Hometown Sounds

One of our primary missions at Hometown Sounds is to get more people to see DC bands play live. To that end, for the last two years we’ve run a twice weekly feature called “Don’t Stay Home”, attempting to recommend a show featuring DC bands every day. Today we’re putting that feature on hold, as the coronavirus pandemic begins to impact the day-to-day life of everyone in the area. There are so many shows we want to recommend and go to, starting with tonight’s Black Cat bill featuring Hammered Hulls and Light Beams. But now is not the time. We are very aware of the impact show cancellations will have on musicians in particular, so we strongly encourage all DC music fans to create a Bandcamp account and buy some albums. Here’s a couple of recommendations to get you started.

Friday 3/06:
Lots of great #DCmusic options on this night, but our Friday night pick goes to 7DrumCity’s lineup at the Pocket with blues magician Jonny Grave leading a trio, along with alt-folk solo artist Zoë Ravenwood and power-pop band Flowerbomb.

Saturday 3/07:
Saturday night’s your chance to see the legendary Chuck Brown Band, OG of go-go, hit the Wharf’s Pearl Street Warehouse hard. We still tingle that we got to host them at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage back in 2018!

Sunday 3/08:
Funky rap/rock party band Strangers That Clique (sup Ardamus!) release their long-awaited EP Fight Nice Sunday night with a show at the Pie Shop featuring Quad Cities emcee Soultru.

Monday 3/02:
See our fave snackcore band BRNDA at Songbyrd’s Vinyl Lounge tonight, sandwiched between Ohio fuzzy rock band Vacation and Posmic, a new Baltimore band featuring members of Post Pink, Wildhoney and Saturday Night.

Tuesday 3/03:
The Pie Shop on Tuesday night is the place to catch dreamy solo project Space Phase and indie pop band swerves from Fredrick MD support Ohio’s Mark Twang.

Wednesday 3/04:
We honestly don’t know this NYC band called A Dear A Horse, but we do know top-notch DC rock bands Caustic Casanova and Venray. Go see this Wednesday night show at Songbyrd’s Vinyl Lounge & tell ’em Hometown Sounds sent ya.

Thursday 3/05:
Get your fill of acoustic folk vibes (and of course delicious BBQ) at Hill Country on Thursday evening with Griefcat, Gramophonic and Bellweather Bayou. Yum.

Friday 2/28:
We saw rapper Ardamus post up at the Time Is Fire show last night, and he let us know about his album release show tonight at 7DrumCity’s The Pocket space. Astro Blocks features Height Keech crafting beats for the versatile rapper, and the show includes Austin’s Ratarue, Coolzey from Iowa, and Cabal Corps, Ardamus’s new group featuring Prowess the Testament, RNL and Edword Asis. Now you know all that too, so don’t miss out.

Saturday 2/29:
BYT editor and talk show host Brandon Wetherbee hosts a marathon 12 hour installment of his always entertaining live show/podcast You, Me, Them Everybody at Wonderland Ballroom in celebration of its 12th (!!) anniversary. In addition to all the funny folk in DC, the epic lineup includes music from Mister Goblin, Saffron, Chill Parents and more.

Sunday 3/01:
We are strongly in favor of weekend matinee shows! Sunday afternoon the Pie Shop hosts a delightful lineup of DC indie rock with Rök, Modern Trap, We Capillaries, and Pompeii Graffiti.

Friday 2/21:
Sometimes four band bills are too much, but tonight’s indie rock & dream pop lineup at the Pie Shop feels just right. See Stray Fossa from Charlottesville, The Colonies, Child Ivory and Makeup Girl starting at 8 PM, with a side of pie.

Saturday 2/22:
Only one band plays Saturday night’s benefit for Thrive DC at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, presented by Positive Force. One’s all you need when it’s Coriky, the new band comprised of Joe Lally, Amy Farina and Ian MacKaye. There’s no advance tickets and free admission, so get there early and give generously to an important cause.

Sunday 2/23:
Wrap up this February weekend at Galaxy Hut Sunday night with garage punk band Apollo 66, Charlottesville pop-punk kings Girl Choir, and “electronica madness” NorthWoods, which we couldn’t find anywhere online.

Tuesday 2/18:
Tuesday nights are tough sometimes, but Slash Run saves the day with DC punk bands Teen Cobra and Terminal Vertigo welcoming touring rock band Paint Fumes from Charlotte.

Wednesday 2/19:
The strength of DIY Takoma Park venue Rhizome lies in their pristine curation and bold experimentation. This Wednesday night DC jazz stalwarts Luke Stewart and Nik Francis support Philly’s Elliott Levin and Norwegian freejazz group Friends & Neighbors.

Thursday 2/20:
DC rock band Tosser’s debut album Total Restraint is full of angular post-punk goodness. It’s out Thursday, timed perfectly for the album release show at the Pie Shop with opening sets from Den-Mate and experimental hip-hop act Model Home.

Friday 2/07:
DC’s incredibly long running post-punk DJ night We Fought The Big One returns to Mount Pleasant’s Marx Cafe tonight with guest DJ Matt Cohen, former arts editor of the Washington CityPaper and half of drone band Literals, and a live set from Katie McD of feminist punk band Bacchae.

Saturday 2/08:
Saturday night stay up late, eat some Comet Ping Pong pizza, and see two of our #DCmusic faves: unhurried, refined pop songs from Bal Boheme and big anthemic dance hits with Mystery Friends (featuring Nah’s Zack Be & Color Palette’s Jay Nemeyer!), along with Philadelphia’s Church Girls.

Sunday 2/09:
Sunday night‘s lineup at the Vinyl Lounge in AdMo’s SongByrd features folk act Rosie Cima & What She Dreamed and soulful powerpop from Petty Indulgences.

Friday 1/31:
Tonight Petworth neighborhood burger bar Slash Run hosts crispy indie rockers Spirit Plots and goofy dance-rock duo DMV Kars, plus everyone can make friends with New Jersey band Zero For Conduct!

Saturday 2/01:
Join alt-country quartet Run Come See for the second installment of their residency at The Public Option Saturday night with bilingual folk singer Elena Lacayo as the featured performer and honorary band member for a night of unpretentious music in the coolest little brewery in DC.

Sunday 2/02:
Good news/bad news: Piramid Scheme‘s new EP Seen This Before is out today, but Sunday night‘s release show at the Black Cat will be the last hometown show before frontwoman Lisa Said moves to Portugal. See them off with openers Warm Sun in the Red Room.

Tuesday 1/28:
Vienna’s Jammin’ Java presents Women Who Rock tonight, featuring full band performances from Ashleigh Chevalier, Mary-El and Baltimore’s Rachel Ann Morgan.

Wednesday 1/29:
Music event boosters FoSho present a Wednesday night of reggae and African influenced vibes from Shamans of Sound and Nkula at U Street Music Hall.

Thursday 1/30:
Sup Pie Shop, we see you with your superfine #DCmusic bookings. Thursday night witness jam band leader Gordon Sterling, folk looping from Bellweather Bayou, and rockin’ blues maestro Jonny Grave leading a trio.