Nightlife Agenda
By Fritz Hahn, Rhome Anderson and David Malitz
washingtonpost.com Staff Writers
Thursday, March 23, 2006; 12:01 AM
Thursday, March 23
It's not often that a band's first show is highly anticipated. After all, it takes a while to build a reputation and to get people to notice. But the rules are different when the group in question consists of a former member of one of the area's best and most popular punk bands (Q and Not U's John Davis) and an acclaimed singer-songerwriter who is just finishing up a stint as an artist in residence at Strathmore (Laura Burhenn). Georgie James makes its D.C. debut tonight at a sure-to-be-packed backstage at the Black Cat. Those expecting Q and Not U redux are going to be in for a bit of a shock, as Georgie James is a straight pop band. No, not what passes for pop nowadays, but instead drawing on influences from the '60s and '70s such as the Kinks, the Zombies, Richard & Linda Thompson and Elvis Costello. Davis and Burhenn trade off and share vocals to wonderful effect on the seven songs on their demo, which bears none of the timidity or ambiguity of many debuts. It's the kind of music that will appeal to fans of Q and Not U's angular post-punk, Burhenn's Fiona Apple-inspired balladry, the Shins' mellow indie-pop and everything in between. Get in on the ground floor; you can start by listening to an interview with the band in our current Nightlife Agenda podcast. It is also available for free through the iTunes store.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/03/22/AR2006032201767.html
