24 Jun 2011

The Hill is Rocking!

Guest post series by Kevin Hill and ChunkyGlasses.com

Were any of you ready for this swampy DC yet? Me neither. But it does give you every excuse to stay indoors this weekend. For those of you brave enough to venture out, it’s not so much about the weekend as it is the next 5 or so days. So clear your calendar, you may have some rocking to do.

Like your rock pop-friendly, chart topping and South African? Well then The Red Palace has got you covered. The Parlotones, who, according to their Wikipedia page, are currently the biggest rock band in South Africa, are hitting The Red Palace Friday night and bring their expansive, well crafted sound with them. Doesn’t sound aggressive enough for you? Then good thing The Legendary Shack Shakers will be hitting the stage at the Palace Saturday night. Having opened for the likes of Hank Williams III and Robert Plant (yes THAT Robert Plant) the Shakers have a reputation for “bringing it” at their shows and this one should make for one rowdy night on H Street.

On the other hand why support South Africa or some rowdy rebels when you can support the home team all weekend long, just by crossing the street to the Rock and Roll Hotel. DC’s own WMD kicks things off on Friday and it should be one heck of a party. Funky, energetic and freaking HUGE (there are 11 members), WMD promises to not only bring the funk, but in fact bring it all night long. Moving on to Saturday night, the  Rock and Roll keeps supporting the District as Constant Alarm takes the stage along with fellow DC-ites Amateur Hour and The Echo Wall (well, they’re from Rockville, but close enough!) to hit you with a huge dose of indie rock as delivered by a bunch of wonks. Nothing could ever be finer!

So you made it through the weekend and refuse to believe it’s not over? There’s no reason you can’t keep rocking throughout the week, and this week especially. First up on Sunday at the Rock and Roll we have The World/Inferno Friendship Society. Those familiar with The Hold Steady will know that Franz Nikolay has been a friend and producer to the band for quite a while. Delivering a unique brand of revved up pop punk, this could make for a kick ass Sunday night out. Just make sure you’ve got some aspirin for the morning. Monday brings the band F@#ked Up to the Hill in support of their new “concept” album, David Comes To Life. Clocking in at an impressive 78 minutes, they could only play that record and you’d get your money’s worth but luckily they’ve got other business beyond just a marketing push. If you like gorgeous jangly guitars and hardcore singing/screaming…at the same time, then this is definitely for you. It’s a fascinating mix that is sure to pay off in spades live.

And finally, to cool everything down, on Wednesday at the Rock and Roll (again), the band Blackberry Winter will perform their entire score to a little film you might have heard of called Winter’s Bone. Why it’s not billed under their name, I have no idea, but if you saw the film (and really, why haven’t you?) you know that not only was the music a gorgeous representation of Appalachian folk tunes, but it was almost a character in and of itself, so regardless of how they’re promoting it, get down there to check it. We’ll be there with our overalls and still in tow.

Album Rec For The Week

So unless you live under a rock you probably know that Bon Iver’s second album came out this week. You can read my full review of the record right here, but the short version is that Bon Iver is sort of a scattershot experiment of an album that is excellent despite itself, and is in fact one of the best albums released so far this year. It’s also the best Peter Gabriel album released in the past 20 years, so fans young and old, check it out if you have time. He’ll be playing the 9:30 Club in August, while both dates are currently sold out, you never know when some tickets might pop up in a giveaway or something.

Until next week. Keep your ear holes full Capitol Hill!

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