Fat Tuesday - Clarendon Mardi Gras Parade

On Fat Tuesday night, February 28, 2006, at 8:00 pm, area Louisiana alumni will be hosting the "Krewe of Louisiana" in the 7th Annual Clarendon-Courthouse Mardi Gras neighborhood parade sponsored by the Clarendon Alliance.

The parade will march up Wilson Boulevard in the vibrant Clarendon area of Arlington, Virginia. The parade route starts on Barton Street, up to the Clarendon Metro Station (N. Highland Street), and back up the same route again. The Krewe will be in full force with floats, costumes, beads, music, a court, post-party and everything else to help celebrate the Clarendon Alliance Mardi Gras parade.

Admission to Clarendon Alliance Mardi Gras parade is FREE. The event is accessible via the Clarendon metro station on the Orange line. Free parking is available in the garage under the 3033 Wilson Blvd. office building, entrance located on N. Highland Street.

The official Mardi Gras post-parade party is at Tallula's on 2761 Washington Blvd. with specials on Hurricanes, gumbo, jambalaya, etouffee, Abita beer, and King Cake.

A Case of the Fridays

It's nice out right now, so I'll hurry up and get to it. First is "I'm A Sucker For A Girl In Uniform," by The Churchills. Great title. And the song itself is a nice slice of guitar pop, along the lines of Fountains of Wayne or Matthew Sweet. Taste it.

And we close with "Malina," by local band Anthony Fiacco and The Echoes. It's got a nice groovy bounce to it, and I like how he slowly builds the song, gradually adding instrumental layers. Take a listen.

Now get back to work!

MP3: I'm A Sucker For A Girl In Uniform - The Churchills
MP3: Malina - Anthony Fiacco and The Echoes

March 1st - Happy Hour/Meet & Greet

What: Six Points Music Festival Happy Hour and Meet and Greet

Why: To celebrate the announcement of the 2006 Six Points Music Festival Line Up (which will happen on March 1) and encourage networking among members of the Washington, DC area music scene.

Who: 2006 Six Points Music Festival performers and applicants, selection committee members, planning committee members, venue owners & bookers, friends of the festival, etc.

When: Wednesday, March 1, 2006 at 7:00 pm

Where: Dc9 (check out their cool new website), downstairs jukebox bar. Dc9 is at the corner of 9th and U Streets NW.

How: Walk, drive, or take the metro's green line to the U Street/African American Civil War Memorial/Cardozo stop. From the U St/AACWM stop, turn right on U, then right on 9th and find the club on your right. Then enter, drink and be merry.

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The Wammies

The much-awaited winners of the 20th annual Wammies (the DC music scene's version of the Grammys) have been announced and awarded by WAMA. Check and see who won here. Congratulations to all the winners and nominees.

Zipf Takes On Tap Competition

Andy Zipf was victorious in the finals of On Tap's Texas Roadtrip Competition, beating out Rana Mansour, Michael Jantz, and Luke Brindley. Read more about it here.

On Tap's Texas Roadtrip Finals

The finals of On Tap's Texas Roadtrip will be held this Sunday (2/19) at Austin Grill in Silver Spring at 8:30. One winner will be chosen from the four finalists - Andy Zipf, Luke Brindley, Rana Mansour, and Michael Jantz. The winner will receive an all-expenses paid trip for two to the South By Southwest Music Conference. Read more about On Tap's Texas Roadtrip here.

Listen to SXSW

Yep, the SXSW music festival is coming up soon - March 10-19 in Austin, TX! so here's a link to SXSW concert schedules - and you can click on most of the acts to obtain a free mp3 to get a little preview of what's to come. What more could you ask for?


thanks to My Old Kentucky Blog for the tip

New MetroMusicScene.com Blog Editor

Jeff Campagna, who already blogs regularly here on the MetroMusicScene.com blog, is taking over as the editor. Read more about it here.

A Case of the Fridays

Still experiencing that Valentine’s Day hangover? Maybe two mp3s will do the trick...

I’ve really liked what I’ve heard so far by British band Hard-Fi. I posted one of their tunes several weeks back, but they’re still rolling ‘em out with their track, “Hard To Beat.” It's got the vocal swagger of the Clash along w/ pulsing eighties beats and a driving guitar riff. It moves. If you like what you hear and like to plan ahead, they’ll be in DC at Black Cat on March 30th.

The second track is “Next To You,” by local band JunkFood, and to put it simply, it rocks. It grabs you right away with its morse-code sound effect and catchy riff, and then sinks its hooks into you for the kill with its sing-along chorus. It’s very tight and well-produced, with an eighties-rock sound, and it’s one of my favorite recent downloads. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at Lulu’s in DC on Saturday, February 25th.

MP3: Hard To Beat - Hard-Fi
MP3: Next To You - JunkFood

Instead of Diamond Dave...

I'm not embarrassed - I really dug Rock Star: INXS last year. The show's returning this summer, and there's been a bunch of speculation that this season they'll feature a band in a perpetual search for a lead singer, Van Halen.

David Lee Roth further encouraged the speculation yesterday on his radio talk show by stating, "They really are gonna do it, I think. It's the 'Rock Star' open call schedule. They just handed me the schedule... they won't say who it's for, but I think it's for Van Halen."

Though CBS reps deny it, it's a pretty tasty rumor.

A Case of the Fridays

On the menu today we've got two selections. First up is "A Little Better," by Nadine Zahr. She's got a hell of a voice, with some Melissa Etheridge tinges. While the song starts off quiet and acoustic, it slowly builds, using strings and Zahr's expressive voice, to powerful, melodic choruses full of anguish and longing.

Second course is a track by the Doylestown, PA-based Aderbat. "Come Love" features delicate soaring vocals and swooping Brit-flavored guitar lines. It's got that mellow Coldplay/less-experimental Radiohead vibe going. And they'll be coming to Galaxy Hut in April, for those of you who like to plan verrrry far ahead.

MP3: A Little Better - Nadine Zahr
MP3: Come Love - Aderbat

A Case of the Fridays Comes Alive

Two MP3s today, folks, and I'm guessing you'll recognize the bands. First up is Green Day - the boys from northern Cali rip through a rocking version of the Dookie classic, "She." And then we close with U2's simply elegant live (in DC) performance of "One." Take a listen.


MP3: One (live) - U2
MP3: She (live) - Green Day