During the pandemic, musicians have had to get by without the large, attentive crowds they might have drawn previously. Some stream on social media platforms, while others perform on balconies or backyards. For the 2021 Tiny Desk Contest hosted by NPR Music, folk singer Justin Trawick decided to perform “Starting Over”, the title track from his 2009 solo EP, for a flock of sheep residing at Midnight Forest Farm in Lovettsville VA. How do the woolly farm animals take to his heartfelt songwriting? Watch the video to find out.
Friday 1/17:
Troubadour Justin Trawick celebrates his 29th birthday for the 10th time tonight with a blowout gig with his band The Common Good at Pearl Street Warehouse, with an opening set from bluesy Americana band The Judy Chops from Staunton VA. Justin is well known for putting his Americana spin on crowd-pleasing songs, so get down to this live cover of disco classic Stayin’ Alive.
Sunday 1/19:
CapitalBop and founder Shannon Gunn brings the 5th Annual Jazz and Freedom Festival back to Eaton DC the Sunday before MLK Day to present a full day of programming, including a panel discussion, poetry from community advocate Claudia Rojas, and of course jazz from the Angel Bethea Trio, the Cristian Perez Quartet, the Todd Marcus Trio, and trombonist Gunn’s Jazz and Freedom Octet. The proceeds go to benefit the ICE Out of DC coalition.
Songwriter Justin Trawick wrote the 20th century historical survey ballad “All The Places That I’ve Been” from inspiration from his 98 year old grandmother Lenore. His entry in the 2018 Tiny Desk Contest appears on his most recent EP Riverwash with his band The Common Good. As we mentioned in our humble advice Don’t Stay Home this week, Trawick leads his rotating collective of 9 singer-songwriters tonight at Union Stage, and your life would be richer and more satisfying by enjoying this show.
Troubadour Justin Trawick is surely front-runner for the hardest working musician in DC. He’s launched more initiatives than almost any, from his weekly podcast The Circus Life to The 9 Songwriter Series to the unrehearsedDC live video series, showing his fearlessness and drive to create new avenues of musical success for his many many friends. However, one thing we’ve been waiting for is a new album. Trawick and his chums in The Common Good finally released their debut EP Riverwash, a folksy and assured collection of Trawick’s Americana originals, but he couldn’t resist slipping in a ubiquitous cover at the end. Trawick is a born crowd pleaser with an array of reinterpretations at the ready, including his newest music video that didn’t even make the EP cut. Mandolinist Josh Himmelsbach takes the vocal mic for Biz Markie’s 1989 classic “Just A Friend”, with a team of swing dancers lighting up the floor of Pearl Street Warehouse, the place to be Friday night January 26th to celebrate the EP’s release.
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?
Troubador Justin Trawick stays as busy as possible with The 9 Singer-Songwriter Showcase, his weekly podcast The Circus Life, and his own performances with his backing band The Common Good. His twangy vocal delivery and signature trucker hats are unique in the DC music scene, and his hard work never seems to get the love it deserves. Hopefully the fine folks at All Songs Considered will notice Trawick’s submission to this year’s Tiny Desk Contest, the wistful ballad “The End”. Come help celebrate Trawick’s birthday, rescheduled from January’s blizzard, at Iota on Friday February 19th.
After a string of releases in the late 00s and early 10s, singer/songwriter Justin Trawick decided to try a lot of different music projects to expand his profile and develop connections. His web video series “Unrehearsed DC” tasked photog Rafael Suanes with filming musicians performing in unusual settings, like a hat store, a snowy field and Iota’s bathrom. His weekly interview podcast “The Circus Life” is still going strong with one shy of 100 episodes. And The 9 Singer/Songwriter Showcase, floating to venues near and far away, invigorates that scene like nothing else has.
But fans (namely this one) long for new Justin Trawick songs, and finally we get one. To coincide with his performance at last week’s TEDxPennsylvaniaAvenue conference, Trawick and his band The Common Good relesaed the single “Goodbye” that’s been a staple of live shows for months now. Bringing everything together, Rafael Suanes captured the recording of the song at Cue Recording Studios by Justin’s podcast co-host Sean Russell. I am a sucker for many things, and live studio videos and big group singalong finishes are two of the big ones. Well played, sir.
Justin Trawick is a rarity in DC music, a full time musician with a lot of ideas and talented friends to help pull it off. His weekly podcast The Circus Life just got a snazzy new website, and his latest project Unrehearsed DC launched last week. Under the direction of videographer Rafael Suanes, Unrehearsed DC presents live videos of musicians performing songs in unconventional locations. Justin takes the debut video slot, performing an unreleased heartbreak song called “Honest Eyes” to 20,000 empty seats at the Verizon Center at 8 AM before a Hoyas game. Surely in just a few years, Trawick will sing there again with every seat filled.
The second video features The Beanstalk Library, fronted by frequent member of the 9 Singer-Songwriter Showcase Ryan Walker. Half the band bundled up after DC’s last round of snow to sing “Knight In Armor”, from last year’s album The View From Here, in front of large metal pipes and miscellaneous construction equipment. Where will this live video series go next? Paddleboats on the tidal basin? The Capitol Rotunda? The X-2 Metrobus? No pressure, guys.
Justin Trawick is a name that everyone in DC should know. In addition to his own well-earned accomplishments as a singer-songwriter, his tireless work heading up the We Are The 9 showcase series of singer-songwriters, rappers and stand-up comedians has connected audiences to talented performers not only in our area but many other cities near and far. Justin really is as genuine as he comes across in his music. Here’s a brand new video of a stripped-down, outdoor performance of the title track from Justin’s 2009 EP Starting Over. Catch him live next on Friday June 28th at Iota in Clarendon.
Hometown Sounds 