Hometown Sounds

Here’s your official Hometown Sounds Don’t Stay Home #DCmusic picks for the short week to come. See you there?

Tuesday 2/19:
Dangerous Pies has a cool VA-heavy bill tonight. Two acts from Charlottesville, improv jazz flutist Gina Sobel and soulful r&b collective Free Union, join a new DC r&b band with a memorable name, Indiana Jonesin.

Wednesday 2/20:
Welp, just in case it doesn’t snow 5 inches followed by a delicious coating of sleet & ice, please head to Sauf Haus on Wednesday night for another GoldPants Party. Open mic hostess Ginny Hill teams up with GoldPants Rentals for a series of shows, this week featuring bilingual folk rock from Elena Lacayo and fun pop-ska covers & originals with Party Like It’s!

Thursday 2/21:
We love Bluebeat DC‘s devotion to showcasing the DMV’s enduring ska scene. Their regular monthly show at Wonderland Ballroom hits this Thursday night with The Scotch Bonnets and Annapolis’s Late Risers.

President’s Day Weekend! Woo hoo! Gotta love almost all those Presidents. Here’s what we got for #DCmusic for your weekend life.

Friday 2/15:
Three DC indie rock bands fill out an early show at DC9 tonight. Mayors of Marble Falls is a new band born from the ashes of Constant Alarm and Bonjour Ganesh! Ménage À Garage and The Feed never disappoint. Music starts at 7 PM sharp.

Saturday 2/16:
Roxplosion is the ace photographer of the scrappy bands making up the DC music scene, and sometimes he even books his own shows. Saturday night Roxplosion presents a staggering four band bill at Dangerous Pies, including Millennium Stage alums Wanted Man, Teen Mortgage, Sheila and the new lady supergroup The OSYX. “Possibly too much rock and roll for one stage, but necessary permits have been acquired so get ready to say ‘I did not know human beings could play that kind of stuff without being bionic or Jedi'”.

Sunday 2/17:
Three of DC’s essential go-go bands share the stage Sunday night at the Fillmore Silver Spring. See Trouble Funk, E.U. and Rare Essence together and get your fill of DC music history.

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.

The shutdown ends, the polar vortex approaches. There’s always something here in DC. Let’s get out and see some live music this week, shall we? Here are our #DCmusic picks for the week ahead.

Monday 1/28:
Soul-punk band Lightmare celebrate the release of their debut music video “Good Night White Pride, from their debut EP Dream Glitch, tonight downstairs at the Looking Glass Lounge. Lightmare’s vocalist Shady Rose bartends and spins DC music all night.

Tuesday 1/29:
Saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed’s go-go revival band The JoGo Project celebrates his birthday and a new album Tuesday evening at Georgetown’s Blues Alley with two sets, 8 and 10 PM.

Wednesday 1/30:
The Strathmore‘s Artist-in-Residence program has nurtured and developed many outstanding DC area musicians. This Wednesday the Strathmore’s intimate Mansion hosts current AIR, soulful vocalist and percussionist Dante’ Pope in an exploration the roots of African music.

Thursday 1/31:
The Dew Drop Inn gives us another strong lineup of music on Thursday night. See provocateurs Jack On Fire, a solo set by Olivia Mancini, and a tour visit from her occasional Brooklyn collaborator Ruby Rae.

We know it’s been a tough week for some of you. Cold, rainy, frustrating, bleak. Live music is the balm for your souls. Here are our #DCmusic picks for the weekend.

Friday 1/25:
The Wharf’s Pearl Street Warehouse is doing the most to fill the void left by last year’s closure of Iota. Tonight a couple of veteran Americana rock bands grace their stage, The Walkaways and Roof Beams, as part of the Smithsonian Year of Music.

Saturday 1/26:
In 2017 we were honored to host Grammy-nominated hip-hop legend Kokayi on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Now in 2019 he’s back on the Terrace Gallery stage as part of the #KenCenHipHop Festival this Saturday night for two sets. Do not miss this fantastic opportunity to see one of DC’s finest beatsmiths and rappers.

Sunday 1/27:
The studio and practice space 7DrumCity has become one of the most important focus points of the DC music community. Sunday at the Wharf’s Union Stage they host a Pop-Up Festival with an astounding 11 bands affiliated with the studio and its potluck jams and Flashband showcases, including Lovejet, Higher Numbers, The OSYX, Smokin’ On Planes and more. If you’re a musician looking to get more involved, you can’t miss this event.

Huge props to the hardy DC music fans who bundle up and brave the winter cold to fill our many venues. Here are our #DCmusic picks for the week ahead.

Tuesday 1/22:
Drew Kid brings his soulful jazz compositions to the Kennedy Center’s free Millennium Stage tonight, leading a group that includes Mike Kurtz, yU, Roddy Rod, Christian Hizon, David Diongue, Mike Gary and Kelton Norris. As always, the music starts at 6 but seats start filling up at 5:30.

Wednesday 1/23:
Head to Takoma Park’s beloved Rhizome on Wednesday evening for stellar cerebral jazz from Luke Stewart, Sarah Hughes, Nik Francis and Philly’s Leo Suarez.

Thursday 1/24:
The headliner at H Street’s Dangerous Pies on Thursday night is Con Davidson of Bad Bad Hats, but the openers are worth the trip too. Queue recently consolidated from DC to NYC, while Milo in the Doldrums continues to rock DC’s stages.

We made it to Friday, DC. Everything feels fraught, messed up, on edge, and so frustrating. But for many it’s a holiday weekend, MLK Day is on Monday, and the DC music community is ready to bring you some hard-earned joy. Here are our show picks for the weekend.

Friday 1/18:
DC9 showcases the future of DC reggae tonight. Shamans of Sound is a new band featuring members of Nappy Riddem, Incwell, Dub City Renegades, Awthentik, Feel Free and Tropik Sol. They’re joined by Nkula, a DC band led by Ethiopia’s “Ras Abel” Mekonnen. Vibes will be thick and heavy, so come early as the music starts at 8.

Saturday 1/19:
“The hard-earned grit and sweat of Jonny Grave’s down-home blues stylings both reflect brightly and soak through his wildest release to date.” Who said that? We did, of course. Jonny Grave always delivers a memorable night of blues and rock, so head to Hill Country BBQ on Saturday night to see his quartet play for no cover charge.

Sunday 1/20:
DC’s jazz specialists CapitalBop resurrect their annual Jazz and Freedom Festival this Sunday at the first floor on H St. NE. The festival always benefits a worthy activist organization, and this year support goes to the Capitol Hill Jazz Foundation. The DMV jazz lineup includes Sonic Duo, featuring trombonist Reginald Cyntje and pianist Allyn Johnson; Heidi Martin, performing the Abbey Lincoln songbook; rising saxophonist Rachel Winder; and Herb Scott, alto saxophonist and founder of the CHJF. A panel discussion kicks off the festival at 4:30 PM.