Matt Pond PA at the 9:30 Club this Saturday, June 26, 11 pm doors

Matt Pond PA bring their patently gorgeous brand of indie pop to a late show at the 9:30 Club this Saturday in support of the new album The Dark Leaves.  mpPA, as they're known to fans, are one of the progenitors of the baroque pop revival that includes The Arcade Fire and The Decemberists.  In contrast to the grittier and more guitar-driven pop of Last Light, The Dark Leaves is a return to the lushly orchestrated sound of their earlier albums.  Wintersleep opens up for mpPA, doors open at 11pm, and tickets are $15.


Matt Pond PA - "Starting"


Photo courtesy of Jeremy Balderson

Photos from J. Roddy Walston & the Business, The Constellations & Eli "Paperboy" Reed at the Rock & Roll Hotel

J. Roddy Walston in a rare quiet moment

J. Roddy leading the forward charge

The Constellations' manic keyboardist/cowbellist

Eli "Paperboy" Reed letting it all hang out

Eli against the backdrop of the True Loves' most excellent horn section

All photos courtesy of Brian Flores

All rights reserved

J. Roddy Walston & the Business Q&A and MP3 Giveaway

Baltimore rockers J. Roddy Walston and the Business are hitting the road in anticipation of the July 27th release of their self-titled debut album.  Combining the rock bombast of the Arcade Fire with the cowpunk sound of the Avett Brothers, J. Roddy's manic live show is living proof that sometimes you have to "put it up to 11".  J. Roddy plays the piano like Keith Moon played the drums, with an exuberance that must be experienced to be believed.  At a recent gig playing a boat party in New York, J. Roddy ended the show by tossing his piano stool in the East River.

The boys were gracious enough to not only participate in a little Q&A with MetroMusicScene, but also provide us an MP3 to download.  Catch them this Friday at the Rock & Roll Hotel; doors open at 8:30, and the cover is $10 advance/$12 DOS.

MMS: J. Roddy, the frenetic energy of your live shows is well known.  What was the biggest challenge in capturing that sound on your record, and how did you go about meeting the challenge?

JRWATB: what we do on stage isn't planned, it's reactionary...and a lot of the energy we have comes from the interaction we have with the crowd....
the better the crowd the more insane we are going to get.
obviously in the studio there is no crowd..so we had to come up with a way to bring in that extra power.
so we decided we would record the whole thing in 8 days and did as much of the tracking as possible live.
also we hired the singer from spin doctors to point a gun at our heads while we were tracking.

MMS: Tell us about the Business, how they came to be and the current members of the band.
JRWATB: billy gordon(lead guitar) has been in the band the longest ... i saw him playing with another band the first show i played in baltimore. i asked him to do the right thing and quit that band and join mine.

steve colmus (drummer) steve was playing in a couple of bands, i ended up winning him in a poker game. you can win some strange stuff at the poker tables in glen burnie.

logan davis (bass) i am living in a cabin down in richmond va right now and when zach(our old bass player) quit i asked the locals who the most bad-ass musician with long hair and a beard was.... one name kept coming up.

MMS: Where is the favorite concert venue you've played, either here or elsewhere in the US? Where is the place you dream about playing?
JRWATB: the greatest venue we have ever played was the magic stick in detroit. this place had a bowling alley downstairs, a divey pizza joint, a nice cafe and killer venue. we bowled for free ate for free it was amazing. also meg white showed up in time to see our van explode in the street.
also the southgate house in cincy is amazing.

we were really wanting the gig as jay leno's house band but train got that.... so i guess that dream is dead.

MMS: I heard about you tossing your piano stool into the East River recently to end the show. Is that the most rock & roll thing you've ever done to cap off a gig?  What can the audience at the Rock & Roll Hotel expect from you on Friday?
JRWATB: well as far as the east river stool toss, i just love to litter and normally i don't get to do that at a show so i had to seize the moment.
there was another show in nyc that i went to jump over my piano but i ended up flipping over the piano and ripped my self up pretty bad.
bleeding is always a good show ender.
d.c. can expect that i am going to use my slow hand to rip it up and my fast one to put it back together.
MMS: How was your experience playing SXSW this year? 
JRWATB: sxsw was amazing this year. we played a bunch of rad shows and basically had the experience every band hopes to have at sxsw.
but it's basically music exec spring break down there so you have to be careful or you might get rufied and wake up having
committed a mortal sin with the head of sony.
MMS: What was the most memorable part of SXSW?
JRWATB: we played a show with andrew w.k. seeing him live was off the charts.
we also ended up not having a place to stay so we were just sleeping outside, one morning i woke up and the sprinklers had come on
and billy was just sleeping through it...that's how tired you get at sxsw once you hit the sack someone could stab you and you're not waking up. 

MP3: J. Roddy Walston & the Business - Brave Man's Death
Photo courtesy of Glynnis McDaris

Celebrate Digital Capital Week with DC Area Musicians

Think Digital Capital Week is just about social media, the democratizing effect of technology, and bridging the digital divide?  'Taint so!  Our friend at imaginePR , Jem Bahaijoub, is hosting or co-hosting (with Innovation Station's Dave Mallen) a pair of events during DCWEEK.

#DCWEEK Supports Local Music With Music Industry Networking Event, Performing Artists Clinic and 

9:30 Club Showcase

Washington, DC’s greatly anticipated Digital Capital Week (DCWEEK) will be supporting the local music scene with a host of events encouraging collaboration and creativity in the nation’s capital. Key events include the ‘Metro Music Source’ music industry networking party on June 15th, a ‘Performing Artists Clinic’ on June 19th, and a 9:30 Club closing party on June 19th, showcasing the best in local talent in the DC area.

The Metro Music Source (MMS) was founded nearly a year ago by co-hosts Dave Mallen (owner/producer of Innovation Station Music) and Jem Bahaijoub (owner of imaginePR) as a focal point for the thriving and diverse DC area music scene. It offers music creators and industry professionals the opportunity to socialize, share knowledge, and collaborate, while also helping to raise the profile of DC music on a national level. Past MMS events have brought together local musicians, major and indie label executives, artist managers and marketing reps, record store managers, publicists, filmmakers, music publishers, producer/engineers, and more. 

As part of #DCWEEK, the Metro Music Source will be hosting a special music industry networking event on Tuesday, June 15th at Bar Louie from 6.30pm-9.30pm. The event will feature several special guests from across the industry, including Brad McCormick from WEA (Warner Elektra Atlantic) and ADA Distribution, and Derrick Ewan, aka DJ Furious Styles. Derrick is a former XM Radio DJ and mix show host known for putting the spotlight on unsigned artists in Hip Hop and R&B world. The event will be covered by DC Life magazine and will feature a FREE raffle to win a box of 30 new CDs from artists such as The Gaslight Anthem, Blitzen Trapper, Against Me!, All Time Low, The Black Keys, and the new Twilight Eclipse Soundtrack..

Another key event in the #DCWEEK calendar is the ‘Performing Artists Clinic - How To Use The Web To Your Advantage’ on June 19th from 3.30pm-4.30pm. This panel presentation and Q&A discussion will feature key industry speakers such as Sean Glover, Manager of Artist Relations at SoundExchange, Dave Sherbow, author of ‘One Fan At A Time’, and Keith Center, frontman of DC folk-rock group The Dreamscapes Project. The event will be hosted by Jem Bahaijoub, owner of imaginePR, a DC based music PR and marketing company. The panel discussion will focus on how performing artists can maximize their online experience, key elements of online branding and social media marketing, and various tips, tools and practical advice on online platforms. 

#DCWEEK will end in spectacular style with techARTS closing party at the 9:30 Club on  the evening of June 19th. In just three weeks 34,000 votes were cast by 10,000+ people across the city for their favorite bands to perform at the legendary venue. techARTS are happy to announce that Amber Dutton, The Very Small, McWorm, 16 Large, Vedet, Stout Cortez, Blankus Larry, Little Big Heart, and East Coast Caravan have all been invited to play. 

For further information about #DCWEEK’s schedule visit www.digitalcapitalweek.org

###

Notes To The Editor:

Music Metro Source Networking Event

Tuesday, June 15th 

6.30pm - 9.30pm

Bar Louie

701 7th Street Northwest

Washington, DC 20001

Cost - $20 includes 2 drinks and a shared appetizer

Register - http://metromusicsource.eventbrite.com/

Performing Artists Clinic - How To Use The Web To Your Advantage

Saturday, June 19th

3.30pm - 4.30pm

UMC Conference Facility 

900 Massachusetts Ave NW, 

Washington DC 20001

Cost - FREE

Register - http://schedule.digitalcapitalweek.org/event/8499852ed01204b92f45fc5618a88b97

9:30 Club Closing Party

Saturday, June 19th

10pm - 3.30am

9:30 Club

815 V Street NW

Washington, DC 20001

Cost - $20

Register - http://techarts930.eventbrite.com/