The Scene

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

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

Although weather wreaked havoc on the shows the week before, rain helf off last Thursday.  Instead, the large crowd, some with incredibly well-behaved dogs, who came out for the final Fort Reno show of 2009 were treated to tropical breezes and an eclectic mix of music by Grendel Babies, Casper Bangs, and Title Tracks.  The sign painted on the front of the stage coyly said “maybe next year,” but the Fort Reno website promises news about next year’s concert series.  I’m certainly looking forward to it.  A review of last week’s season finale follows after the jump. (more…)

On Monday evening I attended the third Fort Reno show of the summer.  Fort Reno is one of those “real DC” experiences that anybody living in the area needs to at least check out.  Part of what makes it great is that the bands seem to be chosen specifically because they would not normally be scheduled to play togehter.  Does pretty much any club in the area offer a superior concert experience?  Yeah, probably.  However, they have an excellent sound system run by a professional engineer.  The main difference is that the crowd is not necessarily there to see the bands as much as they are just there because it is the summer, so they have to go to Fort Reno  A description of the experience and review of the entertaining shows by Batala, the Small Doses, and Cigarbox Planetarium follows after the jump. (more…)

Free concerts at Fort Reno Park, near the American University campus, have been a staple of muggy DC summers for more than three decades.  Beginning next week, there will be a show each Monday and Thursday evening through the end of July at 7:15.  Fort Reno Park is near the AU-Tenleytown Metro.  Fort Reno shows are still embued with the spirit of the DC straight-edge punk scene, though a variety of local bands will play.  Dogs and kids are welcome; drugs and booze are not. Crowds can be large, with a wide range of ages represented, though most who come are teenagers who are very lucky to grow up in DC.

The full schedule has been anounced, with a few “TBA” slots.  Expect more news, and at least one or two show reviews, in the coming weeks.  More after the jump.  (more…)