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.

The city & the feds need to give clubs $

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/music/dont-miss-these-new-recordings-and-books-from-the-dmv-music-scene/2020/07/06/78bb97ac-bfb3-11ea-9fdd-b7ac6b051dc8_story.html

Chris Richards on recent dc music and books

https://thedcline.org/2020/07/15/in-uncertain-financial-environment-go-go-advocates-press-for-dc-arts-funding-equity/

My deep dive re how the Mayor & DC Council voted to give $ automatically on a yearly basis to Arena Stage and other large million $ entities, but not to go-go. Now go-go may get $ via 3 DC agencies, & individual musicians in many genres will be able to get $ from DC Arts Commission grants

Two recent lesser known losses for Washington DC this past week: RIP Tex Gathings, WOOK-tv news & (50s-70s) & Teenarama (63-70) black teen dance show producer; Leon Gibson-funky soul singer, tv & stereo repairman & store owner , DC Council candidate in the ‘70s.

Wammies were quietly given out online last week. Hmmm. Dupont Brass Band won for best rap artist ( apparently they have a vocalist in addition to horns).

RIP drummer Herbert Drake who played at Westminster jazz and blues shows over the years. Also, reportedly with Sonny Til & the Orioles. Maybe even with Dinah Washington and Otis Redding per one comment on Facebook.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=KM7kjF1pNeg

5 years old go-go rapper Lil Kelz

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/article/21141789/how-a-5yearold-rapper-became-one-of-the-newest-faces-in-gogo

National Park Service says no more than 50 people including staff at Fort Reno till early October, so Amanda is going to wait until October and hope to do a fall 2020 season of shows if that is allowed then.

Meanwhile Carter Barron which was closed in 2017 because the stage was determined to be unsafe , is still closed. NPS drew up a plan for a new stage but they say they won’t have money to build it till 2021 into 2022! I wish they could hit up a millionaire or 2 in DC and start sooner ( or get more nps money to do so)

looking forward to hearing this - https://black-fire.bandcamp.com/album/soul-love-now-the-black-fire-records-story-1975-1993

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/08/12/arts/music/black-fire-records.html

Yes, it’s on Spotify. Some is too jazz fusion, but a lot is more than that.

Nitpicking- The NY Times article doesn’t mention that label owner Jimmy Gray went from being a DJ on WHUR in early 70s to being a WPFW DJ later in ‘70s

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/local-opinions/go-go-is-dcs-official-soundtrack-it-deserves-equitable-funding/2020/08/13/c6af908c-dbea-11ea-8051-d5f887d73381_story.html

Charles Stephenson, who managed EU, ran DC Commission on the Arts and co-wrote go-go book , has an editorial re the need for go-go funding ( that links to my DC Line article reference to 3 million for go-go)

https://www.washingtonian.com/2020/08/21/how-joe-englert-changed-the-dc-bar-scene/

Owner of many DC clubs Joe Englert died from complications from surgery at 59. Sad. I liked many of Joe Englert’s places. He deserves credit for his imaginative approach. But the Wtop and Washingtonian coverage also led me to think about it from different angles. I called Eddie Jones to find the name of an H street NE club where I once saw Eddie perform that Joe later bought and turned into Argonaut ( 2005 to 2017 I think). It was called Ledbetter’s. Eddie said when he was young his father sang there also.

isn’t it also significant ( and unmentioned in wtop and Washingtonian articles) that he was a white guy, with access to bank loans, coming into what was once a majority black city and was buying property & transforming it into places largely geared to white rock and pop listeners? I get that it’s complex but I think only State of the Union had rap and dance, right? I get that he did what he knew and did it well though.

Chuck Brown Day concert tonight 8 to 10 pm on YouTube, Facebook, and DC Public Acess

Fort Dupont Park concerts online through September start tonight too

Sunday there’s a go-go protest against the Postmaster near his home in Kalorama . Kalorama Park meet up at 7 pm

Is DC band Flasher still together? Saw on Instagram that guitarist Taylor Mulitz is moving to LA.

Kate Greer from Priests moved there a little while ago

https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/08/24/scott-van-pelt-sportscenter-dc/

ESPN new theme by Troublefunk at request of Scott Van Pelt

More tv news: Malik Dope drummer isn’t in quarterfinals on America’s Got Talent tonight

https://www.washingtonpost.com/goingoutguide/joe-englerts-quirky-bars-revitalized-dc-nightlife--and-a-neighborhood-too/2020/08/25/8ec918cc-e60e-11ea-97e0-94d2e46e759b_story.html

This obituary at least acknowledges what was there in various neighborhoods in addition to focusing on what Joe Englert brought in

X-post - Oops autocorrect. Malik Dope WAS on America’s Got Talent quarterfinals on NBC last night. I once did a best of Dc piece on him shortly after he cut back his stints out on Gallery Place

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/article/21143323/city-lights-dive-into-model-homes-deep-discography-or-watch-black-journal-online

Experimental duo Model Homes have released 18 plus efforts since 2018. Often sped up or edited rap vocals with noisy synth

There’s a bouncebeat go-go thing on the national mall today with TCB & 2 others , around 3 pm

https://www.admoday.com/history-culture/

Music panel at 2 Sunday plus history of “Admo” activism on another one & a Latino activism one too

Crush Funk Brass playing

https://folklife.si.edu/magazine/admas-sons-of-ethiopia?fbclid=IwAR0hS_x4YAs9D_JSPjkPNJyj5O5fxU8Yaks4-SJhzzxR_4g1YFn25gRSCHI

Admas and DC Ethiopian music

Dc go-go bands have been doing gigs in indoor Va clubs that are supposedly complying with Covid rules, as well as outdoors gigs in far from dc exurbs in Md & Va. Birchmere & state theatre have had rock bands. A Latin dance club in Tyson’s appears to be open. I am not going to any of these . Doesn’t feel safe to me

Black Cat club 27th anniversary gig is on Youtube on September 18 w/ Algiers, Ted Leo, Mike Watt, and David Combs

Rare Essence anniversary gig also online Saturday the 19th plus the debut of new single with guest Snoop Dogg

Apparently the new movie Residue on Netflix directed by M Gerima, son of director Haile Gerima who owns Sankofa Books in DC, has a Moechella scene amongst the DC gentrification.

Speaking of sorta, Yaddiya is doing a voters registration outdoor gig with TOB tonight downtown

I wish I had gone to DC jazz guitarist Bill Harris' club , The Pigfoot, which was on Rhode Island Ave NE in the early to mid 80s. Guitarists Danny Gatton and Joel Harrison both learned a bit from him. He was also in rnb band the Clovers. This 1987 picnic he held looks like it was great also: Among those scheduled to perform, in besides Harris, are Charlie Byrd, Shirley Horn, Nap Turner, Milton Smith, Archie Edwards, Harmonica Phil Wiggins, Charlie Sayles, Bo Diddley Jr. and former Ellingtonian Jimmy McPhail.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/style/1987/09/06/pigfoot-picnics-and-all-that-jazz/a1642978-3b58-49f3-9e13-0d43ea8b13db/

Yaddiya keeps doing go-go protests with TOB and /or CCB playing on the back of a flatbed truck. CCB did a 7 am one as close as they could get to Mitch Mcconnell's house.

RIP U Street Music Hall.

https://dcist.com/story/20/10/05/u-street-music-hall-closing-permanently-covid19/

Saw that bad news. Neither the Mayor nor City Council want to dip into DC’s rainy day fund to provide pandemic relief, so everyone has to wait for federal relief that may never come.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2020/10/05/u-street-music-hall-closes/

specific details here in this article :

For the last few months, the club has sold T-shirts to raise money to pay employees, and hosted live-streamed DJ sets that asked viewers to tip DJs or make donations to an employee relief fund. (“The live streams were great,” Eastman says. “They did not pay for themselves.”) The club received a Paycheck Protection Program loan, but the scattershot approach couldn’t replace revenue from events, and rent went unpaid for several months. Meanwhile, Eastman has been involved in what he describes as a long-running legal battle over the terms of the club’s lease. In the end, the combination was fatal. “The senseless litigation with our landlord, along with [covid-19], were the cause of us vacating the space,” Eastman says. “We had four years left on our lease. If it wasn’t for covid, we would have been there for at least four more years.”

In 2010 B*ian took some of us into UHall to check it out

Oops I mean “I Died” took us there.

In other news:

Merawi Gerima , @Gerima_Gang the Director of acclaimed film Residue ( & son of Director/ store owner Haile G) will be talking go- go and DC and politics and movies w/ Moechella go-go activist @Yaddiya on Washington Informer’s Bridge TV at 12 noon today

Check out this official trailer for Fat Boy: The Billy Stewart Story.

See the documentary, brought to you in part by the HumantiesDC DC DOCS grant, when it premieres on @whuttv this Saturday, October 24 at 9pm. pic.twitter.com/xFStIEOHfY

— HumanitiesDC (@HumanitiesDC) October 22, 2020

Documentary on late DC soul singer Billy Stewart premieres Saturday night 9 pm online and on WHUT Howard U public tv

Making my way through the DC rap, electro, R’n’b, punk, & experimental acts that I haven’t heard before on this Chris Richards zine list that got posted in UK magazine/ site The Wire. https://t.co/m69afQEXfe

— Steve Kiviat (@SteveKiviat) October 21, 2020

Chris Richards dave dc rap, electro, metal, hardcore, R’n’b, experimental

Or you can listen to new artsy pop Beauty Pill single

Profoundly stoked @thewiremagazine asked me to contribute to the charts page of their latest issue

My “DEBUSSY RINGTONE 15” chart = quartimes wildstyles coming out of the DMV (of course)

Do something nice for yourself and subscribe to the Wire today! https://t.co/A76El4i1Ok pic.twitter.com/per1AnHgX1

— Chris _ _ Richards (@Chris__Richards) October 13, 2020

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/444703/local-go-go-artists-put-out-music-to-reflect-this-fraught-moment/

TCB, Wanted Band, Pure Elegance BLM songs

https://thedcline.org/2020/10/26/i-am-not-giving-up-u-street-club-owner-perseveres-through-commercial-personal-loss/

Aman Ayoubi, owner of Tropicalia and Local 16 just lost his dad to Covid-19, and Tropicalia was robbed. Plus no money from DC and Mitch McConnell

https://linktr.ee/savedcvenues

Save DC venues events today in front of Wilson Building all day and at 6 in some neighborhoods. Trying to persuade Mayor and City Council to help.

Help by passing a bill with $ I mean

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/501345/city-lights-jam-to-kino-musicas-ep-ifaan/

Kino Musica are a strong DC band led by 2 Ethiopians ( one who grew up in Texas)

There was a Moechella bouncebeat gogo thing early Saturday at McPherson Square with TOB and CCB & Eleanor Holmes Norton spoke. Another one with TOB later in the day in SE. The go-go flatbed truck also briefly made it to BLM Plaza where thousands were there .

I heard WPFW DJ Lance Reynolds say he was going to be spinning music from 3 to 7 on Sunday At BLM plaza

Too many DC , DMV, Baltimore rappers for an old guy like me with limited time to keep up on. Writers Chris Richards and Lawrence Burney are trying though

Rip Andrew White dc based , Hu grad saxophone player who transcribed Coltrane solos, played dc space, toured with Stevie Wonder . And wrote wild books

RIP to a devoted jazz fan who also listened to Youssou N’Dour and other artists he discovered on his own or via me—my Dad who died suddenly Saturday November 21 after a heart attack at 90. Dad hung out at jazz clubs in NYC in the late 40s & 50s before moving down here with my Mom and family. We saw music together and talked about and I am so sad he’s gone.

https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/washingtonpost/obituary.aspx?n=victor-kiviat&pid=197155285&fhid=2205

I’m really sorry, curmudgeon.

:(
my condolences

Sounds like a cool dude, curm. Very sorry for you and your family

Condolences, curmudgeon

Thanks all of you