Andrew Grossman’s band The North Country released their sophomore album There Is Nothing To Fear in April and boldly challenged the DC music scene to really step up their game. The album expands on the initial folk-rock style with sonic excursions that show Grossman isn’t just one of the best frontmen in DC, but has the songcraft chops to match. The bar is set high with the first song, the catchy and accessible “The Cross We Bear”, and well-known local director Nigel Lyons’s video matches the song perfectly. Cameos from BRNDA’s Leah Gage, the Church Night crew and members of The North Country are fun easter eggs, as is the bookend scene referencing Grossman’s home and DCDIT house venue, Bathtub Republic. It’s ambitious videos like this that tell a story, convey a meaningful message and compliment the music so well that win the year and make doing this job of bringing you the latest and best in DC music worth it. See you in 2016 for more amazing songs, videos and shows!
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Category Archives: Best Of
Top 3 Videos of 2015 #2: Beauty Pill – Dog With Rabbit In Mouth Unharmed
This has been a delightfully resurgent year for Chad Clark and his quintet Beauty Pill. After recovering from long and well-documented struggles with health, Clark released the full length album Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are just in time to play one of the final shows at Arlington’s exciting but problematic venue Artisphere, the location Clark choise to record the album in its early days of 2011, before it closed for good. Clark enlisted director Jeff Sheven to create videos for 3 singles from the album, all sharing similar visual themes of focusing on the singer’s face. We could have chosen the better known singles “Steven & Tiwonge” or “Afrikaaner Barista”, but instead the #2 DC music video of the year is the first that came out, the atmospheric “Dog With Rabbit In Mouth Unharmed”. The song and video work together so well, allowing us to focus on singer Jean Cook, whose assured vocal contributions to Beauty Pill refuse to be dominated by Clark’s unique delivery. Beauty Pill’s amazing record made it onto so many year-end best-of lists, so if you haven’t already, it’s time to get to know it well. They’re back at the Rock & Roll Hotel on February 6th.
Top 3 Videos of 2015 #3: The Max Levine Ensemble – Sun’s Early Rays
Pop punk band The Max Levine Ensemble roared back in 2015 after an 8 year hiatus with Backlash, Baby and reminded us that rock music should be fun as hell. The video for the debut single, “Sun’s Early Rays”, shows how far creativity and a shoestring budget can get you in 2015. Katie Alice Greer, frontwoman of Priests, stars as a dashing superspy stealing the doomsday device from Sharad Satsangi of Ilsa, giving Daniel Craig a run for his money. “Sun’s Early Rays” is the first in a linked trilogy of videos, and while we await the third, don’t miss the trippy “My Valerian”. Thank God these punks are back in business.
Tony’s “Best Of 2014 From DC”: A Year End List
I don’t read a lot of year-end music lists. I simply don’t care that much about a bunch of other people’s opinions on what was good, bad and how so. (They do help me catch up on the awesome music I missed, so thanks for that, list-makers!) So why am I making one? Because DC music artists accomplished some seriously cool stuff in 2014, and while it would be nearly impossible to encapsulate all the great things that came out of a music scene that only gets better, I figured I could at least highlight some of the output that I regard as “exceptionally exceptional”. So I’ve identified a small handful of categories, identified a standout, and brought you some discussion of the awesomeness of each entry.
So do a deep read or just use it as a quick guide to point you towards some of the really excellent work done by DC musicians this year.
And without further ado, here are my picks for the best from DC music this year in the following 5 categories:
– Best New Artist
– Best Album
– Best Song
– Best Music Video
– Best Live Performance
Top 5 Videos of 2014 #1: Chuck Brown – Beautiful Life
It doesn’t seem that long ago, but two and a half years have passed since the untimely departure of Chuck Brown, DC’s Godfather of Go-go. His posthumous release Beautiful Life came out this past summer, and the first music video we got from it was the reflective title track. Brown’s original focus of the song is about being happy with what you’ve got, but the guest verse by Brown’s daughter KK turns it into an uplifting summation of his life and legacy as a performer and colossal cultural figure in DC. The recent passing of Mayor-for-life Marion Barry also comes to mind when watching this video, reminding us what’s changing and how much we’ve lost. This video is such a moving love letter to DC and the fans that continue to make go-go an important part of musical life here. Thanks for everything, Chuck.
Top 5 Videos of 2014 #2: The Cowards Choir – Is This A Wrecking Ball
Many DC bands have put their stamp on 2014 with great releases and performances, but to me the best of them all is The Cowards Choir. Seasoned singer-songwriter Andy Zipf converted the name of his 2009 EP into a full band with drummer Adam Neubauer, The Beanstalk Library’s Ryan Walker and percussionist (and new columnist!) Ben Tufts, and they have gelled into a breathtaking ensemble. At October’s Magnificent Intentions Music Festival at Iota, the crowd noticeably swelled when The Cowards Choir took the stage. Word’s getting out that this band is the real deal, and their new full length album, recording now and coming in 2015, is sure to put them in the big leagues.
After 3 years, Hometown Sounds remains lovingly devoted to DC music videos, and we’re rather excited when we get to premiere one. The Cowards Choir let us present “Is This A Wrecking Ball”, the lead off video from this year’s Cool Currency EP, and at the tail end of 2014 it’s clearly one of the best of the year. Clubhill Media shot the video as the band recorded the song at Studio V, and its musical authenticity is key. This gives you the slightest taste of the chemistry these four musicians have together, but you must see them live to fully appreciate it.
And your next opportunity is coming up soon. The Cowards Choir and The Fire Tonight join The Beanstalk Library’s 5th Annual New Years Eve Throwdown at Iota, promising a packed night of great music for only $16 in advance. You know New Years Eve events all over town sell out in advance, so make your plans and get your tickets early.
Top 5 Videos of 2014 #3: Ex Hex – Waterfall
For years the question on the minds of tastemakers in DC music has been “Who will finally break out to national acclaim?” Is it Deleted Scenes? Priests? Drop Electric? 2014 has spoken loudly and the answer is Ex Hex. Mary Timony, Laura Harris and Betsy Wright conquered our hearts without pretention or complication, just straight ahead rock jams that reward repeated listens of their debut album Rips. They spent a lot of 2014 taking their show on the road and always having a blast rocking out together. Some have debated whether Ex Hex is a part of the “DC music scene”, but I think this video for “Waterfall” shows their hometown love with sneaky cameos from Kid Congo Powers, The Make-Up’s Michelle Mae, Alec MacKaye and Francy Graham from Chain & The Gang. And those costumes! And the flying saucer making lames cool! What a video.
Top 5 Videos of 2014 #4: Asheru & The Funk Ark – Funky DC
I’ve always had a soft spot for songs about life in DC, full of hyperlocal references. “Funky DC” featuring Asheru and Sitali originally showed up on the debut 2011 album From the Rooftops by jazz band leader Will Rast’s afrobeat ensemble The Funk Ark. In 2013 Ash included it in his debut full length Sleepless in Soweto, providing an anchor to his hometown amidst the influence of South Africa.
Asheru and Chop N Shoot Films shot this video at DC’s inaugural Funk Parade on U Street back on May 3rd, featuring the Ballou High School Marching Band. Besides being a great memento of a fantastic block party, this authentic video shows how funky our city can get. Don’t you dare miss next year’s Funk Parade!
Top 5 Videos of 2014 #5: Diamond District – First Step
For years the rap trio of Uptown XO, yU and Oddisee promised us another Diamond District album after 2009’s landmark In The Ruff, but with Oddisee’s move to New York, would it really happen? Turns out these MCs keep their promises, and the first single from their sophomore album March on Washington, “First Step”, whet our appetites for the deft lyrics and Oddisee’s notoriously ecstatic production. Video director Jay Brown crafts this slick reintroduction to DC’s rap Voltron, showing XO rapping in Meridian Hill Park before meeting yU on a Metro train, and then joining Oddisee at his home in Brooklyn. DC rap has always hustled hard, but these three make it look easy to conquer.
Top 5 Videos of 2013 #1: Honest Haloway – Psycho Bitch
Once upon a time, just a couple of years ago really, high school friends Tim Kratzer and Greg Balleza wrote indie rock songs together as The Vita Ruins. After playing together for years and recording an excellent album A Day Without A Name (go download this FOR FREE right now!), they parted amicably and Tim dove into a dance music solo project called Honest Haloway. He produced a 5 song EP The Towns (Another FREE download! It’s your lucky day!) and then put music on hold for a year to focus on his career. When he resurrected the project he added hard-hitting drummer Charlie Karim and bassist Fico Lazzaro-Colon to make a full-fledged live band. Honest Haloway also asked former bandmate Greg’s older brother Nick Balleza to create this video for “Psycho Bitch”, which Hometown Sounds featured back in January. I was completely blown away and have literally spent the last 11 months trying to get as many people as I can to see it. This video embodies DC in subtle and spot-on fashion. I’m sure we’ve all been to dozens of apartment parties just like the one in this video. Oh, there’s that guy who’s in a bunch of bands. Who’s the eyepatch guy dancing like a robot? And the song fits this party vibe perfectly. If you haven’t yet seen this music video, I won’t spoil the end for you, so watch the whole damn thing today. But it’s rather NSFW, so wait until your boss is deep into this afternoon’s lame office white elephant gift exchange.
Oh and guess what else? Today just happens to be Tim Kratzer’s birthday! HAPPY BIRTHDAY & congratulations from Hometown Sounds!
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