Blogs

Grandmaster Flash Gordon Lightfoot Sundays 10am-12pm Three artists played most on show: Modest Mouse, Andrew Jackson Jihad, and Kanye West First album ever purchased: 98 Degrees’ 98 Degrees and Rising for that song with Stevie Wonder that was in the Mulan...

Remember when D.C. had a sound that could almost be classified into a genre of itself? I‰'m not talking about punk or go-go, but rather that mod-rock/shoegaze sound that would have you awkwardly dancing in your bedroom by yourself for hours. Sadly, one of the most...

This week’s concert pick is a no-brainer. WVAU’s very own Alex Lee and his dream-pop outfit Western Affairs will be gracing the stage of the Red Palace tomorrow night on Thursday, March 29th. Western Affairs made their on-campus debut at WVAU’s...

Gypsy Soul, Saturdays 12am-2am Three artists played most on show: The Black Keys, Ryan Adams, and Van Morrison First album ever purchased: The Best of Taj Mahal Favorite current rack album: In Cold Blood – The Sister Ruby Band Dream Capital Punishment: Punch...

Sometimes the music I listen to enters the real world in surprising ways. I‰'m not talking about a Fun. song that happens to be in every commercial these days, but like when everyone went Moldy Peaches bat-shit crazy after Juno. It‰'s neither bad nor good, it‰'s just...

One-two-punch. They play “Bloom‰” and “15 Step.‰” You can‰'t fight it. The night begins. Thom Yorke, grizzled and with a ponytail, two decades away from the angsty young man who wrote “Creep,‰” now dances like a madman. He jigs up and down the stage with glee,...

As Isaac Brock so eloquently says, “I like songs about drifters, books about the same/They both seem to make me feel a little less insane.” Here we have a Soundtrack for Wanderlust. It’s a mix of songs I’ve played endlessly from my teenage...

Ah, to be young and making it, man. With only two weeks left before the release of their debut record Time Capsuls II on NYC‰'s premiere “mindie” label Glassnote, Brad Oberhofer has to be a little pumped. This excitement was on full display at his...

Welcome to the foreign edition of Beneath the Beats. I began my writing this week sitting on a Greyhound bus bound for Montreal. I’m visiting a friend in McGill University, and while I am up here I‰'ll take the opportunity to explore the Montreal hip-hop scene....

Hey All, I’m at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas and don’t think I’m going just because Skrillex is there. Included are a bunch of goodies – including D.C.‘s Nadastrom, The Stepkids, the M Machine and more. Browse away with some of the...

Didn’t get tickets to the sold-out Justice/Fiona Apple/Youth Lagoon/Polica shows this week? Don’t sweat it, because the Red Palace on Thursday night will be sufficiently hoarding the District’s supply of buzz for the return of...

I hope you‰'re ready for the floor. Hot Chip just released new track “Flutes‰” off their upcoming album “In Our Heads,‰” due out mid-June this year. Danceable as ever, Hot Chip takes on a less peppy synth sound with “Flutes,‰” opting for smoother, trance beats and...

Most people would agree that developing your personal music taste takes a while. It’s common to hit a bump in the road, or veer off course at any given moment, and end up $100 short with the nagging question of “how the hell did I spend my entire summer...

Hospitality- Hospitality It‰'s 2012 and girly indie pop is – let’s face it – a bit overdone. My guess is you haven‰'t listened to your Thao & The Get Down Stay Down record in a while, and I‰'m sure you‰'re starting to wonder what ever happened to...

Don‰'t make fun of me but I will preface this article by saying I have been really wanting to watch Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. I love that movie not just because I think Kostas is a Greek god. Or because you get to watch Blake Lively lose her V-card on the...

In our latest WVAQ&A, Spencer Swan talked to Jesse Tabish of Other Lives, as his band gears up for an opening stint for Radiohead. WVAU: How did you guys come up with such a distinctive sound? Jesse Tabish: It‰'s been in the process a long time, you know. We‰'ve...

The endlessly complex work of the Mars Volta gripped me for years. I became inspired by the roll of Jon Theodore‰'s drum line as he built up the beat with the band, never breaking perfect, percussive fluidity. The squeal of the guitar pulsing in and out of smooth and...

Next in WVAU’s Spring Break mixtape series is my driving playlist, an hour of music specially crafted for your spring break behind the wheel. After three carless months spent chasing Metrobuses down the street, I’ll be reunited in a matter of hours with my...

The announcement of a Drew Barrymore-directed Best Coast video was greeted by the “greater indie blogosphere” (or whatever) with sigh-inducing speculation and, in some cases, outright disgust. Bands such as Best Coast, who have oftentimes started out as...

WASSSUUUUUUUP WVAU?!!!! YOU HAVIN’ A GOOD MIDTERM WEEK?!!! If you’ve been slumped down with midterms, don’t worry, there is a light at the end of the tunnel- MTV SPRING BREAK! Its the time of year when I go on a nostalgia trip to the great acts of...

Lee Fields & The Expressions- Faithful Man Get out the oils and light the scented candles. Make sure the pilot light‰'s off. This is an old-school soul record, through and through. From the brassy mission statement “Faithful Man‰” to the languid send-off of “Walk...

Well, I‰'m screwed. I find myself writing a piece for a website where everyone knows a lot about music. To top it off, my post is in the company of some very good writers. So how does this music writing work? I‰'ll just name-drop a couple obscure musicians, reference...

The location of the Red Palace on H Street, to paraphrase “Sh*t DC Says,” was impossibly far away from everything. The atmosphere was crowded, the two opening acts were subpar, and the Red Palace stage could barely contain a full band‰'s setup, with the...

Tyler, the Creator- “Bastard‰Û Yeah, sure, it starts off with a satanically low-voiced doctor offering counsel, and the lyrics aim to kill with shock. The originality factor of these conceptual elements is not the highest, but please, please don‰'t write this off as...

Did you ever have one of those days where you have been working on something for multiple days and when it finally comes down to completing it, everything goes completely wrong? Sadly, that realization for me came a few days ago after I found out that my seven rolls...

Whether you missed Capital Punishment last month or just want to relive the fun, check out Staff Writer Marissa Cetin’s video retrospective of our first Cap Pun of the semester, featuring the Neologians, Western Affairs and Max Tani.

WVAU’s second Open Mic of the semester is this Friday, March 2 in Battelle Atrium. The last one was a smashing success, so come and play guitar, sing, freestyle, do standup, read fan fic, improvise a song about your cat, WHATEVER. Email wvauevents@gmail.com with...

I am writing in honor of President‰'s Day. Even though it was a few days ago I decided to actually observe the holiday (pay no attention that I decided to think about what President‰'s day actually is on a Tuesday and not on the designated day). I began to think...

It‰'s hard to find someone that Ghananian rap duo FOKN Bois don‰'t offend on their first official album and legitimate early bid for best rap album of 2012 “FOKN Wit Ewe.‰” But it‰'s even harder to dislike them. Although M3nsa and Wanlov Da Kubolor have released a...

Thumbing though used CD bins at Smash Records in Adams Morgan last week, I happened upon “Hot Fuss‰” for only $3. $3! Since then I‰'ve been on a Killers kick. “Hot Fuss‰” is one of those albums that was great when it was first released and is still great whenever you...