Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

Went to touching and sad but inspiring memorial service for Bill Mackaye. He played ann important role at St Stephens Church in setting up Washington Free Clinic, Urban Village, Fish & Loaves; supported Daniel Berrigan and other anti Vietnam war protesters, was a country blues fan, and was fine with Positive Force doing punk rock benefit shows . Crush Funk Brass did a New Orleans second line send off at end of service outside w/ “I’ll Fly Away.”

https://dcist.com/story/23/09/29/noochie-live-from-the-front-porch-freestyles-dc-rapper/

Long super detailed article on rapper Noochie who hosts the cool Front Porch series that has gone viral with different go-go acts each week

Aw @ Bill M

http://stevekiviat.blogspot.com/2023/10/national-park-service-struggles-delayed.html

How National Park Service bureaucracy and issues delayed Fort Dupont Park series till October. Plus the Cruddy Crudders snuck some shows in

So much going on around the area -

The director of "Lift", about homeless NY ballet dancers, showing for free at 2 at National Gallery today is David Petersen, now Brooklyn-based, but once a DC based musician in the band Insect Surfers back in the '80s. He will be talking after the free 2 pm screening today

"Deadwax From The Vinyl House" 12 to 2pm book talk w/ Vincent Mallardi, a 1960s era studio owner about hoards of master tapes and records a studio engineer left abandoned in a house; at Byrdland Records *

* Jill Greenleigh go-go book signing event 1 to 3 @ Mitchcraft , 9244 E. Hampton Drive, #203, Capitol Heights, MD*

Loved that video of Howard U Homecoming folks and others line dancing on U street in DC to "Jerusalema." I had seen that line dance @ dc go-go Art All Night gig, & after a southern soul one @ Lamont's. Haven't seen the Angolan version w/ plates of food live yet though. I posted one on tik-tok

New Old guy DC rock from Scream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bnElJjaEQS0

RIP Sandra Butler-Truesdale who started the DC Legendary Musicians organization tol help older DC black musicians. She also did some WPFW hosting .

Went to school with Marvin Gaye I think. She was born in 1939.

Saw on Facebook she was getting chemo at one point.

The “affordable for tourists “hotel Harrington at 11th and E that first opened in 1914 is closing permanently December 12. In the 80s bands that played the F Street 930 club used to stay there . Its Pink Elephant cocktail lounge later became Harry’s and got associated with Maga extremists

Yeah I did some drinking there thirtymumble years ago, but once it became a Proud Boys / Trumpy hangout I have had no problem avoiding it.

Yep .

Washington City Paper editor in chief Caroline Jones announced she is leaving this week. She had been at City Paper for 11 years and was eic for a number of years. No announcement on who will take her place. There’s a managing editor there also.

I lost track after the Shafer and Carr eras.

Not joking, I wasn’t aware City Paper was still a going concern. Is it online only?

Still distributed, but thinly.

The current revenue model is not unlike NPR (member-supported). I donate occasionally because I am a sentimental sucka.

I don't think we knew (circa 1989) how much the financial model of display ads would crater. But the REAL loss was classifieds and personals.

Once Craigslist pulled the rug out from under classifieds, there was almost no way for a print newspaper to prosper, apart from a few flagship publications with established brands.

Washington City Paper has been online only for awhile now. When the current owner Mark Ein bought the paper he said he would keep it going as a community service and making money with it didn't matter. Then when ad revenue really stopped with the pandemic, he soon fired much of the staff and went online only. I still write "City Light" best bet concert and movie previews for them (and tweet them and share them on Facebook and Instagram). Occasionally I write longer music features for them or restaurant reviews.

I am going to be writing previews of Brazilian singer Roge at Kennedy Center Millennium Stage and of Md based Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia at Union Stage for them.

Soon to be former EIC Caroline Jones maintained a low profile on twitter and social media , and with the newsprint gone , lots of folks don't see City Paper. They do have various emails (with links) you can sign up for. A daily one with news, arts, food, and sports ; plus a twice a week art and music events preview one.

I will have to start posting my City Paper articles here!

In other news there’s a ribbon cutting at 12 noon today for a mobile bus go-go museum, and a ground breaking for Ron Moten’s Se go-go museum

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/audience-growth-and-engagement-editor/

City Paper clearly needs a good audience growth and engagement editor based on the postings here about it!

Funny to see train-inspired experimental act Chessie in one of the first posts in this thread, gigging at 24 Hour Access at the Hirshhorn.

19 years later, Chessie's Stephen Gardner did well for himself, he's CEO of Amtrak (and pushing to return Amtrak's HQ to Washington Union Station)

Yeah, that's pretty wild

I previewed tonight’s K Ctr millennium stage gig by Brazilian singer / guitarist Roge and Friday’s gig by Md based Ethiopian keyboardist Hailu Mergia at Union Stage. They are included with previews by other writers in Washington City Paper link.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/640301/anjimile-hailu-mergia-and-more-best-bets-for-nov-30-dec-6/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2023/11/29/alice-denney-washington-art-dead/

RIP Alice Denney at 101. DC art and event curator who brought John Cage to town and showed Sam Gilliam art. Not mentioned in obit is that the Velvet Underground played her Now Fest in DC in 1966.

The short-lived Owl Room on 14th St NW closed down with its farewell New Year's Eve 9 to 6 am night of electro/techno with Joyce Lim of 1432 r and others. I wonder if they couldn't afford the rent or what the reason was for the sudden closure. Place opened in the spring in former Marvin spot.

From a Beverly Lindsay Johnson public post on Facebook:

The past few weeks have been sad as the music world has lost some of the pioneers and legends of DC Doo-Wop.

Steve Charles of the Clovers ("Your Cash Ain't Nothing But Trash")

Sandra Butler-Truesdale - Founder of the DC Legendary Musicians, Inc.

Ronald "Poozie" Miles - Original founding member of The Rainbows ("Mary Lee", "They Say"). It was my pleasure to have lured him back onto the stage over the past few years before his passing. He adored me and I defintely adored him.

Royal Height - The Orioles and DC activist for DC with the songs he writes and performs "Taxation Without Representation" It hurts my heart but I know that they all are in heaven with the heavenly choir. [ me here: I wrote a short 2021 piece on Height’s anti-Trump single
https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/506198/city-lights-royal-height-says-trump-aint-gotta-go-home-just-gotta-git-the-hell-up-outta-here/
]

So Anthony Pirog may be best known for his guitar playing in Messthetics and his solo and group jazz meets prog artsy math music , but a handful of times over last 10 years he played surf and rockabilly with Janelle Leppin, sax player Mark Muncie and others in The El Reys. I just saw them at Quarry House and they were good and fun

Messthetics are playing with jazz guy James Brandon Lewis on MLk Monday in NY on an impressive bill with Esperanza Spaulding and Shabaka H. Gig might be part of that Winter Jazz Fest happening in NY

I see on Facebook that the Runaway club, that hosted mainly obscure rock and punk bands , and was owned by Slash Run owner , is shutting down

City Paper’s arts editor had spoken to Christine Liilyea who ran the 2 clubs , awhile back. Sounds like Runaway and Slash Run have struggled a bit financially for awhile

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/645810/the-people-issue-2023/

I saw a gig for the first time at the Nolan Center at Georgetown Prep. Which is not Georgetown U btw.

A dc based booking agent for international and African acts is now doing occasional shows in that nice theatre.

I saw Senegalese kora player and singer Ablaye Cissoko with French accordionist Cyrille Brotto.

The agent had earlier had a gig with South African guitarist Derek Gripper

https://www.beallfuneral.com/obituaries/ronald-miles-sr

Poozie Miles of the Rainbows funeral is on Thursday. Their best known song was “Mary Lee.”

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/660977/the-runaway-was-going-to-close-but-now-its-not/

The Runaway DC survives as it got its rent lowered.

But “We’re gonna continue doing shows, but probably doing more on the DJ side. And we’re going to be more selective on the shows,” says Lilyea, excited for the possibilities. “Now we have a chef and having the landlord reduce the rent so significantly—it’s huge …”

Former Burnt Sugar pianist & synth & organ player Marc Cary, who also played piano with Dizzy Gillespie , Abbey Lincoln & other jazz greats plus Erykah Badu, now lives near Baltimore and is doing a birthday gig for himself Saturday at Takoma Station in Maryland near DC with his group Marc Cary and Indigenous People. The group membership varies but always includes DC go-go musicians because of Cary's lifelong love of go-go and that he played in go-go bands in high school

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/661091/marc-cary-tick-tickboom-and-more-best-bets-for-jan-25-31/

Hmmm, now the Runaway DC has a go fund me. Their website still lists no music events after January 21. An IG story just showed a mid February clothes and records sale

https://www.gofundme.com/f/we-were-going-to-close-now-not-still-need-help?utm_campaign=p_cp+share-sheet&utm_medium=copy_link_all&utm_source=customer

Runaway dc now lists a few shows on their Facebook, while some locals are grumbling about how their booking policy wasn’t so great in the past either.

Not many are supporting their go fund me. Can’t blame anyone for not doing so.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/662317/el-laberinto-del-coco-bonnie-and-clyde-city-lights-for-feb-1-7/

I previewed the Thursday night February 1 El Laberinto del Coco gig @ U of Md Clarice Smith Center plus the Friday February 2nd showings on WHUT-HD , Howard U PBS, at 11 am and 11 pm of Beverly Lindsay Johnson's new film "DC Street Jocks Rocked the House," with DJ Kool, Arthur Maniac McCloud, and Sam the Man Burns and more. Doc will also be showing at other times through Feb 18 on HU PBS .

Future Band DC got play go-go in Cuba and were there with Ron Moten and Professor Natale Hopkinson from the Dont Mute DC organization.

Wammy awards voting is going on now. I don't know who many of the nominated acts are . It's the usual goofy thing where folks are begging on their Instagram for friends to vote for them

My partner had a bad experience booking a show at the Runaway. The people were perfectly nice as people, but they were not up front about the money / room fee. Certainly left me feeling a bit indifferent about the music side of things going away there.

Sounds like that has been the experience of many with the Runaway.

Nobody is giving to their go-fund me

Throughout this process, much has been said about the challenges of city life — street artists, for example, and crime

DC Mayor Bowser’s letter re retaining Wizards and Caps blames “street artists “ first!

She has failed to get the DC crime lab working , the number of cops and private security folks in the area dropped over the years, but yeah let’s blame loud percussionists , buskers, graffiti.

$75 raised of $25,000 goal

oof

Ooof indeed. As an aside, my partner had trouble getting any local bands to join the bill. Several have noted after the fact that they didn't want to play there.

https://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/679074/a-gatsby-party-and-billy-dee-williams-city-lights-for-feb-15-21/

My preview of Friday Feb 16 Chicago r& b singer and poet Jamila Woods at the Howard Theatre is included in the link

Haven’t listened yet to new J Robbins album Basilisk or the new Mary Timony singles out before the release of her new album

Reuben Jackson, who alternates as dj with Larry Appelbaum on WPFW on Sundays 4 to 6, who used to write for City Paper a bit, who is a published poet, jazz archivist at the Felix Grant collection at UDC, and a busy social media poster just had had a massive stroke about 10 days ago, and has been moved to hospice. Tragic news. Jackson spoke for a lengthy period of time to me for my Greg Tate obit that focused on Tate's life in DC. Jackson was friends with Greg Tate and his brother Brian growing up in DC. A good guy.

Folk-artist and performer Lonnie Holley will be backed by Lee Bains from Alabama Joe Lally, and Brendan Canty at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage tonight from 6 to 7 pm Eastern US time. The show is free but ticketed. It will also be streamed on the Millennium Stage Youtube & Facebook page

https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2024/february/lonnie-holley/

https://www.vermontpublic.org/local-news/2024-02-16/one-of-a-kind-poet-dj-and-jazz-scholar-reuben-jackson-dies-at-67

Damn , this hurts. RIP Reuben Jackson. I will cherish that long phone call we had where you told me about going to Greg and Brian Tate’s house as a teenager where they had jazz records at one end of a room and punk records at the other. You told me about the poetry scene then and the early days at dc space and so much more about your DC and how self-proclaimed awkward Black nerds like yourself fit in.

Rare Essence streaming from K Ctr tonight

https://www.kennedy-center.org/whats-on/millennium-stage/2024/february/rare-essence/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/02/21/j-robbins-concert-dc/

I want to love the new J Robbins album ( he’s best known from being in Jawbox and Government Issue), and like how he mentions steps he takes to keep his new album and live show fresh, but on first listen it’s to me just good and not innovative enough

The Wammies voters again did not nominate any of the Capital Bop top jazz albums for Wammies awards. Washington Post Chris R&chards fave dc rapper Wifi Gawd had one of his top 2023 albums of the year, but no Wammy nomination. Some guy named Ethan Spalding got nominated for best rock artist and best rap artist at Wammies. Anybody know his music?

Spalding calls his sound traprock