MONDAY >> The Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theatre in the James Madison Building kicks off 5 weeks worth of free Monday night rock and pop films with a rare showing of the 1966 documentary, The Big T.N.T. Show. David “Man from Uncle” McCallum hosts Ray Charles, Petula Clark, the Lovin’ Spoonful, Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, the Ronettes, Roger Miller, the Byrds, Donovan, the Seeds, the Modern Folk Quartet, and Ike and Tina Turner taped…
MONDAY >> You cannot avoid Toots Hibbert on TV these days. Well actually, it is just that Nissan car commercial with the Clash’s version of Toots & the Maytals’ “Pressure Drop.” The guy who penned that song, “Reggae Got Soul,” and numerous other R&B flavored Jamaican numbers is at the 930 Club with the latest version of the Maytals. Hot D.C. go-go combo Mambo Sauce were just added as openers. $26 >> If solo indie…
There’s something totally undeniable about the music of Bellman Barker. From the moment they hit the stage, toes start tapping. A verse or two in, heads start bobbing. By the time they hit the chorus, you’ll find yourself wanting to jump up and down like a kid who’s had too much sugary cereal for breakfast. Their recorded output has been compared to late-period Belle & Sebastian and rightfully so—these local lads clearly worship at the same altar of 60s pop. In a live setting, however, the songs take on a life of their own, with the bouncy verses and wide-open choruses adding up to something more power pop than twee. Rest assured, there’s still no shortage of vocal harmonies, a whole lot of handclaps and more than a few “Oohs” and “Aahs”. DCist caught up with lead singer and guitarist Aaron Estes to talk about the years he spent working as a Blackjack dealer, the unsung heroes of Motown and the secrets of the handlebar mustache. Check out the full interview after the break.
Visit them online at: myspace.com/bellmanbarker
See them next at: The Velvet Lounge, October 27th (“Halloween Spectacular”)
MONDAY >> They put it pretty well themselves, and since it’s all about them anyway, we’re just going to repeat what the Black Cat had to say about their anniversary party tonight: “After 14 years of pouring you guys drinks, then picking up the glasses, working the doors, and sweeping the floors, we’ve decided that it’s time to dedicate a night to ourselves. Black Cat staff bands, staff DJs, and staffers will be hanging out…
This Friday marks the start of D.C.’s Sonic Circuits Festival of Experimental Music, which will run through September 29 at venues around the city. The festival traces its roots back to 1993, when the American Composer’s Forum (ACF) curated a traveling program that was hosted by ACF chapters across the country and offered to any venue interested in presenting music based on electronic technology. The D.C. chapter of ACF first hosted the festival in 2000,…
>> The Velvet Lounge hosts Three Stars alums and excellent understated rockers New Rock Church of Fire, with Mas y Mas and The Domesticated. 9 p.m. >> Home of those brilliant Saturday afternoon cheapo Miller High Life countdown specials, epic Jell-O wrestling contests and the surprising winner of any Best Vegan Brunch contest in the city, everyone probably has a different reason for their soft spot for Asylum. Whatever yours is, stop by tonight…
Many of you have probably heard guitarist Anthony Pirog at various bars and restaurants around the DC area, and some of you might not have even realized it. Whether playing with local jazz artists at Utopia or Tryst, as an experimental duo with celloist Janel Leppin at Bossa, or with his vintage rock band The Bang at the Velvet Lounge, Anthony’s prolific guitar work seems to find its way into just about every club and…
Monday >> You can be fairly certain that when a rapper takes a stagename that is a play on Hawthorne, you’re going to be dealing with a hip-hop experience concerned with more than just the next glass of Courvoiseir. Hesta Prynn and her cohorts in Northern State take the Black Cat backstage with Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion, the new project from half of the fantastic Bitch & Animal. This ought to be a mainstage…
You’d think we’d all have learned our lesson by now: if you say something even mildly embarrassing on the web, more people than your originally intended audience are eventually going to read it. Yet every week we find the wrong people saying the wrong things in the wrong places. This time, it’s the Velvet Lounge, being perhaps a little over-zealous in policing its video policies. In June, local musician Lauren Heckman posted to YouTube a…
As a rather fervent concert goer, I’ve been watching my October Outlook calendar with alternating excitement and dread as my concert calendar gets more and more crowded. This all came to a head yesterday as I started putting in the DAMfest schedule and noticed a whole bunch of scheduling conflicts in the making. Area indie rock fans are going to have some tough choices to make the last full week of October. Thursday, Oct….
