Andy Shea is an English teacher and singer-songwriter we’ve featured before on Hometown Sounds. His entry into this year’s Tiny Desk Contest is “Braver”, the title track from his name-your-own-price 2012 EP. Andy emphasizes empathy in his teaching, and this song about his older brother Matthew with Down syndrome exemplifies this perfectly.
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Monthly Archives: February 2017
Elena & Los Fulanos – Ponle Fin
We’re taking a break from the Tiny Desk Contest review for a timely introduction to Elena & Los Fulanos. The bilingual folk-rock band fronted by Elena Lacayo is currently raising money to record their second album, and with only one week left they are most of the way there. Tonight they play a show with powerful singer Lauren Calve at Haydee’s Restaurant, and even though there’s no cover charge, be sure to chip them all the scratch you can to help them out. Everyone’s looking to DC punk for protest music for 2017, but Elena is the one leading protest singalongs and penning heartfelt, scathing tracks like her newest, “Ponle Fin”.
Justin Trawick – The Bright Side (Tiny Desk Contest)
Let the record show that Justin Trawick is not above pandering. For this year’s submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, the singer-songwriter and podcast host croons his optimistic tune “The Bright Side” to an oblivious English bulldog named, appropriately enough, Rico Suave. Who can resist that adorable pup?
DuPont Brass – Sunshine (Tiny Desk Contest)
DuPont Brass brings a touch of New Orleans second line brass band style to DC. Combining hip-hop, jazz and R&B, these Howard grads have graduated from street busking to blowout club gigs befitting their full, funky sound. “Sunshine” is their second go-round in NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, after last year’s song “Common Tones”.
Handsome Hound – Carina (Tiny Desk Contest)
Our spin through the DC area submissions to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest continues with the utterly lovable folk rock band Handsome Hound. Claire Daviss and Cuchulain Kelly front this unique and accessible quintet of musicians, here performing an unreleased song “Carina” at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Gallery.
While you’re at it, relive Snowzilla 2016 and watch Daviss and Kelly and trumpeter Allison Rosenberg perform “Hannah”, from their debut EP I Guess We’re Doing Alright, for last year’s contest, which we completely missed presenting to you until now.
Sara Curtin – Call You Home (Tiny Desk Contest)
Singer Sara Curtin never disappoints in her entries for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest. Her third effort is the romantic ballad “Call You Home”, filmed at Takoma Ranch and backed by bandmates Maureen Andary from The Sweater Set and Ryan Walker of The Beanstalk Library. Look for a new album featuring this song out later this year.
Run Come See – Empty Shell (Tiny Desk Contest)
Run Come See is a new soulful folk-rock supergroup featuring John Figura of the Gulley Jimson Quartet, standup bassist Tom Liddle of Letitia Van Sant & The Bonafides, and Lauren Calve. Over the last year they’ve refined each others’ songs live and in the studio, culminating in much highly anticipated debut album release next month. Get a taste of it with this submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, John’s original song “Empty Shell” filmed by Sugar Farm Productions at the Petworth Citizen literary bar, where they shelve books by color. Mark your calendars for the album release show Friday March 3rd at the Black Cat with Turtle Recall and The North Country.
Eastern Standard Time – Miles and Miles (Tiny Desk Contest)
Eastern Standard Time steers their brand of ska away from 90s punk leanings to a more soulful, sometimes romantic direction. Their submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest sees them grooving on last year’s b-side single “Miles and Miles” in the office basement of Richmond venue The Camel.
Podcast for February 1st, 2017
Paul shares listener feedback from the front lines of the inauguration. Also Tony finally lands a joke.
Tracklisting:
Derek Evry – Armageddon [Exclusive Premiere!]
Natalie York – Girlfriend [Ghosts EP]
Street Stains – Street Stains [Street Stains]
Mountain Jew – We Only Know What We’ve Been Told [The Art Takes Action Mixtape]
Young Rapids – Nice Nice Very Nice [Everything’s Perfect]
Max Ransay – Ti Kanno (Meistro Sol Power Edit) [single]
Or listen in SoundCloud:
Subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast in the iTunes Store or your favorite podcast app! (and tell a friend too!)
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