Hometown Sounds

Wasn’t that a lovely weekend, DC? Even though rain threatens to return this week, that’s no reason to stay home and binge Netflix shows that ain’t going nowhere. We’ve got live music picks for you every night of the week.

Monday 7/30:
How about it not rain on the tail end of the Fort Reno summer concert series? We’d love that, thx. Tonight‘s lineup includes melodic punk from Wolves of the Dry Ravine, dreamy shoegaze from Koshari, and legendary Devin Ocampo’s newest indie rock band The Effects.

Tuesday 7/31:
You need a solid and sizeable indie rock lineup to make your Tuesday night awesome? DC9 provides with The Mild Animals, BabeRage, Makeup Girl and a Cincinatti band strangely named Vermont.

Wednesday 8/01:
We are big fans of the versatile saxophone playing of Frank Mitchell Jr. from many great DC bands including Black Masala, See-I and his current trio Three Man Soul Machine on Growroom Productions. Wednesday night at Marvin Social on 14th St. Mitchell presents a new quartet called Speed Tribe, exploring jazz, funk and avant garde sounds in the vein of Miles’ electric period.

Thursday 8/02:
Unless some rain dates get added to the calendar, this is the last scheduled Fort Reno show of 2018. Go out with a bang with SoundProof Genie, Flasher and the resurrected 90s Dischord band Branch Manager.

Hey, how about the crappy weather take a rest for this weekend so we can all get out and enjoy a ton of awesome #DCmusic? As always, here’s our picks to have an awesome weekend.

Friday 7/27:
We avidly recommend tonight‘s four band bill at the Rock & Roll Hotel. Dedicated listeners to our biweekly podcast will remember lo-fi Frass Green from this week’s episode, and we featured Bottled Up earlier this year. They support two musicians from NC, Max Gowan and Infinity Crush.




Saturday 7/28:
It’s Day 1 of the sad and fond farewell to Edgewood DIY venue Bathtub Republic. Two packed stages are filled by soooo many faves, including BRNDA, The North Country, Foul Swoops, Marian McLaughin and more.

Flo Anito and Seth Kibel are making alluring and timeless vocal jazz together. Grab tix now to see them play an intimate house show at Casa Phoenix Saturday night.

Welp, this Saturday is packed to the gills with awesome DC music. You also must decide about this hard rocking four band bill at DC9 featuring Virginia Creep, The Combs, The OSYX and American Television, celebrating the release of their collaboration with Weird Brothers Coffee in Herndon, VA called Death Defier.

Sunday 7/29:
Day 2 of Bathtub Republic’s BFF Fest continues with Bal Boheme, Near Northeast, Sean Barna, Light Beams and of course way more. We will need some big hugs plz.

Don’t let thunder, lightning and floods keep you from joining in the #DCmusic community for some top notch shows this week. Here are our picks.

Monday 7/23:
If the monsoon holds off for the rest of the day, head to Fort Reno this evening for a headlining set by The NRIs. Small Dad and Cave Baby continue the strange trend of Fort Reno 2018 bands named either Dad or Baby.
Tonight’s Fort Reno show is called for rain. Here’s hoping they can reschedule soon.

Tuesday 7/24:
One year after an injury to his Achilles tendon, electronic music producer Bernard Farley, aka Outputmessage, is back with his first full length artist album in 3 years. Celebrate the new release, aptly titled Achilles, at Trade on 14th St. Tuesday evening with a DJ set from Julius Jetson, hosted by Jane Saw, and commentary from the artist.

Wednesday 7/25:
Georgetown’s hidden gem Gypsy Sally’s hosts two fun DC bands Wednesday evening. Throwing Plates makes delightful folk rock, while Pleasure Train groove with sexy funky pop tunes.

Thursday 7/26:
Another Fort Reno show? ‘Fraid so, we heart this DC music institution big time. Thursday‘s lineup includes retro instrumental duo Cigarbox Planetarium, moody experimental Knife Wife and TK Echo, the new group of WaPo pop critic Chris Richards.

Welcome to your weekend! Enjoy the best #DCmusic we can find, every single day.

Friday 7/20:
CityPaper’s Luce Unplugged showcase is back tonight right after work. There’s no cover charge to check out post punk band Park Snakes and experimental synthezier goodness from Blacklodge (Paperhaus’s Alex Tebeleff) + em.g.

Saturday 7/21:
The Pinch hosts an all-duo four band bill Saturday night. Electric Grandmother make their own brand of “sitcom-core”, Catscan! are cheeky electronic rock, and HiphopMcdougal are your new favorite nerdcore hip-hop group. Pittsburgh’s Lorenzo’s Oil round out this night of face hurting fun.

Sunday 7/22:
All summer long summer, join U Street Music Hall co-founder/owner Will Eastman and guest selectors Sundays at U Hall’s Frontbar for The Universal Listening Room, an evening to celebrate our favorite songs of all time and the pure, communal connection we experience with music. A place where we can gather to enjoy songs we all know and love in a welcoming, unpretentious environment that’s conducive to conversation with friends, old and new. Sunday night Eastman host the crew from Showtime Bar, featuring sets from Soul Call Paul, Baby Alcatraz, and Chad America.

Hometown Sounds is your only source for quality #DCmusic every single day. As is our custom, here are our live music picks for the coming week.

Monday 7/16:
We are fully into tonight‘s Fort Reno lineup. Sara Curtin has graced our Millennium Stage series, Honey capped off our last podcast with the superfun song “F*ckboys” and Tired all the Time rock out with “quality solutions for client demands in a dystopian world”. As always, the fun starts at 7:15 PM.

Tuesday 7/17:
We can’t say it any better than Capitol Lab Band, a 17-piece big band that plays originals by band members and hits from the modern repertoire. “There are only 2 options for your Tuesday night entertainment. Get rained out with thousands of strangers at the All Star game, or stay cool and dry while eating a delicious dinner and listening to big band jazz. We happen to think our option is better.” That’s 7:30 PM at Mr. Henry’s on Capitol Hill.

Wednesday 7/18:
Drink coffee after dinner and stay up laaaaate on a weeknight to celebrate the release of the new EP Cissy by DC’s beloved troubadour Seán Barna at Comet Ping Pong this Wednesday night as part of their Scorched Earth Summer Series. Buy this now because you only have two days to learn all the words for singing along. You also get a taste of the San Diego music life with touring band The Donkeys.

Thursday 7/19:
The lineup for this Thursday’s Night of 1000 Cakes at Fort Reno was blank for a while, leading to much speculation. Now the full list is posted, and it’s definitely not the usual 3 band bill. Come see what Taffety Punk Theatre Company, Jerry Busher, DC Public Library, Chris Richards, John Davis, Betsy Wright, Jason Hutto, DJ Baby Alcatraz and more will do to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the prolific summer concert series.

DC, once again you have made it to the weekend. Hi five! We bet you could use some more live music in your life, so here are more reasons to not stay home.

Friday 7/13:
Luna Honey, the dark and broody recent addition to the roster of Blight Records, celebrates the release of their long awaited debut album Peace Will Grind You Down tonight at Hole in the Sky (2110 5th St. NE). Plus you get Richmond noise band Among the Rocks and Roots, DC post-punk band Social Station, and a solo set by Time Is Fire front man Kamyar Arsani.

Saturday 7/14:
5 years is a long time to do a music podcast! (We should know ;)!) Major congrats to Justin Trawick for hitting the milestone on his interview and performance series called The Circus Life. See him perform with his group The Common Good at the 9:30 Club Saturday night alongside a well-curated lineup including Louisa Hall, Eli Lev, and a duo set from the Bumper Jacksons.

Sunday 7/15:
We can think of no better way to cap off a lovely weekend in DC than sipping well-named beers you’ve not yet sampled and seeing brand new DC music on the rise at Clarendon’s Galaxy Hut . This Sunday night the bro-free outpost hosts indie rock band The Neuro Farm and City Witch, a new electronic duo from members of FuzzQueen.

It’s another fantastic week in live #DCmusic, with some great outdoor and free options. Instead of staying home, come out and give us hi fives until our hands hurt like hell.

Monday 7/09:
The Fort Reno outdoor concert series continues every Monday and Thursday in July, exposing devoted crowds to new bands. Tonight it’s unofficially the “Night of 1000 Saxophones” with Cool Baby, We Capillaries and King Soul.

Tuesday 7/10:
Huge respect to Takoma Park’s Rhizome for assembling so many adventurous bills of music. Tuesday night the DIY house hosts Heart of the Ghost, a trio featuring Jarrett Gilgore (Alto Saxophone), Luke Stewart (Double Bass) and Ian McColm (Drums). Also on the bill is Moses, Forrest, Ogg, promising “Neural re-alignment via audio-visual meditations. Methods include oscillating bowls, guitar textures, lasers and weird signal processes.” The touring feature on this night is Detroit’s Matthew Daher.

Wednesday 7/11:
Your Hometown Sounds buds Paul & Tony are back at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage for our monthly #DCmusic showcase this Wednesday. This is your chance to catch the huge hip-pop ensemble allthebestkids, led by dashing silver-jumpsuited Cody Valentine. Get there right at 5:30 for a prime spot up front.

Thursday 7/12:
As the recurring joke for many years of Fort Reno shows goes, when will seminal post-hardcore band Fugazi’s hiatus end with a surprise show on the outdoor stage? Well in case you haven’t heard, The Messthetics has half the band with Joe Lally on bass and Brendan Canty on drums, plus the unstoppable guitar shredding of Anthony Pirog. Born Dad and Taciturn round out a huge night of music Thursday night.

Is it the weekend already? Putting the Fourth in the middle of the week is just messy. Here are your live music picks to get more #DCmusic filling your life with joy.

Thursday 7/05:
July in DC means seeing edgy and upcoming DC bands play the outdoor stage at Fort Reno. Tonight the legendary concert series hosts No Plans, a new band from Jack on Fire’s Jason Mogavero, plus Victor Archie and Inner Ear Studio’s Don Zientara.

Friday 7/06:
DC rapper Shy Glizzy headlines a show Friday night at the Fillmore in Silver Spring. Also known as El Jefe, he’s got his sights on a national audience.

Saturday 7/07:
Pearl Street Warehouse is the place to be Saturday night to celebrate the new eponymous album by blues frontman Jonny Grave. Many area music outlets have blurbed about the release, including us! The dazzling pipes and songwriting of Lauren Calve kick off a night of raucous fun.

Sunday 7/08:
The Velvet Lounge hosts our Sunday night DC music pick. The eclectic lineup includes Don Zientara, punk rock from Weird Babies, no-wave from Taciturn, and experimental guitar sounds of Ben Harbert and Chris Hamley.

Hometown Sounds is taking a short breather next week, so today we’ve got a bonus size lineup of #DCmusic picks for your holiday weekend.

Friday 6/29:
Head up to College Park’s MilkBoy ArtHouse tonight for a night of modern bluegrass and folk music. By And By describe their sound as “Arms Wide Open Bluegrass & Americana”, and Rock Creek Revival are right up that alley too.

Saturday 6/30:
H St. NE’s Rock & Roll Hotel has a strong lineup of DC indie rock Saturday evening. You should already know Paperhaus from their many years of hosting DCDIT house shows. Park Snakes channel goth and post-punk vibes, while Bacchae represent the agitated punk youth.

Sunday 7/01:
On July 4th Union Stage hosts an independent music and skate festival called either Brokechella or Moechella. We’re not quite sure. But you can get a preview of the music Sunday evening at Dew Drop Inn from a wide swath of the DC music scene, including Karen Culi, +E, Mr. Daywalker and a new band called Barefoot Lefty.

Monday 7/02:
The 50th anniversary Fort Reno season kicks off Monday evening at 7:30 with a fantastic lineup of Lotion Princess, Time is Fire and Des Demonas. Invite your coolest friends to check out DC’s premiere outdoor music series.

Tuesday 7/03:
There was a time when go-go music was pushed out of DC’s city limits. Now you can hear that distinctive go-go beat at one of the most swank venues in DC, The Hamilton. Tuesday night the lineup of Rare Essence featuring Jas Funk and E.U. featuring Sugar Bear unites two of the longest running go-go acts for a night of true DC satisfaction.

Wednesday 7/04:
Come on, it’s the Fourth! Go watch fireworks!

It’s another strong week in #DCmusic shows. Hometown Sounds lovingly encourages you to get out of your air-conditioned, Netflix-enabled hidey hole and onto the dance floor singing along to some great tunes. Here are our suggestions for the week to come.

Monday 6/25:
Ryan Walker and Stephen Russ are two endearing DC musicians that share not just a friendship but also a birthday, and that was yesterday. Stephen’s new band Bal Boheme joins Ryan’s group The Beanstalk Library for a night of musical celebrations tonight at Arlington’s Galaxy Hut.

Tuesday 6/26:
Kudos to Black Cat for hosting a snazzy two band bill on a Tuesday night. The Beginner’s Mynd channel 60s era psychedelic rock, and Ezra Mae & The Gypsy Moon make smoky garage-y blues. Get on this.

Wednesday 6/27:
Seán Barna is a drummer and singer swapping time between DC and NY, and his unique vocal and lyrical style sound like no one else here. Come here his band The Monogamists perform songs from Barna’s upcoming release Cissy, a “gasping, 5-song exploration of isolation, anxiety, queerness, and mortality” at SongByrd Wednesday evening. Plus you get Rob Stokes Band and Brooklyn’s Laura Wolf, and life is just grand.

Thursday 6/28:
Little League Champs play pop-punk and mashup style music, including “anthems from the 90s and songs you would’ve heard at Warped Tour in 2006”. AdMo’s SongByrd hosts the release show for their debut EP Hot Ice Thursday night, with support from Broke Royals and Eli Lev & The Fortunes Found. That’s a fun as hell lineup from start to finish to lead into the weekend.