The D.C. bands at SXSW had an opportunity to gain new followers from all over the place. We asked some of these previously unconverted people their thoughts on what they’d just seen.

We asked several local musicians to go back through their Instagram feeds and share their favorite snapshots from the past year.

As a general rule music festivals give a pretty poor representation of a particular city’s music climate and as such, no real sense as to how that city might receive a band or group of bands. Yet, Raleigh’s Hopscotch Music Fesitval is unlike most music festivals. Whether due to the big names that play the city plaza or the heavy focus on experimental music (Thurston Moore was this year’s improviser in residence), Hopscotch draws people from anywhere in a seven hour radius. Still, there’s a strong local focus and a large percentage of the crowd drove thirty minutes at most to catch these shows. What’s more, the festival is still small enough so that unlike, say, CMJ or SXSW, there are no more than five bands playing opposite each other at any given time. As such, this year’s Hopscotch Festival provided perhaps a more accurate picture of D.C. bands’ reception outside of the D.C./Baltimore the comfort zone.

New(ish) local jams for you to get down to.

Yes, that includes you (and you).

New venue, same show. Bring a good attitude.

Hey you! Come to our concert with Outputmessage, Paperhaus, and The Effects on May 31st.

Paperhaus plays tomorrow night at the WRGW Spring Showcase. Check out the band’s track “Helicopters.”

Bluesy psychedelic locals Paperhaus release a trippy video to complement their song, “Helicopters.”

Paperhaus’ growth has been rapid and visible. As the Kickstarter campaign to fund their tour finishes up, we sit down to chat with the local bluesy psych act.