Imperial China‘s angular and muscular brand of math rock is deeply rooted in the evolution of DC hardcore to post-hardcore. From their home on hardworking local label Sockets Records, they carved their way into DC music history over the course of 2 full length albums, one EP and countless live shows. Sean Peoples shuttered Sockets earlier this year, and now Imperial China has decided to part ways after one final blowout show at the Black Cat Backstage tonight, supported by Tereu Tereu and May Tabol of Pree. You owe it to yourself to indulge in 30 Days of Imperial China, as the band posts a song and some interesting backstory every day. Today’s video “Creative License”, shot at the Black Cat back in 2011, comes from their final album How We Connect. Thanks for a great run guys.
Hometown Sounds
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Category Archives: shows
Tom McBride – But I Don’t Care video & giveaway!
Scroll down for prize pack giveaway details!
This Friday night the Black Cat Mainstage hosts the DC album release show for singer-songwriter Tom McBride‘s latest full length Morning In Glen Burnie. His full band performance is supported by Richmond’s blues rock trio People’s Blues and long time DC faves Olivia Mancini & The Mates. Tom’s distinctive, clear voice and assured songwriting comes through on this live take of “But I Don’t Care”, one of the more memorable cuts from the album.
Olivia & The Mates are also set to release a brand new single, “Singing the Chorus/Ruby, Baby”, and Hometown Sounds is very excited to give away a prize pack including Olivia’s new single, Tom’s Morning in Glen album and two guestlist spots for this Friday’s show! To enter, just leave your favorite song by Tom or Olivia in the comments section below (don’t forget to leave your name too!). You can also like the post on our Facebook page or retweet our post on Twitter to enter! The winner will be announced at 5 PM on Thursday afternoon, so don’t delay!
Update: The contest is ended and Amanda is our winner! Congratulations & thanks to all who entered!
Elikeh – No Vision video
Afropop band Elikeh embodies the global cultural diversity that makes DC such an interesting place for music. Frontman Massama Dogo comes from Togo and has performed with many bands, both local and worldwide (Sierra Leone’s Refugee All Stars, The Wailers, Vieux Farka Toure, Bombino). Elikeh’s 2012 album Between 2 Worlds appeared in more than a few top albums lists last year, and they’ve recently appeared at the Howard Theater, the Black Cat and the Strathmore. This Saturday night they headline a Global Dance Party at Rosslyn’s Artisphere, with top-notch opening sets from reggae/funk band Nappy Riddem and gypsy horn ensemble Black Masala. This is going to be an amazing night of world music!
Now look DC, I worked in Rosslyn for years and I know that it’s a bit of an odd place to go on a Saturday night. The Artisphere is a great space with some bold programming choices and an expansive dance floor. There’s a Metro station close by, and did you know that the Artisphere offers FREE validated parking on weekends? Yup, that’s right, FREE! No way you’re getting that on U Street or H Street NE. Also I hear the fine folks at ridesharing app SideCarDC are offering free rides this weekend! The $12 show kicks off at 8 PM in the Artisphere’s ballroom.
For today’s DC music video of the day, here’s the latest from Elikeh, No Vision. From their 2012 album Between 2 Worlds, the video was shot by singer Dogo’s younger brother Edouard Zucker.
Kid Congo Powers – Rare as the Yeti video
Did you catch Jon Fisher’s excellent profile of Kid Congo Powers in last week’s CityPaper? If not, damnit, read it now! Powers is well known as both as musician and DJ around town, spinning a truly unique garage-soul sound. He’ll be leading the Kid Congo Power’s Hour at Sunday’s Sound Bites, an outdoor street festival of music and food at the 9:30 Club with a lineup that includes Deathfix, DJ Will Eastman, Batala and Rich Morel’s Hot Sauce, all to benefit DC Central Kitchen.
Here’s an appropriately trippy music video for Rare as the Yeti, from Kid Congo’s 2009 album Dracula Boots.
Jonny Grave – Hill Country Blues
We’ve run quite a lot of traditional music videos on the Hometown Sounds site, and it’s nice every once in a while to show you something a little different. Today we’ve got a short musical introduction to Jonny Grave, preservationist of Hill Country Blues music. Directed by local filmmaker Hantz, the video mixes musical snippets of Grave performing and recording his original tunes with an interview detailing his approach to music. Grave’s new album The Hammer drops very soon, and tonight he plays a benefit show for One Fund Boston at Iota with a huge local lineup including The Highballers, Wes Tucker, South Rail, Rachel Levitin, Flo Anito and Matt Tarka. And you’ve got another chance to see him perform live next week with Alex Culbreth at the Wonderland Ballroom’s Outlaw Night on Thursday May 9th.
Wheelie – Right Before Your Eyes video
Tonight synthpop band Wheelie close out a series that I was previously unaware of, the Silver Spring Town Center‘s Twilight Tuesdays. The April series has featured bands of various genres in a locale not widely known for hosting live music, apart from the mighty Fillmore. Watch today’s video, Right Before Your Eyes, and you’ll understand Wheelie’s playful and inventive spirit.
Live This Week: GET FREAKY with The North Country, Black Masala & Adam Friedland, hosted by Jamel Johnson @ The Dunes
by Tony Porreco
What: GET FREAKY
a.) Music from The North Country / Black Masala
b.) Comedy Performances by Adam Friedman & Jamel Johnson
c.) Art Installation by Matt Hollis
When: Thursday May 2nd @ 7 PM
Where: The Dunes, 1402 Meridian Place, NW
I’ve got a real soft spot for shows that unite different types of musicians, artists and performers under one tent. First, they expose audience members to performers and art forms they likely wouldn’t seek out on their own (I don’t typically make plans to check out a photography exhibit or see some slam poetry, but if it’s part of a show, I consider it an added bonus.) Second, “act diversity” frequently results in a superior audience experience, as show-goers are engaged via different communication mediums, and as a result, attendees in turn experience an enhanced sense of inclusion and involvement.
Said more simply, only so much interaction takes place between a band and an audience, and supplementary acts such as stand up comedy and spoken word story telling are cool in that they diminish the communicative gap between audience and performer, and promote an inviting sense of community.
If you’re picking up what I’m putting down, think about heading to The Dunes this Thursday for an event sporting an especially eclectic line-up. Psych-twang favorites The North Country team up with Black Masala, the oversized (Member Count: 9!) Eastern European-flavored gypsy ensemble with a couple of local comedians and 52 O Street artist Matt Hollis, with a brand new art installation.
I’ve been spending some time with Hollis’ work this afternoon, and I’m pretty drawn to his sculptures, which have a feathery, piñata vibe to them, and the vibrant colors you’d associate with the suspended Mexican candy repositories.
Concerning the yucksters, Adam Friedman is a veteran of Brandon Wetherbee’s comedic talk show/podcast You, Me, Them, Everybody, and the host of live bizarre sketch show Funny Moms, both of which have become staples of the DC comedy scene. Jamel Johnson, a colleague of Friedman, will serve as evening’s emcee: Just watched some bootlegged video of him performing at RFD. He’s got a boisterous style and a great onstage presence; I smirked.
This is a unique event with a great lineup of seasoned local performers. Everyone looks for excuses to start their weekend a little early. Here’s yours.
Nappy Riddem, Asheru & Fort Knox Five @ Tropicalia 4/20
TICKET GIVEAWAY BELOW!
The fine folks at Fort Knox Recordings are taking over U Street hotspot Tropicalia Saturday night for the auspicious 4/20 celebration. In addition to the regular weekly Sao Funky DJ night by Fort Knox Five, Asheru and Nappy Riddem will provide the funk and hip-hop vibes to start off the evening early at 7 PM. The duo of Nappy Riddem, Mustafa Akbar and Rex Riddem, is well loved after their successful reggae and funk album One World Sovereignty. New material from Nappy Riddem is coming soon, including this track Rocksteady, performed earlier this year at Jammin’ Java.
Asheru is one of my favorite rappers in DC. His smooth delivery and deft lyrics always amaze. Most well known for the Boondocks theme song, the 4/20 show will feature a rare appearance by Ash’s full band The ELs. Here’s Ash collaborating with Nappy Riddem on the title track of their album.
This will be a fantastic night of music, and Tropicalia is the perfect spot to get down with the funk. The cover charge for the Nappy Riddem/Asheru show is $5, but we’ve got two guest list spots to give away to one lucky winner! Just leave your email address in the comments or like the post on Facebook, and you’re entered to win. The winner will be announced Friday afternoon, good luck!
Margot MacDonald – Twice video
Margot MacDonald‘s Floor Sessions represents a personal artistic challenge for this young and captivating performer: collaborate on a cover version of a song, and offer it both as a live performance video and a free download. Margot’s performances combine traditional instruments, looping effects, vocal percussion and her trademark singing voice to create a sound worthy of a full band. Her version of the Little Dragon song Twice involved D.J. Kyriakides at Cue Studios on the studio version and videographer Zambia on the live version. Check out her live show this Friday night at Iota with a stacked local lineup including Star FK Radium and The Charm Offensive.
The Good Thing @ Tropicalia Friday night
Have you checked out Tropicalia yet? This new hotspot is not what you’d expect from its address right at the corner of 14th & U. The music is consistently eclectic and consistently top quality, pushing the boundaries of clubgoers knowledge and familiarity. Tonight new DC funk band The Good Thing wants you to get down to their sultry grooves, and they’ve released What Can I Do, the first track from their debut EP Ain’t Nobody Gonna Stop Me, as a free download to get you in the mood. The show starts early at 8 PM for only $10, so RSVP here.
Hometown Sounds 