At Limbo

Not of the website variety but of the Limbo sort! I just wanted to apologize to everyone – music fans and bands especially! – for having been MIA as of late. Real Life has been quite the foe and I’ve been sick on top of it! I’m hoping my posts will be getting back to normal soon, starting tonight with my heading out soon to see Adrian Hardkor headline IOTA for his digital album release party. The album is great (as if I don’t know all of his music just from seeing him live so many times, lol) with work from some truly talented local and national artists, so you should definitely check it out! I’ll have coverage of the show up this week, as well as an exclusive download of Adrian doing his take on “Pinky & the Brain”, so be sure to check us out soon for some great stuff!

Don’t forget to come out tonight for the show! 8pm @ IOTA in Clarendon, and save me a dance if you do!

Let’s see, Limbo’s had her head in the clouds as of late, but I’m working on bringing my feet back to solid ground and diving in head long (without the aid of my usual dose of 1+pack of nicotine a day, thanks to a new round of bronchitis and strict instructions that my “trying to quite smoking” must become “have already quit” as soon as is humanly possible).

In the meantime: couple of things I’m currently obsessed with and something new & exciting in the works!

• DC’s comedy set has a new kid on the block to check out for. Well, 10 of them, to be more specific. In the best showcase I’ve seen in DC in ages, Recessions has opened it’s doors on Wednesday nights to WayneMan comedy and his rotating group of local and national stand up comics, ComedyX10. New faces – local radio personalities – and standards (Seaton Smith showed up last minute and brought the house down with some of the best bits I’ve seen him do, and I’ve seen him probably half a dozen times now). The crowd was thick, rolling along with every punch the ten (12, actually, for the first night) were throwing and by the end of the night, the DJ taking over, we couldn’t believe it was nearly 11. ComedyX10 is back this week, Wednesday 8-10pm (free admission) and with great food and drink hitting just the right mix of sit-down show/hopping bar, so be sure to check it out.
• Umm… The Coachella line-up was announced. Please say someone wants to do a ridiculous road-trip/vacation/something/anything to get us East coast peeps out there for this three day festival of AWESOME. Tickets go on sale this week, I feel an early Feb purchase coming on… is anyone in?
• Coming up at At Limbo we’re going to be releasing (exclusively! How cool is that?!) Adrian Hardkor Krygowski’s cover of the Pinky & the Brain theme song from this month’s Spelling for Bees Collective at Velvet Lounge. Adrian took the slightly creepy song and gave it a ‘hardkor’ (haha) make-over, turning out what seemed to be the favorite Saturday Morning Cartoon theme song of the week (SfB’s theme for January, naturally).

Okay, that’s it for me this lunch break, at least I got this much together, right?! Really would love suggestions for concentration, online to do lists, and any other “let’s get Limbo through yet another week of being sick and miserable” tricks and treats you might have! This afternoon I’ll have up a preview of IOTA’s massive Haiti relief benefit concert with such At Limbo favorites (plus at least a dozen others!) as Rene Moffatt, Derek Evry, and No Second Troy.

My favorite residency is at it again; this month Alex The Red Parez is tackling the Misfits for his monthly show at Solly’s. I’d love to meet lots of fellow DC music fans, so why not make tonight the night you come on out and join in on the fun!? Fellow local musicians Derek Evry (of Idea Track) and Jay Paslay (of Knock Off Johnson) will be joining Alex. Don’t mind the flyer below, Solly’s is on the corner of U and 11th NW.

Also, keep your eyes on At Limbo for a preview of a brand new comedy show hitting DC this week! I’ll be getting reviews & buzz about the show up tonight!

What’s up, Doc?

Tonight, that is: cartoons, local musicians, Velvet Lounge. I’m so excited for this months Spelling for Bees Collective (the gig tonight is cartoon theme songs!) – I hope you’ll join me for the festivities!!

In other news… This week continues to be one form of awesome after another, continuing upon waking up this morning to find that DC Blogs had highlighted my post from yesterday! Thanks so much, guys!

from the Washington Examiner

As I have already promised that I am, indeed, NOT a scrooge, I am in the mood to cheer myself up! This holiday season I have a delightfully packed music schedule, lots of time to sleep in (oh, what life would be like if all I had to do was go to concerts and write here at At Limbo!), and good friends coming back into town just in time for New Years. What more could a girl want for Christmas?

I may not be decking the halls with holly this time of year, but I’m not one of the women profiled in the Daily Mail either. Really? The holidays as a “test” of “feminine wiles”? Cat ladies? I can understand not liking the holidays, even disliking the pressure to like them (isn’t that what I was just complaining about a week or so ago?), but to be made depressed by these things? To let it affect how you treat those around you and your general well-being? Oy! I’d have to say I’m much more of the “let’s make the holidays fun and pampered” variety. Last year I was absolutely devastated at the thought of being single for the holidays (having just gone through the Break Up of Doom), but this year I embrace it. As a single adult I have the opportunity to start making my own traditions and spending my time in the ways that I want, both things I’m looking forward to.

Most importantly, the shows. I absolutely love the fact that I get to spend my holiday doing what I love more than anything else – checking out great venues and getting lost in some awesome music.

I’ll be kicking off the holidays by checking out Billy Woodward & The Senders at DC9 tomorrow night. Something about the promise of “vintage r&b that all the kids are talking about” and the look of this band just makes me giddy with the thought of chilling out with a drink, some fried pickles (an addiction of mine at DC9), and good music all by my lonesome the night before Christmas Eve. After the show, I’ll be turning the corner onto U St. for some Kostume Karaoke action at Solly’s U St.

The day after Christmas, I’m excited to have the chance to see the full Justin Trawick Group yet again, headlining at IOTA (with Promiselab opening). Some funk, folk, rock, hip-hop, country, pop will be sure to chase the holiday blues away!

Sunday night, before heading back for another short work week, Molly Hagen headlines IOTA with the rare treat of a full band. This alum of The Nine always puts on a great show (I’ve seen her play solo and once – at IOTA as well – with back-up acoustic) and I can’t wait to see what she does will a full band behind her. Her vocal layering can only go to the next level in this show, it should be a blast!

I plan on taking the two days in between to rest, stay warm, ward off any lingering cold symptoms, talk to long-distance family and friends on the phone (an incredibly foreign concept for me!), and catch up on some reading. Ok, maybe there will be a lot of NCIS marathon-ing in there, too, but I refuse to find that at all depressing.

Check it out; Alex Parez doing Tom Petty covers all night. I think I might be swooning.

Solly's on 11th & U

Hey guys! It’s last minute but there’s an amazing show going down tonight at IOTA in Clarendon. Come out and chill with Limbo to see Idea Track, Citizen*, and Sam Grow celebrate the long weekend with a show that goes all night! I’ll be there around 8pm and the show starts at 9, don’t miss it!!

Best Concert Poster Ever.

Devendra Banhart

I’ve spent the morning listening to Devendra Banhart because I still can’t believe I am missing his show at the 9:30 Club tonight. However, depression over such scenarios (ever having to miss a show) aside, I am celebrating the holiday in what has become a strange sort of tradition for me and my urban family. Kostume Karaoke, of course. We have done every birthday over the last year, Halloween, and anniversaries in the relative comfort of Solly’s U St. Tavern, and tonight will be no different.

I’ll be surrounded by my favorites, firmly grasping my PBR, and singing the night away. How are you spending the holiday?

I took a few days off from the show-circuit; allowed myself to quite literally float in limbo for a weekend. I slept very little, caught up with far flung friends, did my part on the campaigns I believe in, and hunkered down for some ‘me’ time.

It being Monday, however, I’m excited to jump back into life with both feet, starting this evening with a great showcase at one of my favorite “we’re just gonna chill out, have good food, and listen to some awesome music” restaurants in the city, Dahlak (18th and U – show starts at 8pm!). I plan on eating a lot of Ethiopian food tonight, but that’s not what I’m really looking forward to.

I’m excited to have the opportunity to see Techniquelle (aka Joanne Kim) play in the singer/songwriters showcase at the 1771 U St. hang out, having had her beautiful song “Lullaby for One” stuck in my head for days now. Joanne’s a talented lyricist (the real way to my heart any day!) and her vocals have a clarity and honesty to them that resonates beautifully with her simple guitar and synthesized drum beat arrangements.

If you’ve nothing planned for tonight, take this chance to have an evening filled with good food, great people, and music that soothes while also breaking your heart just a little bit.

Photo by PHOTORIA

from weheartit

If you’re not taking a cue from our furry friend above and getting some rest this Autumn weekend, then you’ve got some great options for shows, free movies, and general mayhem throughout the rest of this week. I’m jealous of all the talent in the city this weekend as I’ll be at the wedding of two good friends in Detroit (forfeiting my Weakerthans ticket). And so, here’s an early edition (including Wednesday night) of this weekend’s Must See Shows.

Tonight; Matt & Kim are playing a sold out show at the Black Cat. If you got tickets to this you’re one of the lucky few but it might be worth it to chill out in the red room of the venue for the evening – the indie pop darlings are sure to have appreciative audiences and a fun party before and after.

Tonight; in Alexandria, Idea Track plays a late night show of pop-punk fun at The Light Horse, a fun restaurant and bar not far from the heart of Old Town. This band is easily my favorite local act, with songs that make you think while making you just have to get up and dance. They’ve recently added a second guitarist, too, and the full sound is seriously working for them. You don’t want to miss this!

Tonight; don’t forget that every Wednesday is also the open mic night at IOTA, possibly the best venue in town (well, NoVa) for pop-rock and singer songwriter styles.

Tomorrow; Yo La Tengo comes to DC! They’ll be hitting up the 9:30 Club for what I’m sure is going to be a surprising, indie, rock-fueled evening. Come on, the band played The Velvet Underground in ‘I Shot Andy Warhol’ – does it get much better than that?

Tomorrow; if you’re in a movie mood, the space movies series continues on the SE Waterfront with a showing of the modern classic Toy Story.

Friday; a great double header at the 9:30 Club sees Ingrid Michaelson playing the early show (I’d love to see her live sometime, gotta admit!) and Moby brings the house down in the late show – all ready sold out, sadly, but if you’re really jonesing for good mixing, check out The Horrors and friends at Baltimore’s it spot, Sonar.

Saturday; I missed both the Adams Morgan Day Festival and the DC VegFest last Saturday due to a ridiculous morning of a cappella (care of AU’s On a Sensual Note), Teabaggers’ traffic, a last minute brunch in Mt. Pleasant, getting lost in Columbia Heights, and general exhaustion – this weekend I will also be missing the H St. Festival, sadly. H St. has quickly become one of my favorite corridors in the city, beat only by U St. currently, with some of the best bars, cheapest food, coolest neighbors, and rockingest music venues in DC. Don’t miss up a chance to get to know this awesome artsy and low key hipster haven, and if you love it like I do head on out to show your love!

Saturday night; if you got to any show at all this week and weekend MAKE IT THIS SHOW. The Weakerthans are playing the early show (doors are at 7:30) at the 9:30 Club, and word was when tickets first went on sale that they sold out immediately. Because the venue is kind and dear, more tickets were put up and you can still get in on the best band to come out of Canada since Great Big Sea first started singing sea shanties in Newfoundland. How can you not love boys who took their band name from a line in the film of Marguerite Duras’ The Lover: “Go ahead, I’m weaker than you can possibly imagine.” Friend and local singer-songwriter Adrian “Hardkor” turned me on to these guys and you can’t beat their punk/folk/rock with its “literate, witty, introspective lyrics”, true musicianship on a range of interesting instruments, complicated combinations of sounds (no one uses a simple tinkling bell like they do), and an overall sound that’s been compared to The Constantines and Ted Leo and The Pharmacists. I cannot say enough good things about this band. They very rarely make it to DC. Do yourself a favor and go.

Sunday night; Cap off your weekend with MGMT at the Kia Soul Collective Warehouse – the venue, on NY Ave in Kenilworth, will be open with free concerts all weekend (Wale, The Creepers, and Dan Deacon also hit the lineup) as part of a national tour of get-up-and-go concerts to spread the word about the Kia Soul. Corporate sponsorship aside, any chance to spend a Sunday night on the dance floor with the best of ‘shape-shifting psychedelic pop’ (as Spin magazine appears to have called them) is good enough for me.

And that’s about it from me today; been a ridiculous week all ready (thanks to starting off on the best foot with @alextheredparez and friends at Solly’s on U St.) and I’m seriously looking forward to a weekend out of the city (it’s been ages! and not to mention, two of my dearest friends are getting married!). Any suggestions for must-see attractions/watering holes in Detroit? Hit me up here or on twitter and in the meantime I’ll catch you all tonight at The Light Horse (right? Right).