After featuring more than 400 DC music videos on this blog, Hometown Sounds now presents an exclusive video premiere! Singer-songwriter Matt Tarka has honed his craft with a ton of live shows over the last few years. Songs from his 2011 EP Motorcycle Breakfast have recently been included in Relix Magazine‘s Oct/Nov issue and Derek Evry’s fantastic collection Music Still Happens Here Vol. 2. Matt tapped Baltimore’s Springwood Productions and director Jess Garcia to make a music video for the song Indigo Bunting, dramatizing the traumatic end of a relationship. This Sunday Matt kicks off a night of FREE music at top notch beer bar The Black Squirrel in Adams Morgan with The Gary Busey Syndrome and our dear friends Black Checker.
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Category Archives: shows
Drop Electric – Waking Up To The Fire video
Post-rockers Drop Electric continue the buildup to the release of their second full length album Waking Up To The Fire on Lefse Records that drops October 22nd. Today they released another powerful music video for the title track of the album. I don’t like to talk much about the content of music videos in these intro posts, since you’re about to watch the thing for yourself, but I will say that I like the way this video illustrates the dichotomy of working and living for fun and art in DC. Also there’s a brief but awesome escalator shot to look out for. As for the music, Drop Electric’s sound fits so well in the music video format, but I’m really looking forward to hearing all these songs as a cohesive album. Don’t miss Drop Electric playing this Friday night September 27th at LivingSocial’s 918 F Street venue.
The Walking Sticks – Send The Night video
Between Miyazaki, Ra Ra Rasputin, Honest Haloway and many others, it’s a great time to be a fan of synthpop in DC. The brand new free EP Send The Night by The Walking Sticks fits this trend and should be added to your weekend playlist immediately. The Silver Spring trio of twin brothers Max and Spencer Ernst and singer Chelsea Lee took a much dancier turn from their 2012 acoustic album World So Bright. Watch the new music video for the title track of their new EP and catch them changing up the usual vibe dramatically at the Old Brogue Irish Pub in Great Falls tonight.
Lens Flair – These Future Saints / M.H. & His Orchestra / Classified Frequency at IOTA (Fri 9/6)
Photos by Heaton Johnson
Written by Tony Porreco
Last Tuesday we brought you the Fresh Track “Blackjack”, from These Future Saints‘ new EP, Ellerslie Ave. In the spirit of following up, I made the short trek out to Clarendon’s IOTA to catch the band with Classified Frequency and M.H. & His Orchestra for their EP release show. Now, I’m not especially fond of show recaps; I think it’s far better to be there for the actual experience of the show rather than to learn about it via whatever vapid sludge I’m capable of churning out.
As such, we’re thrilled team up with the very talented photographer Heaton Johnson to bring you Lens Flair, a new photojournalism series documenting the DC show experience. There’s an alluring vibrance to Johnson’s stills that does a remarkable job of taking you “there” in lieu of hollow verbiage (or time travel).
So without further delay, the installment of Lens Flair!
Classified Frequency
These Future Saints
IOTA Club & Cafe
M.H. and His Orchestra
Ticket Giveaway! U.S. Royalty @ U Street Music Hall Sat. Sept. 7th
U.S. Royalty‘s new album Blue Sunshine comes out Sept. 10th, and the well-dressed gents set out on a nationwide tour this week. Their hometown stop at U Street Music Hall is this Saturday at 7 PM with an opening set by Sunwolf, and we’ve got a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky winner! Just leave a comment below with your favorite DC band and you’re entered to win. Our contest ends and one lucky winner is chosen this Friday at noon, so enter now! If you missed out on our giveaway, don’t leave your Saturday night to chance. Buy your tickets in advance through Ticketfly.
Ticket Giveaway: Luray & Kindlewood @ 6th & I
Hometown Sounds is thrilled to give away a pair of tickets to see the excellent folk-tinged pairing of Luray and Kindlewood this Saturday night at 6th & I Synagogue‘s Downstairs stage. Luray is banjo-inspired indie rock from singer-songwriter Shannon Carey, celebrating the imminent release of the debut album The Wilder which sees wide release on August 27th. You can check out a few preview tracks from the album at Luray’s Bandcamp page, including the sweet song Kalorama featured on the Hometown Sounds podcast last fall.
If you name-spot the credits of the album, you’ll see Shannon’s brother Sean Carey of Bon Iver provided percussion and vibraphone. Luray has broadened her fan base playing a lot of local shows in the last year, and an advance listen of The Wilder reveals that big things are in store for Ms. Carey.
Opening the show is Kindlewood, a fantastic folk-rock band helmed by husband-and-wife duo Kaci and Galen Smith. Their recent music video for Give And Take is as pretty as their sound.
All you have to do to enter is leave the name of your favorite DC area band in the comments section of this post. We’ll draw a winner on Thursday afternoon at 5 PM, so don’t delay! And if you’re not our lucky winner, tickets are only $10 plus fees through Ticketmaster.
Olivia Mancini – Ruby, Baby video
A longtime fixture on the DC music scene, Olivia Mancini now splits her time between here and Brooklyn. She and her Mates will release a new singles collection called Interregnum on August 20th, surely rolling up some of the tracks posted to Olivia’s Bandcamp recently. You’ve got a great opportunity to see Olivia & The Mates this Friday night at Iota in Clarendon, with supporting acts Nine Times Blue from Atlanta and Nashville’s Luella And The Sun. And if that doesn’t work for you, she’s quite excited to open for Matthew Sweet at the Birchmere on August 23rd. Olivia’s newest music video, a scratchy vintage accompaniment for Ruby, Baby, is a song that parallels Dion’s 1963 hit single of the same name.
Andy Zipf / The Cowards Choir – Maybe I video
Back in 2009 singer songwriter Andy Zipf released an EP called The Cowards Choir in which he felt that he’d finally found his voice. Now touring in support of his newest EP Reunion, he enlisted Ryan Walker from The Beanstalk Library and not one but TWO drummers, Adam Neubauer and Ben Tufts to form the band The Cowards Choir. Andy, Ryan and many many more amazing DC musicians will play this Saturday afternoon at Jammin’ Java’s cannot-miss Ben Tufts & Friends Show to support the Craig Tufts Memorial Fund. To accompany the contemplative video for Maybe I, from the Reunion EP, Andy wrote some thoughts on the song for the official Tumblr for To Write Love on Her Arms, “a non-profit movement dedicated to presenting hope and finding help for people struggling with depression, addiction, self-injury, and suicide.” The Reunion EP is available on both iTunes and NoiseTrade for a suggested tip of $5.
Ticket Giveaway: MH & His Orchestra @ 9:30 Fri 8/9
Hometown Sounds is proud to give away a pair of tickets to another amazing lineup of DC music at the 9:30 Club. Friday night August 9th The Brindley Brothers, usually associated with Vienna venue Jammin’ Java, present M.H. & His Orchestra, with support from DIY champions Paperhaus and the mysterious Atoka Chase. I’ll be honest with you DC, I checked out Max Holiday and his impressively large ensemble at Tropicalia a few weeks ago, and I was completely blown away by their live show. The music videos we’ve featured on the site do not do justice to the energy and talent that they bring to the stage. Their soulful, brassy, tight sound is unline anything else going on in DC that I have ever heard, and I’d be the one to know! Just post a comment telling us your favorite DC area band and you’ll be entered to win! If you aren’t the lucky winner, tickets are availabe for only $15 through Ticketfly.
Ticket Giveaway: Black Clouds @ 9:30 Club
Next Saturday night July 27th the 9:30 Club, the area’s best concert venue, hosts a full-quality lineup of DC bands presented by the DC Party Action Committee Council. Headliners Black Clouds celebrate the vinyl release of their 2012 debut album Everything Is Not Going To Be OK, and I can’t wait to see their brand of dark and moody instrumental post-rock on such a big stage. Plus there is a dizzying lineup of opening acts: Punk rockers Highway Cross and True Head; twangy Typefighter; DC’s next big thing Shark Week; and the last hurrah for legendary thrash metal band Warchild. You’ll need a massive dose of B vitamins to handle all this DC power!
Because Hometown Sounds loves you so much, we want to put two lucky fans on the guest list for this amazing show. All you have to do is tell us your favorite DC band in the comments. We’ll pick the winner on Tuesday July 23rd, so don’t delay! And if you aren’t the lucky winner, buy tickets here!
Hometown Sounds 