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Ever since day 1 on BYT one of our favorite things to do was to involve the people making music in DC as much as humanly possible in the creation of this website. And one of the best ways to do so has always been to give them a creative writing assignment at the end of the year to wrap up what they felt was the best of the best in the previous 12 months.
No format restrictions.
No style restrictions.
No restrictions ever.
Not everyone always responds (certain bands that practice at Gold Leaf-I’m looking at you right now) and whatnot BUT in the end it always ends up being a great read.
So, for the 3rd annual year (click here for 2006 and here for 2008 wrap ups) we bring you the all important DC Band Year End Wrap Up.
Shout outs, inside scoop and recommendations you’ve been waiting for all year galore.
(DJ round up coming up in a day or two, and make sure you click the band name links if you want to get acquainted with them a little better-ed)

Bluebrain

As the year-end lists start to pile up around the web and in print, it’s clear most rock/pop/indie journalist have their narrative: This has been a year dominated by gauzy, fuzzed out “day-glo” music, or “chill-wave”, or whatever each writer is trying to title it. And for the most part you can’t blame them: this musical trend, though not quite as novel as some might believe (I see little difference between much of this music and tracks off Boards of Canada’s 2001 album ‘Geogaddi’), saw the release of some very great records this year. Washed Out immediately comes to mind as a standout. Fittingly, the godfathers of this entire genre, Animal Collective, started the year off by releasing the record of their career and, in my mind, the best record of possibly the past five years.

But while this sudden wave of ’sun-drenched, acid-trip, delayed out summer vacation music’ is certainly one way to explain what’s happened in music this past year, the trend that I’ve found most promising is quite the opposite: minimalism. For me, this year was defined largely by a handful of artists who weren’t afraid to leave much of the canvas blank. Three come to mind: The XX, tUnE-yArDs, and Dirty Projectors. In some ways, the work of these three couldn’t be more different, from hushed-electro to looped female vibrato. But at the tail end of a decade dominated largely by artists who’ve tried to cram noise into every inch of a disc (and many to great effect…Arcade Fire, Flaming Lips, and yes, Animal Collective), these three records have a confidence to leave spaces unfilled. On The XX’s ‘Infinity’, it’s the feather-light arrangement of the ‘Chris Issac-y’ guitar and spare drum machine that give the dueling vocals the room needed to create one of the most devastating songs on the record. ‘Little Tiger’ from tUnE-yArDs offers a hint of melody using rhythm before any other instrumentation is introduced, setting a mood that stays constant throughout the length of the song. Little else is added; little else is needed. But perhaps what makes this trend so promising is that it wasn’t confined to one single genre. Minimalism (and I realize I’m using the word quite loosely) isn’t a type of music, it’s a sensibility and one that can be adopted by artists of any stripe, playing to audiences of any size. Which is why Beyonce’s ‘Single Ladies’ not only fits appropriately beside these three other records but, as the first mega-single of the year, signaled something new. It’s a fearless production, and a textbook example of how to slowly build momentum in a song. Each moment feels full and stands on its own. So, for instance, when the bass is introduced in the second verse, you hadn’t noticed it was missing. ‘Single Ladies’ is an exercise in restraint, as are some of my favorite other records this year (others cut from this cloth include Bibio’s ‘Ambivilence Avenue’ and The Field’s ‘Yesterday & Today’). And while there’s nothing wrong with the kitchen-sink method of record production, throwing everything possible into the mix, it’s refreshing to hear music with a little bit of room to breath.

Middle Distance Runner

Aushua – My favorite musical thing this year was doing our first tour all the way out to California with Aushua, from Orange County. They’re a radical bunch of guys and put on a great show. Plus, the tour itself was like living in an American Geography textbook for a month. We’ve been to just about every imaginable niche in the US this year.

Michael Jackson / Prince / Madonna Dance Night at Black Cat – It’s a good thing they saved “Let’s Go Crazy” til the end, because I literally thought I might be having a heart attack after doing the Molly Ringwald dance through the entire song.

Songs For Presidents Show/Album – A couple of wonderful Californians brought us into this project, which was an album of 43 songs, one dedicated to each US President up until Obama. We weren’t on the album, but we got to play the show at the 6th & I Synagogue with These United States, Laura Burhenn, Jukebox The Ghost, and Nellie McKay, amongst others. It was a really exciting time and everybody put on a marvelous show!

The Vita Ruins – I got to hear a preview of their new album, and I think they’re gonna do really well next year. They recorded it all themselves, and it’s really complex and layered, but still very listenable. Good work, boys

Title Tracks
John Davis’ ten favorite songs from 2009.

Red Light Love – Those Darlins
Something In The Way – Best Coast
Swans – Camera Obscura
Always On – Casper Bangs
Tattoo – Wye Oak
Change of Heart – El Perro Del Mar
Tomorrow’s Gone Tonight – Tommy Keene
Oh No, Baby Don’t – Bye!
Things That We Do – Rose Melberg
Steve Don’t Party No More – The Mean Jeans

Lightfoot
Lightfoot’s list of bands/musicians who had a pretty good 2009 that she’d really like to hold hands with (and maybe bake cupcakes for):
1.) Fever ray
2.) Phoenix
3.) Grizzly Bear
4.) Animal Collective
5.) Dirty Projectors
6.) Flaming Lips
7.) Robert Plant

Girl rockers I’d like to have a sleep over with:
1.) Neko Case
2.)Yeah Yeah Yeahs
3.) Vivian Girls
4.) Au Revoir Simon

Longest sound check ever-
1.) Jeffrey Lewis
2.) Sleeping in the Aviary

Bands (local) I’d like to get drunk with and taken advantage by:
1.) Rattler
2.) Middle Distance Runner
3.) Stewart Lupton
4.) Sweater Set
5.) Typefighter

True Womanhood
In no particular order our favorite things of 2009 were:

- Finally getting our first Depeche Mode and Nine Inch Nails comparisons in a blog review.
- No Deachunter (No Age, Dan Deacon, Deerhunter round robin at Sonar).
- Getting to know J Robbins, then seeing him on Jimmy Fallon.
- DOUBLE HIPPOS TAIL ECSTATIC PONY VIDEO DAGGER SUNSHINE at Floristree.
- Wale at the BYT inauguration saying “I’ve never seen this many white people at my show before.”
- Getting drunk with Thurston Moore at a secret MGMT show on the fourth of July. Thankfully Jemina Pearl never posted those awkward “thumbs up” photos online.
- Learning about club etiquette from Ron Brownz.

- Finding out that when clubs in Ohio say “free black label for bands all night,” they aren’t talking about Johnny Walker. :(
- Going on our first tour in February and getting caught in a blizzard. We were forced to spend the night in New Haven, Connecticut and people in the hallway were fighting over something called “Philadelphia Blue Ice.” Is that drugs?
- Finally finishing our first EP and starting our album, like yesterday.

New Rock Church Of Fire
Here are a few quotes from movies that inspired us throughout the year.

10. Well, I see your hobbies include “drinkin’, smokin’ weed, and all kinds of ill shit.” –Don’t Be A Menace To South Central LA While Drinkin Your Juice In The Hood

9. Look King Kong. Why don’t you take you and your “1980 pick-up lines”, climb all the way up to the top of the Empire State building, beat on your big old monkey chest and then jump off? Excuse me. –White Chicks

8. We’re here reporting live for “Black T.V.”, white folks are dead so we gettin’ the fuck out of here. –Scary Movie 1

7. You hit like a bitch! C’mon. –White Chicks

6. What is wrong with you, man? You look crazy! You’re holding a shotgun, wearing some bright red socks. You look like Fred Sanford on crack! –Little Man

5. If you hit a man, in time his wounds will heal. If you steal from a man, you can replace what you’ve stolen. But always cross in the green, never in between. Because the honorable Elijah Muhammed Ali floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee. And always remember my brother, one fish, two fish, red fish, blue fish, knick knack, paddy whack, give a dog a bone, two thousand, zero, zero, party, oops! Out of time, my bacon smellin’ fine. – Don’t Be A Menace To South Central LA While Drinkin Your Juice In The Hood

4. Hey man, you can’t be just popping up like that without warning! For a minute I thought you was Chucky. –Little Man
3. Ashtray! You little bitch ass motherfucker! Come over here and give your grandma a hug! –Don’t Be A Menace To South Central LA While Drinkin Your Juice In The Hood

2. If you prick us do we not bleed? If you tickle us do we not laugh? If you poison us do we not die? And if you wrong us shall we not revenge? –William Shakespeare

1. Don’t hate me ’cause you ain’t me! –White Chicks

Pree

10. Finally being here for a welcome inauguration
9. Jesus, I’m drawing a blank for the first half of the year. Let’s skip ahead.
8. Fort Reno
7. Pool parties!
6. Going to Canada
5. Squatting in a foreclosed house
4. Jack-o-lanterns!
3. Multimedia events like the Winter Wonderfaire at Sova. They bring together the best things in life (music, art, chocolate, and sweet clothes).
2. Seeing the city as pretty and as quiet as it was after the snowstorm
1. Getting to know and play with a whole slew of creative people who put up with day jobs or no jobs, crabby neighbors and practices in attics and laundry rooms to make it work and do what they love. Bravo, kids– 2010’s not going to know what hit her.

MARTIN ROYLE

…a blog post by Ryan Adams saying he was quitting music. It was sad and I wanted to send him a puppy or a Frisbee or something. He says he’s out partly because of hearing damage, which is a) a bit scary and b) the name of…

…Thom Yorke’s single on the Twilight soundtrack.I think the Twilight craze is hilarious! My wife and I went to
see it on midnight opening day (her idea) surrounded by high school girls who literally screamed when the Wolf Boy took his shirt off, sort of like…

…Morrissey gone naked on the inside sleeve of his 2009 single, “I’m
Throwing My Arms Around Paris”. I’ve heard Moz can be a dick, but at least that dick has a record on it. It was sure hit with the boys and with…

…The Girls. “Album”?! Alright Pitchfork, you got me on Unicorns, and you got me on this one. Give it up for some pop that doesn’t flame out fast like…

…Wavves, which is good dirty stuff but damn, the indie feud craze needs to go! Fighting Jay Reatard, The Black Lips, even the Fiery Furnaces – that is a trend I would like to say goodbye to in 2010. And speaking of trending topics…

Can I hear some love for the DMV? Let’s start at the top with…

Wale toured with Jay-Z, performed on the MTV awards broadcast and brought go-go to the teeming masses by touring with a live back-up band, local legends UCB. I got the privilege of going on the road with
Wale as his Pro-Tools engineer (i was undercover for The Man) for three months in the spring and saw him rock everything from big, splashy Atlanta clubs to barns in the middle of Illinois. Even Taylor says Wale is the best DC performer she’s ever seen, and she used to say that about me! I’ll step aside for Wale. And I’ll step alongside anyone who believes that…

US Royalty’s John and Paul Thornley’s occasional Monday night acoustic shows at Solly’s are pageants of some of the most beautiful songwriting going down in the city. Gotta hand it to the Thornley’s for bringing out not only their own outstanding secret catalog but also introducing the audience to new D.C. favorites like Matthew Hemmerlein, The Friendly Man and Honey House. Watch out for all of them in 2010. Also watch out for emails from…

The Dance Party’s Mick Coogan on his escapades in LA. Local boy about to make Gold, or Platinum? Either way, always hilarious to hear his tales from across…

These United States just get better and better, don’t they? If they play within a 100 mile radius of my house, I’m going. But I didn’t have to travel far to see the best show of 2009…

It happened right here in the District back in January: the Dresden Dolls at the 930 Club. Girlfriends used to make me listen to their albums all the time and I dismissed the music as overcooked theatrics. But their show was one of the best I’ve ever seen and reminded me that truly excellent musicians don’t need bells and whistles or 50 plus
people on stage to sound amazing. It was just this girl rocking out her killer songs on a keyboard and a dude on drums – probably the best drummer I’ve ever seen. And people couldn’t take their eyes away, mouths dropped open in wonder and suspense. It was over way too soon. Why doesn’t this band play more big shows? If you ever get the chance to see them, drop what you’re doing and go. Going, going, gone…

to New Orleans. Yep, I moved to the Crescent City last month and if Svetlana offers me a list again next year expect it to feature some Kermit Ruffins and Trombone Shorty. New Orleans is a jazz town and that’s a fact – but there are also sizable communities for indie rock, metal, folk, a little bit of everything. And, best of all, there are
thousands of music venues – music is everywhere from standard clubs like Tipitinas to your neighbor’s front porch and all points in between.

D.C. bands and friends, start booking yourselves on some tours down south. You can stay in my pink guest room and we’ll have a pot of gumbo and fridge full of beers waiting for you.

**Other new stuff on play in the Royle household in 2009: Speech Debelle, Pains of Being Pure at Heart, Visqueen, Mutemath, Florence and the Machine (particularly “Kiss With A Fist”), True Womanhood, Phil Ade

**Things remembered to play while you’re making dinner: Mary Wells(especially “Bye Bye Baby”), The Family Cat, Jacques Brel

The Dance Party
Kevin & Mick’s answers:

1. Ke$ha.
2. Shows at Strip Clubs
3. Alicia Keys – Try Sleeping with a Broken Heart
4. “I’ll show you a good time/ Ferraris and wine”
5. ShredAcademy.com / Youtube.com instructional shred vids. Step your game up.
6. Actresses
7. Steel Panther – Feel the Steel
8. Blacking out with purpose
9. 81 ‘vettes w/ T-tops
10. Hot Leg
11. when daniel day lewis does that guy’s shot in the bar in ‘there will be blood
12. Casper Bangs – I Woke Up

Imperial China

Favorite Albums of 2009:

Zach Hill’s Astrological Straits
Ponytail’s Ice Cream Spiritual
DD/MM/YYYY’s Black Square
Double Dagger’s More

Favorite Shows and Other Musical Experiences of 2009:

(1) Playing the Aural States Festival in Baltimore
(2) Playing with DD/MM/YYYY and These Arms Are Snakes at DC9
(3) Seeing the Jesus Lizard at 9:30 Club – David Yow is insane.
(4) We recorded our first album at Inner Ear, and it’s going to be released on Sockets and Ruffian Records in early 2010!

Favorite Miscellaneous Experiences of 2009:

(1) Although it’s not musical, big props for balloon boy for being so damn sneaky.
(2) Scott Stapp became relevant again.
(3) I got a cat, and he sings like an angel!

Randy Scope for Olivia Mancini & The Mates

I’m glad BYT does this because it allows me to easily check out new music that might actually be good.
I trust the tastes of fellow artists more than any other group of people. Excepting all of TV’s three judge panels.
My condition prohibits serious touring and that was always THE BEST way to discover great music. So for me,
less touring means less exsposure to new music, and checking out a Myspace page ain’t a house party.
Plus, there’s so much music out there that isn’t current that I have yet to hear. My mom was going to toss
“The Golden Hits of The Everly Brothers” into a box destined for Goodwill. I plucked it out and took it home.
It fucking rules. It’s affixed to my turntable. It just blows everything else away. Sure, I already knew some of the tunes,
but whatever. There’s no overdubbing. These guys just stand in front of mics in a big room and go for it.
It’s become my gold standard to a fault because eveything I listen to now just sounds fake and over processed.
Only very good songs can overshadow this. So, I hope people throw some very good songs out there.
The Golden Hits of The Everly Brothers (on vinyl if you’re lucky) is my sole recommendation.
I of course also endorse “You Can See The Mountains From Here” and “Letter From New Virginia” by The Mates
and Donny Hue and The Colors respectively.

Frau Eva

Ben’s favorite moments:

* Seeing my hometown lovers GIVERS play to a packed blackcat mainstage and TOTALLY win over the entire crowd in a way that I only thought was possible in novels and movies. Continuing the night floating in a audio/visual pool of Dirty Projectors.
* Lusting over St Vincent, Amber Coffman, May Tabol, and every member of Grizzly Bear. Trying so hard to dream of the magical day when all these people get together for a sex party.
* Partying with Smith Westerns and GIRLS
* Playing and partying with New Orleans band Caddywhompus at the GIRLCAVE
* Bringing FRAU EVA to Louisiana and watching as my worlds collided so beautifully.
* Julian Koster’s beautiful musical saw experience in our dining room. Simply magical in the best way!
RIP Jay Bennett.

David’s thoughts on the year:

* The rise of grooveshark on the internet…
* Actor, Veckatimest, and Bitte Orca were all released 2009 – individually they are all great albums, and together draw similar current – the music of 2009’s strong undertow… sweet strong smart savage and super sexual.
* Locally, there were some good self-recorded tunes: “A Chopping Block” and “Hemerlein’s untitled album”
* Girlcave and Lighthouse will be missed.
* Lots of good times at Crabs Claw which is still doing well… Sova Café started doing some shows – its good to have places that care more about music than pull.
* Personally, Our short tours to NY and the South, to Ben’s Louisiana stomping ground were a lot of fun, and brought us a feeling that we were doing something right with our lives.

Merideth of PASH

Top 5 Music Crushes of 2009
1. Alex James of Blur-The trailer for the Blur reunion documentary, “No Distance Left to Run,” reminded me that he was and still is the hottest member of the band. Sidenote; the strings in “The Universal” always make me tear up.
2.Pains of Being Pure at Heart-They are all adorable. Love the music too.
3. Hanna Blilie of The Gossip-I’m a sucker for androgyny and she is working it on the “Music for Men” cover.
4. Cut Off Your Hands-I am also a sucker for boys from Down Under that rip off the Smiths.
5. Martin of The Answering Machine-Most of you have probably never heard of this band. They are from the UK and their debut, “Another City, Another Sorry,” is so much fun. Martin has a hot voice and looks to boot. Several videos are available on You Tube for your viewing pleasure.

Matthew Hemerlein

“Merriweather Post” by Animal Collective- I grew up sneaking into every concert I could at the venue this album was named after so it really spoke to me. I saw Geologist spin twice at St. Ex.

Reggie Watts- this guy is the truth. He’s technically considered a comedian but it’s only because the term “performance artist” has lost all currency except for derisive purposes. He seems like a medium of sorts and I got to see Reggie channel sounds, impressions, and characters twice during of the Bentzen Ball.

Devendra Banhart- the weds before Thanksgiving I got some free tickets to this show and I loved every second of it. Devendra’s band was terribly sensitive to dynamics and they played at a volume and with a mix which allowed the audience to lean into the sound rather then wear earplugs. It also helps to have a human magnet playing guitar and leading so effortlessly.

The Federal Reserve Collective-This musical collective which had it’s monthly monday residency at IOTA was always surprising and fun. I performed and listened to every show this year except November and what really stood out for me were the bands “Musee Mecanique” and “Birdlips” as well as real live “Tuvan Throat Singer’s”. I only judge music based on the goosebumps they give to me and each of these acts had a generous amount to offer. Jesse Elliot from “These United States” is an amazingly gracious host and performer and it was always fun to hear Chris Walker from “Kittyhawk” play new material. Keep an eye out for Walker’s new solo project “Flamingo Maygrow” in 2010.

Elijah Jamal-This dude is legit on the Tenor Sax. I think he’s like 20 and a freshman at Howard University but he has the fluency and vocabulary of a much older player. If you have any inclination to listen to Jazz then go see this him spit lightning bolts out of his horn at a local club.

The Smoke Fairies- These talented angels whom I used to play with when we both lived in New Orleans recently got signed by Jack White to his record label “Third Man Records”. White also plays on some of their tracks along with other members of The Raconteurs. Jess and Katherine have always been amazing and it seems like now more then ever are they poised to radiate on a global level. They have yet to play in DC.

The DC based Musicians who I’ve had the privilege of jamming or recording with in 2009. They can make 2010 memorable for you when you go see them this year:

Janel Leppin
Tosin Abasi
US Royalty
Brandon Moses of Laughing Man
Nacey
Sheena Alexis
Frau Eva
Maureen Andary
Stripmall Ballads
Chris Klang
Honey House
Britton Powell of Hume
Joe Brotherton-Cricket Fusion Jazz
Jeff Franca
Andrew Bouquet
and
All of My Wonderful Students!

Patrick from Ra Ra Rasputin, the State Department.

* Ra Ra Rasputin at the 9:30 Club
After an incredible amount of negotiation, panicking and the last-minute purchase of a plane ticket, we finally got to play a show at the world-renowned 9:30 Club. To go from Wonderland to 915 V Street in two and a half years was pretty mind boggling. I can only hope and pray that looking out towards hundreds of people while playing guitar becomes a more regular occurrence in the 2010.

* Andrew Bucket announcing the death of Derek Whibley
What started off as a rather off-color joke quickly spiraled into a media-frenzy. It boggles the mind to think that wild haired booking agent for a small Washington DC club could single handedly fool the blogosphere into thinking that the singer from Sum 41 was dead.

* Party Bros Video Premiere Boat Cruise.
To the haters, the premiere party for the Party Bros “OooBayBay,” was a self-indulgent piss-up on the Potomac. But to those who were there, it was a triumphant gathering of some of the most important members of DC’s creative underground. Writers, musicians, photographers, courtiers and others were treated to a clever music video, a sandwich platter and stiff drinks. Did I mention that we were on a boat?

* Laughing Man and Blk Jks at Black Cat (aka BLACKOUT)
A lot of people forget how much of today’s pop music, especially rock, is derived from African rhythms and musical traditions. This show served as a terrific reminder of the contributions (past and present) of black people from both sides of the Atlantic. It’s extremely that a show touches me on such a deep and cultural level.

* Favorite new bands (local, national, international)

Tennis System, Last Tide, Byrds of Paradise, Family Portrait, Real Estate, Nite Jewel, the XX, Po Po

* Old Records that I cannot stop listening to.

1. Simple Minds “Empires and Dance” I still can’t believe this is the same band who did “Don’t You Forget About Me”
2. Magazine “Real Life” Two words – John McGeoch.
3. The Wake “Here Comes Everybody” This album was recently reissued on CD with bonus tracks by LTM, but I strongly suggest you seek out the original on Factory Records. Wonderful artwork and a great listen for a cold Sunday afternoon.

Once Okay Twice
1. Locally, I was really happy to see that BYT is always expanding its reach. Tons of kids I know that had never even heard of BYT were talking about BYT this year and attending kick ass BYT parties. World domination is always a good thing when it’s done by people who know good music and who know how to party.

2. Hall & Oates did a U.S. tour this year. H & O is one of my top 5 favorite bands OF ALL TIME and I saw these guys at Wolf Trap in August. It was the best show I’ve ever seen in my entire life! I was dancing in my seat and singing along to every song. Old folks at the show told me that they thought I was too young to be so into H & O. I told them that when I was a kid, I wasn’t allowed to play outside until I had listened to at least one H & O song. Today, I’m a better man for it.

3. Michael Jackson. It’s definitely extremely sad that we lost M.J. this year, but the cool thing was that his music was re-discovered by a lot of people, young and old. It sucks that it took his death to put Mike back on the radar, but I think any time is the perfect time for his music.

4. Cadillac and Vizio commercials. JUSTICE and Phoenix tracks were featured in Cadillac commercials this year. Empire of the Sun’s “We Are The People” was featured in a Vizio commercial this year. Needless to say, I’m buying a Cadillac and putting Vizio televisions in the headrests.

5. Twitter. It seems like there was huge surge in Twitter users this year. I think Twitter has especially been beneficial to music because it allows us to connect with our favorite artists on a more personal level. It gives us a glimpse into the everyday lives of musicians and they’ve become more accessible this way. I follow Curt Smith from Tears for Fears (another of my top 5 favorite bands OF ALL TIME). He has no idea who I am, but the fact that he allows me to follow him makes me feel like he cares about his fans, and that is ILL like Kim Jong.

Fort Knox Five

1. Doing a solid year of monthly Fort Knox Five MoGlo Radio Shows on 91.5 FM Radio NYC powered by KEXP.
http://blog.kexp.org/blog/moglo/
2. Getting back in the studio during the Presidentual Inauguration with Afrika Bambaataa & Mustafa Akbar.
3. Performing for the 5th year in a row at Shambhala Music Festival in Salmo, BC
http://www.shambhalamusicfestival.com/
4. Finally creating an online existence thanks to Andy ‘2Tuff’ Cerutti.
5. The constantly dropping price of hard drive storage! GO TECHNOLOGY!!
6. Actually releasing 2 new CDs in one year. Featuring all of our homegrown DC roster as well as our favorite producers from around the globe remixing our debut album of 2008.
7. Doing our first cross country US tour on 4 Turntable with Live Visuals with funk compadres, Kraak & Smaak.
http://evilmonito.com/2009/12/16/tour-spiel-fort-knox-five/
8. Finding love on this incredible website for new music; thesixtyone.com. A fantastic web based music meritocracy!
http://www.thesixtyone.com/FK5
9. Opening a Soundcloud account, and steadily releasing new mixes & tunes to the masses.
http://www.soundcloud.com/fortknoxfive
10. Having New Years off for the first time in almost 10 years! Feels great not to have an agenda!

Laughing Man

10 playing bohemian caverns on inauguration day and being on a bill with wale
9 michael banging drums on the sidewalk in baltimore with true womanhood and 3 little kids for 15 minutes during artscape
8 playing fort reno on a beautiful evening at sunset
7 interviewing blk jks for byt…then opening for blk jks @ blk cat
6 luke stewarts jazz show wednesday nights 11pm-1am 89.3fm
5 soft opening party at dc mini gallery..buildings, br’er, laughing man, sold out first night. the good times.
4 byt pool party..joy division cover
3 february velvet lounge jam with kaz nomura PWRFL Power on our last song killed it (recently salvaged the recording)
2 michael playing tambourine and drums with child ballads to shut down the estrn mrkt warehouse mini…arguably the best party in dc this year
1 weekend in the west virginia camping with pandahead mag and our friends

Last Tide

Nate:
* The formation of Last Tide
* Seeing Dinosaur Jr twice, once at the Chameleon Club in Lancaster and once at 9:30 Club. They are the real deal. If only every reunion were this good.
* Cymbals Eat Guitars. I love this band. A lot. Their set opening for the Pains of Being Pure at Heart, despite the technical difficulties, was still one of the best I saw this year. And their record is really good too.
* Land of Talk. I know they’ve been around awhile, but I guess technically they fit because they released an EP this year. I only got into them recently, though. I just saw them at the Hotel in November; amazing show.

Rob (in haiku!):

Summer of shoegaze.
Guitars, effects, reverb make
noisy melodies

Black Candy Effects
Launches. Mutant noise machines
made right in DC

Backdoored CMJ
Best way to get a showcase:
Just ask the venue

Misha:
* Moving to this country after living in a grey seaside town in the south coast of England and joining two super sexy bands.
* BYT Summer Camp – Excellent for many reasons; Last Tide got to play Disappearer and Edit The Sad Parts to a pool filled with people wearing ironic swimsuits. Seeing Laughing Man and a bunch of other excellent bands. It also marked the beginning of a resurface of The Child Ballads. New material with a brand spanking new line-up.
* Twice at out of town shows, people actually danced to our Epic non-dance track ‘Shadows’. Dance more DC’ers!
* Seeing Pixies, Modest Mouse, Tapes ‘n Tapes and Nightmares on Wax all in the same year.
* A 20 year old Australian guy who goes by the name of Pogo, writes some excellent electronic music using sounds primarily from Disney films and gains popularity with them on Youtube… under the account name ‘Fagottron’ (not so cool).

Libby:
* Saw Bat for Lashes at the 9:30 club – the performance was empowered, the vocals were gorgeous and a lot better live than on her new album
* Bear at a Picnic formed- an electronic trip-hopesque duo consisting of myself and Misha
* Lady Gaga makes the deliciously weird Bad Romance video. The mix of creepy, performance, sex and fashion is always enjoyable.
* Music in porn gets better (The Office XXX a Parody is one worth checking out. For the music.)
* My 10 year old Sony EZ30, known as Sally, became an older sister to my JUNO-D (it was about time.)
* The world continued to not leave Britney alone.

Sara Hussain of NIHILITIA

Three things that ruled in 2009 (in no particular order)

Mastodon- Crack the Skye. Best heavy album of the year- hands down. Bong rips not necessary, but highly recommended.

The meteoric rise of Lady Gaga. A pop star who writes her own music, pushes buttons, eschews pants, and is an outspoken advocate for gay rights? Just dance.

Nihilitia opening for the Sword. Last year I was reviewing their show for byt. This year we had a bottle smashing contest with them in our practice space. Life is weird.

Typefighter

Typefighter’s Favorite Things of 2009:

First and Foremost:
Forming Typefighter.
El Charrito Caminante– Because you can’t get a better taco in the DC area, and we frequent it at least 3 to 4 times a week collectively.
Wolf Vs. Goat shirts from Farinelli’s.
Haircuts from Mike Thomas at Immortal Beloved.
Mexican Food on tour, Especially from:
Flaming Amy’s, Wilmington NC.
Taqueria El Farolito– San Francisco
“El Primo” Taco Truck in Austin TX.
Election Night in DC.
Cold Spring, New York.
Dan Auerbach @ TLA in Philadelphia.
Plaid things.
Sticky Rice.
Getting tattooed by Grant Cobb @ Spotlight Tattoo in LA.
Shure SM7’s
30-Watt Tube Amps.
Grizzly Bear’s Two Weeks Video.
New Jeans, New Genes.
Playing Spin the Bottle @ Galaxy Hut.
Tybee Island at night.
Arepas from Caracas in NY.
All Our Noise sessions.
Super Pollo.
Farmer’s Market Root Beer Flavored Milk.
Touching Mike Danko’s Beard at BYT Pool Parties.
Dave getting laid.
Jameson.

Our Least Favorite Things:
MJ and Patrick Swayze (Rest in Peace)
Columbus Georgia.
Breaking down in Gallup New Mexico.
Swine Flu.

DJ Wrap Up coming up soon as promised and if you’re craving more lists let me point you toward:
-Our 25 Most Underrated Albums Of The Decade
-Songs That Made Us Happy in 2009
-The Insanely Epic DC Food Writer Round Up
-Movie Superlatives Of The 2000s
-Best Music Packaging of 2009
and more to come

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