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. ✌

in it together fest 2

There's some pretty cool news in the pipeline that I'm very excited to share, but today kicks off In It Together Fest 2 and with over 70 bands and 40 artists exhibiting at over 20 events around Washington DC, there's some things I've got to get to first...

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◆ THURSDAY, JULY 30 ◆

[07:00p] Print Show #1 ft. Baby Bry Bry @ 69:30 Club

[07:00p] Blizzard Babies / Bless / Valencia @ 453 Florida

[07:30p] BRNDA Album Release Show ft. Wildhoney / Den-Mate @ Black Cat

[07:30p] Atoka Chase / Near Northeast / Laurel Rose / Pat Jones @ GlowHouse

[08:00p] Paint Branch / Norwegian Arms / Chief Scout / Wanted Man @ Paperhaus

◆ FRIDAY, JULY 31 ◆

[05:00p] ARTSHOW_13: Going Out Of Business @ Hole In The Sky

[07:00p] RDGLDGRN / Laughing Man / Concord America @ Babe City

[08:00p] Kal Marks / Lady Bones / How To Be Topp / Sealab @ The (Sea) Lab

[08:00p] Youth Crush / The Public / Möbius Strip / Heart Attack Man / Misled Youth @ The Dougout

◆ SATURDAY, AUGUST 1 ◆

[12:00p] Empower DC Benefit Show ft. Eshovo / Motherknuckle @ Lamont Street Collective

[12:00p] Vundabar / June Gloom / Ezra Mae And The Gypsy Moon / Reed Appleseed / Lunchbox @ Ezra Mae's

[01:00p] Leapling / More Humans / Really Big Pinecone / Mattress Financial / Teen Mom @ The Beehive

[01:00p] Wing Dam / Witch Coast / Shark Week / Dark Tunnels / Laurel Rose / Grey Gardens @ Crack Rock Creek Church

[03:00p] In It Together Short Film Screening @ The Lookout

[04:30p] ★ Official InFestDC Showcase ★ ft. Cayetana / Thou / Rozwell Kid / Pygmy Lush / Two Inch Astronaut / Soda Bomb / ORCA / Jail Solidarity / The Black Sparks / Meridian @ St. Stephen's

[11:00p] Hurry / Late Bloomer / Alright @ Black Cat

◆ SUNDAY, AUGUST 2 ◆

[11:00a] Drone Brunch ft. The Plums / Chester Hawkins / Obetrol / Jack On Fire @ Spacelab-A

[12:00p] Free Play Pinball Party @ Lyman's Tavern

[12:00p] ShowPony / Breakup Season / Default Handshake @ AlleyCatHouse

[02:30p] Lilac Daze / Big Moth / Glueboy / Rachel Kline @ Above The Bayou

[06:00p] Positive Force 30th Anniversary Celebration ft. Big Hush / Swings / Didi / Collider / Broken Grids @ St. Stephen's

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If you're like me and just can't wait for IITF2, dive into the latest episode of In Yr Basement Radio to get a preview of the fun to come plus some unique insight behind the scenes with some of the people who helped put it together.

And don't sleep on picking up a copy of the InFestDC mixtape before they're all gone...

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In It Together Fest (IITF, InFestDC, etc.) is a four-day celebration of underground art, music, and activism at all venues propagating independent culture throughout the District of Columbia. Empowered by the hope to build a community amongst disparate DIY spaces, we've come together to foster participation, encourage new ideas, and highlight the under-appreciated. IITF aims to challenge, embolden the marginalized among us, and help transform our creative community into one free of traditional boundaries and productive in its endeavors. All events associated with IITF are all ages, always.

The two main showcases will be hosted at St. Stephen's, a church that has hosted DIY benefit shows for three decades thanks to Positive Force DC, an activist collective seeking radical social change, personal growth, and youth empowerment. This year we'll be helping to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Positive Force and Revolution Summer with an awesome benefit show with a special endowment from the DC City Council.

Thanks to these progressive community stapes, we'll be able to raise funds for three amazing local non-profit organizations doing great work throughout the District:

• We Are Family DC ...bringing advocacy, services, organizing, and companionship into the homes of the elderly, while helping to build friendships across boundaries like race, class, religion, age, culture, and sexual orientation.

• DC Abortion Fund ...an all-volunteer nonprofit that makes grants to pregnant people in the D.C. area who cannot afford the full cost of an abortion.

• Collective Action for Safe Spaces ...empowering people in the DC metro area to end public sexual harassment and assault.

In It Together Fest is proud to uphold a safer spaces policy, vowing to make all venues involved welcoming, engaging, and supportive environments free of oppressive actions, behaviors, and language. Participants and attendees are asked to consider how their language and behavior impacts others in attendance. Racism, sexism, classism, ableism, homophobia, transphobia, and other forms of discrimination will not be tolerated, in tabling material or at the Fest itself at any and all affiliated spaces and/or in materials promoting such events at said spaces.

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For more information on In It Together Fest, please visit the website: 

www.infestdc.org

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...but that's not all! The following weekend on Sunday August 9, don't miss the fifth installment of Escape From DC Brunch at Hole In The Sky, featuring Turnip King, Bless, and Teen Liver - click flyer for details.

infestdc mixtape

The long wait is finally here, and I'm proud to share with you the latest DZ project, the InFestDC mixtape. This 70-minute compilation features 22 choice cuts recorded live at DIY shows around the District, and showcases talent from DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York, and more.

Featuring live tracks by:

TWO INCH ASTRONAUT / SWINGS 

WILDHONEY / MANNEQUIN PUSSY / BIG UPS

NEONATES / ROMANTIC STATES / JAIL SOLIDARITY

WITCH COAST / THE OBSESSIVES / ET AL. / RADIATOR HOSPITAL

LAUGHING MAN /  TEEN LIVER / HEMLINES / SITCOM

POLYON / MATTRESS FINANCIAL / TRUNKWEED

PASSING PHASES / MERIDIAN / NICE BREEZE

In 2014, a group of DC musicians, artists, and other community members teamed up to throw the first In It Together Fest, a four-day celebration of DIY culture held at 17 venues around the city. The inaugural fest raised over $2500 for two amazing local non-profit organizations, We Are Family and Casa Ruby LGBT Community Center. This year, we're aiming to raise the bar quite a bit, and in preparation for the next In It Together Fest we've put together a mixtape, limited to 250 copies professionally dubbed on slime green cassettes, All proceeds from this tape and this year's In It Together Fest are going towards one or two local non-profit organizations To Be Announced.

We hope you'll take the time to check out this awesome archive of DC's vibrant DIY show culture, and mark your calendars for the next In It Together Fest, July 31 + August 1!