As Aaron Leitko noted in his post back in July, the days of amazing house shows at 611 Florida Avenue are drawing to a close. After five years of hosting a wild blend of subterranean sounds and adventurous local artists within a makeshift rowhouse venue, the good folks at 611 will hold their final event tomorrow evening, September 12. The show will be the fourth installment of the Free Folk Phantasmagory series (held annually since 2004), showcasing an eclectic lineup of ethereal songsmiths and experimental psychedelia. Music starts at 4pm, with performances by:

Kohoutek
Max Ochs
Julie Mittens
Human Adult Band
Silver Summit
Hat City Intuitive
Ilya Monosov
Teething Veils
Insect Factory
Layne Garrett

Thankfully, I moved to the area soon enough to catch at least two shows at the house during the summer, but regret I couldn’t have witnessed more. It’s definitely a shame that this place is going away; one less cozy outlet for truly out-there/interesting/odd music here in the District, and there weren’t that many to start with. But all the more reason to make it out on Saturday and wax sentimental on a D.C. institution you probably didn’t know existed.

Tickets go on sale today for the University of Maryland’s Second Annual Fall Semester Sound-Off, featuring hip-hop heroes of the DMV, Clipse and Wale. The show is scheduled for September 25th at the Grand Ballroom of the Adele H. Stamp Student Union, with openers Consequence and Southeast Slim kicking things off at 7:30pm. I’m not a student at UMD, and have no fall semester to sound off, but you can bet your keg that I’m excited.

Clipse consists of Virginia Beach brothers Malice and Pusha-T, two of the sharpest lyricists in gangsta rap’s increasingly ludicrous, hyper-capitalist legions. The two have a fresh self-titled album with partners-in-coke Sandman and Ab-Liva as the Re-Up Gang, coming off their promising mixtape earlier in the year, We Got It 4 Cheap Vol. III: The Spirit of Competition. Clipse Presents: Re-Up Gang dropped in early August to some disappointed reviews, many of which pointed to the record’s slinky production tactics as the culprit. It’s true, the release is far from the icy genius of the Neptunes-backed Hell Hath No Fury; though the beats aim at mirroring Miami Vice flashiness with the cutthroat minimalism of their first two full-lengths, it comes off awkward and excessive among their clever, calculated deliveries. But a close listen to the brothers Thornton’s lines will reveal proof that they’ve still got jaw-dropping lyrical stride, regardless of the backing track. Expect them to blow it up live as well.

Joining Clipse on the bill is Wale, born and raised in D.C. and Maryland. He’s fresh off the release of his newest Mixtape About Nothing (his fourth mixtape overall), an eclectic outing filled liberally with Seinfeld samples and go go-sponsored kicks. According to an interview with Giant magazine, Wale has an upcoming, “guest-heavy” mixtape produced by North Cackalacky’s own 9th Wonder, with his official debut album set to drop sometime next year, maybe? Regardless, the dude is definitely on the up and up, and it’s exciting to see what will come of his vision and energy in the next couple years.

Southeast Slim is a fellow DC emcee who barks alongside cohorts C aka Mo Murda, Zo Wit No E, Big Dice, and Mean Eights. Slim has done production work for Wale in the past, and is a self-confessed Soulja Boy fan. Queens-based rapper Consequence rounds out the lineup, best know for his work with A Tribe Called Quest, of which his cousin Q-Tip was the leader.

Check the Student Entertainment Events’ Web site for the details, which mainly involve going to the Hoff Ticket Office on UMD campus to purchase your pass.

“Prolific” is almost an understatement when speaking of Los Angeles-based John Wiese’s absurd body of work in the realm of confrontational electronics and subterranean weirdness. Check his page on Discogs, or browse his bio on Wikipedia for a look at his impressive resume, which boasts ongoing mayhem through Sissy Spacek and LHD among collaborations with the top names in the noise game: Wolf Eyes, Merzbow, Bastard Noise, Lasse Marhaug, and Sunn O))). His most recent release even chronicles two improvised live sets with Burning Star Core’s violinist extraordinaire, C Spencer Yeh. But as his extensive solo output proves, Wiese is much more than just a noise-gun for hire. His 2007 full-length, Soft Punk, was an opus of mangled punk rock bathed in digital deterioration—a taste of the laptop deconstructions he regularly displays onstage.

Equally exciting for the night is Bulbs, a duo comprised of San Fran residents William Sabiston (ex-Axolotl) and John Alamraz. Their sound could be likened to the gnarlier side of Black Dice’s techno perversions fed through dismantled punk ramblings and lysergic rattles. They’ve got a relatively new record called Light Ships out on Freedom To Spend, the newly-conceived label from Pete Swanson of the now defunct Yellow Swans. Foxy Digitalis has a pretty decent review of the record that’s worth reading. I’m particularly interested to see how these two manifest themselves live; hopefully, their borderless gurgles will solidify a tad for entertainment’s sake.

Local jams will be provided by Kuschty Rye Ergot, the nebulous psych-ensemble led by area multi-instrumentalist John Stanton. Rounding out the bill is Fairfax-based Nick Henry’s Silvum moniker, bringing frigid drone lurches to dip your toes into. Sounds like a promising showcase for those with a taste for the abrasive, cosmic, and bizarre. If that sounds a little too harsh for your mellow, then maybe you should play it safe and see Pineapple Express for the third time instead.

Photo of Weise by Dustin Fenstermacher

Experimental music enthusiasts in the DMV have cause to rally once again, as the eighth annual Sonic Circuits Festival will descend on the District for a whole week starting September 28th. Organized by the DC chapter of the American Composers Forum, the Festival highlights a smorgasbord of artists, musicians, and sound technicians from the D.C. area and around the world, providing a wide range of aural experiences; exploratory jazz, electroacoustic composition, volatile electronics, and minimal drone can all be found among the ranks. As the press release proclaims, “the perfect antidote to formula entertainment.” The schedule is now up on the Festival’s Web site, featuring over 60 acts spread across nightly performances at one of the three host venues: Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, National Museum of Women in the Arts, and the Velvet Lounge.

To help ease the event’s expenses, Festival organizers will hold a second benefit this Sunday, August 24th, at Pyramid Atlantic in Silver Spring, featuring performances by three area acts: Macaroon Five, Barsky/Allison, and T.A. Zook.

Macaroon Five boasts a collaboration between Arthur Harrison, Michael Engle and Kevin Buckholdt—a mix of Harrison’s custom-built theremin with Engle and Buckholdt’s intertwined electronics. Also a current member of The Cassettes, Harrison has been tinkering with homemade electronics for decades, and offers theremin kits via his company, Harrison Instruments, Inc. For visual reference, check out the video of Harrison teasing his instrument along with the Tornadoes’ “Telstar.”

Jeff Barsky and Scott Allison will perform as a duo, combining Barsky’s guitar tones with Allison’s tailor-made electronics. Both are regulars in the DC experimental scene, both through cosmic collective Kohoutek, and Barsky via his Insect Factory moniker. Arlington-based sound-manipulator T.A. Zook will round out the bill, showcasing an interesting array of homemade instruments processed through a massive electronics rig.

Those who can’t make it out to the benefit can still donate to Sonic Circuits via the Festival’s site, so don’t miss the chance to color outside the lines and support innovative, inventive music in the D.C. community and beyond.

Tonight’s choice is a tough one for mid-week music seekers in D.C. On the one hand, you’ve got Ethiopian sax legend Getatchew Mekuria teaming up with Dutch punk rockers the Ex for a rare treat at the Black Cat. And on the other: Vivian Girls and the Crystal Stilts at DC9. Since we’ve already highlighted the Ex and Mekuria in this week’s City Lights, I won’t overly indulge the details. However, I will take the opportunity for a hat tip to the Ex’s sub-label, Terp records—home to last year’s collaboration with Mekuria, Moa Anbessa, along with a host of other stunning African and improvisational music. This one definitely gets the default win for the evening.

For lovers of lo-fi garage rock though, tonight’s show at DC9 presents a viable complication. Brooklyn trio Vivian Girls have been a hot commodity in the blog world lately; a quick Google search will reveal countless one-paragraph biographies and glowing reviews for tracks from their 7-inch singles and full-length debut (which will be reissused on CD from In The Red next month). It’s a fun game naming bands that the Girls’ music conjures, citing everything from the Shop Assistants to the Shangri-Las. Probably the best comparison I’ve heard so far though came from a commenter on Gorilla vs. Bear, who likened them to a version of the Ronettes produced by Kevin Shields … seems accurate enough. However you want to frame their music, the Vivian Girls’ reverb-soaked psych pop is quite endearing, and their arduous tour schedule has contributed heavily to the hype.

Joining the Girls on tour are fellow Brooklynites Crystal Stilts, who have enjoyed a fair amount of linkage as well. They were the eMusic Select back in April, and have a new full-length slated for an October release on Silver Spring, MD transplant Slumberland records, which originally housed locals like the Velocity Girls before relocating to the West Coast in the early ’90s. Personally, I’m having trouble justifying the Stilts’ post-punk swirls with the ease of Vivian Girls, but if dreary, Joy Division-style psychedelia wets your whistle, then go for it.

Or if you’ve already had your concert fill from the Virgin Fest monstrosity last weekend, you could just wander over to the awesomeness that is Kostume Karaoke at Solly’s Tavern, which is now bi-monthly! Keep your ticket to see the Hold Steady tomorrow—tonight is where it’s at.