Luna Satisfies at the Birchmere
“We miss you!” somebody yelled before Luna even started its show Thursday at the Birchmere in Alexandria, Va. “We were just here,” replied the unsentimental bandleader Dean Wareham. He meant…
Live Review: The Buzzcocks Turn 40
Immediately, the number in the story-high banner and T-shirts hits you right in the solar plexus: Buzzcocks 40. Could two generations have actually passed since the start of English punk?…
Billy Bragg and Joe Henry: Train Love
Capping one of the more remarkable concept recordings of 2016, the next phase of Billy Bragg & Joe Henry’s celebration of the U.S. train system, “Shine a Light: Field Recordings…
Review: ‘Be Awesome: Theatrical Mixtape’
Music streaming services allow kids these days to put together digital playlists for every mood or activity. Once, not so long ago, it was a more hand-crafted effort to put…
Death Returns for History and Rock
“Are y’all ready for Death?” Such went the call from the opening band, referring to the headliners. That it would come out as such a sobering question of mortality may…
Brian Wilson’s Last ‘Pet Sounds’ Tour
Not exactly a smash when it was first released a half century ago, “Pet Sounds” has since been heralded as one of rock music’s crowning achievements -- a big turn…
A Fresh Face on British Import, ‘Fleabag’
Of all the terrific comedies this fall (almost exclusively streaming or on cable) just one stars a face that is likely to be absolutely new to audiences. “Fleabag” (Amazon Prime,…
Review: ‘The Last Schwartz’ at Theater J
"The Last Schwartz," a play that's perfectly suited for Theater J, is certainly a familiar trope for its audience: Somebody brings home a non-Jewish women to a solemn family occasion…
Culture Club at the Strathmore on 9/11
It was the end of a four month tour, but Culture Club hardly looked worn out in their final U.S. show Sunday at The Music Center of Strathmore in North…
Stage Review: ‘Cloud 9’ at Studio Theatre
If Studio Theatre has a go-to playwright, it's been Caryl Churchill, the award-winning British innovator and provocateur, whose season-opening "Cloud 9" at the theater is as brash and challenging as…