Hometown Sounds

Hometown Sounds is taking a short breather next week, so today we’ve got a bonus size lineup of #DCmusic picks for your holiday weekend.

Friday 6/29:
Head up to College Park’s MilkBoy ArtHouse tonight for a night of modern bluegrass and folk music. By And By describe their sound as “Arms Wide Open Bluegrass & Americana”, and Rock Creek Revival are right up that alley too.

Saturday 6/30:
H St. NE’s Rock & Roll Hotel has a strong lineup of DC indie rock Saturday evening. You should already know Paperhaus from their many years of hosting DCDIT house shows. Park Snakes channel goth and post-punk vibes, while Bacchae represent the agitated punk youth.

Sunday 7/01:
On July 4th Union Stage hosts an independent music and skate festival called either Brokechella or Moechella. We’re not quite sure. But you can get a preview of the music Sunday evening at Dew Drop Inn from a wide swath of the DC music scene, including Karen Culi, +E, Mr. Daywalker and a new band called Barefoot Lefty.

Monday 7/02:
The 50th anniversary Fort Reno season kicks off Monday evening at 7:30 with a fantastic lineup of Lotion Princess, Time is Fire and Des Demonas. Invite your coolest friends to check out DC’s premiere outdoor music series.

Tuesday 7/03:
There was a time when go-go music was pushed out of DC’s city limits. Now you can hear that distinctive go-go beat at one of the most swank venues in DC, The Hamilton. Tuesday night the lineup of Rare Essence featuring Jas Funk and E.U. featuring Sugar Bear unites two of the longest running go-go acts for a night of true DC satisfaction.

Wednesday 7/04:
Come on, it’s the Fourth! Go watch fireworks!

It’s another strong week in #DCmusic shows. Hometown Sounds lovingly encourages you to get out of your air-conditioned, Netflix-enabled hidey hole and onto the dance floor singing along to some great tunes. Here are our suggestions for the week to come.

Monday 6/25:
Ryan Walker and Stephen Russ are two endearing DC musicians that share not just a friendship but also a birthday, and that was yesterday. Stephen’s new band Bal Boheme joins Ryan’s group The Beanstalk Library for a night of musical celebrations tonight at Arlington’s Galaxy Hut.

Tuesday 6/26:
Kudos to Black Cat for hosting a snazzy two band bill on a Tuesday night. The Beginner’s Mynd channel 60s era psychedelic rock, and Ezra Mae & The Gypsy Moon make smoky garage-y blues. Get on this.

Wednesday 6/27:
Seán Barna is a drummer and singer swapping time between DC and NY, and his unique vocal and lyrical style sound like no one else here. Come here his band The Monogamists perform songs from Barna’s upcoming release Cissy, a “gasping, 5-song exploration of isolation, anxiety, queerness, and mortality” at SongByrd Wednesday evening. Plus you get Rob Stokes Band and Brooklyn’s Laura Wolf, and life is just grand.

Thursday 6/28:
Little League Champs play pop-punk and mashup style music, including “anthems from the 90s and songs you would’ve heard at Warped Tour in 2006”. AdMo’s SongByrd hosts the release show for their debut EP Hot Ice Thursday night, with support from Broke Royals and Eli Lev & The Fortunes Found. That’s a fun as hell lineup from start to finish to lead into the weekend.

The weekend is here! Summer is here! Don’t you dare stay home. Check out our #DCmusic picks for the weekend.

Friday 6/22:
Tonight Slash Run hosts the EP release show for the well-named pop-punk band Ménage À Garage, with support from DC band freinds The Hartford Pussies and Pagan Reagan. There’s no cover, so that means more burgers & brews to ease you into the weekend.

Saturday 6/23:
News flash: the Flasher show Saturday night at Black Cat is in the Backstage room, and it’s not yet sold out as I type these words. Grab your tix in advance to see the post-punk trio ride the wave of their debut album Constant Image. Filling out the bill is Dehd from Chicago and the Girls of Trade’s Genderfuck Drag Show.

Sunday 6/24:
ICYMI, our monthly showcase at the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage returns Sunday at 6 PM with a special presentation of Beauty Pill. Frontman Chad Clark decided to expand the quintet to a Symphonette for this performance, so don’t miss your chance to see this sublime music like never before.

A #DCmusic show or event every single night. That’s our mission. Here are this week’s picks!

Monday 6/18:
We bet most fans of DC music know the name Don Zientara, if not his sound. The owner of famed Arlington recording studio Inner Ear has manned the boards of many legendary recordings. Come to Galaxy Hut tonight to hear his original music, along with Lisa Said’s smoky new ensemble Piramid Scheme.

Tuesday 6/19:
Got My Own Sound is perfecting their jazzy, soulful blend of R&B and hip-hop on their own recently released album Welcome To Our World and through collaborations with DC titans Carolyn Malachi and Raheem DeVaughn among many others. Georgetown’s Blues Alley hosts two shows by this talented group Tuesday evening. Pro tip: stay up late and go to the second show.

Wednesday 6/20:
Mental health concerns are frequently on our minds these days, from self-care to celebrity suicides. Toronto’s Rich Aucoin is currently biking across America on his PRESS ON Tour to raise money and awareness for Mental Health America. Wednesday night he pedals to DC9 with support from Nashville’s sweaty Terror Pigeon and two diverse DC acts we love, OG Lullabies and Electric Grandmother. The music starts at 7:30 and 100% of the proceeds go to charity.

Thursday 6/21:
Come here our very own podcast host Tony Porreco in a panel discussion about streaming music at DC Music Download‘s Industry Night at Union Stage. RSVP right now to hobnob with everyone who’s everyone.

Friday 6/15:
The fine folk at DC Music Download continue their live music series Luce Unplugged at the Luce Foundation Center for American Art inside the Smithsonian American Art Museum tonight with high energy blues rock frontman Jonny Grave. This free show with drink specials is the best happy hour around, so bring your friends.

Saturday 6/16:
ICYMI, our most recent DC music podcast featured The Caribbean‘s Matt Byars talking about this Saturday‘s Seventh Stanine Festival at Takoma Park DIY venue Rhizome. Now the party is almost here! The all-day, all-evening lineup includes many avant-garde DC acts we love: Insect Factory, Literals, The Jet Age, Jon Camp, Boat Burning, Chad Clark of Beauty Pill, and of course The Caribbean themselves. Come early, stay late, chip in $15 and expand your brain.

Sunday 6/17:
Lush, friendly and deep, indie folks band Near Northeast‘s show at Union Stage on Sunday evening has received some well-deserved local media plugs. Not wanting anyone to feel left out, we join in this love fest with our recommendation. The well-curated bill includes a band from Pittsburgh called The Hills and the Rivers and Hagerstown MD’s The Plate Scrapers.