Weekend Wrapup

So I guess I owe you some sort of writeup for this weekend's shows... I'll keep it short since it's getting late, and I'm not really in a writin' mood.

Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit
I'd managed to miss Jason a couple of times over the last year and had absolutely no intention of missing him this time around. The stories of his show at the Rock and Roll Hotel here in DC last summer are near legendary. And while Friday's show at the 9:30 Club wasn't quite legendary, it was still excellent. They stuck primarily to Jason's solo debut, Sirens of the Ditch, but did cover a Patterson Hood (Drive By Truckers) tune as well as Van Morrison's "Into the Mystic".

Jason's touring partner, Will Hoge, actually got top billing for the night, but a big chunk of the crowd (myself included) left before Hoge finished his set. Someone described his music to me as "Springsteen-influenced bar rock", and that's pretty much right, except the Springsteen reference is purely aspirational.

The Secret Pop Band
I hadn't heard of these guys before finding out that they were opening for The Jet Age's CD Release party last night. I can guarantee you that I'll be listening to a lot more of them going forward.

The Secret Pop Band, "Come Back Now Baby (Your Data's Good)" [BUY]

The Secret Pop Band on MySpace
Another secret song

The Jet Age
There are only a handful of bands that I go out of my way to tell people they have to check out live. I'm gonna add The Jet Age to that list. These guys are great musicians playing music from what is easily one of my favorite albums of the year, What Did You Do During the War, Daddy?. And I don't say that because I know them - the album has been on repeat on my iTunes pretty much since I first heard it. Do yourself a favor and pick it up.

If you didn't make it to the show last night, be sure to catch what is sure to be one of the best shows in DC all year on Saturday, March 22nd when the band plays with the incredible Wussy and The Kyle Sowashes at The Red and The Black.