Ethan Tasch’s Chill Getaway at DC9

washington, d.c. - june 22, 2024

Photo Creds: @ethan_tasch

It’s Saturday night in Washington, D.C., and people from all over the area are packed into one of the city’s most iconic venues to see a musician embracing the art of a relaxed listening environment. Ethan Tasch, on his first headlining tour, played to fans hits from his debut album Got Him!, -- released July of 2023 -- as well as older singles and an unreleased work.

Tasch first drifted through earbuds with his song “Room” released in 2020, the piece now boasting over 15 million streams on Spotify. On Got Him!, he continues to explore his inner thoughts and feelings -- a sentiment familiar on his earlier EP Sang About It -- and asserts his distinct, country-folk voice that matches up perfectly with the twang of a banjo.

In patched-up jeans, Tasch kicked off his show with “Holdup,” the electric guitar he supported adding a more rock-based feel to the previously mellow song. With playful banter, and pointing off into the distance of the audience, Tasch announced the next song was “He’s Getting Away!” the opening number of his album. While dancing around on stage, tapping his feet to the beat, and smiling at those singing along, he created an almost small-town feel to the bustling venue right in the heart of the city.

At two points during the show, Tasch’s touring band members played a hoppy, incredibly jovial drum-bass interlude as the man of the hour switched from electric to acoustic, or vice versa. Tasch explained that this minute segway served as “a way to keep the crowd engaged while I tune,” and the spirited number did more than just that: it kept everyone lighthearted and ready to dance.

Also from his debut, Tash performed “Love and Japan” and “Whattaya Say.” He continued with his charismatic energy despite both songs’ more melancholy nature, ultimately reminding the audience that even depressing situations can be something worth swaying to. 

About halfway through the set, the artist announced the winner of a Shell Gas Station gift card, a running bit promoted on his Instagram in which one fan from each show is selected to win the coveted prize. After the award, Tasch played “Good News” before stepping back in time to perform his first single, “Room.”

After promising the crowd that “this is my last song, and no amount of applause can make me do one, or two more,” he pulled out a harmonica, thus sending the crowd into a cheering frenzy and “concluded” with “Come Onn,” the audience singing and laughing with him.

Despite his words, the willful chant of hands clapping, and the hoots and hollers all around DC9 brought Tasch back on stage where he played an unreleased song called “Canvas” before ultimately wrapping up the show with the penultimate track on Got Him! “Wherever I Am.”

Tasch’ youthful energy coupled with his never-ceasing bright smile did more than keep the mass of people in front of him just as high-spirited as he was: it served as a reminder of how great music brings people together, all under the sounds of a drum, a bass, and an electric that switches to an acoustic during a particularly merry interlude.

Photo Creds: @ethan_tasch