In the News
For WaPo, Mark Jenkins interviewed musician Steve Rubin about his alter ego & band Jackie and the Treehorns.
DC Music Video
Chuck Brown Band, we love you and your new single and music video “Summertime” is an absolute feel-good jam. But come on, is January really the best time to put this out? We don’t even have a layer of snow to make this time of year cozy and fun. Look at you with your blue popsicles and neighborhood parties and weather reports of 85 degrees, driving around DC with the top down. Cruel!
The video, directed by jazz musician and educator Samuel Prather, features Chuck’s son Wiley Brown on vocals. Catch them in our live music roundup below!
Don’t Stay Home This Week
Monday January 8th
Ellington Carthan: rising jazz pianist, alum of the Strathmore Artist-in-Residence program, now professor of music at St. Mary’s College of Maryland. And the perfect name for DC jazz. See him make beautiful music with friends at Blues Alley Monday night.
Thursday January 11th
Sweet soul singer Cecily continues to tease the March release of Awakening Pt. II with two sets Thursday evening at Blues Alley to hype the single “I Am Love”, and maybe another to come? Stay tuned.
Friday January 12th
Lucky reader, you’ve got two album release shows to choose from this evening. After a huge 2023 touring and supporting Weezer and the Smashing Pumpkins, garage-punk duo Teen Mortgage are dropping their first vinyl Friday night at the Pie Shop, along with Richmond punks Destructo Disk and DC’s Sad Roach.
Meanwhile, at Slash Run, instrumental punk/jazz band ¡FIASCO! (RIYL The Messthetics) play their new album Anger Artist on Unit Records, after opening sets from Baltimore experimental guitarist Walsh Kunkel and LMB, the improvisational duo of french horn player Abe Mamet and violinist Jamie Sandel.
Honorable mentions for this too-packed evening:
Saturday January 13th
DC/SF retro synthpop band 2DCAT haul their vintage synthesizers and EPROM-based drumkits to The Runaway Saturday night for a neon-tinged dance party. Hi-NRG DC artist Safety Bear and “theatrical synthwave” producer Anniee from NYC round out the evening.
Hardcore punks Walk the Plank have a new 12” EP Loathe for you at Atlas Brew Works Saturday night, and you also get Supreme Commander, Psyop and NJ’s School Drugs, so don’t forget the earplugs!
Sunday January 14th
Fresh off their new music video “Summertime” that we featured earlier in this newsletter, the Chuck Brown Band keeps the beloved legacy of the godfather of go-go crankin’ at the new Carlyle Room Sunday night.
Looking Ahead
The Messthetics team up with NYC saxophonist James Brandon Lewis to take their instrumental jazz to the next level. At the Black Cat on Friday March 29th.
Thanks For Reading
Send us your feedback, your tips, your requests, your hearts and your invitations to go out. See you next week, DC music community.
-PV