The Scene

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

Washington City Paper is compiling a “Best of D.C. 2010 Readers’ Poll”. Check it out under “Arts & Entertainment”. There are plenty of categories about music: Best Jazz/Blues Venue, Best Local Band, Best Local Hip-Hop Artist, Best Music Venue, Best Outdoor Venue, Best Place to See Local Music. It’ll be interesting to see the results. Share your opinions in the comments section.

Even though we are still surrounded by the material evidence of winter, Amanda MacKaye and the crew organizing the Fort Reno summer concert series are already accepting applications for the 2010 edition.  Send them your demos!  Contact info is here.

The Fort Reno series is a highlight of the summer for many DCists.  It is in everyone’s interest that the eclectic lineup be as strong as possible.  For bands, these shows offer great exposure to potential fans who might not happen to ever stumble across a given act at a club or on their MySpace.

Photo credit:  Ron Akins

Punk vaudevillian accordion player and former The Hold Steady keybordist Franz Nicolay is sweeping through our area while touring in support of his new solo album, Major General and EP, St. Sabastian of the Short Stage. Franz will play at DC9 on Saturday and The Ottobar next Wednesday, and he will hit Charlottesville and Richmond in between. In addition to his solo work, he is part of an a capella group with the new 7″ World/Inferno Presents: Vox Inferne, a Brooklyn publisher is coming out with the first of a series of his fiction chapbooks entitled Complicated Gardening Techniques, and Franz has several more projects in the pipeline. Somehow, this busy guy took time to respond to a few questions we had for him. Read our interview with Franz Nicolay after the jump. (more…)

Sound Tribe Sector Nine (STS9) is on tour and they are coming through the DC area in mid-March. STS9 will be playing two nights (March 13th and March 14th) at the 9:30 Club following a show in Norfolk, VA at the Norva. I have had the chance to catch them 3 times in three different states (NC, GA and DC). By far the best show that I saw was right here at the 9:30 Club. They are doing something funky with tickets (I’m not used to seeing multiple ticket prices for a show like this at the 9:30 Club). At any rate, both shows should be great. Opening act for the 13th is Two Fresh and the 14th is Ana Sia. More tour dates after the jump. (more…)

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…)

One of the best shows in the area this week will be The BreakUps‘ CD release party at The Black Cat’s intimate Backstage on Thursday.  Both live and on disc you can expect to hear great familiar old garage grooves in infectious new combinations.  In their own right, The Scotch Bonnets are an intriguing addition to our local scene that should complement The Breakups nicely as the opener.  For only $8, this will be a fun night at a bargain rate.

Generally, when Thievery Corporation comes to the 9:30 Club, they play more than one, but this time around their playing five nights! That is Wednesday January 20th- Sunday January 24th. While most of the shows are already sold-out, you can still get tickets to the Sunday show. Each night they are playing with Ocote Soul Sounds . If you like Thievery Corporation and don’t have tickets to a show, get them now before all five nights are sold out.

Still looking for a way to celebrate the New Year and the new decade? There are quite a few options in the greater Washington, DC area for the music lovers. So say good-bye to Aught-Nine and ring in the new year’s by getting your ears ringing with music. A list of some of the events going on New Year’s Eve in Washington, DC, Virginia and Maryland after the jump. (more…)

Every few years the stars align and Halloween falls on a Saturday – if it were up to me, I would make Halloween the last Friday or Saturday of October, but for some reason it must be October 31st. The only thing better could be Halloween on a Saturday with a Full Moon (we miss that by two days), but the weekend should be fun anyway. When Halloween falls on a weekday there is always some confusion – should you be a die-hard reveler and celebrate on Halloween? or the weekend before? or the weekend after? These questions are answered when it falls on the weekend and since it falls on a Saturday be ready to party Friday and Saturday nights. There are plenty of Halloween shows going on around Washington, DC this weekend be sure to catch them all. Check-out the schedule after the jump.

(more…)

This Monday, October 5th Bonerama is coming back to DC in support of “Musicians Bringing Musicians Home” at Rock and Roll Hotel.  This concert is part of a series of shows that FMC and partner organization Air Traffic Control (ATC) produces in New Orleans as part of their on-going commitment to support the music community post-Katrina. Bonerama has previously played with Ok Go to work on bringing musicians back to New Orleans, this time they will be performing with Erin McKeown, Martin Perna and Wayne Kramer. Buy tickets here for $18. The show Starts at 9pm, doors open at 8pm.

This concert is part of a larger policy summit being put on by the Future of Music Coalition. (more…)