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Hey all, I'm potentially moving to DC in the next couple months. I've already done some digging on this forum and found a few clues but nothing really current and substantial. See, I'm trying to feel out the music scene, whats going on, what genres are dominant, are there many working bands/artists? Good support system? i.e. shows/ venues/ fans/ promoters/ labels/ practice space?
I come from Providence, where although its a small city we have quite a diverse and talented music scene that has produced some very fine and moderately successful bands over the past few years. . .
As for me, I am 26, professional, passionate/serious and experienced when it comes to music, recording and performance. I am predominantly a drummer, bassist and guitarist but dabble in other instruments and areas as well including production and recording. I have worked with different bands, touring, recording, producing and generally building a band from the ground up to regional success.
I am open to genre but my strengths are rock n' roll and rock based funk/blues/groove/soul music. I understand DC is well known for its Go-Go, Punk/Hardcore and Rap, but how current is this info?
I hold down a day job so I am not exactly a starving artist. Teaching lessons is always welcomed income as well.
If I move to DC I really need to feed my soul by continuing to exercise my gifts and talents.
Any insight is greatly appreciated. . . THANKS !! - Zach
DC is good for jazz and experimental music as well. In fact it is really good for jazz. I would warn you, it is not Chicago or New York in terms of music. The rock scene is fairly solid. Blues is a disappointment.
The usual spiel, the city is very expensive, and it is best you are coming here with a solid professional career. While DC is decent for music, and you will find opportunities to play with people, do not expect the same support system you will find in other cities. There is also a lack of rehearsal space, because there is not much warehouse space. So people play out of there homes more.
Sonic is right on. This area HAS MASSIVE POTENTIAL but there are many factors holding it back- and it's not the starving musicians. There are not many business minded "startup" artists in this area. You can play the drums til your hands bleed but if you don't know business development, it's more of a show up and play. So if you want things to happen here, you need business development or know how to put together a crew that can. In other words- HUSTLE. DC is not a town of street grind hustle but more so political hustle.
I too am in the nightlife scene and hold a 9-5. I am into electronic music and I consult nightclubs and djs so my scene varies a bit but the overall state of hustle is the same. Being in a band is similar to being a dj. You need a venue, need promoters, booking agents, need bodies, need to deliver, need to hustle, network, and create your own events at times.
Since this area is so expensive, there are a lot of trust fund musicians where they were given the keys to venues or opportunities but aren't doing anything with it to cultivate the scene primarily because of the lack of support. Race divide is still a big part of "behind the nightlife scene" here in more ways than you can imagine. There seems to be this race line that people rarely discuss and you would only know if you are part of the industry.
Believe me when I tell you that the political/government climate bleeds into the city's texture. For this reason, the hustle isn't there. When you have a 9-5, you have a support system; you are not desperate. The grit is not there and the will to survive is in passing. Everyone talks about every other city's scene but DC.
Again, when you are coming into an expensive city where you need an education, artistry and street hustle will be non-existent.
Then again, I was a huge fan of Bad Brains. Loved the hard-core punk and dub mix in the songs.
I also know quite a few alternative rock bands have fled DC for greener pastures in Brooklyn where music culture is far more appreciated and far more competitive.
Then again, I was a huge fan of Bad Brains. Loved the hard-core punk and dub mix in the songs.
I also know quite a few alternative rock bands have fled DC for greener pastures in Brooklyn where music culture is far more appreciated and far more competitive.
"Alternative" bands are boring so they would not be missed. Who even uses that term anymore.
In terms of indie rock, yeah, Brooklyn, or Chicago. While there are some decent bands out of DC it's not substantial. The indie pop scene in general died years ago, and while there are occasional TeenBeat reunions, the genre has faded from it's previous vitality, and DC area which was once had a strong base for it, lost a bit of prominence as a result. DC still has a pretty solid post-punk and punk base, with fairly good bands in both.
I can go on, but for a city which helped generate Riot Grrrl, Emo, American Indie Pop, and Post-Punk, it could be much better. There are plenty of venues for rock, and the city is decent, but one must consider it just that, decent. Not great, not horrible, but okay.
With that being said, Baltimore has a pretty good music scene. This is largely because it is an inexpensive city to live in with plenty of warehouse space and music venues. There is also the fact some notable instrument makers that call Baltimore home.
Then again, I was a huge fan of Bad Brains. Loved the hard-core punk and dub mix in the songs.
I also know quite a few alternative rock bands have fled DC for greener pastures in Brooklyn where music culture is far more appreciated and far more competitive.
Holy cow, dude, you continue to set new records in your ability to find ANYTHING about DC to complain about.
Now even Fugazi--which was by all accounts one of, if not the, most important bands in establishing "indie rock", Minor Threat--by all accounts one of the most influential punk rock bands of all time--and all the other great music from Dischord Records in the 80s and 90s--again, by all accounts one of the most influential indie labels of all time--was "nothing to write home about." All, apparently, because once some guy for City Paper wrote a tongue-in-cheek article about how Fugazi sucks because Ian MacKaye doesn't drink.
I like "evil" rock music about drugs and Satan and I also like Fugazi. Why do they have to be mutually exclusive?
Hey, music is subjective, and you don't have to like everything, but any reasonable look at musical history shows that the DC rock scene at least in the 80s and early 90s was absolutely something "to write home about" for a lot of people, even if it's not your personal cup of tea.
To get back to the OP's question, there's not a ton of rock music being made in DC right now but you can still find good local bands playing shows almost any night of the week at small clubs like DC9, or the Velvet Lounge or Iota. You missed it but every summer there is the Fort Reno concert series, and I suggest looking up their most recent lineups to get a sense of current working bands.
DC is kind of disappointment central as far as music goes. I wasn't a huge fan of punk rock (more of a metal head) but I thought it would have a vibrant scene when I moved here. Unfortunately, that time has come and gone.
I think the problem is lack of practice spaces, and not a ton of support for local music. Touring bands will sometimes skip DC for Baltimore or Richmond (sometimes they just skip from say Philly to Charlotte), which is a bummer big time, and limits exposure of local opening bands. I think the city is too expensive to live in for the artist/musician type, and people with full time jobs work long hours around here, which kills band time.
There's a couple cool venues. Check out Black Cat and Rock n' Roll Hotel. 9:30 club usually has a pretty good crowd, and all sorts of bands end up playing there.
I don't really know how local bands really make it in tiny DC, unless they are travelling to other cities as well on any given day. There are only so many venues to play whatever your style of music might be, and that makes the place even smaller. Even go-go bands in DC don't have it that easy where they don't need a day job to make ends meet.
Hey, music is subjective, and you don't have to like everything, but any reasonable look at musical history shows that the DC rock scene at least in the 80s and early 90s was absolutely something "to write home about" for a lot of people, even if it's not your personal cup of tea.
To get back to the OP's question, there's not a ton of rock music being made in DC right now but you can still find good local bands playing shows almost any night of the week at small clubs like DC9, or the Velvet Lounge or Iota. You missed it but every summer there is the Fort Reno concert series, and I suggest looking up their most recent lineups to get a sense of current working bands.
I think you are right on and have every right to defend the scene. But I think the OP is coming from a different perspective as musician himself and not just a fan. There is a difference in that.
Fans can live with or without a scene as their primary focus is the career. However, musicians may find it troublesome when they can't even get ahead or be able to create something on their own due to the climate of the area. DC has many restrictions to include "LEGISLATIONS" that have forced many venues to close shop. Some of these restrictions include having to sell more food, not being able to participate in the "bar crawl" in the past, and more recently, a bill on the table to "regulate" DC party promoters by having them be CERTIFIED, maintain personal liability insurance, and pay a $250 license fee... What start-up artist wants to be in this type of environment?
So yes, one can be the best musician in the world, but when faced with such obstacles while being at the mercy of complacent business owners only wanting word of mouth, not wanting to charge at the door,and local artists not having a hand in cultivating (due to the climate) it creates an all-around bad situation for outside artists coming into this area. Many ONLY have the 9-5 because they haven't reached the point where their talent can support itself. As a result, many leave to thriving areas with fewer restrictions.
Hey all, I'm potentially moving to DC in the next couple months. I've already done some digging on this forum and found a few clues but nothing really current and substantial. See, I'm trying to feel out the music scene, whats going on, what genres are dominant, are there many working bands/artists? Good support system? i.e. shows/ venues/ fans/ promoters/ labels/ practice space?
I come from Providence, where although its a small city we have quite a diverse and talented music scene that has produced some very fine and moderately successful bands over the past few years. . .
As for me, I am 26, professional, passionate/serious and experienced when it comes to music, recording and performance. I am predominantly a drummer, bassist and guitarist but dabble in other instruments and areas as well including production and recording. I have worked with different bands, touring, recording, producing and generally building a band from the ground up to regional success.
I am open to genre but my strengths are rock n' roll and rock based funk/blues/groove/soul music. I understand DC is well known for its Go-Go, Punk/Hardcore and Rap, but how current is this info?
I hold down a day job so I am not exactly a starving artist. Teaching lessons is always welcomed income as well.
If I move to DC I really need to feed my soul by continuing to exercise my gifts and talents.
Any insight is greatly appreciated. . . THANKS !! - Zach
D.C. is purely second tier when it comes to the musical arts unless you are talking opera and classical music.
I'd put it in the same box as Cincinnati and Phoenix when it comes to a local rock scene.
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