Snoop's Coming To DC

Yep, that’s right – Snoop Dogg is coming to town. He’ll be at Love Nightclub in DC this Saturday, September 1st, so make sure to mark it down on your calendar, kids…

MP3: Gin & Juice – Snoop Dogg

Eight Questions With Pawnshop Roses

Philly’s Pawnshop Roses will be hitting the Rock & Roll Hotel this Friday, August 31st, bringing their Stonesy, Black Crowesy sound down to DC. They’re definitely an act I’m looking forward to seeing live, and I was able to get a few questions in with lead singer Paul Keen online.

1. Do you think living in Philadelphia area adds a certain flavor to your music?
Yes and no. I think the hard-edged sound comes from living in Philly. As much as I love Philadelphia, it definitely is a dirty town. Very blue-collar and pissed off. As far as the southern country-rock flavor...that comes from me growing up in a very rural area. (Kennett Sq., PA) My Dad always listened to country. I hated it at the time, but it reminds me of home. Even though I’m not from the South, country just “fits” with where I grew up.

2. Describe the Pawnshop Roses’ sound in three words using no adjectives.
Twang Rock Energy

3. So you won the online YouTube contest for “Best Live Performance” video (here), and got a date with Diane Sawyer on Good Morning America. How was rocking out at 7:00 in the morning?
Well, we didn’t actually play. We were just given an award by Diane Sawyer along with 3 other bands. But yeah, it was tough getting up after hanging out in NYC the night before. The next morning Justin and I had to get up at 6am for a radio interview. It was all worth it of course.

4. Who are some of your biggest influences?
I’d have to say the Rolling Stones, the Faces, the Flying Burrito Bros and Oasis.

5. What are your favorite tracks off of your new album, Let It Roll? It’s OK - I won’t tell your songs you picked one over the other – I promise.
Ah, I don’t mind if you do tell! :>)
I really like how “It Gets So Hard” and “Everything That Blew Away” came out. “It Gets So Hard” was mostly recorded at home, but I love the energy. “Everything That Blew Away” is probably the best song I’ve written. IMO

6. Where do you get your lyrical inspiration from?
Just life in general. I started out as just writing songs for chicks, but I’ve branched out a bit since the beginning. I’ve written a couple of songs from someone else’s point of view, and I’d like to do that more.

7. Who are a few current bands/artists y’all are digging right now?
I really dig the new Bright Eyes album. I guess it all depends on what you consider current. Most of my favorites are career artists. Ryan Adams, Marah, Matt Mays, Wilco, Gillian Welch (could go on and on). Some unsigned bands to check out would be Pepper’s Ghost, Jealousy Curve, Justin Jones, and Greenland.

8. What do you hope most people will take away from a live Pawnshop Roses show?
Just that they had a great time at the show, and keep wanting to come back for more.

LISTEN UP:
MP3: Let It Roll – Pawnshop Roses
MP3: Here We Go – Pawnshop Roses

*Pawnshop Roses will be at the Rock & Roll Hotel in DC this Friday, August 31st.

New Middle Distance Runner

DC-based Middle Distance Runner will have a new self-titled EP dropping soon, and they were kind enough to let Instrumental Analysis post the opening track, “The Sun and Earth,” here.

A Case of the Fridays - Early Edition

It’s never too early for Friday, right? So we’re kicking things off this week with an early edition, beginning with “Wedding Gown,” by The Vicious Martinis. It’s some power pop with heart – and a few layers of tasty electric guitars. Singer Glenn Hall’s raspy vocals draw you into this slickly produced track, and some cool guitar tones and solos leave you coming back for more. If you like what you’re hearing, The Vicious Martinis will be having their CD release party at IOTA this Friday night, August 17th.

MP3: Wedding Gown – The Vicious Martinis

And now we close out this early edition with a track from the Hershey, PA-based The April Skies. I am definitely liking the darker eighties sound of their track, “My Love Is In This House,” with its shimmering synths, reverbed guitar lines, and cool vocals. The song gradually builds in intensity throughout, and reaches a nice anthemic peak to finish. The April Skies will be at The Red and The Black Thursday, August 16th.

MP3: My Love Is In This House – The April Skies

The Last Week of Fort Reno Concert Series

Don’t forget, kids, the two final shows of the free summer concert series that is Fort Reno are happening this week. Monday night is Georgie James (above), Brandon Butler, Perfect Souvenir, and another act to be named later. And then Thursday evening it’s Edie Sedgwick, Sentai, and Eyeball Skeleton.

A Case of the Fridays - IA Edition

Baltimore/DC music blog Instrumental Analysis is turning one, and there’s partying to be had this Friday night. Keep in mind, of course, it’s not going to be the typical “pizza at Chuck E. Cheese’s with the parents” kind of party for a one-year old. This will be a bit different – we’re talking indie pop and indie rock at the Rock and Roll Hotel with Le Loup, Lejeune, Bellman Barker, and Jette-Ives. It’s free before 9:00, but $10 after.

MP3: Charles Kil – Bellman Barker
MP3: Darker Than You – Jette Ives
MP3: We Are Gods! We Are Wolves! – Le Loup

Eight Questions With Julian Velard

Julian Velard’s smoky Noo Yawk baritone drew me in from the moment I heard him open up for The Damnwells awhile ago. This keyboard-wielding, genre-hopping singer/songwriter was kind enough to sit down for a little email interview with me, and he’ll be in town at Jammin Java this Friday, August 10th.

Obviously, your songs are distinctively piano-based - but at any point did you ever get the urge to pick up the guitar and go the more conventional instrumentation route?

Not a huge guitar guy. For some reason the sound makes me bored, especially acoustic guitars - they tend sound to like plastic being scraped. 20th century audiences have been beaten to death by six strings. Three hundred years ago, people musta felt that way about harpsichord. Personally, I’d rock out to harpsichord all day. Oddly though, I listen to mainly guitar-playing songwriters. Very few piano-based guys make it into my world (Ben Folds, Harry Nilsson, Tom Waits… NO BILLY JOEL!...okay maybe a little). I’m a weirdo, I know.

Whom do you consider your biggest influences, instrumentally and/or vocally?

You got a few right there [see above]. Also Steve McQueen, Bill Murray (there are movies where they sing - check ‘Baby The Rain Must Fall’ and the ‘Star Wars’ sketch on old SNL). Huge Dylan fan. Been in a deep Dylan phase recently. He seems to come around for me every 8 months or so. Plus we are brothers in jew-fro.

Do you have any favorite tracks off of your current album, The Movies Without You? It’s OK - I won’t tell your songs you picked one over the other - I promise.

I go back and forth on this one a lot. If you had to force my hand, I’d say the one that gets the least love, ‘You Wouldn’t Wanna Be Me.’ He’s a lonely child and needs his father’s support.

Characterize your music in three words or less, using no verbs.

Bedtime explosion hovercraft

What are a few current bands/artists you’re digging right now?

I’ve got a few faves, mostly people I know. Maybe it’s cause I’m so burnt on music, but I have a much easier time getting into my friends’ music. Ian Love is great. Trevor Exter is another friend and amazing artist, and I saw this incredibly tight band in London called Haunts. They rock!

So what’s this I hear about you heading back to the studio later this August?

Yeah, I’m headed back in to turn the EP into an album. Got a bunch of new tunes. You know, making the magic, being the magic man and all.

What do you hope people will take away from your live show?

A date, cause most guys look pretty flabby after seeing me on a stage. I’m buff.

And just so she doesn’t kill me, my girlfriend desperately wants to know if you’ve ever been compared to Lou Rawls…

No, I’ve never heard that before. Tell your lady she’s an intuitive genius. Seriously consider getting her tested for extrasensory powers. I love Lou Rawls, he is the pimp!


LISTEN to Julian Velard’s tracks, like “Joni” and “A Dream” over at his MySpace page here. You can catch him at Jammin Java in Vienna, VA this Friday, August 10 with Shane Hines & the Trance and Getaway Car (acoustic).

A Case of the Fridays

Yeah, it’s hot here in DC, kids, and it’s only gonna get hotter. We kick things off with “Just One Kiss,” from The Red Romance. It’s irresistibly catchy indie-pop with eighties hooks and a The Killers-esque swing to it. It’s definitely worth a listen. Anyway, if you like what you hear, they’ll be at the Rock N Roll Hotel this Friday, August 3rd.

MP3: Just One Kiss - The Red Romance

And now we close out the work week with Stars of Track and Field’s “Movies of Antarctica.” It’s anthemic indie rock, filled with chiming guitars and soaring vocals. If you like what you hear, they’ll be at Jammin Java Thursday, August 9th.

MP3: Movies of Antarctica – Stars of Track and Field

Instrumental Analysis Anniversary Mix

Joe over at Instrumental Analysis is celebrating his music blog's first anniversary, and he's thrown up a huge mix (2 CDs worth!) of local DC metro area/Baltimore music to celebrate. Check it out here!

Juniper Lane is Heading to Vegas

Congratulations to DC's Juniper Lane, who emerged victorious in the 98 Rock band vote-off, and as a result, they'll be heading to Vegas to audition for the American Idol-ish "The Search for the Next Great Great American Band."