‘We lost trust in our environmental agencies:’ The fight for environmental justice in Ivy City
Posted inLocal News

‘We lost trust in our environmental agencies:’ The fight for environmental justice in Ivy City

Walking the streets of Ivy City in northeast D.C., a distinct smell permeates the residential area. Some say it’s similar to burnt rubber, others say it's reminiscent of a funeral home. The smell is seemingly traceable to an unassuming building on the corner of Fenwick and Capital Avenue: the National Engineering Products, Inc. (NEP) facility, where sealants for the U.S. Navy are produced.
REVIEW: Crafted Sounds Special 2/20 @ Cousin Danny’s
Posted inMusic Photography Reviews

REVIEW: Crafted Sounds Special 2/20 @ Cousin Danny’s

The portal to the Crafted Sounds Special was the scariest door of all time. A cigarette smoking musician had to point it out to us. It was snowing and the gray graffitied door with a lock didn’t seem right, for a second we thought the gig was gonna be in the side yard of the house because of the huge “COUSIN DANNY’S” poster hanging outside. 
Posted inEvent Previews

PREVIEW: Jay and Silent Bob @ Lincoln Theatre, 2/10

Jay and Silent Bob, the cult comedic duo featured across director Kevin Smith's filmography, are coming to D.C's Lincoln Theatre on February 10. Jason Mewes, who plays scheming motormouth Jay, and Kevin Smith, the stoic self insert Silent Bob, have been partners on and offscreen for over 30 years. They've appeared in eight movies, most notably Smith's beloved first three: Clerks, Mallrats, and Chasing Amy. While they're usually found loitering outside a convenience store, at this show Smith and Mewes will tell true stories from their lives and behind the scenes of their most famous films. It'll probably be fun enough, but either way its nice to see Bluntman and Chronic still doing their thing.
Posted inConcert Previews Previews

Preview: Jessica Lea Mayfield @ Songbyrd 1/27

Jessica Lea Mayfield’s music is marked by her soft vocals and overwhelming guitar. Tracks off her fantastic 2014 album, Make My Head Sing…, find her voice layered with big, raucous guitar solos, making up her distinct rock sound. She’s not afraid to be loud or honest, and her music is all the better from it. Get tickets to her Songbyrd show on Monday, Jan. 27 here. 
Local bands have a ball at Mosh Madness
Posted inFeatured Local Music

Local bands have a ball at Mosh Madness

I spent the Saturday before starting my last semester of college watching a bunch of out of shape local musicians play basketball in a church gym in Takoma, MD. It was the first ever Mosh Madness, a half-court single elimination tournament organized by Ian Donaldson and Reid Williams of Dorinda. Fourteen bands competed while five bands (three of who also balled) – Flowerbomb, Pretty Bitter, Massie, Pinky Lemon and Spring Silver – played sets during the matches. The event raised over $2,600 for the Palestine Children’s Relief Fund. Flooded in stale lighting, the smell of sweat growing exponentially worse each hour, you could barely hear conversation because the acoustics of the room weren’t prepared to host some of the DMV’s best and loudest. After whining through a semester abroad with no real live music, this was the perfect scene homecoming.