Hometown Sounds

The future of (some) music is direct patronage. The majority of music consumers these days sadly don’t believe music is worth paying for and owning, streaming music platforms have rendered obsolete managing libraries of MP3s, and most people don’t have optical drives, turntables or cassette decks anymore. Despite some bumps in 2017, Patreon is proving the viability of its platform to provide direct and ongoing support to more niche creatives, and we’ve been curious when a DC musician would sign up. The first we’ve seen is queer pop singer Be Steadwell, now in her fourth year of working as a full time musician. Patrons that want to sustain her music beyond buying albums and attending shows can sign up and get previews of upcoming releases and of course undying gratitude. While we patiently wait for Steadwell’s promised next album of love songs, her latest music video takes us back to 2017’s Breakup Songs with the adorable and self-reflective (and kinda-NSFW) “Leo”. Don’t miss Steadwell open for Letitia VanSant’s album release show at Black Cat on Tuesday February 6th.