Monthly Archives: February 2011

The entire idea of a stage vanished.  Or you could say the audience became the stage for this militant Israeli garage punk band. At the very moment the Monotonix began their set, the lead singer leapt onto the crowd and proceeded to rock out and walk over the moshers while using the ceiling’s metal bars as support. Not only the lead singer, but the guitarist, the drummer, and the entire drum set spent most of the set suspended by the audiences hands and heads, travelling back and forth across the intimate venue. No drink in the crowd was safe; beers were stolen, thrown onto the drums, and splattered onto unsuspecting hipster’s vintage leather and ironic tees. These long curly haired, wild, jungle men exuded unparalleled charisma that kept the young crowd moshing, rocking, and sweating all night. Read More »

Lots of local bands playing this weekend. Head out and show your support.

Thursday

Georgetown’s very own Mercies plays at the Black Cat! It’s their third ever gig, but they’re cool enough to land gigs at DC’s finest venues such as the Velvet Lounge and Red Palace before heading over to the Black Cat for tonight’s concert. The band is made up of three members from three Georgetown bands (City Folk, Little Bigheart & the Wilderbeast, and Stout Cortez). Haven’t heard of them? Well, check out tonight’s concert for some edgy Wire-esque rock and a great time. Read More »

Deerhoof might not have ever broken free from their small label status, but the fact that they’ve stuck with Kill Rock Stars this long reflects their refusal to ever conform. Since forming in the mid-nineties, their concert performances have become something of legend, due to their high energy and improvisational style. To see them live is to be “Deerhoofed.” And while I don’t know what it’s like to be kicked by a deer—or any hoofed animal for that matter—now I have a pretty good idea.

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This is a companion piece to the Wed. Feb. 9th episode of Footnotes that streams on WGTB from 9-10pm.

There has always been a business side to music. Even during the time of Ludwig van Beethoven, composers depended on income from public concerts and the publication of their works. While the business behind music is its furthest part from pure art, it has provided ample fodder for lyricists as both the promise of fame and fortune and the collapse of such promise have inspired countless songs.

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Tuesday’s broadcast of Nothing But A G-O-D Thang started typically: an over enthusiastic welcoming, too many good wishes to the listeners, and ridiculous facts of the day (Congrats to the Boy Scouts of America for their 101st Birthday).  However, it was a special day when Joseph Rojas of Seventh Day Slumber gave us a call.  After muffing a few questions and nervously trying to get a normal sounding conversation started, it happened.  I struck a “chord”.  When I asked Joseph about his definition of Christian Rock music, he really became passionate.  Listen below to check out his response! Read More »

Sometimes I wonder what Samuel Beam, the man behind Iron & Wine, is hiding behind his beard. When he wrote and produced his first album The Creek Drank the Cradle out of his home studio in 2002, he could have been hiding anything from us in there, save a folk singing voice to rival Art Garfunkel’s. Now, with the release of his fourth full length, Kiss Each Other Clean (Jan. 25), it seems he might have been hiding an entire band that would eventually back him up—piano, drums, electric guitar and bass, xylophone, flute, and saxophone to boot. (All bets are off on what else he might still be hiding). Read More »

Is it possible to be original and not creative? Or, is it possible for something to be more original than it is creative? I don’t think I ever tried to deviate those two terms—they correlate so frequently that it never came up. But, I think this is the case with James Blake’s eponymous debut. I think this is what Pitchfork writer Mike Powell meant when he wrote of James’ work, “..it’s like I’d walked into the kitchen and saw a big prickly triangular fruit in the fruit bowl.” That’s exactly it. This album is fresh, it’s brand new, and you’re sure not to find anything like anywhere else. But, it is ultimately new because it combines elements of what you know, and what Blake knows you love, in ways that haven’t been combined before.

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Tapes ‘n Tapes seem to have been constantly striving to rise to the expectations created by their self-released debut album The Loon back in 2005.  Taking cues from indie-rock greats Pavement and Pixies, they won legions of fans with a hooky, rough-around-the-edges sound.  The hype eventually bought them a contract with XL records which produced their lackluster sophomore effort Walk It Off.   XL eventually dropped the band and the result is that once again Tapes ‘n Tapes is self releasing an album, hoping to restart their career and perhaps achieve the potential that so many saw in them only six years ago. Read More »