Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

What's odd it that it seems to be only the EDM scene that really tries to escape the city - the most successful go-go and indie artists are, if anything, too tied to DC.

Is it odd that the most interesting and boosterish electronic dance DJ in DC over the last year has been Bob Mould?

The DC go-go artists have seemingly given up on being national and international acts (go-go hasn't crossed over) although Chuck Brown gets flown to Japan periodically to play.

Dischord indie rockers are always playing worldwide but such gigs just never get much local press here. Q and Not U are also booked to play that big fest coming up in California over the summer(Coachatella or something). Black Eyes toured Europe awhile back.

Why did they locate it in Georgetown? You can only make so much money from selling prog to white hats from GW. Better to be on U st with a big deep house section. They never seemed to have their shit together anyways. They cheated me out of $40 once but totally inadvertantly. I had my revenge during their clearance sale I guess.

As for Q and not U, I tried to see their last show at the Black Cat and ended up waiting in line for an hour by myself. As I was waiting, the show sold out. That is all. They need to play here more often.

I always wanted to check out the Grits & Gravy dj night at Bar Nun... Years ago I saw DC rappers Opus Okuben playing with a live band at the now defunct Metro Cafe. Wow, they were great. Now they just mostly play Europe, sometimes with Ny jazz guy Steve Coleman. They were at Black Cat around New Years Eve but I missed them.

anyways, wednesday night P Brotzmann is playing with Hamid Drake and William Parker. Its at Twins on U st (btw 13th and 14th?) at 8pm.

DC 9 is in the original Asylum space, I'm not sure what it was between then and now. Half the music I've heard played there has been great indie/hip hop/disco, the other half has been too much midrange compressed guitar and singers that sound like they're in beer commercials. Which is a better hit rate than most places, but the DJs seriously can't mix or sequence their tracks.

List of EDM events is not so good. Seems like no place is doing well with regular nights and lineups are changing like crazy. And Cubik is filling the main room at Nation with the level of talent that would have played the front room at Buzz.

how long have you been in DC? what is the reason for the instability?

Is the below show which is at the Ottobar coming to DC?

Thursday March 25th
DEFINITIVE JUX PRESENTS:
Murs
The Perceptionists
(Feat. Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, DJ Fakts One)
RJD2, C Rayz Walz
Hangar 18, SA Smash and more
Doorsat 8pm/ Show at 9pm- ALL AGES

3 years! I want stuff NOW ;)

I've been complaining to friends for 2 or so years that I wish someone would book all of the Afropop and Latin acts that play for free in Central Park in NY each summer, in DC... So I'll have to form my own group to do this...

There's the once.twice festival coming up in Baltimore next month-

April 15th - 17th, 2004
Baltimore's 4th Annual
once.twice:festival of sound and video art feat.
AKUFEN . DIMBIMAN . AGF . CHRISTOPHER WILLITS .
DABRYE . SUE COSTABILE . MATTHEW DEAR .
GHISLAIN POIRIER. NAUTICAL ALMANAC.JIMMY EDGAR
MYLENA BERGERON . CAROLINE HAYEUR .
SCOTT PAGANO + more TBA

once.twice also runs the occasional Treatment night at Sonar, the last one in November featured Magda and Sammy Dee.

On a different note, any musicians (d.j.'s?) who wanna perform for free outdoors or maybe at Carter Barron or other locations during the June 18-21st 2nd annual Fete de la Musique DC should call 202-724-5614 or e-mail jose.dominguez@dc.gov . There will also be meetings at the DC Arts Commission, 410 8th St. NW , 5th Fl. on Mon. 3-15 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 and on Thurs. 3-18 from noon to 1.

I'm trying to encourage them to expand the musical horizons of this event...

Five is a great venue, nearly perfect, but the different promoters that do nights there only really book house, d+b, and reggae. There was the electroclash/breaks night there, too, but that's over and has turned into a retro night.

9:30 Club, as you mentioned, is a live music venue. They'll have the occasional DJ, but it always comes off as a bit out of place.

It costs a lot of money to run a club in DC due to the scarcity of suitable spaces. In a town with 8-foot ceilings in 95% of all buildings, there’s going to be a lot of competition for the remaining few with large open spaces. Permitting, safety codes, and accessibility standards are pretty tightly enforced, which means you have to sink a lot of money into a space before you can do anything with it. This goes for bars, dance clubs, live music clubs, and pretty much everything. And don't even get me started on ANC's and "voluntary agreements".

"After over 4 years in business, the owners of Now! Music and Fashion
have decided to close permanently, so we can move on and pursue
other opportunities. We've had a blast talking to you about music,
putting on instore performances, and participating in the local
community. But the best thing about running a record store has been
the opportunity to meet you. Many thanks to our loyal customers and
friends we've made along the way.

We will be having a going-out-of-business sale beginning this
weekend. All clothing and music (except consignments and bargain bin
stuff) will be on sale for 30% off the regular price."

So I don't think DC's gone utterly down the pan. Close, but not gone yet.

They're also stocking the Ellen Allien album and remixes, Coloma's Finery. I think I even saw that Damon Album demo double 10" there, too!

Melody on Conn. Ave. is very underrated - I always thought they were better than DCCD for keeping up with current releases and pointing customers in the right direction. Good international and classical sections, too.

I also have given them a list of stuff I'd like. They have an account with Forced Exposure, so I'll soon have the Lawrence album I've been gasping to hear for ages.

Re: Melody: While they're matchless on international, classical and jazz, their electronic section is showing conspicuous gaps since Joel, who used to buy for the electronic section left for Baltimore at the end of last year. CD Warehouse deserve to clean up!

The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities invites musicians to participate in the 2nd Annual Fête de la Musique DC. The Fête is an internationally recognized music festival that marks the first days of summer. Festival dates are June 18-21, 2004 with performances throughout the afternoon and evening. The Arts Commission is sponsoring special workshops for area musicians interested in participating in the Fete and conducting live auditions for “acoustic” and “acapella” musicians and performers.

All types of musicians and bands interested in learning more can attend one of two special festival workshops. The workshops will provide valuable information on how musicians can participate and receive promotional assistance from the Arts Commission. The workshop dates are:

Dates and Times: Monday, March 15, 2004 at 7:30 PM – 9:30 PM

Thursday, March 18, 2004 at 12 Noon – 1 PM

P Place: DC Arts Commission, 410 8th Street NW, 5th floor

Please call (202) 724-5614 or send an email to jose.dominguez@dc.gov with any questions that you may have.

st ex has chimay, stella and delerium and a few more that i cant remember on draft. really nice people there. the barback, by mistake, bussed my last cigarette and matches when i went up to the bar to get another beer. when i mentioned this to the bartender, he gave me matches, a regular hooked me up with a cigarette, and a woman who was with the DJ said she was going out a cigarette run, and asked me what i wanted. i was actually confused by kindess.

My attempts to get the DC Arts Commisssion to add more indie-rock, Latin, African, go-go and hiphop to the upcoming June 20th Free Music Fete seem to have run into bureacratical walls and lack of money. Oh well, I tried.

I just want the National Symphony to survive the building can go to hell

Not seeing any news about NSO budget since the below from a June Washington Post article -

More than three months after the Kennedy Center’s board of trustees typically signs off on the NSO’s budget, the orchestra’s leaders are still waiting — and still don’t know whether their home venue will be available next season, according to six current and former officials, who like others in this article spoke on the condition of anonymity out of fear of reprisal.

Finally posted my Steve K blogspot August concert calendar

The Kennedy Center was closed Monday and today for “maintenance “ but bldg reopens Wednesday and tours are back on!

lol (sob)

Kennedy Center board of Trustees are now scheduled to meet August 13,

A judge ordered ...the Kennedy Ctr ...to more carefully weigh the need for a long-term closure. But just days before those trustees are set to vote on the matter, they have received no new assessments about how closing for two years would affect the venue...

senator Whitehouse pressed Floca for records that would allow the board to make an informed decision in an Aug. 3 letter obtained by The Washington Post. In an earlier letter, dated July 21, he asked why he and other trustees had not been provided engineering and construction reports allowing them to compare options, an account of the center’s finances and a legal review of the board’s responsibilities after Cooper ruled it had not exercised due diligence in voting to close. He described the situation “in the nature of an emergency,” warning that the delay could let the center “die from inaction” and slide into a full closure without any effort to fix the collapse in performances and revenue.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/style/2026/08/05/kennedy-center-board-lacks-materials-needed-closure-vote-senator-says/

NYT reports that the Board voted to entirely close again. No word on the fate of the National Symphony

Do they know "YMCA"?

Trump trustees want to add to Kennedy Center facade “restored and renovated by President Donald J. Trump” , close main bldg for 2 years, & have a few token events in the Reach bldg. National Symphony Orchestra will have to get funding & go elsewhere it seems. They're hyping the 2 year closure as cheaper (saying keeping buidling open while renovating it in sections would take 4 years and cost more. Estimates are just from the contractor that Trump chose though. Plus I think Trump wants them adding marble and such . and not just repairing plumbing, heating and cooling systems, electrical equipment, elevators and fire-safety systems.

https://www.nytimes.com/2026/08/13/arts/design/kennedy-center-closure-board-vote-trump.html?unlocked_article_code=1.5FA.PeVf.O1jMzRvDV6kY&smid=nytcore-ios-share

Marble flooring for foyer walking area between theatres !!!

From Axios article -

The Grand Foyer — with its iconic red carpet and soaring ceilings — would get "new furniture throughout," "less sheer" draperies and "new featured marble flooring," according to a development plan prepared by JLL.

sending the NSO "offsite through regional partner venues, touring and digital broadcasts," the report says. The Kennedy Center Honors and Mark Twain Prize would also move elsewhere.

https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/08/12/trump-kennedy-center-renovation-plans

jesus

of course there’s no competitive bidding, like everything in this administration. who’s getting kickbacks?

Whoever is willing to do Trump's bidding I guess. Clark Construction and JLL are working together for Trump to do his building projects.

So musician Yasmin Williams who got heckled by Maga folks when doing her Milllennium Stage gig there, and who had been verbally attacked by former head Grenell, said in an IG story that she's been asked to help book musicians on the Milennium Stage. She is convinced that helping the good remaining unionized workers there is worth it (plus the pay to bands is sizable there )

also the Board voted to rename the plaza around it after the dope, and if they can raise $100 million dollars also inscribe on it “sustained by the generosity of Trump”

appreciate they did NOT approve a budget for the National Symphony so add that to the things they have destroyed

“apparently” not appreciate

NSO simply told to book themselves now "offsite through regional partner venues, touring and digital broadcasts," shortly before the busy fall season for venues has started already!
NSO made some money I see from Wolf Trap gigs.

NSO just announced 60 some local shows plus gigs around the US -- They're doing gigs at Lisner, Strathmore, Lincoln Theatre, Clarice Smith, George Mason U, Schessinger Hall Alexandria, & more

Meanwhile the National Park Service has not responded to my request regarding whether there will be a summer or a fall maybe season of concerts at Fort Dupont Park. The DC rec produced Chuck Brown Day show on Saturday seems to be the only one this year (other than some informal ones self-done by the Cruddy Crankerz)

NSO just announced 60 some local shows plus gigs around the US -- They're doing gigs at Lisner, Strathmore, Lincoln Theatre, Clarice Smith, George Mason U, Schessinger Hall Alexandria, & more

thanks god. Schlesinger hall is biking distance from me (if I was brave enough to ride on Route 7)

Yep, as someone who has lived in Fairlington and worked in Bailey’s Xroads I know what you mean

I did my first Washington City Paper preview city light in a few weeks. I wrote about the 3 popup Carter Barron gigs starting tonight using a temporary stage.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/790347/music-returns-to-carter-barron-amphitheater-and-its-time-for-the-time-warp-city-lights-for-aug-20-26/?fbclid=IwZnRzaAT0H4RwZG9mBWZkaWQWUM09sYVPrademywQjYjwGQO59Q4HKmV4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkCjY2Mjg1NjgzNzkAAR51EDVWKhPQo2oxDutGLdrKpShNd4kbSCN-29elSkXVnWWIUEy2bGhNu3QZBg_aem_c8Gl4ymBdpJruIcwPLbNBg

Not a clean link but it should work

Chuck Brown family has issued a statement criticizing DC Recreation Department handling of Chuck Brown Day that is Sat Aug 22 at Fort DuPont Park. They say dc gov is not complying with a contract but don’t offer specifics. I did see that bands weren’t announced until August 8 . Not sure what else they are unhappy with

Ok Fortas Chamber Series also has a season, if you call three performances a season.

I can’t go because it conflicts with the Sugar concert at the 9:30 Club but Davoné Tines is doing his “Mass No. 1” which is a mass that incorporates works Julius Eastman, Caroline Shaw, and Tyshawn Sorey among others.

Tines’ concert at the Sixth and I synagogue last January was a stunning performance of works from all periods of American history in a thought-provoking performance of who is and who is not judged to be “American” and was my gig of the year so far.

Oh thanks for that . Didn’t know about that but seeing names Eastman and Sorey has me curious. Plus I see a November gig will have a group playing both Henry Threadgill and Janet Jackson!

Oh, I think the Sugar gig is at Anthem

https://www.fortaschambermusic.org/?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&fbclid=PAZnRzaAT1ek5wZG9mAmZkaWQWUM683L4i1IrOt7b8i4XI4BTqdytui2V4dG4DYWVtAjExAHNydGMGYXBwX2lkDzEyNDAyNDU3NDI4NzQxNAABp8rEebb96BIpuvKt04PNgN2in0ACSrGgxGbOxc1vo779wp4CPZ1aiA5iHpWO_aem_FU9bUYAYdeWxxCA8VhWbQg#concerts

NY Times is reporting that Trump lawyers for the Kennedy Center have alleged in documents that the buidling will have to be demolished if Trump's renovation plan (with planned marble floors and his name on the plaza and the walls) is not accepted.

Washington Post is reporting that they got access to documents showing that after Trump instituted changes at Kennedy Center that ticket sales and other donations and funding dried up, and that Trump administration allegations that his supporters made massive donations is not true

This is my shocked face.

yeah well the board chairman Trump fired was one of the top donors to the institution. and obviously Trump has not ponied up any of his now-billions

as I said before I don’t give s shit about the building, but the National Symphony absolutely needs to disengage itself from the Center and become independent.

You may only care about the classical music orchestra but I care about the building because of all the great events in multiple genres I have seen in the concert halls there, the Millenium Stage, outdoors there, at the reach etc. Artists in multiple genres got paid well performing there, and the place attracted big crowds of people who won't go to Rhizome or to the Go-go Museum in SE.

I am fine with the building sitting empty to the end of Trump's term although I do feel bad for the union employees who haven't been fired yet. Yasmin Williams thinks people should go to see acts for free at the Millennium Stage at the Reach as a way to not give up the place to Trump and Maga, but I'm not so sure that can or will happen.

yeah in the past there were some great Millennium Stage performances: I’ve seen Moor Mother with Roscoe Mitchell, Suzanne Ciani, and Tanya Tagaq to name a few.