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LIVE REVIEW + INTERVIEW: Michigander – Washington, D.C. 04/19/2023

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LIVE REVIEW + INTERVIEW: Michigander – Washington, D.C. 04/19/2023


From America’s heartland, singer-songwriter Michigander’s new EP It Will By no means Be The Identical may no more precisely describe the profession he’s led and the tour that’s adopted. From performing to solely “12 individuals” —  as he described on stage at DC9 in Washington, D.C. on April nineteenth — to a sold-out room of screaming followers, it’s clear that his period of uncertainty and futility is lengthy gone. Since his first EP Midland, launched 2018, Jason Singer has carried out at festivals like Lollapalooza, launched a number of extra singles and EPs, and toured across the nation with teams like Manchester Orchestra. Nevertheless, his 2023 tour It Will By no means Be The Identical is symbolic of not solely the themes of change that the EP covers, however consultant of the brand new steps Singer is taking in his work as a musician.

Previous to the present, Singer spoke with B-Sides and confessed how this tour has been one of many first ones “the place persons are exhibiting up and promoting out reveals.” His live performance at DC9 was one of many first reveals to promote out when tickets have been launched, and as he travels across the nation in an unlimited black van, he displays on how the entire occasion feels “fairly surreal. There’s loads of cool reveals that I’ve by no means had occur earlier than, so it feels actually cool.”

Making his manner onto the stage to cheering followers and widespread applause, Singer and his band opened with “Keep Out Of It,” the second music on the brand new EP. With lovely purple-pink lights, Singer captivated his viewers together with his melodic voice and charismatic vitality. It Will By no means Be The Identical was conceived lengthy earlier than its precise launch, and Singer described the lengthy journey it took to carry out it stay. “I began making it in 2020, recorded all of it, after which redid it. After which I broke my leg, so then we put it off. It’s been finished for a really very long time.”

On stage, Singer performs a few of his earlier works — joking concerning the politics of D.C. between them — earlier than bursting into “In My Head,” a observe he collaborated with Manchester Orchestra on. He follows with “Saturday,” each these songs getting the group on their toes and belting out the phrases alongside him. With the intense crimson lights, his band’s dynamic really feel, and Singer’s very personal infectious vitality, it’s exhausting to not be swept up within the pleasure and buzz. 

In “Cannonball,” the final music on the EP and Singer’s private favourite, the musician goes silent all through the refrain to listen to the viewers’s booming cry of the lyrics he wrote, amplifying the love that encompassed the room and the feel-good nature of his music. It Will By no means Be The Identical focuses on the necessity to settle for change, and Singer provides that “we’re form of compelled to vary. And so I feel there are methods to vary and be a greater individual whereas nonetheless honoring who you might be as a gaggle and the place you got here from, in order that’s form of what [the EP] is about.”

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Taking a pause from all the joy, Michigander takes out an acoustic guitar, asking the group to stay quiet as he sings certainly one of his first songs “Nineties.” Stepping away from the mic so he can scream the lyrics in, like David Bowie roaring on “Heroes,” Singer elevates the already nostalgic really feel of the piece and drives dwelling his resounding message of wishing for one thing secure. With the foremost accomplishments Singer skilled since “Nineties,” a seemingly unending itinerary of manufacturing after manufacturing, the fixed must create and proceed pursuing the subsequent nice piece will not be hidden from his thoughts. “ I want I may similar to, shut down for like, one other 12 months or one thing. After which they arrive again and do it. Nevertheless it’s exhausting to cease when you form of have like momentum. It’s like, after getting that momentum going, sadly, the business lends properly to individuals who simply preserve going, proper?”

The beat picks again up in direction of the top of his set, Singer ending off on “Superglue,” with everybody within the room dancing, laughing, and cementing this evening of their minds perpetually. For one thing that Singer has “wished for [his] complete life,” the absurdity of performing sold-out reveals will not be misplaced on him. However the truth of the matter is he has reached a brand new actuality, one the place his abilities are greater than appreciated, however celebrated to the very best diploma.

Teasing a debut album launch subsequent 12 months, Singer has declared that his life as a musician won’t ever finish. However what he finds most satisfying on this career is the second when he’s “in a room with a bunch of strangers and we’re all singing this silly little music that I made perpetually in the past.” So finally sure, it’s going to by no means be the identical because it as soon as was, however as an alternative of the phrase ringing a bitter-sweet tune, it chimes the rock notes of the start of brilliance.



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Washington, D.C

Preparations underway in DMV for snowstorm

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Preparations underway in DMV for snowstorm


Local and state snow crews are preparing to treat secondary and neighborhood streets throughout D.C., Maryland and Virginia.

“It’s me and three other fellas, so it’s fairly small,” said Jason Swain with the Department of Public Works in Kensington Maryland.

He says his team may be small, but they’re mighty and ready.

“We get the plows ready, make sure everything’s working,” Swain said. “We have salt, which has been kindly given to us by the state, ready to put into the spreaders.”

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He says the biggest hurdle when plowing snow, oftentimes, is cars.

“Some people don’t have driveways, but if they’re going to park on the street, try not to park directly across from each other because when we come through, you literally got inches between the edge of our plow and the cars,” Swain said.

In the District, plenty of people decided to step out before snow crews put plow to pavement for a potential all day snow event.

“Mayor Bowser activated the snow team, and they’ll begin their operations tonight, treating and then plowing roads throughout the day tomorrow,” said Clint Osborn with the District’s Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency.

D.C.’s smaller plows will be on back roads and alleys, while heavy trucks will focus on primary streets.

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“We’ll have a full deployment out throughout all day tomorrow into Monday as we support the inaugural activities in the District,” Osborn said.

Icy conditions in Prince George’s County during the region’s last snowstorm led to different strategies this go round.

In a statement, the county’s Department of Public Works and Transportation says, “We have implemented adjustments to strengthen our response, and these improvements have prepared us for this round of winter weather.”

The biggest piece of advice for tomorrow:

“Tomorrow would be a good day, since it’s a Sunday, to stay home,” Swain said. “Read a book, have some hot chocolate, relax. Can come out after we finish.”

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Days before Trump takes office, thousands of protestors march in Washington, D.C.

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Days before Trump takes office, thousands of protestors march in Washington, D.C.


WASHINGTON (AP) — Thousands of people from around the United States rallied in the nation’s capital Saturday for women’s reproductive rights and other causes they believe are under threat from the incoming Trump administration, reprising the original Women’s March days before President-elect Donald Trump’s second inauguration.

READ MORE: Trump arriving in nation’s capital for inaugural celebrations to mark his return to power

Eight years after the first historic Women’s March at the start of Trump’s first term, marchers said they were caught off guard by Trump’s victory and are determined now to show that support remains strong for women’s access to abortion, for transgender people, for combating climate change and other issues.

The march is just one of several protests, rallies and vigils focused on abortion, rights, immigration rights and the Israel-Hamas war planned in advance of inauguration Monday. Around the country, over 350 similar marches are taking place in every state.

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Jill Parrish of Austin, Texas, said she initially bought a plane ticket to Washington for what she expected to be Democratic Vice President Kamala Harris’s inauguration. She wound up changing the dates to march in protest ahead of Trump’s swearing-in instead, saying the world should know that half of U.S. voters didn’t support Trump.

“Most importantly, I’m here to demonstrate my fear, about the state of our democracy,” Parrish said.

Demonstrators staged in squares around Washington ahead of the march, pounding drums and yelling chants under a slate-gray sky and in a chilly wind. Protesters then marched to the Lincoln Memorial for larger rally and fair, where organizations at the local, state and national level will host information tables.

They held signs with slogans including, “Save America” and “Against abortions? Then don’t have one” and “Hate won’t win.”

There were brief moments of tension between protesters and Trump supporters. The march paused briefly when a man in a red Make America Great Again hat and a green camo backpack walked into a line of demonstrators at the front. Police intervened and separated him from the group peacefully as marchers chanted “We won’t take the bait.”

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As the protesters approached the Washington Monument, a small group of men in MAGA hats walking in the opposite direction appeared to draw the attention of a protest leader with a megaphone. The leader veered closer to the group and began chanting “No Trump, no KKK” through the megaphone. The groups were separated by high black fencing and police officers eventually gathered around.

Rick Glatz, of Manchester, New Hampshire, said he came to Washington for the sake of his four granddaughters: ” I’m a grandpa. And that’s why I’m marching.”

Minnesota high school teacher Anna Bergman wore her original pink pussy hat from her time in the 2017 Women’s March, a moment that captured the shock and anger of progressives and moderates at Trump’s first win.

With Trump coming back now, “I just wanted to be surrounded by likeminded people on a day like today,” Bergman said.

Rebranded and reorganized, the rally has a new name — the People’s March — as a means to broaden support, especially during a reflective moment for progressive organizing after Trump’s decisive win in November. The Republican takes the oath of office Monday.

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Women outraged over Trump’s 2016 presidential win flocked to Washington in 2017 and organized large rallies in cities throughout the country, building the base of a grassroots movement that became known as the Women’s March. The Washington rally alone attracted over 500,000 marchers, and millions more participated in local marches around the country, marking one of the largest single-day demonstrations in U.S. history.

This year, the crowd was far fewer than the expected 50,000 participants, already just one-tenth the size of the first march. The demonstration comes amid a restrained moment of reflection as many progressive voters navigate feelings of exhaustion, disappointment and despair after Harris’ loss.

WATCH: Harris loss causes some to question what it will take to elect a woman president

“Before we do anything about democracy, we have to fight our own despair,” said one of the event’s first speakers, Rachel O’Leary Carmona, executive director of Women’s March.

The comparative quiet contrasts sharply with the white-knuckled fury of the inaugural rally as massive crowds shouted demands over megaphones and marched in pink pussyhats in response to Trump’s first election win.

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“The reality is that it’s just hard to capture lightning in a bottle,” said Tamika Middleton, managing director at the Women’s March. “It was a really particular moment. In 2017, we had not seen a Trump presidency and the kind of vitriol that that represented.”

The movement fractured after that hugely successful day of protests over accusations that it was not diverse enough. This year’s rebrand as a People’s March is the result of an overhaul intended to broaden the group’s appeal. Saturday’s demonstration promoted themes related to feminism, racial justice, anti-militarization and other issues and ended with discussions hosted by various social justice organizations.

The People’s March is unusual in the “vast array of issues brought together under one umbrella,” said Jo Reger, a sociology professor who researches social movements at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. Women’s suffrage marches, for example, were focused on a specific goal of voting rights.

For a broad-based social justice movement such as the march, conflicting visions are impossible to avoid and there is “immense pressure” for organizers to meet everyone’s needs, Reger said. But she also said some discord isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

“Often what it does is bring change and bring in new perspectives, especially of underrepresented voices,” Reger said.

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Middleton, of the Women’s March, said a massive demonstration like the one in 2017 was not the goal of Saturday’s event. Instead, it’s goal was focusing attention on a broader set of issues — women’s and reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, immigration, climate and democracy — rather than centering it more narrowly around Trump.

“We’re not thinking about the march as the endgame,” Middleton said. “How do we get those folks who show up into organizations and into their political homes so they can keep fighting in their communities long term?”

Associated Press writers Gary Fields, Ellen Knickmeyer and Mike Pesoli contributed to this report.



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DCA warns flyers to bundle up after heating system outage

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DCA warns flyers to bundle up after heating system outage


The primary heating system at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) has been out since Friday evening, and the airport is warning travelers to bundle up before they arrive.

“We apologize for any discomfort to travelers as we work diligently to return the heat to normal levels,” DCA said on its website.

DCA is still operational, and the broken heating system has not affected flights, TSA or airline operations, or any of the shops and restaurants inside. Temperatures outside in Alexandria hovering around 45 degrees Fahrenheit, and according to a statement from the airport, temperatures inside the building are “generally in the 60s.”

“We are conserving heat in the building and are running alternate heating sources in a few locations,” DCA said in a statement posted to X.

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Airport maintenance crews are working to repair the heating system, and have been since Friday night.



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