Diarrhea Planet at Brooklyn Bowl
You like guitars? You like rock? You like guitar rock? You like diarrhea? You haven't read my or anyone else's previous reviews of this band? Well then let me be the first to tell you that this is totally the band you're looking for.
Diarrhea Planet's Website, Music.
Posted: 7/2/2017 at 10:00pm Tags: Brooklyn Bowl Diarrhea Planet
Red Baraat at Brooklyn Bowl
I'm quite certain that Red Baraat invited three and only three people on stage to dance with them. I distinctly heard them say "three". They got more volunteers than that, a lot more. See, a Red Baraat show is already a total party. When you give people the chance to show off their moves on stage, having spent the last hour practing on the dance floor, quite a few of them are likely to be up for it.
Congratulations to Brooklyn Bowl for making it to their eighth year anniversary and for having such excellent and diverse taste in music. They're doing eight celebratory shows starting with Red Baraat's bhangra-funk, followed by nights of rock-n-roll, salsa, soul and more funk (lotsa funk... it's almost like they want people to dance). Brooklyn Bowl has always been one of my favorite venues so I couldn't be happier for them. I hope they stick around for 80 years.
Posted: 7/2/2017 at 3:00pm Tags: Brooklyn Bowl Red Baraat
Skating Polly at DC9
I blame the Internet for this. Zero members of Skating Polly were even alive in '94 but they nailed that era's sound. Angsty but not mopey, they come across less like a "grunge" band and more like one of those loud but profound rock bands which finally got their turn in the spotlight as formerly "alternative" music got pulled into the mainstream. They would have been one of the better ones too, even back then. Also, they've released more music videos than every band in 1994 combined which is definitely the Internet's fault.
Apparently the band's singers have been performing together for eight years which is insane. This band is really young. They recently let their brother join the band so that they could study for their SATs together or something. I guess every now and then some sort of magic happens and a group of really young people form a really good band. Being related seems to help.
Skating Polly's Website, Music.
Posted: 5/22/2017 at 8:00pm Tags: DC9 Skating Polly
Wet Brain at Metro Gallery
Wet Brain have a sound which reminds me of some good stuff from the 90s. It's kind of punk, kind of heavy, but also a bit playful. There's more sarcasm in those lyrics than straight up criticism. They also have a bit of a surf influence which plays out as more noir-ish than groovy. That plus mucho, mucho attitude in every single song gives them an urgency, but in an enjoyable way (this distinguishes them from most hardcore, though Wet Brain hold their own in the intensity department). Why aren't there more bands like this in DC?
I've only seen them twice and I totally want to see them again. Unfortunately I can imagine that after being robbed on their last tour they might not be quite as enthusiastic about heading out again. Maybe they're saving up for a a touring van with OnStar this time. :)
Posted: 4/29/2017 at 3:30pm Tags: Metro Gallery Wet Brain
The Marked Men at The Black Cat
I've said it before and I'll say it again, middle-aged punk bands are the best. If your band sticks with it for that long then you must be doing something right. And given that The Marked Men have a MySpace page I am pretty sure they qualify.
It isn't just The Marked Men's website which reminds me of the 00's (The "naughts"? The "zip-os"?) They have that emphasize-the-rhythm quality which was really popular in that era. Taken to the extreme you get something like Pennywise but The Marked Men don't go that far. Instead they stick to playing punk rock with some actual rock content. Music which is actually catchy not just energetic. I suppose you could even call them pop-punk but if so they're just a little tiny bit pop, not enough to stop their fans from headbanging. Trust me I know because some of them were banging their heads into my back.
The Marken Men's Website, Music (yep, MySpace, really)
Posted: 4/12/2017 at 7:00pm Tags: Black Cat Damaged City Fest 2017 Downstairs The Marked Men
