Hometown Sounds

We hope you had an awesome weekend seeing #DCmusic. Here’s your week ahead of seeing more #DCmusic!

Monday 2/11:
Happy 15th Birthday to DC9! The perfectly-sized live music and dance club at 9th & U is celebrating with another week of great shows and DJ nights. Tonight they host the upbeat reggae band Kromanauts, along with Dior Ashley Brown and The Cruddy Crankers.

Tuesday 2/12:
AdMo’s SongByrd has your Tuesday night covered. The intimate Vinyl Lounge hosts electro soul band novo, with an opening set from singer/songwriter Azure Vox.

Wednesday 2/13:
Singer/songwriter Justin Trawick is all about teamwork. His immensely successful The 9 Songwriter Series teams up rotating lineups of musicians playing sold out shows at ever-bigger and more prestigious venues. This Wednesday evening, in another of DC9‘s 15th Anniversary shows, Trawick leaves his usual backing band The Common Good at home and presents his song solo. Ukulele darling Louisa Hall opens.

Thursday 2/14:
Welp, it’s Valentine’s Day. Do you have a date you want to impress? Are you flying solo and want some tunes to warm your heart? Head to Dew Drop Inn Thursday night for the lineup of experimental rock band Frend, folky Annie Stokes Duo, and a solo set from Laurel Rose of Bal Boheme.

We’ve plugged a lot of shows in this show picks column, but this weekend of #DCmusic might be the most interesting we’ve yet compiled. Let’s get to it!

Friday 2/08:
The CityPaper invites you to the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Luce Foundation Center this evening for a free two band concert they call Luce Unplugged, even though there are lots of plugs and electricity and whatnot. Things get experimental with ambiance from Twin Jude and Weed Tree, improv by guitarist Layne Garrett and drummer Amanda Huron.

Saturday 2/09:
Johnny Fantastic, aka QueerPOTUS, is curiously obsessed with the past presidents of the United States. In celebration of President’s Day weekend (which is next weekend, don’t freak out), Fantastic presents an All Star Presidential Salute to our 14th-31st commanders in chief. Before you stumble over to Wikipedia, that’s Franklin Pierce to Herbert Hoover, mostly a range of mediocre presidents with a couple of notable exceptions. This unique Saturday night at Slash Run also includes sitcom-core duo The Electric Grandmother, Weems, or the Washington Electronic Excellence Music System featuring Mason Scan of Catscan! and good pal Eric Randall presenting 18th century inspired lounge/house music, and a solemn march to the gates of Lincoln’s Cottage.

Sunday 2/10:
All of a sudden it’s the second Sunday of the month, and CapitalBop is back with another Jazz Loft. This month the DC jazz site hosts saxophonist Marshall Keys and drummer Nik Francis at Takoma Park’s Rhizome. 100% of the money at the door goes to the musicians, so come ready to lend your support.

For some reason it’s a light week for live music in DC, but we still managed to find some #DCmusic picks for you. Remember, staying home is bad for you.

Monday 2/04:
Saxophonist Herb Scott leads his quartet for two shows tonight at Georgetown’s Blues Alley. Catch him at the jazz show.

Tuesday 2/05:
Come hear the stripped-down solo acoustic version of polished pop band Broke Royals as the featured performers at the Sauf Haus Open Mike in Dupont Circle this Tuesday evening.

Wednesday 2/06:
Trombonist Reginald Cyntje celebrates the release of his new album Rise of the Protester at Blues Alley on Wednesday evening. Read CapitalBop’s in-depth review here.

And just like that, it’s February. Can we interest you in some fine #DCmusic to get out of your house for? Here are our weekend picks.

Friday 2/01:
The legacy of Rastafari legend Bob Marley continues to inspire reggae bands all over the world. Celebrating what should have been Marley’s 74th birthday at Gypsy Sally’s in Georgetown tonight are two DC bands with deep rocksteady vibes, FeelFree and Fort Knox Recordings’ Nappy Riddem.

Saturday 2/02:
The last time Mike Boggs’s indie pop band We Were Pirates played live was at our Kennedy Center Millennium Stage showcase in late 2017. As is his style, Boggs then retreated to his home studio and developed six new songs in a more acoustic and organic style. Come hear the full band debut the new EP Gone at the Rock & Roll Hotel Saturday night, with support from DC synthpop band Color Palette (another Millennium Stage alum!) and Richmond’s The Trillions.

Sunday 2/03:
Eva Moolchan’s third album as Sneaks Highway Hypnosis just dropped on Merge Records a few days ago. Come hear the songs range from post-punk to electronic to experimental hip-hop live Sunday night at SongByrd in AdMo. DC expat singer-songwriter Insomnea opens.