Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

curmudgeon speaks the truth on the Chief Ike's piece.

I spent a weirdly large portion of my young adulthood there, looking at things embedded in the lucite of the bar and generally letting the 90s spool out behind me. Measured out in shots of Jim Beam and warbly acid house.

It was rather better suited for djs than for rock bands. For a typical three-band bill, half the room would be taken up by the amps and drums of the bands yet to play. And then they would play, at floor level, to an audience of their girlfriends and roomates and co-workers, totaling a healthy dozen people.

Lotsa comments posted on the Chief Ike's article. Some taking Al to task (at least 1 written by someone who worked there) and others grumbling about the rich kids in town now who just want to go to fancy restaurants.

The Joel Harrison piece covers an even older period of DC history (talking about Danny Gatton, Roy Buchanan, Evan Johns). For you tldr types:

Has anyone come up with an explanation for that whole era from Roy to Danny and Evan, these guitarists interested in such diverse types of American music?

I tried to put my fingers on it in my liner notes to Mother Stump. It took me a long time to try to figure this out, but Washington, especially back then, was both a Southern and a Northern town. You had bluegrass emanating up from the Blue Ridge Mountains with the Seldom Scene and the Country Gentlemen; you had the rocking country and rockabilly thing coming in from Southern Maryland; you had the African-American community with jazz and influences coming in from Baltimore and New York and Philly and the soul and funk sound; and under-girding all this was the blues. It was a town where all these different classes and cultures mixed even though it was a very segregated place, except the music wasn’t segregated. Free form radio was around back then so you could hear this music all the time. More than other places it was kind of a crossroads kind of town.

Harrison also used to go to Fort Reno way back when.

I always admired Gatton from a bit of a distance; I'm sure I have seen him but can't remember when or where. Charlie Byrd is a major fave too; last time I saw him may have been 1992 or so; he played "Blue Skies" and "Satin Doll" in the space in Reston that is now a skating rink. Somewhere around here I have his book of fingerstyle samba tunes.

My interest in Gatton was also from a distance. Now Evan Johns & the H Bombs rockabilly group I liked. Wiki bio for him sadly says he had alcohol-related health issues, and has not done anything musically since the late 90s.

Charlie Byrd I know from my Dad talking about him, and then me getting into Brazilian music. I heard him discussed (and the music he recorded in Col. Hts) at a recent DC music Salon at the Shaw library.

As for the new guys in the article--

I am intrigued by guitarist Anthony Pirog. Cool that he plays punk house shows, duo efforts with a cellist, experimental jazz things, roots rock with Dave Kitchen Band, and this Saturday's thing at JVs.

Fun time seeing Harrison, Pirog and others do rockabilly, blues, country and stuff Saturday at JVs. Their grizzled regulars, smelling of cigs and many budweisers, seemed to like it; as did the rest of us (not that there was a huge crowd-- 50 or so, which makes that small place seem full).

I forgot this guy was still cranking out reviews of DC gigs

http://dcrocklive.blogspot.com/

http://blog.leica-camera.com/photographers/interviews/chris-suspect-suspect-device-at-leica-gallery-dc/

punk photos exhibit

http://dcist.com/2015/04/an_interview_with_the_dc_dog.php

Thought this was an April Fools Day thing, but nope, this guy dresses up like a hot dog whenever the Nashville band Diarrhea Planet comes to town

the Mayor has approved a Funk Parade route that goes from the Howard Theatre to the Lincoln Theatre

May 2nd

http://bandwidth.wamu.org/bandwidths-favorite-d-c-songs-of-2015-so-far/

Oddisee and Kali Uchis tracks are nice

http://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/as-dc-slept-uk-electronic-music-veteran-clark-summoned-madness/2015/04/03/c4ef636c-da29-11e4-b3f2-607bd612aeac_story.html

Either this Clark guy is not that popular, or I guess DC electronic music fans don't want to dance Thursday night?Friday morning at 2 am

Despite a drowsy turnout, those that stayed up got a show worth losing sleep over.

I would have liked to go to that but can't do 2 am on a weekday.

had a couple hundred people for the show, certainly not a disappointing turnout for a niche artist on a weeknight

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestofdc/artsandentertainment/2015/best-public-access-hand-dance-tv-show

hand dancing on Wednesday night public access tv show taping at the Chateau on Benning Rd NE with Breeze, Dancing Tony and Geatch the Black French Chef

The show runs online at the dctv website the same time as it airs on the public access channel

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/bestofdc/poll/artsandentertainment/2015/best-local-original-band

Readers pick: Dan Wolff & the Muddy Crows

Readers say:
"Talented, engaging, and good looking to boot!"

Never heard of 'em

the City Paper best of reader picks are just social media lobbying contests at this point

I know that (there are ads I have seen saying vote for us in City Paper readers poll), just observing that I had never noticed this band's name in club listings and at the moment, can't be bothered to go see if they have a website that lists where they play or who they are.

Most people have probably never heard of my critic pick public access show item for the best of issue either.

http://gp1.wac.edgecastcdn.net/802892/production_public/Artist/1451020/image/1420240654_TheMuddyCrows-12.jpg

If their wardrobe is any indication it's probably better that we haven't heard them.

DC's Mumford & Sons it appears.

http://www.arlnow.com/2015/04/10/can-a-tech-startup-save-artisphere/

We'll have to wait and see

I'm out of touch. Barely recognized any of the names of bands who were at that Damaged City hardcore thang at St Stephens and elsewhere.

And the ones I do know, I keep waiting to see if they will eventually get more crossover attention , but it never seems to happen

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2015/04/16/go-going-the-distance-how-go-go-is-finding-its-place-in-the-digital-age/

Natalie Hopkinson, go-go book author talking with Nico of go-go radio live. Some interesting stuff.

No mention of Go-go Radio Live's competitor for online attention--Take Me Out to the Go-go or of WKYS Mon to Thurs 9:30pm to 9:55 pm or so go-go programming

Finally saw Priests live tonight. Lived up to the hype.

http://dcist.com/2015/04/clara_barton_sessions.php

Description of this project sounds interesting

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2015/04/17/michelle-blackwell-looks-back-on-15-years-as-go-gos-leading-lady/

one more thing from CP

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/youngandhungry/2015/04/20/record-your-own-music-and-eat-a-sandwich-at-songbyrd-record-cafe-now-open-in-adams-morgan/

Gonna see Little Margie from old-school dc soulful girlgroup the Jewels tonight from 6 to 9 pm at Westminster Church in SW DC. Then might see reunited '60s psych rock band Godz at Galaxy Hut later

i think an ilxor wrote this about a band my friend is in:http: noisey.vice.com/blog/beauty-pill-describes-things-as-they-are-interview-profile-2015

They have 3 Artisphere gigs coming up --Thursday through Saturday nights.

Unreleated:

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/capitalcomment/sports/did-the-nationals-dump-chuck-brown.php

When a band gets stamped with the label “DIY,” that usually means it’s got independently released music on Bandcamp and a string of house shows under its belt. In other words, DIY could describe a lot of bands that are just starting out.

“It seems like a useless word to me because if you’re doing a band, aren’t you already doing it yourself?” says D.C. punk vocalist Katie Alice Greer, 26. “It’s a word that has totally lost its meaning, except that it’s a marketing term. It’s marketable to people.”

http://bandwidth.wamu.org/even-after-its-10th-release-d-c-punk-label-sister-polygon-is-still-stoked/

versus

Live, it’s clear that the North Country is a product of D.C.’s DIY scene; the band mixes up styles and tempos on the fly, radiating the explosive enthusiasm that’s become a pillar of house shows at spots like Paperhaus and Bathtub Republic, the band’s home base.

guy is talking about a dc folk-rock band in this dc alt-weekly article

National Park Service is forcing the Smithsonian Folklife Fest to be drastically cut back, as has been previously discussed. While the NPS is installing expensive, special grass on the mall with underground irrigation, this year's Folklife Fest will just have one theme, Peru, and take place near the Museum of the American Indian. There will be only 1 stage, and performances will only take place in the evenings, with no daily shows (gotta protect that grass ).

so the gf has been in dc for a contract, staying at some woman's airbnb but the woman is kinda terrible and we're looking to have her relocate

anyone know of any good places to live for exactly 2 months?

Maybe Hoos does?

Oh, the Folklife Fest will have daily shows, they just will be on a small stage in an area near the Museum of the American Indian, but not on the main part of the mall.

anyone know of any good places to live for exactly 2 months?

― iatee, Tuesday, April 28, 2015 3:33 PM (2 days ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i can ask around a few of the places i can think of but be forewarned its mostly hippie houses

After the Funk parade, DC's Eastern High and Brooklyn's Royal Knights marching bands and dancers engaged in a drumline/dancers/horn players battle of the bands on 12th st just above U St.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7sFXSlPspI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_kUZeZxahg8 check out the vieo at the 2 min 47 sec part till near the end. I also saw Junkyard Band earlier, and later soulman Lee Fields before a tiny crowd at the Howard

RIP Derek House Colquitt, bassist of the Junkyard Band who just died Sunday afternoon in a motorcycle accident

i can ask around a few of the places i can think of but be forewarned its mostly hippie houses

thx hoos..we actually ended up finding a place in foggy bottom

dc is cool I like dc

are you around much? we should kick it

An obit with quotes from family and friends

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/junkyard-band-loses-bassist-derek-colquitt-in-motorcycle-crash/2015/05/04/465564f0-f272-11e4-b2f3-af5479e6bbdd_story.html

yep I'll be around on random weekends for the next two months, I'll hit you up the next time

It's go-go drummers and percussionists sitting in week:

Tonight at little Bossa in Adams Morgan, veteran go-go great JuJu House will be playing with Sitali, a kind of middle-eastern folk group. Wonder if he will throw in any go-go rhythms?

On Sunday night at 8 at the Kennedy Center there's a Miles Davis & go-go tribute with NY-based, DC raised jazz pianist (and former gogo keyboardist with Northeast Groovers) Marc Cary adding go-go percussionist Go-Go Mickey and trap drummer Kenny Kwick Gross to his jazz lineup that will be doing Miles Davis songs that Ricky Wellman(who wasa member of Chuck Brown & Miles' bands) had played on.

don't quite agree with all this, just some of it. I think there's still plenty to do in town without attending the dj events he is dissing (some of which might even be more fun than some local musician events). Also, over the years some have dealt with high city rents, by gasp! living in cheaper burb locales-- go-go musicians, garage rockers, Fugazi members, rappers....

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/going-out-guide/wp/2015/05/08/where-the-wild-things-arent-olivia-neutron-john-crash-lands-in-washington/

excerpt:

How about music scenes? Can they be rewilded? A scene is a cultural ecosystem of sorts — and Washington’s could certainly use some help. Surging rents have exiled too many inventive artists to Baltimore, Brooklyn and beyond. And who’s taking their place? Hordes of young professionals who, speaking broadly, do not appear to be all that interesting or interested. And so our nightlife becomes cluttered with nostalgic ’90s dance parties, tongue-in-cheek tribute bands and uninspired DJs who practice their dark arts with the charisma of a shuffling iPod.

This makes Anna Nasty a wolf. After leaving Arizona in 2013 for a solo tour, the enigmatic 20-something finally landed in Washington last spring as the bassist of two separate punk groups: Neonates and Chain and the Gang. But performing solo as Olivia Neutron-John, Nasty makes music that’s especially fraught, frightening and fantastic.

Somehow, it almost felt like a party.

And in a way, it was. When an artist with this much poise, edge and imagination decides to take up residence in the busy-busy blandness of This Town, their arrival should be widely noted and wildly celebrated.

Now run for your life.