Hometown Sounds

Hey Hometown Sounds Readers!

My name is Tony Porreco, and Paul recently asked me if I’d like to become a contributor to Hometown Sounds.   (I said yes, of course.)   I’m a D.C. native who’s been back in the area for a couple years after having done school at the University of Delaware (M.A., B.A.).  It’ll be unsurprising to read then that I became interested in the D.C. music scene last year on account of my also being a musician who plays guitar in the local band Black Checker.

I’ve become pretty passionate about the D.C. scene, and I get out to local shows fairly frequently (~1-2 a week).  Likewise, I’ve been working hard the last several months to document the performances of D.C. musicians by way of video and photo.  I curate and manage a YouTube channel containing videos from the shows I attend, with the goal of generating new exposure for artists making music in D.C.

Live Picks!

Now I’ll say a bit about the writing I’ll be doing for HTS, which is going to involve a regular column called Live Picks!    Good shows deserve good turnout, so in each installment, I’ll be selecting an exciting band/artist with an upcoming show that week and doing an in depth profile of (a.) the artist, (b.) their work, and (c.) why you should go see them.  Really, what I’m aiming to do for HTS readers is pair music journalism with a sense of urgency and purpose: Music writing is something that shouldn’t be done in a vacuum for its own sake, independent of real-life happenings, and I think that’s especially true at the local level where you have the opportunity to see these acts perform.  So, if I’m writing someone up, it’s because they’re both compelling AND playing at a venue near you.

Look for the first installment soon.

Born in Wisconsin to a pianist and a Dylan fan with a healthy classic-rock record collection, I’ve been fed a steady diet of musical tunes since day one. I’m drawn to anything with a rootsy vibe, thanks to early exposure to folk and a deep loyalty to the Oklahoma indie and Americana I enjoyed in college. My stint as a jazz singer infused my taste with strains of the blues, and my own classical training gives me an appreciation for practiced talent and innovative composition. I’m especially excited about experimental music and new approaches to old styles. More than anything, I admire anyone who creates unique sounds.

I moved to Petworth from the prairies of the snowy Midwest in June 2012. Even though I’m new to the DC arts scene, I have an appetite for all things local. I prefer living room shows and dark, divey bars to arena stages, and I’ve even been known to haunt open mics in hopes of hearing something fresh. In addition to hosting shows at my cozy rowhouse in Northwest DC, I’m looking to meet artists from all walks of life in the metro area and expand my ear. My penchant for local music means I’ll be prowling the venues in search of new artists to support and new tunes to plug in to.

Adams Morgan has had a bit of a reputation for, well, drunken shenanigans. But it seems like Clarendon is the new playground for hard drinking partiers, and Indie Adams Morgan is ready to bring a live music focus back to the area. Led by live music junkie Anders Thueson, tonight they begin an ambitions series of live shows on Thursday nights at Club Heaven. Genres rotate between rock, roots, world and jam bands. Tonight’s opening features a mix of everything, with jam band Vasudeva, rockers The Ruin City and Heather Mae & The Make Believe representing Americana. Follow @SongPoets on Twitter or RSVP to the Facebook event to get $5 admission before 7 PM. Upcoming shows include Hometown Sounds faves Watermelon, The Funk Ark and Justin Trawick. Hats off to awesome local music coming back to Adams Morgan!

This Saturday, December 15th, the Hometown Sounds internet music stream turns 1 year old. We’re celebrating with the first in a monthly series of showcases at the brand new venue 9th & Beats. It’ll be a rare afternoon show, from 1 to 7, featuring five great DC bands you may not have heard of yet: The Torches, Peanut Butter & Dave, The Grey Area, The North Country and Black Checker. This weekend there’s no cover charge, so I hope you’ll stop by, check out the new space and hear some great music.

I run this Hometown Sounds thing on pure love. My day job has nothing to do with music, and I’m very lucky that it affords me a little bit of time here and there during the day to run a DC Music Video of the Day post and send out some tweets. Most of the cool people I know in DC have a day job that pays the bills and provides the health insurance, and the evenings and weekends are spent at band practice or theater rehearsals or in the art studio or pecking away at the keyboard. A very select few make music their day job. For music, at least, I want to do what I can to connect ears to the hard working musicians in this town.

I started with the 24/7 music stream, available on computers and mobile devices (through the free TuneIn app) from day one. Next came the DC music video of the day posts. Some thought I’d run out of videos after a month or two, and I’ve still got a whole lot in reserves. Then the Hometown Sounds podcast, which does pretty decent numbers in the iTunes Store and on SoundCloud. And finally with what I’ve wanted to get into for months now, presenting and simulcasting live shows. All this to make it as easy as possible for people to hear DC music.

I think it’s great to be a fan of local bands. You get to see them play more often. You see their friends’ bands share bills, and maybe you like them too. Scenes occasionally pop up, like the Federal Reserve shows at Iota or the Fort Knox Recordings bands all remixing and guesting on each others’ tracks. You might even make friends with your local music idols, not a likely prospect with bands featured on KCRW or All Songs Considered. That’s why I think DC music is worthy of special attention.

Thank you for all the kind and positive words everyone has had for Hometown Sounds this past year. Please send feedback and suggestions to dj@hometownsoundsdc.com or chat with me at one of the monthly showcases. I know there’s a lot of great music coming in 2013 and I’m excited to share it with you.

Hometown Sounds Showcase Flyer

This past weekend I reconfigured the playlist priorities for the Hometown Sounds internet music stream. Now music released in the last couple of years will play more often than older material. This should make the station a bit more relevant to what’s going on around DC right now.

As always, you can listen to our music stream anytime 24/7 at HometownSoundsDC.com, in iTunes Radio under Eclectic, or in the free TuneIn app for iOS and Android.

Send all your feedback and new music suggestions to DJ@HometownSoundsDC.com.

I’ll be one of the panelists in Artomatic‘s Music Development panel series tonight, focusing on Radio and the Indie Release. Other panelists include Mary Sue Twohy from Sirius XM, Grant Random from DC 101, Bryan Calhoun from Sound Exchange and Rhome Anderson from WPFW, and it’s all moderated by Jem Bahaijoub from Imagine PR. If you are in an up & coming band, the information available at this panel could be crucial to getting airplay for your music and growing your fanbase. Registration is free, and so is Artomatic. See you there!
http://artomaticradiopanel-eorg.eventbrite.com/

We rejiggered the programming schedule last night, mostly to lengthen the Rock block that seems to be the most popular. What do you think of the new lineup? What DC music are we missing out on that you want to hear? Let us know in the comments or drop us a line at hometownsounds.dc@gmail.com.

Good news for mobile device users! Hometown Sounds is now listed at TuneIn.com. Now it’s easy to listen anywhere with the free iOS and Android apps. Sign up for a free account and add Hometown Sounds as a preset.