Tomorrow afternoon Artomatic will host performances by, basically, every man or woman who has ever attempted to make noisy music in Washington, DC during the last five years. It’s going to be nine-plus hours of drones, bleeps, bloops, and scratches curated by local avant-music festival Sonic Circuits. Nine hours. Well, you don’t have to watch all of it, I guess. Sockets Records recently posted a helpful breakdown of the afternoon’s schedule, which I’m re-posting below. Interested parties can feel free to cherry-pick their favorites or arrive just in time to see that special someone plug in their homemade synthesizer. Or, you know, make a day out of it, although I would advise you to bring along a pair of earplugs.

Full schedule after the jump
Read More “Sonic Circuits Extravaganza @ Artomatic” »

Sonic Circuits just sent out a sneak-preview of this year’s festival lineup and it looks like it’s going to be a watershed year for DC’s music nerds. The majesty of this year’s bill is rivaled only by its inscrutability to the vast majority of listeners:Faust, Tim Hecker, Jandek!? There’s a whole movie about how it’s impossible to get in touch with Jandek, yet there he is, second from the top. Impressive. A number of other artists, both national and international, are also listed, along with a healthy supply of local talent.

But yeah, I had to pinch myself just to be certain that I was awake and that the event wasn’t really taking place in Baltimore.

The festival will be taking place September 25-27, 2009.

List after the jump.
Read More “Sonic Circuits 2009 Lineup Preview” »

DCist is reporting that “Arlington Institution” Dr. Dremo’s is about to finally see the wrecking ball. The massive bar complex is getting razed to make way for…. more condos (ugh). The blog notes: “Demolition has finally begun. Most of the surrounding buildings are being taken down today, and one construction worker said he had been told they’d do the actual Dremo’s building sometime next week. So, Dremo’s fans, stroll by this week to take one long, last look.”

This past January, D.C. Foodies penned a tribute to the watering hole:

I fondly remember its parking lot as one of the best ground level locations to watch the July 4th fireworks over the Mall. It is this great view I fear which sealed the bar’s fate. After years of harassment from the Arlington County government and other local groups, the owners, the Stewart family, have finally had the land sold out from under them to real estate developers. This location will soon be home to 141 brand new luxury condos. To be fair, the closure may have been inevitable as the building is falling apart and has been doing so since the bar opened as Bardo Rodeo back in the early Nineties: but that’s the real charm of the place! Dr Dremo’s is one of the best examples of an endangered species in the DC area, the dive bar, and as such it will be greatly missed.

Read More “Dr. Dremo’s To Meet Wrecking Ball” »