cinco años

Funny how fast the time flies when you're having fun. Almost five years ago our first release came out, and now it's time to take a moment to look back and celebrate...

Saturday, July 9 at Hole In The Sky DC

DZ TAPES 5 year anniversary ft.

Big Hush, Wildhoney, Swings, Mal Devisa, Leapling, Two Inch Astronaut, Dove Lady, and Nox

(click flyer to RSVP or visit tiny.cc/dz5yr)

Special shout-out to everyone who's helped things progress to this point, and special thanks to Mike from Red Table Press for the absolutely gorgeous 5-layer glow-in-the-dark silkscreen poster design above - prints are limited to a small run of 10 and will only be available at the show, which will also be featuring a visual retrospective of photos and posters by Chris Suspect, Michael Andrade, Alex Schelldorf, LA Johnson, Sean Berg, JD Deardourff, and more.

~

Elsewhere in the DZ universe, Half Waif has kicked off their full national tour with Pinegrove (full list of shows can be found here) and is somehow still able to put out some quality content for the music community near and far. Just take the following examples:

- A dazzling new track exclusively appearing on the "afterthoughts" mixtape by minikin, a benefit for We Make Noise, an organization that makes music accessible for underprivileged youth in Brooklyn.



- A contribution to the "Forever Beautiful" compilation, serving to benefit the victims of the Pulse shooting as part of the OneOrlando Fund as a symbol of solidarity as the city rebuilds.


- A solo performance of "Overthrown" by Nandi captured on video by Chiu Productions.

Meanwhile, our old friend Adam Torres is gearing up for the release of his upcoming full-length album on Fat Possum Records, and has dropped two new singles recently. Check out "Outlands" on NPR's All Songs Considered and "High Lonesome" below, premiered by Stereogum:



We've also restocked both Big Hush releases by request, with second pressings available in limited quantities in the merch store:

Lastly, those of you in Tokyo can look forward to seeing some of our latest releases available to touch and feel with your hands and ears at Tape School. Many thanks to Gejio and the kind folks there for their continued support of our little operation and many others just like it~

high ceiling

Big Hush are kicking off the weekend with a gig at American University on Saturday, March 28 featuring the newest Ian Svenonius project ESCAPE-ISM, Chris Moore and The Rememberables, and Video Love from Paris (click flyer for details).

On Sunday, Foozle bring their jangly pop-punk to the Pinch and join Brooklyn cyberpunk dreamers ONWE and bedroom pop shoegazers Nicholas Nicholas (click flyer for details).

Next weekend, the real fun begins at the 18th annual MACROCK independent music festival in Harrisonburg, VA. On April 3 and 4 a bunch of awesome bands will be shaking up this small college town - the list includes Spray Paint, Two Inch Astronaut, WEED, Swings, Elvis Depressedly, Crying, Rozwell Kid, and more.

DZ TAPES will be posting up at the label expo with the first sneak peek of our newest release, alongside other new goodies from In It Together Fest and Red Table Press. If you're in town for the festival, make sure to stop by our table for your chance to pick up a copy of DZ16 before it's public release. For more info on the label expo, click the image below.

Until then, I'd like to leave you with this beautiful live recording of "Shining Hour" by Adam Torres on KUTX Austin. Adam's got a lot more fantastic music in store, so stay tuned for additional greatness to come in the near future.

bittersweet

I'm happy to report the Two Inch Astronaut 'Foulbrood' release show may have been the best gig I've gotten to put on at the Dougout. From top to bottom all the bands were amazing, and I was lucky enough to get some halfway decent recordings of each set as part of a new project I've been working on to archive DC's DIY live music scene. While most of the recordings won't be made available just yet, I'm thrilled to share one - the first ever Mannequin Pussy acoustic set! Marisa was kind enough to sit down and play three MP tracks and one brand new song from her upcoming solo debut. Special thanks to WMUC for their help in making this happen. Take an advance listen to the set below, check the soundcloud page for the track list, and tune in to WMUC radio Sunday at 6pm ET for this and some great live music from Au Revoir, Wish List, and Go Cozy on Third Rail.



Another huge shout out to Big Ups, Washer, and Jail Solidarity, plus a huge CONGRATULATIONS to Sam, Andy and Matt on the album release! We were also blessed to have Mike from Red Table Press design and screenprint a limited run of this awesome glow-in-the-dark gig poster below.

Two Inch Astronaut (courtesy of Nicole)

Mannequin Pussy (courtesy of Alex)

Big Ups (courtesy of Alex)

Washer (courtesy of Alex)

Jail Solidarity (courtesy of Alex)

On a more somber note, it’s with a heavy heart I announce that starting in 2015, I will no longer be living at The Dougout. Nearly three years have passed since the mates and I moved in and began hosting DIY shows, and now the time has come for me to make my next move. This place has been so much more than a home to me and I’ll cherish the memories made in this house for the rest of my days.

It was here that I first planted my roots as a resident of the District, forged immeasurable bonds with two awesome amigos, made countless new friends (and reunited with ones from days long ago), showcased an unbelievable number of immensely talented musicians, hosted my first DZ TAPES cassette release show, helped plan and put on the first ever In It Together Fest, cared for four different beautiful animals (and accidentally killed even more innocent plants), and learned more about myself than I’d ever thought I would.

While I will be making my departure at the end of this month, the spirit of The Dougout will live on through Geoff, Marshall and … You, perhaps (or someone you know)?

Let this post serve as a call to anyone who’s ever dreamed of living in a DIY punk house in Washington, DC. The rent is cheap, there’s space aplenty, and many more awesome shows to be put on. If you or anyone you know might be interested in taking my spot, please check out this Craigslist posting to get the conversation started. The new housemate should be ready to move in on January 1.

As for me, this is certainly not the end of my time booking shows in DC, so be on the lookout for more live events in the near future.

get gooey

The Sweets keep riding their rolling riptide here in early 2014. The band has been spread the love most recently with the Zing Zang EP, one half of a split cassette with fellow North Carolinians Petey, out now on Bleeding Gold Records. They've also got a new track appearing on the If You Fall I'll Fall With You compilation from Edils Recordings, and did an interview with Reverb Raccoon where they discuss all their recent and upcoming releases, including the Greatest Hits and a future project with Goodbye Boozy Records.

Additional news of note coming down the pipeline includes the imminent arrival of DZ12, which is in its final phases of production (more info on that to follow), and It Is Rain In My Face. self-titled cassettes, which are back in stock over on Mat's bandcamp page (along with a snug and stylish new silkscreened t-shirt).

Reservations for the Iron Chic show at The Dougout filled up within hours of going public, but that's not the only upcoming event in Northeast DC worth checking out. If you like pizza and live in the district, you should stop by Hole In The Sky on Saturday, January 22 for the fifth installment of their art show series in which they'll be cooking up a 6 ft. pizza and surrounding it with pizza-themed artworks of the visual, installation and performance persuasion. The gallery will showcase works by artists previously featured here including Sean Berg, Ryan Ford and Red Table Press (who designed the awesome poster below commemorating the event). Come inside from the cold and enjoy some warm and gooey goodness with us!

smooth ride

DZ11 cassettes are dubbed, packaged, and will be shipped out by the end of the week, and Cactus Mouth called the Greatest Hits "a joy to listen to ... if you dig on lo-fi bedroom pop then scoop this goofy little release up." So to thank everybody for their support, a contest has been posted on the facebook page giving you the chance to win a free digital download of every DZ release to date. Here's a preview of the booty you could be looting, this one's "Coupe Deville" by The Sweets:



In live music news, the Dougout received some kind words from Myspace last week, putting it on their list of "The 16 Best DIY Venues in the US" as their top choice for Washington, DC. Admittedly this took us by surprise, as there are a handful of other solid spots for house shows in the district, but we are honored nonetheless and certainly appreciate the recognition.

The next event is lined up for February 25 and will feature Iron Chic, Collapser and The Rememberables. Because the demand for spots to this show is so high, we're taking reservations for spots starting today at noon on a first come first serve basis. Visit this link to reserve your spot, and take a look at the event page for more details.

This past Sunday we hosted a handful of talented local acts at a show commemorating our two-year anniversary. I'd like to thank all the friends and fans who came out to help us mark the occasion, the bands Teen Liver, Wildhoney, Expert Alterations, Cool People and Circus Bear for playing great sets, and Red Table Press for adding some style to the bar with the custom sign you'll see below, along with some pictures snapped and lent out by a few lovely gents.

Teen Liver (courtesy of Jason)

Teen Liver (courtesy of Ahmad)

Cool People (courtesy of Jason)

post-solstice explosion in sound

2014 is finally here and as some of you have already noticed, pre-orders for DZ11 are now live. With winter's longest days behind us, there's no better time to let The Sweets warm you up with the soft sun-crisped sounds of summertime. Catch a glimpse of lazy fun times ahead in the video for "She Says" from the "Just The Dudes EP" released on Bleeding Gold Records last year, and now through the end of January you can take an extra 10% off anything in the store by using promo code "loveandrockets" at checkout.

Those of you in the district looking to catch some good live music are welcome to join us January 17 at the Dougout for a volcanic display of talent from Carpark Records and Exploding In Sound Records.

ϟ Speedy Ortiz (Northampton, MA)
ϟ ϟ Grass Is Green (Boston, MA)
ϟ ϟ ϟ Two Inch Astronaut (Silver Spring, MD)
ϟ ϟ ϟ ϟ Collapser (Washington, DC)

Hot and steamy rocket-powered glow-in-the-dark prints designed by Red Table Press will be available in limited numbers. Click the poster below for more details about the show.

reverse labatomy

The next DZ live event is coming up on October 12, and this time around features three relentlessly explosive acts from Murderland in Two Inch Astronaut, Hive Bent, and Scott Russell. This will most assuredly be a bitchin' loud time. Come out to the Dougout to catch these three hard acts and enjoy the crisp autumn evening with some friends and brews. Limited edition glow-in-the-dark screenprints have been specially concocted for the occasion by Mike O'Brien at Red Table Press and will be on sale at the show in addition to other gnarly band merch. Click the image below for more details about the show.

In other upcoming concert news, Birkwin Jersey will be supporting Small Black for their show on October 8 at Sticky Mike's in Brighton. Click here for the scoop.

Lastly, I've got some new It Is Rain In My Face. goodies to share with you. Mat's been working hard recently in preparations for an upcoming LP on Chill Mega Chill, but has still managed to put together some other new material in the meantime. Stream and purchase his new Untitled EP below: