Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

Moneytown ( myspace.com/moneytowndc )

THE DEEPEST Funk, Soul, Afrobeat Dance party in the Washington Metro Area, is BACK

Friday, April 27th @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 2nd Floor

Shake your assets to HARD grooves, (think James Brown), provided by:
DJ Nitekrawler & DJ LunchMoney

please come out and support!

Oops, strike the date. Moneytown is this Friday, JULY 20TH. Thanks guys!

Anybody read some of the comments from the Late Night Shots Georgetown preppy Republican folks on the City Paper website in response to the cover story? Scary.

Moneytown looks like much more fun. But I'll be out of town for this one.

LNS stuff is pretty entertaining, if only because some of the early outraged comments misuse "hippies" in place of "hipsters."

went to soulfuck last weekend at the black cat and had a blast; i've only been twice but both evenings have been killer fun.

my roommate's band (impossible hair) is playing @ galaxy hut on saturday and i will probably attend. quirky catchy indie jams from the baltimore/dc axis.

also a bro of mine is promoting the sugar and gold (from sf) show saturday at selam. smooth funky 70's/80's electro disco band. never seen a band at selam before; wonder how they'll work that.

finally got around to listening to le loup. um...why the fuss?

Are you gonna be around on Friday, August 3rd? That's the next Moneytown date at R&R Hotel.

I went to one of the soul fucks and definitely had fun. The only thing I might suggest to the DJs is that if they play one song which is slower...maybe 94 BPMs, it might not be such a good idea to play something that's 120 next and so forth. I was trying to dance and sometimes that made it difficult. Music's great though!

Maybe on the 3rd.

Sugar & Gold are playing Selam? OH SNAP! I'll definitely be there.

I thought Selam's DJ nights were on hiatus until their ANC stuff got worked out, but maybe it's a different classification for a band.

sooooooooo if any DC dudes are lookin for something to do on thursday, my band's gonna be playing the rock & roll hotel w/benni hemm hemm and get him eat him. it should be fun; we're debuting our new bass player and a slew of new stuff.

also the john stabb assault as recounted here is some lame, lame, lame bullshit

That's terrible.

In more mundane news: Baltimore rules over DC (says theez folkz sorta)

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/22/AR2007072201244.html

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/blackplasticbag/?p=77

Jason Cherkis' 7-19 blog posting about Dan Deacon

All of this makes me nostalgic for the days when D.C. musicians had such ambition. Maybe they still do? But shit, Baltimore’s music scene is pretty damn stacked.

dc space reunion thang from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the 930 club tonight--footage of bands that played at space showing at the 930 downstairs while upstairs tons of folks for brief sets:

4:ish-5:00 Jeff Krulik –Heavy Metal Picnic + Parking Lot

5:10-5:15 Mark Nickens

5:15-5:25 Traciana Graves

5:25-5:30 Juliana Luecking

5:30-5:40 Luci Murphy

5:45-5:55 Avery Steck

6:00-6:10 Virginia & the Blue Dots

6:15-6:25 Sylvana Straw

6:30-6:40 Charles Blume

6:45-6:55 2 Jens & Some Guy

6:55-7:00 Girl Loves Distortion

7:00-7:10 Hamiet Bluiett

7:15-7:25 I Am Eye

7:30-7:40 Rambling Shadows

7:45-7:55 E. Ethelbert Miller

7:55-8:00 Eric Brace

8:00-8:10 Heavy Metal Picnic

8:15-8:25 The Pietasters

8:30-8:40 Joyce Lacovara

8:40-8:45 Alain Nu

8:45-8:55 The Beatnik Flies

8:55-9:00 Mark Noone

9:00-9:10 Myrrh

9:10-9:15 w/ The Jazz Trio

9:15-9:25 Chuck Brown w/ The Jazz Quintet

9:30-9:40 Reuben Jackson

9:45-9:55 Karl Straub

10:00-10:10 Ruthie & the Wranglers

10:15-10:25 Rustbuckit

10:30-10:40 Oliver Lake

10:45-10:55 Tiny Desk Unit

11:00-11:10 Esmirelda

11:15-11:25 Robert Goldstein

11:30-11:40 The Howling Mad

11:45-11:55 Ajax

12:00-12:10 9353

12:15-12:25 Ottley

12:30-12:40 Morley

12:45-12:55 King Giant

yeah that lineup, crazy.

yeah honestly bmore's music scene kicks dc's ass so hard right now it isn't even funny

Saw part of the dc space thang--Eric Brace sang a country tune in which he mentioned names of bands who had played space--rapeman, big black, manifesto, 9353, 9353, 9353. One of those if you were there it was funny and clever moments...Heavy Metal Picnic was something else. Some guy filmed it a few months before Jeff Krulik & John Heyn did Heavy Metal Parking Lot in 1985. Awesome footage of women heckling crude guys, two dudes getting ready to throw punches until one picks up a beer botel and starts waving it at which point a crowd leaps on him, and some some footage of a band!
Chuck Brown did a nice little set. Hammiet Bluiett squonked. Boyd Farrell, from Black Market Baby, is still a charismatic frontman even if I do not like Rustbuckit's metal-punk sound...

Oh, and on the Baltimore v. DC thing, I see that Jessica Hopper wrote a Baltimore scene report thing for Spin magazine...

Hey guys, just a reminder that this Friday is "Moneytown" at Rock and Roll Hotel. If you like funk, James Brown-ish material, and like dancing, then please come out! It'll be myself and DJ Harry Hotter this month. All 45s.
I'll be dropping quite a few local funk recordings from the early 70s, so for those of you interested in that kind of thing, please support! Here's our MySpace page: www.myspace.com/moneytowndc

-Kevin / DJ Nitekrawler

Ah, so it is still on. I had not seen it mentioned in the RnR Hotel ad or the Washington City Paper dj listings so I thought it might have been cancelled. But I see it is posted at the RnR Hotel website --9:30 p.m. on for free.

And the night before is that Chris Richards Crowd Control dj thing at DC 9.

so not to play negative nancy here but if anyone would like to hear exactly what is wrong with the majority of the dc rokk scene in the mid-aughts, the blog 1n$trum3nt4l 4n4ly$1$ has an mp3 mix up that summarizes the case nicely. 40 bands/songs! no more than five or six good ones! many of those only good considering their peers!

if i hear another band pulling that overenunciated, overserious, draaaaaaaaaaawn out vowel "yearning" big big big phoney baloney bullshit vocal style i'm going to scream. there are a few good bands around here and things aren't actually as bad as that thing makes it look but...yeesh.

So do you think Baltimore's Double Dagger are godlike also? I checked out their myspace page and was impressed, but I'm not sure that I'm ready to join your pal (and others)in proclaiming them kings of da local scene.

If I can figure out the name of that blog, I might check it out.

In reference to a different genre, I saw that the TMOTTGG blog was encouraging go-go bands to to originals and not just covers. That latter approach has been going on for 30 years. Good luck in trying to change it. Some go-go covers I like, but that version of "Umbrella(ella ella ella)" that's getting played on the radio is pretty formulaic instrumentally and the vocal is not that awe-inspiring.

haha, i think i was a little overzealous with the googleproofing there.

i'd put double dagger more in the category of "really good band" than "greatest thing ever," but i certainly dig them.

haven't heard the "umbrella" cover yet, but i'll have to - i usually like go-go covers.

Double Dagger is good, but they totally sound like they should be on Dischord!

The umbrella cover (if it's the lissen version we're talking about) isn't so hot.

I am on the Take Me Out to the Go-go (TMOTTGogo) e-mail list, and they (or just Kato?) also have a website and an online radio show. I have no idea what some of the e-mails mean though. Just got this for example (I wonder if the upcoming webradio feature will be archived so I could figure out what it is all about--I haven't tried googling it--maybe that "infamous" reference is just hyperbole):

THE HIGHLAND 25th ANNIVERSARY!!!

Monday, August 6 (10:00am – 12:00noon)
We will be celebrating 25 Years of the Infamous Rare Essence Highland Tape....
since this weekend marks that 25th Anniversary of one of the most famous
PA Tapes ever made in the history of Go-Go!

Did the Crowd Control dj thing Thursday night at DC 9, and the Moneytown funk 45s and Afrobeat lps thing Friday night upstairs at the Rock n Roll Hotel. Crowd Control was fun and had a fair amount of folks dancing including a couple of guys breakdancing. I was surprised how much Chris Richards and Dave Nada stuck to playing hits old and new--Madonna, Jackson 5, Sean Paul, Tribe C. Quest, Q Tip solo, Notorious BIG, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder...I was tired and left at midnight--The Committee, a rap group (who have a go-go mix out) had not yet come onstage yet. The postcard for the night was a takeoff on the Minor Threat Out of Step ep (whichever one had the drawing with the black sheep going away from the white sheep) except they added a black guy among the white sheep.

DJ Nitecrawler Kevin at the RnR Hotel stuck to obscure funk and soul 45s (except for James Brown). He really knows his stuff. The other dj played some obscure Ghanian and Nigerian afrobeat lp tracks. All pretty danceable except most folks there were just hanging out, drinking and playing pool. It was fun also. Not that big a turnout considering it was free.

But I missed all the live music this weekend: Bobbie Womack and Millie Jackson and more at Showplace Arena; LCD Soundsystem and others at Virgin Fest; Otis Taylor and Aretha at Sandy Point; the Jamaican embassy thing at the OAS; Aquarium at Fort Reno Thursday

It was good to have you there at Moneytown on Friday, but you're right about the dancing issue. The venue has problems with their speakers and sound system and the EQ and volumes levels make it more like someone's car sans bass. I'm looking to move the night somewhere more dancefloor-friendly....maybe DC 9.

Yea DC 9 is a bit more dancefloor-friendly but I kinda like the RnR Hotel upstairs despite the inferior soundsystem and lack of an establish dancefloor area. It has the various rooms and the couches and pool tables. Somehow, you gotta develop a bigger Moneytown following.

That would be another reason to move - it's a bitch to develop a following out at RnR.

after our last experience playing there i'm not exactly itching to go back.

I'll be working at bringing in more people for the Moneytown thing. My other nights round DC do do extremely well, however. Got one coming up this Thursday. People definitely dance at this one, as the system goes loud...and well the crowd that I get loves it. Here's the info:

HEAT
THIS THURSDAY
August 9th (monthly, every second Thursday)
9:45PM-close (No Cover)
Saint Ex, Gate 54 (14th and T, NW DC) http://www.saint-ex.com/location.html

Dance Floor Funk+Uptempo Soul = HOT. We're talking 70's Soul Brother material......from straight ahead jams with that James Brown punch, to funky island covers. Rated as one of DC's top nightlife events in On Tap Magazine and recently mentioned by NBC 4! ( http://www.nbc4.com/dcscene/13688511/detail.html )

This month featuring DJ Nitekrawler and DJ Lunch Money
Set your soul on fire!

As a last resort, you guys should come out for my Wonderland Night. That night is super outta-control so if you want to dance, there is no better and it's been solid for over 2 years. Here's that info:

BREAKIN' GLASS
Saturday, August 18th (monthly, every third Sat)
10PM-3am
Wonderland Ballroom, (11th and Kenyon, Columbia Heights in NW DC)
OldSchoolHiphop*80s*Electro*Funk*Disco
DJs Nitekrawler & Lunch Money

Boogie til' your glass hits the floor. No Cover!

Thanks for the publicity curmudgeon!

http://www.GoingOutTonightDC.com

Thanks for the publicity curmudgeon!

www.GoingOutTonightDC

Wow, so people pay you folks to tell them the answers to those questions- "Are you on vacation in DC and not quite sure where to go for a fun night out?
Are you new to DC and haven't found your nightlife niche?
Do you frequently visit the DC area for
business and want to get the most out of your evenings?
Would you like a special evening out and just don't have time to do the planning?"

Reviews of Going Out Tonight DC,

"Everyone's got a racket" -- curmudgeon, Friday, July 6, 2007 11:17 PM

Ever heard of the tourist industry, wedding industry, special occasion planning, event planning, conference and meeting planners, concierge services?

You might want to look it up. There's a high demand for services in these industries and we happily serve them all and very well!

Again, thanks for the publicity!

The question nitekrawler and i are pondering is what happened to old DC soul singer Eddie Daye? Have he and Denise moved out of the area?

ISO
Mark Opsasnick would like to conduct interviews with the following individuals, most of whom performed in the Washington, D.C. area during the fifties and/or sixties. If you know their whereabouts or if you have any biographical information about them and/or the bands they played in please send Me an email and I will forward the contact to him

THE THREE OF US TRIO
Clarence Dillard – guitar
Laurence Farrell – drums
Charles Kelly – saxophone/vocals
I have an ad for Clarence Dillard working as a solo performer at the old Club Bali in Washington, D.C. from 1949.
The Three of Us Trio started off as an R&B band and then worked almost every early-era rock and roll club in town from 1952 to 1960.

THE THREE JACKS
Bill Abernathy
Paul Rose
Sonny Kline
The Three Jacks started off as a backing group for pop singer Mary Martell at the Quonset Inn in Silver Hill, Maryland in early 1953.
From mid-1953 to 1960 they worked a number of nightclubs in the Washington area, including a long stretch at the Wheel Bar on Bladensburg Road in Colmar Manor, Maryland.

CHUCK BENNETT
Real name – Charles Avery. He sang with Link Wray and the Raymen for many years in the fifties and sixties and also worked with a variety of other rock and roll bands in the nation’s capital. Is Chuck still with us?

GEORGE EADES
This early-era rock and roll singer worked many local nightclubs including a long stay at Jack Rowe’s in Southeast Washington, D.C. in 1952-53.

"CJ" – CHARLIE JONES (The Fallen Angels)
CJ was the original guitarist for the Fallen Angels back in the mid-sixties. I have never been able to track him down, though he is believed to be living in St. Petersburg, Florida.

MARY MARTELL
Whatever happened to this popular singer from the fifties?

DICK WEBB
Dick Webb was a rock and roll singer that hailed from Anacostia and in the early sixties worked many local nightclubs like Guy’s, the Alpine Room and the Rocket Room with Charlie Daniels and the Jaguars. Webb also released several singles for Epic Records during this time.

DICK WILLIAMS
This country/pop/jazz singer-guitarist worked the local clubs (The Famous, the Ozarks, Strick’s, etc.) back in the fifties and early sixties. He recorded several singles for RCA. I believe he has passed on, but I’m hoping to obtain some biographical information about him.

I shoulda gone to the John Stabb benefit tonight...

I never made it to Fort Dupont this summer. Their soul and funk oldies shows were not as good as in past years. No Stone Soul Picnic at RFK Stadium for me today either. Just off to work on a Saturday (ugh).

Was just up in NYC. Other Music had a few (but not enough) photos on their walls from former DC resident and harDCore bandmember Bert Queiroiz who's living up in Brooklyn and working at OM.

Anything new and exciting, folks?

crossroads sept. 9 - buju banton and beenie man. don't know if i can do the $40 ticket though.

i did find a place here in b-more that does a weekly reggae band/dancehall dj thing on sundays

Did anyone catch the Spectrum show at the Black Cat backstage yesterday? I found out about it too late and wasn't able to make it.

I was reviewing Beach House so I did not get to see Mr. Sonic Boom/Spaceman 3.

Amon--

Crossroads shows never start on time either.

----------

Upthread we were talking about folks being more excited by Baltimore rock bands than dc ones, and I see they're posting about that at the W. City Paper blog as well. They're getting enthusiastic and nostalgic about Pat Graham's new photo book of early 90s era DC bands.

I'm working on a few new venues now...

Marv!n, just north of 14th & U, is a belgian/soul food bistro with an upstairs cocktail bar and DJ booth. This will be like a slightly smaller but nicer version of the basement at Saint-Ex. They'll be doing funk and soul DJ nights. Roof deck, too. Should be open in a month.

T0wn is going into the old ki1i's cafe space at 8th & U. Primarily gay club, two floors, 1200+ person occupancy. Downstairs will have cabaret/drag shows and DJs later, the larger upstairs will be more of a pure dance venue. Massive soundproofing. Open until 5 on weekends. Opening Oct-Nov.

hm, excitingish local stuff...the blues control/psychedelic horseshit/pink reason show last thursday at 611 fla. was insanely good.

might go to see rah dunes, aunt dracula, lakes, and coconuts at current in bmore tonight. haven't decided if i'm going to deerhunter on thursday.

also we're playing at velvet this friday, then the black cat next tuesday with julie ocean and the hoodoo gurus, which should be weird.

The DJ Hut record store caught on fire. Not good. Channel 4 and the City Paper blog and that dc soul chatboard that nitekrawler posts to have more details.

In more upbeat news, that Ethiopian Millennium show at the DC Armory Sat. September 8th is scheduled to run from 8 to 4 in the morning.

That's the second time in the last couple years that there's been a fire in that building that started at Albertos.

DJ Hut used to house 12" Dance, which was there for 17 years before closing in 2002.

Is that show seriously going to run until 4am at the armory?!? I know they used to have a rule there that all events had to end by midnight, which led to the oddity of the old Ultraworld raves (still the best events I've ever been to) starting at noon.

Starting Sept. 21, Buzz is going weekly again for the first time since 2002 (when they returned to Nation after the shutdown it was as Cubik). They'll be at Fur. We'll see how that pans out.

X-post. Yep, good ol' 12 " Dance Records. As for the Armory, hmmmm, I'm trying to remember how late that Los Tigres Del Norte show at the Armory I reviewed last winter ran. The website for the Ethiopian show says that's the time. I was gonna try to find out more details, but it has not been easy so far. I saw a poster on the wall at Dama, an Ethiopian restaurant in Arlington, advertising Ethiopian Millenium celebrations. I then did some googling and found
http://www.ethiopianmillennium2000.com/millennium.html It does not list the names of the performers (unless the Amharaic writing does so, but not in English!) so I e-mailed them for more information. It took 3 e-mails for them to understand that I wanted the first and last names of the performers (they ultimately sent me such names for a handful of the 25 performers).

On Wednesday September 12 there is also an Ethiopian Milennium celebration near the Washington Monument. I have no details on that.

So the Deerhunter show in DC was just on Black Cat's backstage? I would have thought that with the attention they've gotten this year they'd be on the mainstage. I can never figure out DC rock audiences these days and who's popular. So the (overrated, but with a few nice mellowish Leonard Cohen singing with a Brit sounding group) National are playing 2 nights at the 930 club.

I need to see the Points.

So there's a myspace site for restaurant/club Selam

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=129668564