natch).

A Case of the Fridays (Monday Edition)

We kick off an early edition of A Case of the Fridays with “Autumn” from Sparks the Rescue (above). Yup, I’ve still jonesing for power-pop, and this track is providing my fix this week, with those tightly-harmonized irresistibly-catchy choruses. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA, this Tuesday, August 5th.

MP3: Autumn – Sparks the Rescue

And we close out this week’s entry with some Gary Jules. Now he might be well-known for his cover of Tears For Fears’ “Mad World,” but he does have songs of his own, and chances are he’ll be performing quite a few of those this Saturday, August 8th at Jammin Java.

MP3: Mad World – Gary Jules and Michael Andrews