Bo Diddley has died. This sucks. Despite the fact that he was long past his hipster prime, he still rocked a lot of group house parties–specifically mine. I picked up his greatest hits on vinyl for cheap and would always crank up “Mona.”

So thank you, Bo Diddley.

Last night, seven local bands gathered at La Casa to play a benefit show for victims of the Mt. Pleasant Fire. Proceeds (I’m still waiting on a figure) will go to Neighbor’s Consejo. A round-up of the line-up:

1. The Coats. I love the Coats. This three-piece does the ol’ switcharoo, taking turns on guitar, bass, drums, and keys. They rock hardest on the keys. They sound kind of like the Doors, except good! Boy, do I hate the Doors.

2. Wild Fictions. I missed most of this band’s set while buying a chocolate donut from the 7-Eleven down the street. I’m sure Wild Fictions was just as delicious.

3. Fever. The high-concept catch behind this benefit was that every band had to pen an original song entitled “Queen of the Water Dolphins.” Fever—first a two-piece, now a new and improved three—was the only band to pull off an ode to Her Majesty that deserves to stick around for future shows.

4. Kitty Hawk. I had never heard this band before. They whisked me away to a tropical paradise of calypso beats and casually tied forehead bandanas. And rock.

5. US Royalty. I’m not sure what it is about this band, but when lead singer John Thornley stripped down from a sweater to a button-down to, finally, a light-pink, deep v-neck tee, the crowd went fucking wild. The key to the band’s je ne sais quoi may be their haircuts: all immaculate. There’s something almost too polished about them … they may be androids.

6. Ra Ra Rasputin. Sexy.

7. Sugarcane Crawl. I first saw this band around six months ago. I was immediately drawn to the matching red, wavy mullets sported by two of the band’s members (seriously, check out the pictures). I later learned that they worked for Vidal Sassoon, so I was a little surprised that their haircuts were roughly the same about half a year later. They broke a lamp.

Update, 1:52 p.m.: The benefit raised $1,354.

Tomorrow night former Black Eyes members Jacob Long and Daniel Martin McCormick will return to D.C. along with drummer Damon Palermo as Mi Ami, kicking off a tour in celebration of their recently released African Rhythms 12-inch on White Denim.

For those who scratched their heads back in ‘04 when McCormick and Long back teamed up as the sorta-triflin’ improvisation duo White Flight–well, this might be more to your taste. Mi Ami mash minimal-techno and dub into a trance-inducing pulp that almost demands a pair of sequined jeans and rave beads. And yeah, it kind of sounds like Black Eyes. But is that a bad thing?

Food For Animals (whose excellent debut LP Belly is out now on Hoss Records) and D.C.’s own Wealth (ex-members Navies) will also be performing.

Here’s the info:
February, 13 2008 @ La Casa
3166 Mt. Pleasant St. NW, Washington, DC

If you miss that you have a second chance to catch Mi Ami and Food For Animals when they perform at Baltimore’s Floristree space the following evening.

Well, I guess I can scratch “Played the Last Show at the Wilson Center” off of the short list of musical accomplishments I oh-so-casually mention when wooing the womenfolk at the Black Cat’s Red Room or telling well-worn tales of indie-rock glory to a wide-eyed showgoer who has absolutely no idea who I am or what venue I’m blathering about.

According to Positive Force co-founder Mark Andersen, the Evens will perform this Sunday night at the former Wilson Center—now the Capital City Public Charter School. (Doors are at 7:30; the Evens perform at 8 p.m. If it’s been so long that you’ve forgotten where the building is located, it’s at 15th & Irving Sts. NW. $5 gets you into the show—which, of course, is all-ages.) The last-minute announcement came after the original venue, All Souls Church, had to cancel due to an accidental scheduling conflict. After a brainstorming session, Andersen says in an e-mail, MacKaye suggested that they look into booking the CCPCS. (The last show at the Wilson Center was more than six years ago in October of 2001; the lineup, if I remember correctly, featured Strike Anywhere, Q and Not U, Crispus Attucks, Kill the Man Who Questions, Pg. 99, Virginia Black Lung, Del Cielo, Trial By Fire, Teddy DuChamp’s Army, and Tim.)

“It was a total long-shot, but I went by and peered in the window (a bit like a burglar casing the joint, I am afraid!), and Ian was right, the space had a stage, was decent sized, all in all looked like it could work. Nothing to lost by trying, I figured. I found the number to the school and did a ‘cold call’ to receptionist, was passed along to Anne Herr, their executive director, who turned out to be a member of All Souls and eager to help,” Andersen says. “I explained who I was, what the mission was… and to my surprise, Anne was somewhat aware of the special significance of the multi-purpose room of her school in D.C. counter-cultural history. Even more astonishing she was willing to consider the request, as they had not had their space used by an outside community group yet, but wanted to make it available in this way to worthy events.”

Andersen then provided Herr with copies of both the Evens CD and Dance of Days (which Andersen co-authored); the CCPCS board was supportive and—after what Andersen describes as “much back’n'forth between Ian/Evens and Anne/CCPCS…with me as the intermediary”—“[a]gainst all odds, the Evens show at CCPCS/Wilson Center (with six days notice) was go!”

The show—sponsored by Positive Force D.C.—is a benefit for Neighbors Consejo and Anne Frank House, which Anderson describes as “two great groups that provide essential services to the homeless and the formerly homeless in the Columbia Heights/Mount Pleasant/Adams-Morgan communities.” Attendees are encouraged to “[p]lease bring peanut butter, whole grain cereal, or canned veggies for the We Are Family food bank to be delivered to low-income community seniors.”

Quick Announcement: Mini-Festival, July 1

A huge coalition of Mount Pleasant-based community groups are putting on a show at Lamont Park to raise awareness about the campaign to end the live music ban in MP’s restaurants. It’s a more than worthy cause. And the lineup is pretty darn great. But please, since this is a neighborhood event, take Metro, and chill out once you there.

Show date: July 1

The fest begins at 3:30 p.m.

The lineup includes Head-Roc, DJ Eurok, and Mariachi Profesional de Guerrero. Expect some cool street theater from Sol & Soul as well as special guests.

The sponsors: Hear Mount Pleasant, Mount Pleasant Main Street, All-Ways Mount Pleasant, Sol & Soul and the Community of Christ.

Again, this couldn’t be a more worthy cause. The ban on live music in Mount Pleasant is ridiculous especially when you consider all the great sounds and shows that have come from that neighborhood. Why should neighborhood NIMBYs shun its own community’s legacy and history. Show up and stand up.