How An Openly Gay D.C. Soul Singer Made Motown History
By the 1960s, the D.C. region could have been called a soul music capital: Out of it came Marvin Gaye,…
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
Track Work: The Grey A, ‘Unusual As Usual’
There are sexual people, asexual people and those who fall somewhere in between: They’re “graysexual,” or “Gray A.” D.C. resident…
Listen: Funky Jazz From Hailu Mergia, Bandleader Turned D.C. Cab Driver
Before last year, keyboardist Hailu Mergia may have more closely identified as a cab driver than the ex-leader of one…
Go-Go Godfather Chuck Brown Remembered In A New Music Video
Sept. 17: This post has been updated to include feedback from the music video’s director. It’s been more than two…
Track Work: The Effects, ‘Blister’
Devin Ocampo has a name for the speedy, rip-roaring songs he likes the most. “I’ve always called these types of…
Track Work: Art Sorority For Girls, ‘Dead Man’
Rock outfit Art Sorority For Girls is responsible for one of the catchiest songs I’ve heard from a D.C. artist…
Jenny Toomey Returns To Music After A 12-Year Hiatus
Coming up in the era of slacker rock, Jenny Toomey may have seemed like an outlier: The native of Chevy…
Friday: A ‘Rock ‘N’ Roll Blowout’ To Remember Chris Grier
On July 10 in Brooklyn, noise-rock guitarist and writer Chris Grier died at home from a pulmonary embolism. Four-and-a-half hours…
Ian MacKaye: ‘If You Want To Rebel Against Society, Don’t Dull The Blade’
Back in March, WTJU veteran Aaron Margosis borrowed a WAMU studio to interview Mayor of D.C. Punk Ian MacKaye. Their…
Track Work: Ethan Spalding, ‘Happy Feelings’
Ethan Spalding doesn’t want to disclose his age on the record. “Hip-hop is a young man’s game,” says the Takoma…
Ex Hex Releases A Rocking New Song, ‘Beast’
D.C.’s Ex Hex has released yet another new song from its forthcoming record, Rips. Today, Pitchfork premiered “Beast,” a rock…
Mac DeMarco Live Backstage At The 9:30 Club
Mac DeMarco was having van trouble the day we arrived at the 9:30 Club to shoot him in his dressing…
How The New York Times Magazine Devised Its D.C. Punk Cover
Robert Draper’s story on the cover of this Sunday’s New York Times Magazine tackles libertarians—that spunky band of scalawags presently at risk…
Track Work: Myrrh Myrrh, ‘Peter Criss’
Maryland rock trio Myrrh Myrrh doesn’t identify with any genre in particular. But it’s sure of one thing: The band…
The Clientele Live At WAMU
Suburban Light, the warm and wistful full-length from British indie-pop ensemble The Clientele, was one of those records that seemed…
Playlist: Music You Need To Hear In D.C., Aug. 4 To 10
Sound Advice is Bandwidth’s recurring playlist of artists we think you should catch around D.C. this week. Synthesized music from…
D.C. Punk: From Your Basement To D.C. Public Library
When Punk the Capital filmmaker James Schneider approached D.C. Public Library about starting a punk-rock archive, he discovered that the…
Listen To ‘Real,’ A Funky New Song From Rising Vocalist Kali Uchis
Northern Virginia-based artist Kali Uchis dropped a new song on her Soundcloud page today: Called “Real,” the sensuous, vibraphone-sprinkled track…
Virgin Mobile Freefest Won’t Happen This Year
This year’s Virgin Mobile Freefest has been called off, according to festival producer Seth Hurwitz. In a statement, the I.M.P….
Playlist: Music You Need To Hear In D.C., July 28 To Aug. 3
Sound Advice is Bandwidth’s recurring playlist of artists we think you should catch around D.C. this week. Ready your fanny…