The DC Scene, Part Two

As I previously mentioned, I'm in the process of trying to listen to as many Washington, D.C.-area bands as possible to try to get a sense as to my new local music scene. It's still pretty early, but I'm finding a number of really interesting bands. I've already discussed The Julie Ocean and The Fake Accents. Here's two more good ones:

The Jet Age

Of all of the DC bands that I've heard over the last few weeks, the one that is most quintessentially "D.C." is The Jet Age. What does that mean? Well, it means that they're the one band that I've found so far that truly sounds like an outgrowth of DC's long-standing punk and post-punk tradition. Loud guitars, driving bass and drums, strong, catchy songs... Excellent stuff.

"Please Come Home Now"

You can catch The Jet Age playing with David Kilgour of The Clean at DC9 on November 14th. I'll be there.

More info: MySpace, Website

The Beanstalk Library

I discovered The Beanstalk Library the old-fashioned way - some dude was handing out 3-song promo CDs as people streamed out of The National's show at the 9:30 Club last week. I haven't seen anyone do this in New York in years, but I've always though it's a great way to get people to hear your music.

The Beanstalk Library write catchy, often jangly Americana rock. If that bunch of pseudo-rock criticism makes you think of Wilco, R.E.M., The Byrds or The Old 97's, well, good, because that's what I meant to say. The band's debut album, America at Night [BUY], reflects a hodgepodge of these influences, but thankfully never feels overly-indebted to any single source. Definitely a band worth keeping an eye on.

"Fake It"

If you're in the DC-area, you can catch The Beanstalk Library this Tuesday (9/11) at DC9 with The Winter Sounds, and again on Friday, 10/12 at Rock and Roll Hotel with Cloud Cult.

More info: MySpace, Website, DCist interview