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I'd love to see some big rock acts come out of DC or at least the area some day.
Newest one I can think of that's known nationally are Clutch, and they started in 1990 and even then they're not SUPER DUPER well known. And they're from Germantown, MD (although they have a storied history with the 9:30 Club).
I'm definitely gonna hit up places like DC9, R&R Hotel, etc once I turn 21. Hopefully some day on the stage rather than the audience
We do get pretty good acts in DC though. And Baltimore ain't that far, they get a lot of good acts too.
Only one I've heard of is Meshell, I dont really listen to rap or R&B. Only somewhat recent other group I can think of is Thievery Corporation. Not taking anything away from the artists you've mentioned but the DC music scene is still pitiful for such a large area. Areas with like 1/20 of the population like Athens, GA and Gainesville, FL outpace it.
If you haven't even heard of Wale, are you really in a position to be judging the music scene? Millions of people across the country know he's from DC.
DC chillin', PG chillin. My name Wale and I came to get it...
Big gospel scene in DC as well; most notably Richard Smallwood and Byron Cage, but also dozens of others who are able to be working musicians. But of course, that doesn't "count" either in the OP's world.
I think this thread should be titled "Does DC have the worst rock music scene in America?"
And the answer is no, it is definitely not the worst, and I don't think it's even bad, either. Like I mentioned earlier in the thread, there are many rock clubs in DC and the surrounding area where you can see local rock bands in any given week. Not all of the bands will be great, of course, but I fail to see how this is any worse than numerous other comparably large metro areas not known for having massive rock scenes at the moment, such as Dallas, Houston, Miami, St. Louis, Tampa....
Let me note that I am not knocking those cities. In fact I can think of great bands that have emerged out of each of those cities over the years. But DC has had some great bands over the years too, like Fugazi, the aforementioned Clutch, the Dismemberment Plan....
I'm just saying that these cities are not currently known for having as great of rock scenes as places like New York, LA, Chicago, San Fran, etc. So DC isn't alone in that regard.
Last edited by stateofnature; 01-25-2012 at 09:40 AM..
I prefer classic rock - 1960s, 70s and 80s. I feel that the best music from that period was much superior to any popular music that has come out since then. I say this as a musician myself.
Will there ever be another BEATLES? Yeah, I didn't think so. So, it doesn't matter much that DC (of all cities) currently does not have a great music scene. Because no other city does either. (Again, this is my opinion.)
Last edited by BigCityDreamer; 01-25-2012 at 12:34 PM..
There is no comparable large metropolitan area in the US completely devoid of a music scene like DC. From top to bottom pretty much no acts have broken out here in the past decade. The city has a rich musical heritage with Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, John Philip Sousa and the 80s hardcore punk and emo scene but the DC area is pretty much an artistic void now. It makes DC a sad artistic void without character, I've pretty much felt that since I was a young teenager.
DC also has the worst radio in America. There's no college radio that plays breaking music and all the radio is corporate owned except the public stations.
You should have done more research. There is no need to really name any artist.
But Wale, Tony Braxton, and Mya are some of the bigger musicians to come out of the area and many are steady rising. Especially since the whole DMV is taking place.
But Rap, R&B and Pop are the dominate music in DC. In fact, rock isn't even as mainstream anymore in the music scene period. It's all about hip hop, rap and pop. Especially techno
If you haven't even heard of Wale, are you really in a position to be judging the music scene? Millions of people across the country know he's from DC.
DC chillin', PG chillin. My name Wale and I came to get it...
Wale is an okay rapper with some good songs. However, he gains more attention from his sneaker game and clothes than he does his music. Sneakerheads and hypebeasts love Wale's style, but most wouldn't be caught dead bumping his music. Even a lot of DC natives don't like Wale because he grew up in Gaithersburg in Montgomery County for most of his life although he was born in DC and lived there for a while. Wale didn't even move to PG until after he graduated high school.
Hip Hop has always had some presence in DC. But historically, DC's Hip Hop scene simply doesn't compare to NYC, L.A., Philly, Bay Area, Chicago, Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans etc. Don't get me wrong, DC had some classic Hip Hop like Nonchalant's "5 o'clock in the morning" and groups like Section 8 Mob in the 90's. There was also some good Go-Go/Hip Hop fusion as well. BUT, Hip Hop in DC has always taken the backseat to Go-Go. There has been some great Go-Go over the past 30 or so years. However, DC's Go-Go scene is extremely insular. If you aren't from DC/PG, chances are that you aren't going to understand Go-Go at all. Even folks in Baltimore don't like Go-Go. I've lived in the DC Area 10+ years and I can't say that I'm a Go-Go fan, but I have heard some good ass Go-Go music before.
Last edited by goldenchild08; 01-26-2012 at 02:22 PM..
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