Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

they sent out the press release for demo submission in March, which would have been a GREAT time to ask for money/support/etc

http://www.washingtonian.com/blogs/afterhours/music/fort-reno-is-broken-let-someone-else-run-it.php

NPS is charging permitted events $70 per hour per officer for police presences this year. Even if the cost seems extreme—Baldwin calls it “bordering on extortion”—the requirement itself does not. The Park Police say they documented 12 incidents at Fort Reno’s shows last summer that required its officers’ attention, ranging from illegal vending to drug and alcohol use.

The permit application fee is $120 per event. While this cost has also increased in recent years, this requirement is far less questionable than the one about cops. If Amanda MacKaye doesn’t have permits four months after she met with NPS officials about this summer’s series, blame rests with either a spectacular bureaucratic mishap or just bad planning (she won’t say).

Chris Richards and some others say folks should be more upset about the NPS fees, and keep trying to fight the NPS power. But it does not seem possible at this point.

I do have some concern about security fees being used to restrict live events. Over the years the DC Police have allegedly charged insane overtime police fees for parades and other events that they have determined are in their jurisdiction (and not Park Police and NPS).

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/music/2015/06/26/heres-whos-playing-fort-reno-this-year-if-fort-reno-happens/

those who have comfirmed have the \m/ in front

Alfajor
Boon
Delanos
East West Hwy
The Fuss
Hemlines
Incredible Change
\m/ J. Flax and the Heart Attacks
\m/ Jack on Fire
\m/ Magnetar Flares
Near Northeast
\m/ Notaries Public
\m/ Polyon
Proxy States
\m/ Rancho Notorious
Sara Curtin
\m/ Spirit Plots
Teen Liver
\m/ Two Inch Astronaut
Wanted Man

Is there a listing anywhere of the historical Fort Reno lineups? I'd love to try to remember which ones I saw from like 1992-1997 in high school and college.

Did Jawbox or Shudder to Think ever play? They were two of my favorites but I don't remember ever seeing them there.

Good question re lineups. I think Cynthia Connolly and someone else recently shared a '90s era flyer that listed Fort Reno gigs for a summer. I feel like I remember seeing Shudder to Think on it. Don't have access to FB at the moment to confirm.

Not to pick on Amanda M. more, but at that DC Music Salon at the Shaw Library I went to regarding Fort Reno, I figured all kinds of specific old shows would be discussed. Especially since I had been to a DC Space oriented one where Cynthia and numerous folks there happily reminisced about old gigs there. But alas, when two guys mentioned at the Fort Reno one their memories of like 1971 or something shows, Amanda kind of shut 'em down saying "whatever particular bands played when is not important to me, just that local bands get to play for free in a park setting."

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/articles/41307/an-oral-history-of-fort-reno/full/

Thank you to all the generous people near and far that have donated to the concert series this week.

We have been gifted enough funds to close the gap for this summer’s session and to seed us a fund for the future.

The website will re-launch with the official schedule and necessary information about the concert series soon

From Fort Reno website

per my posting on the Rolling Outernational thread

Peruvian Amazonian chicha meets cumbia meets surf-rock group Los Wemblers were great for free this weekend at the Smithsonian Folklife festival on the national mall. I saw 'em twice. A fun dance band. On July 3rd they are playing a free 1 hour gig on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. That show will be streamed live on the K. Ct. webpage and video archived.

They are also doing daytime gigs July 2nd through 5th; and might have another free one added.

Hey so I'm starting to play out with a seriously talented group of dudes and was wondering if anyone had any advice on good places to play for a band just getting going. We're booked at the Pinch thanks to friends letting us play with them, but are there other venues that are friendly to new bands? Also I know that house venues are great but how do you book something like that?

Re house venues--Paperhaus folks have Facebook page and probably other social media ways to contact them. Not sure how Babe City and others work. If you're rock DC9, Black Cat, etc. list on their websites I think how to submit music, etc.

Thanks curm. Word is some people are better than others as far as inviting new acts

I am sure it is not easy for new acts

I'm connected to a few diff house venue folks (Hot Tub House, Jam Jar, Heartbreak Hotel, my place the Lamont St Collective), if you're into that route I can put you in touch with folks in a few diff neighborhoods?

that'd be cool. should i message you with my info?

Tree House Lounge is the friendliest to new bands. http://www.treehouselounge.com/

It's run by Colin Hoss, formerly of the Grog & Tankard - which had previously been the place to go when you were pretty sure the audience was going to consist of your girlfriends and your roomates.

Also consider Solly's U St. Tavern http://sollysbooking.wix.com/sollys

Next tier up is DC9. IIRC the bookers for DC9 also handle a bunch of other venues, which is handy if you plan to gig a lot. http://dcnine.com/

Black Cat Backstage and Galaxy Hut are very nice but they have become stringent about your proven draw.

I've played all these places and had a great time.

Thanks! I was thinking about Galaxy Hut next.

Email Lary at galaxy✧✧✧@gm✧✧✧.c✧✧. My band didn't get a gig there the last time we asked (I dunno whether they were being indie snobs, whether they just didn't like our music, or didn't trust our draw estimate), but perhaps you'll have better luck.

Wha? galaxy✧✧✧@gm✧✧✧.c✧✧

Cool. What style do u play?

Novelty / geek rock. But kinda on hiatus due to small children.

Yeah half my band just had children in the past year. Makes getting everybody together very tough

ya heez you can shoot me an email here

or fb me facebook.com/justinjacobysmith

thanks hoos! just messaged you on fb

Re: Tree House Lounge. A tiny room that is very easy to fill. I think my old band was like the second or third act to play there.

Went there last month to see a band that includes some high school friends of mine (Age of Airships). Don Zientara from Inner Ear opened. He had engineered said friends' EP; it was nice to see him perform as well.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/general/2015/07/01/another-summer-of-fewer-shows-smaller-acts-at-fort-dupont-and-carter-barron/

Its more than just sequestration woes with the failures at Carter Barron and Fort Dupont.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/general/2015/07/01/soular-sundays-return-to-marvin-gaye-park-this-weekend/

I am curious about this

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/general/2015/07/08/nps-updates-fort-dupont-schedule-and-details-budget/

In case its not clear, I like some of the acts ISOM Global, the contractor employed by NPS, chose for Fort Dupont; I just want a longer schedule so they can please fans of old-school soul and funk as well as fans of 80s neo-soul, 90s house dance, etc. A four show schedule can't please all or even most. With the over 100 grand budget I think they coulda done more. NPS would not share a breakdown so its not clear how much is going to overtime pay for Park Police or to the contractor or to lights, sound, etc.

Good old-school local act funk and soul bill at Carter barron tonight starting at 7:30. HU grad Be Steadwell at Museum of American Art also looks promising; she's there with casiotone noisemaker Olivia Neutron-John from 6 to 8.

Fort Dupont starts summer this Saturday with a salsa and bachata cover band plus a Fela afrobeat one. Youtubes suggest they do their covers well.

Fri. 7-17

Classic Soul night with Mousey Thompson and the James Brown Experience, Skip Mahoney & The Casuals, William DeVaughn at 7:30 pm for free Carter Barron

http://www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/cbarronschedule.htm
Sat. 7-18

World Music Night, featuring Clan Salsa DC, Eme and Heteru (afro-roots) ; DJ: Lance Reynolds, WPFW, House of Soul; Concert MC/Host: Nancy Alonso, WPFW at Fort Dupont Park http://www.nps.gov/fodu/planyourvisit/summer-theatre.htm

Fun time at Carter Barron. Place was packed --all 3,700 or whatever seats seemed filled at one point.

http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/blogs/artsdesk/general/2015/07/18/photos-olivia-neutron-john-and-be-steadwell-at-american-art-museum/#more-123101

Photos of the other Friday night free show

Bob Boilen of NPR Music (TinyDesk) puts many photos of shows he sees on Instagram

I will have to start contributing photos to media sites I write for, I guess (as many of the gigs I see are not or are rarely represented in that media world)

That would be great! I am totally anti- the anti-photos-at-gigs movement. I love getting a glimpse at stuff I could never make it to.

I think people are more anti the photographers who are inconsiderate to paying customers and block views so they can get hundreds of shots.

I am not getting into the whole discussion of photo-taking manners, etc. I do know that DC Music Download, Washington City Paper, BYT, Dcist.com and TinyDesk(well, this is just the instagram feed of NPR Music's Bob Boilen) sometimes post photos or links to photos of area gigs. But usually just indie-rock (broadly defined to include punk house shows and more) gets covered. KestaDc shows some photos of Latin music events. I have tried a bit with little success to recruit others to submit photos. I know some of ya are thinking that one can use a search engine for Twitter and Instagram to find photos and videos of nearly any gig; and Facebook friends are always sharing them too. All true. But as a media contributor, old-fashioned me would like to see media sites share a wider variety of music genre photos. No, I am not condemning metal music blogs for not sharing classical and rap photos. I am just referring to more news related sites that try to cover more.

Oh, but yes I don't like inconsiderate photographers and note that some places have special rules for press photogs limiting them to photos for only certain songs at beginning of set from right in front of or onstage, etc.

Oh, god, please don't get me wrong - I hate people taking nonstop photos the whole show even more. I just meant I really bristle at the "people should live in the moment; the band insist that you do not experience life through a lens" stuff, which I think is kind of condescending and irritating. There are a million shows from my youth that I would give ANYTHING to see photos of

I am out of touch: I had never heard of electronic/rock band Son Lux who were at U Hall Monday, and photos of their gig appeared on Bandwidth and on Boilen's instagram

Now bouncebeat band TCB and old-school style go-go band Team Familiar frequently share videos and photos on their own accounts, but alas no photographers for local media sites seem interested

http://dcmusicdownload.com/2015/07/23/the-stories-behind-d-c-s-most-iconic-music-murals/

According to the tape, the final 2015 Fort Reno show of the summer is on tonight; even if the ground will be wet.

Monday, July 27 2015
Jack on Fire
Polyon

jack on fire is fun as hell and i'm disappointed i never got one of their YOUR CONDO WILL NOT PROTECT YOU shirts

homie ~dislocated his shoulder~ doing "sabotage" at punk karaoke friday night idek how he's doing this show

I liked Polyon's psych/prog/metallic punk better. Sorry, I 'm no fun I guess. I think Jack on Fire sometimes get a bit too cutesy/novelty in the vocals