grip the greats

Packing up all your belongings and moving to another place makes for a great time to reflect on where you've been and where you're going. When thinking about my favorite music from this past year, I ran into trouble trying to narrow down the myriad choices of fantastic releases from 2014. But during the process of transitioning my record collection from its Ikea Expedit shelving unit into milk crates I came to the conclusion that showcasing the albums I loved so much that I actually forked over cash for them is more in line with the spirit of what music means to me. So without further adieu here's my list, complete with pictures and in no particular order:

My 10 Favorite 2014 Records & Tapes That I Actually Bought

Spray Paint "Clean Blood, Regular Acid" (Monofonus Press)

Alex G "DSU" (Orchid Tapes)

Two Inch Astronaut "Foulbrood" (Exploding In Sound Records)

Angel Olsen "Burn Your Fire For No Witness" (Jagjaguwar)

Blank Realm "Grassed Inn" (Fire Records)

Tonstartssbandht "Overseas" 2xLP (Company Etc)

Mannequin Pussy "Gypsy Pervert" (Tiny Engines)

Ricky Eat Acid "Three Love Songs" (Orchid Tapes)

Thee Oh Sees "Drop" (Castle Face Records)

Big Ups "Eighteen Hours Of Static" (Dead Labour)

Best Witches "Tour Tape" (Self-Released)

Jon McCallum "Surf Nazis Must Die" OST (Strange Disc Records)

Dura "Silver/Lawns" (Wounded Knife Records)

Pinkwash "Your Cure Your Soil" (Sister Polygon Records)

The Beds "Ride Again" (Ranch Records)

The Effects "Blister b/w Old Soul" (Self-Released) 

Parasol "Not There" (Lost Sound Tapes)

Jerry Paper / Andy Boay "Jerry Paper / Andy Boay" Split (Hausu Mountain)

The Rebel "The Shingles Collection" 2xCS (Monofonus Press)

Olive Drab "The Big Sleep" (Bird Tapes)

Before signing off, I'd like to thank the Washington City Paper for their nod to Big Hush, including the Wholes EP on their list of The Best Local Albums of 2014. Lastly, there were a lot of great releases I haven't bought yet and therefore could not include on this list, but one final shout out goes to all the independent artists and labels for making my world a much more enjoyable place. Cheers to another year of great music. ♥ Brett

success for my buddies

One last gig before In It Together Fest, this one was the kick-off show to the Alex G / Elvis Depressedly tour, featuring local favorites Teen Suicide, Wish List, and Ella from Makeshift Shelters, who sadly were unable play as a full band. Below is the scrumptious poster design drawn up by LA Johnson, as well as some awesome videos and photos taken throughout the night.

Alex G full set (courtesy of Patt)




Alex G (courtesy of Rachel)

Elvis Depressedly full set (courtesy of Patt)

Elvis Depressedly (courtesy of Rachel)

Teen Suicide (courtesy of Rachel)

Wish List (courtesy of Rachel)

swamp romp

I've got three DZ shows planned for later this month, and something pretty big happening the weekend of August 1 that I'll share more about when the time is right. For now, anyone looking to get into some fun in the DMV should scope out these shows (click the flyer for more info):

Tuesday, July 15 @ the Dougout

✄ WAREHOUSE (ATL)
✄✄ GO COZY (DC)
✄✄✄ NARRATOR (ATL)
✄✄✄✄ AMADELS (NYC)
✄✄✄✄✄ ANCHOR 3 (DC)

Thursday, July 17 @ Communiverse

☯ JULIE BYRNE
☯☯ ADAM LEMPEL & SUNATIRENE
☯☯☯ CAIN SCHEIBLE DUO

Saturday, July 19 @ All Saints Church

☂ ALEX G (PHL)
☂☂ ELVIS DEPRESSEDLY (SC)
☂☂☂ TEEN SUICIDE (MD)
☂☂☂☂ WISH LIST (MD)
☂☂☂☂☂ MAKESHIFT SHELTERS (DC)

Thanks to everyone who came out for the last DZ show featuring superb sets in the sweltering heat by Big Ups, Two Inch Astronaut and Atlas At Last. Sadly, Teen Suicide had to drop off the bill last minute due to a family emergency, so those of you who were bummed to miss them that night should definitely make sure to check out the show above. The wonderful Mr. Sean Berg blessed the occasion with the exquisite screenprint below and a few folks snapped some photos and captured video as well. Check out the goods below and stay tuned for more footage in the near future.

Big Ups (courtesy of Scott)

Big Ups (courtesy of Julia)

Lastly, The Sweets' Greatest Hits received some praise from Myspace, who put the compilation on their list of "25 Best Cassettes of 2014 (so far)" alongside some other stellar work from various label friends. Thanks for the shoutout and look out for a few more tapes coming later this year.