The Week in Rock (DC Edition)

It's too late for talk, but here's some pics from some shows in DC this week.

Lots of good music this week, although I did end up missing These United States because I didn't realize that there would actually be about 12 different acts performing before TUS would show up on stage. It got a tad crowded and hot in Iota for me to stick around for 4 hours. I gave up after about two and a half.

So, in reverse chronological order...

Jukebox the Ghost



I'm still not completely sold on these guys, but I can't deny that they put on a very tight, entertaining show. They have some proggy tendencies (which can actually be a plus to me in some cases), and not all of their songs are all that compelling, but there's no denying they have a lot of talent and have a lot of fun on stage. Definitely a band I'll have to keep my eye on before I make a final call.

One other negative, though -- they seem to be the type of band that inspires large crowds of obnoxiously-drunken 21-year old girls to come and sing along loudly to every word. For a long-time music snob like me, that's not exactly the best sign.

Tereu Tereu



I was hoping these guys would be good live, and I wasn't disappointed. I'm a big fan of the songs that the band had on its split EP with The Light Footwork last year, but hadn't heard much else from them prior to the show. While their music is a bit all over the place, all of it is really good and texturally interesting, and they're an impressive live unit. Be sure to check them out the next time they're in DC -- I'll definitely be there.

Julie Ocean



Seriously, folks... ya gotta get to a Julie Ocean show. Their new album, Long Gone and Nearly There, is fantastic (and comes out in May), and they're even throwing in Wire covers for good measure. Their live sets usually top out at about 28 minutes, but it's 28 minutes of top quality rock and roll. Catch 'em next month with The Dirtbombs and Kelley Stoltz at the Rock and Roll Hotel.

Vandaveer


Only got 4 songs from them at the Federal Reserve show at Iota, but they were excellent as always. Still can't understand why they're not bigger than they are.