Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

From a Beverly Lindsay Johnson public post on Facebook:

The past few weeks have been sad as the music world has lost some of the pioneers and legends of DC Doo-Wop.

Steve Charles of the Clovers ("Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash")

Sandra Butler-Truesdale - Founder of the DC Legendary Musicians, Inc.

Ronald "Poozie" Miles - Original founding member of The Rainbows ("Mary Lee", "They Say"). It was my pleasure to have lured him back onto the stage over the past few years before his passing. He adored me and I defintely adored him.

Royal Height - The Orioles and DC activist for DC with the songs he writes and performs "Taxation Without Representation" It hurts my heart but I know that they all are in heaven with the heavenly choir. [ me here: I wrote a short 2021 piece on Height’s anti-Trump single
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/506198/city-lights-royal-height-says-trump-aint-gotta-go-home-just-gotta-git-the-hell-up-outta-here/
]

So Anthony Pirog may be best known for his guitar playing in Messthetics and his solo and group jazz meets prog artsy math music , but a handful of times over last 10 years he played surf and rockabilly with Janelle Leppin, sax player Mark Muncie and others in The El Reys. I just saw them at Quarry House and they were good and fun

Messthetics are playing with jazz guy James Brandon Lewis on MLk Monday in NY on an impressive bill with Esperanza Spaulding and Shabaka H. Gig might be part of that Winter Jazz Fest happening in NY

I see on Facebook that the Runaway club, that hosted mainly obscure rock and punk bands , and was owned by Slash Run owner , is shutting down

City Paper’s arts editor had spoken to Christine Liilyea who ran the 2 clubs , awhile back. Sounds like Runaway and Slash Run have struggled a bit financially for awhile

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/645810/the-people-issue-2023/

I saw a gig for the first time at the Nolan Center at Georgetown Prep. Which is not Georgetown U btw.

A dc based booking agent for international and African acts is now doing occasional shows in that nice theatre.

I saw Senegalese kora player and singer Ablaye Cissoko with French accordionist Cyrille Brotto.

The agent had earlier had a gig with South African guitarist Derek Gripper

https://www.beallfuneral.com/obituaries/ronald-miles-sr

Poozie Miles of the Rainbows funeral is on Thursday. Their best known song was “Mary Lee.”

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/660977/the-runaway-was-going-to-close-but-now-its-not/

The Runaway DC survives as it got its rent lowered.

But “We’re gonna continue doing shows, but probably doing more on the DJ side. And we’re going to be more selective on the shows,” says Lilyea, excited for the possibilities. “Now we have a chef and having the landlord reduce the rent so significantly—it’s huge …”

Former Burnt Sugar pianist & synth & organ player Marc Cary, who also played piano with Dizzy Gillespie , Abbey Lincoln & other jazz greats plus Erykah Badu, now lives near Baltimore and is doing a birthday gig for himself Saturday at Takoma Station in Maryland near DC with his group Marc Cary and Indigenous People. The group membership varies but always includes DC go-go musicians because of Cary's lifelong love of go-go and that he played in go-go bands in high school

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/661091/marc-cary-tick-tickboom-and-more-best-bets-for-jan-25-31/

Hmmm, now the Runaway DC has a go fund me. Their website still lists no music events after January 21. An IG story just showed a mid February clothes and records sale

https://www.gofundme.com/f/we-were-going-to-close-now-not-still-need-help?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Runaway dc now lists a few shows on their Facebook, while some locals are grumbling about how their booking policy wasn’t so great in the past either.

Not many are supporting their go fund me. Can’t blame anyone for not doing so.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/662317/el-laberinto-del-coco-bonnie-and-clyde-city-lights-for-feb-1-7/

I previewed the Thursday night February 1 El Laberinto del Coco gig @ U of Md Clarice Smith Center plus the Friday February 2nd showings on WHUT-HD , Howard U PBS, at 11 am and 11 pm of Beverly Lindsay Johnson's new film "DC Street Jocks Rocked the House," with DJ Kool, Arthur Maniac McCloud, and Sam the Man Burns and more. Doc will also be showing at other times through Feb 18 on HU PBS .

Future Band DC got play go-go in Cuba and were there with Ron Moten and Professor Natale Hopkinson from the Dont Mute DC organization.

Wammy awards voting is going on now. I don't know who many of the nominated acts are . It's the usual goofy thing where folks are begging on their Instagram for friends to vote for them

My partner had a bad experience booking a show at the Runaway. The people were perfectly nice as people, but they were not up front about the money / room fee. Certainly left me feeling a bit indifferent about the music side of things going away there.

Sounds like that has been the experience of many with the Runaway.

Nobody is giving to their go-fund me

Throughout this process, much has been said about the challenges of city life — street artists, for example, and crime

DC Mayor Bowser’s letter re retaining Wizards and Caps blames “street artists “ first!

She has failed to get the DC crime lab working , the number of cops and private security folks in the area dropped over the years, but yeah let’s blame loud percussionists , buskers, graffiti.

$75 raised of $25,000 goal

oof

Ooof indeed. As an aside, my partner had trouble getting any local bands to join the bill. Several have noted after the fact that they didn't want to play there.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/679074/a-gatsby-party-and-billy-dee-williams-city-lights-for-feb-15-21/

My preview of Friday Feb 16 Chicago r& b singer and poet Jamila Woods at the Howard Theatre is included in the link

Haven’t listened yet to new J Robbins album Basilisk or the new Mary Timony singles out before the release of her new album

Reuben Jackson, who alternates as dj with Larry Appelbaum on WPFW on Sundays 4 to 6, who used to write for City Paper a bit, who is a published poet, jazz archivist at the Felix Grant collection at UDC, and a busy social media poster just had had a massive stroke about 10 days ago, and has been moved to hospice. Tragic news. Jackson spoke for a lengthy period of time to me for my Greg Tate obit that focused on Tate's life in DC. Jackson was friends with Greg Tate and his brother Brian growing up in DC. A good guy.

Folk-artist and performer Lonnie Holley will be backed by Lee Bains from Alabama Joe Lally, and Brendan Canty at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage tonight from 6 to 7 pm Eastern US time. The show is free but ticketed. It will also be streamed on the Millennium Stage Youtube & Facebook page

https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2024/february/lonnie-holley/

https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-02-16/one-of-a-kind-poet-dj-and-jazz-scholar-reuben-jackson-dies-at-67

Damn , this hurts. RIP Reuben Jackson. I will cherish that long phone call we had where you told me about going to Greg and Brian Tate’s house as a teenager where they had jazz records at one end of a room and punk records at the other. You told me about the poetry scene then and the early days at dc space and so much more about your DC and how self-proclaimed awkward Black nerds like yourself fit in.

Rare Essence streaming from K Ctr tonight

https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2024/february/rare-essence/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/21/j-robbins-concert-dc/

I want to love the new J Robbins album ( he’s best known from being in Jawbox and Government Issue), and like how he mentions steps he takes to keep his new album and live show fresh, but on first listen it’s to me just good and not innovative enough

The Wammies voters again did not nominate any of the Capital Bop top jazz albums for Wammies awards. Washington Post Chris R&chards fave dc rapper Wifi Gawd had one of his top 2023 albums of the year, but no Wammy nomination. Some guy named Ethan Spalding got nominated for best rock artist and best rap artist at Wammies. Anybody know his music?

Spalding calls his sound traprock

WAMU just suddenly shut down DCist

They’re even blocking insult to the site. Fuckers.

https://dcist.com/story/20/04/30/two-local-ethiopian-jazz-greats-have-new-albums/

Blocking access to my 2020 freelancer article for them on Hailu Mergia and Selam Woldemariam

https://www.ninaprotocol.com/articles/no-ones-moving-to-dc-to-get-famous-maybe-thats-why-the-music-is-so-good

interesting article on dc high bpm techno dance club music, dc experimental rap, and dc rhizome experimental jazz , but I wish article could have also mentioned Green Zone middle eastern djs, Adobo DMV, Ethiopian live music & dj scene ; dc Caribbean DJ scene. Article acknowledges dc go-go and dc punk as historic & still alive

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/28/new-thing-exhibit-american-university-museum/

Early 70s DC in exhibit

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/681410/when-the-music-stopped-remembering-reuben-jackson/

ALona in City Paper re Reuben Jackson

Dorothea Lange: Grab a Hunk of Lightning doc plus a doc short on great current photographer Dee Dwyer who is best known for her SE DC photos and is a go-go fan; Sat March 2 from 2 to 4:30 @ngadc . See the great Lange exhibit too

https://www.nga.gov/calendar/film-programs/art-films-special-screenings/dorothea-lange-grab-hunk-lightning.html/2024/03/02/1400

https://theforeigncorrespondentsdc.bandcamp.com/album/lovin-you-aint-easy

The Foreign Correspondents is a power pop band with Brendan Canty , and former DCers Ted Leo, Michael Hampton, and Sohrob Habion

Sounds interesting! Ted Leo was, of course, in Chisel with my former colleague John Dugan. Next time I saw him he was out with Aimee Mann and Liz Phair. Brendan has been around forever. I confess I don't know the other two.

Michael Hampton was in DC hardcore band Faith , and then in some other bands . Lives in NY now I think

Sohrob was in dc postpunk band Edsel, and I think is now in postpunk band Savak. He lives in NY or Jersey now too.

DJ RBI mix of classic old and obscure new hiphop on Saturday nights 9 to 12 midnight last night on WpFw was so good.

I listened for a bit in the car as my wife and I were coming back from Baltimore where we saw the Ethiopian art at the Walters Museum and heard dc Ethiopian Ras Band there with guest vocalists. They had free tej Ethiopian honey wine samples and food too. We ate a full Ethiopian meal at Tabor afterwards.

https://wtop.com/music/2024/03/michael-reidy-dynamic-front-man-of-revered-dc-rock-band-razz-dies-at-73/

Michael Reidy was a great, charismatic front man for rock/ proto-punk band (the) Razz in late 70s/80s in DC. He was also a clever artist /painter who had art exhibits in local galleries, and designed cool flyers and zine ads for the band.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/682485/2024-spring-arts-guide/

I previewed late 70s early 80s Urban Verbs rock band talk ; Orquesta Akokan; Amaarae; Ms Kim; Arushi Mudgal dane & music ; & George Pelecanos for City Paper Spring Arts 2024. The Pelecanos one is under “books” but that Palisades Backstage event will have music too. Details in the preview DC rock fans. Also, the new Pelecanos book is kind of wacky -- written from the perspective of a dog who gre up in a public housing project, and later lived with a drunk, and then a drug dealer among others

If you pluck my name from there and enter in blogspot as well, you can find my March 2024 DMV calendar with some gigs by touring acts in various genres plus local bands and djs I am interested in from such genres as Ethiopian music, go-go, Latino genres, rock, r& b, rap, South Asian, old-school and new school African genres. A bit of jazz and experimental but not as comprehensive for jazz as the Capital Bop list

Love your monthly list

Thanks.

Typo above, should read - Arushi Mudgal dance and music (her sister is 1 of 2 vocalists for that event)

Saw the crappy 9 and 53 Washington Wizards win a basketball game last night @ Capital One & then we stuck around of course for Northeast Groovers and Backyard Band go-go . we had bought 2 tickets for $25 total via a special deal. Huge turnout for the go-go.

https://www.washingtonian.com/2024/03/08/a-dc-indie-rock-musician-is-now-ceo-of-amtrak/

Member of 90s art pop groups Lorelei and Chessie is now head of Amtrak

Me on Michael Reidy of late 70s DC rock band Razz and his provocative visual art for galleries, Razz ads in the Unicorn Times , Razz record sleeves, Washington City Paper , and punk fanzines

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/685208/remembering-michael-reidy-musician-and-visual-artist/

Dear Rhizome community,

An UPDATE, and an INVITATION…

1. We have NO NEWS on when/if we are ever going to actually get kicked out of everyone's favorite house on Maple Street. We're still there, and still going strong.

2. We have YES NEWS on a potential "forever home" for Rhizome, and we want to share it with you.

VERY BRIEFLY: We have an opportunity to purchase a building nearby with the help of a big grant from the DC Arts Commission.

We will be hosting a TOWN HALL on TUESDAY March 26 at 7pm to share information about the building and how YOU can make it happen. (Yes, we need HELP!)

To attend meeting by zoom you need to register on their google doc. Look for a link in their social media or on their website

Very interested to see what Rhizome figures out. Hopefully they end up in a great spot and can keep things rolling along.

The Urban Verbs nostalgia talk at Palisades yesterday/Sunday was the same time as the WPFW jazz dj, poet, archivist , writer Reuben Jackson memorial poetry tribute service at Josephine Butler Center, so I chose the latter. Very emotional and touching. Poets read Jackson poems and then read their own work about Jackson. Plus they showed an Ellie Walton 6 minute video interview with Jackson. Some of those Jackson poets hit hard .

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/686524/washington-women-in-jazz-festival-city-lights-for-march-28-to-april-3/

Some of these events are a bity pricey, but once a year DC's Washington Women in Jazz fest happens with a range of styles