Jimi Hendrix Birthday Celebration w/ Jonathan Sloane Trio
Nov
29

Jimi Hendrix Birthday Celebration w/ Jonathan Sloane Trio

Jonathan Sloane Trio

Jonathan Sloane is a remarkable and incredibly versatile guitarist and songwriter who brings an impressive range of skill to the American scene.  His sound is an intriguing blend of genres which brings together blues, Americana, soul and rock into a unique and captivating experience.

Across the United States, Jonathan has had the pleasure of working and sharing stages with names such as Amy Helm, Billy Strings, Butch Trucks, Daryl Davis, George Porter Jr., Greenksy Bluegrass, Ivan Neville, Jackie Green, Tab Benoit, Samantha Fish, Phil Lesh, and more.

Bobby Thompson Band

Guitarist Bobby Thompson cut his teeth learning to play in the blues clubs of D.C. from the likes of Bobby Parker. After honing his craft as a support man, Thompson decided to step out as a solo artist, and has released seven albums since 2011.

It’s been said that creativity takes courage, and self-expression is a way to show the world your inner soul. Thompson loves performing in both acoustic solo and electric band settings, and attempts to bring authenticity to each performance.

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An Evening with the Billy Price Band
Nov
24

An Evening with the Billy Price Band

2016 Blues Music Award (BMA) winner and frequent BMA nominee Billy Price first attracted national attention during his three-year association with guitarist Roy Buchanan. Price is the vocalist on two of Buchanan’s LPs, That’s What I’m Here For and Live Stock. Since then, with the Keystone Rhythm Band, the Billy Price Band, and solo projects, Billy Price has recorded and released a total of 20 albums, CDs, and DVDs.

Price’s album This Time for Real, with the late Chicago soul singer Otis Clay, received a 2016 Blues Music Award in the category of best soul blues album. He received BMA nominations in 2019 (Reckoning) and 2020 (Dog Eat Dog) for best soul blues album, and in 2020, 2022, 2023, and 2024 for best male soul blues artist. He has also been nominated in 2024 for a BMA for Instrumentalist – Vocals.

The Billy Price Band, based in Billy’s hometown of Pittsburgh, Pa., consists of Dave Dodd (drums), Tom Valentine (bass), Lenny Smith (guitar), Jim Britton (keyboards), Eric Spaulding (sax), and Joe Herndon (trumpet). They won the Pittsburgh City Paper Reader’s Poll in 2021 and 2022 as the top blues band in the city.

His latest recording is Person of Interest, on the Little Village label.

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The Nields
Nov
23

The Nields

Circle of Days: The Nields Twenty-First Album, a Journey through the Seasons The Nields, the folk-rock band from Massachusetts, are delighted to announce the release of their much-anticipated twenty-first album, Circle of Days. An homage to the calendar––and really, time itself––this collection of songs is a testament to the band’s enduring creativity and unwavering commitment to their craft. During the pandemic, Nerissa and Katryna Nields, the band’s frontwomen, took a daily walk with their beloved dogs, Greta and Hudson. The destination was a nearby lake, where Katryna would take a daily photo. Inspired by the ever-shifting seasons, they came to realize that each of Nerissa’s new songs could be intimately connected to a particular time of year, forming a musical cycle. Circle of Days resonates with those twinned states of mind––hope and fear––that come with living through quite a number of circles of days. From the anxious yet hopeful musings of the winter solstice in “Darkest Day of the Year” to the qualified optimism of summer’s bounty in “Angel on the Roof,” the album weaves together a vibrant tapestry of melodies and narratives that encapsulate the ebb and flow of life. Among the album’s standout tracks are “Brigid,” an Imbolc song paying homage to the ancient celebration of the pagan goddess who gave her name to what became St. Brigid’s Day–-or what we in the US know as Groundhog’s Day. “When I Was a DJ” explores the losses we all experience in careers that becomes increasingly irrelevant as Big Business takes over, leaving so many of us voiceless. “Death & Resurrection” addresses our current epidemic of so-called deaths of despair, while “That’s What We Do” serves as a stirring graduation anthem, celebrating the triumphs and aspirations of artists and activists. With their unparalleled ability to blend pop craftsmanship, folk sensibility, and the influences of ’60s classic rock and ’90s alternative, The Nields have created a distinctive musical style that defies categorization. Their songs, imbued with intelligence and occasional humor, offer poignant observations on life’s unexpected twists and turns. Apple Music describes their sound as “equal parts The Beatles, the cranberries, and Joni Mitchell,” a testament to their unique fusion of melodic sensibilities. Having earned their stripes with 21 albums, major and independent record and publishing deals, and performances alongside luminaries such as 10,000 Maniacs, The Band, James Taylor, and the Indigo Girls, The Nields have unquestionably paid their dues, paving their own path, forging a remarkable musical legacy that continues to captivate audiences around the world.

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Aidan Leclaire Band
Nov
22

Aidan Leclaire Band

Aidan Leclaire Band

Lena Traynham

Aidan Leclaire Band

Led by Aidan Leclaire (born and raised in Vienna, VA) and formed by a group of passionate musicians from the Washington DC area, the  Aidan Leclaire Band blends elements of indie-rock, folk, and pop into a sound that is uniquely their own. Formed in December 2023, the band quickly garnered attention with their playful yet heartfelt lyrics and captivating melodies, resonating with audiences of all backgrounds. They have headlined in venues across Washington DC, New York, and Boston, initially supporting their first album. Now, they are playing shows in support of their second album, “Spaceman.”

Lena Traynham

Lena Traynham has long been a standout for her electrifying stage presence, wild flying hair and extraordinary vocal range, but as she prepares to debut her original music, she’s proving herself as a force to be reckoned with. With blending genres comparing her to artists like Stevie Nicks, Rachael Price and Rett Madison, her long awaited debut project has officially arrived with her first single, “Brick by Brick” – AVAILABLE NOW on all platforms! Single number two is officially out as well – STREAM “Stuck Inside” NOW!

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Dave Hause
Nov
20

Dave Hause

Dave Hause’s songs have always been rooted in tangible reality—of emotion, of environment, of circumstance. Since releasing his debut album, Resolutions, in 2011, the Philadelphia-born songwriter has poured his whole heart, soul and life into his music. That’s no different on Drive It Like It’s Stolen, his sixth full-length. Its 10 songs overflow with Hause’s trademark urgency and passion, shimmering with a truth that reflects the harsh realities of life in this day and age, as well the intermittent jolts of joy that punctuate it. After all, his songs have always detailed his own personal traumas and triumphs within the setting of an unforgiving capitalist backdrop, tethering those personal experiences to ineluctable external forces. 2013’s second album, Devour, for example, was a response to his divorce from his first wife, while 2019’s Kick saw him tackle hope, depression, global warming and a crumbling American democracy with the news that he was to become a father. Most recently, on 2021’s Blood Harmony, Hause wrote and sang about the positive impact of having twins, and of the joy and excitement of being able to be at home with them for the first couple of years of the pandemic.

Drive It Like It’s Stolen is just as earnest and heartfelt, raw and real as anything he’s ever written before. Yet there’s also a subtle yet significant difference—here he’s delving into a more fictional type of storytelling to create what he terms “post-apocalyptic Americana”. That’s clear from the title of this album’s haunting and ominous opening song, “Cheap Seats (New Year’s Day, NYC, 2042)”. Set two decades in the future, it’s obviously not about anything that’s actually happened, but is still very much inspired by life. At the start of 2022, Hause was in a good place. He’d changed his diet and had maintained a strenuous workout regimen resulting in improved physical and mental health. Feeling great, he’d decided to go off Lexapro and left to go out on the Blood Harmony band touring.

“I was feeling great,” he recalls. “I came back to work, didn’t have my meds. But then I’m on tour, I’m not working out, I’m not eating that way anymore. And I’m really faced with the American city, the American experiment post-pandemic. We’re going places and being like, ‘Oh, my God, this is what Portland and San Francisco and Los Angeles look like.’ And it looked terrifying. Whenever I went anywhere, I felt like I was watching the prequel to 12 Monkeys, except I was also living it and just wondering what the fuck was going on. The tour was doing well, but it just felt like my mental health was falling down stairs. A few months later, when we were finishing the tour, we heard stories that people were siphoning gas out of tour buses. So, a lot of the record was kind of born of and trying to wrestle with that.”

To that extent, the future dystopia of “Cheap Seats” is very real—a vivid depiction of a society on the verge of collapse based on Hause’s experience as a touring musician and then filtered through his imagination. If “Cheap Seats” sets the tone with its dream of escape from a ravaged New York City, then song “Pedal Down” starts that road trip. It’s a gloomy, glowering, dark early morning ride through desolate, post-apocalyptic streets, whose atmosphere really places you inside that car. A moody and monochrome song full of portent and hope in equal measure, it’s both a literal journey—captured by the album’s striking cover, which replicates the view of one of his twins in the back seat as the family drives away—and a metaphorical exploration of Hause’s fears and anxiety of being a parent in modern day America. ‘But we lead our lambs to slaughter,” he sings. ‘It’s profit, boot straps, and guns/Every god needs a sacrifice/Honey, what have we done?’ On one level it’s a simple question directed at his wife about having kids. On another, it’s tackling the whole American system.


“Having children sounds like a great idea,” he explains, “and then you realize that they’re grist for the mill. They’re grist to be sold to, they’re to be exploited, and they’re potentially fodder for our passion for guns. If your god in America is the gun, the idea that we must have these guns, then gods need sacrifices and our children are those sacrifices. And you wonder, ‘Did we bring children in this world to sacrifice them to the various American gods?’ That’s another thing we’re kind of grieving. We’re all complicit in this, and we’re all potentially going to have to pay.”

The disturbing, apocalyptic quasi-reality of the album’s lyrics is matched and amplified by the music. Written by Hause with his younger brother Tim, Drive It Like It’s Stolen—just like the three that preceded it, as well as Tim’s 2022 debut full-length—is the distinct next phase of their creative partnership. The third release on the brothers’ own Blood Harmony record label, it shakes up expectations while at the same time building off the sound and reputation Hause has established for himself over the past decade or so. “Damn Personal”, for example, is a boisterous blue collar anthem about lost friends that’s charged with electric emotion, while the uplifting, Petty-esque “Hazard Lights” ruminates on Hause’s sobriety and the temptation that exists when he’s around friends who still imbibe. Yet though there’s a specificity to those lyrics, they’re easily applicable to other situations, too.


“That feeling of having the hazard lights on,” says Hause, “it’s just uncertainty. I’m kind of just pulled over here—I don’t know where I’m going, I know where I’ve been, the hazard lights are blinking, so please don’t hit me because I’ve got to figure out what to do next.”

Elsewhere, there’s “chainsaweyes” and “lashingout”, two very halves of the same whole that once again merge personal anxieties with universal horrors. Both ask important questions about identity and parenthood and responsibility and the difficulties of raising children in America. The former is backed by dramatic strings that emphasize the importance of the subject matter, while the latter begins as a beautifully poignant acoustic tune before descending into a marvelously unexpected piano breakdown that wouldn’t be out of place in a saloon sometime in the 1800s. Don’t be deceived by what Hause calls the “sugar” of that part, though—there’s still an important message underpinning it.


“Both those songs are trying to assess that angry, always devouring, youthful, testosterone-fueled American boy thing,” explains Hause. “Raising boys in America, you don’t want to fall on the wrong side of history with that. In “lashingout”, that person who sings ‘I want to be God for a day’ at the end could be a school shooter. That wish could be something that would prompt someone to do something terrible. Why would you want that power? You could really hurt people. But here’s the thing—we all feel like lashing out like that at points. But what is it that’s prompting this feeling that you want to change everything, and do you have it right? Are you righteous in that anger of wanting to lash out?”

Drive It Like It’s Stolen was engineered and mixed by David Axelrod, and—like Blood Harmony—produced by Will Hoge and recorded at Santi Sound in Nashville, though with a different set of musicians than that album’s all-star cast. Yet that’s not to the record’s detriment at all. On penultimate song “Tarnish”, a song about both a life lived and one still being lived—past and present coalescing in a beautiful mesh of wistful self-reflection, Hause sings ‘I never got a golden record/I guess the melodies were wrong.’ The performance and production of not just that song, but this whole record, proves that sentiment entirely wrong. It’s followed by “The Vulture”, a song that harks back to the defiance that dominated Kick but which is recast with his children in mind. It feels, too, like the cementing of the thematic shift he’s making on this record. These songs may still be for Hause, but they’re increasingly less about him.


“My life is getting increasingly less interesting,” he smiles. “And that’s by design. You want to be steady, you want to be at a baseball practice or taking your kids to gymnastics or whatever it is. You don’t want to necessarily be staring into the abyss all the time and trying to determine your existential weight. I don’t want my life to become fodder for songs—I want my creativity to be the fodder for songs.”

With this particular car ride, then, Hause is en route to a whole new world. Whether real or imagined or a combination of both, it’s time to buckle up for the ride.

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Abbie Gamboa – Pure Nights
Nov
19

Abbie Gamboa – Pure Nights

Abbie Gamboa, an integral songwriter/worship leader in the UPPERROOM community, has been known for her unrestrained, dynamic anthems for the church since her debut appearance on the first Moments album covering “Tremble” & “Defender” in 2018. After years of keeping her personal artistry tucked away in hiddenness, Abbie releases her first solo project, “pure,” to communicate the core of who she is — a daughter, sister, wife, & mother.

As Abbie grows into all of these parts of herself, her music has a direct emphasis on becoming a daughter. Her internal rerouting taking place through her relationship with God as Father has become the theme & heartbeat behind the song she sings. The idea behind this album, “pure,” was intentional in solely focusing on where her heart stays – partnered with God to meet people where they’re at. She loves that the beauty of music transcends age groups, demographics, & different phases of life. Abbie invites listeners to engage with her songs in a space where they can open their hands & reflectively open their hearts to meet with a God who sees & intimately knows them.

It’s the little things in life that make her come alive; the simple joy found in a rainy or sunny day, fresh flowers, eating her favorite foods, or something new her son does. She’s discovering where she’s headed in her music career after learning the seemingly melancholy music she began to write over 10 years ago wasn’t always coming from a sad place, rather from an honest place.

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Ronnie Baker Brooks
Nov
17

Ronnie Baker Brooks

“In Ronnie Baker Brooks’ powerhouse hands, blues-rock never sounded so outrageous. Soul never sounded so delicious. And the blues never sounded so profound…one of today’s top live performers.” —Blues Music Magazine

“A monster guitarist with an ample supply of technique and passion” —AllMusic

“Ronnie Baker Brooks bristles with energy, inspiration and self-confidence.” —Living Blues

Chicago guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Ronnie Baker Brooks is one of the city’s—and the world’s—most undeniably talented and electrifying bluesmen. Ronnie was born into Chicago blues royalty as the son of legendary multiple GRAMMY Award nominee, Blues Hall Of Famer, and longtime Alligator Records recording star Lonnie Brooks. He is among the few contemporary blues artists who learned his craft directly from many of the genre’s icons, including Albert Collins, B.B. King, Willie Dixon, Koko Taylor and, most significantly, his father. “I’m blessed to have played with and learned from the best. I’m carrying them within me,” he says of all the legends he knew growing up and the journey he’s been on.

With his new Alligator Records debut, Blues In My DNA, Ronnie delivers an up-to-the-minute, organic masterpiece. The album, the fifth of his career, is firmly rooted in the blues with Ronnie incorporating his own brand of rock, funk and soul to the mix. “I just play what I feel,” he says. “It’s all from the heart.” Produced by famed studio wizard Jim Gaines (who has produced Santana, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Lonnie Brooks, Luther Allison and many others), Blues In My DNA is a career-defining statement from Baker Brooks, with each of the 11 original songs its own chapter in his ever-evolving story.

Blues In My DNA effortlessly moves from the funkified rocker I’m Feeling You to the not-quite-sanctified, old-school blues Robbing Peter To Pay Paul to the deep Memphis soul ballad Accept My Love to the epic, crowd-pleasing, guitar-driven Stuck On Stupid. The autobiographical title track, a song Ronnie describes as “a bridge between me and my audience,” is the album’s centerpiece, the passionate guitar solos underlining the lyrics’ story of triumphing over racism, poverty and glass ceilings. “I ain’t complaining,” he sings, “I’m just explaining,” before declaring, “I got love in my blood, the blues in my DNA.”

For Ronnie, the process of writing songs for Blues In My DNA was as fun and exciting as playing live. “I love writing as much as performing. I love watching an idea become a song, then a song become something people can relate to, and then sing along with. And I always keep it authentic to myself. Everyone can feel it and be familiar with it. I’m here to build bridges, not walls.”

Ronnie Baker Brooks was born in 1967 in Chicago. He received his first guitar from his famous father at age nine and learned the instrument as he got older, sharing his time between playing basketball and focusing on his music. After high school, he joined his father’s band—as a roadie. He earned his way slowly up the ladder, listening, watching and learning. At one show, Koko Taylor pulled him aside as he was loading the gear into the van and told him, “You learn from your daddy everything you can. And one day, it’ll be up to you to carry the blues forward.”

Lonnie eventually allowed Ronnie to play bass with the band before bringing him on as his full-time second guitarist. Ronnie made his recording debut on Lonnie’s Live From Chicago: Bayou Lightning Strikes album in 1988. In 1991, he hit the road as part of The Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour band, backing Lonnie, Elvin Bishop, and Katie Webster. Each night, he’d join them, along with Koko Taylor and Lil’ Ed Williams, for unforgettable blues jams.

In the summer of 1993, Ronnie joined Lonnie, Koko and Junior Wells for the B.B. King Blues Festival Tour, traveling the country. He watched King perform again and again. One night after the show, King told Ronnie, “Son, I’m watching you watch me. You learn everything you can from all of us, especially your dad. He’s as good as me or better; we just have different styles.” Ronnie performed with his father for 12 years, gaining valuable experience and sharing stages with artists including Taj Mahal, Eric Clapton, Buddy Guy, and many others. During this time, his guitar skills continued to grow along with his songwriting and performing confidence.

Among the many lessons Ronnie learned growing up was to forge his own identity, to write his own songs, to play his own brand of blues and not to imitate anyone else. Willie Dixon taught him the importance of “delivering” the song, so the people know you believe it. Albert Collins, almost a second father to Ronnie, would say, “Take what you like from what we do and make it you.”

In 1998, when the time was right and with Lonnie’s blessing, Baker Brooks formed his own label, Watchdog Records, and released three solo albums over the next eight years: Golddigger in 1998, Take Me Witcha in 2001, and The Torch in 2006. On all three releases, Ronnie worked with and learned countless studio and production lessons from JellyBean Johnson (Prince, The Time), with positive response to Ronnie’s music coming from Prince himself.

In 2008, Ronnie produced and played on blues legend Eddy Clearwater’s Alligator debut, West Side Strut, helping to bring one of his mentors to a new generation of fans. His next solo album, 2017’s, Times Have Changed, was produced by drummer Steve Jordan (The Rolling Stones, Robert Cray) and issued on the Provogue label. The UK’s Record Collector magazine said, “Baker Brooks plays a heady blend of blues, soul and funk…an upbeat cocktail of guts, groove, stinging guitar work and soulful vocals.” The Blues Foundation has recognized Ronnie’s talent with a total of six Blues Music Award nominations.

Among his many blues and soul mentors and friends, Ronnie has also worked closely with rocker Todd Park Mohr of Big Head Todd & The Monsters. The two friends have written, toured and recorded together, with Mohr and Brooks co-writing All True Man for Blues In My DNA.

Since he was a teen, Ronnie has toured the world, first with his dad and then leading his own band. He’s built his reputation as a white-hot performer one gig at a time. His eye-popping guitar work, soulful vocals, fireball energy and huge, crowd-pleasing personality keep his fans on the edge of their seats. In addition to performing at both Obama presidential inaugurations, he has played major festivals and concert halls across the U.S., Canada, the UK and Europe, as well as in Brazil and China. He’s appeared at Poland’s Rawa Blues Festival, Spain’s Cazorla Blues Festival, Canada’s Mt. Tremblant Festival, The Tampa Bay Blues Festival, Memphis In May, The North Atlantic Blues Festival, The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival, and many more. In 2024, Ronnie, along with his friend and label-mate Shemekia Copeland, opened the famous Chicago Blues Festival (the 4th time he’s appeared as a headliner), with a roof-raising performance. Then, four days later, he helped close the festival out—along with Copeland, his guitarist brother Wayne Baker Brooks and harmonica giant Billy Branch—joining headliner Buddy Guy at Buddy’s request.

Like all the great blues artists before him, Ronnie Baker Brooks has, through hard work, perseverance and gritty determination—along with his prodigious, natural talent and charisma—earned his place in the upper echelons of the blues world. Today, Ronnie Baker Brooks stands tall as a blisteringly innovative guitarist, an endlessly inventive songwriter and an intensely soulful vocalist.

Ronnie Baker Brooks may have been born a blues prince, but he never received any royal treatment. “Dad set me up for today,” Ronnie explains. “He always told me to put the time in, study, practice, get better. I started my music career as his roadie. He wouldn’t let me play onstage with him until I earned it, and until he was certain playing music was what I truly wanted to do. I grew up witnessing and learning from the legends of the blues. I’m excited to continue to create Chicago blues as part of my family legacy and our shared history. I’ll always carry on and represent the blues in everything I do. Dad started the fire, Albert poured the gas on it, and Koko put the grill on.” Now, with Blues In My DNA, it’s time to feast

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Hush Club w/ M Andy + Sean Custer
Nov
16

Hush Club w/ M Andy + Sean Custer

Hush Club

Alasdair MacKenzie, Chris Haley, and Liz Kantor formed Hush Club after finding each other in college.  Now, they are based in Somerville, MA, making lush, melodic, and propulsive indie rock that examines the nuances of our shared human experience.  Under the Radar describes Hush Club as “explor[ing] spaces ranging from intimate to celestial, evoking honest confessions and wide expanses.”  Their latest single, “The Moon,” is a catchy heartbreak anthem for anyone who’s ever been ghosted.

In 2024, Hush Club sold out a headlining show at Boston’s Brighton Music Hall (500 capacity).  The band has been featured twice in The Boston Globe  and been nominated twice for the Boston Music Awards (Album/EP of the Year and Folk Artist of the Year)

M Andy

m andy is the music project of singer-songwriter, Amanda Flores. Taking inspiration from indie folk and a little twang, m andy is working to record more music by the end of 2024.

Sean Cluster

Sean Custer is a Vocalist and Pianist based in Columbia, MD. His cinematic approach to songwriting draws inspiration from the likes of Hozier, Matt Corby, Pink Floyd, and The Beatles, with a sound ranging from Jazz to Psychedelia.

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khaiba. – Across The Khaiba-Verse
Nov
15

khaiba. – Across The Khaiba-Verse

“khaiba.” is a Nigerian-American music artist hailing from Northern Virginia who has been amusingly regarded as: “one of the greatest artists you’ve definitely never heard of”.

While in college, he studied neuroscience and eventually went on to become the student commencement speaker the year he graduated. Already dabbling in poetry earlier in his undergraduate career, he ended up falling in love with rap, sampling and remixing popular and classic records to post on Soundcloud in between his studies. He became an artist by accident after his extra credit project in molecular cell biology class went viral during his penultimate semester in college. His “Professor Drake” parody-mashup of “One Dance” and “Back to Back” has racked up more than 11,000 views across Facebook alone. In 2018, he capped off his senior year by uploading songs right from his bedroom, only to release an 8-track EP on Soundcloud mere months after graduating. The lead single “Liquor”, a bouncy, upbeat rap song written from the perspective of an unorthodox conversation with himself, exploded overnight when it first released, garnering nearly 1,000 views in its first 48 hours. Since 2018, he has taken the stage for a number of open mic performances and professional gigs. In 2019, he performed a medley of his Soundcloud era tracks at the ASTRAL Fashion Show in front of over 700 people. To his very core, his ambition is only ever superseded by a desire to self-improve in hopes it is reflected in his craft with every new project release.

He has spent the past few years exploring music as something more than a creative outlet and pastime, cultivating a soundscape that feels authentically true to himself and extends beyond the boundaries of traditional genre delineation. In 2021, after nearly scrapping it altogether, khaiba. went on to release his debut multi-platform EP, “the interludes.”, a diary-styled deconstruction of the sobering realities of unrequited love and the consequences of emotional internalization. After an unexpectedly positive reception to this radically different, yet refreshingly honest style, khaiba. went on to release two videos for the project and has written countless other songs since then. The project, which has now amassed more than 12,000 streams on Spotify, is replete with deep cuts such as “voicemails” (one of his most beloved works, revolving words left unsaid to a former flame), “two hearts” (an enthralling, one-sided conversational rap song about giving your heart to someone who never returns it), and “10,000 hours” (a hard-hitting critique of toxic masculinity).

khaiba. is well-known for disguising layered meanings within his songs, beyond what the words appear to convey on the first listen. Even still, he continues to remain very fond of the notion of vulnerability, finding it to be what can truly make a record shine and transform it into something compelling and refreshing, no matter the style or genre. He makes that simple truth a core principle in his writing process and tends to draw from real-life experiences in an effort to use music as a medium to resonate with others. This resonance with people from different walks of life is something he believes is crucial to becoming a great artist.

He has collaborated with a number of artists and has begun to write for others as well in an effort to challenge himself to think “outside of the box” creatively and expose himself to new sounds. In 2023, he released “CINDEREL(LA)”, a spin on the classic “Maria Maria”, reminiscent of the musical stylings presented in “Wild Thoughts” by DJ Khaled, Rihanna, and Bryson Tiller. Most notably, he has worked with Ebby Marango – an immensely talented Billboard-charting songwriter signed to Electric Feel Entertainment, who recently wrote on and tracked the demo for “Angel Numbers / Ten Toes” by Chris Brown. The pair currently have one song together: “confessions” from his debut multi-platform EP.

In 2024, upon meeting UK R&B sensation Mahalia for the second time at a show, khaiba. played her a remix to one of her records and was met with exuberant praise for his vocal chops, as she was blown away by his recording and was thoroughly impressed by his wordplay and vocal mixing.

He has continued to share more of himself with the world in the last year, increasingly stepping out of his comfort zone with every new release. After playing through the video game “Hogwarts Legacy”, khaiba. went on to make a song about it on a whim that began to circulate on Instagram, with its numerous double entendres and clever lines becoming an instant hit among much of the “Harry Potter” fandom. He continues to make content centered around popular media, putting his own unique twist on popular songs, like with his remix to “Calling” from the film “Spider-Man: Across The Spider-Verse”.

Currently, among other things, he is gearing up to release new music and has been striving to promote cultural enrichment programming in his community aimed at empowering the youth to express themselves creatively through different artistic mediums.

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BBMAK
Nov
13

BBMAK

BBMAK

Jessica Carter Altman

BBMak

BBMak is a British pop/rock band that was formed in 1997, comprising of Mark Barry, Christian Burns, and Stephen McNally. The band’s name is an acronym of the first letter of each member’s name.

Known for their harmonies and guitar-driven melodies, BBMak’s sound has been likened to The Beatles and Oasis. Their music style blends melodic pop with rock and roll influences, making it appealing to fans of both genres.

The group’s debut album, “Sooner or Later” (2000), propelled them to commercial success with hit singles such as “Back Here” and “Still on Your Side,” selling over a million copies worldwide and peaking in the top 40 of the Billboard 200 chart.

Their sophomore album, “Into Your Head” (2002), may not have been as successful as its predecessor but still garnered critical acclaim and included fan-favorite tracks like “Out of My Heart (Into Your Head)” and “Staring Into Space.”

Following the release of “Into Your Head,” BBMak took a hiatus to focus on their individual projects. However, the band made a comeback in 2018, announcing their reunion and releasing their third studio album, “Powerstation” (2019), which showcased their evolution in sound with electronic and dance influences.

BBMak has shared the stage with high-profile artists like *NSYNC and Britney Spears and made appearances on notable television shows such as “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,” “Good Morning America” and “Live with Regis and Kelly.”

BBMak’s songwriting skills have been praised for producing catchy pop songs with meaningful lyrics, creating a lasting impact on the pop/rock genre, and maintaining a dedicated fanbase worldwide.

They were one of the few bands during the pop explosion of the early 2000s to play their own instruments and write their own songs. Billboard recently named “Back Here” the 9th greatest boy band song of all time.

Jessica Carter Altman

Jessica Carter Altman is a multifaceted singer-songwriter known for her poignant lyricism and soul-stirring melodies, with a passion for storytelling and a penchant for musical innovation. Her artist ability to craft a rich sonic landscape blending signature lyricism with new sonic heights is unparalleled. Her music and shows have been covered in PEOPLE magazine, where she’s recognized as a “One To Watch,” as well as Page Six, Time Out, NY Post, and Entertainment Tonight’s “New Music Friday.” Jessica has also been featured in AppleMusic’s “New In Singer Songwriter” and “Breaking Singer-Songwriter” playlists, along with inclusion on Pandora’s “New Tunesmiths and Troubadours” playlist. Raised in Potomac, Maryland, with influences ranging from Nina Simone to Lana Del Rey, Jessica’s music confronts profound emotions with warmth and sincerity.

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Young & Out Of Love Tour – Blake Proehl / Haven Madison / Kaibrienne / KAYKO
Nov
11

Young & Out Of Love Tour – Blake Proehl / Haven Madison / Kaibrienne / KAYKO

Blake Proehl

Blake Proehl gives it his all, whether he’s on the field or on the stage.

Proehl isn’t your everyday singer-songwriter — he worked his whole life to achieve his dream of making it to the NFL, ultimately joining the Minnesota Vikings as a wide receiver. After a devastating injury during his rookie season, though, his life in football came to a screeching halt. During the recovery period and unexpected downtime, he encountered another surprise: falling in love with music.

His musical journey began with his family, and a video of him sharing his singing voice with his grandmother for the first time unexpectedly went viral on TikTok, surprising even Proehl himself. The tens of millions of views and American Idol appearances say it all — people are ready to hear more from Blake. His pop and r&b sound has the natural likability of predecessors like Justin Bieber, and Proehl’s humility and gentle spirit make it hard not to want to root for him.

As an artist expanding his skill set with the piano, guitar, and co-writing sessions, Proehl isn’t afraid of entering new territory. His smooth vocals are just the beginning — he is constantly gaining artistic inspiration from his interpersonal relationships as well as his own journey to physical recovery.

With each song and piece of content that Proehl creates, he hopes his music can act as a way to help people express themselves and avoid putting on any fronts.

Haven Madison

As she celebrates the release of her label-debut EP, Turn Off All The Lights, Haven Madison reflects on a pivotal conversation she had with her dad, Grammy nominated Jason Roy – lead singer of Building 429 — when she was just 12. At a Chik-Fil-A in her hometown of Clarksville, TN, she told him she wanted to follow in his footsteps and pursue a musical career. Jason asked, “On a scale from one to 10, how bad do you want it?” When she replied “Eight,” he said, “Talk to me again when it’s 11.” 

Just four years later, Haven’s passion for singing and dedication to hard work resulted in an extraordinary run into the Top 8 of American Idol Season 21, beginning with an audition featuring her heartfelt original song, “Fifteen,” that blew away judges Lionel Richie, Luke Bryan, and her longtime idol, Katy Perry. One of the great highlights of Haven’s time on the show was her season finale viral duet with Perry on “Still Need You,” the poignant ballad Haven wrote about her brother Avery’s battle against depression and suicide. 

“Sitting across from Katy and singing with her was surreal, because growing up, my brother and I were obsessed with her and even made our own video for ‘Roar’,” the 18-year-old Haven says. “I got such amazing feedback on that song, including from some who said it kept them alive. It’s wonderful to have the opportunity to create music that makes people feel less alone. I’m happy to say that Avery is doing very well. He’s ridiculously talented and he’s now my drummer.” 

Fueled by her success on Idol, Haven immediately returned to Nashville to get to work on a fresh batch of songs, including the five she shares on the EP. With the release of “Sky Up,” her first track from the EP, the song was co-written and produced by Dave Pittenger – co-writer of the Grammy nominated Gayle song “ABCDEFU” – the intensely emotional, piano driven ballad reflects the trademark personal, no holds barred confessional songwriting that infuses the entire EP. “‘Sky Up’ was one of those songs that came together as if it were always in my bones waiting to be discovered,” says Haven. “From the moment I listened to the demo till now, it continues to move me like no other song I have written. In the past, I always struggled with vulnerability and put walls up to protect myself from being judged and criticized. Music became the outlet for me to express the things I couldn’t say. What I was afraid to say out loud, I could share in song. When I sang ‘Still Need You’ on TV, that was my breakthrough where I finally felt brave enough to sing my inner truths.”

The EP title, Turn Off All The Lights, comes from a key line in her piano driven song “Claw Marks,” the track Haven credits for changing everything as far as her label 19 Recordings/BMG’s perception of her potential as an artist, shifting the mentality of the release structure and adding a sense of belief in her. She sings: “When they turn out all the lights, you go home and you’ll be fine/I’m the only one who can’t escape.” The imagery extends to her feeling that once the proverbial lights were turned off on her Idol journey, with the pressures and filters off, so to speak, it was time to get to work on getting in the studio, writing songs, and developing her artistry.

The two other co-writes with Pittenger are the explosive, lyrically incisive “Kiss the Ground” and the dark, edgy anthem “Monster.” “Kiss the Ground” is something of a personal take on the “Mean Girls” aesthetic, with Haven blasting those who constantly criticize her out of jealousy and spite, reminding them how hard she works for everything she has and how diminished they are when they level up to her. “Monster” is a fiery confession that yes, she’s to blame for the breakup of a relationship – but so is the party claiming innocence is the one who made her lose control. “How You Like Me Now,” a co-write by Haven, Eric Arjes and Mary Cutter, is a playful track addressing those who have knocked her down in the past – including an ex’s mom who didn’t like the lyrics of her songs. Now that she’s thriving, she defiantly asks them the title question, as if to say, your nastiness only made me stronger.

Growing up on the road as the daughter of a touring artist, Haven enjoyed a fascinating, offbeat childhood in which she says she “lived on a tour bus for the first seven years of my life” and was homeschooled on the road. She has fond memories of riding her bright pink razor scooter alongside her brother in parking lots and playgrounds around the churches and arenas. To this day, she claims she sleeps more soundly on a bus than in her own bed at home. She started singing as soon as she could make noise with her mouth, and felt like her creative life started when, upon learning to use a pen for the first time, she wrote a song about Santa Claus.

Committed to making sure his kids grew up knowing music, her father educated her on classic rock, from Billy Joel and ZZ Top to Spin Doctors, Foo Fighters, Hall & Oates, and Rob Thomas. Her mom, Cortini, whom the singer calls “the peacekeeper who adds normalcy to this family adventure,” got her into Mariah Carey, and British singer Rag’n’Bone Man. On the bus, Haven was always listening to Katy, Olivia, and older Taylor Swift songs. She also loves Sabrina Carpenter and sees a little of herself in country singer Megan Moroney. 

“I had a lot of diverse influences, but you could always tell what my future genre would be by the way my eyes lit up when pop music blasted out of the bus speakers,” says Haven. “The most important goal in my career is that I continue to make music that makes people feel something – even if it’s bad. It’s like the Lumineers once sang in ‘Stubborn Love,’ ‘It’s better to feel pain than nothing at all.’

Kaibrienne

Whether she’s performing at her local talent show or on the American Idol stage for millions of viewers, Kaibrienne demands attention.

Even at her young age, this vocalist has already overcome so much in order to step into the spotlight — after being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease, undergoing surgery, and recovering from extensive complications, Kaibrienne also conquered what she describes as crippling stage fright. This native of a tiny town in Utah isn’t the type to go down without a fight; she came out on the other side of each battle stronger than ever, and now she’s ready to introduce herself to the world in a big way.

Her debut single release, “girl i am now,” is all about celebrating who she is at this point in her life and all those hard-earned victories. The pop track captures so much of what makes Kaibrienne special — there’s an undeniable tone to her vocals that just can’t be taught, and a cry in her voice that’s as piercing as it is instantly recognizable.

Artists like Jessie Murph, Adele, and Carrie Underwood have all inspired her vocal journey, while Zach Bryan and Tate McRae shape her sound. Family, though, is her true North Star, and all she wants at the end of the day is to become a person who can help people heal through music.

“There are songs people cling to in times of trouble,” she says. “Those are the songs I want to create, and this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”

KAYKO

KAYKO is an alternative pop artist with influences from pop punk, synth pop, and musical theatre. Eyed by Katy Perry for his star quality, KAYKO accidentally found his way into the Top 20 for Season 22 of American Idol where he was the only contestant to exclusively perform original music on the show. He is continuing to build his audience by frequently releasing new music, as well as touring and making live connections with fans.

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Lucy Kaplansky
Nov
10

Lucy Kaplansky

Lucy Kaplansky is an acclaimed singer-songwriter of rare talent, “a truly gifted performer with a bag full of enchanting songs” (The New Yorker) and “the troubadour laureate of modern city folk” (The Boston Globe). She has released nine critically acclaimed CDs, two of which were awarded Best Pop Album of the year by the Association for Independent Music. National Public Radio described her 2012 album Reunion as “a master class in making the personal universal,” and National Public Radio’s Scott Simon called her new album Last Days of Summer, released in June 2022,

“Absolutely wonderful….utterly beautiful and affecting… Lucy sings songs from her life with resonance in ours.” Lucy was part of folk supergroup Cry Cry Cry with Dar Williams and Richard Shindell (which The New Yorker dubbed “a collection of lovely harmonizing and pure emotion”). Their album was an astonishing success in stores and on radio resulting in a national tour of sold-out concerts, as well as a national sold-out reunion tour in 2018.

Her recording of Roxy Music’s “More than This” has over 12 million streams on Spotify, and she has been featured on NPR’s All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Morning Edition as well as BBC Radio 2 and 4, and CBS Sunday Morning, and has sung harmony on albums by Suzanne Vega, Bryan Ferry, Nanci Griffith and Shawn Colvin. Her song “Guilty as Sin” was featured in the NBC television show “Ed,” and her vocals were featured in the Tom Cruise film “The Firm.

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Shane Koyczan
Nov
8

Shane Koyczan

Shane Koyczan

Derrick Brown

Shane Koyczan

There are some artists who happen to be in the right place at the right time… that moment when the door is still slightly open and there’s just enough space to sneak through. Then there are those artists who find themselves standing in front of a closed door, but instead of waiting for it to open they kick it in to go through. In the rise of Spoken Word’s popularity, that open door cannot be discussed without saying the name Shane Koyczan.

In 2010, the world caught a glimpse of Koyczan’s prodigious talent with his presentation at the opening ceremonies of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This stand-out performance helped shine a light on this street poet from Vancouver’s downtown east side.

Shane had been an artist, inches away from living on the street, who even in those troubled times was putting out work like To This Day, a video that’s garnered 24 million views and is used worldwide in classrooms as a teaching tool, as well in speech and forensic competitions. His second book, Stickboy, was adapted into an opera by Vancouver Opera. His voice has been sought after by luminaries like George Miller, who worked with Shane on Mad Max: Fury Road. Koyczan also created the piece, Shoulders, which he toured with David Suzuki as part of The Blue Dot Tour, a movement to enshrine environmental rights in the constitution.

A collaborator with artists such as Ani DiFranco, Dan Mangan, Tanya Tagaq, and others, Koyczan has elevated the art form of Spoken Word from its humble beginnings in afterhour cafes to stages both grand and distant. Shane brings an authenticity to his work that connects with audiences, as evidenced by his fiercely honest TED Talk, which highlights the kind of humanity he brings to each performance.

Not just a poet moving on from one subject to the next, Shane weaves his pieces together in a spellbinding narrative that show audiences themes that stretch over our lives. Koyczan continues to trek through the difficult parts of our existence with humour in heart, and a notepad in hand; he scribbles down the whispers inside us and uses laughter as a poultice to press against our wounds. In 2017 Shane invited us deep into family trauma with the documentary “Shut Up And Say Something”, an emotional trip through his past as he comes to terms with his estranged father. The film went on to win Most Popular Documentary at Vancouver International Film Festival, moving audiences with its bravery and vulnerability.

After a number of critical successes in the book world, Shane chose to depart from convention and carve out his own path as an independent artist. Koyczan launched his own publishing house, Stickboy Press, whose first collection was brought to life by a crowd funding campaign in which 1,688 backers pledged $91,154 to make A Bruise On Light, a Guinness record holder as the most money raised through crowdfunding for a book of poetry. Shane followed this success by publishing two graphic novels, Silence Is A Song I Know All The Words To and Turn On A Light.

A self-motivating machine, Shane also recently released a new collection of poems called The Basement In My Attic, and worked with Theytus Books to publish Inconvenient Skin, a journey into Canada’s own troubled history with residential schools and the treatment of indigenous people. It feels safe to say that there seems no territory beyond the reach of Koyczan’s pen or of his heart. An artist whose work has transgressed genres and given breath to a new generation of voices, Shane Koyczan wears the mantle of human and dares others to discover what that means.

Derrick Brown

Derrick C. Brown is a poet, novelist, comedian, and storyteller. In 2023, Paste Magazine named his Comedy and Poetry Record ‘Album of the Year.’ He is the winner of the Texas Book of The Year award for Poetry. The New York Times calls his work “…a rekindling of faith in the weird, hilarious, shocking, beautiful power of words.”

He is a former paratrooper for the 82nd Airborne. He is the owner and president of Write Bloody Publishing, which Forbes and Filter Magazine called “…one of the best independent poetry presses in the country.” He is the author of ten books of poetry and four children’s books. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Alex Embler & Friends feat. Pauly Paul + Profa
Nov
7

Alex Embler & Friends feat. Pauly Paul + Profa

Seven Teller

Seven Teller is an art-rock band created in 2021 by Baltimore musician and songwriter Sam Cochran. A blend of funk, dance, and roots music nourishes the band’s unique, immersive sound. During live performances, the group improvises between songs by adding psychedelic textures on top of upbeat rhythms. Their devoted fanbase, commonly known as “Teller Family,” travels hours to concerts, so the band tries to make each night feel more spontaneous and special than the last. There are moments too when the whole room becomes connected to the music and it feels like there is no band or audience. Moments like these are what the band strives for. Seven Teller has two singles out right now and just released their record ‘Jester’ on June 12th.

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Shallow Planet
Nov
6

Shallow Planet

Shallow Planet

Chay Vicious, The Dead Queens

Swallow Planet

Shallow Planet is a band based out Northern VA. The group’s goal is to, through music, elicit a wide range of emotions and to create an immersive experience for the listener. Their music is primarily rock-based, but a strong importance is put on dynamics, storytelling, and atmosphere, using influence from other genres such as indie, pop, metal, funk, and more. Their debut album “Real Forever After” released on August 31st, 2024, and is available to listen to everywhere.

Chay Vicious

Chay Vicious is a 5-piece hard rock band from Washington, DC. The band came together through a mutual obsession for heavy riffs and screaming guitar solos.

The Dead Queens

The Dead Queens are an alternative hard rock trio from Leesburg, Virginia who expertly blend all musical sounds and genres ranging from blues rock, desert and garage rock, as well as 90s alternative. The band is fronted by bass player, and lead vocalist/lyricist, Aidan Bashore as well as lead guitar player, Alden Cizmic and Drummer Ben Carra. With hard hitting originals and a perfectly crafted list of covers ranging from Foo fighters, The Strokes, Queens of the Stone Age, and White Stripes, only to name a few. The Dead Queens bring a certain loudness and talent filled bravado to every show they play.

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Charli vs. Chappell Dance Party feat. znl
Oct
31

Charli vs. Chappell Dance Party feat. znl

Get ready for a Femininomenon like no other! Join us for the Charli vs. Chappell Dance Party, where local dj, znl, will be spinning hits from Charli XCX, Chappell Roan, and more all night long. Picture You dressed in your fiercest costume, hitting the dance floor, and battling it out to see which pop queen reigns supreme this fall. Whether you're so Julia or taking it Hot To Go, this dance party will have you living in your own pop fantasy.

znl

znl makes genre-diverse dance music for the existential club goer. His tracks and DJ sets blur the lines between jersey club, hyperpop, house, garage, and more. A DJ and producer since 13, he's been making waves in the DMV scene.

Music | Instagram | Facebook | Twitter

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Pink Skies
Oct
30

Pink Skies

Pink Skies

Pink Skies is an indie psychedelic project from Bay Area native Arieh Berl. Starting with the first release in 2018, Pink Skies  has become known for his groovy baselines, shimmery guitars, and catchy vocals. In 2020 he released his breakout album, Spectra, which cemented Pink Skies as a growing talent and features fan favorites, “Spectra,” “Do You Feel High?” and “I’ll Be Here A While.” In 2021 he released Summer’s For Lovers which featured more hit songs like “Ride With Me,” “Santa Barbara Fireflies,” and “One Second.” Pink Skies have toured as a band with artists like Cannons, NEIL FRANCES, TV Girl and recently with Magic City Hippies in the summer of 2023. In 2023 he also released his 4th studio album The Tree That Broke The Cement. In May and June of 2024 Pink Skies co-headlined a US tour with Private Islands and this fall the group is happy to bring their very own headline show to fans across the US along with a new EP. Outside of Pink Skies music, Arieh has also produced music for 6LACK, Khalid, SAINt JHN, Layto, Ashley Sienna, and others.

Stevedreez

Born in Japan, Stevedreez is the moniker of producer and songwriter Stephen Dries. Fueled bya longstanding love of 70s & 80s culture and imagery, his space-age blend of pop transcendsgenres and is largely self-produced. Steve has independently released three EPs-MOVEMENT(2018),Mirage(2019) andPINK SLIP(2020)-all while gradually building his discographythrough singles likeSTAY UP,DARLING,SMOKING SECTIONandHYPNOTIZE, garneringmillions of streams across all platforms. His EP,DIAL TONE(2023), was released throughChromeo’s Juliet Records.SIDELINE TAPES, VOL. 1(2024), Steve’s latest offering, features10 previously unreleased songs that span across 2021 to 2023-showcasing his ever-expanding world of sounds. Where other pop artists choose the extremes of extrovertedvulgarity or introverted comfort, Dries’ music does neither. Instead, he chooses to ride theintoxication of nostalgia.

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Joshua Hyslop
Oct
28

Joshua Hyslop

Vancouver based singer-songwriter Joshua Hyslop makes a triumphant return with new album Westward, via Nettwerk. Since emerging with his 2012 full-length debut Where The Mountain Meets The Valley, Joshua Hyslop has accumulated over 293 million streams worldwide, performed over 250 shows spanning North America and Europe, garnered critical acclaim and support throughout the media and industry peers and has carved out an impressive diehard fan base.

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Danger Bird – A Tribute To Neil Young
Oct
26

Danger Bird – A Tribute To Neil Young

Danger Bird is the Mid-Atlantic’s premier Neil Young tribute band. Launched in 2016, Danger Bird has been packing venues and thrilling audiences ever since their very first performance. Comprising five seasoned veterans of the DMV (DC, MD, VA) live music scene, their experience and professionalism ensure consistently excellent and entertaining shows. Drawing from Neil’s acoustic days in the Toronto folk scene, through the golden sound of the Buffalo Springfield in L.A., the proto-grunge of Crazy Horse, the shimmering vocals of CSNY, the country roots of The Stray Gators and The International Harvesters, all the way to the raw energy of The Promise of the Real, Danger Bird digs deep into the catalog of one of the greatest songwriters ever. They take their audience on a “Journey Through the Past”, spinning the story of Neil Young and his music. Their vocal harmonies and faithful arrangements will have you believing you are hearing the great man himself.

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The Fabulous Dialtones
Oct
25

The Fabulous Dialtones

The Fabulous Dialtones return to Jammin’ Java in Vienna, Va on October 25th to perform an evening of Beatles music!!
The FDTs will cover early Beatles acoustic classics, toe-tapping electric rockers, tunes from their movies, memorable ballads, unforgettable songs from their more complex growth during the late 60s as well as post-Beatles work from the 70s and 80s!  This is not a tribute band act. No collar-less suits or Nehru jackets. No Sgt, Pepper uniforms. No wigs!  Just the FDTs bringing out our full kit of toys ( acoustic and electric guitars, pedal steel guitar, drums, keys synths and harmonicas (yes, 2 of them) and, of course The Beltway Horns!

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Luna Luna
Oct
21

Luna Luna

Luna Luna

Austin-based, by way of Dallas, Indie quartet Luna Luna has bested the local climate and bent the scorching Texas sun to their will across emotion-drenched, euphoric throwback synth-pop grooves. Originally the sole project of Colombian-born, Dallas-bred Kavvi Gonzalez, Luna Luna has grown into a four-piece through serendipitous meetings that has expanded to include Danny Bonilla (vocals/keys), Kaylin Martinez (drums) and Ryan “Gordo” Gordon (bass/backup vocals). From being drawn together by performing house parties across Texas to now lighting up stages of renowned venues, Luna Luna has earned a reputation of perpetually building up a passionate fan base eager to turn up, swoon, and slow dance.

In 2018, they released their shimmering debut EP For Lovers Only, which combined the innocence of teenage love with dreamy retro synth-pop. In 2021, they followed up with their debut LP Flower Moon that put their kinetic friendship on full display and built around the original idea of a lost boy confused about life and turning to the moon for answers. Marking their latest chapter, Luna Luna has released a string of singles including their latest bilingual hit “Talk Too Much,” which Billboard noted “will have you swooning in no time with their wistful synthpop and slow-burning indie rock.“

Their catalog to date has garnered much praise from media, including glowing reviews by tastemaker outlets like PEOPLE, NPR, OFFICE, Paper, FLOOD, Earmilk and REMEZCLA, to editorial playlisting like Spotify’s New Music Friday, Clash and Latin X Rising. Their growing following has also come to include a coveted Audiotree session, an 88K following on Tik Tok and brand partnerships with Jack Daniels and Alvies Boots, marking Luna Luna as no doubt one of the buzziest acts today with key players taking notice.

On stage, the band continues to sell out crowds during headlining national tours, including stops at the historic Ford Theater in LA, opening for acts like Omar Apollo and scheduled at festivals like Austin City Limits Festival where they were featured as The Austin Chronicle ACL preview edition cover stars. With new music and tour dates on the horizon, they now enter 2023 situated for a big year ahead as favorites as Rolling Stone named them one of the Latin Bands to Break Big in 2023.

Leanys

21-year-old Leanys, with her Cuban roots and Miami upbringing, embodies a blend of Latin styles, R&B, Alternative and Pop music. She started writing poetry at 12 and put her first melody to her words at 13. She honors her bilingual life by making music in both Spanish and English.

Leanys, de 21 años, con raíces cubanas y crianza en Miami, encarna una mezcla de estilos latinos, R&B, alternativa y pop. Ella comenzó a escribir poesía a los 12 años y puso su primera melodía a sus palabras a los 13. Ella honra su vida bilingüe haciendo música en español e inglés.

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Pardoner
Oct
20

Pardoner

9PM - $15 - All Ages

PARDONER
San Francisco, CA
https://pardoner.bandcamp.com/

Pardoner is a force to be reckoned with; melding slacker rock attitude with pummeling hardcore for a visceral sound not unlike a trip to the dentist’s office and a novacaine high.
Every release since their 2015 inception has seen the group dial up their songcraft, culminating in a pair of exceptional LP’s - 2017’s Uncontrollable Salvation, and last years Playin’ On A Cloud. Their upcoming album Came Down Different, and first for Bar-None Records, was recorded in a whirlwind two days with veteran producer Jack Shirley.
Pulling from demos recorded with the help of like minded Vancouver punks Dumb, and new ideas birthed from a month of incessant rehearsal at their old SF lockout, the decision to double down on the band has yielded their best album to date. It features some of their most pop moments yet, even occasionally ditching the foreman shouting for genuine hooks.

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Eli Cook
Oct
19

Eli Cook

Eli Cook

Eli Cook comes from the crossroads of blues, the highways of rock and the backroads of country, and with his gritty voice, there ain’t nothing like it. His guitar prowess includes pickin’, slidin’, and strummin’ from a Fender to a National Resonator Tri-Cone; he amazes the traditionalists and scares the modern players.

Born and raised at the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia, Eli started young, and by the time he was 18, he was playing church revivals, “juke-joints” and opening for B.B. King, Johnny Winter, and Robin Trower.

Lena Traynham

Lena Traynham has long been a standout for her electrifying stage presence, wild flying hair and extraordinary vocal range, but as she prepares to debut her original music, she’s proving herself as a force to be reckoned with. With blending genres comparing her to artists like Stevie Nicks, Rachael Price and Rett Madison, her long awaited debut project has officially arrived with her first single, “Brick by Brick” – AVAILABLE NOW on all platforms!

Brassie

Brassie is an alternative singer-songwriter based out of Washington, DC. She performs as a solo acoustic act with a sound that draws on folk, pop, and rock influences.

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Amy Rigby – Album Release Show
Oct
17

Amy Rigby – Album Release Show

Amy Rigby has established herself one of America’s enduring underground/cult/indie artists, combining the insight and humor of country and folk songwriting with classic rock craftsmanship and punk DIY spirit. She formed pre-Americana country band Last Roundup (Rounder) and Richard Hell’s favorite girl group the Shams (Matador) in downtown NYC before launching a solo career with 90s classic album Diary Of A Mod Housewife. Amy’s honest, kinetic songwriting has earned her praise from critics (“pithy wisdom, acerbic pen and sterling American guitar classicism” MOJO) and other artists: “Think Randy Newman and Loudon Wainwright, at their best,” says Steve Earle. Her songs have been covered by Laura Cantrell and Ronnie Spector, John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants and Maria Doyle Kennedy. Her 2019 memoir Girl To City was called “an instant classic” by The Big Takeover. “You can smell the damp, see the clothes, hear the guitars!” says Goldmine. She divides her time between New York and the UK with her husband and sometime duo partner Wreckless Eric.

Amy Rigby releases a new album Hang In There With Me through Tapete Records on August 30, 2024.  Eleven up to the minute songs written by Amy and recorded by Wreckless Eric at the couple’s home in upstate NY, Hang In There With Me is a bracing look at life inside the vortex of the last few years. Mortality, aging and youthful missteps refracted through Amy’s insightful lyricism emerge not wistful but resolute —even triumphant. Rigby’s distinctive voice bluntly traverses love, loss and DIY projects gone wrong over guitars cranked or shimmering, indelible bass lines, a raft of synthesizers, keyboards, beat boxes and the occasional drummer allowed into Amy & Eric’s rustic mid-century echo chamber.

Like some people turn to the moon and stars for inspiration, Amy Rigby looks to creative heroes like Bob Dylan and Mike Leigh. She finds poetry in haircuts, live chat boxes; bartending and bookselling. Her music is the sound of everyday people getting by, just like the country artists she loved and learned to write songs from.

Hang In There With Me examines the impossibility of life and living it anyway, with abandon. To celebrate the release of her new album, Amy will be touring the US and UK in October and November 2024. She’ll be playing Jammin Java with her rocking trio with Wreckless Eric (bass, guitar and Omnichord) and Sam Shepherd (drums)

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Being Dead, Home Remedies, Half Bath
Oct
16

Being Dead, Home Remedies, Half Bath

9PM - $18 ADV / $20 DOS - All Ages

BEING DEAD
Austin, TX
https://beingdead.bandcamp.com/music

Being Dead knows how to make an entrance – within the first several seconds of EELS, the duo’s new record, the bright, hard-strummed guitar line on “Godzilla Rises” conjures cinematic immediacy, a creature emerging from the depths of the ocean in campy, freaky stop motion, fittingly so. Being Dead’s records are mosaics, technicolor incantations, each song its own self-contained little universe. And while the dreamlike EELS probes further into the depths of the duo Being Dead’s psyche, it is, most importantly, in the year of our lord 2024, a 16-track record that is genuinely unpredictable from one track to the next: a joyous and unexpected trip helmed by two true-blue freak bitch besties holed up in a lil’ house in the heart of Austin, Texas.

HOME REMEDIES
Washington, DC
https://www.instagram.com/homeremedies.dc/

HALF BATH
Washington, DC

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The Hangovers
Oct
14

The Hangovers

The Cornell University Hangovers are a collegiate A Cappella group for tenors and basses. They have served as a subset of the Cornell Glee Club since their founding in 1968. They just released a new album in the spring called Speak Easy and are excited to be touring the Pacific Northwest in Summer of 2025!

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