All posts in concerts

05Mar

Zero 9:36 at Union Stage

The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour claims to focus on artists at their breakout moment. With alumni such as Kendrick Lamar, Macklemore, The Chainsmokers, Logic, Post Malone and 21 Savage, it’s difficult to dispute that notion.

As Zero 9:36 hits the road for the first time as a headliner, courtesy of the tour, fans have every reason to believe the Philadelphia native is next in line for a breakout. Not that he hasn’t accomplished plenty already. Since 2019, Zero 9:36 has amassed more than 66 million streams for his two EPs and rocketed to number one on Mediabase’s active rock airplay chart in 2021.

Additionally, he was named one of SiriusXM’s Future Five for 2021, and his single “Adrenaline” was Octane’s most-played hard rock song in ’21. Basically, while everyone was stuck at home dealing with the pandemic, they were listening to Zero 9:36 on heavy rotation.

On his second night as a headliner, Zero 9:36 was already in a groove, although he did joke that they failed to pack a printer with the rest of the band’s equipment, so they didn’t even have a printed setlist to go off of. That minor snafu aside, the D.C. show was excellent. It even included a surprise cameo from No Love For The Middle Child, who joined Zero 9:36 to perform “Come Thru.”

If Zero 9:36 does come through your town during his current cross-country tour, go see him and share in his breakout moment.

05Mar

Fame on Fire at Union Stage

While Fame on Fire isn’t opposed to performer another band’s songs from time to time, they want you to know — they’re not a cover band. You’ve likely heard their rendition of tracks by Ed Sheeran, Adele, The Weeknd and others, but their 2020 debut album, LEVELS, proved these Florida rockers are fully capable of creating original hits as well.

On this night, the band’s first ever show in Washington, D.C., vocalist Bryan Kuznitz, guitarist Blake Saul, bassist Paul Spirou and drummer Alex Roman treated those in attendance to a high-octane set filled with an abundance of sing-along tracks including “Plastic Heart,” “Headspace” and, yes, a cover of Linkin Park’s “NUMB.” But don’t you dare call them a cover band.

05Mar

GARZI at Union Stage

The job of an opening act is incredibly difficult and, at times, thankless. They must bring an abundance of energy and set the tone for the rest of the evening while trying to win over a crowd that, more often than not, came to see someone else perform.

Before he even took to the stage, GARZI made his intentions clear. He was ready for the challenge and quite literally left it all on the floor. By the end of his set, the emo rapper was completely spent as he laid sprawled out on the floor of the stage. After a beat, he composed himself, thanked the crowd for making his second night on tour a memorable one and then jumped off stage to give his mom a hug.

If you’re not familiar with GARZI, do yourself a favor and check him out. In particular, his collaboration with blink-182’s Travis Barker called “SICK OF ME” and his most recent single, “MESS,” which features Kellin Quinn of Sleeping With Sirens prove that he’s caught the attention of some heavy hitters in the music industry. If his career continues to progress on its current trajectory, it’s only a matter of time before the word is out on this ultra talented performer.

17Jan

cleopatrick at Songbyrd Music House

This band and this show. I’m telling you, for while there, it didn’t look like either was ever going to happen. Thankfully, both defied the odds and cleopatrick, along with their best friends/opening act Ready The Prince, were finally able to give Washington, D.C. a show to remember.

But before we get to their long-awaited performance at a sold-out Songbird Music House, let’s take it all the way back. Vocalist/guitarist Luke Gruntz and drummer Ian Fraser are from the small town of Cobourg, Ontario, and have been best friends since they were 4. For as long as they can remember, they’ve wanted to be in a band together but even they weren’t sure it was going to happen. Don’t take my word for it. Here’s Gruntz, describing the story of their breakout hit:

“It’s one of the craziest, most ironic things that’s ever happened,” he said. “I was going to college because I was too scared to put all my chips in the band pile, and that’s what ‘hometown’ is about: it’s a song about feeling like we’re doing all this stuff and we’re working so hard and we’re just never going to be heard. It’s literally a song about people probably never hearing our songs. And then by some act of the universe, that song ended up unlocking all the doors for us.”

With more than 77 million streams, it’s safe to say the word is out on cleopatrick. And yet, their D.C. show still almost never happened. Originally the duo was scheduled to perform just before Halloween, but the band ended up having to cancel the last five shows of their North American tour thanks to the pandemic.

cleopatrick then announced they were hitting the road in 2022 with Royal Blood … just as soon as they made up the last few dates on their previous tour. Finally, and mercifully, the small-town band and the long-awaited D.C. show finally came together for a killer performance that rocked the sellout crowd. Playing tracks from their debut album, BUMMER, cleopatrick ensured those music-loving souls who braved a pandemic (and a snowstorm!) were thoroughly entertained.

21Nov

Atreyu at Rams Head Live!

In honor of their eighth album, “Baptize,” Atreyu embarked on a 29-city tour across the United States.

Considering this was the band’s first album since the departure of lead singer Alex Varkatzas last year, it’s safe to say that some trepidation existed in the world of hard rock. A band fans had known and loved for more than 20 years was making a radical change, with drummer Brandon Saller becoming the new vocalist. Would they still have that same trademark Atreyu sound?

Emphatically, the answer is yes. Both on the album and in person, Atreyu still delivers everything you know and love about them — particular on this random weeknight in November, when they crushed a 17-song set that absolutely proved the newest configuration of the band still delivers. And they definitely still know how to have a good time.

On this night, upon learning that a fan was celebrating her birthday by attending their show, Saller asked her to pull a random song title out of a bowl. Birthday girl Brandy selected “Broken Again,” the seldom-played fifth song off of the album, giving Baltimore a rare performance of the high-energy track.

20Nov

Crown the Empire at Rams Head Live!

When Crown The Empire first formed, their stated goal was to be heavier than other bands from the area. Considering Dallas, Texas is known for many things and hard rock isn’t necessarily one of them, it’s safe to say the high schoolers had modest ambitions in the beginning.

Over the last decade, the boys from Crown The Empire have bucked conventional wisdom of what Texas music sounds like and have proven they absolutely deserve the respect they’ve earned. These days, lead vocalist Andy Leo and Hayden Tree, who plays bass guitar and provides extreme vocals, along with lead guitarist Brandon Hoover and drummer Brent Taddie, have fine tuned their sound and continue to strike a balance between earworm-inducing melodies and metalcore madness.

When they visited Baltimore in November, it began readily apparent that Crown The Empire have fun wherever, whenever. In fact, halfway through their set, Leo informed the crowd that, just before taking the stage, Tree had gotten a new tattoo and a shop right around the corner from the venue. He then encouraged those in attendance to buy the bassist a beverage to celebrate (and possibly numb the pain). So many fans complied that, less than a song later, Tree had to kindly ask folks to stop.

The highlight of the night was when the band broke out their newest single “In Another Life.” While Spiritbox’s Courtney LaPlante was not in the building to provide her vocals, the new track had the building rocking.

19Nov

Tetrarch at Rams Head Live!

Who doesn’t love an inspirational story? Well, gather round boys and girls, because you’re going to dig this one.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away (Atlanta, Georgia), two middle school kids decided they wanted to form a band. That, in and of itself isn’t particularly noteworthy, but the self-described outcasts showed a level of discipline and determination that enabled this dynamic duo to actually achieve their adorable childhood goal.

Meet Josh Fore and Diamond Rowe, the lead singer and lead guitarist of Tetrarch. Along with bassist Ryan Lerner and drummer Ruben Limas, the Los Angeles-based band has become a staple of SiriusXM’s Liquid Metal and Octane stations, with their hit single “I’m Not Right” becoming a soundtrack for countless hard rock and metal fans who couldn’t go anywhere or do anything during 2020 (a.k.a. – the year of the pandemic).

If their performance in Baltimore is any indication, things are only getting better and better for Tetrarch. That’s clearly great news for the band and even better for their fans.

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