Short & sweet today DC. It’s almost Memorial Day weekend and most of you are probably out the door already anyway. Here’s some abstract goodness from Droo Bandos, aka Is and Of The. Acrobatic comes from the free EP of the same name.
See you next Tuesday!
Local filmmaker Hantz is quickly becoming a force in DC music videos. We recently featured his interview with low country blues-man Jonny Grave (new album out this week!), and today he released a new short film called Best Friends, which asks the timeless question “What are best friends for, if not this?” The music backing this film is “Elysian” by Nacey, producer for “aquawave” band Misun, and like just about all of this young producer’s top notch music, this song is free to download.
Hot off the presses, we got a brand new video from rapper Phil Adé. It’s been nearly a year since Adé’s last mixtape Friday II, and today’s video Nas Told Me serves up our first taste of his upcoming release R.O.S.E., dropping this summer. Sunny Norway provides the beat for this track, and man is it a killer. Adé’s deft vocals and tight hook on the chorus makes this one a dancefloor winner.
Afropop band Elikeh embodies the global cultural diversity that makes DC such an interesting place for music. Frontman Massama Dogo comes from Togo and has performed with many bands, both local and worldwide (Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, The Wailers, Vieux Farka Toure, Bombino). Elikeh’s 2012 album Between 2 Worlds appeared in more than a few top albums lists last year, and they’ve recently appeared at the Howard Theater, the Black Cat and the Strathmore. This Saturday night they headline a Global Dance Party at Rosslyn’s Artisphere, with top-notch opening sets from reggae/funk band Nappy Riddem and gypsy horn ensemble Black Masala. This is going to be an amazing night of world music!
Now look DC, I worked in Rosslyn for years and I know that it’s a bit of an odd place to go on a Saturday night. The Artisphere is a great space with some bold programming choices and an expansive dance floor. There’s a Metro station close by, and did you know that the Artisphere offers FREE validated parking on weekends? Yup, that’s right, FREE! No way you’re getting that on U Street or H Street NE. Also I hear the fine folks at ridesharing app SideCarDC are offering free rides this weekend! The $12 show kicks off at 8 PM in the Artisphere’s ballroom.
For today’s DC music video of the day, here’s the latest from Elikeh, No Vision. From their 2012 album Between 2 Worlds, the video was shot by singer Dogo’s younger brother Edouard Zucker.
If you listened to the latest episode of the Hometown Sounds podcast, you heard the newest single “Blow Darts” by indie rock band Fire and the Wheel. Today the quartet released a short video taking us behind the scenes of recording the new song at Bastille Studios in Arlington. Personally, I love this peek into the music making process and the camaraderie these four talented musicians share. Fire and the Wheel appears live next Friday May 24th at the Velvet Lounge along with an all-DC lineup including Brenda, Linsay Deming of SweetBread Jim’s and Andrew Grossman of The North Country.
Did you catch Jon Fisher’s excellent profile of Kid Congo Powers in last week’s CityPaper? If not, damnit, read it now! Powers is well known as both as musician and DJ around town, spinning a truly unique garage-soul sound. He’ll be leading the Kid Congo Power’s Hour at Sunday’s Sound Bites, an outdoor street festival of music and food at the 9:30 Club with a lineup that includes Deathfix, DJ Will Eastman, Batala and Rich Morel’s Hot Sauce, all to benefit DC Central Kitchen.
Here’s an appropriately trippy music video for Rare as the Yeti, from Kid Congo’s 2009 album Dracula Boots.
Pop-punkers Boardroom Heroes from Bethesda know their way around driving beats and catchy hooks. They’ve got the polish and youthful energy of Dookie-era Green Day down pat, as you can see in their brand new video Tomorrow Came Early, from their 2012 album Another Year. This live performance video was shot in the Kay Spiritual Life Center, a growing nexus for local shows at American University set up by their student-run internet radio station WVAU. Catch them live next at Casa Fiesta with a lineup of other local punk bands on Sunday June 9th.
Here’s another video in Margot MacDonald‘s Floor Sessions series, pairing a well-produced live video with a free audio download. Most people are familiar with the original Magnetic Fields version of The Book of Love, but I really got into the version Vandaveer did for their Daytrotter Session back in 2009. This new acapella version by Margot, queen of the vocal loop pedal, is just gorgeous. She’ll be opening for local indie poppers Simone & The Spectrum this Thursday at Jammin’ Java.
Paul Bugala, aka Peanut Butter, and his stalwart drummer Dave, make math rock that doesn’t take itself too seriously. All those tempo changes can be tough, but PB&Dave clearly have a great time making music together. Yesterday they debuted their first music video for In Air, from their just-released second full length album When Everyone Is Getting Wise, showing the adventures of a man-sized tiger in our area. They kicked off a short tour last night at Velvet Lounge with a combination record release party and benefit for Publish What You Pay.
It’s been a quiet couple of days for new DC music videos, so here’s another one from the archives. A feelgood summer video from 2011 by gay singer-songwriter Tom Goss, It’s All Over features plenty of guitar strumming, partying and synchronized dancing in a few recognizable DC locales. This video looks like it was a blast to film. Can’t wait for summer!
Bonus feature: Howard Stump, an extra in the video, shot some behind the scenes footage.
