There has been no lack of mutual man love between DC's These United States and IA over the past couple of years. If the constant shout outs to each other didn't convince you of that, I think us having a 2 night Anniversary Party with them next weekend, should be all of the proof that you'll ever need.
For this feature that we've been doing all day, Jesse sent over a special one off track that him and Tom recorded for Peppermill Records'52 Weeks project last year.
Enjoy "A Day To Float The Bahnar Boat" and be sure to come check them out on August 8 and 9 at IOTA in Arlington, VA.
As much as Two if by Sea's original recording from early 2002 can be considered a relic, Hershey, PA's The April Skies have allowed us to share a true classic. For those of you who are not familiar with the band, they began in south central PA back in the late '80s and were a pretty big buzz band in the early '90s. This was a time when bands like The Ocean Blue and Live were not just bands that The Skies shared their local scene with, but they were bonafide major national bands. MTV still played videos, bands that are considered indie by today's standards were labeled alternative, and hardly anybody had the internet or e-mail. Bands made fans the old fashioned way, by word of mouth and playing their asses off.
The April Skies have reconfigured and changed their sound quite a bit since those days, but they are still going strong after almost 20 years and have recently shared the stage with bands like The Hold Steady, Le Loup, The Shackeltons, Plants & Animals and Middle Distance Runner. They even have a new album just about ready for the fall. For now, let's revisit a simpler time. When instead of being well into their 30's and juggling day jobs and families, they were a young and hungry band that was barely out high school and ready to take on the world. Enjoy the long forgotten "Someone Said" from 1992. Well, after you are done laughing at that recently uncovered picture from the same era. Ah, the early '90s.
The Vita Ruins have definitely been one of my favorite DC bands over the past 2 years. Last year, they recorded some demos in advance of the album that they are currently recording. One song that came out of it was "Sequestered Human." While much more mellow than we are used to from them, it works on a rather intimate level.
They will be taking some time off to reconfigure the band and get their first full length completed, but you will be hearing from them again, in the not so distant future.
Earlier this summer, Denver's Young Coyotes sent over their demos. A couple of us instantly became fans and I'll personally go as far as saying that they are the most promising new band I have heard in a very long time.
To show their appreciation for our support, Zach sent me an exclusive track that they just recorded for their forthcoming debut. I was pretty excited by the earlier demos, but this definitely confirms it.
We've formed a pretty good relationship with up and coming Fredericksburg, VA band Tereu Tereu and even collaborate with Adam on the Naked in Virginia sessions. The band is currently hard at work on their next record. While they are known for their unique brand of pop, they have sent me over something a little different. It's an experimental track from lead singer, Ryan Little. Enjoy.
Sadly, Baltimore's Two if by Sea is no more. That said, they did give us 7 years and in the indie music world, that is a lifetime. Before they give their final bow at Baltimore's Ottobar on August 31, they have decided to revisit the past. In honor of our Anniversary and their farewell, David sent over a true relic. This is a cover they recorded of Joy Division's "Transmission," back when they were still finding their voice as a band. In David's own words:
"This was pretty early for us. It was the first thing we ever recorded (on eight-track, one-inch tape), back in March 2002. Our first demo. I know that we had a lot of comparisons, but to put things into perspective, we hadn't even heard of Interpol or anything like it when we were doing this. I think Turn On The Bright Lights came out later that year.
It sounds so primitive compared to our last run at things, but I think it kind of captures that moment when we were all in our early 20's and still wide-eyed and not completely jaded with music."
NYC's Bridges and Powerlines first contacted me in late 2006. I've kept in touch with Keith quite a bit since then and even had them at one of my shows last fall. When he heard that we were celebrating 2 years, Keith sent over a cover they just finished recording of Fugazi's "Song #1". It will be on a charity Fugazi tribute album, this fall. You can also catch them on the road in the coming months, including a few confirmed stops in the region.
8/16: Mojo 13, Wilmington, DE 9/25: Velvet Lounge, Washington, DC 9/27: The Third Floor, Fredericksburg, VA
The Dance Party have always added a retro '80s glow to DC. Never ones to hide from a party, they sent us a brand new remix of "A List" that was done by Le Loup's Robert Sahm. Check them out in 2 weeks, when we throw down with them at Rock and Roll Hotel in DC.
Baltimore's FFHH have been with us since the beginning. When I didn't know where to begin with the local scene, they were there for me and we did a lot of things together over the first year of this site. For the couple of you who have read IA since the beginning, you may remember this relic. Anyway... knowing how much I love The Cure, they recorded an exclusive cover of "Play For Today" for me. Thanks, guys!
It's hard to believe that I launched this site 2 years ago today. On that first day, it was just me, sitting in my home office and writing about a band that I grew up on. I had no expectations, no grand plans... I just loved music, wanted to hear more and wanted to write about it. I never expected to have 8 writers working on IA and I definitely didn't think that anybody would actually read this thing. So, thank you.
We got all sentimental and retrospective last year. This year, a bunch of bands sent us (and are still sending us) some exclusive tracks and we'll post them throughout the day and possibly into the weekend. Some of them are pretty decent experiments and some of them are ridiculously good. I'll let you decide.
To enhance the celebration and bring it straight to you, we also have 3 shows lined up for the next 2 weeks. I will write more about them a little bit later.
Wow, it's been a crazy week. Anyway, the day is upon us... IA's Anniversary Party is tonight at Rock & Roll Hotel in DC. Doors open @ 8:30 and the show begins at 9:30 sharp. If you get there by 9, it is free! If not, it's $10. So why should you come out? Let's see...
One of my favorite people in the world is Jette Kelly. After a warm up show in NYC, she is debuting her new 7-piece band in DC and she choose my show as the occasion to do it. Her smokey vocals are sure to light the room on fire, so make it out early to catch this break out performance.
Next up is Lejeune. This underrated band is nothing short of solid. If you like bands such as The Smiths and R.E.M., you will be very pleased by their performance. Their latest CD has been one of my favorites of the past few months.
The penultimate performance of the night will be given by Bellman Barker. You never really know what to expect from this guys, but you always know that they will be entertaining. I hear they may even be debuting a new song tonight.
Finally, DC's indie darlings of 2007 will be bringing the night to a close. Le Loup has taken the city by storm and with good reason, they are a fantastic band. It doesn't really matter that you have only been playing out for a little over 4 months, if you give one of the most dynamic shows in the city. They were signed for a reason and tonight, you will learn why. Catch them before they blow up this fall. It's their first ever weekend headlining show and you'll probably never see them play a venue this small in DC again.
In addition to those bands, there will be all sorts of other things happening along the way. If you like covers, brand new songs and collaborations, you are probably in luck. You never know who may make an unannounced appearance on stage. Let's French will also be there conducting a raffle, just mere days before their farewell show. All you have to do is enter at the merch table and they will announce the winners right before Le Loup hits the stage. What can you win? Many of your DC favorites are contributing items and there will be concert tickets and CDs for sure. There will even be a national media outlet recording the night for a video piece on the DC scene.
Be prepared to be entertained and come out to have a great night. Where else can you see bands of this caliber for free? See you soon.
Let's keep this simple. To me, this site has always been about supporting the local music scene. So I decided, that there is no better way to celebrate our first anniversary, than to make a mix of local music from the past year. I had so much fun, that I ended up making two discs.
Some of these bands have come a long way in the last 12 months, some didn't even exist when we started and others are no more. That said, every song is from a band that claims (or claimed) the Baltimore/Washington metro area as home. Yeah, there are plenty of others that could have made it, but I hope that you enjoy what I came up with. If you read the site regularly, you should know most of these bands, but hopefully you will discover a new favorite. After all, that is what IA is all about. Thank you, it has been a great year.
Starting out, I was based in the live music capital of the world, Austin, Texas. There is a band worth checking out every night, from the big names playing Emo's or Stubb's to the locals cutting their teeth at The Parish or Mohawk. Here are some the best that I had to pleasure to notice during my time there.
Most people know Spoon and Voxtrot. They are the darlings of the Austin indie scene. Instrumental sensations Explosions in the Sky are opening for Smashing Pumpkins. Okkervil River and I Love You, But I've Chosen Darkness have been on the national scene for some time and The Black Angels and Ghostland Observatory are starting to gather steam and garner national attention. But some of the best, I found by word of mouth and by sheer luck. Only known to Austin and surrounding areas, these local bands make the backbone of the Austin scene. My absolute favorite is The Drawing Board. We have been behind these guys since the beginning and they just keep getting bigger and better. We wish them continued success and hope to be covering them for years to come.
It has been a full year since Joe and I came up with the idea of a local music blog. We had no idea what we were doing, but we knew what we liked and we wanted the rest of the world to know about it. We had our growing pains: file servers not cooperating, problems finding music to go with the posts, finding the time to post as much as we would like... just to name a few. Our loyal base of readers has grown tremendously, since our quiet beginnings. We have had a lot of support from local music fans and local musicians. The people of DC, Baltimore, Austin and beyond, have made this an enjoyable year. We would like to thank all of you. This site would never have made it this far without you.
Why did we start this? Pretty simple. The state of the commercial music industry was painful to listen to. Who really gives Paris Hilton a recording gig? Why do limited talent bands that all sound the same get the majority of the radio play and the pub in the industry rags? Why are some of these local bands that have so much more talent than the big money makers still playing 100 person clubs at home and attracting single digits in other towns? This was and still is our main reason for writing every chance that we get.
Throughout the day we will post our favorite finds from the past year. On 8/10, we will celebrate with a party at Rock and Roll Hotel in Washington, DC. Le Loup, Bellman Barker, Lejeune, Jette Kelly and all sorts of guests, have been nice enough to help us start our second year in style. We love our readers so much, that we have made it free before 9pm. Other than that, it is business as usual at IA. We still have a lot of work to do.
We are an indie music site based out of the Washington, Baltimore and Philadelphia Regions, stretching from northern VA to southcentral/southeastern PA and everywhere inbetween. While we are proud of our home turf, we have been known to cover new and old worldwide.
If you have any questions, comments, or have something that we need to hear, drop us an e-mail. We love receiving tips on new artists. If we don't know about it, we can't write about it.
Mp3s on this site are for sampling purposes only and will only be posted for a limited period of time. Please support these artists. If you don't, the radio will be taken over by the Paris Hiltons of the world.
If you would like your songs or images removed from this site, please e-mail us directly and we will personally take care of it.
