Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

I see that another ILXer has something going on on Sunday:

12 Noon-4 PM
Inventing Electronic Music Workshop
"Invention on the Mall" Family Festival

National Museum of American History
Location: 1st floor, Center, Reception Suite

Free
Learn about the birth of electronic music and see some early electronic musical instruments, including vintage drum machines, a circa 1929 Theremin (the first synthesizer), and Herbie Hancock's 1983 MemoryMoog synthesizer. Then electronic music producer Brian Miller (a.k.a. SAD) will help participants create their own electronic music with state-of-the-art music production software.
This program is part of the "Invention on the Mall" Family Festival, designed to examine the breadth and diversity of invention and innovation from a variety of artistic, scientific, and historic perspectives. It is sponsored by the National Museum of American History's Lemelson Center for Invention and Innovation.
See related Invention on the Mall programs today
Related Exhibition: Case: Hip Hop Won't Stop: The Beat, the Rhymes, The Life

Zach, when do the Fake Accents play again? Were you pleased with the Fort Reno show?

I missed Mary Timony and Garland of Hours last night at Fort Reno. Anyone go?

Friday, Oct. 20
- WMUC Open House: 11a-4p (You'll be able to sign up in advance to sit in on current shows....talk with current staff on air...maybe even play a few songs from "back then")
- Friday seminars for students
To be held in Room 0147 in the Tawes Fine Arts Building
Seminar #1 runs from 1:30p-3p
Seminar #2 runs from 3:15-4:30
- Friday alumni reception: Studios of UMTV in the basement of the Tawes Fine Arts Building, 5:30-7:30p

Saturday, Oct. 21
- WMUC Open House: 10a-4p (You'll be able to sign up in advance to sit in on current shows....talk with current staff on air...maybe even play a few songs from "back then")
- Football (Order tickets for the game separately....call the main ticket office (1-800-IM-A-TERP) and mention you're with the WMUC Alumni to get the group rate of $25. Limited number available and orders must be placed BY Oct. 6.)
- Tailgate (You don't need a ticket to the game to tailgate!) Working out the details for the tailgate. We could really use some help from alums in coordinating this - there's an enthusiastic current WMUC staff member helping out, but really could use the additional help from alums. Tailgate will take place in the parking lot of the Merrill College of Journalism (It's a permit only lot - alums will have to park elsewhere). Plan on bringing a side dish/dessert of your choice. More details to come via this website.
- After game party (catered) at Chet's home in University Park. Directions to come)

WMUC/WYPR engineering study
The results are back, and, as anticipated, the planned WYPR changes would have an impact on the limited WMUC broadcast area.

The engineer study recommends two options:
One, looking a a switch to alternative channels - not very likely as spaces are extremely limited and what spaces there are would require mulitiple waivers from other stations.
Two, looking at a change to the station's tower and power - which would likely, at the very least, require some cooperation and a new waiver from WAMU.

WMUC's staff board and advisory board will now look at the report options, accept comments from WMUC alumni and present the report, with some recommendations to the University's Vice President of Student affairs for further action.

Stay tuned for more news.

WMUC-FM
3130 South Campus Dining Hall
College Park, MD 20742
www.wmucradio.com

SALT

april 2003 – november 2006

Next Wednesday's SALT is it (November 1).

Big time party with us and a few of our favorite past guest DJs:

The Cricklewood Massive
Vincent Farquharson
Will Eastman
Glenn Dixon

Last night theme set by Lonely
UK hardcore rave set by Sad

more SALT pint glasses to give away

Thanks to Neal and Mike for the venue, to Benjy and Amanda and Chaim
for the drinks, and to all of our guest DJs for the music.

- Sad and Lonely

I've been really excited about spinning harder dance music lately - if I start a new DJ night it will probably be a weekend night in a very small venue. Beatport has really been a kick in the ass for staying on top of new releases. Also working on some production stuff. DJing in Stockholm and Berlin in December.

BUT they'll be doing other events including one called "The Gathering" on November 22nd at Love. BIG BIG BIG house night:

TODD TERRY
CAJMERE aka Green Velet
CJ MACKINTOSH
MICHEAL GRAY
ROY DAVIS JR.
ROBBIER RIVERA
TIMMY VEGAS
OJI
SAM BURNS
THOMAS BLONDET
RICARDO SANTAMARIA
SHANE CAMP

like WOAH Thanksgiving weekend event making me flash back to the Ultraworld parties at the armory! And when else are you going to see a night at Love with no dress code?

Ableton? Beatport? Hmmm, various products...

Ah, now I see (on Wikipedia):

"Ableton Live is a loop-based software music sequencer for Macintosh and Windows by Ableton. The latest major release of Live, Version 6, was released in September 2006. Relative to other software sequencers, Live is designed around the notion of being as much an instrument for live performances as a tool for composing and arranging."

"Beatport is the first authentic digital music store designed to service the evolution of the digital music culture"

According to bios I've read, Stanley was a cousin to Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley and in the segregated '50s, he was part of the Rainbows with Marvin Gaye, Don Covay and Billy Stewart, and played in Black clubs on U Street, and also in white clubs with Link Wray and with Roy Clark.

The D.C. Council's reaction to the shooting death of a teenager at a go-go show is to propose banning teenagers from clubs. Hmmm, not sure if that's the answer.

"Due to the death of a 17 year old this past weekend in a club in DC, Rep. Jim Graham is proposing emergency legislation to ban minors from clubs that serve alcohol.

there will be a hearing about the proposed law THIS THURSDAY at 2:00 p.m.

This could affect many readers of this list. Nobody under the age of 21 could go to most of the shows listed. Think no black cat, 9:30 club, Rock & Roll Hotel, Warehouse Nextdoor, etc.

People should contact Jim Graham (jim@grahamwone.com) and Adrian Fenty (you have to use e-mail form at dc.gov) and if it all possible attend the hearing on Thursday. Make it known that while you sympathize with the victim and her family, that banning minors is not the answer. "

On a different subject, are you gonna be doing any dj'ing out and about (or online) soon ...Are there any regular dj nights you (or others) like around here these days..

I'm opening next Friday at the Juan MacLean DJ set at the Black Cat, and the Saturday after that at the Rock & Roll Hotel with Flosstradamus.

There's been some major realignment in the DJ scene here over the past few months, let's see...

There have been a few nights starting at the Rock and Roll Hotel, but although they have great booth equipment their soundsystem is really set up for live acts, not DJs. They also added an upstairs DJ booth, we'll see how that changes the space. Buzzlife has greatly increased the frequency of their events at different locations, but they're still looking for a long term venue. There aren't any more big house nights aside from what you see on the schedule at Five.

Oh Snap! at Wonderland ended but Tittsworth is starting a new monthly there that should be a lot of fun and without a lot of the VA crowd that Oh Snap! was drawing.

More upscale lounges opening, still no Red-style dance clubs (I don't know why someone hasn't tried that on H St - Sanctuary is great but it's tiny).

There are a LOT of new nights at Selam (little Ethiopian bar at 15th & U) - there's something (leaning toward classic house/disco/older dancehall/funk) over there almost every Friday and Saturday night now, the place may become sort of a launch pad/incubator for new nights.

What DC is missing for dance nights:
- a 100-150 capacity venue with great sound and DJs every night
- a 300 capacity venue to take the place of Red
- a big room venue to take the place of Nation

Instead all we may get is a House of Blues (that will compete with 930/black Cat/Birchmere) for live acts and push ticket prices higher. Although that article I read suggested that the existing clubs will be trying to prevent the HOB from coming in.

DC also needs a 4-5000 person concert venue.

The city is to blame with both the Lincoln and the Howard theaters. The Lincoln Theater seemingly has no budget for promoting shows there; some events there I'd only know about if I happened to be walking by and noticed something on the announcement board they have outside (they may have ocassionally had promoters who advertised stuff on radio; but never in any print media that I saw). Why they have not tried to have more outside promoters regularly do things there, I wish I knew. Now the folks who run it are pleading poor. Years ago 930 club/IMP did a show there, but nothing since. I wonder why.

Who knows when and if the Howard will finally be renovated, and will it be run by the same folks who ran the Lincoln (into the ground)?

I'd love to see the Uline arena turned back into a concert hall.

DC is so screwy with the old theaters - they want a private rganization to come in and assume all the risk of running them but with heavy restrictions on what they're allowed to do. With nobody clamoring for the Lincoln Theater DC seriously needs to look at relaxing the usage restrictions on the Howard Theater. There's just no incentive for a promoter to shoehorn themselves into DC's economic model when they could open another place without it.

"The Howard Theatre was the nation’s first full-sized theater for African-American audiences and entertainers. Designed by J. Edward Stock and opened in 1910, the 1,200 seat theater was a prominent performing arts center .... to an Offeror that will satisfy the following policy and programmatic objectives through a redevelopment of the Property:

The District envisions the Property as a “mixed-use entertainment facility.” The Offeror is expected to renovate the building into a 500-600 person live entertainment venue with dining and beverages amenities and a museum or gift shop. The Offeror will also be asked to consider making certain commitments to the local community once the Property is redeveloped, such as making the Property available for local arts and entertainment events and providing discounted ticketing for students and seniors. The redeveloped facility should meet (or exceed) the following programmatic and usetargets: 1.Medium size stage for concerts and solo performances with flexible seating (500-600 person) to enable sit-down or dancing formats; 2.Upscale, full-service food and beverage offerings to meeting ongoing operating revenue needs; 3.Designed to accommodate a broad range of special events; 4.Intermittent programming to celebrate the Theatre’s heritage (e.g., annual jazz weekend, summer jazz series, etc.); 5.Restoration of Howard Theatre’s facade to approximate its 1910 appearance."

Also in the W. Post today, The Fake Accents (with several ILXers) are reviewed in the Weekend section. A Gig on Thursday.

Brian, Joe Englert is gonna open 2 more places on H. St Ne. One is gonna be called the H St Country Club and feature indoor miniature golf and stuff. Maybe you can get him and his fellow investors to branch out and try to open one of the above items with you doing the programmming!!!...

hey!