Domingues & Kane Bring Viola Da Gamba Into The 21st Century
After many years in the D.C. rock scene, musicians Dennis Kane and Amy Domingues yearned for a new challenge. They…
Category: Sounds
Premiere: Indie Folker Emily Henry Tells A Tiny Story On ‘Hands’
Emily Henry is taking baby steps. She jokes that she won’t be a real songwriter until she’s written 100 songs….
Andre ‘Whiteboy’ Johnson On ‘Turn It Up,’ The New Single From Rare Essence
Plenty of Washingtonians already salivate over things that are locally grown, organic or vintage. Great news for them: The region’s soon-to-be-biggest song is all three. That’s…
Go Cozy Chills Hard In The Face Of Adversity
Circumstances haven’t always been comfortable for D.C. band Go Cozy. Take, for example, the two years it spent just trying…
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Baltimore Performer Abdu Ali: ‘We’re All Dealing With Post-Traumatic Slave Syndrome’
When the drums pound in Abdu Ali’s music, they travel straight to the head. “I blatantly confront racism and white…
Ivy Leaguers In Love: The Giddy Folk-Pop Of Handsome Hound
You understand more about Claire Daviss and Cuchulain Kelly’s playful relationship just by listening to their music. The couple’s band,…
How Punk Legend Kid Congo Powers Found Some Chicano Magic In D.C.
Kid Congo Powers came to D.C. a decade ago as a fully formed underground rock ‘n’ roll hero, so it’s…
What Does D.C. Sound Like? Listen To Kokayi’s Washington Soundscape
Take a walk through NoMa, the Southwest Waterfront or parts of Shaw, and you’ll hear a city in transition: the…
The Harry Bells: A Strong Contender For Most Boisterous Band In D.C.
Four members of D.C.’s The Harry Bells — saxophonists Matt Rippetoe and Jonathan Parker, trumpeter Joe Herrera and trombonist Ben…
Premiere: Benjy Ferree Is A New Man
Benjy Ferree never stopped writing. He just slowed down. That’s how the songwriter explains his recent absence from music. The last time the…
Nada Surf On World Cafe
Hear the New York rock band perform songs from its new album, You Know Who You Are.
To Be Clear: Flasher Is Not An English Band From 1979
At the rate that D.C. DIY bands form and split, one could be forgiven for not keeping up. So if you’re not hip…
Remembering A Country Legend: Merle Haggard On World Cafe
The “Okie from Muskogee” talks life, music and songwriting in this 2003 interview. Haggard died Wednesday morning.
K.A.A.N. Could Be The Next DMV Rap Star, But He’s Not Taking Anything For Granted
When K.A.A.N. raps, he sounds like he’s releasing the valve on a pressure cooker. There are a lot of confessions, rants…
Meet Satan’s Satyrs, Virginia’s Saviors Of ’70s Metal
If it’s possible for an album about vampires and creepy teens to be considered delightfully old school, then Don’t Deliver…
Listen: Babeo Baggins And Drake Cover ‘These Days’
It’s already known that pop star Drake is pals with Babeo Baggins, the Virginia native who makes geeky, countercultural hip-hop with underground clique…
With One Textured Album And An EP Born From Pain, Janel Leppin Pushes On
Four years ago, avant-garde composer and multi-instrumentalist Janel Leppin was living in Seattle, where she wrote and recorded her first…
First Listen: Andrew Bird, ‘Are You Serious’
On his 13th album, Bird delves deeper into alternately peppy and muted ruminations on love and chemistry. Always a thoughtful songwriter, he’s found a way to sound playful while maturing with time.
Oddisee Debuts A Lush New EP, ‘AlWasta’
One of the most accomplished hip-hop artists to emerge from the D.C. region, Maryland native Oddisee has just released AlWasta, a…
Premiere: Dream-Pop Band Citrine Loses Its Religion On ‘This Fabric’
Growing up in a Christian household, Kelci Smith listened to a lot of religious music. “My parents are super conservative…