GoldLink’s Debut Album Is Here Early
One of the most promising artists out of the D.C. region, rapper GoldLink released his debut album today, the followup…
Ally Schweitzer
Ally Schweitzer the arts and culture beat reporter at WAMU 88.5, and the former editor of Bandwidth. She has covered music and culture for NPR, The Washington Post and Washington City Paper.
Articles by Ally Schweitzer
The Latest Vintage Craze In Music Isn’t Vinyl — It’s These Old-Fashioned Recording Booths
Before smartphones, before voicemail, before the advent of answering machines, the easiest way to record your voice for a loved…
Counterculture Photographer Glen E. Friedman: ‘I’m Trying To Wake People Up’
Glen E. Friedman doesn’t have a smartphone. He doesn’t like to give out his number. And he’s relentlessly protective of…
The D.C. Music Salon Peels Back Layers Of D.C. Music History
Go-go clanging around the walls of D.C.’s historic Howard Theatre. Soul music and jazz, rising from this town’s hardest-knock neighborhoods….
‘No Suits. No Corporate Control.’ Remembering The Freeform Heyday Of WHFS 102.3
“WHFS in Bethesda, Maryland, coming to you from high atop the Triangle Towers. Ease on back, take your clothes off…
Watch Sneaks — The Band — Commit First-Degree Bicycle Murder
Eva Moolchan is a 20-year-old artist who’s committed a cold-blooded act of murder. She’s killed a bike. Taking place somewhere…
Listen: Ex Hex Covers ’70s Garage-Punk Classic ‘All Kindsa Girls’
D.C. rock ‘n’ roll trio Ex Hex has always had one foot in the 1970s, but its latest cover jumps…
For Banned Books Week, A Playlist Of Provocative D.C. Music (And More)
This post has been updated. Nationwide this week is called Banned Books Week. At the D.C. Public Library, it’s called “Uncensored.”…
Smithsonian Acquires Collection Of Classic Hip-Hop Photos
More than 400 classic photographs of hip-hop artists including Foxy Brown, Lil’ Kim, T.I., Black Sheep and N.W.A.’s Eazy-E have been acquired…
Video: Death Has Been Called The First Punk Band. Now They’re In The Smithsonian.
In the early 1970s, years before punk rock exploded in the U.S., three brothers from Detroit started a band called Death. David…
Music For Silk Robes: Abhi//Dijon’s New EP, ‘Stay Up’
Atmospheric R&B duo Abhi//Dijon still has a low profile locally — the pair from Ellicott City, Maryland, hasn’t played many…
Animal Collective To Drop An Album Recorded Live At 9:30 Club
In June 2013, big-deal experimental-pop band Animal Collective played a sold-out, three-night run at D.C.’s 9:30 Club. If you’re a…
GEMS Is No Longer A D.C. Band, But We’ll Try Not To Hold That Against Them
Circa 2012, dream-pop duo GEMS sounded refreshing amid D.C.’s somewhat conservative indie-rock scene. With floaty songs like “Pegasus” and “Never…
Visto And T.I.’s Son Get Spiritual In ‘Namaste’
Visto has been on a spiritual kick for a while now: The Virginia-born singer, rapper and Instagram ace heads a tribe…
Good News, Record Labels: A Virginia Company Plans To Open A Vinyl Pressing Plant
This story has been updated to include new information from Furnace MFG president and CEO Eric Astor. Record-making is a specialized…
In Her New ‘Loner’ Video, Kali Uchis Is Fabulously Solo
Warning: This video is slightly NSFW. The coda on her debut EP Por Vida, Kali Uchis‘ slow jam “Loner” sounds…
Hot Bods And Cold Murder: Brutalism’s New Video Is Pretty Deranged
Probably the most delightfully macabre song to come out of D.C. this year was “Friday Night,” the debut single from electronic-pop trio…
The Sound Of ‘Straight Outta Compton’ — Courtesy Of A Maryland Producer
The bottom-heavy, trunk-rattling rap music that came out of California in the ’90s blew speakers — and the mind of hip-hop…
Premiere: A Sticky, Tropical Mix From The Empresarios
D.C. ensemble The Empresarios calls itself “Tropicaliente,” a portmanteau that sums up the band’s circum-Atlantic sound. The group specializes in an…
Watch Kali Uchis Browse D.C. Record Stores Som And Joint Custody
Soul/R&B singer Kali Uchis abandoned the D.C. area for Los Angeles not long ago, but she shows D.C. record shops some…