By now, fans have no business being bored by Ryan and Hays Holladay, who as Bluebrain have produced one script-flipping one-off after another in the two and a half years they’ve been making music in the District. But that doesn’t mean the experimental pop duo can’t get sick of their own shtick—or, let’s be honest, [...]
Once upon a time, rapping in D.C. wasn't so cool. In the 1990s, long before artists like Wale and Tabi Bonney put D.C. hip-hop on a national stage, local MCs couldn't spit a rhyme without being deemed a New York wanna-be.
Instead, aspiring rappers not named Asheru, Head-Roc, or Black Indian spit their rhymes alongside prominent go-go bands [...]
Weird year, 2011. D.C.'s most visible band released an app, not an album. Its great rap hope released an album that was disappointing in critics' eyes, but which cemented him as a mainstream presence. Dischord returned to relevance with a handful of new albums and handsome archival releases; new labels formed; and Sockets remained the [...]
Our City Lights pick today is Ray LaHood's talk at the National Press Club, but today's DBB is so late, his talk is already over. Deadline fail. Here are some other Thursday options:
MUSIC
Tonight, Murs and will.i.am fan Tabi Bonney play DC9—even though some other D.C. hip-hop artists won't go near the place. 8 p.m. $16.
It's also [...]
Turtlemania: Fans of the deceased Apple CEO are making a run on Steve Jobs' signature black turtleneck, WaPo's Maura Judkis reports:
It wasn’t just any turtleneck: Jobs preferred $175 St. Croix cotton and microfiber mock black turtlenecks. According to Bernhard Brenner, the founder of Knitcraft, St. Croix’s parent company, Jobs bought about two dozen black turtlenecks [...]
Say what you will about Tabi Bonney's carefree attitude and jet-setter mentality, the Northeast D.C. native has been especially prolific in recent months, releasing several projects to showcase his distinctive city twang and unshakable confidence.
On Bonney's last project, the Postcards from Abroad mixtape, he teamed with DJ Smiles Davis to produce a lighthearted recording, though he [...]
Where my geeks at: Tonight, Joy Division co-founder Peter Hook and his band The Light returns to the 9:30 Club to perform the iconic post-punk band's second album, Closer. (He played Unknown Pleasures at the club last winter.) 6 p.m. $25.
AM & Shawn Lee, a collabo between, erm, AM and Shawn Lee, bring their somewhat [...]
Most shows on the Kennedy Center Millennium stage start at 6 p.m. Period. But tonight, those who drop by an hour early will get a bonus from the 10th Annual D.C. Hip-Hop Theater Festival and music website Okayafrica. Before the festival’s African hip-hop showcase begins, Rujeko Dumbutshena, a Zimbabwean dancer who [...]
It wasn't on purpose, but three of the DMV's top MCs have dropped new material within days of each other. For X.O. and tabi Bonney, their new songs are teasers of upcoming projects. In Wale's case, his new track with local go-go band TCB was recorded just for recreation.
X.O., one-third of the vaunted Diamond District [...]
If it's Wednesday, there must be a wintry mix on the ground. Seriously, this has happened a few times now. The Jersey Shore freaks get a trip to Italy and we're stuck with this icy, slushy crap?
On TBD, Maura Judkis talks to a pair of San Francisco curators working on a compendium of all blog [...]
