Snowzilla’s thick white blanket is quickly retreating to towering, near-unmeltable mounds blocking sidewalks and lesser-used lanes of traffic, and super-hip indie folk trio Near Northeast seized the opportunity during the storm’s aftermath to film their submission to NPR Music’s Tiny Desk Contest, which ends tomorrow. “What To Say” is currently unreleased but distinctly memorable from their recent live sets at Black Cat and Luce Unplugged. Avy, Kelly and Austin intend to record a sophomore album later this year, so in the meantime, pay what you want for last year’s excellent full length Curios and keep your eyes peeled for more live shows in March.
Hometown Sounds
Showing The World How DC Rocks
Podcast for January 28th, 2016
After finally digging out from Snowzilla, Tony tells of his days working with two very different DC musicians and Paul recounts a classic 70s teen violence movie. Also, Tony’s got Paul’s jorts needs covered, and sweet DC music to make the medicine go down.
Tracklisting:
Rex Riot – 24 Hours [Bando Bootlegs]
Tigers Are Bad For Horses – Messenger [TABFH]
The Galaxy Electric – Temporal
Skyline Hotel – Oh My Dear [Sparks of Light]
Warm Sun – Damaged [Blizzard]
Ooh Child Ensemble – Gettin’ Over feat. yU & Drew Dave [Rebirth]
Or listen in SoundCloud:
Subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast in the iTunes Store or your favorite podcast app! (and tell a friend too!)
Debrider – Wrapped Around Your Finger
After departing as vocalist for dream-rock band A MARC Train Home, Lia Pisa-Relli contemplated quitting music altogether, but luckily she changed course to learn guitar and go solo instead. Taking the ominous name Debrider, Pisa-Relli released her debut pay-what-you-want EP Blind and Bloodshot last summer, and now prepares for a full length release Widowed with an advance music video release, the woozy, sexy and sparkly “Wrapped Around Your Finger”.
Wall of Trophies – Everything
Singer Brittany Jean and producer Will Copps release Heliograph, their debut album as Wall of Trophies, in just a few days. If you dug the album’s title track from the last episode of our podcast, then the School of Seven Bells-influenced duo’s debut music video should make you even more excited for this release. “Everything” settles into a cool dream-pop vibe that slowly builds to a dynamic climax, reflected in the cathartic storyline and message of the music video. Even though Will is currently stationed abroad, Hometown Sounds is excited and hopeful for a DC area album release live show in the future!
Stranger in the Alps – The Mann Gulch Fire (NPR Tiny Desk submission)
Now that the calendar has rolled over to January, the new annual tradition of NPR All Songs Considered’s Tiny Desk contest has returned to spur rising, striving artists to create live music videos behind a desk of their choosing. This leads to much creative interpretation, such as this early entry by Steve Kolowich’s folk group Stranger in the Alps. I won’t spoil the twist, so enjoy this rendition of the beautifully narrative song “The Mann Gulch Fire (The Wag Dodge Escape)” from their 2013 album Honey If You’re Lucky.
Podcast for January 12th, 2016
It’s been a while, but Paul & Tony are back in 2016 with riffs on “peak dad-ness” and Tony’s history as a real bruiser on the roller rink. Plus an unexpected and lighthearted tribute to the artistic legend David Bowie, and of course a fresh dose of DC music!
Tracklisting:
Jack On Fire – Beat The Rich [We Sass You Shake Yr Ass]
Hothead – How It Goes [Hothead]
M.H. & His Orchestra – Calderwood [Calderwood single]
Wall of Trophies – Heliograph
Pree – Cloak [Cloak single]
Heavy Breathing – Body High [Airtight]
Or listen in SoundCloud:
Subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast in the iTunes Store or your favorite podcast app! (and tell a friend too!)
The Cornel West Theory – RAFIQ
Hip-hop group The Cornel West Theory dropped “RAFIQ”, the second video from their newly released album The T.A.B.L.E. The incendiary lyrics are strangely juxtaposed with against the 1989 Razzie-award winning movie Harlem Nights, starring Richard Pryor and Eddie Murphy and directed by Murphy, creating a sharp constrast between Hollywood’s vision of black culture and violence in the 1930s and its representation today in rap music. The Cornel West Theory are a fearsome live act, so don’t miss their next show at the MLK Library on Thursday February 4th with Time Is Fire and The Black Sparks, presented by the DC Punk Archive.
Ace Cosgrove – Baby Need Clothes
Gaithersburg, MD rapper Ace Cosgrove assuredly found his style on his most recent mixtape Baby Need Food. The production by Robbie Anthem imparts the lush sound of a full band, which Cosgrove excellently translated live with a large group of musicians at his breakout performance at last year’s Landmark Music Festival. The mixtape’s first music video, “Baby Need Clothes”, directed by Perry, pairs Cosgrove’s lyrics about living life positively with visuals of quality father-daughter bonding over Vietnamese noodles and shopping. It’s an intensely personal music video showcasing Cosgrove’s maturity that bodes well for his continued rise.
The Duskwhales – Living Room
Everyone we spoke with agreed, the standout act from last month’s Magnificent Intentions DC Music Festival was The Duskwhales. Their songs veer from experimental to catchy at just the right time, and their mop-top, besweatered look has charm to spare. While the band records their most recent batch of songs, the first single “Living Room” got this deliciously jangly music video that premiered last month. With more songs and videos on their way early in 2016, this band is poised for a breakout year. The trio has a lot of shows around town on the books in January, but the best is a headlining spot at Rock & Roll Hotel on Friday January 15th with YUM and Kid Claws.
Top 3 Videos of 2015 #1: The North Country – The Cross We Bear
Andrew Grossman’s band The North Country released their sophomore album There Is Nothing To Fear in April and boldly challenged the DC music scene to really step up their game. The album expands on the initial folk-rock style with sonic excursions that show Grossman isn’t just one of the best frontmen in DC, but has the songcraft chops to match. The bar is set high with the first song, the catchy and accessible “The Cross We Bear”, and well-known local director Nigel Lyons’s video matches the song perfectly. Cameos from BRNDA’s Leah Gage, the Church Night crew and members of The North Country are fun easter eggs, as is the bookend scene referencing Grossman’s home and DCDIT house venue, Bathtub Republic. It’s ambitious videos like this that tell a story, convey a meaningful message and compliment the music so well that win the year and make doing this job of bringing you the latest and best in DC music worth it. See you in 2016 for more amazing songs, videos and shows!
Hometown Sounds 