Hometown Sounds

Live Picks! with Tony Porreco

Who: hiphopmcdougal

Where: Axum’s Level X Lounge

When: Saturday, April 6

Song You Must Hear Today: “Mogwais in the Rain”

A few weeks ago, I was slurping ramen (the kind you go out for) with a lovely young lady. In response to some remarks I made that were admittedly of questionable maturity, she in turn informed me that behind the sophisticated façade of every adult male lies a 12 year old boy. Hiphopmcdougal is a two-man, nerdcore rap duo who have taken this position to its logical extreme by crafting of jokey rap-pop that unabashedly embraces the mindset of the nerdy male preteen for their songs’ inspiration.

Comprised of longtime friends Julian Biggs and Charlie Hodgson, the pair has been dropping tracks as hiphopmcdougal since 2009, and have a catalog spanning five releases to accompany their longstanding musical bromance. Generally, the formula for hiphopmcdougal tracks is as follows: Over the framework of blatantly preprogrammed beats and retro 8-bit synths, Biggs pulls off adept rap moves about some deliciously nerdy topic, and Hodgson springs in mid-number to belt out a bighearted goofball chorus.

Hiphopmcdougal’s songs are charmingly juvenile in every respect. With songs devoted to the extensive coverage of topics such as Count Chocula, Chuck E. Cheese, and Cheez-Its (yes, Cheez-Its), Biggs and Hodgson routinely display the encyclopedic knowledge of pop culture possessed only by kids and hardcore nerds. Boasting of extreme videogame prowess with lines like “When I’m settin’ high scores / I’m cooler than fro-yo”, Biggs manages to deftly reference (I think) 18 game hall classics on “Inside the Arcade”.

Conceptually, part of what makes hiphopmcdougal work as such an entertaining act is that the music is roughly equivalent in maturity level to the songs’ lyrics, as the tracks often sound as if they were assembled by a couple of kids getting their hands on Fruityloops and a MIDI controller for the first time.

Live, the pair are nothing but a fun spectacle: Yes, they’re two dudes running their backing tracks through the P.A., but they’re incredibly enthusiastic, and bring a prepared stage show that includes costume changes, props, and even party favors for the audience.

Hiphopmcdougal is performing this Saturday at Axum’s Level X Lounge (1934 9th St., NW) in the U Street area as part of a marathon six(?!) band lineup. They’re up first at 8:30, so even if you’re not feeling the other acts, you can catch their early set and still be in a great location to party down for the rest of the evening.

Other acts include:

Roll It Over: Heavy alternative, Baltimore
Heartless Romantics: Good ol’ rock n’ roll, GW students.
Cheap American Whiskey: Blues with a punk bite.
Watch For Waves: Slacker art rock (I’m fond of these guys. Sounds like Pavement channeling Roxy Music.)
Jay Saturn: Party time R&B!

Live Picks!

with Tony Porreco

Who: The 27s

Where: Rock n’ Roll Hotel

When: Friday Feb. 8^th

Song You Must Hear Today: “Temporary Love”

For fans of classic 1980s power pop, listeners will do themselves a favor giving a listen to local quartet The 27s.  A reference to the age when a surprising number of rock legends (e.g. Cobain, Hendrix, Joplin) met untimely deaths, the band’s name speaks to the group’s awareness of rock n’ roll’s history and culture.  There’s a bit of irony here given that The 27s don’t feature the genre molding posturing of trendsetting rock icons.  You might even say that there’s nothing especially original about their sound, but that doesn’t bother me in the slightest.  Rather, their tracks possess an inviting sense of nostalgia.  Interestingly enough, this successful manufacturing of nostalgia is actually one of D.C. punk poobah Ian Svenonious’ (supernatural) strategies for making a rock n’ roll group, so they must be doing something right.

What sounds are we actually talking about here?  The 27s sound more than a little like The Replacements, and it’s awesome.  (I don’t think they’ll take too great offense at this, as the band’s ReverbNation page reads, “Sounds like: The Replacements”.)  With their bright, clean riffs and snake-y guitar leads, the group demonstrates themselves as keen students of ‘80s college rock.  The band has a five song release they recorded at Arlington’s Inner Ear Studios in the summer of 2011 with noted producer/owner Don Zientara that’s available to stream/download (for free!) on their ReverbNation.

By and large, the EP is filled with quick, sticky guitar pop and the gruff, sometimes muttered vocals of singer Adam Raley.  “Complicated” sports an instrumental break with a squirming guitar lead and especially deft playing from drummer Ahmad Asi, and the refrain of “On Again, Off Again” just blooms into sheer goodness.  The most compelling track of the bunch, however, is “Temporary Love”, which features a rousing, arena rock outro centered around the chorus’ repeated guitar hook.

Anyway, they’re headlining this Friday Feb. 8^th at the Rock n’ Roll Hotel on H Street.  Openers include The Courtesans (1 cup proto-punk, 1 cup straight-ahead rock, stirred) and Davey Brown (bluesy country punk), who are also both from D.C., making for a night of solid local music.  You should go.