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~

levitation

Quite a few fun things to get to, number one being the next DZ release by the illustrious Half Waif, project of the incredibly talented Nandi Rose Plunkett. A lover of synthesizers and pop tunes, her music features richly layered compositions of various origins. Placeless, and yet the product of many places: the imaginative wilds of Northern Massachusetts; Ohio's stark fields; Brooklyn buzzing at night; and ancestral homes across the ocean. The resulting work brims over with sounds: underwater echoes of Celtic melodies; mossy, blinking electronic soundscapes; and the ultra-sad chord changes of 19th-century art music. A carefully crafted glass menagerie of song.

Three singles have premiered in the lead up to the album's release on May 6, check them out below c/o Stereogum, The Line Of Best Fit, and Brightest Young Things:

"one of the more inventive indie acts rising up... a deceptively huge sound" - The Line Of Best Fit

"[a] bewitching Brooklyn-based trio that blend fluttery, glitchy beats with classical textures... 'Nest' blends strings and electronics together in a way akin to Bjork’s “Hyperballad” or some of Aphex Twin’s more lush tracks. Plunkett places a disarming level of emphasis on different syllables, as if she’s pressing buttons with her voice. She warps, twists and wraps her vocals around electronic instrumentation like it’s trapped deep in machinery, and the whole track seems to teeter between serene and hyper-robotic tones." - Stereogum 

"every so often, a song comes along that completely knocks the wind out of me because it just sounds really cool. Half Waif’s 'Nest' is one of those songs; it initiates with this slow, plodding beat, a single, crystalline voice. That sound continues to grow and multiply, until it becomes an orchestral, beat-inflicted but synth-driven song that’s atmospheric without fading into the background. There’s a universe inside of “Nest,” one that’s crafted out of small sounds made to look huge when they’re all pieced together. It’s the kind of single that I can listen to ten times over before I even think about its lyrics, the kind of song that makes me want to watch Half Waif’s creative process in action." - Stereogum

In addition to the kind words above, "Nest" was named one of Stereogum's 5 Best Songs Of The Week, "Overthrown" was track of the day on Elevtrtrax, and Nandi was featured in an interview segment on Alt-Philanthropy.

The release will be celebrated with a gig on May 12 at Baby's All Right in Brooklyn w/ Zula, Tigue, and twig twig, and more tour dates for the east coast and midwest can be found below:

~

Just down I-95 in the District, a couple great shows are lined up for the next few weeks:

Thursday, April 28 at Black Cat

Hemlines w/ Shellshag, Teenage Halloween, and Foster Carrots

(click here to RSVP)

Wednesday, May 4 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge

Hellier Ulysses, Go Cozy, Time Toss, and Tall Friend

(click flyer to RSVP)

Friday, May 6 at Above The Bayou

Mal Devisa and Romantic States w/ Cold Foamers and Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists

(click here to RSVP)

Saturday, May 7 at Above The Bayou (R.I.P.)

Big Hush w/ LVL UP, Furnsss, and Paperhaus

(click here to RSVP)

Sunday, May 8 at Hole In The Sky

Escape From DC Brunch XIII: Pregnant, The UVF Rays, and Suffer Dragon

(click here to RSVP)

Previously on Escape From DC Brunch we hosted Philadelphia Collins, Snail Mail, and Dove Lady and our resident photographer Bang snapped some solid pics, check some of the choice cuts below:

Philadelphia Collins

Snail Mail

Dove Lady

Elsewhere around the DMV, number one stunnas Big Hush were featured on NPR Music's "All Songs Considered" for their cover of Nirvana's "Sifting" for the third tribute compilation by Robotic Empire celebrating the godfathers of grunge.

Stream the track below and take a listen to the rest of the album featuring covers by Thou, Beach Slang, Basement, Mean Jeans, Daughters, and more:


Big Hush were also given a little shout-out alongside Flasher, Priests, Bless, and more on the Bandcamp blog in a piece on DC's punk scene that's definitely worth the quick read, as is the kind write-up of "Who's Smoking Your Spirit?" by Sonic Masala.

Up in Baltimore Romantic States put on a show at the Mobtown Studios which you can see and hear in the video below:

And lastly, today I'll begin my road trip down to Levitation in Austin, TX. Can't wait to catch up with friends at stops in Atlanta and New Orleans, and beyond excited to see some incredible acts including Brian Wilson (performing Pet Sounds), Animal Collective, Flying Lotus, Shabazz Palaces, Oneohtrix Point Never, Ty Segall & The Muggers, Ween, Courtney Barnett, Parquet Courts, Heron Oblivion, Boris, Royal Trux, and many more... if you'll be there feel free to hit me up~

trying

First off, my apologies for totally slacking on the blog front. Things have shifted into the next gear and while it's great that there are plenty of fun things to share (see below), plastering them on the antiquated blogspot has fallen down my list of priorities. Now with that being said, here's a look at the goods...

[DZ21] Mal Devisa is the project of Deja Carr from Northampton, MA in which she conjures up a soulful mix of driving bass melodies, funk-laden chord progressions, and hypnotizing harmonies to create her own uniquely sincere and entrancing musical poetry. In conjunction with her phenomenal new full-length album Kiid, DZ TAPES is releasing this self-titled compilation cassette that collects her two 2014 EPs along with some previously unreleased tracks.

You can catch Mal Devisa at the Women’s Jazz Festival in New York, NY on 3/21 with Alicia Hall Moran, and at MACROCK XIX in Harrisonburg, VA on 4/1 with a slew of great acts including Shana Falana, Abdu Ali, Dogs On Acid, Container, The Obsessives, and more.

[DZ22] Shya is Nate Sher from Oberlin, OH, and his debut long play "Trying" is a mellow yet emotive slacker rock gem. This bedroom pop project is teeming with candid lyricism and luscious chord progressions that will surely rouse your heart from the doldrums of winter just in time to soak up the bittersweet sadness of springtime. The full album will be released later this month, but for now you can check out "Food Poisoning" which premiered on ThrdCoast just a few weeks ago.

Shya will be hitting the road to play a few out-of-town dates later this month, stay woke:

3/20 in Athens, OH w/ Yours Are The Only Ears, Frozen Lawn, and Wasted Champs
3/22 in Boston, MA w/ We Can All Be Sorry, Ricecrackers, and LINA
3/24 in Philadelphia, PA w/ Joy Again and Addie Pray
3/25 in Washington, DC w/ Swings, Long Beard, and Fraternal Twin
3/26 in Kenyon, OH w/ Food Court and Teddy Farkas

* * *

Big Hush are also busting out into the wild for a spell in March, touring the coast and going as far west as my alma mater in bobcat country.

3/11 in Baltimore, MD w/ Outer Spaces, Bless, and Which Magic
3/12 in Richmond, VA w/ Pinkwash, Mad Existence, Burn/Ward, and Conflation
3/13 in Athens, OH w/ Governess, Just Curry, and Pasture Weeds
3/16 in Brooklyn, NY w/ Teeth People, WVFRMS, and Adios Ghost
3/17 in Easthapmton, MA w/ Digital Prisoners Of War, Halfsour, and Temple Cats
3/18 in Philadelphia, PA w/ Marge, Hot Tears, and Lonesome Leash
3/20 in Washington, DC w/ Mercury Girls and Airhead DC
3/25 in Washington, DC w/ Wildhoney and Expert Alterations

* * *

And finally, here's a few more DC gigs coming up to close out the last couple weeks of winter. Check back soon for more goodies in the near future~

3/11 at St. Stephen's - Hemlines w/ Pinkwash, Valencia, and Mirror Motives
3/13 at Hole In The Sky - Escape From DC Brunch XI w/ Big Huge, Bleary Eyed, and Kid Claws
3/17 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge - Beverly Tender, High Bloom, Foozle, and Golden Papi
3/19 at Songbyrd Music House - Nice Breeze w/ Puff Pieces and Jack On Fire

born in a thunderstorm

DZ21 is just around the corner, but there's plenty of cool things to cover for now, like

• this awesome Positive Force benefit show for Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center on Saturday, February 13 at St. Stephen's w/ Aye Nako, Governess, Didi, and Chimp Suit (click flyer to RSVP)

• the Big Hush gig on Friday, February 19 at Above The Bayou w/ The Goodbye Party, Hothead, and Scanners (click flyer to RSVP)

• the Nice Breeze show on Saturday, March 5 at Above The Bayou w/ Two Inch Astronaut, Kal Marks, and BRNDA (click flyer to RSVP)

• the other Big Hush jaunt on Thursday, March 10 at The Lilly Trotter Tea Lounge w/ Real Life Buildings and The Red Lines (click flyer to RSVP)

• this new Romantic States video for "Take My Hand And Run"

• and the beautiful streaming experience of Blithe Field's new album via http://theshadowswillfallbehindyou.com/

plus some other cool shit I probably missed in the rush to get this post up. Check back for more goodies coming soon, and stay sound~

take my hand and run

Plenty of good shows coming up, so let's take a look at what's going on with the DZ crew in the next few weeks, but ICYMI Romantic States have just put out a fantastic new 7" on Nebraskan Coast, which you can stream/download below. The band is playing a few gigs this weekend to support the release, so make sure to check them out if you're on the East Coast!

Thursday, January 21 at The Candy Barrel in New Brunswick, NJ

w/ Rita Fishbone, Halfsour, and Lil Nae Nae & The Jegadone Boys

(click here to RSVP)

Friday, January 22 at Alphaville in Brooklyn, NY

w/ Lame Drivers, Halfsour, and Summer Saints

(click here to RSVP)

Saturday, January 23 at The Crown in Baltimore, MD

7" Record Release w/ Wildhoney, Halfsour, and Quitter

(click flyer to RSVP)

Friday, January 29 at Songbyrd Music House in Washington, DC

Big Hush w/ Soda and Kid Claws

(click flyer for details)

Saturday, January 30 at Bathtub Republic in Washington, DC

Nice Breeze w/ Go Cozy, Grace Vonderkuhn, and What Moon Things

(click here to RSVP)

Saturday, February 6 at First Unitarian in Philadelphia, PA

Two Piece Fest IX w/ Romantic States and more

(click here to RSVP)

Sunday, February 7 at Black Cat in Washington, DC

Two Inch Astronaut LP Release w/ Hemlines and Laughing Man

(click here to RSVP)

More fun things are in the works for the coming months, but for now I just want to send a final thank you shout out to Post-Trash, Wake The Deaf, Circuit Sweet, and DC Music Download for the kind press on some of the DZ homies~

universal friend rays

Starting off 2016 with another new cassette - The UVF Rays, DC's scion of psychedelia Ryan Witt, is back with a fresh batch of introspective bliss. This new elixir takes the listener for a guided meditative exploration On The Sense Of Self, both shining down from the swelling sun as serene beams of reflective poetry and rising up from tranquil depths as euphonious waves calmly crashing on far distant shores of the imagination.

Each translucent purple tape has its own unique cover and was hand-dubbed-with-love right here at DZ HQ. Come celebrate the release with Adult Mom, Jawbreaker Reunion, Bad Moves, and Julian on January 6 at Above The Bayou in DC (click flyer to RSVP).

Here's a couple more shows coming up that should be on your calendars:

Friday, January 8 at CD Cellar in Arlington, VA

The Final Shows (R.I.P.) w/ Nice Breeze and more

(click here to RSVP)

Sunday, January 10 at Hole In The Sky

Escape From DC Brunch X: Long Beard, Lunch Cult, and Pisca

(click flyer to RSVP)

Wednesday, January 13 at Comet Ping Pong

Romantic States w/ Free Cake For Every Creature and Boon

(click flyer to RSVP)

2015 was great for music, and the final year-end accolades have trickled in. Special shout out to WAMU Bandwidth and Gimme Tinnitus for including some DZ artists on their lists of favorite songs from last year, and to Nooga, Post-Trash, and Washington City Paper for their recognition as well:

"Big Hush, with “Who’s Smoking Your Spirit?”, have cemented their status as one of the most exciting, moody and intricate bands to come out of the DC scene in recent memory. It is not often that a band can almost entirely change, speed up and distort their sound but remain entirely entrancing to listeners. Fans of ‘Wholes’ may need a little time to adjust to Big Hush’s new sounds but it is worth the wait." - Post-Trash 

"[Big Hush] knows how to submerge a great melody in a viscous slick of crunchy guitar riffs and thundering percussive blasts, while still allowing it to rear its head from time to time without throwing off the balance of the music. Everything is cranked up to 11, but that doesn't mean they've forgotten how to be subtle in their own raucous way. Despite their punk exuberance, these songs reveal themselves fully only after repeated listens. There are movements and slight shifts in rhythmic perspective that can be easily overlooked because of the ferocity of the band's creative drive, but they're able to maintain a cohesive melodic determination without sacrificing their heady and often-unexpected interpretations of their collective influences." - Nooga

"What’s most impressive about Big Hush’s Who’s Smoking Your Spirit? is the band’s fierce drive to reinvent itself. On last year’s Wholes, the local quartet explored a twangy, reverb-heavy sound, as if it had just completed a Ph.D. dissertation in shoegaze. With a shoegaze revival in full swing, it’d be easy for the band to keep milking that sound, but instead it forged ahead, exploring new sonic soundscapes that are far noisier—and poppier—than anything it’s done before." - Washington City Paper 

"In 2015, Hemlines glowed from its pedestal as one of the best bands in years to hoist the flag of feminist punk in D.C. Its blistering five-song EP, All Your Homes, announces the band and vocalist/guitarist Katie Park as an artery pulsing with rage and power. There’s real dexterity here; Hemlines shifts from easy to rough, from sunnier no-wave guitar work from Park and fellow guitarist Ian Villeda, to roaring distortion and big chords, all backed by Dana Liebelson’s bass high in the mix and the rock-steady drums of scene veteran Julie Yoder." - Washington City Paper

Since we last spoke, the Big Hush and Hemlines tapes have both sold out from the merch store, so before signing off, one more huge thank-you goes out to all of you who have supported the label as it approaches its five-year (!) anniversary in 2016. To show my thanks, I've picked 15 lesser-known releases from 2015 that I enjoyed and made a playlist - don’t let the year end without checking these out if you haven’t already (click image below to download).

Cheers to another trip around the sun set to a soundtrack of fantastic new music! ツ

who's smoking your spirit?

ICYMI: The new Big Hush EP is out now in a limited run of 100 gorgeous goldenrod cassettes! After all the pre-orders and tapes that were snatched up at the release show (which received some kind words in the Washington Post), there are less than 10 copies left in the merch store, though you can still get them directly from the band at all upcoming gigs. ✌

"Who's Smoking Your Spirit?" has already received some solid coverage from the likes of WAMU Bandwidth, Post-Trash [1] [2], Washington City Paper [1] [2], and DC Music Download [1] [2].

"[Who's Smoking Your Spirit?] exposes the band’s knack for infectious hooks. On “Cold Shoulder,” pulsing guitar and bass ride distortion to the front of the mix, while the dual vocals seem to exist on another plane entirely. Then, more than two-and-a-half minutes into the track’s gurgle and feedback, a pop song breaks out, with Ludwig momentarily winning a battle with the music, long enough to deliver the album’s catchiest refrain. It’s just a moment, of course. Big Hush still dabbles in shoegaze even when the drift and reverb seems to be holding a decent pop song’s head underwater." - Washington City Paper

"The EP’s five tracks, which merge together like ingredients in a murky stew, sound like an updated version of [My Bloody Valentine]" - WAMU Bandwidth

"Halfway between shoegaze and surf guitar is Big Hush, a DC band that makes a lot more noise than their name would suggest." - Black Cat 

"Mournful, sighing melodies sink deep as they play with surf and post-rock rhythms, while shoegaze feels more and more limited as a descriptor with every release." - Washington City Paper

Thanks to all the publications above and to everyone who has supported the release thus far! Stay tuned for more gigs in the near future, and don't miss these great lineups coming to the District:

Saturday, December 12 at Songbyrd Music House

Hemlines w/ The Effects, Wing Dam, and Wet Brain

(click flyer to RSVP)

Sunday, December 13 at Hole In The Sky

Escape From DC Brunch IX: Princess Reason, Go Cozy, and Airhead DC

(click flyer to RSVP)

Sunday, December 20 at Songbyrd Music House

Rick (from Pile), Snail Mail, Mattress Financial, and Charlie Down

(click flyer to RSVP)

And if all that weren't enough, there's one more bit of happy news coming out of Romantic States' camp. The band was able to raise enough money from fan purchases to adopt a manatee through the Save The Manatee Club! Margarito is an endangered West Indian manatee, known for being very curious, friendly, and social. He can be identified by a number of scars from watercraft strikes, and from his missing left flipper, which he lost after it was badly entangled in fishing line. Please dispose of your fishing line properly and be kind to animals!

cough

Surprise! Big Hush are back with a brand new EP called "Who's Smoking Your Spirit?" out on December 1. The first single "Cough" premiered yesterday on The FADER, who called the release a "fuzz-heavy, shoegaze pop whirlwind," and got some cryptic explanation of the track, dubbed by guitarist/vocalist Owen Wuerker as a song "about trying to remind yourself that you still have some control over the kind of person you are...you can nurse a cough for so long that you start to forget you're sick."



The release show will be November 30 at Black Cat with our friends Wildhoney and Cigarette. If you live in the District you may have seen these slick show posters on an electrical box near you, and a small run of screenprints will be available at the show c/o the wildly talented JD Deardourff. Don't miss this killer bill and your chance to snag one of these beauties and a copy of "Who's Smoking Your Spirit?" on pro-dubbed cassettes limited to 100 copies (click poster for details).

dead alive

And without skipping a beat, I'm happy to announce that DZ18 will be the first release for DC's Nice Breeze. The veteran three-piece stir up lo-fi, surf-tinged punk cuts that weave droning hooks with laconic, off-the-cuff vocals and take you for a buoyant ride on an ever-cresting wave inside the bonzai pipeline of your mind.

 

"Schroedinger's Cat's Grave" is out November 14, with the release show that night at Hot Tub House with manatee mommies BRNDA, the first-ever live performance from Scanners, as well as Vile Creature and Bakerman from up north. Don't miss this chance to grip the garish gold cassette before it ships - click here for details.

The week before on November 8 at Showtime, just as the need hot and hearty stews is picking up, the DC Rock'n'Roll Chili Cookbook will be released, featuring an awesome cassette compilation and chili recipes from some great local bands, including new additions to the DZ family Nice Breeze and Hemlines. All proceeds from the project go to benefit local non-profit Bread For The City, which aims to provide vulnerable residents of Washington, DC with comprehensive services, including food, clothing, medical care, and legal and social services, in an atmosphere of dignity and respect.

Continuing further back in time, just earlier that day the eighth installment of the Escape From DC Brunch show will be going down at Hole In The Sky (click flyer for details). Come out to see WYDYDE, Great Smokey and Baby Bry Bry & The Apologists, then grab some chili down the road.

Since their own release show last month Hemlines have been staying busy, with progressive coverage in WAMU Bandwidth and another gig lined up for November 21 at Rock & Roll Hotel, the band continues its roll with relative ease.

Now that DZ HQ is up and running at HITS, I'm hoping to get more projects out on a consistent basis. Part of that hurdle is going to be catching up with the backlog of recordings from the monthy (anti-)Brunch shows. Thankfully, we've started picking up the pace, and I'm happy to share with you this video of Big Hush performing "Walk On" earlier this year:

Before signing off, I need to give thanks to the Washington City Paper for their recent shout-out, and to send some love to The Sweets and Pool Holograph, who have both released new full-length albums this month. Check out their new work below, and keep your eyes and ears peeled for more goodies from DZ HQ in the very near future.

agenda

The time has come - I'm proud to introduce you to Hemlines, a four-piece feminist punk band from Washington, DC whose explosive rage manifests itself through ferociously conscious vocals and heavy, dynamic instrumentation. Their debut EP "All Your Homes" features five fiery tracks that unapologetically challenge patriarchal oppression with a focused anger, demanding respect and taking no prisoners.

The band has hit the ground running and after a fantastic collection of shows on the road, they're back in town tonight at the Black Cat for their EP release show with Homosuperior. Don't miss your first chance to grip your copy of the limited-edition, hand-dubbed-with-love, smokey-red cassette (click pic for details).

"[Hemlines] zigzags through a swath of the punk spectrum with observable skill... [they] weave pop-punk melodies around moments of raucous hardcore. Sonically, the effect is eye-opening...true vocal viciousness. Hemlines crosses a kind of line between empowerment and revenge fantasy...consider keeping your head on a swivel, Hemlines might be coming for you." - Washington City Paper

“[All Your Homes] explodes out of the gate... a no-fucks-given feminist machine. All Your Homes runs the gamut of the feminist feelings spectrum: at once fiery, inspiring, and heavy. Five energetic but concentrated tunes meld the anxieties many feel but don’t know quite how to express." - DCist

A few other DZ darlings have some fun things planned for the near future as well, don't sleep on these shows:

Sunday, October 4 at the Pinch

Big Hush w/ Warm Sun, Brief Candles, and Neiv

(click here to RSVP)

Saturday, October 10 at Everybody Hits in Philadelphia
Romantic States w/ Halfsour, Marge, and Fleabite
(click flyer to RSVP)

Sunday, October 11 at Hole In The Sky
Escape From DC Brunch VII: Nitemoves, CrushnPain, and Flash Frequency
(click flyer to RSVP)

Thursday, October 15 at Above The Bayou

Big Hush w/ The Goodbye Party, Missing Earth, and Collider

(click flyer to RSVP)

Sunday, October 18  at Ottobar in Baltimore

Romantic States w/ Wildhoney, Pity Sex, Spencer Radcliffe, and Blacksage

(click flyer to RSVP)

Plenty of good things in store, don't miss out on these gigs and get your ears ready for DZ18.

the next generation

Production for the next project is under way, and I'm proud to announce DZ17 will be the new Hemlines EP. The four-piece feminist punks are taking their show on the road for the first time and the tour will be bringing them around the mid-Atlantic and East Coast, starting down south in North Carolina, going up to New York, then back to the District on September 30 for the official cassette release show at the Black Cat with Homosuperior.

While everyone involved is super excited for what's to come, thankfully there's fun to be had between now and then...

Two of my favorite bands from anywhere are playing on tonight at 453 Florida as Big Hush and Two Inch Astronaut play host to New Yorkers ADVAETA (click flyer for details).

Then on Sunday September 13, the sixth installment of the Escape From DC Brunch series at (my new abode) Hole In The Sky showcases some groovy out-of-town talent with Mild High Club and Laser Background, featuring local support from BRNDA (click flyer for details).

Two more things to touch on here before closing out:

With In It Together Fest 2 in the rearview mirror, I'm proud to announce we raised over $7000 for DC Abortion Fund, Collective Action For Safe Spaces, and We Are Family DC.

And I want to send a big shout out and much love to tenley tapes for their contribution of a new(-to-me) Telex stereo cassette duplicator with which DZ will flourish in quite an imminent sense. Stay tuned for DZ17 and more releases before the end of 2015. ✌

influx

Of course In It Together Fest is right around the corner (June 30 - Aug 2 in DC), but there's plenty of fun to be had between now and then...

The next DZ gig is this Sunday at Hole In The Sky in Northeast DC as part of the Escape From DC Brunch series. Come out on July 12 and catch local favorites Big Hush, Foozle, and June Gloom. Click the flyers below for more details:

In Alexandria at The Lab, Rachel Kline will be having her EP release show on Friday, July 10 to benefit In It Together Fest. Click the flyers below for more details:

Finally, Romantic States have a string of Midwest dates lined up this week. Folks in Pittsburgh, Bloomington, Chicago, and Detroit should be sure to check out the shows:

Thursday, July 9 at City Grows in Pittsburgh w/ Unraveler
RSVP here

Friday, July 10 at Backwash in Bloomington w/ The Icks

RSVP here

Saturday, July 11 at Flood House in Chicago w/ BANAL ANML
(click flyer below for to RSVP)

Monday, July 13 at PJ's Lager House in Detroit w/ Juan Wauters
RSVP here

More exciting news coming soon, don't sleep~ ✌

swingin'

In It Together Fest planning is coming along well and we've got lots of fun in store for those of you lucky to be in DC from July 30 to August 2! So far we've got 15 different events planned throughout the city featuring over 40 bands and counting. Some new additions to the festivities include Leapling, Kal Marks, Vundabar, Wing Dam, Hurry, Clique, and Big Hush. More info will be announced later this week, so be sure to check out the facebook and twitter for more details.

In the meantime, there are two DZ artists playing shows tonight that you should check out if you're in DC or Baltimore. Click the flyers below for more details:

Big Hush w/ Nude Beach, Outer Spaces, and Chain Rank at Saint-Ex in DC

Romantic States w/ Alter, Blessin', and Retired at The Crown in Baltimore

Those of you searching for something new from these two bands, here's a sneak peak of one gorgeous new Big Hush track plus live archives from DC's show scene on the latest episode of In Yr Basement Radio and a brand new song from Romantic States on a compilation celebrating the now-defunct KEITH house in Baltimore.

If you miss out of these gigs, don't sweat too hard - Big Hush will be playing with The Swirlies at Black Cat on July 6 (click flyer below for details) and Romantic States have some exciting show news to be announced in the very near future~ :)

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...