2008 - year end concert retrospective

I used to make year-end lists of both records and concerts, but the year has been so saturated with both that it would take far more concentration than I could muster to do them in one post. For some reason, I was criminally ignorant of the great shows Scott Verrastro has been booking and playing in DC since 2003 if not earlier. Since October of last year when I saw Kohoutek for the first time with Damo Suzuki, I've been immersing myself in this new world of sounds I'd lucked into. I will tell you this -- if I had been cool enough to know about this, I probably wouldn't have gone to college in Michigan back in '05.

Top Concerts of 2008 (likely to be revised over and over and over)

1.
Of course, Terrastock is number one, and deserves its own sub-ten
*Bardo Pond
*Mike Tamburo
*United Bibles Studies
*Helena Espvall and Masaki Batoh
*Wooden Shjips
*Kinski
*MV+EE
*Grails
*Pelt
*Sapat

2.
Saturday, 9/13/08@ THE END OF 611 FLORIDA FREE FOLK PHANTASMAGORY V with Kohoutek, Max Ochs, The Julie Mittens, Human Adult Band, Hat City Intuitive, Sondra Sun-Odeon (of Silver Summit), Ilya Monosov, Insect Factory, Teething Veils, Layne Garrett

3.
8/24/08 (DC) @ the lighthouse w/ Kohoutek, mike tamburo, melissa moore, hunted creatures, chris niels, meadows

4.
May 31 / 611 Florida Washington DC , Suishou no Fune and Jason Kourkounis (drs)with: Alasehir, Moon Phantoms (Suishou no Fune and Alasehir), Bolmongani, Plums

5.
3/7/08 @ The Lighthouse (DC) w/ Kohoutek, Sunburned Hand of the Man, Bill Nace, Chris Grier, Lexie Mountain (solo)

6.

Friday 7/18: 611 FL ave - -Kuschty Rye Ergot, Noa Babayof , Sharon van Etten, Sun Tornado

7.
May 30th, Velvet Lounge, Jack Rose, Glenn Jones, Fern Knight, Alexander Turnquist

8.
I'm going to go out on a limb here and just say "Sonic Circuits." It was over the course of a week and I only missed the Baby Dee show in the afternoon and the more pop-hip-hop oriented Friday night but I saw a lot of great stuff at Sonic Circuits, but no one night stands out. Both Saturdays at Velvet Lounge were great, and closing night with Talk Normal and Dan Higgs singing briefly with Skull Defekts. Thankfully, they're now running early evening weekend shows over at Pyramid Atlantic.

9.
Oct 5, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, 9:30 Club. The next day we saw the Residents (it was ridiculously stupid, I'm led to believe in a good way) and also the Imaginational Anthm Tour with Cian Nugent, Ben Reynolds and George Stavis. Because of their relative proximity we will count this as one. (Seeing as how logic went out the window with the number 8 choice.)

10.
Sunday 11/9 @ Velvet Lounge, DC w/ Plastic Crimewave Sound w/ Djin (from Yahowa 13!), Mondo Drag (Alive Records, garage-psych from Iowa), Blue Sausage Infant (DC noise)

Runners up -- Wovenhand, Silver Summit, Arrington De Dionysio, The Ex w/ Getatchew Mekuria, Thou, Brainwaves festival, Mythical Beast, La Otracina, Lexie Mountain Boys, Acid Mother's Temple w/ Danava on Easter Sunday


NOT EVEN CLOSE -- Sunn O))) Grimmrobes tour. Two guitar set-up is way underwhelming after seeing them 3 other times in the past 3 years. Earth cancelled too.