The Red Fetish is a stylistically mercurial group anchored by guitarist Alejandro Castaño. Flitting between experimental, folk, blues and chamber music depending on the participating collaborators, Castaño is a prolific songwriter, having released an impressive 17 albums so over the course of his career. This year’s entry into NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest is a stripped down performance of a new song called “Devices” on vocals and guitar with band mate Kris Kagei. Tonight they open an all DC evening at DC9 with psychedelic rock band Names.
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Category Archives: video
Be Steadwell – Netflix
Yeah yeah, Happy Valentine’s Day, yadda yadda. Sure you’re giddy happy today, with the flowers and the elusive dinner reservations and the promised late-night bedroom acrobatics. Tonight is special, but relationships go the other 364 days of the year too, and sometimes it ain’t easy. The hook in Be Steadwell‘s catchy as hell single “Netflix”, from last year’s name-your-price EP Jaded, is sure to get stuck in your head, where it can do the most good tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that.
Hayley Fahey Band – Fire (Tiny Desk Contest)
We love how NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest gets artists everywhere to film a simple music video, eschewing fancy production and focusing on the song and the performance. There’s no better way to get to know a musician’s tunes than seeing them performed live. Today we’d like you to meet recent University of Maryland grad and singer-songwriter about town Hayley Fahey, performing an unreleased song called “Fire”. Check her out next at Gypsy Sally’s free Vinyl Lounge on Friday March 3rd.
Andy Shea – Braver (Tiny Desk Contest)
Andy Shea is an English teacher and singer-songwriter we’ve featured before on Hometown Sounds. His entry into this year’s Tiny Desk Contest is “Braver”, the title track from his name-your-own-price 2012 EP. Andy emphasizes empathy in his teaching, and this song about his older brother Matthew with Down syndrome exemplifies this perfectly.
Elena & Los Fulanos – Ponle Fin
We’re taking a break from the Tiny Desk Contest review for a timely introduction to Elena & Los Fulanos. The bilingual folk-rock band fronted by Elena Lacayo is currently raising money to record their second album, and with only one week left they are most of the way there. Tonight they play a show with powerful singer Lauren Calve at Haydee’s Restaurant, and even though there’s no cover charge, be sure to chip them all the scratch you can to help them out. Everyone’s looking to DC punk for protest music for 2017, but Elena is the one leading protest singalongs and penning heartfelt, scathing tracks like her newest, “Ponle Fin”.
Justin Trawick – The Bright Side (Tiny Desk Contest)
Let the record show that Justin Trawick is not above pandering. For this year’s submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, the singer-songwriter and podcast host croons his optimistic tune “The Bright Side” to an oblivious English bulldog named, appropriately enough, Rico Suave. Who can resist that adorable pup?
DuPont Brass – Sunshine (Tiny Desk Contest)
DuPont Brass brings a touch of New Orleans second line brass band style to DC. Combining hip-hop, jazz and R&B, these Howard grads have graduated from street busking to blowout club gigs befitting their full, funky sound. “Sunshine” is their second go-round in NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, after last year’s song “Common Tones”.
Handsome Hound – Carina (Tiny Desk Contest)
Our spin through the DC area submissions to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest continues with the utterly lovable folk rock band Handsome Hound. Claire Daviss and Cuchulain Kelly front this unique and accessible quintet of musicians, here performing an unreleased song “Carina” at the Capitol Hill Arts Workshop Gallery.
While you’re at it, relive Snowzilla 2016 and watch Daviss and Kelly and trumpeter Allison Rosenberg perform “Hannah”, from their debut EP I Guess We’re Doing Alright, for last year’s contest, which we completely missed presenting to you until now.
Sara Curtin – Call You Home (Tiny Desk Contest)
Singer Sara Curtin never disappoints in her entries for NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest. Her third effort is the romantic ballad “Call You Home”, filmed at Takoma Ranch and backed by bandmates Maureen Andary from The Sweater Set and Ryan Walker of The Beanstalk Library. Look for a new album featuring this song out later this year.
Run Come See – Empty Shell (Tiny Desk Contest)
Run Come See is a new soulful folk-rock supergroup featuring John Figura of the Gulley Jimson Quartet, standup bassist Tom Liddle of Letitia Van Sant & The Bonafides, and Lauren Calve. Over the last year they’ve refined each others’ songs live and in the studio, culminating in much highly anticipated debut album release next month. Get a taste of it with this submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, John’s original song “Empty Shell” filmed by Sugar Farm Productions at the Petworth Citizen literary bar, where they shelve books by color. Mark your calendars for the album release show Friday March 3rd at the Black Cat with Turtle Recall and The North Country.
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