Why This Band Is Fighting For Its Right To Have An ‘Offensive’ Name
Update, Dec. 22, 2015: The Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit has ruled in favor of Simon Tam and…
Category: Local
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…
Nature Boi’s Mom Wanted Him To Be An Electrical Engineer. He Pursued Hip-Hop Instead.
It’s been said that music is a form of therapy. That’s as true for listeners as it is for musicians….
‘Strawberry Dreams’ Is A New Feminist Punk Zine Out Of D.C.
When Paula Martinez and John Scharbach first told Farrah Skeiky about Strawberry Dreams — their idea for a free zine…
La SalvadoReina Wants To Jumpstart Salvadoran Music In D.C., One Cumbia At A Time
Lots of young women dream of being pop princesses. Cindy Zavala didn’t. Instead, she went straight for the throne. As…
Jason Mullinax Explores An Alien Groove On ‘Octopus Tree’
On “Octopus Tree,” a recent composition from Takoma Park musician Jason Mullinax, imagery and music come together in vivid harmony:…
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…
An Unlikely Archivist For Armenian Aleppo: A Punk Drummer From D.C.
He’s not a musicologist, but he’s documented several of Syria’s religious minorities, including the Armenians of Aleppo. And his work has become all the more timely — and pressing.
Rapper Aye Yo Smiley: ‘You Don’t Always Have To Have A Hook’
With her natural and vibrant flow, it would seem that D.C. emcee Aye Yo Smiley — real name Marisol Alcalde…
Babe City Records: The D.C. Label That Started In A Basement And Moved Up To 9:30 Club
On a Saturday night, multicolored balloons bearing the image of cartoon character Tintin sail down from the balconies of D.C.’s…
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…
Bugging Out: His Dad Is An Entomologist, But Brain Rapp Has Hip-Hop Dreams
One of hip-hop’s most commendable qualities is that it gives voice to a diversity of narratives. In the lyrical tradition…
Rapper And ‘Trap Hipster’ Layla Khepri Goes ‘Jurassic’
Self-proclaimed “trap hipster” Layla Khepri does it big — dinosaur big, as seen in the rapper’s new music video for…
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…
DTMD Sees Its Future, But The Maryland Hip-Hop Duo Is Also Willing To ‘Wait’
There was so much enthusiasm beneath DTMD’s 2011 debut album Makin’ Dolllas that it’s hard to believe the Prince George’s…
Inside An Explosive Relationship With D.C. Punks Gauche
A complicated and possibly dangerous relationship takes center stage in “Boom Hazard,” a danceable declaration of self from Gauche, a…
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…