Words and photos by Nancy Kiner
When I woke up on Saturday morning, “Welcome to Baltimore Avenue” rang through my head. On October 5th college radio stations from across the District, including WGTB, WVUA, WMUC, WGMU and WRGW, put on a Battle of the Bands concert at Georgetown’s campus.
A group of students, mostly from GW, began to fill the outdoor roof venue of the Leavey center at 7:00 pm. An empanada stand stood in the corner ready for hungry college students. By 7:30 the stage was prepared for the show. The lineup for the night consisted of talent from all over the DMV area, Break Neck from George Mason started off with a raw and chaotic energy that set the mosh pit space in stone. Berra, a three-piece from American University, delivered a smooth lovey-dovey indie sound. Baltimore Avenue brought an unmatched performance, repeating their name maybe 50 times and finishing with their lead singer rolling on the concrete amongst the crowd. GW band Painthinner got people dancing to their usual murky, jaded vibe. No One and the Elses closed the night off with excitement for their first performance ever. The smoke was heavy but the energy was heavier as the stage erupted with enviable collegiate energy.
Youth culture in all its forms thrived in the little outdoor area, guitarists smoked in the far corner, bodies hit the concrete after being pushed out of the pit, and girls hugged each other, reuniting from their respective universities. In the end Painthinner were dubbed crowd favorite and Baltimore Avenue won the judge’s choice.
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