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. ✌