Just hours before Yellow Ostrich parked their van on 37th and O Street NW, Fiona and I scrambled to find something — anything — for Alex Schaaf, Michael Tapper and Jon Natchez to play. A slight miscommunication had resulted in the band planning to stop by Georgetown to record a plugged-in studio session before their soundcheck at the Black Cat with us waiting on the other end to film an acoustic takeaway show. Easy fix, right? Not quite. They didn’t have the equipment to play acoustic, and we didn’t have the equipment to go electric. Hoping to salvage the afternoon, we rounded up the best instruments we could find, and thankfully, the flexible trio was willing to stretch the definition of both ‘best’ and ‘instruments’ far enough to rework a few cuts from their album The Mistress live on air. Crammed into the tiny studio tucked away in the corner of Hoya Court, Schaaf strummed Fiona’s acoustic guitar, while Tapper kept time on its case, adding in some percussive flourishes with whatever he could bring along after politely declining the toy tambourine we dug up for him. Bassist Jon Natchez broke out the brass instead of the bass on “Hold On” and effortlessly translated the buzzing, electric end of “Mary” to an unplugged setting with some light clarinet.

Later on that night, we were lucky enough to catch Yellow Ostrich’s opening set at the Black Cat and were treated to a whirlwind of sound — vocal loops with reverb, a full drum kit, electric guitar, bass, brass and synths — pumped through large speakers. On what is the band’s first real tour, they played to an impressively full room that shouted requests (if it wasn’t busy being eerily quiet, listening with rapt attention as Schaaf tuned up between numbers) and hung on to every note of favorites like “Whale” and newer, unheard songs like “Charles Lindbergh” alike. And as good as that set was (and it certainly was good), there’s something to be said that these three musicians could pull something equally striking and captivating out of little more than a hastily tuned guitar and the beat of its empty case.

Crew: Fiona Hanly + Catherine DeGennaro
Edits: Catherine DeGennaro

Listen to and download the audio from the session:

Yellow Ostrich: In-Studio with WGTB by WGTB Rotation

Re: Stacks – Yankee Hotel Foxtrot by WGTB Blog

Catherine takes a look at the Wilco mega-hit Yankee Hotel Foxtrot in this first installment of ‘Re: Stacks,’ an article where we learn about the intimate relationships between listener and performer.

Igor German caught up with Villagers front man Conor O’Brien before his solo set at DC9 to talk about being on tour and how he feels about the album Becoming a Jackal now that its getting a good deal of attention. Listen to the feature below!

Villagers Feature by igorgerman

And a video after the jump.

This past Saturday Peter Wolf Crier crammed their gear into our tiny WGTB studios and delivered a soulful performance of these four songs. The duo has built a strong base in Minnesota, and after recording Inter-Be, they joined Jagjaguar and started this short but intense national tour. The small crowd that gathered to check out their performance was delighted with the intimacy of the show and impressed with the atmospheric sound they were able to so naturally create. Read Fiona’s review of the album and listen to/download the four live tracks below!

Peter Wolf Crier – Crutch and Cane by igorgerman

Peter Wolf Crier – For Now by igorgerman

Peter Wolf Crier – Saturday Night by igorgerman

Peter Wolf Crier – Untitled 101 by igorgerman

Kaitlin Carano tracks the history and development of the Go-go movement in DC by highlighting the impact of Chuck Brown and how, years later, the Beat Ya Feet Kings have revitalized the genre.

The District Dialect: Go-go Music ft. The Beat Ya Feet Kings by igorgerman

They play tonight at the 9:30 Club, opening for Blitzen Trapper, and it’s a show you don’t want to miss. Check out the interview and stay tuned for Jared Iversen’s review of their newest album, later this week.
Moondoggies interview by WGTB Blog

Mike Shanahan goes into Meridian Hill Park to capture the sounds of the drum circle and the community that forms around it for the second edition of The District Dialect.

The District Dialect: Meridian Hill Park Drum Circle by igorgerman

Welcome to ‘The District Dialect,’ a column about the distinctive sounds of Washington, DC. Our writers are going out into the District and capturing the sounds that make our city unique, and showing us where music exists in ways subtler than we often notice. All audio pieces are recorded, edited, and produced by the authors’. This week Catherine Degennaro went to Ben’s Chili Bowl:

District Dialect: Ben’s Chili Bowl by igorgerman

If you live in DC, you may know the famous Ben’s Chili Bowl as a great place to grab a late bite after a night out at the Black Cat or the 9:30 Club. If you don’t, you may know it as that place where Bill Cosby and the Obamas eat free. But beyond being a hotspot for hungry college students and DC royalty alike, the restaurant is steeped in U Street and Washington history. Catherine DeGennaro and Christina Crisostomo, resident connoisseur of all things chili, stopped by to explore Ben’s storied history, food and atmosphere over a blasting jukebox and the sound of halfsmokes sizzling on the grill.