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07May

Commanders hope three’s a magic number

Anyone who has spent any amount of time around the sport would agree that the NFL Draft is the closest thing to Christmas morning for professional football.

During this happiest of holiday offseasons, the Commanders went with a theme as they selected their newest additions. Washington’s 2022 rookie class features a third receiver (Penn State’s Jahan Dotson), a third defensive tackle (Alabama’s Phidarian Mathis), a third running back (Alabama’s Brian Robinson Jr.), a third safety (Louisiana Lafayette’s Percy Butler) and a third quarterback (North Carolina’s Sam Howell).

Since the offseason began, Washington has gotten a new name for its franchise, the Commanders, and now Ron Rivera and friends have an infusion of talent to add to the mix of established veterans as they head into Year 3.

Rookie camp provides the coaching staff and talent evaluators their first chance to see the youngsters in burgundy and gold. While little can be taken away from kids running through a few drills in shorts in May, it’s still an exciting time for these young athletes who are just beginning to realize their dreams.

19Apr

Fozzy at Tally Ho Theater

For more than 30 years, Chris Jericho has entertained millions of fans around the globe as one of the biggest names in professional wrestling. In addition to being one of the faces and founding members of All Elite Wrestling, Jericho is also the lead singer for a hard rock band that continually punches above its weight class.

“If Metallica and Journey had a bastard child, it would be Fozzy.” That’s how wrestler-turned-frontman Jericho once described his band, and it makes a lot of sense. When Jericho takes to the stage with lead guitarist Rich “The Duke” Ward, rhythm guitarist Billy Grey, bassist P. J. Farley and drummer Grant Brooks, big things happen.

With five consecutive top 20 singles, including “Judas,” which earned certified gold status earlier this year, Fozzy has absolutely established themselves as a heavyweight in the world of hard rock. When they came to Virginia, their most recent track, “I Still Burn,” was the most added song in hard rock. And yet, none of those accolades addresses just how much fun Fozzy is live and in person. Whether they’re playing an intimate venue or a massive music festival, the charisma and energy level never waivers. Bottom line: these five performers are world-class entertainers.

14Apr

Badflower at Rams Head Live!

It’s simple math really, Josh Katz plus a guitar and a microphone equals emotions. It’s impossible to hear the Los Angeles-based frontman pour his heart and soul into a track and feel nothing. The opportunity to witness the angst, anguish and torment of Katz’s vocals paired with the musical stylings of lead guitarist Joey Morrow, bass guitarist Alex Espiritu and drummer Anthony Sonetti in person was too much to resist.

So when Badflower swung through Baltimore on the heels of their sophomore album, This Is How the World Ends, which dropped last September, I knew I had to be there. And boy am I glad I did. They were fantastic from the moment they took the stage, captivating the packed venue with tracks like “White Noise” and “Fuckboi” as we all strapped in for an emotional journey. Katz could barely strum the opening few notes of “Don’t Hate Me” before the entire building tore into the smash hit.

By the time the band finished the emotional rollercoaster that was their set (and encore), those in attendance had absolutely gotten their money’s worth. Sure, maybe things aren’t always great and all of us our dealing with our own personal adversities as best we can, but on a random Tuesday in April, a packed house got together for one helluva therapy session. And I can’t wait to do it again.

13Apr

’68 at Rams Head Live!

The Black Keys. Royal Blood. cleopatrick. If these dynamic duos have taught us anything, it’s that there is absolutely nowhere to hide when your band only consists of two members.

Just like these other acts, lead singer/guitarist Josh Scogin and drummer Nikko Yamada have embraced a minimalistic approach to music. Everything from the bands name — ’68 — to their preferred instruments (just one cymbal and one tom on Yamaha’s drum kit) to their music videos leans into a “less is more” mindset, and yet, this Atlanta-based act absolutely knows how to command a stage.

Playing a set that featured tracks from their third album, Give One Take One, ’68 quickly won over what could have been a sleepy Tuesday night crowd with their brash, bold and bluesy in-your-face sound. While the band may shy away from excess, Scogin and Yamada don’t cut corners — as was evident by their guitar-tossing, percussion-heavy set that left both dapper-dressed gentlemen drenched in sweat as their time came to an end.

23Mar

Physical battle with St. Louis leaves Capitals battered, blue

The streaky Washington Capitals were unable to find a veteran goaltender before the NHL trade deadline, but that doesn’t mean they sat idle. General manager Brian MacLellan acquired a pair of forwards — Seattle’s Marcus Johansson and Arizona’s Johan Larsson — to bolster his team’s lineup in preparation for the postseason.

Johansson was back in D.C., where he spent his first seven seasons, in time to play the St. Louis Blues, while Larsson remains sidelined as he recovers from sports hernia surgery. MacLellan’s hope is that these veterans can provide coach Peter Laviolette with stability and consistency that has been lacking due to injuries and uneven play from rookies and younger players.

Unfortunately, Washington was unable to take advantage of Johansson’s first game back in a Capitals’ sweater since 2016 due to shoddy team defense and an overall lack of discipline.

“We gave up way too much in the first period,” Laviolette said after the 5-2 loss. “Too many mental mistakes, too many soft mistakes. Too easy to play against.”

The Caps were outshot 38 to 21, lost 63 percent of their faceoffs and generally looked a step slow on the night, as they dropped their second-straight home game. With 17 games remaining, nights like this are going to need to become few and far between for this season to end in anything other than disappointment.

22Mar

Underoath at The Fillmore

Fun fact: Underoath started out as a Christian metalcore band back in the late 90s. While plenty has changed over more than two decades of work, including a roster of 15 musicians who have at various times been members, the Tampa-based band still delivers.

In honor of their ninth studio album, Voyeurist, Underoath hit the road on a 27-city North American tour. Originally, they were supposed to be accompanied by Every Time I Die. But unfortunately, the band broke up in between the time the tour was announced and Underoath was scheduled to hit the road. In their place, Spiritbox and Bad Omens joined the fun and helped set the stage for a wonderfully entertaining evening.

Frontman Spencer Chamberlain, lead guitarist Timothy McTague, bassist Grant Brandell, rhythm guitarist James Smith, drummer Aaron Gillespie and keyboardist Christopher Dudley used absolutely every inch of the stage during an action-packed 15 song set, which included a two-track encore.

By the time they broke into their current single, “Hallelujah,” bedlam had completely overtaken The Fillmore. The sellout crowd clearly fed off of the amazing energy reverberating from the stage and gave back everything they had.

21Mar

Spiritbox at The Fillmore

When husband and wife duo of Mike Stringer and Courtney LaPlante formed Spiritbox in 2017, they absolutely raised the bar for couples everywhere.

The band, comprised of singer LaPlante, guitarist Stringer, as well as bassist Bill Crook and drummer Zev Rose, has quickly ascended up the ranks and is now a mainstay on hard rock charts across the country (and obviously north of the border as well). Their debut full-length album, Eternal Blue, has been universally loved and, if the sellout crowd in Silver Spring, Maryland, was any indication, their fanbase cannot wait to experience these songs live and in person.

Their set kicked off with 2019 single, “Rule Of Nines,” which was a great tone setter. They immediately jumped into “Circle With Me,” which had the entire building singing along and by the time they got to “Blessed Be,” the entire audience was eating out of their hands. It seems inevitable that Spiritbox are destined for big things. Their look. Their sound. Everything about the band garners attention.

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