Author Archives: Hometown Sounds

Apr 06 2012
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shows, video

Dot Dash & Black Tambourine videos

DC music video of the day! Today we’ve got TWO videos, one for each night of the exciting Chickfactor 2012 Anniverary Show this weekend at the Artisphere in Rosslyn. First up is Dot Dash, a self-described post-punk pop band. They’re part of the Friday night lineup that includes Stevie Jackson from Belle & Sebastian, early Slumberland Records act Honey Bunch and Frankie Rose from Vivian Girls. Dot Dash’s video for Learn How To Fly comes from their 2011 album spark > flame > ember > ash, and the song is also available for free at their SoundCloud page!

Saturday’s lineup at the Chickfactor show is pretty amazing, including Kurt Heaseley from the Lilys, Fan Modine, local Slumberland act Lorelei and the big draw, the first performance in two decades from the influential twee pop band Black Tambourine. They didn’t put out much material when they were active, but what they did made a lasting impact on a lot of bands today. Their entire output comes on a single self-title release, recently re-released with some bonus demos and other ephemera. Check out the awesome Super-8 footage video from Black Tambourine’s 1990 WMUC gig playing “For Ex-Lovers Only”, and don’t miss this show Saturday night!

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Apr 05 2012
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video

These United States – The Important Thing video

DC music video of the day! Let’s watch another one by my favorite twangy rockers These United States. This wacky throwback video comes from their fantastic 2009 album Everything Touches Everything. They may not live in DC anymore, but we still remember them well.

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Apr 04 2012
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shows, video

The Beanstalk Library – World Leader Pretend video

DC music video of the day! I’ve been a fan of The Beanstalk Library since their 2009 Demo EP release. The band released each track through a different local music-related blog, letting five writers weigh in on their Americana sound. I really hope that a proper release is coming soon from these guys! Tonight they headline a show at the Black Cat Backstage along with NYC’s The Color Bars and locals Archivists. Back in January, they invited their friends at the local video blog Man On The Street DC to film a music video for their cover of the R.E.M. classic World Leader Pretend. Watch it and get a taste of winter that we barely got here.

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Apr 03 2012
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music, video

Drop Electric – Finding Color In The Ashes video

DC music video of the day! Drop Electric makes beautiful soundscapes that work both in headphones and on stage. Their vibrant take on shoegaze has gotten a lot of positive press among fellow DC music bloggers DC Rock Live, DC Music Download and DCist’s Three Stars. They recently released a single, Santo Domingo, as a teaser for their soon-to-be-released new album. Today we feature the video for the title track of their 2010 album Finding Color In The Ashes, which you can download right now for free!

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Apr 02 2012
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shows, video

Laura Tsaggaris – Get Yourself Right video

DC music video of the day! Singer/songwriter Laura Tsaggaris is a veteran of the DC scene. Her first EP came out back in 2005, followed by a full length album Keep Talking in 2009. Tonight you can see Laura perform at Iota in Arlington, opening for Bohème, Cassidy from Antigone Rising. Here’s the video for Get Yourself Right, from her album Keep Talking.
http://vimeo.com/groups/musicvids/videos/14421485

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Mar 30 2012
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shows, video

Is and of The – The Past Inside The Present video

DC music video of the day! Drew Bandos is a young student from Philadelphia studying here in DC and putting out some amazing electronic music under the name Is And Of The. He’s signed to the heavyweight Mush Records label, home of acts like Boom Bip, Daedelus, Aesop Rock and cLOUDDEAD, so you know you’re in for some challenging and appealing beats and sounds. Is And Of The’s recent EP Handpainted Glow is on sale at the Mush Records online store for only $3, and we’d strongly suggest getting it while you can for that cheap price! Check out this Facebook event for a mysterious Is And Of The show somewhere in Foggy Bottom Saturday evening, along with Pittsburgh acts Legs Like Tree Trunks and Plots. Here’s the awesome video for The Past Inside The Present, from the Handpainted Glow EP.

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Mar 29 2012
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shows, video

Ardamus – My Kinda Party video

DC music video of the day! Singer-songwriter Justin Trawick founded The 9 Songwriter Series in 2008 to pool the talents of local musicians and bring the artform to larger venues and crowds. Tonight the series makes a major expansion into hip-hop MCs at the Velvet Lounge. One of the featured rappers is Ardamus, a veteran of the DC hip-hop scene. With his frequent production collaborator The Metaphysical, Ardamus raised his profile with the well-received album When Nothing Goes Right. Ardamus has a huge library of albums and mixtapes available for free or cheap at his Bandcamp page. Today we’ve got the video for My Kinda Party, from his 2009 free mixtape A Day In The Life Of Modern Day Living.

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Mar 28 2012
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shows, video

Fort Knox Five – Shift video

DC music video of the day! Tonight is another chance to see DC’s top dance music DJs Fort Knox Five. They’re bringing hometown cred to a hot lineup at U Street Music Hall including breaks heavyweights Krafty Kuts and Deekline. Today we present the Fort Knox Five video for Shift, their collaboration with Afrika Bambaataa & Mustafa Akbar, from the 2009 Fort Knox Recordings compilation album The New Gold Standard 2.

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Mar 27 2012
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video

Thunderball – Stereo Tonic video

DC music video of the day! The Thunderball trio of Steve Raskin, Sid Barcelona and Rob Myers go way back on Thievery Corporation‘s ESL Music label, putting out 12″s as early as 1997. Nowadays you’ll find Thunderball’s members cooking up sounds in Fort Knox Five, Liftoff, See-I and other groups on Fort Knox Recordings. Today’s video for the song Stereo Tonic goes back to Thunderball’s 2001 stylish & sexy album Scorpio Rising, and it’s directed by the sitar king Rob Myers. Fantastic!

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Mar 26 2012
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shows, video

The Cornel West Theory – Iron Emptiness video

DC music video of the day! The Cornel West Theory makes hip-hop unlike anyone else in DC, throwing together spoken word, jazz, electronic and other influences to create an energizing sound driving their amazing live performances. Tonight they headline a show at the brand new Monserrat House, also featuring New York’s Happy New Year and locals Redline Graffiti. The show is curated by Sasha Lord, who puts together the amazing bills at Comet Ping Pong. We featured their video for Patriotic Me a while back. To wake you up out of your Monday doldrums, check out the video for Iron Emptiness from the Cornel West Theory’s 2009 album Second Rome.

Monserrat House flyer

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