The success story of SOJA sounds improbable: An all-white reggae band from the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia gains global acclaim. But after more than a decade of hard touring and developing a catalog of roots reggae tunes, the band (formerly known as Soldiers of Jah Army) has headlined shows in 20 different countries […]
The success story of SOJA sounds improbable: An all-white reggae band from the Washington, D.C. suburbs of Northern Virginia gains global acclaim. But after more than a decade of hard touring and developing a catalog of roots reggae tunes, the band (formerly known as Soldiers of Jah Army) has headlined shows in 20 different countries […]
With over 15 years of acclaim under his belt, it’s hard to believe Gary Clark Jr. is just releasing his debut album, Blak and Blu. His natural prowess on guitar first surfaced during his childhood in Austin, Texas, a city that declared an official Gary Clark Jr. Day while he was still in his teens. Prodigy […]
Formed in Montreal in the late ’90s, the band Godspeed You Black Emperor! took its name from a documentary about Japanese motorcycle gangs. The group added musicians and instruments as it grew, at one point totaling 15 members before whittling down to a nine-person line-up with two drummers, three guitarists, a bassist, and a three-piece […]
JJ Grey’s voice is unmistakable. It soars with soulful howls and digs in deep with gritty growls, propelled by Grey’s backing band Mofro, which churns out body-shaking swamp rock. Earlier this year Grey released This River, his seventh studio album dating back to 2001 and the latest in a consistent line of Southern-fried stompers that mix […]
When Scott Hutchison started writing songs, he wasn’t sure he wanted to be heard. He says he intentionally mumbled early in his career so people wouldn’t understand his lyrics. His band’s name, Frightened Rabbit, was taken from a nickname his mom gave him because he was such a shy kid. What a difference a bit […]
Aoife O’Donovan (pronounced ee-fah) has girl-next-door good looks, which makes it all the more shocking when she breaks into the opening lines of “Too Repressed,” a song she wrote for her folk trio Sometymes Why. “I wanna fuck you/But I’m too repressed/ I wanna suck you/but I can’t take off my dress,” she breathes on […]
Trace the evolution of one of American music’s most influential styles through the expert chops of jazz percussionist Robert Jospé and his music instructor colleagues—who straddle the line between players and professors—in an educational performance reflecting the history of jazz. Jospé and his quartet illuminate the music with works from the musicians and composers who […]
Eleanor Friedberger may be best known as half of the crisp, jangly indie pop duo, Fiery Furnaces (currently on hiatus), but her sophomore solo effort, Personal Record, establishes her vocal prowess within a smooth mix of infectious production and a steady rock beat. Friedberger says that a love of music, and how it connects people, […]
Is it time to miss the ’90s? If so, than it’s time to reconnect with the punky forefathers of grunge. The Meat Puppets are back with a new album, Rat Farm, and it’s filled with the flaunting style that influenced Kurt Cobain and hordes of flannel-sporting Gen Xers. With a few new members, the group […]
Nashville-based band White Animals blazed onto the Southeast music scene in 1980 when Dr. Kevin Gray quit his residency at Vanderbilt Hospital to start a band, and it became one of the hottest rock acts on the college party circuit. The foursome returns to Virginia for the first time in 30 years with its signature […]