Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

The only electronic night i have ever been to is called Matter and it is held at the Blue Room on 18th street. I am not sure if it still exists, as i havent seen it listed for a while. The Djs played a lot of techno, including all the requisite hip german stuff, but whenever i went, there were 20 people there, and everything was being played at lounge volumes. it was a bit sad really, though the bar has a good beer selection.

SALT (listed first, because it's my night, dammit)
synthfunk, indiepop, dancehall, grime, electropunk, hip hop, industrial, hits
DJ's Sad and Lonely
1st Wednesday monthly
Cafe Saint-Ex

<>
indiedisco and beyond
DJ Will Eastman
generally 3rd Saturday monthly
the Black Cat

Confusion
disco, new wave, funk, postpunk, hiphop
DJ's Serpico, William Alberque, Cullen Stalin, Sad
generally 4th Saturday monthly
the Black Cat

Yellow Fever
reggae, groove, soul, hip-hop, dub
DJ's Yellow Fever
Tuesdays biweekly
Cafe Saint-Ex

Spilt Milk
rock, disco, funk, mod, punk, soul
Tuesdays biweekly
Red

Blowoff
indie house?
DJ's Bob Mould and Richard Morel
Saturdays
9:30 Club

Taking the Piss
jingle-jangle indie pop & psychedelic
occasional Fridays
Marx Cafe

We Fought the Big One
UK post punk, shoegaze, guitar pop, indie dance
DJ's Brandon Grover and Rick Taylor
1st Friday monthly
Marx Cafe

The Wag
60's garage soul & trash
DJ Mark Zimin
1st Saturday monthly
the Black Cat

The Mousetrap
brit pop, indie
DJ Mark Zimin
generally 2nd Saturday monthly
the Black Cat

Cold
coldwave, darkwave
2nd Sunday monthly
the Blue Room

Atmosphere
post punk, UK indie, dream pop
3rd Sunday monthly
the Blue Room

The Melting Pot
everything, 1964-1980
DJ Neville Chamberlain
Thursday biweekly
Cafe Saint-Ex

UH-HUH!
rock and roll
DJ Johnny
Sundays
Cafe Saint-Ex

Groove
soul, mod, garage
DJ Beat Neat-O
Thursdays biweekly
Cafe Saint-Ex

I'll work on a whole separate list of the club/hip hop/EDM events...

24 Hour Access: 24 Hour Psycho

February 28, 2004 at 5:30 p.m.
A first for the Hirshhorn---the Museum will open the Douglas Gordon exhibition for twenty-four consecutive hours. 24 Hour Psycho (1993), the artist's video installation that stretches the Hitchcock classic into a twenty-four-hour experience, is the inspiration for this all-night happening. Launch the leap year with this unique, drop-in event, which will also include music, gallery discussions, and a "Meet the Artist" interview with Douglas Gordon conducted by Hirshhorn Director of Art and Programs and Chief Curator Kerry Brougher on Sunday at 3 p.m. in the Ring Auditorium. "24 Hour Access: 24 Hour Psycho" is made possible through the generosity of Aaron and Barbara Levine.

http://hirshhorn.si.edu

The following music (presented by Signal 66) will be played:
5:30 ˆ 7:00pm DJ Sandwich Man
7:00 ˆ 8:00pm Band Chessie
8:00 ˆ 8:30pm DJ Debut
8:30 ˆ 9:15pm Band The Hipnotix
9:15 ˆ 9:45pm DJ Beat Neat-o of Groove
9:45 ˆ 10:30pm Band Rose
10:30 ˆ 11:00pm DJ Neville Chamberlain
11:00 ˆ 11:45pm Band The Phobes
11:45 ˆ 12:15am DJ Neville Chamberlain
12:15 ˆ 1:00am Band Sounds of Kaleidoscope
1:00 ˆ 1:30am DJ Happy Family
1:30 ˆ 2:15am Band Sons of Disobedience
2:15 ˆ 2:45am DJ Neville Chamberlain (tentative)
2:45 ˆ 3:30am Band Gully Jimson

Habib Koite from Mali at the National Geographic Grosvenor
Hall--Habib's got a nice live cd out--He trys to meld styles from
different parts of Mali, and while he's not a big fave of mine he's
definately not bad

Bobby Sanabria & Quarteto Ache at the K. Ctr. Eisenhower Theater--A
wonderful percussionist, bandleader, and sideman (not to mention a
college professor) who is very charismatic and entertaining with his band

Los Hombres Calientes from New Orleans at the Clarice Smith Center-An
interesting bunch from New Orleans who blend that city's jazz with
flavors from throughout the Caribbean. I believe WPFW's Jim Byers is
hosting and leading a chat with them as well.

Muzsikas at the Freer-Hungarian vocal combo
________________________________________________________________

Sat. 2-14

Sanchez and Richie Stephens at the Crossroads-Jamaican lovers rock for
Valentines Day
_________________________________________________
Sun. 2-15

Haj Youness, Casablanca, Moroccan oud player and the Voice of Wisdom
Orchestra at 2 p.m. at the Smithsonian S. Dillon Ripley Center
Lecture Hall

La India and Sonora Caruseles at the Washington Hilton, 1919
Connecticut Ave. NW salsa
__________________________________
Tues. 2-17

Peru Negro at the Kenn. Ctr- Excellent Afro-Peruvian veteran combo--if
you like Eva Aylon or Susanna Baca this outfit's blend of soaring
melodies, strumming, and funky drumming (on instruments including
wooden boxes and donkey jawbones) will be up your alley
__________________________________
Other cool stuff:2-11-Super Furry Animals
from Wales at 930;2-12( & 2-13) jazz singer Jane Monheit at the
Birchmere; 2-13-Atmosphere at 930;2-14 Black Dice at Ottobar;Jazz
singer Dee Dee Bridgewater at K. Ctr.;Carmaig De Forest at Roots Cafe;

To get on my DC African/Latin/World whatever events ocassional e-mail thing, contact me at ritmika@hotmail.com The above comes from that...

Which reminds me...any news regarding a new location for the Metro Cafe?

dc-improv-announce-owner@yahoogroups.com

salsanews@aol.com

the blow_up@hotmail.com

bw_zydeco@yahoo.com

Dizzee's supposedly coming back for a bigger tour in the summer, but I'm not sure if he'll hit DC or not. I don't know of anything regarding Dear or Mayer, but if they came I imagine it would be at 5ive, unless it was a one-off somewhere else.

What's odd it that it seems to be only the EDM scene that really tries to escape the city - the most successful go-go and indie artists are, if anything, too tied to DC.

Is it odd that the most interesting and boosterish electronic dance DJ in DC over the last year has been Bob Mould?

The DC go-go artists have seemingly given up on being national and international acts (go-go hasn't crossed over) although Chuck Brown gets flown to Japan periodically to play.

Dischord indie rockers are always playing worldwide but such gigs just never get much local press here. Q and Not U are also booked to play that big fest coming up in California over the summer(Coachatella or something). Black Eyes toured Europe awhile back.

Why did they locate it in Georgetown? You can only make so much money from selling prog to white hats from GW. Better to be on U st with a big deep house section. They never seemed to have their shit together anyways. They cheated me out of $40 once but totally inadvertantly. I had my revenge during their clearance sale I guess.

As for Q and not U, I tried to see their last show at the Black Cat and ended up waiting in line for an hour by myself. As I was waiting, the show sold out. That is all. They need to play here more often.

I always wanted to check out the Grits & Gravy dj night at Bar Nun... Years ago I saw DC rappers Opus Okuben playing with a live band at the now defunct Metro Cafe. Wow, they were great. Now they just mostly play Europe, sometimes with Ny jazz guy Steve Coleman. They were at Black Cat around New Years Eve but I missed them.

anyways, wednesday night P Brotzmann is playing with Hamid Drake and William Parker. Its at Twins on U st (btw 13th and 14th?) at 8pm.

DC 9 is in the original Asylum space, I'm not sure what it was between then and now. Half the music I've heard played there has been great indie/hip hop/disco, the other half has been too much midrange compressed guitar and singers that sound like they're in beer commercials. Which is a better hit rate than most places, but the DJs seriously can't mix or sequence their tracks.

List of EDM events is not so good. Seems like no place is doing well with regular nights and lineups are changing like crazy. And Cubik is filling the main room at Nation with the level of talent that would have played the front room at Buzz.

how long have you been in DC? what is the reason for the instability?

Is the below show which is at the Ottobar coming to DC?

Thursday March 25th
DEFINITIVE JUX PRESENTS:
Murs
The Perceptionists
(Feat. Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, DJ Fakts One)
RJD2, C Rayz Walz
Hangar 18, SA Smash and more
Doorsat 8pm/ Show at 9pm- ALL AGES

3 years! I want stuff NOW ;)

I've been complaining to friends for 2 or so years that I wish someone would book all of the Afropop and Latin acts that play for free in Central Park in NY each summer, in DC... So I'll have to form my own group to do this...

There's the once.twice festival coming up in Baltimore next month-

April 15th - 17th, 2004
Baltimore's 4th Annual
once.twice:festival of sound and video art feat.
AKUFEN . DIMBIMAN . AGF . CHRISTOPHER WILLITS .
DABRYE . SUE COSTABILE . MATTHEW DEAR .
GHISLAIN POIRIER. NAUTICAL ALMANAC.JIMMY EDGAR
MYLENA BERGERON . CAROLINE HAYEUR .
SCOTT PAGANO + more TBA

once.twice also runs the occasional Treatment night at Sonar, the last one in November featured Magda and Sammy Dee.

On a different note, any musicians (d.j.'s?) who wanna perform for free outdoors or maybe at Carter Barron or other locations during the June 18-21st 2nd annual Fete de la Musique DC should call 202-724-5614 or e-mail jose.dominguez@dc.gov . There will also be meetings at the DC Arts Commission, 410 8th St. NW , 5th Fl. on Mon. 3-15 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 and on Thurs. 3-18 from noon to 1.

I'm trying to encourage them to expand the musical horizons of this event...

Five is a great venue, nearly perfect, but the different promoters that do nights there only really book house, d+b, and reggae. There was the electroclash/breaks night there, too, but that's over and has turned into a retro night.

9:30 Club, as you mentioned, is a live music venue. They'll have the occasional DJ, but it always comes off as a bit out of place.

It costs a lot of money to run a club in DC due to the scarcity of suitable spaces. In a town with 8-foot ceilings in 95% of all buildings, there’s going to be a lot of competition for the remaining few with large open spaces. Permitting, safety codes, and accessibility standards are pretty tightly enforced, which means you have to sink a lot of money into a space before you can do anything with it. This goes for bars, dance clubs, live music clubs, and pretty much everything. And don't even get me started on ANC's and "voluntary agreements".

"After over 4 years in business, the owners of Now! Music and Fashion
have decided to close permanently, so we can move on and pursue
other opportunities. We've had a blast talking to you about music,
putting on instore performances, and participating in the local
community. But the best thing about running a record store has been
the opportunity to meet you. Many thanks to our loyal customers and
friends we've made along the way.

We will be having a going-out-of-business sale beginning this
weekend. All clothing and music (except consignments and bargain bin
stuff) will be on sale for 30% off the regular price."

So I don't think DC's gone utterly down the pan. Close, but not gone yet.

They're also stocking the Ellen Allien album and remixes, Coloma's Finery. I think I even saw that Damon Album demo double 10" there, too!

Melody on Conn. Ave. is very underrated - I always thought they were better than DCCD for keeping up with current releases and pointing customers in the right direction. Good international and classical sections, too.

https://dcist.com/story/19/01/14/after-uproar-from-musicians-d-c-council-revisits-its-quest-to-limit-noise-in-the-city/

Here they go again, 3 DC Councilmembers introduce bill to limit amplified outdoor music ( upscale condo owners who have moved to entertainment zone areas like gallery place and 14th & U complaining)

Mary Timony and band doing her Mountains solo album live is still available on Bandcamp till Friday March 5 at 9:30 pm et I think

The ABM bouncebeat go-go stream is on the long live go-go YouTube page

my god i just stumbled into that "19th & M" video

Pretty awesome footage of young Junkyard Band

Not exactly a music focused doc, but 17 Blocks covers 20 years in the life of a DC family starting in a sometimes rough hood 17 blocks from the US Capitol building
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/510215/city-lights-17-blocks-paints-d-c-life-over-20-years/

More re Tales of Belair at Bowie md doc available for free on pbs website

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/510438/city-lights-tales-of-belair-at-bowie-takes-aim-at-60s-maryland-suburbia/

https://www.capitalbop.com/dc-council-amplified-noise-bill/

New re amplified noise bill. Article up thread is 2019 Dcist one

Sirius Company new song “She Ready “ has a bit of a bouncebeat flavor

Sirius song has a TikTok dance contest going too.

Other new dc stuff - 93 years old gospel singer Spencer Taylor has an autobiography out ( co-written with 2 others). Spencer & the Highway QCs have a new single out too

https://giftofdoubt.medium.com/eddies-blues-d3ae9820b5f1

Fascinating and a bit bittersweet story about the time in 1985 that DC punk scene kid with a guitar got approached by a guy named Eddie who asked if he wanted to jam. Eddie also said he had played with Funkadelic

https://dcist.com/story/21/03/16/mobile-music-studio-artists-outlet-during-pandemic/

It’s a mobile DC studio

WHUT public tv will also be showing the hand dance doc @ 1 am Tuesday morning & The Jewels , dc r’n’b group doc @ 1:30 ( dvr it or watch it then night owls)

"Leave the Door Open" a movie doc about when the teenaged Ertegun sons of the Turkish Ambassador (who later started Atlantic records) set up jazz jam sessions in their fancy Embassy residence (and at the DC JCC) despite DC being segregated, will show online to APril 8; & @ Arlington Cinema Drafthouse Sunday April 4 @ 4 pm | DC Independent Film Festival 2021

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/513681/city-lights-leave-the-door-open-dciff/?fbclid=IwAR1VNw1muHailG1h5Ju44vQo0NRqnittyUNeUpv4wFGwNxGorlLFDOftthI

https://rettman.substack.com/p/interview-chris-thomson-pt-i?fbclid=IwAR0MrXgd8Pok1iIPfsCFc4TzbXYoE-gwAMtsBIJZFbPklugm-fAXhtHNdkc

Chris Thomson interview pt 1 re how he discovered punk, met Dischord band folks etc

https://www.pbs.org/video/fatboy-the-billy-stewart-doc-hvdpjt/

Billy Stewart doc

Make Go-go Forever Emancipation Day Friday April 16 stream w/ Backyard Band, Experience Band , & new Soul Searchers, on their social media.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/514533/city-lights-watch-fat-boy-the-billy-stewart-story/

https://vm.tiktok.com/ZMexYLNDd/

Junebug came to dc and did some bouncebeat gogo TikTok dances

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/514806/bouncebeat-go-go-gets-a-wider-audience-thanks-to-tiktoks-junebug-challenge/?fbclid=IwAR0N0llcfx8SqeP_as_hEkjmoeqtTNjlJQ-OJkd5HV_Q1hW5plnzWcJJkTo

London-born Bowie Md rapper IDK getting Complex mag coverage for new video/song Shoot my Shot , w/ guest Offset. Catchy but as sexist as The Rolling Stones

Was Glenn Close reciting a script at Oscars or does she really know all about Sugar Bear, EU, Da Butt , Spike Lee School Daze and the Backyard Band ?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/arts-entertainment/2021/04/26/glenn-close-da-butt-oscars/

Too good to be true: Glenn Close dancing to ‘Da Butt’ at the Oscars was scripted https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/movies/story/2021-04-25/oscars-2021-glenn-close-da-butt-dance

Hold up.

You're telling me that entertainment industry may in fact have been selling us an illusion?

I am shocked, SHOCKED

‘A lady her age, doing Da Butt like that?’ E.U.'s Sugar Bear on Glenn Close’s Oscars rump shake https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/music/story/2021-04-26/glenn-close-da-butt-oscars-2021-eu-sugar-bear

You have a favorite song about butts besides “Da Butt”?

Well, “Da Butt” is my favorite song of all time.(…)

She likes "Da Butt" and she cannot lie.

Sugar Bear was on the radio doing an interview with Donnie Simpson yesterday afternoon and was apparently talking to reporters all day. Nice to see him get that coverage.

Alona got good quotes from Sugar Bear and Big G

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/515431/glenn-close-da-butt-left-eu-sugar-bear-speechless/

In bouncebeat go-go news , Yaddiya has now done Moechella s with TOB band in both Los Angeles and Atlanta

No go-go bands or high school marching bands in virtual funk parade this year. That makes me sad. They do have jazz, Hiphop, r’n’b at least

This may surprise you, but some intrepid soul put together a documentary about the DC punk scene!
I wonder if Ian MacKaye is in it... I kid but I am a sucker for these.

http://files.constantcontact.com/67e4e85b001/8a83d00c-be7e-4274-92a0-1fdb4627f47a.jpg

Punk the Capital: Building a Sound Movement
A documentary tracing the birth of punk rock in Washington D.C. (1976-1983)

Featuring Bad Brains, Minor Threat, Void, Rites of Spring, and more, with interviews
from Henry Rollins, Ian MacKaye, H.R., Jello Biafra, Joe Keithley, and many others

Premiering exclusively in Theaters and on Virtual Cinema nationwide beginning May 14th

DVD / Blu-ray to be released for National Record Store Day on June 8th via Passion River

Website: www.punkthecapital.info

For you folks actually in DC, there's a screening:
5/14 - Suns Cinema – Washington, DC

I wonder if Ian MacKaye is in it... I kid

Lol, nice. In college, a kid in my music theory class turned in a videotaped interview he conducted w/MacKaye for one of his projects (that’s how little it takes to get that guy in front of a camera).

I think he's just a nice guy.

I met him once backstage after a Fugazi show at the (now closed) Marquee in NYC back in the early '90s.
There I am telling him how much as a kid who spent formative years in Manassas, how important he was to me.
"I learned a lot from you," I said. Then I looked and noticed I had a beer in one hand and a lit cigarette in the other.
"Well, not all of it took," I said sheepishly.

He laughed.

Haha

Ha.

So the Punk the Capital doc is worth seeing, and there’s an online screening Friday May 14 too. This doc’s 1976 to 1983 focus covers an earlier period than the other doc Salad Days. Though they both overlap in coverage a bit. Some great home movie super 8 footage in this one

https://www.musicinafrica.net/fr/node/15368

Earlier bio of Amha Eshete covering his years as a pioneering Ethiopian producer and label owner, plus touching on his later years after he fled to Washington DC and started the Blue Nile and the Ibex restaurant/ clubs. In a French website obit for Eshete it noted that Nina Simone visited and ate at Blue Nile.

The Ibex club had Ethiopian bands playing on one floor and go-go and old school r’n’b on another. Rip Amha Eshete

You know about Inner Ear likely closing, yes?

Inner Ear may be coming back in same location in the new building but as a nonprofit educational studio; or it may move. Arlington Arts folks got grief about the impact on Inner Ear, and so while they’re going ahead with new arts nonprofit building there, they are at least sort of giving lip service or more to the future of Inner Ear.

It is kind of LOLz that Arlington, in order to create a cultural district, may be displacing a genuine example of Arlington culture. Though it’s been a long time since Arlington was a hotbed of homegrown indie rock.

Speaking of Arlington, wera Arlington community radio vinyl vault show is interviewing Ian about records and stuff Thursday May 6 at 8 et online etc

Ian Mackaye not the notorious Ian S who has moved to Los Angeles

https://dcist.com/story/21/05/05/temple-hills-skating-rink-remain-open/

https://medium.com/seventhirty-dc/on-biyya-chonta-kumera-zekarias-creates-a-heady-blend-of-ethiopian-and-colombian-grooves-353a460a9beb

Kumera Zekarias

Here’s the nice video Kumera did with footage in Colombia and in the District of Columbia’s Malcolm X park among other locales

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1xJETByzg7A

Funk Parade panels are free online today, but they’re charging for their virtual “parade” which I see has gotten smaller ( 3 acts dropped off the bill).

Later in May there’s a DC Music Summit conference with performances. R’n’b, some rap, jazz , but no go-go or street rap

New 3rd album by postpunk trio Nice Breeze on Bandcamp and Spotify

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/516325/city-lights-nice-breeze-cast-a-spell-on-magicians-rabbit/

Live Q&A: Punk the Capital
Join the film's director, James Schenider, co-director Paul Bishow, and other surprise guests on Thursday, May 20 at 7 PM ET via Facebook Live. No Facebook account necessary! Hosted by George Myers from Amherst Cinema.

. DC Music Summit online-- Friday May 21 through Sunday May 23
Sat. May 22 --
Fly Zah Performance
*9:40AM-10:40AM Carolyn Malachai KEYNOTE ADDRESS*
​
10:40AM - 10:55AM Cecily - Guided Meditation;
12:00PM - 1:00PM Tools & Programs to Empower Youth During the Pandemic by
Shanay Miles
3: :00 PM - 3:30PM Performances : Carly Harvey & Asha Santee

Sunday 5-23- 5:30PM - 6:30PM Closing Event and Performances
​
***Natalie Brooke, The Cruddy Crankerz, and Dior Ashley Brown & F.L.O.T.U.S.

Heavy Metal Parking Lot 35th Anniversary Party webinar
Description
Join directors John Heyn and Jeff Krulik for a virtual screening of the seminal 1986 documentary on 35th anniversary of that fateful Judas Priest concert at the Capital Centre. Hosted by Joe and Nick from the Found Footage Festival and featuring:
-Rarely seen footage from the 35-year history of the cult classic film
-Krulik and Heyn's follow-up movie, "Neil Diamond Parking Lot"
-Highlights from Krulik's collection of public access weirdness from Maryland
-A live Heavy Metal Parking Lot alumni reunion featuring the stars from the movie
Sign up and trip Jack Daniels with us!
Time
May 31, 2021 09:00 PM in Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Mt Pleasant uprising anniversary community concert 4 to 9 today Saturday May 15 Lamont St & Mt Pleasant street

Leonardo Rua at 5 ; Kumera Zekarias at 5:30 are only performers I have gotten word that are playing