Bobby Thompson’s blues rock band Blueheart Revival just released the third video from their debut full length album Stone Feathers. Like last year’s premiere video “Setting Sun”, Thompson and his talented crew along with engineer Sean Russel recorded “Early in the Morning” at Cue Recording Studio’s Red Room and Clubhill Media‘s Matt Williams was there to capture footage, but Thompson himself did the editing for this interesting view into the recording process. Iota in Clarendon is the spiritual home of this rugged style in DC, so head there Friday night to hear Blueheart Revival wail and croon with support from Jonathan Slone and Wayward Dog.
Hometown Sounds
Showing The World How DC Rocks
Monthly Archives: March 2015
Dead Professional – Don’t Be Cruel video
The late 80s were a formative time for me musically, especially when my house got a VCR and MTV. I set to taping my favorite music videos every chance I got, much like devoted music fans taped their favorite songs off of FM radio. 1988 is heavily represented on a VHS tape I still have somewhere in my house, even though I no longer have a device to play it back. Through coincidental synergy, that year two popular songs called “Don’t Be Cruel” flew high in the charts, Cheap Trick’s cover of the original Elvis Presley song and Bobby Brown’s new jack swing anthem. So I’ll be honest with you, when I found Dead Professional‘s spare and beautiful song with the same name, I could not get these two other versions out of my head. This is totally unfair because John Harouff’s song is original, not a cover of either of my ancient earworms. “Don’t Be Cruel” is the latest single from Dead Professional’s 2014 debut EP Hard Hard Hard, recorded by John alone, but he’s recently added bass and drums to his live sets, including this version performed out in a field for The Garage Video Sessions. Dead Professional brings their simple and direct rock to the Kingman Island Bluegrass Festival on April 25th, so wouldn’t it be a grand idea to pre-order tickets today?
Incredible Change – Ecce Mono video
We’ve told you a few times now about Incredible Change, the hot hot synthpop band fronted by Ra Ra Rasputin’s Brock Boss. Their short tour with The Jaguar Club from NYC and Baltimore’s Joseph & the Beasts hits our fair town Saturday night at DC9. This video from last year for “Ecce Mono”, on their FREE self-titled debut EP, shows how much of an intense workout drumming really is. Just try to burn that many calories dancing!
Paperhaus – So Slow video
Didn’t you get the memo? Apparently March is Ben Usie month for DC music videos. Impose Magazine premiered the newest Usie-directed music video from Paperhaus yesterday, joining the ranks of Usie’s recent creations for Young Rapids and his own band Pree. Usie’s videos are always colorfully inventive, but “So Slow” could leave you scratching your head. The video, filmed in south Louisiana, features Dorian Phibian of Cloudheavy Recording Collective preparing for a big show that may never come. Paperhaus has no shortage of shows to perform, as the band continues its push for indie rock stardom with prominent spots at SXSW and a neverending US tour supporting their recent self-titled release.
Podcast for March 24th, 2015
This week, Tony shares his true feelings about pandas. Also, we show you some of the many ways DC rocks!
Tracklisting:
Sunbathers – Summer In The City (Yites Remix) [free download on SoundCloud]
Cruzie Beaux – Girlfriend [Demo 1]
Moonlight Mask – Purple Stuff [Moonlight Mask]
Dot Dash – Walls Closing In [Earthquakes & Tidal Waves]
Mittenfields – Optimists [Optimists LP coming in April]
Night Streets – Night Streets [Night Streets]
Or listen in SoundCloud:
Subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast (& rate it 5 stars!) in the iTunes Store
Two Dragons and a Cheetah – Lessons video
Guitarist/vocalist Maryjo Mattea and drummer Joel Wu keep the formula simple in their garage rock duo Two Dragons and a Cheetah. But simple can still rock plenty hard. Their debut music video “Lessons” shows them walking and performing around Chinatown, and I particularly love the incongruity between Wu’s hard hitting drums and the adorably tiny kit strapped to his chest. Pick up their new EP Something, Something... Poetry and Light for a few bucks on Bandcamp and clear your schedule Friday night to descend to the basement of DIT house Bathtub Republic to see the these beasts play with our faves Clones of Clones.
Speedy Consuela – Sukka Suited video
Untangling the web of connections between artists in the Fort Knox Recordings family is a fun parlor game. Fort Knox Five, the label’s flagship funk act, is Jon Hovarth, Steve Raskin and Sid Barcelona (new album out next month!), but Raskin & Barcelona made stylish downtempo as Thunderball on the ESL label for many years. Versatile guitarist/sitarist Rob Myers’s solo excursions go under the name International Velvet. Raskin also put together a family project with his sister Joyce, wife Johnna and Joyce’s husband Matt White called Speedy Consuela. Though a rumored full length album did not materialize, a handful of tracks appeared on the occasional FKR compliation series “The New Gold Standard”. Despite being originally released way back in 2006, Speedy Consuela just premiered a new music video for their debut single “Sukka Suited”. Directed by the aforementioned Rob Myers and shot in the Rock & Roll Hotel’s stylish Mao Room, the video is a swanky mod tribute to this throwback party anthem from the mid-aughts.
The Girls Upstairs – About You video
Hey DC, remember The Girls Upstairs? The catchy young College Park rock band’s debut EP Never Love You just dropped from its Kickstarted price down to $4, and it’s definitely worth adding to your DC music collection on Bandcamp. We showed you their unplugged Tiny Desk contest entry a while back, but hear how they sound fully electrified and “chemically altered” in this adorably stalker-y music video for the EP’s single “About You”.
Incredible Change – Night Falls video
Synthpop band Incredible Change continues, despite the recent departure of female vocalist Deena OH. “Night Falls”, a new single not included on their FREE original self-titled debut EP, came out a couple of months ago with this vibrant music video shot by Deena and frontman Brock Boss in one long night from 8 PM to 5 AM. Come meet new vocalist Sarah Stevenson at their next show Saturday March 28th at DC9 with Baltimore’s Joseph and the Beats and The Jaguar Club from Brooklyn, sand RSVP already!
Polyon – Crest video
You guys know Polyon, right? Frontman Ryan McLaughlin’s other other band with Brandon Korch and Adam Lake? Looks like next week is Polyon Week in DC as you’ve got TWO chances to see this powerfully loud band: Monday they join Makeshift Shelters and Taking Meds at Comet Ping Pong and Thursday it’s a show with Stronger Sex and Solids at DC9. Their first release, a cassette and Bandcamp EP simply called Three Songs, comes out next week as well. So now’s the perfect time to watch this music video for their debut single “Crest”. Acclaimed director Nigel Lyons always does a great job of creating visuals that complement the right qualities of the music. I also appreciate all the subliminal reminders to relive the industrial 90s with KMFDM.
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