Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

I missed Black Eyes gigs and that Fake Names , Hammered Hills, Owners show.

Lots and lots of dc rock bands at Pie Shop, Pocket, Quarry house , Runaway, dc 9, rhizome, comet , Petworth porch fest

So much happening in area but editor at the Post decided folks would want to read both a Lizzy McAlpine profile in advance by one writer there and a review of the gig several days later by another writer there.

Saturday went to so very crowded embassy day for first ever time. Went to South African embassy, wandered grounds of Bolivian one that had a good folk dance squad. Then we headed down to the less crowded Dee Dwyer "Soufeast" photo exhibit party that was at the Phillips @ the Arc on Mississippi Ave Se. Great photos , free veggie and meat pies, and bouncebeat band TOB played in the parking lot while kids drew with chalk or hula hooped. Then we headed up to Hill Center and saw amazing Indonesian gamelan and more singer Peni Candra Rini with a big band in a small room there before a small crowd of 30 or so.

I always miss the embassy days!

So crowded.

June 9 free Dawn Richard show at African American Museum , registration required

https://nmaahc.si.edu/events/nmaahc-live-afrofuturism-concert-dawn-richard

Rhizome is booked through August. Continues to be wait and see when DC will decide to take the property and put some types of housing there

Thanks for the heads up on the dawn richard

*Birthday Girl on Friday May 12 @ 6 pm @ Carpe Librum popup bookstore , 5221 Wisconsin Ave (Mabel Canty & Bella Mackaye band) Brendan C and Alex M daughters

Oh no , seeing on Facebook that Shawn Vitale ( Gus Sound) has died. He was soundman at dc space, 930 Club, Fort Reno & some work at Hank Dietles. Everyone always seemed to have kind words for him. There’s a Fugazi show in archives where Ian thanks him. I read he grew up in District Heights, Md

Aw, I did not know him personally but I remember him. Peace.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/605092/remembering-beloved-sound-engineer-shawn-gus-vitale/

a tearjerker tribute re a great guy-- Gus Vitale. Some beautiful quotes in there .

Sixty-two years ago, Sandra Bears was a teenager at Roosevelt High School singing in glee club with Margie Clarke, Grace Ruffin, and Carrie Mingo. Bears, Ruffin, and Mingo also sang together at Trinity AME Zion Church on 16th Street NW, while Clarke attended another church. The four high school harmonizers would eventually become known as the Jewels, have their song “Opportunity” reach No. 64 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/listings/items/sandra-bears/

My full preview of her today Thursday May 18 lunchtime gig at Montpelier Arts Center Mansion in Laurel on the link

That just announced Black Cat 30th anniversary weekend is going to sell out quick tomorrow morning I bet. I wish they could add 2 more nights

Yowza. I will miss that but I think I was at maybe a 25th anniversary show. The only act I remember was Tuscadero.

Update! It was actually a 20th anniversary and it was like 10 years ago and Ted Leo was there too.

Was out of town so I missed Africa on the Avenue with drummer Trae Crudup (who also plays with Luke Stewart, Mark Cisneros, r'n'b bands ) playing in Cheick Hamale Diabate's band

Above gig was poorly promoted too alas

last night Sunday May 28 was the soft opening for the Atlantis Club with Trouble Funk playing. Wasn't there but from photos I see on Facebook it has a big balcony level inside so it has a 450 capacity versus smaller 199 capacity original. Also has a rooftop area (with a fake 9/F street sign and wall with pasted flyers)

They're putting up a lifesize statue of Dave Grohl to be dedicated Tuesday May 30 in the morning with the DC Mayor there.

No indication yet that their engineer for 30 years Shawn Gus Vitale will get any plaque or permanent tribute, but IMP tells me there will be a June 14 memorial service for him for friends and family @ the 930

They placed a Vitale motorcycle outside the Atlantis during Trouble Funk show, and apparently used a piece of another one in their construction of the full size Dave Grohl sculpture (that I think looks and is dumb)

https://dcist.com/story/23/05/30/dc-mlk-rooftop-concerts-this-summer/

June 4 Sirius Company , June 7 DC punk rooftop show plus DC Doo wop and Mingering Mike exhibit openings

plus more

2nd annual Afro Latino Fest is today Saturday at Malcolm X Park. Last year was fun. This year Puerto Rican band La Laberinto del Coco at 4:30 should be fun along with rest of lineup that includes Afro Peruvian troupe earlier plus Cimafunk at 6

Saturday June 10 -

Southern soul at 2 @ Lamont’s with Ms Jody, Jeff Floyd, Hardway Connection, JRed the Nephew

Seventh Stanine Fest w/ Matt Cohen, Bushmeat Sound, Theftable, DJ PJ Brownlee, Poem-emcees, Brian Harnetty, Timothy Bailey & the Humans, Marcus J. Moore, Devin Ocampo, The Caribbean, Bill Nace, DJ Michael Berstein, Boat Burning, Savak, Zwei Null Zwei 12 to 8:30 @ Rhizome

Sunday June 11-

Memorial Tribute to late DC soul singer Eddie Jones w/ the Young Bucks Band feat. Earl Jones, Patti Hatchett and more guests . Plus dinner at 7. 6pm to 10 pm @ VFW Post 8950, 9800 Good Luck Road., Lanham (202)-702-8049

Saturday June 17- the free day of Home Rule Fest at Walter Reed w/ EU, Brian Jackson, and more for free

Sunday June 18 - 3 pm at Lamont Park - Scream, Bed Maker, La Machetres @ 3 @ Lamont Park (DC punk) (Antonico Tricarico Inner Ear book release part 2 )

I moved out of the DMV but I trekked down to my first (and so far only planned) show at the Atlantis to see Yo La Tengo. As expected it feels like a carefully curated, comfortable museum space. YLT were great as usual -- as a live act I think they're better now than at any point in the nearly 20 years I've been seeing them.

The space is also intimate (though not overcrowded) enough that Ira could pass his guitar through the audience and back during the feedback ending of "Ohm."

Also, curiously, a bunch of people seemed to leave after the 1st YLT set, which led me to believe they were just there to check out the venue.

Maybe, or didn’t want to pay a babysitter extra. I haven’t been yet . For old guys like me the new Atlantis having a balcony space , and the pole being moved makes it less museum like.

Yo La Tengo were good at current 930 some months back.

Oh no, RIP Charles Steck after complications from extensive back surgery. He was a good guy, husband , father & great DC photographer and bassist/vocalist in old DC bands Highback Chairs ; Abbreviated Ceiling

Here was his photography website

https://steckphotography.com/about

this was a busy weekend I saw in IG stories with lots of folks at free go-go, free old punk with Scream and others (Inner Ear studio book release) , and other stuff . Not a huge crowd at Home Rule Fest that I caught a little of when I got back in town (for EU and critic fave jazz and Brian Jackson)

Mitch Parker, bassist for Government Issue and Crippled Pilgrims and others, Club and radio DJ, news camera man , videographer etc has died of a heart attack.

So sad . Too young. He kept to himself in recent years.

https://www.fortreno.com/

Fort Reno schedule. Just in July. Amanda says doing too many shows would make it less special. In some past years there were June and August gigs

The NPS Fort Dupont Park series is supposed to start or at least be announced by late July

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/615021/low-key-steady-and-deeply-talented-remembering-charles-steck/

I co-wrote this obit of DC bassist and photographer Charles Steck

Aw, I only knew him in passing but loved his work.

No Funk Parade this year-

Per an email from the
@TheMusicianShip
“Despite spirited efforts and securing some initial sponsorships, the challenging economic climate coupled with recent shifts in the DC non-profit funding landscape, made producing this year's DC Funk Parade no longer feasible”

They dropped the parade portion last year and had less well-known go-go bands and mostly only obscure r'n'b acts as well last year, so this doesn't surprise me too much. Have heard rumors that DC budgeted less money for outdoors arts events this year too

A former Hoboken, New Jersey Frank Sinatra fan club president who subsequently lived in Maryland for many years passed away this week. I will miss you Mom but you are at peace now without pain and Alzheimer’s

https://www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/washingtonpost/name/glenda-kiviat-obituary?id=52568464

Oh, condolences curmudgeon

My condolences too.

Thanks

Sorry to hear curm

Thanks

Fort Dupont summer series had started already this time last year in first week of August ( and in years past started much earlier) but no National Park Service announcement yet for this year. But I see that DC city recreation department has announced that Chuck Broen day is moving from the smaller Chuck Brown Park to the bigger Fort Dupont on August 19. I also saw a public post from a random person on Facebook saying that there will be jazz on August 12 at Fort DuPont. The National Park Service continues to say on their website that “We are still in the planning stages for the 2023 events and hope to announce concert dates later this summer”

https://districtfray.com/articles/6-dc-music-insiders-to-know/

Songbyrd and jazz and rhizome and elsewhere booking folks

free shows (with registration ) at Library of Congress. Some jazz ones look good

https://www.loc.gov/events/concerts-from-the-library-of-congress/concerts/upcoming-concerts/

Chief Xian aTunde Adjuah comes to the Library of Congress with his latest works, Axiom and Bark out Thunder, Roar out Lightning On Friday December 1. Free with registration. Once known as Christian Scott, this New Orleans Jazz and more musician has a number of Mardi Gras Indian style rhythmic songs on his Bark out Thunder album. Some of album is more out there jazz

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/08/28/william-mackaye-journalism-dead/

William Mackaye, journalist, board member for non profits and more . Father of some musicians

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/richardfriend/capital-centre-a-retrospective

Kickstarter for book about Capital Centre

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMplnXOlVu4

Ms Kim from Sirius Company on Noochie’s Front Porch

A response to Tiny Desk sorta

Lots of music docs @ AFI in September— Birthday Party, Jobim, Cramps, mariachi

AFI music movies-Sept 8- Superfly (Curtis Mayfield soundtrack) ; Sept 16- The Cramps and The Mutants: the Napa State Mental Hospital 1978 concert Tapes; Sept 21 & 25- Mutiny In Heaven: The Birthday Party; Elis & Tom Sept 24, 25, 27; Going Varsity In Mariachi Sept 24 & 25; Sept 29 & 30 Stop Making Sense; Let the Dance Begin (tango) Sept 29 & Oct. 1; Oct 1, 4, 5- Miúcha, The Voice Of Bossa Nova