The Scene

MusicDetour.com’s commentary on music, performances, and the DC metro area music scene

Last week, DC’s own The breakUps held a CD release party at The Black Cat.  Maybe that was a little odd, considering that Illness at Ease came out in 2009, but who cares?  Their soulful and rollicking fusion of Hammond-organ-punctuated R&B  and punk is straight out of the coolest clubs of four decades ago.  They can wait a while to bill a show as a CD release party if they want to.  My review of this insanely enjoyable album follows after the jump.  (more…)

Are you interested in the ability for the independent musician to take-on the Big Four record labels? Then check-out the up-coming panels on Soul City Radio. During the month of February, Soul City Radio will be bringing you a series of panel discussions. The panels will be discussing various issues pertinent to the independent music industry and the artists that make up it’s ranks. Keep your mind open in order to

Each week will bring you a different panel and a different discussion. The following is a list of topics and panelists: (more…)

Do people still listen to music? I raise this question rhetorically because I just read another article about how music industry profits have declined over the past decade. While I don’t expect much from CNN Money, the content of that article seems as irrelevant as ever and does not touch on any of the implications of what the RIAA is saying (maybe the RIAA shouldn’t have sued its consumers). In fact, the article just made me think: “so what?”. The article never mentions that the RIAA’s data is only about major (and their subsidiary) record label sales and it is only discussing revenue – how much profit are the Big Four Record Labels making? Is that more or less than what they made a decade ago?

Furthermore, the article makes me wonder about other reasons the RIAA’s revenue could be down and other ways people listen to music. It could be the case (more…)

A great show is coming this weekend. It seems fitting that in the run-up to Mardi Gras, 9:30 Club will be bringing some second-line funk to DC. Galactic will be jamming at 9:30 Club this Saturday, February 6th with special guest Cyrill Neville (of the Neville Brothers).  Doors open at 8pm. Tickets are $25, so get them while you can. Also performing: Cedric Burnside and Lightnin Malcolm.

One of the main ways that artists and music fans can subvert the monopolistic radio industry is to go online for radio. Fortunately, Baltimore has a great internet radio site that is focusing on the promotion of independent music. Soul City Radio is focused on non-mainstream Hip Hop, Soul, Neo – Soul, R&B or Jazz. Station founder DeWayne Alston is trying to promote both independent artists and the idea of independent music; look in the near future for more information about the panel discussions that Alston will be hosting on his show “Soul Session”. The station is live at different times, but you can always check-out the week’s shows. The station player and schedule is after the jump: (more…)

One of the great things about Blues Alley is the fact that you can catch artists for multiple nights over the course of a weekend. This weekend Roy Ayers is performing at Blues Alley Thursday, January 28th – Sunday, January 31st at 8pm and 10pm each night. That means that have you have 8 total chances to catch Ayers and his vibraphone, so if you are busy all weekend, you may be able to catch him Sunday night. It also means that you could catch more than one show. Most acts play different shows each night with different set-lists (and of course improvisation). So go to Blues Alley this weekend and watch anywhere from 1 – 8 shows.

Charlie Hunter is bringing his unique guitar style back to Jammin’ Java this Saturday, January 30th at 9:30pm. He’s out touring to promote his new album “Gentlemen, I Neglected To Inform You, You Will Not Be Getting Paid“.  This time around Hunter will be playing with Eric Kalb on Drums and Curtis Fowlkes on Trombone. If you’ve never seen or heard of Charlie Hunter before, he’s best known for playing guitar and bass at the same time – it’s a really unique style and he’s funky as hell. Check this show out! Tickets are $15 in advance and $20 at the door, but make sure you get tickets before they sell-out.

It’s about time that someone finally addressed the constitutionality of the RIAA’s lawsuits. While it has been about a year since the RIAA quit pursuing individual file-sharers and successfully began pressuring internet service providers to end file-sharers’ internet service, but there are plenty of cases still in the courts. Part of the problem has been the willingness of those sued to “settle” for a couple thousand dollars instead of paying the 6-7 figures that juries have been rewarding the RIAA or spend the money that it takes to appeal (and possibly lose). That is until now, Jammie Thomas-Rasset was told that she had to pay 1.5million dollars for sharing 24 songs, the judge then lowered the amount that the jury rewarded the RIAA to $54k (because the judge that 1.5million was ridiculous and 54k was still harsh). (more…)