Hometown Sounds

Welcome to unofficial fall, which still feels like swampy summer to us. Here are your #DCmusic picks for the upcoming week.

Tuesday 9/04:
Tonight DC9 has you covered with a choice lineup. Brooklyn’s grungy punk Oceanator is the out of town act, supported by DC indie rock band Bottled Up and the experimental groove of the Rob Stokes Band.

Wednesday 9/05:
The loss of Aretha Franklin reverberated around all corners of the music world last week. On Wednesday evening Songbyrd hosts an evening of soulful rememberance for the Queen of Soul. With a house band that includes Zo! and Micah Robinson on keys, Eliot Seppa on bass, Dante Pope on drums, and Zachary Cutler on guitar, the evening boasts a huge list of vocal talent: Sy Smith, Wayna, Cecily, Alison Carney, Tamika Love Jones, Denise Henderson, Patience of BOOMscat, Tamara Wellons and Tashera Robertson. This one is going to be powerful, so grab your tix in advance while you can.

Thursday 9/06:
Bal Boheme is a new name on the scene, but includes members of The Fire Tonight and The North Country. Come see this new indie folk trio celebrate their self-titled EP release, with support from beloved DC vets Near Northeast at DC9 on Thursday evening.

To the hardy few who stay in DC for Labor Day weekend, we salute you. Now go see some #DCmusic while you’re here.

Friday 8/31:
Our monthly DC music showcase returns to the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage after work today. Grab a seat before 6 PM and check out the dance-punk of Light Beams, one of the most exciting new bands in town.

Saturday 9/01:
The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities’s annual tradition of hosting a free show at the Lincoln Theatre on Labor Day weekend continues. Saturday is “Latin Flavor Night” and features Verny Varela, Pablo Antonio y La Firma, and Elena & Los Fulanos.

Sunday 9/02:
Sunday’s lineup at the Lincoln Theatre’s Labor Day Weekend Music Festival is devoted to “Go-Go Fusion”. DuPont Brass, The JoGo Project, Full Throttle Band, and The Experience Band & Show make this one a can’t miss event!

Monday 9/03:
The last day of the summer season requires some outdoor dancing. The Capital House Music Festival takes over Meridian Hill Park on Monday from noon to 9 with DJs and live performances including The Ecussionist, Deacon Izzy & the Congregation, DJ Jay Jay, Chosen, Andy Grant of DC House Grooves, Benoit, Tee Alford, DJ Tantra and of course Sam “The Man” Burns. The whole thing is free, so consider donating to their GoFundMe to keep the soul of house music thriving in DC.

There’s one more week left in our swampy DC summer. Here are our picks for filling your soul with the finest quality #DCmusic every night of the week.

Monday 8/27:
Monday nights are often best for open mikes and jam sessions. For tonight’s recommendation, we say head to Homestead Food & Beverage Company in Petworth. That’s where you’ll find the weekly Mixtape Mondays session, featuring a top notch house band of Elijah Jamal Balbed, Mark G. Meadows, Dante Pope and Ramy Amenra El Oyoun.

Tuesday 8/28:
Afro-punker Rex celebrates his birthday on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage this Tuesday. Grab a free seat before 6 PM or stream it online if you have to work late!

Wednesday 8/29:
In addition to leading the all-women big band The Bullettes, Shannon Gunn is one of the finest trombone players in town. Twins Jazz on U Street hosts Gunn Wednesday night for two sets, 8 and 10 PM.

Thursday 8/30:
You can count on Gypsy Sally’s for the best roots rock bills in town. This Thursday night you can see The Walkaways, By & By and Wes Tucker & The Skillets under the Whitehurst Freeway in Georgetown, and go home with a head full of amazing songs.

Friday 8/31:
We’ve got a bonus Friday pick for you! True DC insiders know to stick around on holiday weekends to have the best stuff for ourselves. This Friday at 6 PM Hometown Sounds is crazy excited to host dance punk band Light Beams on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage!

It’s Friday. You know the drill. We’re not staying home, right? Let’s go.

Friday 8/24:
The OSYX are leading the feminist charge in the DC music scene in 2018. Their monthly residency at Dew Drop Inn hits tonight with New York State’s Candy Ambulance and our own Crash Kitten and Honey. It’s worth the trip for “F*ckboys” alone.

Saturday 8/25:
The adorably folksy band Handsome Hound has charmed us silly for many years in DC. But all good things must end, and singers Claire Daviss and Cuchulain Kelly are moving their mustache and suspenders harmony stylings to the west coast. Come sing along to “Hannah” one last time at Songbyrd Saturday night, with support from Elena & Los Fulanos.

Sunday 8/26:
It’s going to be a beautiful weekend to check out DC’s newest swank development The Wharf. Splurge on a fancy dinner out and head to Pearl Street Warehouse for a free show called Southwest Soul Sessions on Sunday evening. Jazz power couple Elijah Balbed and Isabelle De Leon host a jam session with special guests and maybe you too.

Hometown Sounds is back from summer break and ready for action. Here are your weekly picks of the best #DCmusic shows. Don’t Stay Home!

Tuesday 8/21:
Get more jazz in your soul tonight at Takoma Station. Tuesday nights they host a free jam session, giving you the chance to get to know new players and seasoned vets. RSVP to skip the cover.

Wednesday 8/22:
The DC Public Library‘s Punk Archive initiative is expanding beyond their original hardcore mandate to present some of our fave DC bands on the terrace of the Woodridge branch overlooking Langdon Park. The Wednesday evening series resumes this week with the awesome soulful synth pairing of The Body Roll Duo BOOMscat and Stronger Sex.

Thursday 8/23:
The Blight Records crew are a tight knit bunch, collaborating often on shows and remixes. The BLIGHT. Makes Right Vol. II compilation, out this week, shows how big the fam now is, with tracks from Swoll, Loi Loi, Park Snakes, Luna Honey, Blacklodge, IMKA and many more. Celebrate the release extravaganza Thursday night at Dew Drop Inn with performances from Eve Maret, Wilder Green, Leah Gage’s solo moniker Crab Legs, and Blight kingpin Ben Schurr aka Br’er.

Friday 8/10:
Help kick off ska band Kill Lincoln‘s tour at the Black Cat Friday night and pick up and advance copy of their new vinyl release Good Riddance To Good Advice. New Orleans ska band Joystick and our own Boardroom Heroes open.

Saturday 8/11:
How about this strong lineup of bluesy rock at Gypsy Sallys Saturday night? You get JUXT, Oh He Dead and new material from Wanted Man. Bring earplugs!

Sunday 8/12:
Swipe right and impress your date with literary cocktails and classy bilingual folk music from Elena Lacayo Sunday evening at Petworth Citizen.

We are on summer break next week, but don’t miss next weekend’s DC Music Rocks Festival at the 9:30 Club and the Audioteka II Festival at Club Heaven & Hell!

Welcome to August DC. Here are our live #DCmusic picks for the week to come.

Monday 8/06:
The Fort Reno summer concert series is back for pair of rain-date encore shows this week. Tonight catch previously scheduled bands The NRIs and and Small Dad play with Rockville punk band Meatbot.

Tuesday 8/07:
AdMo’s SongByrd Cafe hosts a delightful night of songwriting Tuesday night. Babbling April and Bal Boheme, two bands featured on our DC music podcast, open for a touring band from Columbus Ohio called Trying.

Wednesday 8/08:
DC9‘s Wednesday night show features female-fronted darkwave and indie rock from Daamsel, The Neuro Farm and City Witch. If the songs below hit you in the heart, then this show is where you need to be.

Thursday 8/09:
This Thursday will be the final rain date of Fort Reno’s 50th Anniversary season. Bid farewell to the beloved outdoor summer music fest with Koshari and Wolves of the Dry Ravine, fortuitously rescheduled from last week.

We have been assured that this persistent rain and oppressive humidity will clear out soon. As we do twice every week, here are our picks to fill your life with #DCmusic.

Friday 8/03:
Tonight Rick Taylor’s long running post-punk DJ night We Fought The Big One returns to its monthly home at CoHi’s Marx Cafe. Instrumental explorers Spectrums performs songs from their just released EP II, and Hometown Sounds founder Paul Vodra spins a guest set of all DC music.

Saturday 8/04:
The Twin Moon Arts Collective returns to St. Stephen’s on Saturday for the fourth annual Strange Adventures, a music and arts festival benefitting Positive Force, Casa Ruby and the Free Minds Book Club & Writing Workshop. The music starts at 3 PM and includes small dad, Cool Baby, Near Northeast and more.

Sunday 8/05:
Cap off the weekend by discovering new bands at U Street’s Velvet Lounge. Sunday night get your indie rock on with Sunshine Hysteria, Smith Gardens and our recent podcast feature Frass Green, plus New York band Lucy.

Wasn’t that a lovely weekend, DC? Even though rain threatens to return this week, that’s no reason to stay home and binge Netflix shows that ain’t going nowhere. We’ve got live music picks for you every night of the week.

Monday 7/30:
How about it not rain on the tail end of the Fort Reno summer concert series? We’d love that, thx. Tonight‘s lineup includes melodic punk from Wolves of the Dry Ravine, dreamy shoegaze from Koshari, and legendary Devin Ocampo’s newest indie rock band The Effects.

Tuesday 7/31:
You need a solid and sizeable indie rock lineup to make your Tuesday night awesome? DC9 provides with The Mild Animals, BabeRage, Makeup Girl and a Cincinatti band strangely named Vermont.

Wednesday 8/01:
We are big fans of the versatile saxophone playing of Frank Mitchell Jr. from many great DC bands including Black Masala, See-I and his current trio Three Man Soul Machine on Growroom Productions. Wednesday night at Marvin Social on 14th St. Mitchell presents a new quartet called Speed Tribe, exploring jazz, funk and avant garde sounds in the vein of Miles’ electric period.

Thursday 8/02:
Unless some rain dates get added to the calendar, this is the last scheduled Fort Reno show of 2018. Go out with a bang with SoundProof Genie, Flasher and the resurrected 90s Dischord band Branch Manager.

Hey, how about the crappy weather take a rest for this weekend so we can all get out and enjoy a ton of awesome #DCmusic? As always, here’s our picks to have an awesome weekend.

Friday 7/27:
We avidly recommend tonight‘s four band bill at the Rock & Roll Hotel. Dedicated listeners to our biweekly podcast will remember lo-fi Frass Green from this week’s episode, and we featured Bottled Up earlier this year. They support two musicians from NC, Max Gowan and Infinity Crush.




Saturday 7/28:
It’s Day 1 of the sad and fond farewell to Edgewood DIY venue Bathtub Republic. Two packed stages are filled by soooo many faves, including BRNDA, The North Country, Foul Swoops, Marian McLaughin and more.

Flo Anito and Seth Kibel are making alluring and timeless vocal jazz together. Grab tix now to see them play an intimate house show at Casa Phoenix Saturday night.

Welp, this Saturday is packed to the gills with awesome DC music. You also must decide about this hard rocking four band bill at DC9 featuring Virginia Creep, The Combs, The OSYX and American Television, celebrating the release of their collaboration with Weird Brothers Coffee in Herndon, VA called Death Defier.

Sunday 7/29:
Day 2 of Bathtub Republic’s BFF Fest continues with Bal Boheme, Near Northeast, Sean Barna, Light Beams and of course way more. We will need some big hugs plz.