Top Stops

Symphonic Splendor: 'Trumpet of the Swan'

Thu, 04 Dec 2008 01:00:28 -0500

IF YOU ENJOY musicals — and who among us does not? — you might know of Jason Robert Brown. He's a young composer who has taken the young man angst that made Ben Folds so popular, otherwise known as "I'm a vaguely dissatisfied, self-absorbed young white guy who plays the piano really well," and translated it into musicals. But now he's writing orchestral music for a new adaptation of "Trumpet of the Swan," the beloved children's story.

The script is by Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Marsha Norman and Kathy Bates stars, but the real draw should be Brown's music.

» Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Thu.-Sat., Dec. 4-6, 7:30 p.m., $18-$35; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom)

Image courtesy Kennedy Center

Enslaved, 'The Watcher'

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 16:33:42 -0500

Band:	Enslaved
Song:	"The Watcher"
Album:	"Vertebrae" (Nuclear Blast)
Sounds Like:	Experimental death-prog metal.
D.C. Bound:	Not yet. They were supposed to play Jaxx on May 28, 2009, but the whole tour was canceled. Until Enslaved can rescheduled, which it's planning to do, tune into ligx.de on Fri., Dec. 5, at 2 p.m. to watch the band play live.
Get More:	Web Site \| MySpace \| Wiki

Hump-Day Flick: 'The Nomi Song'

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 13:42:29 -0500

IN NOV. 2007, I saw my oldest friend for the first time in 15 years. Lots of good reminiscences, including a chat about Klaus Nomi.

When we were in our early teens, his older brother had the first Klaus Nomi LP; my friend and I listened to it and had no idea what was going on, but we liked it — I think. The operatic new-wave music was so strange that maybe it fascinated us more than it captivated us. Then we probably played Anti-Nowhere League and The Who and INXS and Boston and New Order and The Strawbs. It was just like that in our mixed-up world; punk, new wave and classic rock went hand-in-fist where we lived in then-rural Michigan.

Female Impersonators: The Dan Band

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 09:26:00 -0500

ON THANKSGIVING, THE DAN BAND released a new "We Are the World"-style parody video on Crackle.com, "Please Don't Bomb Nobody This Holiday."

While the piece was being filmed, of course, frontman Dan Finnerty had no idea what would happen on that day in Mumbai, India.

The video features Finnerty and his band asking for a worldwide truce, at least during the holidays. An all-star ensemble accompanies him, including Christina Applegate, Meg Ryan, Neil Patrick Harris, Macy Gray, Sheryl Crow and more.

"It's a parody of all those voting public service announcements from this fall," Finnerty said.

PAS/CAL, 'Summer Is Almost Here'

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 08:37:30 -0500

Band:	PAS/CAL
Song:	"Summer Is Almost Here"
Album:	"I Was Raised on Matthew, Mark, Luke & Laura" (Le Grand Magistry)
Sounds Like:	If the Beach Boys produced Belle and Sebastian. This CD is one of the best (and most overlooked) albums of 2008. It's truly amazing, and it's the perfect CD for headphones because the recording is so detailed. And I don't say all that just because the singer is one of my oldest friends. I have plenty of friends in bands, and most of their groups stink. (Still love ya, though, fellas!)
D.C. Bound:	Nope.
Get More:	Web Site \| MySpace \| More Music

Tinkle, Tinkle: NPR's 'A Jazz Piano Christmas'

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:00:25 -0500

IT'S THAT TIME OF YEAR again, whether you'd like to admit it or not. The fridge is still stuffed with Thanksgiving leftovers, but radio stations have been piping Christmas tunes since Halloween ended. While some of us harbor a deep resentment for such over-eager stations, others feel a sort of warm, genuine cheer when stores start decorating with tinsel and lights.

The holiday season smells like fresh-baked gingerbread, tastes like spiced eggnog and sounds like the tinkling keys of a piano. Get in the spirit if you're not already with NPR's "A Jazz Piano Christmas" at the Kennedy Center, featuring Elaine Elias and Ellis Marsalis (father of jazz trumpeter Wynton), among other notables. (But if you're saving cash for presents, stay in and listen to NPR's free broadcast of the performance.)

» Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; Thu., Dec. 4, 7:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m., $40; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom-GWU)

Written by Express' Kelsey Parrish
Photo courtesy Kennedy Center

Indie Superstars: Yeasayer

Wed, 03 Dec 2008 01:00:23 -0500

THEY CALL themselves "Middle Eastern-psych-snap-gospel." The rest of the world just calls them "Yeasayer."

These guys don't sound like anyone else, and so of course the hipster elite jumped on them and crowned them kings of Brooklyn. In fact, this band got hyped so much that it was famous before its music was ready for the attention, but it's quickly catching up to its indie buzz.

» Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW; Wed., Dec. 3, 8 p.m., $16-$18; 202-397-7328. (Gallery Place)

Photo by Brie Abbe

'Lecturer Riddim' mega-mix

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 12:41:26 -0500

Band:	Various Artists
Song:	"Lecturer Riddim" mega-mix
Album:	A vintage riddim based on Owen Gray's 1967 song "The Lecturer." I heard it for the first time in a while on Sirius XM's "The Joint," which was playing Frankie Paul's 1986 tune "String Up the Sound," and fell in love all over again.
Sounds Like:	Rocksteady rub-a-dub soul.
D.C. Bound:	You can't tour a riddim, but you can tuna fish.
Get More:	Download an MP3 of the whole mega-mix. \| Check out the full list of artists and tunes on this 11-minute mix.

Auto-Tuned Thug Life: Akon, 'Freedom'

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:18:00 -0500

TO SAY THAT AKON tries a little too hard is probably an understatement. But for the (alleged) convict, all that effort seems to have paid off — he's become a fixture in the mainstream pop scene in the past four years, and his new album, "Freedom," will likely help him stay that way.

The Senegal-born crooner has been a mainstay on the charts — and in the tabloids — since 2004, bringing his Auto-Tuned voice to practically every Top-40-able genre. He's released solo hits — such as "Lonely," which sped up a sample of Bobby Vinton's "Mr. Lonely," and "Smack That," which featured a few pleasantly mediocre verses from Eminem — and a Lil Wayne-like plethora of "featured artist" stints, from Young Jeezy's "Soul Survivor" to Gwen Stefani's "Sweet Escape" to Michael Jackson's "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'," which was included on this year's "Thriller 25."

But while Akon took two albums (2004's "Trouble" and 2006's "Konvicted") to make his name synonymous with a mix of R&B and dirty pop, he also wracked up quite a reputation, one that was viciously criticized by The Smoking Gun in April: The scoop-prone Web site claimed Akon has faked his thug-life way to the top by lying about his criminal record and time served in jail, an accusation that the singer denied.

Before the Goldrush: Neil Young, 'Sugar Mountain'

Tue, 02 Dec 2008 09:02:00 -0500

NEIL YOUNG HAS always seemed most comfortable with just an acoustic guitar. "Sugar Mountain: Live at the Canterbury House 1968," the third release in Young's "Performance Archive" series, is an entirely intimate and acoustic affair, and like "Live at Massey Hall 1971" before it, the recording has a bit of mystique to it.

Where "Massey Hall" was basically "Harvest" live — it was so good, producer David Briggs wanted to release those recordings as the 1972 album — "Sugar Mountain" could have been the introduction to Young the solo artist, since five songs come from his self-titled solo debut and the performance was recorded two days before the release of "Neil Young."

The CD/DVD set "Sugar Mountain" also comes with years of mystery around it.