Punk forums and Twitter went aflutter Sunday night when the Minor Threat song "Minor Threat" was played on HBO's Entourage. Given that big companies have a history of using Dischord stuff without permission, some assumed it went down like the Great Nike Copyright Infringement of 2005, or the Forever 21 T-shirt, or the Fox assholery [...]
For this week's issue, I reported a lengthy oral history of the annual concert series at Fort Reno in Tenleytown. This summer's shows conclude tonight with sets from The Evens and Laughing Man.
For years, Fort Reno regulars have circulated rumors of a ban against go-go (and even hip-hop) at Fort Reno. Certainly, no one seems to [...]
Would you believe a 30th anniversary concert organized by D.C.’s punk historian in the world’s most historically self-obsessed rock scene is not about nostalgia? That’s what Mark Andersen of Positive Force wants you to believe. In an interview with Arts Desk, he discussed the legacy of the Wilson Center, D.C.’s longtime punk institution, and the future [...]
On Monday, Brooklyn indie site Impose Magazine wrote up a little piece about a new band from Lawrence, Kan., that evokes the brightest days of the D.C. hardcore scene. "Anxiety," a fuzz-filled jam by newbie quartet Mouthbreathers, is actually a little more reminiscent of the early '80s West Coast hardcore sound, but the cover art [...]
As you're well aware by now, the nostalgia-fueled dance-pop orgy that brought MGMT to such great heights is waning. The bands that sold their guitars to buy turntables are now selling their turntables to buy guitars. With the renewed appreciation of badass rock 'n' roll, naturally comes a rediscovery of Michael Azerrad's punk-rock bible, Our [...]
When American Hardcore: A Tribal History was first published in 2001, it was the definitive written statement of an era. Putting a focus on the guys that were there—shaved heads, rioting and all—Stephen Blush's book put the movement in the pioneering context it deserves, pouring all the attitude and sneer of Henry Rollins and Glenn [...]
The last time we heard from Kokayi, he and fellow D.C. natives Tabi Bonney and Alison Carney had written, recorded, and performed "Higher Stars" in one day. This time, Kokayi goes at it alone on "RoxTar," a genre-blending, mind-splitting, pop-rock fusion that pays homage to his favorite rock bands, and dispels any myth that black [...]
Not many novelists reviewed in the New York Times are writing about Bad Brains shows in Washington, D.C., circa 1979. But Jennifer Gilmore, with her new novel Something Red, has somehow written a popular work of fiction in which H.R. is a minor player. We asked Gilmore, who's in town this week for several readings, [...]
The covers night: Is it the lowest form of expression, or the highest expression of flattery? And is it misguided to pay homage to music that flipped the bird to almost everything that came before it?
However you come down on those questions, what's indisputable is this: D.C.'s Spelling for Bees collective approaches everything it does [...]
Update 4:56 p.m.: WKE's Janice Grube, an executive producer of D.I.Y. America, just sent me this note about the episode that was taken down:
Yep, we pulled it down yesterday on a whim, as a courtesy to Ian, because we thought it was shitty that bloggers were giving him such a hard time about it. He [...]
