[Local] Black Checker, Grand Piano and The Fed @ The Wonderland Ballroom

Two big goals this year: discover more local music and see more local shows. While I am forever on the hunt for the DC folk scene (which does, absolutely, exist), the district is home to many fantastic bands that fall way outside of this genre. In a city known for gogo but with a large punk rock and dance pop presence, I would be missing out if I limited my love for local music to just the folk bands.

Bar shows are criminally underrated as activities within my circle of friends. Occasionally, I can rally the troops and get enough people out to support great bands playing our usual haunts. Solly's, Wonderland, Looking Glass Lounge and The Pinch are all favorites of ours, yet we rarely partake in the shows that grace these venues' stages.

Last Thursday, I gathered up a crowd of friends to see Black Checker, Grand Piano and The Fed put on a no-cover show at Wonderland. With tacos before at El Chucho, the night felt like a celebration of what makes our neighborhood area such a great place to live.

The Fed opened first. While I've never personally been to one of their shows, they seem to be an institution around here, playing shows in Ward 1 on a regular basis. Described as a blend between blues and punk rock, their sound is one anyone could really appreciate.

Grand Piano, a rock and roll band with many influences, played next. The Pittsburgh band killed it on stage, as all of a sudden the crowd at Wonderland was dancing along to their sax-heavy tracks. This band sort of caught us off guard too. Were they heading in a ska direction? Earlier on in the set, we said no but as the songs continued, we definitely felt a ska vibe. In my opinion, that is never a bad thing. Even without heavy vocals, there was an endearing distinction between their short songs. A few songs were played off of their latest Bug EP, including Army Ants, Lighting Bug and Lady Bug that really charmed the group over. At this point in the night, I felt like I had won. My friends were enjoying the music and there was hope bar shows could be a regular activity for us.

Of course, the band I was anticipating the most was Black Checker, a local pop punk rock outfit. Their EP, Fast, released during the end of 2013, was streamed many times while I was hiding out in rural Virginia for work. In my opinion, there's nothing quite like a little local music to ease the homesickness and this show reminded me why I love being in DC so much on the weeknights. Despite being the last band on the ticket, at 11PM on a weeknight, the crowd was still flush with excitement and engagement. Black Checker played most (if not all) of the EP, including my favorite track, Bagel Girl.

After the show, this thought still remains: will we ever know which local bagel shop barista inspired Bagel Girl? I don't know. If we're looking at quirky bagel shops in the area, my guess would be a girl from So's Your Mom, in Adams Morgan.

All in all, this (coupled with a few whiskey sours) was a good way to spend a Thursday night in this city. I'm looking forward to hopefully catching Black Checker again at The Velvet Lounge sometime in March and just attending more local shows in general.

[Local] The First Few by The Ripples

My alma-mater, The University of Washington, was attended by a slough of musically talented individuals who would later be part of Seattle's greatest bands (Sound Garden, The Long Winters, Macklemore & Ryan Lewis, Hey Marseilles, PUSA to name a few). With other universities in the general Seattle area, such as The Evergreen State College, Seattle University, Seattle Pacific University and The University of Puget Sound, the Seattle-Tacoma area of Washington State is not short on a creative music scene. Because I moved to DC after college, I often forget about the universities in the district. Georgetown, George Washington, and American, among others, also cultivate musical talent and bring a young livelihood to this city.

Although I wouldn't pigeon-hole them as a "college band", The Ripples, a new folk-rock band, is mainly composed of current students at Georgetown University. To say I'm impressed with their debut album, The First Few, would be an understatement.

The album opens up with Dorothy, a track that immediately tells the listeners which direction this album is heading in, "Midnight, comes around, the day you turn 19. Bags packed, you're ready, cab’s revving in the street." There's a coming to age theme yet the music accompanying the lyrics sounds more mature, in a good way. The energy of 1960's rock and the use of much harmonica will be a common thread as the album progresses.

Woke Up In Mexico, bringing in a more airy sound, turns the whisky from Dorothy into tequila. What I find fascinating is the liquors referenced in both songs actually describe the overall feeling put forth. Listeners will also find fantastic songwriting with clever metaphors to be another foundational aspect of The First Few.

The track I can't stop listening to is Portrait, which is an even-keel, balanced-sounding song throughout. Here, I like to hone in on the lyrics which reminisce on old times with family and friends using painting metaphors - brushes, strokes, and the richest of colors. This isn't the last time we get an art metaphor in this album, an upbeat track, Picasso makes use of the Spanish artist. I'd like to see more art and art history references in folk music - it's a nice change of pace.

Frankie's Song is impeccably composed, with a take on smooth jazz, that surprisingly sounds from California than anywhere else. This is a good example of the interesting characterization The Ripples feature in their tracks. Frankie sounds equal parts frustrating and endearing, but listeners get a good feel for the type of person she is at the core.

Listen to The First Few on bandcamp, soundcloud or spotify. Support Georgetown's newspaper and radio station by checking out their write ups on the album at The Hoya and the WGTB blog. You can catch The Ripples, with a few other local acts, at Rock and Roll Hotel tonight (tickets here).

Mix: The 7 District Sins

(living and loving in the district)

1. the "claws at your insides" fear of settling down, the questionable hookups and constantly "trading up". Sometimes, we manage to get attached. (Lust). 
2. many of us have arguably decent jobs, yet we still yearn for a greater calling. (Envy). 
3. even if we shouldn't be, we might all be living paycheck to paycheck. (Greed). 
4. happy hour, brunch, day-drinking, drinks for dinner, "does anyone in this city do anything other than drink?". (Gluttony).
5. completely shutting down 25% of our time, because the rest has been spent rallying. (Sloth). 
6. "If you're a dick to me, I will run you out of this neighborhood." (Wrath). 
7. What do you do and where are you from? (Pride). 

***

[Local] Morning EP by The Sun Kite

I keep lamenting over "breaking into the DC folk scene". To which, my friends and I question whether such a scene exists. I am convinced that it does, but not to the extent I'm used to being from Seattle.

That being said, a release such as Morning by The Sun Kite gives me hope that DC could be a place for folk to cultivate further.

Morning is conceptually, lyrically, and musically themed around, you guessed it, the morning and is the first of three releases. In my opinion, many albums nowadays lack something to tie everything together. I'm not saying every album released should be conceptual, but some sort of cohesion is always appreciated. When I first read the intents behind Morning on the bandcamp site, before listening, I was excited over the prospect but also a little apprehensive about how ambitious the project seemed.

Upon my first listen, I'm happy to say the project is beautifully executed. It's a slow build-up, on purpose, starting from Lantern through Braving The Wind. I think there's no other choice but to follow along with the intent and treat this EP as a niche. Listen to this in the morning -- preferably before the commute, work and that first cup of morning coffee. This is meant for stretching upon waking, embracing the birds chirping outside, taking a morning walk, watching the sunrise and soaking up that quiet morning period before the day actually begins. I'm fortunate enough to live right on the perimeter of Malcom X Park in DC. One of these summer mornings, I'm going to sit next to the fountain and play this through.

Michael Frommack, who self created the EP, reminds me of both Aqualung in the early tracks and Ben Howard in the later. For some reason, while listening to Bluebird Mend, I couldn't get Aqualung's 7 Keys out of my head. It's a strange parallel but I'm going to roll with it.

You can download Morning on The Sun Kite's bandcamp page or listen on Spotify!