For a young 23 year old rapper from Gaithersburg, Ace Cosgrove is making all the right moves. His first mixtape Simple Criticism just came out in April of this year, and already his second UsVsRobots is the new hotness, with props from XXL, Karmaloop and HipHopDX. Guru MG directed this simple yet stylish video for “Golden Chills”, UsVsRobots’s lead-off track chronicling Cosgrove’s struggles with his inner demons. Load these free mixtapes on your phone and check out Cosgrove’s set opening for BADBADNOTGOOD at American University on Thursday November 13th.
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Category Archives: shows
Anthony Pirog – The New Electric video
For some sad reason, the jazz world hardly ever produces music videos. Thankfully we’ve got stellar guitarist Anthony Pirog shaking things up in many different ways. Though rooted in jazz with a degree in jazz studies, genre and convention utterly fail to contain Pirog’s virtuosic guitar abilities. While most well known locally for his Sonic Circuits-featured experimental work with partner Janel Leppin, I was quite surprised to see Pirog playing guitar for alt-country rock band The Jackfields at Iota’s Magnificent Intentions festival earlier this month. Now Silver Spring based label Cunieform Records has released Pirog’s debut full length album as a jazz trio leader, Palo Colorado Dream, featuring drummer Ches Smith from New York and Baltimore’s Michael Formanek on bass. The video for “The New Electric” was created by filmmaker Dan Sharnoff from 7848 photos he took of the trio performing at Shangrilah Studios in Brooklyn. I love how the imagery matches the song in pace as it progresses from its quiet jazz intro to bombastic post-rock noise. Make your way to #DCDIT house show mecca Paperhaus tonight to see the Anthony Pirog Trio along with Split/Red, Native America and DC’s resurrected Young Rapids.
#TBT Typefighter – Much video
#TBT for a Halloween-themed music video you may have missed. Last year the indie rock band Typefighter started to build the hype for their excellent debut full length album The End Of Everything with this video for “Much”, usually featured as a big finish to their blistering live sets. Aviv Rubenstein created this really fun video featuring kids in Halloween costumes fighting a dramatic war in the woods. It’s been great to see this band start to break out this year through extensive touring, so don’t miss their next hometown show at DC9 on Wednesday November 5th opening for Pup.
The Walking Sticks – Bang (Vibe With You) video
Earlier this month, dream pop trio The Walking Sticks invited fans to dance in a new music video for “One Sweet Thing” at a show at DC9. While we wait to see everyone’s goofy dance moves on that song, BYT premiered the first video from their upcoming EP Pop Dreams yesterday. “Bang (Vibe With You)” provides appropriately abstract and meditative footage shot by Sam and David Janesko, accompanying the delicate production by twins Max & Spencer Ernst and amazing pipes of singer Chelsea Lee. Pop Dreams comes out November 11th, and the release show comes Saturday November 22nd at Rock & Roll Hotel.
#TBT RDGLDGRN – Lootin’ In London video
Sometimes things get quiet for DC music videos, so we’re jumping on the #TBT bandwagon and digging into our extensive archives. Colorful genre-hoppers RDGLDGRN headline a rare hometown show tonight at the 9:30 Club with support from Mista Selectah and Redline Graffiti. I hear Dave Grohl is in town, maybe he’ll show up too. Just prior to the release of their self-titled debut album last year, RDGLDGRN put out this killer video for “Lootin’ In London”, the sing-along anthem peppered with DC musical references. See you at the show tonight!
Paperhaus – Cairo video
Indie rock quartet Paperhaus have their sights set on the national stage. After Stereogum premiered their new single “Cairo” back in August, today the hugely influential site Brooklyn Vegan debuted its accompanying music video. No surprise that DC’s go-to music video creator Nigel Lyons takes the reins here, delivering a woozy, colorful romp through the 6+ minute spaced-out odyssey, with an appropriate amount of destruction thrown in. Refreshingly, despite this well-deserved push for wider recognition, Paperhaus is still firmly rooted in #DCDIT, hosting shows at their house and promoting the thriving house show scene. Paperhaus opens for Brooklyn’s Landlady at the Black Cat backstage on Monday October 13th. Hold tight for their long-awaited debut full-length album coming February 2015.
Laughing Man – Brilliant Colors video
Yesterday Brandon Moses’s always interesting post-punk band Laughing Man dropped their first release in more than 3 years. Ryan Little, music journo and frontman of Tereu Tereu, put out Be Black Baby on his eclectic Bad Friend Records label, picking up some of the energy set free from the demise of Laughing Man’s previous home with Sockets Records. Of course the video for “Brilliant Colors”, the lead off single from the EP, is shot in moody black and white, taking a tour of DC by way of DIY/DIT venue Hole in the Sky. Laughing Man is pretty unique as a black rock band in a scene that can surely do with a dose of diversity, and “Brilliant Colors” addresses this topic directly. Hit up their EP release show this Saturday night at Back Alley Theatre with Mecca Normal, Cigarette, and Sneaks.
The Cowards Choir – Is This A Wrecking Ball video
WORLD PREMIERE!
Hometown Sounds is honored & thrilled to premiere the new music video from The Cowards Choir, “Is This A Wrecking Ball”. We’ve long been fans of Andy Zipf‘s delicately powerful voice and consistent songwriting, but assembling fellow DC musicians Ryan Walker, Ben Tufts and Adam Neubauer into The Cowards Choir has taken the music to a higher level. This Zipf guy is so smart, he got a fantastic drum kit player in Neubauber AND THEN brought in Tufts, seemingly DC’s most in-demand drummer, to play timpani, vibraphone and other percussion. Genius.
Clubhill Media shot the video for “Is This A Wrecking Ball” during recording sessions at Studio V out in Herndon. Music craftsmanship is paramount here, as special care is placed on the authenticity of the video to the musical performance. This video does an excellent job of a difficult task, bringing visual appeal to the all-important song recording process.
For the beginning of the media push for their new EP, the Cowards Choir aren’t presenting anything flashy or slick. This video is as true and honest to this band as possible, demonstrating the ethos shared by a lot of the NOVA and DC bands coming together for next month’s Magnificent Intentions music festival at Iota.
Come celebrate the release of Cool Currency with Andy, Adam, Ryan and Ben this Saturday night at Iota with support from troubador Justin Jones. Buy advance tickets for $14 here and don’t risk shutout to the normally door-charge-only Clarendon venue.
Wanted Man – Slow and Steady video
Wanted Man‘s spastic garage punk sound has slowly simmered for 3 years, and the DC music supergroup of Kenny Pirog, Rick Irby, John Di Lascio and Andrew Grossman are now boiling over. Saturday night the forces behind DCDIT and Union Kitchen host Wanted Man at The Lot at Atlantic Plumbing with a couple of excellent blues rock bands from NYC, She Keeps Bees and Shilpa Ray. It’s free, all ages and outdoors with food trucks, alcohol and awesome vibes. I love that these shows are keeping the spirit of outdoor summer shows going even through the fall. Brand new today, check out a short & sweet video for Wanted Man’s new song “Slow and Steady”, directed by Michael Hindert. Frantic head nodding all around.
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