Postcard to New Orleans

Dear Nola,

Hang in there, pal.

We'll be thinking of you until the sun comes out,
the power's back on, and all are safe and dry again.

love  from

DC

p.s. Thanks for all those Mardi Gras memories...you rock.

Sweden Prepares To Rock DC

DC ROCKS freely admits its name was lifted from an anthem Ian Hunter wrote for Cleveland, Ohio,  and, accordingly, this site tries to cover DC people doing DC things. But that doesn't always translate on Google. Often bands ask to be written up because they are playing in DC and not from DC. This tiny office can't handle that much music, but when Swedish band One Inch Giant found this blog and asked if we would post about their gig, an exception had to be made for these three reasons:

1. To promote diplomacy and good will on Earth, not to mention world peace.

2. Might be an educational opportunity to find out what Sweden has to offer besides Volvos, Ikea and meatballs. (oh and massages)

3. This band is coming all the way from Sweden to play a small, very local dive bar with a great roof top.  The least we can do is be there to welcome them.

One Inch Giant will be at DC9 with local band Auroboros  this Thursday.
$8

Lights Camera Music!

I  remember back in high school, before music videos were de rigueur, I was driven to make a slide show to go along with a song I wanted to play for the school variety show. It took me over a week to take the pictures and get the film processed. Then I had to borrow a projector. Nowadays though, I take movies with my phone,  feed them to a computer, and can have my own channel in cyberspace within an hour.  Times may have changed, but the urge to pair music and film lives on.

Got a phone? (Okay, a camera)
Have a band?

If either one of these arts is up your alley, then you might want to enter the 48 Hour Video Contest- the newest thing from the folks who brought you the 48 Hour Film Contest.  This project brings film makers and bands together, and gives them a chance to get great exposure and have an amazing experience. Winners will show their films at the AFI Silver Theater, and the top three bands will play at the State Theater. Check out the link above for all the details. Entries are being taken now.

If You Find It You Can Go

Last time I looked there was no sign for the Quarry House, and finding out who might be playing there continues to be a well kept if unintentional secret. Still being a lover of the under dog- or under bar in this case, I would rather hang in this dive than the more brightly lit places in Silver Spring so I keep on going back.

This Saturday diligent research (perhaps a facebook posting?) reveals  Ruthie and the Wranglers will be on deck to rock the tater tots off your table. The beer and bourbon list here is worthy of summer reading so ask for it if you don't see one lying around. (And if you don't particularly care for bourbon, please feel free to buy one for Ruthie. Bands here tend to be very fan friendly)

DC's a Veritable Variety Store of Music

What do you like? Post modern grundge with a psychedelic twist? Bluegrass nuances backed by a hint of punk? If it's out there, DC's got it. You might have to look under a rock or two, but it's around here somewhere.

This Friday is no exception starting with the The Nighthawks playing outdoors in Wheaton- free and early in the evening. Then Iota has three- count 'em- three Dead tribute bands including On the Bus, Covered with Jam and the BLack Muddy River Band which ought to satisfy even the hard core of the tye-dye set.

On the the other hand, if you'd rather be stuck in an airless room arguing with Todd Akin rather than hear "Truckin'" one more time, you might want to head over to the Black Cat for Elikeh's AfroPop CD release party with hip hop guest cameo,  Head Roc and opening bands Alma Tropicalia and Chariots.

Down at the 9:30 Club, recent Berklee graduate Owen Danoff is back home now. He'll open for We Were Kings with a solo acoustic set. This show includes four bands for $15- a great chance to check out this all ages anchor of the DC scene.

Wednesday in August= Plenty of Parking

Looking for something to break up the week? Tony Blankenship of The Courtesans describes his show at the Black Cat thusly:

"The Courtesans have been honing our Three Piece Power Pop Prowess with a few new/newish tunes ready to cement our place among the great unknown local bands in the annals of great unknown local bands. 

Joining us, from Annapolis, MD, is Skribe.

Skribe is a one man band who alternates between the banjitar, acoustic and electric guitar with the percussive accompaniment of the ELECTRIC SUITCASE! He's got this Mississippi-tinged garage/folk aesthetic, and puts on an awesome show. He's a good friend, so make sure you show up early to see his set. "

Rock and Roll Hotel Turning Six

Happy hour all day and rocking bands all night. All ages show;  all ages bands with History Repeated featuring John Stabb (formerly of Govt Issue) to the Black Sparks. (underage punk) Sounds like a slamming fun birthday party.

Rain on Me

Photo courtesy of DC Rocks

Is it me or is everyone extra jittery about storms this summer? Ever since the Derecho hit town, I've been hearing warning after warning about the possibility of severe weather. There's even an electronic sign in my neighborhood cautioning "beware of standing water." Really? Where???

Meanwhile my yard in D.C. is crisper than a fresh Oreo. The weeds are wilting. My grass- what's left of it- has the consistency of a Pringles potato chip. The only living beings undaunted by the ohthisisn'treallyglobalwarmng-it's justanaturalcycle thing are the mosquitos arriving daily by the cloud.

But once again I digress from the true mission of DC ROCKS which is to rout out good cheap fun.

This week look into JV's Thursday when Dan Hovey will be wielding his mosquito repelling ax.  Finding JV's is a challenge, but two or three go rounds with your GPS should get you to 6666 Arlington Boulevard in this far flung corner of Falls Church. (DC and Maryland people will recoil here visualizing Satan, but if Hovey- a Maryland man himself, can get over there, so can you.) Once there you will have an extremely personal relationship with the band. The stage clears the door by about two feet, and is no more than a dart's throw from the back wall. Superb guitar playing will erase those tremors experienced while weathering the Black Hole they call Seven Corners, and a stiff drink might buck you up for the ride home.

Benefit a Baby

Posing on Memory Lane

Anybody who remembers the above card might want to think about going to Poseur's 30th Reunion party this Saturday night at the Rock and Roll Hotel featuring deejay Mohawk Adam. I spent too much time at 9:30 Club and DC Space to have clear memories of this place besides a lot of lights and noise, but I'm willing to bet a bunch of people who were there more often have hazy memories, too. But that's exactly what these things are for - to remind each other of those crazy  happy times and maybe create another in the process. To borrow from the lexicon of James Cramer, Esq., "Remember the time?"

9 p.m. / $15

Beach Goers Shouldn't Throw Rocks at Glasnost Houses ?

Sitting with the ants on my counter this morning after fleeing the mosquitoes out in the garden, I can't help but think about the show coming up at IOTA this Thursday. It's a double bill featuring the Atomic Mosquitos and Igor and Red Elvises. Think Black Lagoon Surf Instrumental meets Siberian L.A. Lounge Pop Punk.  Or to put it more simply-East Coast meets West. (Bethany Beach meets Moscow?)

Did we mention there'll be a theremin?

Pretend It's Saturday

Don't want the weekend to be over? It doesn't have to be.  Drew Gibson's at IOTA tonight along with a really good selection of draft beers. Be different. Have something to talk about at the office tomorrow besides sports.

DC Band In DC

Check out indie-native type music from the Nighttime Adventure Society this Saturday night at the Black Cat. And here's a link to front woman Laura Zax's song about the town she grew up in- you guessed it- Washington DC.

The Heat Is On

It's getting deep, deep into summer here in DC now.  Time for the politicians to scamper home and run for office, and time for the real denizens of the District to get down to the dog days. Never mind that the ice sheets of  Greenland  are melting according to the crazy cats at NASA. Never mind that DC has had it's hottest summers two years running, and I'm not even counting 2012.

What matters is that we persevere in keeping cool even if it means creeping out of the AC cave we call home to go out and enjoy the end product of a blazing day: the sultry evening.
The Blackberry Belles have a show opening up for the Royal Bangs down at the The Red Palace this Friday. I can't describe their music, but some might say a thrashy, trashy meld of Sonics, Seeds, Doors and Black Keys- they sound like a rock band your parents wouldn't want you to listening to during the 60s which is why you should go.

Rock Show Hits Quarry Saturday

I really shouldn't be writing about this show because people are going to go anyway. Why?
Three reasons off the top of my head: Two really good bands, a bourbon list you don't have enough time to read, much less drink your way through, and all the ambiance that a dive bar from the 1930s can cough up. Oh, and a room full of musicians and fans all yelling hello, dancing even though there's hardly any room, and cruising for left over tater tots.

Hot Town

Little Red and the Renegades always put on a fun show especially on a hot night when you can pretend you are somewhere cooler like New Orleans. According to my friend Kiki, this year Washington has been hotter than New Orleans almost every day in July so far which makes me question pretty much everything.

Falls Church Imaginary Beach Time

The bad news? There's no actual beach here.

The good news? There's no Bay Bridge traffic, there is live music, and if you close your eyes the cars on Washington Street can sound like waves. (Ok,  if you hold a shell up to your ear, they do.)

Best Deal in Town

My friend Olivia chilling at Fort Reno

Food trucks, frisbees, trees and music. No one is too old or too young to hang at Fort Reno. This Monday's bands include Nox, Alma and Cigarbox Planetarium. Never heard of 'em? That's why these concerts exist: to give DC bands air play- back to Nature style. Concerts include free sunsets and no cover.

Music Here and There

I was at a back yard party with a live band recently, and I sat next to a man who was lamenting the lack of music in the DC area. (Boy, did he pick the wrong seat!) He was immediately supplied with a DC ROCKS lecture and quite possibly a card. But it is true- music might be harder to find if you are of a certain age that grew up with newspapers in the hand and no internet. Or then again maybe you just aren't looking in the right place.

This Friday King Soul is playing at a venue I was unaware of-  Seventh Street Landing. It's a relatively new waterside park in Southwest DC where you can find farmer's markets, art markets and live music, too. Set times run from 6-8:30 p.m.
Then on  Saturday The Loggers are reconvening at Parker's in Bethesda. Go up and talk to those guys, and you'll learn a lot about what small town Bethesda used to be like, and if you remember Bethesda in the Sixties and Seventies, you'll be hearing familiar tunes.

Or if you prefer a slightly more urban venue, psychedelia garage style Blankus Larry and friends will be squirreled away in the back of Comet Ping Pong on Connecticut Avenue. 10 p.m. Saturday.

One thing that hasn't changed with the internet is rock posters. An art form in itself.

Not the Fighting Kind Of Nunchucks

Sometimes I actually know a band that's playing at Fort Reno and this Thursday is one of those shows. The Nunchucks rocked when I saw them open for the last Slickees Boys' show at 9:30 Club sometime back, and here's your chance to see them for free. You can bring the dog. Or the kids.  Concerts start at 7 and are over by 9:30 star time.