More often than not, one hears about bands who move out of Washington D.C. for greener (or cheaper) pastures in Baltimore, Philadelphia or New York. Laughing Man made the reverse trek. Drummer Michael Harris and singer/guitarist Brandon Moses came from Philadelphia just over a year ago and started making a name for themselves at house parties, in cafes and on college campuses. It was a college campus (American University’s) where they picked up bassist Luke Stewart and became a fuller sounding trio.

That fuller sound picks from a wide variety of genres. Stewart’s bass lines have added a funky groove to a group that already has powerfully soulful vocals. The melodies can go from jazzy to hazy, and the lyrics from sweet and low-key to emphatic (“Treat me like I fucking matter.”) They’ve also started to add some keyboards and guest vocalists into their mix, so as their star starts to rise locally, their sound also continues to grow.

They also brought the DIY/house party ethos down with them from Philadelphia and have not only played a lot of independent spaces, but have started to run their own shows at the DC Mini Gallery space. We sat down with the trio to talk about their songwriting process, how other acts inspire them and the uncertainties that come with operating your own venue.

Find them on the web at: http://www.myspace.com/thelaughingmanhahaha

See them next at: The Black Cat tonight, opening for Blk Jks.

I usually hear about musicians who move out of D.C. to go to Philly or Baltimore rather than people coming into D.C. from Philly. What triggered the move?

Michael: In the context of the band, I started the procession because I moved down here ‘cause my ex-girlfriend was going to school down here in College Park. Me and Brandon were friends from Philly. We used to play together but we didn’t really have a band yet. I’d still jam up in Philly a lot and we decided it would be cool to start a band. So, we gave it a shot. And we just met Luke. Luke was going to college here.

Yeah, I heard that you met through the Capitol Punishment show.

Michael: Yeah, Luke was going to AU and we just happened to play a Capitol Punishment show. Almost exactly a year ago. It’s almost our year anniversary as being a band as we are currently constructed.