gig bag

After an amazing few months, the summer is coming to a close. But not before we take a moment to shed some light on some of the things that have helped to make this the hottest season on record for us here at DZ HQ. And now without further adieu, your last day of summer camp update:

First up on the docket I am proud to announce the release of the latest work from the always entertaining (and sometimes bemusing), the one and only Sitcom from Baltimore.

Since its digital release earlier this year, "Gig Bag" has already received some kind press from the likes of Stereogum, Tiny Mix Tapes, and GoldFlakePaint, and is available now for the first time on professionally dubbed pink cassettes with five-page liner in a limited run of 100.

"those who keep a keen eye on the U.S bedroom-pop scene will probably be aware of Jake Lazovick’s talent; one of those precocious, prolific acts that the country seems to have an abundance of, now and forever... there’s certainly a buried strain of implacable magic to his work, the kind of half-buried feeling you’re unsure of where it came from, or where it belongs, but which constantly tugs at you from the very heart of his weirdly wonderful songs. The new record does this from the outset." - GoldFlakePaint 

"Jake Lazovick’s latest album under his Sitcom moniker sounds like both his loneliest and most accomplished to date. Gig Bag feels like a largely solitary endeavor — with only background vocals from Joanna Smith occasionally penetrating the fold — but it’s never alienating. In fact, most of these songs sound like they’re begging for connection, yearning and presumptively hopeful... Lazovick makes muted pop songs for small spaces, insular notes that appeal to the introvert in all of us." - Stereogum 

"What on this surface of his live shows looks like flailing sketch of 101 Things to Learn in Art School, Lazovick’s worked his way into downtempo and house-influenced dance jamz with an oblique awareness of the performative body, the manic space between smile and frown, the body as DIY punchline. I guess it’s appropriate that the project’s been known as “Sitcom;” Lazovick’s performance feels like the taut ethos of a Seinfeld or Friends episode without the laugh track, a hit or miss confidence that’s probably essential these days in performance. Like Phil Elverum’s more stream of conscious efforts turned Demetri Martin one-liners (with maybe a dash of the Wiggles), Lazovick combats the roaring chaos of punk with a fearless gesture, a wonky boom-bap, an uneasy chuckle from the back of the room." - Tiny Mix Tapes

Tapes will start shipping early next month and your first chance to pick one up in person will be on September 7 at The Crown in Baltimore when Sitcom plays with Outer Spaces and Gun Outfit (more info can be found here).

Moving along to some more news that gives me the windows-down breeze-in-your-hair feeling that could only come from a stretch on the old American highway system, both Big Hush and Wildhoney are prepping to hit the road and take the country by storm before the next ice age sends us the way of the mastodons.

  

Big Hush will be putting the pedal to the metal starting this weekend, so keep up with the band and find out where they're playing in your town by clicking the tour poster above.

And as if I weren't already the luckiest boy in the world, I'm thrilled to say that I will be accompanying Wildhoney on their trek in support of Cymbals Eat Guitars and Field Mouse starting mid-September! Needless to say, I'm overwhelmingly excited to join my friends on their nationwide tour, so check out the dates above and come chat me up at the merch booth, where I'll have the full DZ distro on display and freshly pressed copies of the band's new "Continental Drift" 4-way split vinyl with The Spook School, Mercury Girls, and Tigercats from Slumberland Records which premiered on BrooklynVegan earlier this week (listen here).

But before hopping in the van, there's three DZ gigs going down 24 hours prior to my departure:

Thursday, September 8 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge

Donovan Wolfington, Caddywhompus, and Dove Lady

(click here to RSVP)

Saturday, September 17 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge

Hovvdy, Yours Are The Only Ears, and Airhead DC

(click flyer to RSVP)

Sunday, September 18 at Hole In The Sky

Escape From DC Brunch XV: Yohuna, Cat Be Damned, and Slip Disco

(click flyer to RSVP)

Like there weren't already enough awesome things happening in this post, here's a brief recap of some of the more spectacular moments since the last update:

Half Waif was featured on the Best New Track section of Pitchfork, who had this to say about one of my favorite tracks from the record:

"Plunkett’s beautifully ornamented melodies—intricately woven, as if using harmonies to climb into the sky—recall Judee Sill’s flanged poise, or more so, the New Age webbings of Enya. Still, grounding the glassy “Turn Me Around” is a searing double-dutch beat that points square at pop radio. The music contains dark shadows as well as sugar—were you to text this Bandcamp link to a friend, the most appropriate emoji pairing might be a crystal ball and a lollipop." - Pitchfork

For more personal insight on the album, check out this recent interview Nandi did with The Village Voice, where she talks about blending analog atmospheres and digital recordings, her musical influences growing up, and more.

Down south, DZ alum Adam Torres has been prepping for the release of his upcoming album "Pearls To Swine" on Fat Possum Records, and the folks over at NPR have been keeping the new tracks on repeat. Just earlier this week, they featured "High Lonesome" on their Heavy Rotation feature, and last month they premiered the video for "Juniper Arms" which you can watch below:

Last month's half-decade celebration was a stellar success, featuring nine incredible bands playing to a packed crowd and enough free seltzer and ice cream to keep everyone sweet and bubbly the whole night through. The folks from Femchord used the chance to record an interview with Mal Devisa (which you can listen to here), Melted Magazine took some time to chat with Swings (which you can read here), and Julia Leiby took some intimate performance photos (some of which are below, the rest you can see here).

Mal Devisa

Dove Lady

Middle Part

Leapling

Before signing off, I want to send my love and gratitude to all the bands and friends who came together to make the anniversary show the most infinitely special time I've had all my years at the helm of this rinky-dink operation, and I'm impossibly grateful for all the support you all have shown me for the past five years. Cheers to ever-growing friendships and more marvelous music for many years to come~ ♥

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~

probable depths

With their new album "Probable Depths" released into the wild earlier this month (and streaming below), Half Waif is gearing up for an eventful summer, and the previously mentioned plans are just the beginning...

Starting late June the band will join Pinegrove and SPORTS on a full nationwide tour, spanning two coasts, two countries, more than 25 shows, and over a month on the road (click the poster above or here for full details).

So far the likes of GoldFlakePaint, The Revue, The Deli, and Brooklyn Vegan (who premiered the album earlier this month) have all had some lovely things to say...

“Combining pop sensibilities with the classical textures of violins and twinkling pianos, Brooklyn’s beguiling trio, Half Waif, sends un on a dazzling journey in her album Probable Depths… With swelling vocals, billowing synths, and blinking electronic melodies that lull us into a dream, the album is both achingly private and daringly open, as if each song was a stolen glance into Plunkett’s sonic world, each painting an acutely fine and deliberate stroke of her emotive life. A mellifluous pirouette of musical resplendence.” - The Deli Magazine

“what the full ‘Probable Depths‘ LP does is to throw its arms fully around the listener, not to tease you with the world itself depicts but to invite you all the way in and ask you to stay awhile, until what once felt distant and perplexing feels beautifully nuanced, a lush, vibrant, world, fierce with fire and fervour, that, over time and repeated visits, end up cozying up in, without the smallest intention of leaving.” - GoldFlakePaint

“Bjork’s got this feel, so does St. Vincent, but Chairlift’s Caroline Polachek is my favorite comparison. She and Plunkett share the stirring ability to mix clarity with out-there samples, pop-worthy hooks with Advanced Music Theory-final-thesis-worthy composition and finish it all with an ethereal, bleeding poetic sense.” - The Revue

“if you’re at all a fan of the type of pop artists that have a foot in the modern classical world, you should check this out. “Nest” has more than a few hints of Julia Holter, while most of the album is up a more similar alley to My Brightest Diamond/early Sufjan/etc. The whole eight-song thing is a great listen” - BrooklynVegan

And if that's not enough for you, check out the music video for "Nest" on DIY Mag and the band's full live set from a recent visit to the studio at WPIR Pratt Radio.

* * *

In other exciting new from DZ HQ, the next two tapes will be out next month, both very special rereleases for longtime friends of the label Wildhoney.

On their 2015 LP "Sleep Through It" (Deranged Records), the band proved themselves masters of creating a cohesive, yet diverse, full-length set of songs that left the listener wanting more. Critics noted the band's thoughtfulness and attention to dynamic.

In the other corner are "The Forgotten Works", the two EPs that started it all - a self-titled release (Nostalgium Directive) that showed off the band's heavy punk influences and first nervous forays into pop, and “Seventeen Forever” (Photobooth Records) on which the group advanced bravely forward, refining their sound and highlighting their catchy vocal melodies.

Meanwhile, a very special DZ alum Adam Torres has signed with Fat Possum Records for the release of his upcoming record due out in the fall! Adam and his band have a string of dates lined up in early June, check the full announcement here for the full schedule. 

Lastly, the 14th installment of Escape From DC Brunch is going down June 12 at Hole In The Sky, come BYOBrunch at enjoy a sunny afternoon of friendly vibes and groovy jives with Sitcom, Beverly Tender, and the new Poppy Patica full band lineup (click flyer for details):

I'm sure there's a few other things I've forgotten to post about with all the excitement boiling over in this post, so stay tuned for more updates on upcoming changes to boogie down~

it's coming

It's been a long time coming: In It Together Fest is taking place again in Washington DC this summer! The DIY fest's second iteration will be held from July 30 through August 2 at various spaces around the District, and we've got a top-notch assortment of acts already confirmed, including:

Cayetana / Rozwell Kid / Soda Bomb / Two Inch Astronaut / Jail Solidarity / Thou / and more

This year, we'll be working to support Collective Action For Safe Spaces, DC Abortion Fund, and We Are Family. For more information about the fest, click the graphic above. And if you haven't yet checked out the InFestDC mixtape, take a listen to the compilation below. If you like what you hear, make sure to pick up a copy before they're all gone - all proceeds from the cassette will be going back to the previously mentioned organizations! :) 

Tune in to In Yr Basement Radio on Radio CPR every other Wednesday from 6-7pm ET for more live cuts and upcoming show announcements. If you're in the Mt. Pleasant neighborhood of DC, you can turn your dial to 101.7 FM, but those of you outside of our range can still catch the show streaming online using this easy-to-remember link: tinyurl.com/radiocpr

I'll be skipping my next turn in the rotation, but you can catch me live on Wednesday June 24 or check out the back catalog here.

I got to record The Creature People last month, check out this beautifully hypnotizing, previously unreleased gem:

On the live show front, a couple of DZ denizens have some great gigs lined up for the near future in the DMV. Click the flyers below for more details:

Thursday, June 4 at The Windup Space in Baltimore

Romantic States w/ Cold Beat, Outer Spaces, and Boy Spit

Wednesday, June 10 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge

Adam Torres w/ The Creature People, Poppy Patica, and The UVF Rays

Sunday, June 14 at Hole In The Sky

Escape From DC Brunch III: The Black Sparks, Rachel Kline, and The Sniffs

Sunday, June 14 at Above The Bayou

Romantic States w/ Beth Israel and Bless

Lastly, ICYMI the new music video for Adam Torres' "Dusty Wing Spirit" was premiered on Stereogum last week, but you can view it right here. And don't miss Adam on tour! For a full list of cities and dates, check out his website.

walking dogs

The InFestDC mixtape showcases 22 of the top live tracks from some of DC's best rising bands, but in case that wasn't enough, I've got a pleasant surprise in store for you. Thanks to Radio CPR, I've now got the chance to share even more audio archives from the city's underground show scene. Check out the first ever broadcast In Yr Basement Radio below for some great B-sides that didn't make the compilation, and don't miss next week's episode on Wednesday, May 13 from 6-7pm ET on 101.7FM in Mt. Pleasant or online here.

Many thanks to Ad Hoc, Washington City Paper, and DC Music Download for their coverage of the InFestDC mixtape, and to Decoder Magazine and DCist for their praises:

"The whole collection is a thrashing but articulate window into the various communities the Fest, and DZ Tapes itself, knit together through their projects." - Decoder Magazine 

"Combining live music with a sense of community organizing and charity are the perfect trio to describe ... the personality of D.C.’s own cultural history" - DCist

Up next on the live event front is the next Escape From DC Brunch show at Hole In The Sky this Sunday, May 10 featuring the public debut of a new project with members of Two Inch Astronaut and Young Rapids called Sloganeers, alongside Chris Taylor in The Creature People and HITS resident guitar wizard Justin Zami (click flyer for details).

In case you missed the last show, we captured the first ever performance by Green God here on VHS for your viewing pleasure:

In other DZ show news, Big Hush take the stage with Beach Fossils and Den-Mate at the Rock & Roll Hotel on Thursday, May 14 (click here for details).

Lastly, the yearly Nelsonville Music Festival in Nelsonville, OH will be taking place May 28-31 and will be hosting some spectacularly talented musicians, including DZ alum Adam Torres. Other acts along for the fun include The Flaming Lips, St. Vincent, Ryley Walker, Michael Hurley, and more.

Before signing off, I wanted to send my gratitude to the Baltimore City Paper for their graciously in-depth review of the Romantic States release, calling it "a seductive, cohesive whole [that] isn't merely impressive, it's quite often hypnotic," and to DC Music Download for including me in their recent piece on Record Store Day.

Until next time, stay sound...

sneak peek

There's a lot of fun things coming up in the near future, and to kick things off here's a sneak peek of DZ16~

More about that later, but for now here's whats going on with the fam:

Big Hush are back at it this Friday, April 10 at 453 Florida Ave NW, playing alongside Wing Dam from Baltimore, Big No from Richmond, and a new project called Howling Void, featuring from members of Pygmy Lush and Sad Bones (click flyer for details).

On Sunday, April 12 at Hole In The Sky will be the first of a new installment of monthly anti-brunch shows featuring emerging local talent. Come out to the first gig and catch long-time favorites Two Inch Astronaut perform with supergroup Polyon, and be sure come on time to catch the first show by sludgy stoner fuzz rockers Green God (click flyer for details).

A little further down the line, and a bit north of here, Romantic States will be playing two different "last show" events at The Foxhole and KEITH in Baltimore. More recently, Gumshoe and Pop Perfect had some nice words for their self-titled release. Only a handful of copies are left in the store, so be sure to pick one up before they're all gone~

"[I] was immediately attracted to the way the music finds experimentation within it's lo-fi, stark song arrangements...It has become an album that I find myself continually returning to." – Gumshoe

Wednesday, April 22 at The Foxhole with Bellows, Sharpless, and Soft Cat (click flyer for details).

Saturday, May 9 at KEITH with Quitter, The Spirit Of The Beehive, and Soft Bats (click flyer for details).

Sitcom released a new collection of songs recorded live at a show earlier this year by yours truly. You can check out "Sock Draw" below:


And last but certainly not least we have Adam Torres performing "Voices From The Top Of The Mountain" live on The Trundle Sessions. The track is the first off the upcoming Nostra Nova re-release, due out on vinyl April 21 by Misra Records.

A full stream of the album can be found over at The A.V. Club. Enjoy the album and pitch in for a pre-order if you can! There will be more news from Adam in the coming months, so be sure to stay tuned for that and a big announcement from DZ HQ and the DC DIY show scene soon~ ✌

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.

spring forward

DZ16 is currently in production, but before I can spill the beans on that there are plenty of other fun things to cover! For all you lovely people in the DC area, there are some fun gigs coming up in the next week or so, click the flyers below for more details.

On Monday, March 16 at Comet Ping Pong we've got the record release show for local emo darlings Makeshift Shelters, who will be kicking off a tour to celebrate their new album 'Something So Personal' on Broken World Media. The show features support from karate chop punks Taking Meds from New York and DC sludge rockers Polyon.

Then on the following Monday, March 23 at the Beehive, we've got a homecoming show for Swings, who are on tour with Ohio cohorts BBC America. Boston-based Rye Pines and Something Sneaky will also be on the bill for their first times in DC, and the night will be capped off by this city's finest trio of space-traveling post-punks Two Inch Astronaut.

Those of you outside of the District's confines can still enjoy some new music here right from the comfort of your own warm computer c/o It Is Rain In My Face., who quietly put out yet another new album entitled 'The Sound of Us'.

Adam Torres is back home in Austin after playing a slew of shows out on the West Coast. The re-release of his 2006 cult classic 'Nosta Nova' is coming out in April on Misra Records, and to ramp up the excitement Stereogum was nice enough to showcase the track 'Dusty Wing Spirit'.



Decoder Magazine had some kind words for the new Romantic States album:

"The duo craft unwaveringly lighthearted pop tunes...the presentation makes me feel particularly nostalgic for the classic basement band setup — minimal guitar strokes atop steady rock beats, and an infectious youthful bounce as songs travel through their peaks and valleys, drive and rest. Romantic States’ stripped down formula allows space for the hooks to shine through, be it the breezy movement of instrumental interplay or the vulnerable, raw vocal leads. Their shimmery guitar work is particularly delectable during the prettier moments on the record, like the opening of “Fearless Kisses” before the tempo hastens into the soundtrack for a high school summer vacation. Romantic States succeed in deconstructing the superficial complexity that’s become commonplace in today’s candy-like pop music. Romantic States are songwriters with no compulsion to obscure their knack."

And lastly, we've got some fantastic photos from last weekend's Jobs Not War benefit show featuring Big Hush, who played alongside the very talented East Coast acts War On Women, Trophy Wife, and Priests.

Big Hush (courtesy of Andrade)

War On Women (courtesy of Schelldorf)

Trophy Wife (courtesy of Andrade)

Priests (courtesy of Andrade)

thaw

Another wild weekend of shows coming up for those of you in DC, Baltimore, Chicago, and Austin. Click the flyers below for more info, and godspeed to Owen from Big Hush who has three different gigs on Sunday night~ ✌

Friday, March 6

Romantic States w/ Crimson Wave, Bummer Vacation, and Naked

(Ottobar Upstairs in Baltimore, MD)

Pool Holograph w/ Pet Vices and Glass Eyes

(Cole's Bar in Chicago, IL)

Chris Suspect harDCore photography opening reception

(Leica Gallery in Washington, DC)

Adam Torres w/ Molybden

(El Cosmico in Marfa, TX [RSVP])

Saturday, March 7

Adam Torres w/ Real Live Tigers and Loblolly Boy

(Studium in Austin, TX [RSVP])

Sunday, March 8

Big Hush (filling in for Jail Solidarity) w/ Trophy Wife, War On Women, and Priests

(Wilson Center in Washington, DC)

Qualms (mem. Big Hush) w/ Mattress Financial, Palehound, and Joy Buttons

(The Beehive in Washington, DC)

Big Hush w/ Kabob-O-Taj and Jack Nicholson

(WMUC Studio in College Park, MD)

better

This weekend wraps up Romantic States' month of mini-tours as the band makes their final stops in Pennsylvania and New Jersey:

• Thursday 2/26 @ The Nest in Philadelphia, PA
• w/ Buster, Telepathic, and Furthermore
• Friday 2/27 @ Circuit City in New Brunswick, NJ
• w/ Secret Mountain, Fraternal Twin, and Slime Boyz
• Saturday 2/28 @ MakeSpace in Harrisburg, PA
• w/ Jana Hunter, Wildhoney, and Deletions

Meanwhile here in the District we've got a special Sunday matinee lined up for March 1 featuring some incredible and eclectic talent from around the East Coast to promote the next In It Together Fest.

Pile from Boston, who are starting off a nationwide tour in support of their new album 'You're Better Than This' on Exploding In Sound Records, will be headlining the bill. Playing alongside them in the afternoon will be Radiator King and The Effects, and as the day turns into night things will be get jazzed up with the help of Moor Mother Goddess from Philadelphia, Hypercolor from Brooklyn, and Ian G. McColm from Richmond.

Click the flyer below to RSVP and get more info:

Down in the southwest, Adam Torres hits the road this week, kicking off his tour with shows in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California:

• Wednesday 2/25 @ a house show in Waco, TX
• w/ Lomelda and Tapajenga
• Thursday 2/26 @ The 806 in Amarillo, TX
• Friday 2/27 @ a house show in Santa Fe, NM
• Saturday 2/28 @ Firecreek in Flagstaff, AZ
• Sunday 3/1 @ a house show in Long Beach, CA
• Monday 3/2 @ Hotel Cafe in Los Angeles, CA
• w/ DUGAS
• Tuesday 3/3 @ a house show in Los Angeles, CA
• Wednesday 3/4 @ Trunk Space in Phoenix, AZ
• w/ Canids, Madison Avery, and Cloud District
• Thursday 3/5 @ Great Job House in Tucson, AZ
• w/ Human Behavior and Karima Walker
• Friday 3/6 @ El Cosmico in Marfa, TX
• w/ Molybden
• Saturday 3/7 @ Studium in Austin, TX
• w/ Real Live Tigers and Loblolly Boy

More info on Adam's tour and other big things in store can be found on his website.

man and his symbols

Adam Torres has been hard at work over the past year, putting together some fantastic new work in preparation for big things to come in 2015, starting with a tour out west to kick things off later this month. Click the poster below to check out Adam's site for more details on these shows.

Additionally, Adam's 2006 release Nostra Nova will be re-released in April on vinyl c/o Misra Records and is currently available to pre-order here. Check out this recent interview with Adam in which he discusses music, literature and his past, present, and future with Highway Hearts, then revisit the classic track "Breakneck Jane's Fifteen Minute Escape" with this video directed by Brian Wiebe.

Romantic States are bringing the caravan down south this weekend with shows in Virginia and North Carolina. If you're in the area for one of these fine gigs, make sure to stop on by:

• Thursday 2/19 @ Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA
• w/ Basmati and Young Scum

• Friday 2/20 @ Meridian Coffeehouse in Williamsburg, VA 
• w/ Zooanzoo, Toby Summerfield, and Ethan Vojtko

• Saturday 2/21 @ Nice Price Books & Records in Raleigh, NC
• w/ SMLH

Big Hush cassettes are now officially sold out from the DZ merch store, but if you missed picking up a copy you can still get them at the Dischord Records distro while supplies last.

And lastly, I've been keeping pretty busy with a new project gathering audio archives of events from the DC DIY scene and have yet to post any of the live recordings I've captured since late last year, but I thought it'd be nice to cap off this post by sharing the music of Emperor X from his DC show last month. Take a listen and stay tuned for more live recordings in the very near future!

drive

DZ15 is on its way down I-95 courtesy of Baltimore duo Romantic States, who continue their minimalist approach to writing and recording, while integrating dynamic shifts not explored in earlier work. The result is a collection of raw, sparse, and skeletal lo-fi rock songs that are sincere, vulnerable, and haunting. Jim and Ilenia's newest works have been compiled for release on a self-titled album out February 6 and the band will be touring the East Coast throughout the month.

Special thanks to Spanish magazine Shook Down for their kind words about the album and for premiering "Back Pain" on their site. Look out for an interview with the band in the next physical copy of their magazine, and check out the track below for your first sneak peak at DZ15:

"9 canciones honestas, cristalinas y eso, minimalistas, una propuesta de corazón lo-fi que desprende honestidad, la misma que habían desfilado en algunos de sus trabajos anteriores" - Shook Down

"Romantic States are a minimalist experimental rock band from Baltimore, emphasizing rhythm and melody over instrumental complexity. Their sound is spectral, with live drums and drum machines combined to provide a back beat for reverby guitars and washed out, dream-like vocals in their own version of deconstructed pop/rock songs." - The Modern Folk Music Of America

Tapes are available for pre-order in the merch store, along with a limited number of older cassettes unearthed during my move, including releases by Wavepool Abortion, Ghostandthesong / Chris Rehm, Terror Bird, Adam Torres, Pool Holograph, and Birkwin Jersey, plus one last copy of DYVNZMBR2.

Additionally, Tape School in Tokyo is now stocking some more recent releases - Big Hush, Hazey Jane, Easily Suede, The Sweets, and Seabright all safely made the trip across the globe.

Stay tuned for more updates on DZ15, including new tracks and event info, coming very soon...

stay sweet

This first month of the year packed quite the punch and things are showing no signs of slowing down. We've got two great shows lined up next week - click the flyers to RSVP.

On Friday, January 23 at the Communiverse with Baltimore babes Et Al. and Boy Spit pairing up with local lovelies Passing Phases and Nice Breeze.

Then the very next night, Big Hush share the stage with Wildhoney, on tour supporting their debut full-length album Sleep Through It on Deranged Records. The bill's filled out by Expert Alterations and Myrrh Myrrh.

The final lists from last year were slow to trickle in, but GoldFlakePaint bestowed its honors upon the Wholes EP, naming it one of their Favorite Tapes of 2014, pointing to the release's "tight instrumentation and seemingly effortless harmonies bundled with powerful songwriting." Echo Bay caught the band live on VHS in the wild performing an unreleased track titled "Walk On" at the Rocketship show, check it out!

If you missed the Daytrotter session by Adam Torres, make sure to take a listen to his new material and updated renditions of old favorites.

And finally, I'll leave you with some photos from last week's show at The Beehive, featuring Emperor X, Sitcom, Trunkweed, and Br'er. Thanks to everyone who came out and to Alex Schelldorf for the pics!

Emperor X

Sitcom

Br'er

moving on

2014 is coming to an end, but not without a few more events to close out what's been a momentous year of music in the DC DIY scene. Check out the details below and click the flyers to RSVP.

First up is an In It Together Fest promotional event on Saturday, December 27 at The Pinch, featuring Meridian, Two Inch Astronaut, Polyon, Boardroom Heroes, and Collapser (playing their last show ever, purportedly). Join us for a brief retrospective and a look ahead to the fest's next iteration.

Then on Sunday, December 28, Big Hush will be joining Chain & The Gang and Qualms (first show!) at Comet Ping Pong. Come out to catch the good vibes, and peep this shining review of the Wholes EP by GoldFlakePaint to get you in the groovy mood.

"From full on shoegaze sustain to amplified campfire folk, Big Hush’s repertoire to date maps out a clear path of progression to their newest collection of songs...The four tracks featured on Wholes blend the delicate with the overwhelming. The soft-nurtured vocal expressions combined with guitar tones that can cry, sing and growl all at once make for the most affecting noise-pop you’re likely to hear any time soon." – GoldFlakePaint

And for those of you in Austin, Adam Torres is back home and playing one final show at Studium on Sunday, December 28 with Abram Shook.

Before I sign off, I'd like to say a quick thanks to Ground Floor Go for their shout out and inclusion of The Sweets Greatest Hits album as one of their Top 10 Cassettes of 2014! There's already a few things in the work for next year, so keep your eyes and ears open for more from DZ TAPES in 2015.