For some sad reason, the jazz world hardly ever produces music videos. Thankfully we’ve got stellar guitarist Anthony Pirog shaking things up in many different ways. Though rooted in jazz with a degree in jazz studies, genre and convention utterly fail to contain Pirog’s virtuosic guitar abilities. While most well known locally for his Sonic Circuits-featured experimental work with partner Janel Leppin, I was quite surprised to see Pirog playing guitar for alt-country rock band The Jackfields at Iota’s Magnificent Intentions festival earlier this month. Now Silver Spring based label Cunieform Records has released Pirog’s debut full length album as a jazz trio leader, Palo Colorado Dream, featuring drummer Ches Smith from New York and Baltimore’s Michael Formanek on bass. The video for “The New Electric” was created by filmmaker Dan Sharnoff from 7848 photos he took of the trio performing at Shangrilah Studios in Brooklyn. I love how the imagery matches the song in pace as it progresses from its quiet jazz intro to bombastic post-rock noise. Make your way to #DCDIT house show mecca Paperhaus tonight to see the Anthony Pirog Trio along with Split/Red, Native America and DC’s resurrected Young Rapids.
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Monthly Archives: October 2014
#TBT Typefighter – Much video
#TBT for a Halloween-themed music video you may have missed. Last year the indie rock band Typefighter started to build the hype for their excellent debut full length album The End Of Everything with this video for “Much”, usually featured as a big finish to their blistering live sets. Aviv Rubenstein created this really fun video featuring kids in Halloween costumes fighting a dramatic war in the woods. It’s been great to see this band start to break out this year through extensive touring, so don’t miss their next hometown show at DC9 on Wednesday November 5th opening for Pup.
The Walking Sticks – Bang (Vibe With You) video
Earlier this month, dream pop trio The Walking Sticks invited fans to dance in a new music video for “One Sweet Thing” at a show at DC9. While we wait to see everyone’s goofy dance moves on that song, BYT premiered the first video from their upcoming EP Pop Dreams yesterday. “Bang (Vibe With You)” provides appropriately abstract and meditative footage shot by Sam and David Janesko, accompanying the delicate production by twins Max & Spencer Ernst and amazing pipes of singer Chelsea Lee. Pop Dreams comes out November 11th, and the release show comes Saturday November 22nd at Rock & Roll Hotel.
Clones of Clones – I Don’t Need Your Love video
Clones of Clones spice up their radio friendly modern rock with just enough profanity to keep things real. They’ve got a bit of Black Rebel Motorcycle Club in their sound, with both loud and quiet parts echoing the angsty themes of their new single “I Don’t Need Your Love”. A new 3 song release for the single goes up for preorder today, dropping fully on November 11th, along with the A side’s music video directed by Adam Peditto.
Strange coindicence: Adam also directed many music videos for George Alley, a musician and performance artist in Philly who lived across the hall from me in college. George and I bonded over our shared love of 80s synthpop band Dead or Alive, and I had no idea he even made music videos until I saw Adam’s site. Small world!
Anyway, check out the brand new debut music video for Clones of Clones!
Podcast for October 28th, 2014 feat. The Mean Ideas
The mystery band from a few episodes ago is revealed! It’s The Mean Ideas!
Gabe Fry, Kate Rears Burgman and Jesse Burgman stop by to talk about the band’s history and the upcoming release of its long awaited album Sleeping Arm.
Tracklisting:
The Mean Ideas – No One Is Anyone
The Mean Ideas – Women Are Children First
We Were Pirates – Civilized Man
Short Lives – Purest
The Alphabetical Order – Submarines
The Mean Ideas – The High Watermarks
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The Acorns – It’s No Secret video
DC duo The Acorns dwell in the quirky and oddball part of the hip-hop universe, along the likes of Kool Keith and Del Tha Funkee Homosapien. Comprised of One Love Massive’s BlakeNine and MC Mad Squirrel, the pair dropped their EP Oak Future on local label Candlewax Records earlier this year. This bizarre music video for “It’s No Secret” imagines a seedy and dangerous societal underbelly of addictive nuts and pine cones.
#TBT RDGLDGRN – Lootin’ In London video
Sometimes things get quiet for DC music videos, so we’re jumping on the #TBT bandwagon and digging into our extensive archives. Colorful genre-hoppers RDGLDGRN headline a rare hometown show tonight at the 9:30 Club with support from Mista Selectah and Redline Graffiti. I hear Dave Grohl is in town, maybe he’ll show up too. Just prior to the release of their self-titled debut album last year, RDGLDGRN put out this killer video for “Lootin’ In London”, the sing-along anthem peppered with DC musical references. See you at the show tonight!
Chuck Brown Band – Lighters video
The Chuck Brown Band, keepers of the legacy of DC’s Godfather of Go-Go, today dropped a brand new video from the posthumous release Beautiful Life. “Lighters” is a driving party anthem with that unmistakable beat, featuring Ms. Yendy and King Kanja imploring dancers to “Put Your Lighters Up”. The song’s lighthearted theme to keep the party going late into the night reflects Chuck Brown’s long legacy of musical achievement and has greater poignancy now that he’s gone.
The Cornel West Theory – G.O.D.video
The Cornel West Theory stands out as the most prominent overtly political hip-hop group in DC. Most rappers in our city, despite geographical proximity to the decision makers in our government, choose to focus on more street-level and mundane issues. Naming your group in honor of prominent Democratic Socialist activist Dr. Cornel West guarantees thoughtful and hard hitting lyrics, and the Cornel West Theory always delivers. Their new album Coming From The Bottom drops “when you least expect it”, so get ready with this confrontational music video for “G.O.D.” attacking the US’s reliance on drones. Footage from Terminator 2 and classic G.I. Joe animation drive the point home unmistakably.
Kali Uchis – Know What I Want video
Kali Uchis, born in Columbia but raised here in the DC suburbs, has a fashionable and personal style akin more with LA than DC. Even at only 20 years old, Uchis prefers to assert creative control over her artistic product. She frequently directs her own music videos, including “Know What I Want”, premiered yesterday by Fader. The reggae-influenced track, produced by Bunx, comes from Uchi’s new EP Por Vida, featuring collaborations with Tyler The Creator and Diplo, due out in early 2015. In the meantime, grab Uchis’s free 2012 mixtape Drunken Babble and follow her on Twitter and Instagram.
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