The Aces Take DC By Storm

The Aces, the indie pop-rock quartet out of Utah hit the 9:30 Club stage on Saturday night and brought the house down. Touring in support of their latest album, I’ve Loved You For So Long, my friend Dave and I were blown away by their energetic rock star performance.

The band (lead singer Cristal Ramirez; her sister, drummer Alisa Ramirez; bassist McKenna Petty; and guitarist Katie Henderson) tore through the setlist with new stuff mixed in with some older gems. Clad in matching leather jacket suits with white shirts and ties, the band had such a cool vibe from the start.

Opening with the fantastic single off their latest, “Always Get This Way” a song about struggling with mental health - the song felt like a cathartic release. To sing a song about a dark part of your life, in front of fans that totally have your back and relate to your music seemed so special.

After a few more songs, the band broke out a contender for song of the year, “Girls Make Me Wanna Die”, an absolute banger. Even though the theme and lyrics might not be relatable to this 53-year old, the up-tempo song had me joyfully singing along as the song soared into every part of the club and had the audience bopping along with sheer exuberance.

My favorite song of the night was their performance of “Suburban Blues”. It’s a pop-punk-tinged track about growing up closeted in Utah, with lyrics ruminating on whether there’s any way out of a small town. I can’t emphasize enough the energy the band brought to the crowd, which, the majority, seemed to relate to the band and the issues in life that they’re singing about.

Even a small technical issue couldn’t derail the band - they took a quick break and came back out with a quirky, cool cover of “Hey Ya” from Outkast.

Another great highlight from this amazing night was the pop-rock song “Daydream”, one of their “classics”. The shimmering guitars, infectious bassline and a lyrically-hopeful song was just what everyone needed near the end of a fun night!

The deafening roar of the music and the crowd was still ringing in my ears as we exited the 9:30 Club. This was easily one of my most favorite concerts in the past few years. The Aces are an exciting and talented band that you need to see live.