Once upon a time, I had a radio show that only played bands currently performing in the District. That show is super dead, so we’ve resurrected it (with way more words and far less radio) in the form of this column. Every day I’ll review a song from a band playing in D.C. that night. The rules are, 1. I can only listen to the song once and 2. I only have until the end of the song to finish my review.
FRIDAY
NEW RIDERS OF THE PURPLE SAGE – PANAMA RED
So, I expected things to get really weird because their band name is weird as hell, but instead it’s just some adorable old folks. The only thing you need to know is that this is adorable. Old people are the cutest.
You can see New Riders of the Purple Sage tonight at Gypsy Sally’s.
SATURDAY
THE IKE REILLY ASSASSINATION – IT’S ALRIGHT TO DIE.
It is alright to die you guys. It really is. I’m all for a happy song about death. Okay, so this song was a fun little rock affair that I was really digging and out of nowhere it’s a full acoustic thing. Like is this a bad fan mashup of different versions of this song? What is happening here. I am so confused. Also, I like this song a lot less now.
You can see The Ike Reilly Assassination on Saturday at Rock & Roll Hotel.
SUNDAY
ROCHELLE RICE – FEAR
Rochelle has a very pretty voice. It’s a shame her guitarist / drummer aren’t as interesting. I guess the idea is just to highlight her singing skill, but the background music sounds so boring. This could be so much better, which is kind of disappointing. It’s still not bad though.
You can see Rochelle Rice on Sunday at The Hill Center.
