Instrumental Analysis

This is a list of some concerts of note that will be happening in the future. We will try to update this at least once a week. If we missed anything or you hear of something after this was posted, send us an e-mail. Are you going to any of these? Feel free to comment.

March
3/09/10: Henry Rollins @ Birchmere
3/10/10: Henry Rollins @ Birchmere3/14/10: Foreign Born/Free Energy @ DC9
3/17/10: Air @ 9:30 Club
3/24/10: Miike Snow/Delorean @ 9:30 Club
3/25/10: Deleted Scenes @ Velvet Lounge
3/28/10: The XX @ Sixth & I
3/31/10: David Gray @ Lyric Opera House

April
4/01/10: The Big Pink/A Place To Bury Strangers @ Rams Head Live
4/03/10: Yeasayer @ 9:30 Club
4/05/10: Black Rebel Morocycle Club @ 9:30 Club
4/24/10: Hot Chip/The XX @ 9:30 Club

May
5/08/10: Beach House/Washed Out @ 2640
5/21/10: Matthew Dear @ MUSE Lounge

To celebrate the 20th Anniversary tour of Doolittle, Pixies are giving away a 4 track live EP recorded at a recent show in Paris and featuring “Dancing The Manta Ray,” “Monkey Gone To Heaven,” “Crackity Jones” and “Gouge Away”. Enjoy.

This is a list of some concerts of note that will be happening in the future. We will try to update this at least once a week. If we missed anything or you hear of something after this was posted, send us an e-mail. Are you going to any of these? Feel free to comment.

March
3/10/10: Bryan Scary and The Shredding Tears @ Messiah College *Free*
3/12/10: Adam Taylor @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
3/24/10: Phantogram @ Messiah College *Free*
3/25/10: Hoots & Hellmouth @ Strand-Capito
3/26/10: Yarn @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center
3/27/10: David Bazan/Headlights @ Messiah College *Free*
3/27/10: American Dollar/Chemtrail/Thinking Machines @ Midtown Scholar Bookstore
3/29/10: Passion Pit/Mayer Hawthorne @ Pullo Center

April
4/02/10: The Master Plan/Parallax Project @ Harrisburg Midtown Arts Center

May
5/05/10: Cymbals Eat Guitars @ Messiah College *Free*

What? Oh why yes, I still do, in fact, do these. Lets get to it then shall we.

Starfucker – Medicine
Phoenix – Lisztomania
Akron/Family – The River
John Vanderslice – Sunken Union Boat
Deer Tick – Easy
The Thermals – Now We Can See
Apostle of Hustle – Soul Unwind
El Ten Eleven – Jumping Frenchmen of Maine
Miike Snow – Burial (DJ Mehdi Remix)
The Very Best – Warm Heart of Africa (from Abeano.com)

Note: All tracks above, unless otherwise noted, were obtained legally and with artist’s permission via KEXP. Please see here for more information.

Caught your breath yet from Friday night? Saturday and Sunday are no let down. Let’s get to it.

Two one-day festivals Saturday dominate the scene. The Metro Gallery in Baltimore is the place to be for Rufustival. Local acts galore fill this line-up along with a few out-of-towners. Set to play: A Place to Bury Strangers, Dirty Projectors, Chairlift, Thrushes, Eureka Birds, The Sky Drops, Pianowire, Baby Aspirin, The Water, Ecstatic Sunshine and Wye Oak. This show is highly recommended. Get there early and stay late.

mp3: A Place to Bury Strangers – My Weakness (from band)
mp3: Dirty Projectors – Stillness is the Move (rcrdlbl.com)
mp3: Chairlift – Evident Utensil (MGMT Remix)
mp3: Thrushes – Heartbeats (from band)
mp3: The Sky Drops – Now Would Be (band website)
mp3: Ecstatic Sunshine – Anagram (rcrdlbl.com)
mp3: Wye Oak – Family Glue (from band)
mp3: Eureka Birds – The Still Life (from band)

The Roots are hosting a picnic on Festival Pier in Philly for a hometown throw down with huge names on the bill. Stop by to see Santigold, The Black Keys, TV on the Radio and the one and only Public Enemy.

mp3: Santigold – Your Voice
mp3: The Black Keys – I Got Mine (live)
mp3: TV On the Radio – Dancing Choose (Prefuse 73 Remix)
(all songs linked from rcrdlbl.com)

Outside the massive amounts of bands and people, The Tower Theater is hosting Stephen Colbert’s musical arch-nemeses The Decemberists. Performing with them is Brit-pop royality Robyn Hitchcock. Elsewhere in Philly Saturday, Art Brut takes on Satan in their new album and will entertain the crowd at Johnny Brenda’s with Cymbals Eat Guitars. Definately a fun show. And the Tin Angel is hosting Chapel Hill’s The Old Ceremony.

mp3: The Decemberists – Hazards of Love 1
mp3: Art Brut – Weird Science
mp3: Cymbals Eat Guitars – And The Hazy Sea
mp3: The Old Ceremony – Til My Voice if Gone
(all songs linked from rcrdlbl.com)

Jersey band The Black Hollies are taking their show to two venues this weekend. Saturday they hit up the Rock & Roll Hotel, while Sunday you can find them at Johnny Brenda’s.

mp3: The Black Hollies – Paisley Pattern Ground (Ernest Jennings Records)

Sunday

A little less action for the end of the weekend. The Hold Steady hold court at the 9:30 Club. DC9 has Disappears and Dangerosa. Up In Philly, Kung Fu Necktie has Dark Meat with Popo and Nymph.

mp3: The Hold Steady – Chips Ahoy (Vagrant Records)
mp3: Dark Meat – Freedom Ritual (Vice Records)

Lastly, spoken word at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington will never be so much fun as when Henry Rollins brings it to Delaware. I should see if tickets are still available.

Hope you enjoy. And don’t forget about the bands still lingering from Friday.

Another month has passed us by. Summer is starting. Time for great music to come through the area in massive quantities. This weekend is no exception. Friday is loaded with big names and your local favorites. Here is what’s hapening:

So many huge acts are hitting the IA area this weekend. For those of you that cut your musical teeth around my time (late ’80s/early ’90s), a couple of shows may peak your interest. Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails are on tour together. Maybe if was in my early 20’s, I would hit this one up. I’m getting old. Catch them at Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden. Doing a double dip in the area is PJ Harvey. She is joined by John Parish for a show Friday at the Warner Theater in DC and Sunday in Philly at The Troc.

mp3: Jane’s Addiction – Three Days (sparkart.net)
mp3: Nine Inch Nails – Lights In The Sky (band website)

A little bit of the eclectic Friday and Saturday when Talking Heads frontman David Byrne brings his new world sound to the area. Set to open is DeVotchka. Nothing beats a band with a Sousaphone as a primary instrument. They are slated for The Mann and Wolf Trap.

mp3: DeVotchka – You Love Me (Anti Records)

If you haven’t heard, Doves are coming to town. We are running a little contest for the 9:30 Club show Saturday. Can’t make that show? The Troc hosts Friday. Set to open is Wild Light.

mp3: Doves – Kingdom of Rust (rcrdlbl.com)
mp3: Wild Light – California On My Mind (rcrdlbl.com)

Back before we started IA, Denali came out of Richmond and made a splash on the scene. Then they disappeared. Five years or so seems to have been long enough as they are back and playing two shows in the area. Friday catch them with Autocue and Robes at the First Unitarian Church in Philly. The Black Cat is the place Saturday, this time with KI:Theory and Pygmy Lush.

mp3: Denali – Hold Your Breath (band website)
mp3: Robes – The Breaks
mp3: KI:Theory – My Thoughts (band website)

Still haven’t made up your mind? Here is more to choose from:

DC9 is hosting Natalie Portman’s Shaved Head. The Rock & Roll Hotel has the loudest band pretty much anywhere A Place To Bury Strangers along with Caverns and True Womanhood. Over at the Black Cat, Dean & Britta perform with Cheval Sombre. Ohioans Like Bells join up with Baltimore’s Kadman for a show at the Velvet Lounge. Cross the river to IOTA for Viva Voce and Cut Off Your Hands. Small venue for a great up-close experience.

mp3: A Place To Bury Strangers – My Weakness (from band)
mp3: True Womanhood – Cosmic Ray (last.fm)
mp3: Like Bells – Atlas (Exit Stencil)
mp3: Kadman – Sorry (band website)
mp3: Viva Voce – Octavio (Barsuk Records)
mp3: Cut Off Your Hands – Oh Girl (rcrdlbl.com)

As for Philly, one more show of note. White Rabbits are in Fishtown at Johnny Brenda’s with The Subjects and Busses.

mp3: White Rabbits – Percussion Gun (pitchfork)
mp3: The Subjects – Numbers (rcrdlbl.com)

That’s Friday, plus a little more. Check back for the rest of the weekend. A couple of festivals to tell you about. Enjoy the music.

Alright, this is a good one, so I will just get to the point. Doves are playing a show in DC on Saturday night at 9:30 Club with Wild Light. The show is sold out and everyone is trying to score some tickets. What most people do not know, is that Doves have teamed up with Gibson Guitar for a special pre-show party. What is that exactly? Well, here are the details:

What: Gibson Guitar Presents: Doves Take Flight – A Pre-Show End of Tour Celebration
When: Saturday 6/6 from 3PM to 5PM.
Where: Gibson Showroom at 709 G St. NW, Washington, DC 20001.
Additional Info:
Invite/Guest List Only.
Free Food and Free Booze.
Free Doves and Gibson swag.
Photo ops and an opportunity to get your Doves swag signed by Andy and Jez.

Astralwerks and Gibson have provided us with all sorts of great things to give away, including tickets to the show and the party. We will have 3 winners and the prizes are as follows:

Grand Prize: 2 tickets for show at 9:30 club and 2 invites for the Gibson Pre-Party .
First Runner Up: 2 invites for the Gibson Pre-Party.
Second Runner Up: Doves entire catalog on CD.

All you have to do to enter is send us an e-mail (instanalysis@aol.com) with your name. Winners will be randomly chosen and notified by Friday. Good luck!

Contest Sponsored By:

Holy Fuck By James Mejia

Friday is in the books. Saturday is a repeat of the day before. Phily’s line-up declines greatly. Baltimore and DC carry the majority of the shows. Here’s what to check out:

I’ll be down in DC at the Rock & Roll Hotel for a line-up of pure power-pop. One of our favorites, Jukebox the Ghost are coming back to the area after a year’s worth of touring. See them before they go hermit-like and hide away for the next few months or so. Also on tap is Jenny Owen Youngs, set to drop her new album Transmitter Failure next week. And to top it all off, The Winter Sounds, who just released a new album last week, are also slated to perform. This is a must-see show.

mp3: Jukebox the Ghost – Victoria
mp3: Jenny Owen Youngs – Led to the Sea (via Nettwerk Music)
mp3: The Winter Sounds – Trophy Wife (via Deus Ex Machina)

Over at DC9, Austin’s Loxsly is hitting the East Coast in front of their new release Tomorrow’s Fossils set to drop Tuesday. As a fan of the Austin scene, I highly recommend seeing them. Also on the bill are locals Ra Ra Rasputin and The Spiritual Machine.

mp3: Loxsly – As The Constellation’s Arm Uncurled (via band)

The Troc in Philly is hosting a sold-out CD release for locals that made it big Mewithoutyou. Also performing is Jersey native Danielson and the blues-funk-hip-hop of the Urban Sophisticates.

mp3: Danielson – Animal In Every Corner (band website)

Harrisburg’s Arts Fest is happening this weekend. If you want to check out some local music during the afternoon, this is the place to be. Our friends The April Skies will be on stage around 4. Be sure to stop by and take a look.

mp3: The April Skies – Here Comes the Rush

DC has a couple of other shows for your consideration. Butterfly Boucher will wow the crowd at Jammin’ Java. The Juan Maclean joins with The Field for a show worth dancing to at Black Cat. The Red & The Black is hosting Food Will Win The War along with Frau Eva and Freelance Whales.

mp3: The Juan Maclean – Find a Way (rcrdlbl.com)
mp3: The Field – Over the Ice (rcrdlbl.com)

Bellman Barker is making a trip up to Baltimore’s Metro Gallery for a show with The Howling Mad and Chelsea Graveyard and the Screams at Midnight. And if you want a little electronic, Future Islands is with Nuclear Power Pants at Zodiac.

mp3: Bellman Barker – Charles Kil
mp3: Future Islands – Old Friend (band website)

Philly has one other show worth note. Johnny Brenda’s has Minnesotans Run at the Dog. Highly infectious songs. Also set to perform is Oh Pears, An American Chinese and The Mean.

mp3: Run at The Dog – Noon Moon (band website)

Weekend is only halfway done. More to come. Enjoy the music.

Photo By Shervin Lainez
When I started this site 3 years ago, there was a DC band that caught my attention. Armed with wit and killer hooks, The Hard Tomorrows, were poised for good things. Then, in the summer of 2007, they vanished. Fast forward two years and the voice of that band, Rob Pierangeli, has finally resurfaced under the alter ego, Casper Bangs. Taking the hooks that his previous band was known for and turning the energy way up, Rob is ready to take on the world again. If you don’t believe me, he has a free digital EP available here and his live band makes their debut tonight at Black Cat with Deleted Scenes and The XYZ Affair. Check them out and look for the debut CD this fall.

mp3: The Other Half