Connecticut-native, Corey Durkin is our featured artist of the week. The singer/songwriter released his debut album Go Easy last summer featuring members of Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers and Fountains of Wayne. He even enlisted a fellow Featured Artist, Boots Factor, to play all the drums on the album. Corey has got some creative things in store for the rest of 2012, including some music videos, live shows, and more creative songwriting. We spoke to Corey recently about Go Easy, his creative process in writing and recording, social media, and the ten things he believes in (they’re quite good too).

Get to know more about Corey Durkin in our interview down below.

Corey, give us a little background for anyone out there that doesn’t know who you are.

1. My name’s Corey. I’m a singer/songwriter from Connecticut. I am tall. I call my music “coffeehouse arena-rock.” My eyes change color quite frequently. I can quote Sam Cooke & Jay-Z simultaneously, some people would say I have a “nice flow” but I don’t really know what that means. I do P90X & Insanity. I love scrambled eggs. One day, I’ll be as cool as Jeremy Lin.

As you’ve mentioned before, someone pointed out that you’ve got this James Taylor thing going on. What other musicians influence you and your acoustic sound? Who inspires you?

2. A lot of people say I remind them of James Taylor which is a huge compliment in my book because I absolutely love JT. Big fan of Jackson Browne, Billy Joel, Tom Petty, Sam Cooke, Al Green, Pete Yorn, The Clash, Cold War Kids, Modest Mouse, Ne-Yo, Ray Charles…the list goes on and on. I love hip-hop/rap but the singer/songwriters always bring me back.

Your debut album Go Easy came out in August. Tell us about the recording process, as you were a man on a mission who was absolutely certain at how you wanted your record to sound, did everything turn out the way you wanted it to go?

3. The album came out even better than I could have imagined. My producer, Nick Bariluk, said that he’s never worked with anyone who was so sure of their sound going into the making of their first record…I really appreciated hearing that because I went into that album with a very clear vision for each song and the overall feel of the album…the fact that the final recordings are awesome beyond what I could have imagined makes it even more exciting.

One of our featured artists, Boots Factor, played drums on the album, as did the other Sk6ers. Easily it must have been a riot to make records with friends. Who else contributed to the recording of Go Easy?

4. Booooooooooots did all the drums on the record, such a talented dude. Goose Karlson played all the bass and did keys on the first song on the record called “Believe In Me.” Sam Getz did some guitar, he’s pretty sick-nasty. He had short hair at the time but I like it better long, looks cooler when he’s soloing live. And Jody Porter from one of my favorite bands of all-time, Fountains of Wayne, played guitar on a few songs. Jody, Boots & Sam all have solo records out – Jody’s is called “Close to the Sun” (check out ‘Aurora’) Boots’ is “Part or Execution” (check out ‘Trying to Try’) and Sam’s is with his band The Vig called “Around and Around and So On” (check out ‘Impatient Man’).

You’re a man who loves writing songs and just being creative overall and naturally some tracks wouldn’t be able to make it onto the final record. Is it difficult as a musician/songwriter to shun tracks to you love to the backburner?

5. It’s tough to shelve songs when you love them individually and there were quite a few songs that we recorded that didn’t end up making the record…but having that clear vision of the record enabled me to figure out which group of songs was the most cohesive and would work for a full album. I wanted the record to be great for road-trips – those are always my favorites. The record flows so well, it turned out exactly the way it was supposed to and I’m really proud of that.

Speaking of writing, when we spoke, you were heading over to Nashville to channel the creative mind and just do some songwriting. How has that experience been?

6. It’s so much fun to be in a city where everyone is intensely creative. We all understand each other as artists which makes it so easy to drop everything and write a song or shoot a video or do something else artsy. I’ve met some great people so far and have been writing with some KILLER people. Interestingly enough, most of the stuff we’ve written here has been towards the singer/songwriter/pop side of the spectrum but it has been a blast to work with such talented writers. A lot of the folks I’ve written with have written songs for people like Blake Shelton, Kenny Chesney, Faith Hill, Jason Aldean, these big-time country stars and it’s so much fun to get into a room with these guys & gals and write together!

You’re pretty big on doing song covers. From Adele to Bruno Mars, even R. Kelly! There’s no genre specific to your tastes. Do you just pick a song your in the mood to listen to and just cover it/record it? And who else do you plan on covering?

7. I totally just pick a song I’m in the mood for – I’m going to record “Remix to Ignition” in a few days because I absolutely love that song. You know, the R. Kelly really moves me. But I cover songs that I sing to when I’m driving, that’s how I know it’ll be a good cover when I’m at a red light dancing in the car and a really cute female looks over at me and sees my dance moves. And then looks away. When I do that to a song, I’m probably gonna cover it.

You blog, you tweet, you Facebook, etc. You encourage fan engagement in a time where social media is a huge form of self-­‐promotion. How important is social media to you and how you use it to interact with your fans?

8. I don’t really see it as self-promotion so much, I just have fun with social media, I’m a total goofball. I like to talk to people and learn more about them and Twitter/Facebook/whatever else allow me to do that so easily. I’m just being ME on there. Posting videos, tweeting about random happenings from 2am gas station visits, the works.

Besides the songwriting, you’ve got some shows coming up, correct? What else do you have planned for the rest of 2012?

9. Yeah and I’m excited about 2012, cool projects on the horizon for me, can’t wait to share more about those as they come around but we’re gonna be releasing a few more music videos from the 1st album over the next 2 months and I can’t wait for that…shooting those videos is a blast and I’m excited to share those with people.

Thanks for your time and letting us do a feature on you. Anything else you want to add for the readers/Corey Durkin lovers out there?

10. I’ll leave you with ten things: 1) don’t wash colored clothes in warm water 2) always listen to a Corey Durkin record when working out 3) ‘The Notebook’ was better than ‘Dear John’ 4) hair gel can be your best friend 5) mouthwash is severely underrated 6) don’t try to ride a dolphin unless you’ve been properly trained 7) there is nothing like the smell of clean towels at the gym 8.) tell your family you love them 9) chivalry is not dead 10) come say hi to me on Twitter, Facebook or on my website,www.coreydurkin.com

Last Thursday night, we caught a rather nice lineup of bands at the Velvet Lounge on U Street. Filling the bill were local bands, Western Affairs and The Sea Life, and our latest Featured Artist, Canadian band, Royal Canoe.

Here at Pick-Up, we love working with local bands and so Western Affairs and most recently, The Sea Life have been on our radar but having Royal Canoe on the bill was what I was very pumped for. Having listened to their EP Extended Play a whole lot while having them featured on our site, the complexity of sounds that they had going for them was one to be pretty excited to see live. And they delivered! The six-piece band from Winnipeg, Manitoba played a short but killer set of tracks from their latest EP and their upcoming full-length record. With six guys and crazy sounds, loads of gear to fill the stage at Velvet Lounge were bound to follow. It’s incredibly impressive that the amount of keyboards, guitars, drums, and vocal harmonies can make such cohesive sounds for songs. It was a treat to hear Bathtubs, the second track off of their EP, which ended with lead-vocalist Matt Peters singing into another mic to get that vocal-distortion effect. And this would continue throughout their set with the different switch-ups of instrumentation. These guys have a really great thing going for them and seeing their impressive live set makes one pumped to hear their full-length record. I know I’m already excited to see them come back into town.

I won’t forget about our local bands either. Western Affairs opened up the night by showing the crowd that they were worthy of winning the Next Big Thing tour. Western Affairs are still a young band that are making their way onto local DC stages, showcasing their experimental dream-pop with tracks like Control and 1999. They’re currently working on their first EP. The Sea Life closed the show, opening their set with their summery track Sleep, which we just most recently posted a Blue Light Session for. It was a delight to hear the five of them play their EP tracks live. We’re excited to see these two bands grow as they continue to play for crowds in the DMV.

Check out our photos from the show down below.

Western Affairs

Royal Canoe

The Sea Life

Black Taxi was one of our Featured Artists back in February and they finally came to DC last Tuesday to kick off their latest East Coast tour. The New York natives played a 12-song set with tracks from both their first album Things of that Nature and their latest, We Don’t Know Any Better. It was an experience to see how talented these four guys are live, especially with lead vocalist Ezra Huleatt and his ever-growing variety of instruments, all placed on his keyboard as one-stop shop for instrumental switch-ups.

They opened up with Friend from their latest album, warming up the growing crowd at DC9 with Ezra crooning “Be my friend tonight…” from his keyboard, followed by a jazzy trumpet solo alongside bassist Krisana Soponpong. It was followed by We Don’t Know Any Better, the track with the same name as the album, the song featuring main vocals from guitarist Bill Mayo. As Tightrope came up on the list the crowd went nuts, dancing along to the catchy track, making Black Taxi feel right at home on the diamond stage. We got to hear older tracks from their first album like Head on a Pike, Love Song for a Ghost, Up Here for Thinking, Down There for Dancing, and It’s a Ball. As we neared the end of the set, Black Taxi played their most popular hits from both albums: Hand, which also had Ezra joining Jason Holmes to hit cymbals, and Shoeshine, which the crowd sang “I left it all Sunday/ It was the day I met you…” right till the end.

To sum up, Black Taxi was a complete crowd pleaser and definitely a band everyone should see live. I also got to hear Vultures live, which is my favorite off the new album. It was a great night of wonderful music and I’m already counting the days till they come back for a show.

Check out our photos from the show just down below!

For the full set of photos, check out our Photo Gallery or our Facebook.

This week we’re featuring a great band from our neighbors up north, Royal Canoe. The six-piece band from Winnipeg, Manitoba released their EP Extended Play back in late February, ultimately resulting in a solid indie-rock record of catchy harmonies and complex sounds. Royal Canoe is currently in the final stages of releasing their first full-length album. And we’re positive it’ll be filled with more of that funky Royal Canoe sound. We got to speak with Brendan Berg (bass, keyboard, vocals) from the band about Extended Play and the challenges that went into making it, their latest music video for Hold Onto The Metal, and what you can expect at their live shows.

You can catch Royal Canoe live at Velvet Lounge THIS Thursday (5/10) with local bands The Sea Life and Western Affairs! A really great lineup of bands playing live…don’t miss out!

Check out our interview with Royal Canoe and take a listen to their EP below.

Introduce yourselves and what each of you do for anyone who hasn’t heard you all yet. And how did you all get together to form Royal Canoe? Also, what’s the origin behind the band name?

The band began as a recording/side-project of Matt Peters that morphed into a full-fledged band after those involved in the live-incarnation of the project started writing and recording new songs together.  It’s been over 2 years since we shifted into this new mode, and the current focus of the band feels entirely distinct from its origins.  I guess the name kinda came along for the ride.  It was originally lifted from a headline in a local newspaper after an official visit to Winnipeg by some 3^rd-rate member of the Royal Family.

Canada has always been bursting with some amazing indie/pop bands such as yourselves. How has Winnipeg, or Canada in general, inspired the various sounds that we hear on Extended Play?

I’m not sure if to us the musical-style feels particular reminiscent of Winnipeg or Canada, but lyrically the majority of the record is driven by our experiences back home.  Winnipeg is a very isolated, extreme place that gets so unbearably cold in winter it’s almost uninhabitable and then every year summer comes and it’s like the whole city is on E.  It’s the kind of environment that really plays with your emotions and character – Brutal and beautiful all at the same time.  A lot of people retreat to artistic expression as means of coping.

Speaking of Extended Play, there is so much complexity in sounds through out the entire EP. You’ve all recorded a pretty great series of videos taking us behind the scenes and in the studio during the recording process. But tell us about how the six of you decided on these sounds and these lyrics to put together the tracks.

Most of the sounds were created while fiddling and tinkering with synths, pedals, samples, whatever we could get our hands on really.  It’s such a fun, exploratory part of the process and for us constructing tones and writing songs are one and the same.  But, it wouldn’t be unheard of to spend a whole afternoon and only be happy with one little “whoopy” sound.  It felt a little ridiculous sometimes.

Were there any challenges while putting the record together?

I can’t even count how many lyrics, chord progressions, tones, and drum loops we ditched over the course of recording this album and EP.  That being said, sometimes you need to become aware of what you don’t want to do before you can find what feels comfortable.  I think we all feel that after the last two years of really diligent work, we have our process and sound much more defined than when we started. I guess discovery is always the most exciting part of creative work, but it seems like we have a better idea where the starting point is moving forward.

With the release of your EP back in late February, how has the reception been so far?

The reception has been really encouraging so far.  It feels great.  When you cut yourself off and spend a bunch of time really focused on a project you’re not always sure how people are going to react.  We are really excited to see how people receive the full-length.

You all hit up SXSW again this year. How different was the experience the second time around?

This year SXSW was busier than last year and since we had less time to roam about it just whirred on by.  We still had a blast, though.  But, always strange to see like ten better-looking versions of yourself walking down the street.

As mentioned before, you all have such complex sounds, creating such challenging and catchy tracks, but there is also that hint of hip-hop that adds on to the rhythmic sound. What other musicians inspire that Royal Canoe sound?

As would be expected, our influences are many and very diverse stylistically. But there are a few artists who have been particularly influential and whose influence can probably be more easily discerned from listening to our music. This list includes (but is not limited to): Outkast (and both Big Boi and Andre individually), Beck, The Knife (and Fever Ray), James Blake, Dr. Dre, Animal Collective, and Bibio.

The music video for “Hold onto the Metal” was just released and we’re taken for a pretty badass underwater party. It looked like a blast to shoot! Tell us a little about when you all made the video. When and where was it shot? Who came up with the concept?

The video was shot in the middle of this past winter.  It was directed by our friend Michael Maryniuk.  He also did the first video for the song Nightcrawlin.  He’s a great guy to work with.  He has such a distinct style that really suited the song.  Most of the ideas came from a couple meetings we had while we were mixing the record.  It was a crazy, busy time.  A mix would be going to tape in the other room and we would be hopping back and forth brainstorming video ideas with Mike. One of those periods of time where you wish there were more hours in the day.

I don’t know about everyone else, but every time I get to “Caught in a Loop” I keep wishing there were more tracks left to listen to! From “In the studio” series of videos, you all were putting together your full-length in addition to your EP. What’s the progress on the album and when can we expect it?

We just finished mixing the full-length so now we’re looking to find a nice home for it.

We’re really excited to see the band play out here in DC with The Sea Life and Western Affairs. For those, like me, who haven’t seen you live, can you tell us what we can expect at your shows?

We’re very excited for our first visit to DC as well. For those who haven’t seen Royal Canoe live before, prepare to be amazed by the amount of people and instrument we squeeze on to the stage –six keyboards, two drummers, four vocalists – we’re often so cramped in on the stage that the only direction we have to move is up and down. We keeps the grooves deep, sing lots of harmonies, and keep our hands very busy with a myriad of special sounds we painstakingly created over long ours cramped up in our rehearsal space. It’ll make you want to move, but with some of our songs the tricky part can be figuring out just how to dance.

Thanks for taking the time out, guys. Got any last words for everyone out there?

Our pleasure. Thank you for taking the time and supporting what we’re doing. We’re thrilled to feel love and excitement coming back at us from all of these unexpected places, and we can’t wait to come share that excitement with the fine folks of Washington DC. Cool Runnings!

For for information on Royal Canoe and their upcoming tour dates, visit their website, Facebook, and follow them at @royalcanoe on Twitter!

“Indie Rock meets Electronica” is how local band Redline Graffiti describes their sound and they couldn’t be more right but with a good old-fashioned hip-hop flair. They’ve released their first EP About & Because late last year, providing fans in the DMV with something they can relate too. The band had worked on a second EP, nearing it’s release in June. We spoke to band members Drew Moten and Donald Martin, wanting to get to know more about their band and their sound. We got to know what musicians inspire them and their sound, how they came up with their band name and much more.

You can catch them live at the Black Cat on May 13th!

Quick roll call. Who are Red Line Graffiti and what do you all contribute to the band?

Drew: There are four of us. Ajene plays guitar, Ebony plays drums, Donald does sampling, synthesizer work, and vocals, and I do vocals, bass, and synth.

What’s the story behind choosing “Redline Graffiti” as your band name?

Drew: We were discussing the name among ourselves, when Donald mentioned that he wanted a name that reflected the idea of a collective. I thought of the graffiti that runs along the scenery of the metro rail near where we live. It’s beautiful, expansive, and collective art at its best. So, I named the band after it.

Being a band out from DC, how does the city inspire you all to make the music you guys make?

Donald: To be honest, we’re looking past DC for inspiration. Don’t get me wrong, there are great musicians here. But DC is saturated by what’s popular. We get the urge to stick a flag on DC with our sound because we want to do something else. Something that resonates with us and our fans.

There is a strong synthy-­infused hip-­hop sound going on; super chill tracks. What musicians inspire or influence you all as a band, as well as your sound?

Donald: Yeah, the only reason this EP is more along those lines is because I was at the helm of the drum programming. Hip Hop was where my mind was at the time. Anyone can tell you that our live show is a different aesthetic than the first EP. So that one of my influences, besides that, there is Soulwax, Stevie Wonder, Funkadelic, Le Knight Club, Com Truise parading around my brain right now.

Drew: (laughs) I wouldn’t really say our sound is hip-hop At all. But, as far as influences, for me, TV on the Radio, Sonic Youth, James Jamerson in terms of bass, and, say, Broken Social Scene.

You all released your EP About & Because late last year, how has the experience been for you all so far?

Drew: It’s been interesting. It’s too early to tell, but I have a feeling we could be doing worse. We certainly appreciate the support that has come our way thus far. Like anyone, we can only hope it continues.

Local support is always huge, how has the DMV love been for Redline Graffiti so far?

Drew: Well, I’m not sure. Like I said, it’s still early yet. So, there has been a response to our music, but I can’t tell rather or not it’s impressive. I’m not satisfied, but I’m not disappointed either.

Donald: I think everyone likes us, but they cant admit it (laughs).

Take us behind the scenes a little bit. Where did you all cut the EP and can you tell us about the songwriting and recording process for it?

Drew: We cut the record at this house in Brookland that we work out of. Right in the front room. I had two of the songs in my pocket (in terms of lyrics and melody), and we fleshed them out together. And we made two together as a band, for which the lyrics came afterwards.

What’s next for Redline Graffiti for the rest of 2012? Working on more music, we hope!

Drew: Yes, we’re releasing our second EP, The Drill, in June. We plan to play up and down the seaboard and grow our fan base throughout the summer and fall, returning to music in the winter.

Thanks a lot for your time! We love supporting local musicians. Any last shout outs?

Donald: S/O to all of our fans thus far, and every sound person that help us. You’re all awesome!

For more information on Redline Graffiti, you can find them on Facebook and Twitter! You can listen to their current EP at their www.redlinegraffiti.bandcamp.com/

Having been named one of Paste Magazine’s “12 Michigan Acts You Should Listen To Now,” The Soil and the Sun have gotten their name out there and by good word too. The Michigan band started off with just two members that would eventually grow into an eight-piece band, making spiritual melodies and infectious harmonies. Taking over a span of three years or so, The Soil and the Sun had released their full-length album Wake Up, Child last fall, providing an array of complex sounds in one cohesive record. We got to speak to Alex (Vocals/Guitar/Drums) about Wake Up, Child, their sound, Daytrotter, and more!

Get to know more about The Soil and the Sun.

Could you give us an introduction to who the different members of the band are and what they contribute?

My name is Alex, and I play guitar and drums.  Benjamin plays drums, Ashley plays keyboard, accordion and oboe, Heather plays cello, Jacki plays keyboard and lots of extra toys, Joanna plays violin, William plays guitar, and Michael plays bass.  All that, plus whatever else we can get our hands on.

the Soil and the Sun were originally a two-piece band, correct? How did all eight of you get together and decide that this would now be the band? Could you give us a little background behind the formation?

Yes, originally the band was just me and ol’ Benji.  We did a lot of looping of guitars and keyboards and then both played drums over the loops.  Goofy stuff. We’ve always had more we wanted to do with the melodies and instrumentation of the songs, so it felt natural to begin adding other friends into the mix as it happened.  At one point we toured with 11 members, but now we’ve sort of settled into this really solid group of 8 people.

There is such a complexity of instrumentation in each of your songs that transcends into tremendous melodies and harmonies. There are so many different layers but it all blends in well that it works. Where do you behind when it’s time to create tracks?

The process is pretty drastically different from song to song.  Or at least I’d like to think it is.  Each song is it’s own animal.  Sometimes things just fall into place for a song, whereas other songs may not be played live until we’ve rehearsed them for almost a year.  It’s really exciting to bring a new idea to the rest of the group, because we never know for sure where it’s going to end up.  Still, the process never ends.  The way we play the songs live is always changing.

What other musicians do you listen to that inspires you all as a band, as well as your sound?

I wish I could weigh in with each person individually on this one, because I think each member brings something unique to the table.  Personally, I’m inspired by the folk music of most cultures, especially South American and Southeast Asian.  There’s just some mysterious quality to it that I admire so much.  Some of our favorite artists right now are Efterklang, mum, O’brother, and Grizzly Bear.  Also, I can’t get enough of Feist’s new album.

You all released Wake Up, Child this past fall, stating that it was “a re-do/do-over of songs previously and sporadically recorded over the past 3 or so years…” Why did you all choose that time to release it? Was it that you had finally written/recorded enough songs for an entire album over the course of time?

Wake Up, Child is our first ever album, made up of songs that we’ve been playing for quite some time.  Most were written when the band was just me and Ben.  We’ve written a lot of new songs recently, but we wanted to put together a complete cohesive album of the older songs before recording the new tunes.  Hence, Wake Up, Child.  Now we’re working on an album of the new songs, and it’s almost done!

Not only are the melodies and harmonies complex, but lyrically there is mood, vision, and spiritual feeling. Could you explain the songwriting process for Wake Up, Child?

Thanks for noticing.  The way the lyrics are formed is not dissimilar to the way the music is built.  Sometime I agonize over every word and syllable, but at other times the words flow out more naturally.  I value both aspects of this process.  Usually, the lyrics come together over a long period of time and the subject matter is pretty broad.

What’s the story behind Wake Up, Child being chosen as the name of the album?

Wake Up, Child is a line from our song Raised in Glory.  Now that you mention it, the Soil & the Sun has actually never played a show at which we didn’t play that song.  It seems to capture a good portion of our vision for the band.  We hope that what we do (for others as well as ourselves) continues to make us more awake, more alive, more aware of the reality of our world.

How does behind a band from Michigan influence your music?

Most of us are not native to the mitten state, but we have all definitely grown to love it very much.  I’m positive that the people and natural environment of Michigan influence us a million times a day before we even eat breakfast.  There is a special quality to this place, and the people here (Grand Rapids!) are super supportive of the arts community.

You guys just played a set for Daytrotter, which is a pretty huge deal! How was the experience for you and how’d it come about?

Daytrotter was a great experience!  We’re really grateful for these opportunities that come our way.  The session was a lot more chill that we anticipated.  Low key.  Low lighting.  They run a real nice operation out there.  Our friends in the band Pomegranates hooked us up with the Daytrotters.  Thanks, guys.

You also were named one of Paste Magazine’s 12 Michigan Acts You Should Listen to Now, which is another big deal. How has the press affected you all since then?

Yeah!  That was really nice of them.  I guess we have mostly been encouraged by what the press has put out.  It’s nice to know that other people think what we’re doing is worthwhile.

What are the plans for the band for the rest of 2012?

Well, up to this point we’ve just kind of been taking things as they come.  In 2012, besides preparing for Dec. 21st, we will be releasing a new album and hopefully doing a lot of touring.  West Coast, anyone?

We appreciate you taking the time to talk to us at Pick-Up Productions. We’re hoping to see you all play in DC soon. But until then, any last shout outs to the readers?

Keep your eyes peeled for the new record this summer!  Keep it real, stay positive.

For more information about The Soil and the Sun, visit their website www.thesoilandthesun.com and like them on Facebook.

Having just been one a Featured Artist on our website, I had the pleasure of checking them out as they headlined Rock N Roll Hotel last Friday. Though there had seemed to be shows going on at just about every venue in DC last Friday, seeing Dance for the Dying didn’t disappoint.

Local bands were the flavor of the night at RNR Hotel with openers Tomio, singing about pet rent; We Were Pirates, who I love, were wonderful to see live; The Silver Liners did their thing, leaving girls hooting and hollering when the drummer took his shirt off.

Dance for the Dying got on the stage and we were treated to a new hair color and a sparkly jacket (to make up for the non-appearance of bling) by front-woman M.C. Wolfe. The synth-pop foursome got right into it, treating us to some tracks that they’ve been recently working on for a new EP due later this year. Mixed into the set were songs off of their current EP, which resulted in getting some much deserved love as the crowd roared “ECHO! ECHO! ECHO!” during the song with the same title. I’m a big fan of bands who switch up instruments during their set and Dance does it plenty. And the cherry on top of that is there’s dancing! And handclaps! They were really great to see a second time around and I’m definitely looking forward to the new EP.

Next they’ll be playing live in New York and Boston. So if you’re around, practice your handclaps and dance away!

Below are our photos from the show as well as some videos. For the full set of photos from Dance for the Dying at Rock N Roll Hotel, visit our gallery page.

Tomio

We Were Pirates

The Silver Liners

Dance for the Dying

For the full set of photos from Dance for the Dying at Rock N Roll Hotel, visit our gallery page.

Local cool cats Dance for the Dying have been keeping busy in the DC music scene, making them our featured artist  for the week. The synth-pop, dance-rock band have been doing their thing for a few years now, creating catchy tracks that’ll have you dancing and hand-clapping with the best of the them. You could even play the catchy tracks yourself as their featured on the popular Rockband games.

M.C. (vocals, synth), Josh (guitar, synth), Brad (Bass, synth), and Chris (Drums) have been locked up in the studio recently, putting together another EP for all ears to hear. They even opened up for The Psychedelic Furs at The State Theatre last month. We got to speak them to recently, learning more about their EP, the story behind their name, Rockband, what you can expect at their shows, and much more!

Get to know your local dance machine, Dance for the Dying.

They are headlining Rock N Roll Hotel, this Friday (4/20)! Doors at 8pm | Show at 9pm. Don’t miss out!

Could you give us some background about the four of you – how did you all come together and decide to form Dance for the Dying?

JOSH: I moved to northern VA from Richmond in 2009 to attend school for Audio Production and answered an interesting Craigslist posting by Chris.

M.C.: I was between bands when Josh’s girlfriend introduced me to him. A while passed before I was invited to an evening with Josh and Chris, but once I was there I was in.

CHRIS: After playing in bands for many years, I had taken a break from it all for a bit. When the music bug bit again, I Tried out for several area bands but couldn’t find anything I wanted to invest my time and energy in so I thought “why not try and start my own thing?”. So I made a post on Craigslist and started flushing out some candidates.

Brad: After bouncing around the U.S., I ended up back in DC in 2009. I was kind of itching to play some music and posted a Craigslist ad. Chris answered.

There’s always a story behind the band name. What’s the story behind yours?

CHRIS: Actually, the band had a name before it had members in it. I had heard of a place in India where these kids were putting on skits and dances for the dying, sick and elderly in their village. The idea was to  help them enjoy life in the moment and to cheer them up while they were alive. So I wrote down “dance for the dying” realizing that helping people enjoy life in the moment, listening to a recording or enjoying a live experience, were the same wishes I had for being in a band. So when trying to find other bandmates for the project, I decided to share the concept and it stuck.

I recently saw your band play live and thought you guys were great fun! How do you all prepare for a show? Any crazy or interesting rituals?

JOSH: From load in until the doors open is usually a little hectic with getting every bands gear situated and running through soundchecks.  After the doors open we set up our merch and get to know the bands we’re playing with better and get a short time to relax.  The 5 minute warning usually gets my heart pumping a bit, and then hitting the stage and hearing the first notes of the full band hitting together always gives me a rush.

M.C.: Getting dressed is easily the most stressful part of my evening.

CHRIS: Cheezy as it sounds, the whole process of getting ready to perform is a sort of ritual I guess. The intention for me is always to let the Universe steer me as it sees fit to let the music flow through me as its instrument. And to allow me to be my best. I love losing my sense of self in the performances and just being.

Brad: I usually just hide somewhere and prepare for the inevitable sweaty mess I become when setting up on stage. I feel like I look like a frazzled, confused IT guy.

The band has played some of the well-established clubs in the DC area. How important has the local support been for you all so far?

M.C.: It’s incredibly important to have local support. The clubs want to feature bands that people come out to see, and we are so appreciative of everyone who has come out to have fun with us!

CHRIS: The building support for what we do has been a welcome pleasure. We would likely still play music by ourselves at home because our individual creative juices have to go into some endeavor but sharing what we do with others is so rewarding. Especially when it is well received.

Brad: And I wouldn’t underestimate the importance of having local bands that support each other. D.C. has a ton of great bands. We’ve been lucky to share shows with Lenorable, Ra Ra Rasputin, Hiding Places, among many others. Its great to share shows and audiences.

As a synth-based, dance-rock band, can you tell us some of the musicians that inspire you all as a band, as well as your sound?

JOSH: My favorite band of all time is The Cure, but I pull influence and inspiration from many artists of all kinds.  The other members of the group inspire my idea’s a great deal as well.

M.C.: Two of my very favorite bands are The Pixies and Metric, and the Yeah Yeah Yeah’s give me some inspiration. Emily Haines has such great energy on stage, and I love vocalists who are unafraid to explore their voice as an instrument both lyrically and vocally.

Brad: I’m kinda all over the map, recently i’ve really re-latched onto OMD, John Cale, New Order and Pulp. Oh, and I love Ned’s Atomic Dustbin’s base-lines.

You all released your Dance for the Dying EP over the summer. How has this experience been for you all as a band?

M.C.: Releasing our EP created so many more opportunities for the band. We’ve been included in a video game, on a Paul Frank compilation, we’ve been played on radio stations in the US and Canada. It’s become much easier to attract attention when so many first impressions are not dependent on people getting out to see us live – which we still recommend you do.

Brad:  Its been great playing songs live and seeing people actually singing along and knowing where the changes are. Its a great feeling when the crowd is part of the show. Having an EP makes that happen much easier.

Can you tell us a little more about the EP, like where you guys recorded it and who helped you all put it together?

JOSH: Justin Long, producer and engineer with The Powder Mill, helped us put the EP together and gave us a great recording experience and an awesome product.

M.C.: We spent 4 days in the studio living off of Mexican fast food and bagels. All of the vocals were recorded between 1 and 3am.

Brad: Justin really did a great job. And it helps having another person giving us an objective opinion of the songs.

Between the four of you, could you tell us about your songwriting process; how does it all go down when getting a track together?

M.C.: We write collaboratively. Usually one of us will have an idea – maybe a riff or a verse, some seed for a song – and we build off of it as a group.

CHRIS: I love that we write that way! Sometimes we butt heads with different ideas, but the result is stronger from having been hammered by each of our hands.

It was pretty cool to hear that you all have some tracks [Echo, El Monstro, and Thug Love] on the popular Rockband game! As an avid player of the game, I’ve always been a bit curious as to how this goes down for the band contributing the tracks. Could you take us behind the whole ordeal?

M.C.: We are lucky to have a fan who is also an author for Rock Band Network. Andy Sage discovered us when he saw us open for a touring band, got one of our songs stuck in his head, and made us a project. All we had to do was provide the tracks. He even made avatars of us playing the song. It’s been a lot of fun to see the different songs go up, and they are currently being played in 7 countries.

Your band is big on the social media trends with Facebook, Twitter, and even a great blog that each of you contribute to. How important do you think it is for musicians to keep everyone in the loop with what they all are up to or to just keep being “social” with their fans?

M.C.: Especially as a smaller band I think it’s pretty important. You don’t want to be forgotten between shows and releases, and you become more memorable when you share some of your quirks and are accessible to anyone who wants to sent a message.

What’s next for you all in 2012? You all played some new tracks at your show, does this mean your fans have a full‐length album to look forward to?

M.C.: We’re focusing on playing more shows in cities away from home and will be heading north in the spring, and after some debate about album length we’ve decided to record another EP. It should be ready in the next few months.

CHRIS: We enjoyed the experience with Justin Long so much the first time that we are going back in with him mid March to lay down our favorite new songs. It will likely be another 5 songs but we are still batting that around. We have quite a few new songs we’d like to have recorded but allotted time and budget will dictate the results.

Lastly, for those who’ve yet to see Dance for the Dying live, what can they expect at your shows?

JOSH: Fire, dangerous amounts of fire. Seizures.

Brad: Highlander-esque swordfights.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to talk to us. Any last words for the readers?

CHRIS: Just thank you! Thanks for reading this article, thanks for your interest in our band, and thanks for supporting those of us who are trying to enjoy doing what we love.

For more information on Dance for the Dying and their upcoming shows, visit their website, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter @dance4thedying!

Caveman made their way back to DC, this time headlining Red Palace on H Street. The band from the Big Apple played an 11-song set, two of which were new and the rest were all tracks off of their fantastic debut album CoCo Beware, minus Great Life. I had not caught them the first time they’d come to open for War On Drugs and since then I’ve grown to really love CoCo Beware, so naturally I was pumped for the show.

The band opened with the super-chill track Easy Water, with an intro displaying each band member and their instrumental strength. The balance of front-man Matt Iwanusa, with his solo drum kit, and drummer Stefan Marolachakis was some kind of wonderful throughout the entire show. I was definitely pumped to hear the summery-sounding track December 28th and their first single Thankful, which came through the set. Caveman ended their set with the instrumental track Vampirer leading into Old Friend, leaving the crowd vibing to the sound of keys, drums, guitar, and harmonies. It was a strong set for a fairly new band with a fairly new debut album. Definitely a band I’d see again!

We’ve got photos and videos of December 28th and Thankful down below.

For the entire set of photos, check out our Live Show Photo Gallery!

We are featuring the fresh New York band Caveman. Having only formed their group in 2010, Caveman has put out a solid sounding debut album called Coco Beware, which we got to speak to them about. They are currently touring the album, visiting venues across the US and TONIGHT they hit up Red Palace again, this time as headliners! The show is at 8:30pm, don’t miss out!

Could you give us an introduction to who the different members of the band are and what they contribute?

Jeff “Jeffy Pop, Buttered” Berrall is our starting power forward — no microwaves here, strictly hotness all way from the stove top to the three point line. Don’t touch him! Sam “Slammy” Hopkins is running the point, orchestrating the ball movement, no-look-passing and crossing over any and every defender he meets. Matty Pickles holds down the paint at the number 5 spot — but don’t foul him late in the game because he’ll hit ‘em. At small forward, Stefan “Steftown, USA” Marolachakis is slashing to the rim and always minding his fundamentals. And at the 2, James “Chobe Bryant” Carbonetti is our very own Stevey Novak, lights-out 24/7.

How did the five of you decide to get together and form Caveman? And why the band name Caveman?

When none of us ended up getting picked in the first round of the NBA draft, we decided to go pro at music. We retreated to the cave to compose our thoughts, in the form of song.

We really dig your debut album Coco Beware, which came out late last year. Being a fairly new band, only getting together in 2010, how has the reception to the album been for you all so far?

It’s been quite a wild ride. Taking it day by day, game by game.

You all released the album digitally a couple months before the actual physical release. Was there any particular reason why you all choose to release it that way?

We like to keep the spoon in the stew at all times, just stirring all day long.

Take us behind the scenes a little bit. Were there any challenges, songwriting-wise, while making Coco Beware?

Well, we had to come together as a team. Everybody needed to show up to practice, get that chemistry going. It was a fun experience, some songs were done going into recording, others emerged while we were in the studio. Just wanted to make sure to keep open minds and open ears.

How about the recording process, any challenges there?

We had blast — -ate a lot of Grimaldi’s pizza and strolled around beautiful Dumbo, Brooklyn.

Where did you all record the album and who helped produce it?

We made the record at Loveboat Studio in Dumbo with our dear friend Nick Stumpf.

You all were a part of the epic week that was South by Southwest. Now that it’s over, how would describe your time in Austin?

It was much like chapter 2 of “Call of the Wild.”

Besides touring, is there anything special on the plate for you all for the rest of 2012?

The summer vibes! The Mayan apocalypse!

We’re excited to see you in DC again, so we hope you’re all excited to be back. The last time you guys played Red Palace, you were with The War on Drugs a little before the digital album release of Coco Beware. How was your experience playing that last show at Red Palace?

We love those dudes, had a great time. Looking forward to our next show, looks like Biden is going to be joining us on tambourine.

Thanks a lot for your time! Any last words?

Defense creates offense. The ball finds energy.

For more information on Caveman and their upcoming tour dates, visit www.cavemantheband.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter!

I had the pleasure of checking out one of Pick-Up’s featured artists, Aabaraki, who were playing DC for the first time at Bayou last Saturday night.  The self-proclaimed “reduction stutter funkers” brought their best, playing two sets filled with tracks that brought the crowd at Bayou to their feet for a funky-jazzy-dance party. The sets included tracks like Karate, Girl, Terrified, and my personal favorite, Happy Endings from their latest album, the self-titled Aabaraki. We even got to hear their take on covering classic songs like John Lennon’s Jealous Guy, Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright, and, by popular demand of some folks in the crowd, a killer rendition of the Jimi Hendrix track Little Wing. 

“If you all keep dancing, we’ll keep playing,” said frontman, Akie Bermiss, pretty much summarizing the entire night while the crowd dances to the set. I, along with those at Bayou seemed to be unanimous in our decision that Aabaraki was a tremendous live band that really can just jam the night away while, at the same time, allowing anyone with dancing feet the chance to use them. We’d love to see them in DC again soon.

Check out photos from the show down below as well as videos of the tracks Happy Endings and Karate.

To check out more photos from the show, take a look at our photo gallery.

This week we feature local rockers Black Dog Prowl. The four-piece band has kept it busy with the release of their latest music child, the Vapor EP. Keeping things flowing, BDP has been playing shows all around our area, rocking venues with their bluesy-inspired, grunge rock. We spoke with the band recently about what it’s like to be in the DC music scene, their latest EP, and much more!

Get to know Black Dog Prowl and make sure you catch them at The Fillmore in Silver Spring on March 31st!

Who are Black Dog Prowl?

We are a pretty straight forward four-piece rock band from DC.  Josh sings and plays rhythm guitar, Robert lays down the lead, Sky plays bass and, of course, Enzo holds everything together on the drums.

For anyone who hasn’t heard your music, how would you describe it to them?

That’s always the challenge isn’t it?  We are a sort of bluesy, grunge rock.  It’s always weird to use another band to describe your sound.  But, we’ve been told we have got a little bit of Soundgarden and Nirvana in us, which is unbelievably generous and flattering.

Can you tell us a few of the musicians who inspire your sound?

Well, we all certainly have our own set of influences that impact how we approach songwriting and playing our instruments.  As far as BDP’s sound goes, we draw a lot from the classics: Zeppelin, The Beatles, The Doors, Queen and, as you will quickly notice, a fair amount of inspiration also comes from some of the heavy hitters from the early 90’s (Nirvana, Soundgarden, Mudhoney, Stone Temple Pilots, to name a few).  But, we’re always trying to learn and soak up anything that we can.  Whether it’s a national act or a local, inspiration comes from everywhere.

How does being a part of the “DC Music Scene” impact you all as a band?

Honestly, it’s really tough to answer that question.  For everything that is great about the music scene in DC, it can be equally frustrating.  It’s such a transient city, so having people from such diverse backgrounds and experiences makes for a uniquely eclectic musical environment.  At the same time, having such a variety can sort of prevent the kind of camaraderie that really helps foster a thriving scene.  There just needs to be a little bit more love, as cheesy as that may sound.  More love between the bands, the venues, promoters, radio stations, etc.

But, I suppose that, in itself, has quite the impact on our band in that we know that there are so many talented bands out there that we’d better constantly be stepping our game up or we will fall behind the eight-ball.  So, it keeps us on our toes and constantly working to be better.  So, there’s that…

Last month you all just released your latest music child, the Vapor EP. How excited has the band been for the release?

It was a long time coming.  We hadn’t put out a new record since 2010, so we were very excited to put out something new.  After months of go through mixes and hearing the songs back to the point of almost being sick of them, it’s always equal parts excitement and trepidation to put out new material.  But, so far we’ve had nothing but positive reviews and people seem to like the tunes.  As if they’d tell us anything different…

Tell us more about the EP. How had the songwriting and recording process been for the four of you?

This EP was a bit of a challenge for us.  Right before going in to record we went through some changes in our line-up.  Micah, our original guitar player, had just left the band and Robert was still getting his feet wet.  To a degree, you can hear that we’re still feeling each other out in the recording.

The songs themselves were also still very fresh.  The lyrics for a couple of the tunes weren’t even finished heading into the studio.  But, we settled in and were happy with how everything turned out.  We knew going in it was going to be a bit grungier than our last release.  We just hope people continue to like what we put out.  If not, at least we’re content.

Where did you all record the Vapor EP and who helped produce it?

We recorded at Sonic Sweets Studios in Beltsville, MD with Scott Robinson.  Great studio.  Great live room.  And, overall, just a great experience.  We’ll definitely be making a return trip.

We featured your Vapor music video on our site last month and were super impressed with the quality of song and video. Tell us more about the experience of recording the Vapor music video.

Alex Wohleber directed and shot the video all by his lonesome.  One day of prep, one day of shooting.  An unbelievably painless experience.  We had never done a video shoot before and really had no idea what we were doing and no idea what to expect.  We just said to him going into the shoot was, “Please don’t make us look stupid.”  He did an unbelievable job.

The band has a good amount of shows coming up in the area. How important has your local following been to the band’s growing success?

More than we could possibly express in a few words.  It’s nice to sit in a basement or a studio and put these songs together.  We really get to put our heart and soul into our music.  But, playing shows and sharing that music with people and feeding off of the crowd’s energy is what we live for.  Without the support of our fans, family and friends who take the time to listen, come out to shows, buy our records and just generally put up with our never-ending, self-indulgent quest to live our dream of making music for a living we would be nowhere.  So, we really can’t thank them enough.

Your 2012 is already off to a busy and exciting start. Do you have any plans for another full-length album to follow up the Vapor EP and Half Truths & Lies?

Well, that’s sort of the plan.  We’ve got a few tunes that didn’t find their way onto the EP and a couple new ones in the works.  But, we really don’t want to rush anything.  We’re just having so much fun playing these shows and working on new material that we are confident that when we do decide it’s time to get back into the studio we’ll come away with something special.

In the meantime, for those who follow us on Facebook, Twitter and all the other evil social media sites, you’ll probably see a few singles sneak their way out, but a full-length is definitely in the plans for the not-so-distant future.

Lastly, what bands/musicians are you all currently listening to these days?

Whatever we get turned on to, really.  If anyone has recommendations, feel free to share.  Recently, Enzo has been listening to a lot Whitney Houston to help the grieving process.  Josh has been on a bit of a blues-rock kick taking in healthy doses of the Black Keys and the Parlor Mob.  Sky has been bouncing back and forth between the Band of Skulls new record and the latest Foo Fighters release.   And, Robert really only listens to himself and the Finver Four.  So, as we said, suggestions are welcome.

Thanks for taking the time to let the readers know more about you!  Any last shout outs to the folks reading this?

Thank you, thank you, thank you!  Hope to see your beautiful faces at a venue near you!

Upcoming shows:

March 31^st @ The Fillmore in Silver Spring, MD

April 9^th @ Baltimore Soundstage for 98 Rock’s Noise in the Basement in Baltimore, MD

For more information about Black Dog Prowl and any of their upcoming shows, visit www.blackdogprowl.com, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter: @BlackDogProwl

This week we feature your favorite stutter funkers, Aabaraki. The band is based out of Brooklyn and are currently on tour, hitting up venues on the East Coast and over to Texas. The guys have released their self-titled album, Aabaraki, over the summer and are currently working hard on their new EP with Grammy-winning engineer Matt Shane. We had the pleasure of speaking to the band about their album, Brooklyn, playing song-covers, and much more!

Be sure to check out Aabaraki when they come to DC for the first time. They bring the funk to Bayou on March 10th!

Get to know more about Aabaraki below.

Can you explain how you all decided on your band name?

The band name comes from how we got together. Our guitarist, Brian Forbes, owns a studio in Brooklyn called The Gallery (where we do much of our recording) and we all first met there about three years ago for an impromptu jam session — which turned out to be an awesome hang. At that time, Brian was hosting quite a few jam sessions at The Gallery and would record them all. Keeping them categorized was kind of difficult so in order to do that, Brian would name the session by mashing up the names of the folks involved. We were Aaron, Ari, Brian, and Akie. Thus: Aabaraki.

Being a band based out of Brooklyn, how do you all feel about being part of such an influential and creative music scene?

Well, its certainly a fount of creativity and excitement being in Brooklyn. Its actually a pretty enormous challenge to keep our heads above water. There’s so much innovation going on at all hours of the day and night so much so that when you walk into a club to hear a band or a group you’ve heard before, you can’t be sure its going be what it was. That’s just part of the hang, though. And, honestly, if it weren’t for the Brooklyn music scene there would be no Aabaraki. Though we are all fast friends now it isn’t as if we knew each other in some fashion other than music. We know each other because we were all kind of getting some attention around the borough. And only met because there are so many mutual friends and artists between us. So you could say that Aabaraki is directly descended from the Brooklyn music scene. I mean, Akie is actually a native Brooklynite — which is a novelty these days.

And even still, if you expand the Brooklyn scene to include the New York scene there are a lot of folks that we collaborate and talk shop with all the time. If we can shout them out: folks like the rapper Soulkhan and the Brown Bag All Stars, Emily King, and Jose James. Among many, many others.

“Reduction stutter funk” is such a cool term to distinguish Aabaraki’s sound! How did you all settle on that as a description for your music?

Haha. Well, we kind of came up with that term as a way to describe what we thought we were doing *to* the music. Actually, if you ask us for a full explanation of our musical style it will be some kind of cross between soul, r&b, funk and psychedelic rock. With influences from hip hop and indie rock and the other weirdo music we listen to. But reduction stutter funk is a way of describing how we create music by first trying to find a groove with a really good, strong pocket (ie, funk), then try to get to the root of that groove and play all the feeling it implies without all the cosmetic things “funk groups” normally do (ie, reduction), and then we basically try to screw with the groove by chopping it up weirdly, banging it around, and just generally twisting the musical perspective (ie, stutter). Did I mention we are huge nerds? You should know that now… we’re big nerds.

Speaking of your music, can you tell us a few of the musicians that inspire you all as a band?

Influences is a tough question to answer — there are so many! If we had to break it down to just a few people old soul-singers like Bill Withers and Donny Hathaway. More contemporary artists and producers like N.E.R.D and Jay Dilla. And there are folks we sort of heard as we were coming to take music seriously folks like The Roots, Radiohead, and even At The Drive-In. As far as straight singers, Akie views his favorite contemporary artist and influence as being Kurt Elling

You all have released your self-titled album Aabaraki over the summer. How exciting has this been for you all as a band?

That was an awesome experience. You know many of those songs we wrote in those first few jam sessions we did. So it was gratifying to have them final mixed and mastered and on a CD that people were buying and listening to. Right now, we’re in the final stages of pressing our new EP — which we actually tracked at the brand new Converse Rubber Tracks studio in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Talk about being part of the Brooklyn music scene, we got to record that for free at Rubber Tracks and the engineer on the session was Matt Shane — a Grammy-winning engineer who has worked with Flight of The Concords. That could only happen in Brooklyn, right?!

Lyrically, you all focus on the impassioned affections of a woman while maintaining such funk and jazz elements in your instrumentation. Can you take us through the songwriting process of Aabaraki?

It’s very much like I described above: we get together and just play. Either we play a ton of long jams and then listen back and find the gems and start to flesh them out or sometimes everyone will bring an idea to the table and we’ll play on those things. Whatever the case, we try to record those jams and then all go home and think about how to structure a song around it. We’ll keep playing it for a while and then, before the words are set, we’ll start taking it out on gigs where Akie sort of makes up lyrics. Eventually, we just get a ton of pretty good lyrics and we all sit down and sift through them. Its hard to describe what happens then, but at some point down the line, you get Karate or Happy Endings.

How was your experience in recording the album? Who helped produce and mix the tracks?

We did that first self-titled record at The Gallery. Brian was both playing and engineering. As far as production, Brian really sits at the helm and holds everything down and we’re like first-mates that fade in and out. Sometimes all four of us are in the studio, more often its just one of us with Brian. And when its comes to those last dozens of hours, usually Brian is the man in the arena. All alone in the darkness.

You all even did a fantastic cover of John Lennon’s Jealous Guy for the record. Why did you choose this cover as opposed to the others you’ve done to be on your album?

We added that song to our live repertoire when we were doing a three-week gig down in St. Barths in 2009. One day Akie was listening to the Donny Hathaway version of the song and Brian walked in and started talking about the original John Lennon version. We wound up playing it every night for like two weeks and the song became our own thing. Jealous Guy and Terrified were the two songs that we hadn’t actually written in those first few weeks. We came back from that residency and recorded them immediately. And they made the record!

Speaking of covers, you all have done Alanis Morissette’s You Oughta Know and even Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice, It’s Alright while still maintaining those strong jazz/funk/soul elements that Aabaraki does best. And let’s face it, these aren’t songs you’d immediately think of in funky soul renditions, but you accomplish this very well. How do you all go about doing such covers, while making them your own at the same time?

Well, whenever we hang out we’re always talking about songs we love from other artists. Sometimes they are really old songs, sometimes newer ones. Every cover we do is a song that someone played during a hang that we heard and just couldn’t resist playing. Of course, there are a lot of covers we play or have tried to play that will never make it on to a record because they just aren’t uniquely Aabaraki-enough. But “Don’t Think Twice, Its Alright” and “You Oughta Know” felt good as soon as we started playing them. So they stuck.

You guys are pretty busy on the tour circuit with a bunch of dates coming up. Any cities in particular that are you most excited to play?

We’re excited to play outside of New York City, period! Its great playing in New York, but we do that all year long and this is our first serious outing that is more than a couple of days. We’re hitting Baltimore, DC, Raleigh, Asheville (NC), NOLA, and Atlanta — and we’re excited to play all of them. Hopefully, this is just the first of many tours like this. Nothing beats getting into a van and driving across the country. We’re pretty excited to be coming down to D.C. for a gig. Especially at The Bayou — about which we’ve heard great things.

Other than touring, do you all have any major plans for the rest of 2012?

World Domination? Well we’ve got the RubberTracks EP we mentioned before. We’ve been working on that since last August. And it should be out at the beginning of April. The working title is “The Emancipation, Part I: Deliverance” and we’re very excited about the songs on there. They are, as you stated earlier, very much about the “impassioned affections of a woman.” But we’re also already booking studio time for our next record. Our goal is to put out at least two more EPs this year. As opposed to one big record, we think more cohesive statements in smaller doses are going to more interesting for the fans. Its certainly a new approach for us, but I think it keeps us on our toes and keeps us connected to our fans more directly than just putting out a full-length album every 18 months or something.

We’re very excited to have you all out here in DC for a show. If I’m not mistaken, this will be your first time playing in DC, right? Are you guys pumped to bring the funk at Bayou?

Yes! Our very first time playing in D.C. We’ve all got some friends down there, but we’re hoping to meet a lot of new people and introduce a whole new town to our music. It’s pretty exciting to think we won’t know but a handful of people who are likely to be there. Also, we’ve heard that The Bayou is a great spot to play, so we’re looking forward to that as well. Two full sets, so people should come out and hang late with us. The night time is the right time, as Ray used to say.

Thanks so much for chatting with us. Any last shout outs to the readers out there?

We just want to thank anyone who’s taking the time out to read this and sample our music over at aabaraki.com. We hope to see you on the 10th at The Bayou. And, if you like to get down and like soulful music, we promise you’re going to be satisfied right down to the bone. And thanks to you guys, for interviewing us. These were great questions. We really had to sit down and have a full-on symposium about some of them! Hopefully, we’re doing this again sometime soon.

For more information on Aabaraki and their upcoming tour dates, visit their website. Be sure to like them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

This week our featured artist is rock band, Black Taxi from Brooklyn. With the recent release of their second full-length album We Don’t Know Any Better, the band is keeping busy with their current tour, hitting up venues from the East Coast, to the South, and over to the Midwest. We spoke to Jason Holmes (Drums) and Bill Mayo (Guitar) from the band to speak about their newest album, how it feels to be a band from Brooklyn, what they have planned for 2012, and more. Get to know more about Black Taxi below and check out their latest album if you haven’t already.

And be sure to catch Black Taxi in DC for the first time at DC9 on May 8th!

1. Could you give us an introduction to who the different members of the band are and what they contribute?

Jason:  Ezra is our lead singer and frontman, riling up the stage with various percussion he also plays trumpet and keyboards front and center.  Bill plays guitar and loops, he also sings lead on many of our songs.  He and Ezra being the singers write most of the lyrics.  Krisana plays bass while simultaneously keeps his finger on the pulse of pop culture, and Jason plays the drums and sings harmonies on all the songs.

2. The band is heavy on that Big Wave-Dance Pop-Rock sound, with its infectious melodies and harmonies. Can you tell us a few of the musicians that inspire you as a group, as well as your sound?

Jason:  We tend to be influenced, above all, by our creative friends and friend’s bands.  Bands like The Bright Light Social Hour out of Austin, TX and Deadbeat Darling who are our close friends in NYC represent certain styles and we have found our own unique sound in this musical landscape that we are a part of here.  Of course we’ll always be referencing and taking our cues from the bands that have inspired us to play – think The Rolling Stones, Talking Heads, Franz Ferdinand, Beck, The Clash, etc, etc, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin.

3. Brooklyn has tremendous credit for the amount of amazing bands and music that come out of it, how do you all feel about being a part of such a powerful music scene?

Jason:  It feels great… and it’s true, Brooklyn is a really, really creative place right now.  It’s very inspiring to have so many close friends who are in bands, and to be able to network and connect and influence and be affected by other bands around us.  It’s also inspiring to know that there are so many bands that we don’t know living right here, in our neighborhood – on our block.  The knowledge that there are so many other bands and other good ideas tends to push us to develop our songs, our performance, put everything we have into them.  There are way too many bands and too much talent to stand out here if your not really trying.

4. To continue on that note, how do you set yourself apart from all the other bands?

Jason: We spend a lot more time trying to find things in common with other bands than trying to set ourselves apart.  The fact is, like any band, our sound a unique combination of parts. We each bring our own sounds and tastes, ideas and abilities to the mix so the sound we create together is unique to begin with.  Our live performance does often set us apart from other bands.  We feel strongly that a live show can be an incredibly powerful experience so we really pour ourselves into live shows.  I think our live show and delivery set us apart from many bands. It’s always pretty exciting…

5. The four of you have recently released your second full-length album. How has the reception to We Don’t Know Any Better been so far?

Jason: It’s been overwhelmingly positive! We’ve done a bunch of interviews all over the country for radio and blogs, etc.  Our fans back home in NYC loved it and they’ve been with us from our first EP so that means a lot.  We, ourselves are really proud of this album, and I think it speaks to who we are as a band right now, and the experience of the people around us.

6. Where did the band cut the record and who produced it?

Jason:  We recorded it at The Bunker in Brooklyn. Aaron Nevezie was the producer.  He’s got great ears and spirit.

7. Was the recording experience any different in comparison to Things Of That Nature?

Bill:  When we made our first record “Things of that Nature”, we were basically just going into a studio to track a collection of songs we’d been playing live.  We knew what all the parts were meant to sound like, all the vocal harmonies were decided in advance.  It was the four of us in a room, playing our tunes until we got a take we liked.  But in putting the finishing touches on that record, our producer, Aaron Nevezie encouraged us to push some boundaries with synths and percussion and effects.  Those were some of my favorite moments on that old album, when we allowed ourselves to use the studio as our instrument and create new sounds on the spot.  So when we set out to create “We Don’t Know Any Better”, we embraced the idea that great moments can come about when you leave space for them.  We actually left some sections of our songs blank in the songwriting process, knowing we could have some fun once we started recording.  In general, we embraced technology a little more on “We Don’t Know Any Better”.  There are so many sounds you can make when you look beyond just guitars.  But after all our experimentation, I’m happy to say that this record still sounds very much like Black Taxi.

8. Any favorite track off of the album?

Jason: I have two favorite moments on the album. On the song Becoming the build going into the chorus and then the chorus itself do it for me, also in the song Vultures after the main body of the song finishes there is this long, mostly instrumental section the that still gives me shivers.

9. Now that you all have two EPs and two full-length albums under your belt, what does Black Taxi aspire to accomplish as a band, or what are your goals for the rest of 2012?

Jason: One thing for sure is that we sill be touring a lot! We are already booking out our THIRD national tour this year!  We’ll be playing more down the East Coast and the South in FL, TX, NOLA and the midwest.  Also, we’ll be releasing a remix of the song Friend and we’ve had some music videos out and there will be more.  We’re also already working on some new songs, so it would be rad to get recording some new music!

10. Black Taxi has sold out many of the well-established clubs out in New York,Boston, and New Orleans, while also playing the big festivals. Do you prefer the intimate clubs or is playing in front of large crowds more of what you all aspire to play for?

Jason:  I know I always want to be finding new things and growing and exploring so I’m really eager to be playing big stages and huge venues.  We’ve don so, so many shows where we’ve been falling over on another so large stages are such a joy to play on.  It has to be said tho, that some of my favorite BT shows have been on tiny stages with bad sound systems.  Being all packed in a space together is pretty rock and roll the way I see it.

11. We’re pretty pumped to see that Black Taxi is coming to DC in May, have any of you played here before?

Jason:  No, we haven’t, but are really psyched to finally crack into DC! every time we driving by it on our way to shows down south we ask each other “Why the hell aren’t we playing in DC?”, so we finally are. Tell your friends!

12. Thanks for taking the time to let us know more about you. We’ll see you in May! Any last shout outs to the readers?

New store up at www.blacktaxi.com . finally shirts and other merch are available outside of our shows!

For more information about Black Taxi and their upcoming tour dates, visit their website, Facebook, and Twitter!

Last Friday, I had the pleasure of checking out a lineup of fantastic bands at Red Palace on H Street: local band heroes Ra Ra Rasputin, Brooklyn’s Chappo, and more local natives, Dance for the Dying.

I hadn’t seen Ra Ra Rasputin live before but I called a giant Red Palace dance party and that’s what the night became. Right off the bat, Patrick Kigongo reminded us that this show would be their last show for the next four months as the band will be taking a mini-hiatus to write some new music for everyone and that it would soon be their 5-year anniversary as a band. The crowd knew they were gonna get a pretty great show from the band.

Ra Ra Rasputin played a short setlist coming in at seven songs, including one encore (that Chappo came onto the stage and joined them for). The set were tracks off of their 2010 self-titled album Ra Ra Rasputin, the latest Forward, and a Kraftwerk cover of Computer Love, though the crowd kept yelling for a Joy Division cover but they didn’t get it. Seven songs sounds incredibly short but with song breakdowns, guitar riffs, killer synths, and bangin’ drums it was like time stood still for the crowd, who felt as if they could be dancing forever. Speaking of dancing forever, lead vocalist Brock Boss is just that…a boss. He might have been the hardest man for me to photograph (in a good way) only because he’s such a dancing machine. He probably could give Thom Yorke a run for his money.

Dance for the Dying and Chappo were great openers for the night. Dance-Rock band Dance for the Dying were up first, starting the dance party for the crowd. They were a pleasant surprise with a great collective of instruments, wonderful vocals from M.C. Wolfe, and those synchronized hand-claps! I enjoyed it and the crowd certainly did too. Did you know they have a couple of tracks on Rockband? Very rad.

Brooklyn’s Chappo brought the glitz-rock to life with their fierce Native-America-inspired-feather outfits. In addition to that, they had a sparkle gun, a mini megaphone, and loads of confetti…Red Palace was marked by the presence of Chappo. It really felt like New Years when it was all sang and done. The presentation didn’t make-up for anything in the live-music department as Alex Chappo and the rest of the boys played a crazy fun set. I was very happy to hear Bodies Coasting amongst the other tracks off of their latest Plastique Universe II: Pisces Princess, as well as Plastique Universe. I’ll also mention Alex Chappo getting into the crowd and showing off his trapeze skills by hanging and swinging off of the Red Palace ceiling during one of the songs.

I’m very excited to hear what Ra Ra Rasputin puts out next…so until then, we’ll wait patiently for the good times ahead.

Check out photos from the show below as well as video of Chappo’s Bodies Coasting and Ra Ra Rasputin’s Forward.

Dance for the Dying

Chappo

Ra Ra Rasputin

(due to really crappy audio quality on the recording below, the actually Forward mp3 was incorporated into the video)