Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

GYBE was a lovely, spiritual experience. Sorry no DC ILXors wanted to hang out but oh well.

Maybe next time. There may be a Baltimore ilxor who was there

So new temporary old-school supergroup Hammered Hulls are supposedly gonna play live in September. Members include Mary Timony, Alex Mackaye, Chris Wilson ( from Ted Leo band), and Mark Cisneros (Kid Congo band and more)

Hammered Hulls are gonna be at a Black Cat anniversary show.

Went to a go-go panel at the Benning Library today. Kato Hammond, Nico Hobson, and Andrew Gaston on the panel with Natalie Hopkinson as the moderator. Interesting recollections of go-go old days, and observations on go-go today (popular still with oldtime DMV, but not with the youth).

They mentioned that Junkyard Band would be playing for free at 5-ish at Barry Farm public Housing area in SE DC. We then headed over to there where a stage was set up on the basketball court used in the Goodman summer league. JYB are trying to keep up a bit with the bouncebeat bands now, some new-school speedier tempoes alog with the old-school crank. Barry Farm, where JYB started, is being shut down by the powers that be, so this outdoor event may be the last one there. Team Familiar played earlier in the day at 2. Go-go bands don't always publicize their free outdoor shows because they want people to pay to see them later that night for $ at a club. I think that was the case with these shows (only online mention I saw was an Instagram post by Team fam drummer jammin Jeff

There was still a big local turnout at the bittersweet Barry Farm gig. The powers that be are shutting down the public housing location, building new there and not really promising tenants a way back.

The 4th Sunday of the month soul oldies live music thing at Gee's on 52nd Street in a warehouse district in Hyattsville, is no more. 80-something Ms. Gee is selling the club (which is attached to a liquor store and a Jamaican restaurant). At least that's what the cashier at the liquor store told me. There have also been go-go shows there. She had the place since the 90s, after she left /sold Gee's 4400 club on Rhode Island Ave NE, near the MD line (that's a restaurant now).

https://thedcline.org/2018/08/30/a-glimmer-of-hope-for-the-once-iconic-fort-dupont-concert-series/

Mon. 9-10

*Straight Crankin'!! - DC go-go music documentary free debut screening at 6 pm at the Lincoln Theatre

Smithsonian Folklife Festival issued a statement today that Park Service proposal to ban use of temporary tents on side portions of National Mall “would profoundly impact ...continued feasibility of Smithsonian Folklife Festival.” The Park Service is taking comments through Oct. 7th

DC Music Download website is no more. Editor Stephanie Williams got a new job with the Post Express. Um, always found her taste to be a little too narrow for me (although she sometimes highlighted stuff I didn't know about and came to like).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-black-cat-is-shrinking-by-half-why-because-punks-dont-live-there-anymore/2018/09/12/d6c319ec-b529-11e8-94eb-3bd52dfe917b_story.html?utm_term=.1e52de3722b5

Awww man, Dante is gonna rent out first floor of Black Cat including Backroom live performance spot to upscale shops. In January a smaller version of Red Room and Backstage will open above somewhere.

Aw man indeed. My band played in the Backstage a couple times.

Jean Cook is leaving Beauty Pill after tonight’s gig.

Unrelated. That 69 million DC taxpayer funded Entertainment and Sports Arena at St Elizabeth is gonna hold 4200. Mary J Blige will be there in October. I think the place will sit empty a lot.

The Wizards and Caps at Cap One Arena have longer schedules than the Entertainment and Sports Arena teams-Mystics and Cap City Go-go.

They added a Wale and 20 other DC rappers gig to Entertainment and Sports Arena. And had ticket issues online.

Rare Essence got some sort of DC Mayor's Arts award lifetime achievement award at Lincoln Theatre recently. I still haven't seen that DC government made Go-go doc. Wonder if its online yet?

I am more interested (naturally) in the month-long Flash of the Spirit global music fest at multiple dc locations than I am in the All Things Go popfest at Union Market.

https://thedcline.org/2018/09/28/second-annual-festival-will-bring-global-sounds-to-dc-venues-throughout-october/

Amplified Noise bill hearing today. Ugh-- folks who moved into downtown DC grumbling that street musicians are too loud.

National Park Service comment period deadline today for their proposed new regs that could impact Smithsonian Folklife Fest and rallies and more on the national mall and near white house and elsewhere in the city.

Flasher and Bad Moves albums are good and have gotten lots of media coverage. New Anna Connolly has gotten web attention and ink too. Local scribes still like rock music (news at 11).

Haven’t been to Union Stage club on new wharf, or to been around longer Latino club Diamond Lounge in Annandale. But I did see Junkyard Band outside the being torn down Barry Farm public housing project.

Me re recent releases by April + Vista, Black Alley, Hardway Connection, Team Familiar

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/blog/21028177/the-scene-report-april-vista-black-alley-team-familiar

https://thedcline.org/2018/10/19/another-summer-comes-and-goes-with-no-events-on-carter-barron-stage/

National Park Service is allotting money in 2020 or 2021 to rebuild stage at Carter Barron Amphitheatre that was closed down in 2017 (after a short summer 2016 season of free shows)

Not a single additional concert is scheduled now for the 69 million dollar DC taxpayer funded Entertainment & Sports Arena in SE. Some minor league basketball and 1 e-sport event are all that I see on their meager calendar

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/music/kali-uchis-used-to-live-out-of-her-car-now-shes-one-of-pop-musics-rising-stars/2018/10/25/46afaa0a-d310-11e8-b2d2-f397227b43f0_story.html?utm_term=.26bb23776c55

Didn't realize Kali Uchis went to TC Williams High in Alexandria and lived out of her car for a bit

Amy Farina, Ian Mackaye, Joe Lally band for free (donation to loaves and fishes encouraged) at St. Stephens Nov. 11 , doors at 6:30, show at 7

oh neat

ian was 'backstage' at the st stephens lifetime/give show last week with his two kids in giant runway ear-protectors which was p fuckin adorable

Snoop Dogg is at the Warner Theatre this weekend, and per social media I see that he has gone in the studio separately with both Rare Essence and with Backyard Band

Ian, Amy, Joe band was ok—Fugazi & Evens elements. I was kinda hoping they’d go off in a new direction instead, but no.

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/arts/music/blog/21032841/heres-how-snoop-came-to-record-with-rare-essence-and-backyard-band

More details on Snoop recording with RE & BYB

http://www.teenbeat.net/

AMATEUR ON PLASTIC
Starring Butch Willis
A NEW MOVIE. A NEW FILM.

Butch Willis is a Washington, D.C. rock legend. After sharing an apartment with infamous local music icon Root Boy Slim, Butch was inspired to become a rock'n'roll star himself. This film chronicles his life and career from the '80s all the way through to present day. Co-Starring Jeff Krulik (Heavy Metal Parking Lot), Al Breon ("throat guitarist"), Joe Lee (Joe's Record Paradise) and many more.

PREVIEW SCREENING IN WASHINGTON, D.C. on DECEMBER 26th, 2018.
Get your tickets now. Filmmaker Mark Robinson will be there in person, plus Q & A with Rocks and D Flat band members and other co-stars.

Gonna be out of town and miss the Butch Willis doc. Also just noticed that the Hammered Hulls, Bad Moves gig in the soon to close backroom of Black Cat is sold out. Oh well. Hulls are gonna be at Comet in January. I did see an 8 act old school gospel quartet bill at House of Praise in NE. Those DC & Southern US acts can sing!

Hammered Hulls, Bad Moves at Black cat next week sold out... Never did get a ticket

I need to go see DC acts Sirius & Ms Kim, New Impressionz, Des Demonas, Gauche sometime.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-best-dmv-rap-songs-and-albums-of-2018/2018/12/13/73aadf8e-fd77-11e8-862a-b6a6f3ce8199_story.html?utm_term=.aca75f642c65

top 10 albums and top 10 singles .

Rico Nasty had Chris' fave rap album locally

1. YungManny, “Moana" is his top song (from Prince George's County)

https://www.hailnorfk.com

https://www.baltimoresun.com/business/bs-md-ci-ottobar-20181105-story.html

1.25 million for Ottobar in Baltimore

i want to see des demonas again in a venue with better sound. i liked them a lot but the show was in a basement so it was super loud.. sometimes reminded me of the fall

I want to see them too. Not seeing any gigs from them listed anywhere. Black Cat schedule looks very quiet this month without the now closed back room. I get that January is quieter as fewer bands tour, but why aren't local rock acts like Des Demonas, Gauche, and others playing ? Or are they just doing house shows I don't know about.

Go-go acts Frank Sirius & Ms. Kim, and the What Band did a special free tribute gig for/to federal government workers who are shutdown , last night at Fast Eddies in Md. It looked packed in photo I saw on Instagram-500 to 1000 people.

Saturday the 12th there’s a southern soul benefit gig at Lamont’s for a guy whose house burned down. Hardway, Jim Bennett, and others will be there.

A little birdie told me that Lisa Wh*te is no longer booking Pearl Street Warehouse, and that the folks in charge of the other Wharf venue Union Stage, will be doing so. Union Stage is handled by the Jammin Java folks . Lisa is going to Bethesda place Villians & Saints

3 DC Council members bringing back vague overly harshS ordinance restricting street musicians. No decibel standard seems vague. Also would ban generators, that musicians started using when Metro sealed outdoor outlets near prime locations

After an initial flurry of 3 concerts at the 69 million ESA arena in SE, none scheduled for January or February. Just a handful of minor league basketball games

Priests w/ new single, plus album coming soon

Brian Baker and Mike Hampton in new punk band Fake Names .

Hammered Hulls sold out gig Saturday at tiny Comet

There’s a big bouncebeat go-go show coming to Echostage in a week

Southern soul DC area bands benefit show at Lamont's tonight is postponed to 1-26

7 act Chocolate City Bounce at Echostage 10 pm to 4 am tonight

Backyard Band and What Band ( more old school style but some new) doing multiple sets 10 pm to 4 am at Bliss tonight

Neither event hyped by mainstream web media. Just WKYS . I have em both on my blog calendar too

D. Floyd , sax player, talker, & leader of DC go-go band TeamFamiliar for years & formerly of Rare Essence from 83 to 2001 just announced a few hours ago on Instagram that this will be his last year performing. Wow...

Sam Cooke is long gone but the Highway QC’s, a gospel group he was in, remain and are led by 90-yr old Spencer Taylor Jr who moved them to DC in 1964. They have a new digital single and are still gigging. I interviewed them for the DC Line website

https://thedcline.org/2019/02/14/still-testifying-90-year-old-spencer-taylor-jr-and-the-highway-qcs-gospel-group-stay-busy-live-and-in-the-studio/

https://www.washingtonian.com/2019/02/20/remembering-dc-music-legend-skip-groff/

https://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/news/article/13013842/yesterday-and-today-once-more

1997 article

excerpt-- "At one point, I went up there," MacKaye continues, "...and I asked Skip, 'What does this record sound like?' He said, 'Oh, kind of a Velvet Undergroundish sound.' I thanked him and stood there for five minutes trying to figure out if that meant there was a lot of bass guitar in it or something. I'd never heard of the Velvet Underground. Every question I'd ask him, he'd come back with something that would just deepen the mystery of this music world."

Groff's friendship with his customers led to what some consider his legendary status in the eyes of some. "I ended up producing most of the early Dischord records," Groff says. His production credits read like the bumper stickers on a beat-up Chevy Malibu: Teen Idles, Minor Threat, Bad Brains, Youth Brigade, Black Market Baby, and Henry Rollins with State of Alert.

"Skip did introduce me to Don Zientara and Inner Ear Studios," MacKaye recollects. "He gave us information on releasing records. He had his own label, called Limp, at the time. Initially we thought we'd put the stuff out on his label, but he really pushed us to go ahead and do our own label."

So Seth Hurwitz is now an actor as a hobby, and thanks to his pal Wizards owner Ted Leonis who is pals with Green Book director, IMP/ 930 owner Seth had a tiny role in that controversial and hated by some movie.

Saw this in W Post

Amanda Mackaye is planning Fort Reno now. Bands have to submit recordings to be considered by the end of March. Nothing can be sent to her digitally (because). She says Fort Reno will be in July (only). Before she was in charge they sometimes had gigs in June and in August as well.

http://www.fortreno.com/

New Wammies music awards- - half full or half empty