Tag Archives: Olivia Mancini

Astra Via – A Christmas Spirit

WORLD PREMIERE!

Who can help but admire the dedication of indie pop duo Astra Via to release a new holiday song every single year? We’ve featured “Merry Christmas, We Got This!” from 2020 and last year’s “It’s a Prepper Christmas” in our annual Holiday Spectacular podcast episodes, and now we get to delight in sharing with you the music video for their newest single “A Christmas Spirit”. Singer Olivia Mancini, also of Washington Social Club, and producer Jarrett Nicolay aka My New Mixtape deliver their own spin on Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol with their usual wit and wisdom and a groovy doo-wop beat that deserves to dislodge Mariah Carey from your brain. And A+ on the costume department!

Hometown Sounds wishes you Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and lots more live music in 2023!

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Luce Listening Party feat. Astra Via

The Luce Listening Party, our collaboration with the Luce Foundation Center in the Smithsonian American Art Museum continues with special guests Olivia Mancini and Jarrett Nicolay of Astra Via!

Tracklisting:
Astra Via – U Don’t Wanna Know [single]
Astra Via – What’s the Matter [Echo Birds]
The Loving Paupers – The Words [Lines]
Astra Via – Fast Forward [Echo Birds]
My New Mixtape – Daylight Savings [music video]
Olivia Mancini – Easy Right Now – [If We Knew Then]

Follow/Subscribe to Hometown Sounds wherever you listen to podcasts; rate/review on Apple Podcasts (and tell a friend too!)

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Podcast for May 23rd, 2018

This week, Tony has a bad case of the grumps, while Paul feels bad for short people.

Tracklisting:
Olivia Mancini – Be Where You Are (Unreleased Version) [If We Knew Then – A Compilation ]
Governess – Space Garbage [Zero]
Drew Kid – Wherever You Are feat. Deborah Bond [For You, For Me Too]
Box Era – Church Dog [Xanadu EP]
Empresarios – Noche De Cambumbeo [Cambumbeo EP]
Inkmink – Where Is The Body [How the Body is Seen]

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Or listen in SoundCloud:

Subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, TuneIn or your favorite podcast app! (and tell a friend too!)

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Podcast for January 4th, 2018

Tony identifies the little pleasures in these colder temps, while Paul meets a “mystery friend”.

Tracklisting:
Astra Via – This Will Be Our Year [single]
Mystery Friends – The Lost Ones [This Is Not What I Expected]
Echelon the Seeker – Vesuvius [ɛʃəlan ðə sikər ep]
Lavender – Dangerous Game [You Are In The Right Place]
Bottled Up – Higher [Bottled Up EP]
The Nighttime Adventure Society – The Tourist [Chapter Three: The Last Chapter]

Right-click to Download

Or listen in SoundCloud:

Subscribe to the Hometown Sounds podcast in Apple Podcasts, Overcast, TuneIn or your favorite podcast app! (and tell a friend too!)

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Astra Via – This Will Be Our Year

Happy New Year DC! 2017 is safely in the books, and now’s the time for pundits and prognosticators to analyze it in gory, frustrating, negative detail. The pop duo of Olivia Mancini and Jarrett Nicolay as Astra Via instead send us a hopeful message with a timely cover of the 1968 classic “This Will Be Our Year” by English rock band The Zombies. Mancini crafted this uplifting video of 2017’s many inspiring moments that shouldn’t be forgotten as we power into 2018. Will we be blessed with new Astra Via originals to follow their 2014 EP SUPERBESTLUCKYSONGS?

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Presenting Olivia Mancini @ Millennium Stage

DC’s finest podcast Hometown Sounds is excited to present Olivia Mancini and the Mates at our next #DCmusic showcase at the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage.

Olivia Mancini’s sense for melody will make any songwriter jealous. Versatility is her true charm – she can stretch the boundaries of musical genres without sounding as if she’s out of place. Olivia Mancini is one of the few female live acts coming out of Washington, D.C. that is equally appealing to a male audience as well as a female audience. Olivia Mancini‘s folk-pop roots combined with her true Rock ‘n’ Roll aesthetic embraces every sense of American culture.

Olivia Mancini has been touring the U.S. and Europe for more than 10 years, performing her original songs as a singer-songwriter, or with her bands, Olivia & the Mates, and Astra Via. Olivia Mancini has performed with top acts like The Hold Steady, STARS, Matthew Sweet, and Melissa Ferrick. Her music has appeared in Gossip Girl, Entourage, ER, and Live wih Regis and Kathy Lee. With years of grassroots development, and now a collaboration with accomplished producer, Jarrett Nicolay (Virginia Coalition), audiences will be seeing her in a light brighter than ever imagined.

RSVP here and come to the free performance at 6 PM on Sunday April 16th!

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Podcast for May 18th, 2016

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Paul recaps the Funk Parade and Tony explores the linguistic subtleties of the word “just”.

Tracklisting:
Party Like It’s – Clockwork Lover [single]
Rare Essence – Turn It Up feat. DJ Kool [Turn It Up]
K.A.A.N. – Phoenix [Eclectic Audio]
Bells and Hunters – Kid on a Bike [Modern Witch’s Songbook Vol II: Wives’ Tales]
Olivia Mancini – Easy Right Now [Walkabout]
Domingues & Kane – The Hunted Hare part 1 [Gut + Voltage: Viola da Gamba & Electronics in Synthesis]

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Or listen in SoundCloud:

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Olivia Mancini – Easy Right Now

WORLD PREMIERE VIDEO!

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Olivia Mancini is DC music’s sweetheart. Her big friendly smile and laid back musical style instantly disarm and captivate a crowd. Over the years she’s evolved from badass bassist in mid-2000s buzz band Washington Social Club to develop her own career as frontwoman for Olivia and the Mates, as well as her own singer-songwriter work. She also supports Jarret Nicolay of Virginia Coalition fame in the duo Astra Via and is currently a member of Sara Curtin‘s band. Clicking on Mancini’s Bandcamp page brings up a huge collection of assorted singles and EPs with her many collaborators, which makes the release of her new EP Walkabout surprising as it’s her first album under only her name. The debut single “Easy Right Now” is a love song with a relaxed vintage style, and we’re honored to premiere the music video below. Shot by Lindsay Dirienzo and Amy Hutchinson, the video takes us through a romp through the city with Olivia, with many affectionately lingering shots. The whole thing feels like a happy day in a wonderful relationship.

Grab Mancini’s new EP out on the Aerobic International label and come see her play one (or both!) of two release shows in town. If you’re more a living room type, head to Bathtub Republic on Friday May 13th to see her play with Fluffer, K Pasa USA, and Antonette Garoch; if you prefer ordering exotic craft beers at the coolest bar in town, Galaxy Hut has you covered on Sunday May 15th when Mancini plays with Yours Truly Michele.

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Astra Via – SUPERBESTLUCKYSONGS video

Here’s another great video we missed during the winter break. You all know that electronic pop outfit Astra Via is Jarrett Nicolay from Virginia Coalition and Olivia Mancini from her Mates, right? Right! Late last year they released a 3 song EP called SUPERBESTLUCKYSONGS and made music videos for each song. But instead of releasing them separately, why not stitch them together in one epic twelve minute long melange? Watch Astra Via’s goofy and lovable videos for “Good On You”, “And It Tried To Rain” and “Action Junky”, then buy the EP from Aerobic International.

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Astra Via – The Great Reheater video

Jarrett Nicolay.
DC.
Olivia Mancini.
NY.
Astra Via.
Echo Birds EP.
Catchy guitar riffs.
Chunky drums.
Sweet harmonies.
New video.
They forgot about it.
Random footage.
No shows yet.
New music coming soon.
Happy Monday!

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