July Music Roundup

July was supposed to have a one-two punch of concerts by famous George's from the '80s: George Michael at the Verizon Center on July 29th and Boy George at the 9:30 Club on the 30th. Unfortunately, the former's tickets cost hundreds of dollars and the latter was denied a visa. But don't fret! This July in the district, there are tons of awesome bands coming through with affordable tickets, full travel privileges and a past free of horrific sartorial choices.

Below the band, a full schedule of notable DC concerts for the month of July. I've put in a couple early August shows too.

7/5:
-Mirror Script: Local, gay-fronted band makes guitar rock for rainy days. (DC9)

7/7:
-Fleet Foxes: Campfire music for adults? Your parents would love this band, and I mean that in the best way possible. (Black Cat)

7/8:
-Boris: Psychedelic rock from Japan. This will not be a quiet show. (Black Cat)

-Impossible Shapes: The Shins won't be touring for a while, so you can check out their Indiana equivalent. (DC9)

7/9:
-Watson Twins: Best known for backing Jenny Lewis, the countrified twins strike out on their own. If any of their lyrics include "Come play with us, Danny," I'll have nightmares for a month. (Rock and Roll Hotel)


7/10:
-English Beat, The Fixx and The Alarm: A way less embrassing spate of '80s artists graces us with, respectively, Mirror in the Bathroom, One Thing Leads to Another and The Stand. They'll probably play some other songs too. (9:30 Club)

-Sam Simkoff: Fire-crotched frontman for Le Loup puts on a solo show. This could be a nice way to admire his songwriting without the distractions of his 6 bandmates. (DC9)

7/12:
-Brazilian Girls: Neither Brazilian nor all-female, this breezy trio earned a permanent place in my heart with their song "Pussy, Pussy, Pussy, Marijuana." (930)

7/13:
-Jay Brannan: Hot star of "Shortbus" plays a sit-down show, because the audience will be too busy remembering his nude scenes to stay on their feet. (930)

7/15:
-Nomo: Members of Saturday Looks Good to Me make up this Afrobeat band from Ann Arbor. Incidentally, I took the founder's sister to senior prom. Rest assured, I had her home by midnight. (Rock and Roll Hotel)

7/16:
-DJ Shadow w/ Cut Chemist: DJ Shadow makes atmospheric DJ music for those who don't normally like DJs, and Cut Chemist played the chemistry teacher in Juno. (930)

7/19:
-Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin: I've said it before and I'll say it again: This band has an awesome name. (Black Cat)

-George Clinton: You should see George Clinton once before you die. Or before he dies. And unless pot smoke grants immortality, that could happen any day. I once saw him call his granddaughter on stage and she was in her mid-30s. (930)

7/20:
-Yaz: Yay, more respectable '80s bands! (930)

7/22:
-Ting Tings: Bratty Brits make summer anthems. Trust me, you've heard their songs.

7/25:
-Spiritualized: Between this and George Clinton, it must be drug month at the 9:30 Club. This is not a bad thing. (930)

7/26:
-Tilly and The Wall: I usually get annoyed by bands with gimmicks, but these guys have a tap-dancer doing their percussion. That's pretty cool. (Black Cat.)

7/28:
-MGMT: I guess we could pretend that these kids don't like drugs...(9:30)

7/29:
-The Airborne Toxic Event: Anyone who's read White Noise owes it to themselves to see this band. The music's not bad either. (DC9)

-Old 97's: I didn't realize they were still around, but consider this to be a pleasant surprise. (930)

8/1:
-Bon Iver: Folk for the lonely. If this show is half as good as his CD, it'll be one of the best of the summer. (Black Cat)

8/2: We Are Scientist: New-wave-inspired dance rock? Ain't nothing wrong with that. (Black Cat.)

8/2: Aimee Mann: Mellow singer-songwriter with the beautiful voice and a slightly shameful '80s past of her own.