Guitarist/vocalist Maryjo Mattea and drummer Joel Wu keep the formula simple in their garage rock duo Two Dragons and a Cheetah. But simple can still rock plenty hard. Their debut music video “Lessons” shows them walking and performing around Chinatown, and I particularly love the incongruity between Wu’s hard hitting drums and the adorably tiny kit strapped to his chest. Pick up their new EP Something, Something... Poetry and Light for a few bucks on Bandcamp and clear your schedule Friday night to descend to the basement of DIT house Bathtub Republic to see the these beasts play with our faves Clones of Clones.
Hometown Sounds
Showing The World How DC Rocks
Category Archives: video
Speedy Consuela – Sukka Suited video
Untangling the web of connections between artists in the Fort Knox Recordings family is a fun parlor game. Fort Knox Five, the label’s flagship funk act, is Jon Hovarth, Steve Raskin and Sid Barcelona (new album out next month!), but Raskin & Barcelona made stylish downtempo as Thunderball on the ESL label for many years. Versatile guitarist/sitarist Rob Myers’s solo excursions go under the name International Velvet. Raskin also put together a family project with his sister Joyce, wife Johnna and Joyce’s husband Matt White called Speedy Consuela. Though a rumored full length album did not materialize, a handful of tracks appeared on the occasional FKR compliation series “The New Gold Standard”. Despite being originally released way back in 2006, Speedy Consuela just premiered a new music video for their debut single “Sukka Suited”. Directed by the aforementioned Rob Myers and shot in the Rock & Roll Hotel’s stylish Mao Room, the video is a swanky mod tribute to this throwback party anthem from the mid-aughts.
The Girls Upstairs – About You video
Hey DC, remember The Girls Upstairs? The catchy young College Park rock band’s debut EP Never Love You just dropped from its Kickstarted price down to $4, and it’s definitely worth adding to your DC music collection on Bandcamp. We showed you their unplugged Tiny Desk contest entry a while back, but hear how they sound fully electrified and “chemically altered” in this adorably stalker-y music video for the EP’s single “About You”.
Incredible Change – Night Falls video
Synthpop band Incredible Change continues, despite the recent departure of female vocalist Deena OH. “Night Falls”, a new single not included on their FREE original self-titled debut EP, came out a couple of months ago with this vibrant music video shot by Deena and frontman Brock Boss in one long night from 8 PM to 5 AM. Come meet new vocalist Sarah Stevenson at their next show Saturday March 28th at DC9 with Baltimore’s Joseph and the Beats and The Jaguar Club from Brooklyn, sand RSVP already!
Polyon – Crest video
You guys know Polyon, right? Frontman Ryan McLaughlin’s other other band with Brandon Korch and Adam Lake? Looks like next week is Polyon Week in DC as you’ve got TWO chances to see this powerfully loud band: Monday they join Makeshift Shelters and Taking Meds at Comet Ping Pong and Thursday it’s a show with Stronger Sex and Solids at DC9. Their first release, a cassette and Bandcamp EP simply called Three Songs, comes out next week as well. So now’s the perfect time to watch this music video for their debut single “Crest”. Acclaimed director Nigel Lyons always does a great job of creating visuals that complement the right qualities of the music. I also appreciate all the subliminal reminders to relive the industrial 90s with KMFDM.
Pree – Two Feet Shy video
Before our lovable, quirky folksters Pree take SXSW by storm next week, today they unleashed their newest music video for “Two Feet Shy”. It never hurts to have a music video director as a musician in your band, and Ben Usie always delivers a colorful, visual feast. Even though the instrumental part of their sound has matured significantly over the course of this band’s history, May Tabol’s unmistakeable voice remains its distinctive hallmark. This video aligns Tabol’s coy, precocious style to the innocent fun of trampoline and swimming with friends. Pree’s sophomore album RIMA comes out from Paper Garden Records on May 1st, so you’d better pre-order that seafoam vinyl now.
Spoonboy – The Dispossessed video
David Combs, singer of the pop-punk band The Max Levine Ensemble, will soon retire his solo performing identity Spoonboy. As reported in yesterday’s post at the Washington CityPaper Arts Desk blog, Combs has grown weary of Spoonboy’s focus on gender fluidity issues and in the difficulties of assembling a band to perform live. Your last chance to see Spoonboy’s meaningful and infectious catalog of songs is on the Black Cat Backstage on Thursday June 4th, and this is certainly a backstage show for buying advance tix. But never fear DC music fans, new material from Combs and The Max Levine Ensemble will arrive soon. Check out this awesome black & white music video for “The Dispossessed”, from last year’s split LP with Color Me Wednesday, still a free Bandcamp download you shouldn’t pass up.
Tree River – Lulee video
We introduced you to indie folk duo Tree River back on the January 6th episode of the Hometown Sounds podcast, playing the song “Mountains” from their debut album Inward. Today we’re featuring the music video for “Lulee”, the album’s debut single. This dark and mysterious video, directed by LA’s Max Carlson for Oddbox Films, suggests some magical nighttime events without clear explanation, like a dream.
Kokayi – Part Of It video
DMV Rapper Kokayi caught a lot of great attention from his excellent Tiny Desk contest entry “The Lick” last month. Yesterday he dropped a new music video for “Part Of It”, the final song in his ambitious project to release a new track every day in 2014. This soulful song shows off Kokayi’s singing chops, equal in measure to his crafty, insightful lyrics. The simple but attractive video by Magee shows Kokayi’s singing wign a lovely fall background that reminds us all that someday, maybe, we can all go outside and just enjoy ourselves. Someday. Tune into Kokayi’s Track A Day SoundCloud playlist and fill your day with new sounds.
Young Rapids – What R U Saying video
DC’s homegrown record label Chimes Records pulls out all the stops for their first major release, the long awaited second album by dead-and-back-again experimental indie rockers Young Rapids. Pretty Ugly‘s new single, What R U Saying, is the first out of the gate for a music video, and Ben Usie from red-hot DIT venue The Beehive delivers this super trippy and colorful visual interpretation of the song. I have no idea what is happening but I like how it makes me feel. Catch these feels for yourself this Saturday at the Rock & Roll Hotel when Chimes Records shows off its all-DC roster of bands, including Go Cozy, Den-Mate and of course The Sea Life. Hit the ATM first and take home some sweet sweet vinyl.
Hometown Sounds 