Ceremony kicks off a week long string of shows tonight to celebrate the Rock and Roll Hotel’s 7th anniversary. Photo courtesy of the artist.

By Jessica Garson

Ceremony, a hardcore band hailing from California, will be playing the first in a string Rock & Roll Hotel‘s seventh anniversary shows. This performance is part of a week-long celebration that includes Laura Jane Grace of Against Me!, Miyazaki, and musical legend Kevin Seconds. In seven short years, the venue has become a staple of the D.C. music scene.

The band’s live show is loud and raw. Frontman Ross Farrar tends to enchant the crowd with rock god moves and music that makes you want to jump up and down repeatedly while pumping your fist in the air. The sound of the band changes from album to album. Their latest, Zoo, consists of lovely indie rock that was clearly inspired by hardcore, while Violence Violence is a traditional hardcore record. While each album sounds as if it could have been a release from a different band entirely, each album is good in its own regard. The fact that the same band recorded the perfect pop song “Hysteria,” and the loud angry anthem “Into Wayside Part 1/Sick,” shows a musical range that is fascinating.

DCist had a chance to talk to with guitarist Anthony Anzaldo via e-mail about the band’s evolution, playing shows in D.C. and their live act.

Your sound seems to be evolving and changing with every album you release. Can you speak about this evolution?

It’s a natural thing. We’re not ever trying to make a certain type of record. We are constantly evolving as human beings and as musicians. It’s inevitable that our records will differ from each other.

Have you received any backlash to these changes?

I don’t really know. We’ve been getting asked this question since our second release. We know we’re going to lose some people along the way. But that’s understandable being that our records are so different from each other. The negative people always make the loudest noise. Whatever.

All of your live shows seem to be an equal mix between old and new songs. Is this done on purpose?

Absolutely.

You seem to play D.C. on fairly regular basis. What’s your favorite memory playing here?

We didn’t play D.C. for 6 years. Once Chris Moore brought us there in early 2012, it was apparent that we needed to play D.C. more often. I really loved the Saint Stevens show. Playing the Red C cover in D.C. is always really fun.

Every time I’ve seen you in play in D.C. you’ve covered Minor Threat, what other bands out of D.C. have influenced your sound?

I think you mean Red C, right? Oh, actually we have covered Minor Threat the last few times we played D.C., but we recorded “Pressure’s On” by Red C on our first full length and we have probably played it every show since then.

What can we expect from you in the future, what do you have coming up?

Wouldn’t you like to know…

Ceremony plays the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight at 8 p.m. Give, Ed Schrader’s Music Beat and Barge open the show. Tickets are $12.