Discologist

Musical shaman Jamal Gray (Nag Champa, CMPVTR CLVB) is a creator, an educator, a motivator, a instigator, a father, a son, a being of the universe, and, most importantly, one of the the most vibrant and important voices in #newDC's burgeoning creative scene. For the next hour and change he's here in the basement preaching the new gospel for the most powerful city in the world. Hang out f...

Washington, DC is a town that is in the middle of a massive cultural shift, and I.M.P Productions (the folks behind the 9:30 Club) are at the forefront of this change. Recently the mega-promoter signed a 40 year lease on the historic Merriweather Post Pavilion and has announced plans to open another venue - The Anthem - on the shores of the rapidly developing DC waterfront. Marcus Dowling (Bandcam...

Over the course of 6 albums Laura Marling has proved that she's a force to be reckoned with. On her latest effort,  Semper Femina,  set out to explore her relationship to feminism, femininity and relationships in a modern age, and the result is a flat-out masterpiece. Join us as we gush over this unexpected triumph of feelzcore. PLUS! Swedish prog/jazz rockers brought their lat...

Streaming radio mainstay Pandora has finally revealed their Spotify/Apple Music competitor. Built on the ashes of Rdio, and released well into these streaming wars, will Pandora Unlimited change the game or is it too little, too late? We've got some thoughts. Sunny Sweeney has made some damn fine country music in her relatively short career. On her latest LP  Trophy,  she's walking the f...

For over twenty years, indie-rock mainstays Spoon have made some of the most consistently satisfying albums in rock and roll history. On their ninth outing,  Hot Thoughts,  Britt Daniels and crew are looking back to their past as they evolve the sound of the band into a new future. We've got some possibly "hot" thoughts to share about one of the most anticipated albums of 2017. PLUS! Sax...

London's Ibibio Sound Machine "...is a clash of African and electronic elements inspired in equal measure by the golden era of West African funk, disco, modern post-punk, and electro" and on their first release on North Carolina's vaunted Merge Records , they've refined their sound without skimping on any of its power. Full of songs that are just as likely to make you consider injustices in the wo...

PledgeMusic is a crowdfuning platform that aims to help artists of every genre and creed achieve their dreams. Every artist except Wheeler Walker, Jr. it would seem. In an unprecedented move, the artist friendly org recently cancelled the country star/comedian's campaign to raise funds for his upcoming sophomore album, and we've got some questions. On their second album as a duo, guitarists J...

Atlanta rapper Future just made history by knocking himself out of the top spot on the Billboard charts with his second release in as many weeks,  HNDRXX.  Join us for a very special episode as Marcus Dowling (Bandcamp, Decades) guides Kevin through the past, present, and...future of this record setting artist. (Spoiler: This is gonna be awkward.) PLUS! Ameripolitan legends Dale Watson a...

Go-Go as DC History is a discussion of five iconic go-go songs from DC's legendary "Chocolate City" past as we seek to preserve that era, as well as determine what of those legendary times will be retained in the rapidly changing cultural present and future of the nation's capital. Andre "Whiteboy" Johnson (Rare Essence), Michelle Blackwell (The What Band), Nico Hobson (Go-Go Radio), and Gero...

Eric Church is an OUTLAW and he's proving it by taking the fight to ticket scalpers and reclaiming 25K tickets for his upcoming world tour. OUTLAW.  Bassist Miles Mosly has collaborated with some of the biggest and most creative names in music. Miles Mosely is a badass. Now Miles Mosely has made a badass album. We discuss.  MANWOLVES may not be the reboot of the Wolfen franchise you've b...

After years of laying down the blues as a solo act and sideman extraordinaire, Washington, DC based guitarist Bobby Thompson and some of his closest brothers in arms have joined forces in their new band, Revelator Hill. It's a conversation you don't want to miss when Bobby drops by the basement to chat about the new album, growing up on a steady diet of rock n' roll, over-the-top guitar nerde...

In 1977 a fussy proto/post punk band from NYC dropped one of the most influential albums in rock n' roll history. Forty years later, we're talking about why this fidgety masterpiece not only influenced and defined a generation of musicians, but why it sounds just as vital and savage as it did way back when. That's it. That's the pitch. Are you in, or is you isn't? Hosted on Acast. See acast.c...

This year, the Grammy's made it clear that they may have some...issues to work through. Kevin and Marcus Dowling (Bandcamp/Pitchfork) try to clear the air on how the esteemed organization really functions, and what you, YES YOU, might be able to do to change that. Ryan Adams is one of the most prolific, and most successful singer/songwriters of the past 20 years. On  Prisoner , his 16th LP, h...

First there were whispers. Then there was a video . And finally, after years of waiting there was a debut album. And just like that, Washington, DC "supergroup" The El Mansouris were gone. Tune in as we dive deep into a minor masterpiece by a band that barely existed, but left a hell of a mark in the short time they had. PLUS! Tidal Talk is BACK, and now living in our darkest timeli...

By the late 80's, Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou, known to the majority of the world as George Michael, had already seen the heights of fame with his group Wham. He had experienced the power that artists could achieve by uniting their voices with We Are The World, and played an integral part in the video revolution that was MTV.   But the best was yet to come. In 1987,  Faith , his de...

In 2014 Athens, GA's Roadkill Ghost Choir released their masterful full-length debut,  In Tongues . With miles on the road behind them and a years worth of waiting, their follow up,  False Youth Etcetera, Volume 1  is finally here and we're bringing back a blast-from-the-past to talk through their finest, and poppiest, song-cycle yet. PLUS! Singer/songwriter Lincoln Barr makes some...

Sampha Sisay has spent the bulk of his career on the sidelines, singing and producing for the likes of Drake, Kanye West, Solange, and many more. On  Process , his first full-length, the multi-talented soul phenom is finally stepping fully into the spotlight, and the results are stunning.  Marcus Dowling  (Decades, Pitchfork) and  Marcus Moore  (Bandcamp) join Ke...

In 2009, Cloud Nothings leader Dylan Baldi dropped out of college to pursue his rock n' roll dreams, and he did so with a vengeance. With their fourth album,  Life Without Sound,  Baldi and crew have polished their sound, without sacrificing any of the angst and ferocity that made the world fall in love with them in the first place.   We discuss, while Paul relives the 90's.  P...

After a string of EP's and years of anticipation, Washington DC neü-punk provocateurs, Priests, have finally delivered their debut full length,  Nothing Feels Natural . On our latest podcast, Kevin, Paul, Eduardo and  Marcus Dowling  (Pitchfork, Bandcamp) are hanging out in the basement, getting to the bottom of this raucous new album. Is it the right protest album at the...

Allison Crutchfield (twin sister of Katie Crutchfield aka  Waxahatchee ) has paid her dues in bands like P.S. Eliot, Bad Bananna, and Swearin', but on her new LP  Tourist In This Town  (Merge Records) she's blasting off into a whole new phase of her career. Lousy with emotionally supercharged synth jams,  Tourist  reveals Crutchfield as one of the most vibrant voices...

The largest peaceful protest in American history took place this weekend, not just here in DC but all over the world. We're gonna talk about it. Yes...this is what we mean by the "and nothing but" part of our tagline. Foxygen isn't just a band, it's a state of mind. On their fifth album Hang,  the duo of Jonathan Rado and Sam France are letting their freak flags fly high - REAL HIGH - and the...

Marcus Dowling (Pitchfork, Bandcamp) and Casey Rae (Sirius XM) join Kevin in the newly upgraded rock-basement to prognosticate about the year before us. We all know about the seismic shift in American politics that is about to take place, but what will it mean for music in 2017? The arts in general? Florida Georgia Line? Grab your beverage of choice and strap in for 2017's very first PODJAM as we...

Travis Tritt started a tweet-a-cane with his suggestion that artists should stick to their art and leave the politics to...not artists. We've got a few things to say about that. Songwriter Natalie Hemby has been quietly and consistently killing it behind the scenes by delivering hit after hit for some of Nashville's biggest names. Now she's stepping into the spotlight with Puxico , her debut album...

If you turned on the radio In 1996 your ears were assaulted by the music of artists like Sublime, The Spice Girls, Gin Blossoms, The Prodigy, Alanis Morrisette, and more (the less said about "The Macarena" the better). Then along came Fugees. In our inaugural edition of our new feature Discologist , Kevin is joined in the basement by Eduardo (Nunes)   and Marcus (Dowling)  [Pitchfork, Ba...

In 2012 rapper/producer El-P and rapper Killer Mike met and discovered that not only did they bring out the best in each other's art, all signs pointed towards them being world's first motherf@#@ing rap superheroes.  With the release of their third collaboration as Run The Jewels, all signs point to the prophecy being true. Join us as we we kick off our 2017 coverage diving into their latest...