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SCHEDULE for FEBRUARY 2002
| < Schedule for January 2002 | Schedule for March 2002 > |
| Date | Show/Event | Additional Information | Buy Online |
| Sat 2 |
MN8 presents: FERTILE
GROUND @ 10:30PM $15 |
Fertile Ground is one of the regions hottest bands. Voted by Baltimore City Paper as the #1New Contemporary Jazz/R&B Group in 1998, Fertile Ground has spent the last year on a whirlwind tour both in the states and abroad. Fresh off of a very successful stint in the UK and The Netherlands the band is poised to take on Japan with a stand at the Tokyo BlueNote this Month. Fertile Ground's ebulient sound unites people of all cultures and ages with unique style and soul. Recently, the band has performed with R&B legends Regina Bell, Chaka Kahn, The Gap Band, Jean Carne, Jazz pianist Loston Harris Hip-Hop Contemporarys the Black Eyed Peas and numerous others. They have appeared at major venues and festivals throughout the world. Fertile Ground has a live show that Jazz legend Ruby Glover referred to as "unparalleled." The group's natural blend of Jazz, Latin, Soul, Hip Hop and Reggae give it a unique sound which is best categorized as Urban-World-Jazz. |  |
| Sun 3 |
GOD IS DEAD 10PM $7 |
The Northern Virginia quintet GOD IS DEAD play bone-crunching yet clverly delivered rap/metal. A virtual who's who of area bands the act features former members of SCREAM, ORANGAHEAD, LIVE WIRE, CHAOS THEORY and SPiNE. Houston's FACEPLANT takes you on a big ride of musical twists and turns. Falling somewhere between 311 and The Chili Peppers mix upbeat funky guitars and poppy vocals with catchy tunes. Their live show is equally as upbeat and funky while crunchy hard driving guitars and harsh vocalists Billy Hargrove and Brian Broussard trade off verses with machine gun like quickness. Opening the show is SO SO HUMAN, a rock trio from Brooklyn, NY. Three amazing players with one of the best drummers you will ever see! SO SO HUMAN puts the cock back in rock with their powerful arena rock style. Think Rush meets Tool! |
|
| Mon 4 |
10PM $7 |
New York's all-female quintet ANTIGONE RISING were proclaimed by VH-1 as "one of the top ten best indie bands in the country." Cutting their teeth on numerous national performances sharing the stage with Sarah Maclachlan, the Indigo Girls and Ani Difranco, they were a staple of the Lilith Fair circuit. The pop-rock acts album has been lauded by critics, however, lead vocalist Cassidy's Bette Midler-meets-Madonna approach and the band's high energy live show put this act above the rest of most other current acts on the scene. Baltimore's VAL YUMM and HER BAND OF MISCREANTS is a thoughtful hybrid of punk reggae and well-crafted, smooth rock. Like her Baltimore neighbors Mary Prankster and Jimmie's Chicken Shack, the band first started with a lead singer (in this case, Val Yumm) playing acoustic shows at venues that would usually lock the door at any sign of hollow, wooden guitars. Like Mary and Jimmie, Val persevered through the beginnings in early 2000 and has now found two compatriots in drummer Cliff Darrow (formerly of Colouring Lesson) and funk bassist John "Hahne" Monstauer (formerly of Jay). Borrowing from their varied experience, Val, John and Cliff bring a sound that can only be described as the sum of its parts: reggae, punk and groove. |
|
| Tue 5 |
10PM $10 |
Guitarist/vocalist Al Schnier from Buffalo, NY's highly acclaimed improvisational rock act moe. has a new side project called simply al. Al's new project combines the best elements of electronica and loose, lush structures that is sometimes ambient and haunting but at the same time has a signature style of textures that create a backdrop resident to his playing in that band. Thus one can expect a psychedelic electronic experience. Wholly composed on a laptop while on tour with moe., Al recreates his debut album "one" on stage with the help of Mitch Getz on keyboards. | |
| Wed 6 |
10PM $7 |
Take three gals, three chords, a pinch of Pretenders, and a bit of Blondie. Sprinkle on some Veruca Salt, simmer since the summer of '99 in the fiery cauldron of rock, and-voila!-thus is born the rawkin'-hydra of Washington, DC MONSTERPUSS! New York City's SURAN SONG IN STAG has an unbelieveable live show that is making waves in the Northeastern US. With a sound palette of strictly bass, drums and a woman's voice, this band mixes multimedia into their performance enhancing the overall feel of the songs. Four slide projectors cast a collage of images ranging from the disturbing to the humorous constructing a rich backdrop to the stunning music. Ala Gang of Four's Entertainment album, the theme of the show is Wild West - the bassist is dressed as a cowboy, including his guitar decorated as his steed. The female singer recites poetry and vomits a red blood-like fluid down her pristine white dress as the drummer bangs away at the songs also dressed as an Indian, complete with headdress. As you can imagine the sound of the show combines some o the coolest elements of Bowei, Sonic Youth and, of course Gang of Four. |
|
| Thu 7 |
FOURTH OF JULY HEMP COALITION presents: THE
HEMP SEED CAFE LUCKY
DOG J.B.
BEVERLEY and also: Guest Speakers 8PM $3 |
The Fourth of July Hemp Coalition now hosts a new activist night, THE HEMP SEED CAFE, where people can come discuss ideas and keep up with current events involving Drug Policy Reform. Our monthly event benefiting the Fourth of July Hemp Coalition features a new artist at every event. This month's gathering of Hemp activists will coincide with the day that edible Hemp products became illegal. Don't mourn, organize! Join us to discuss the 4th of July Demonstration, 7th Annual 420 Festival and Million Marijuana March. |
|
|
An evening with: 10PM $10 |
Jimi HaHa (aka James Davies) lead singer/ guitarist/ provocateur of Maryland's JIMMIE's CHICKEN SHACK debuts at the Metro Café with his special side project and new solo songs! | |
|
| Sat 9 |
10PM $10 |
While attending Fordham University in Bronx, New York, a duo created SEEKING HOMER. After its inception in 1995, a full touring band emerged to tour extensively in the fall of 1997, playing shows on the East Coast from Massachusetts to Georgia. Within the last year or so, the band has shared the stage with some great bands that have helped them out. Those bands include The Samples, Left Undone, Guster, Cowboy Mouth, Stand Up Eight, Acoustic Junction, and Latex Generation. As former drummer/ vocalist/ songwriter with PERCY HILL, AARON KATZ returns to Metro Café after a stunning performance with Strangefolk's Reid Genauer. Handling the guitar and vocal chores, Aaron takes us through a more aggressive and dimensional journey than before with jam-based groove cleverly updated with reggae, rock, and even electronica. Also joining Aaron are the talents of Percy Hill's John Luccesse and former Moon Boot Lover skinbeater Pete Koeplin, saxophonist and keyboard player Andy Gallagher and guitarist Josh Pryor. Cincinatti, OH's HOMUNCULUS melds plenty of hooks and urban influenced jam-grooves. A jazzy cross between Steely Dan and some of Incubus's mellower ballads; the band is, however, not just about pop stylings. The act has loads of tunes that could find a home in the hearts of jam and jazz lovers everywhere. The band tours regionally at clubs in Cincinnati, Athens, Columbus, Chicago and New York. The group has been together for years and they've managed to play the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and had a song of theirs featured on a VH1 show, and even won a citywide battle of the bands contest for a major label. |
|
| Mon 11 |
LUS CHANGE presents: An independent film screening and poetry series 7PM
- Midnight |
||
| Tue 12 |
10PM $7 |
Born in New York City, and raised in a theatrical family, CAMERON DEZEN studied voice and creative writing in high school and college. For some time she performed in clubs and art galleries in Pittsburgh before recording debut album Mary's Daughter. Dezen returns to Metro Café has, in the past, informally collaborated with several hip hop producers. On her first outing, Dezen has recruited the talents of jazz and hip-hop instrumentalist AB+, who co-produced the album with her. Vocally, Dezen shares much in common with folk-singer Dar Williams. Here, however, the music skillfully combines the best of troubadour stylings, modern beats, and ambient flourishes. Opening is NYC's Nini Camps. |
|
| Wed 13 |
THE SCREWS 10PM $10 |
As a co-founder of one of Rock 'n' Roll's most influential bands the New York Dolls, SYLVAIN SYLVAIN and cohorts, David Johansen, Johnny Thunders, Billy Murcia, and Arthur Kane introduced the world to punk and glam rock. Dressing in female attire and makeup, the Dolls took the stage and captivated audiences with their exotic cuteness and melodies that sweetened even their most abrasive moments. From 1971 to 1975, they misshaped the decade, redefined Rock 'n' Roll, lost Billy Murcia to a drug overdose, and became the darlings of underground culture. They went to rock and ruin and have remained a legend ever since. Like they say, it's only rock and roll, but in this case it's rock and roll with a bit of a twist. What would happen if the Small Faces and the Cars got into a head-on collision, and David Lee Roth got squashed between them? Well, then you'd have RED PLANET. Well, actually you'd have a big bloody mess and a lot of litigation, but bear with me on this metaphor. RED PLANET is a bit of a strange mix, but very infectious -- punky power pop with a bit of New Wave whimsy. The energy and enthusiasm with which this band puts a new wrinkle into established rock and roll song structures and styles is their strongest and most appealing suit. Their full-throttle British Invasion-inspired guitar hooks and vocal harmonies, plus occasional cheesy Casio synth lines and a strong hint of white trash punk rock energy, makes for a fun and sometimes funny listening experience. Opening are DC natives THE SCREWS. |
|
| Thu 14 |
10PM $10 |
Named in tribute to the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist and his influence in introducing Eastern culture and music into the world of Western rock and roll, the BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE was formed in 1990 in the Haight Ashbury district of San Francisco and took much of their musical spirit from both the psychedelic-youth-culture and music of the same area. THE BRIAN JONESTOWN MASSACRE have made some of the most exciting underground music in America since the sixties. To give you an idea of how far out this band is: when asked about why the origin of the band name, leader Anton Alfred Newcombe explained, "At the time we were all eating a lot of LSD it seemed like a good idea to me." And from listing to early recordings and reports of their first show in a black Masonic temple it seem[ed] very plausible to me. Newcombe recalls "I just wanted to be in a great band, with people who really loved music, but there really weren't any to join at the time." So he started his own. Some 40 different members passed through the group's ranks over the next half of the decade, but throughout their focal point remained singer/guitarist Anton Newcombe. Since 1991, BJM has been making some of the most stunning music ever heard which have made them heroes to a growing cult around the world. Though still without another major label deal, BJM continues making superb records for their own label, The Committee to Keep Music Evil. Guitarist Jeff Davies is next in seniority, followed by Frankie Teardrop (guitar), Dan Allaire (drums), Dave Koenig (bass), Rob Bartholemew (keyboard, guitar) and sometimes Raugust (flute). Washington D.C. power trio DEAD MEADOW formed in the fall of 1998. From inception the three members, guitar-vocalist Jason Simon, bassist Steve Kille, and drummer Mark Laughlin set out to fuse their love of 70's hard rock ala Led Zeppelin, Jimi Hendrix and Black Sabbath with their own fantasy visions of strange lands as well as a good dose of punk energy. What they actually created is something even more esoteric than mere comparisons can conjure. The Dead Meadow sound is best compared to warm, runny honey...soft dewy grass... vibrant cracking bonfires... or dark rumbling thunder. The songs create a mood and a space for imagination to roam and drift. The organic, analog 70's production brings out the best of Dead Meadow's soulful playing and creates vast landscapes of their low-slung, glowing guitar tones. Atmospheric, loping psychedelic rhythms are layered with somnolent vocals and plenty of free noodling guitar splutter and grind. Thorough all of the amped up soul-fuzz and multifolded acid shades, this trio's innovative songwriting shines through and both stands them out from the crowd, and proves that this is not just another retro soup for the cannabis culture. Opening are Philadelphia's ASTEROID #4. |
|
| Sat 16 |
10PM $4 |
A 6ts nite of garage, soul and exotica | |
| Sun 17 |
LOVESEXY
DC & DJ DREDD PRINCE FOR PRESIDENT 10PM $5 |
DJ
DREDD returns to the Metro Café to campaign for the |
|
| Mon 18 |
BARCELONA'S FINAL SHOW! SATURDAY PEOPLE 8:30PM $7 |
Arlington, Virginia's quartet BARCELONA formed in 1998. After almost four years, they are calling it quits (amicably) to pursue other projects. BARCELONA has undeniably been a good thing for D.C., especially because our pop scene hasn't been much of a scene lately. BARCELONA is an example of what happens when '80s kids have their minds blown by indie rock in the '90s but still want their bands to give props to the earlier heroes. BARCELONA was last seen at Metro with the OCEAN BLUE. Principal songwriter and force behind the ORANGE PEELS, ALLEN CLAPP spins a new indie twist on "the Byrds, the Beach Boys and Burt Bacarach" as Rolling Stone puts it. The Redwood City, CA musician is joined by DC's very own SATURDAY PEOPLE and classic rock-to-beats genius/Illinois native Graham Smith otherwise known as KLENNEX GIRL WONDER. |
|
| Tue 19 |
UBERVOX This month's installment: JANINE
WILSON 8PM $7 |
Ubervox brings together women musicians from Washington, DC and the surrounding area. Ubervox supports both touring and local women musicians representing many different genres of music through a network of community showcases. |
|
| Wed 20 |
JAI MICHAEL 9PM $7 |
Another stunning performance from DC's own Prince of Psychedelic SoulFolk! | |
|
10PM $25 |
THE PUNANY POETS, which can include 15 poets, was born out of Oakland native Jessica Holter's reaction to rapper Eazy E's untimely death from AIDS in 1995. Holter, who at the time was working as a hip-hop journalist, saw the need to promote safer sexual practices in the hip-hop community. After several successful projects, including a Punany Poets appearance on the popular HBO series Real Sex, Holter finished writing her first play, Hot Buttered Rum. The setting for the poetic play is a friendly gathering of seven friends who, through open discussion of The setting for the poetic play is a friendly gathering of seven friends who, through open discussion of their sexuality, undergo profound revelations regarding themselves and each other. These revelations become manifested in beautiful and thought provok ing poetry. The performance never even got close to the sanctimony and preachiness that taints most other safe sex campaigns. Issues from mutual masturbation, oral sex, women having sex with women for the first time to the advantage of vibrators over the real thing w ere dealt with unapologetically. As seen on HBO Real Sex, The Punany Poets are among the most cutting edge performance groups on the globe. Their performance encompasses poetry, music, art, dance, slam and song while exploring the issues of safer sex and responsible sensuality. If the Vagina Monolgues shocked you...you can't handle punany's truth! |
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| Thu 21 |
MN8 presents: MCA RECORDING ARTIST CD
Release Party for 9PM $5 |
Twenty-four year old North Philly native JAGUAR WRIGHT returns to the Metro Café to showcase her long-awaited MCA Records release, "Denials, Delusions, and Decisions." What's surprising to those who have watched Wright tear down the house with her raw, emotionally charged performances is that she hasn't taken off sooner. As part of the Roots' crew, she's got a highly regarded team of producers and musicians watching her back, and instant credibility that is earning her national attention. The singer and songwriter has also got stage presence to burn, having used as her training ground Black Lily, the women-in-music jams at the Five Spot in Old City, where Grammy nominee Jill Scott got a jump start on her career. Wright is more than ready. Now, with this record, which she wrote and co-arranged, about to drop; a Coke commercial set to debut next month; a new husband; and a brother for her 8-year-old son on the way, Wright has, quite literally, blown up. In 1999, Wright attended the Roots' album-release party. Arnette-Pina was there and remembered the feisty rapper from Words and Sounds. She invited her to perform at Black Lily, a new Philly and New York jam session especially for women artists, created by the female jazz/soul duo Jazzyfatnastees and the Moroccan rocker Nou-Ra. "We'd have rehearsals, and Jag would have this singing-rhyming style. . . . She was just an overall artist," Arnette-Pina remembers. "A beautiful singer and arranger. And she plays the keys better than Alicia Keys." The lineup for that show consisted of Jazzyfatnastees, the alternative singer Res, Wright and Scott, all accompanied by the Roots. Every one has since had a major-label record. But that night, Arnette-Pina recalls, nobody wanted to go on first - except Wright. "Black Lily was the first place I could be me and people appreciated it," says Wright, who sang "What If," now the first track on Denials, Delusions and Decisions, to rousing applause. The positive feedback was exhilarating and made it easy for Wright to turn down a $20,000 contract to replace Amel Larrieux in the New York urban/dance duo Groove Theory. Wright returned to Black Lily as a headliner and caught the eye of MCA Records vice president Wendy Goldstein, who signed her to the Roots' Motive imprint on the label. | |
| Sat 23 |
GIRL HARBOR 10PM $7 |
ORANGE PARK was formed in fall of 2000. After playing for sometime, the band moved into a small basement in New York City, where they lived and rehearsed together. Writing countless songs they created a sound with the appeal and sensibility of pop, and the unbridled energy of youth. Live, Orange Park has a commanding stage presence. Jeff Moore and Justin Moore share lead vocals and harmonies, chiming guitar riffs and blistering solos. The furious precision of Jay Moore's maniacal drumming, and Harv's laid back style and pounding bass, form a tight rhythm section. Emerging from the Washington DC rock underground, MOODROOM has staked their claim as one of the scene's most promising bands. The band weaves alt-rock, pop, and trip-hop influences with beautifully evocative vocals to create an innovative sound that is both mechanical and organic. While MOODROOM's music has been compared by some to Belly, Garbage, No Doubt, and Portishead, they definitely create their own unique sound. Opening is Delaware's PETLAND. |
|
| Sun 24 |
10PM $10 |
If you're unfamiliar with TOPAZ, their sound is a cohesive blend of raw funk rhythms, cool jazz horn swells, and intriguing melodic interplay. Interdisciplinary dance grooves for the new millennium. Topaz creates music that is equally suited to detailed armchair analysis and manic dance floor revelry. When the listening space is the dance floor expect Topaz to raise the roof and scorch the paint off the walls. The last thing you'd expect to hear from Boston is a country band---let alone a country band who get it right. There's just no 'splainin the debut of CASH MONIES &THE JETSETTER which we suppose is as good a name as any seeing as The Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash is already taken. Same concept though: hard-driving truck-stop country with the occasional new-grass close harmony flourish. |
|
| Mon 25 |
PHOENIX
THEATER BENEFIT DJ LUCREZIA BLOZIA 6PM $10 |
A
benefit for the Lucrezia will be spinning 80s music all nite and showing Pretty in Pink, The Breakfast Club and other classic 80s flicks. |
|
| Tue 26 | CLOSED | ||
| Wed 27 |
10PM $7 |
Born Brian Allan Gillis, BRIZZ grew up on the streets of Boston where he developed a passion for music at an early age. BRIZZ was the youngest of seven children. He took advantage of this large audience and began performing the songs of Elvis Presley for his family and friends when he was only 4 years old. He grew up in the inner-city neighborhood of Dorchester, Mass. The neighborhood was considered a low-income, high-crime district of Boston at the time. Brizz learned at a very early age that if you're looking for trouble, Dorchester was the place to go. It was here that Brizz hung out with other kids with diverse ethnic backgrounds and discovered his natural talent for rapping and rocking. All his friends had B-Boy names and this is how Brian came to be known as BRIZZ. | |
| Thu 28 |
TY-SHE ENTERTAINMENT presents:
AN URBAN SHOWCASE EDUCATED
CONSUMERS 8PM $10 |
Hosted
by: As
seen on BET's Rap City & Check
out STORM's new EP Interested in showcasing your talent? Contact STORM at q.storm@juno.com |
|
|
An evening with: 10PM $7 |
Blessed with impeccable four-part harmonies and a catalog full of catchy, radio-friendly pop tunes, the Morgantown, West Virginia quarrtet THE ARGUMENT sound ready to make the jump up to the big time. You also can't listen to snidely witty, keyboard-based tunes like that one and not be reminded of alt-rock heroes The Ben Fold Five. Coincidentally, The Argument formed in 1997 after all four members met at a Ben Fold Five show in Pittsburgh. But there's a little more to the story, both musically and personally. For one thing, while the four cop to wise-guy pop influences like Folds and Barenaked Ladies, touches of everything from Motown to Latin jazz show up on the band's debut disc. The group's even been known to toss a not-entirely-goofing cover of Bell Biv Devoe's old rap/R&B hit "Poison" into its live sets. And despite its cheeky humor, the Argument's genesis is pretty serious. Simons was inspired to start the group after his dad, popular Clarksburg TV newsman Mike Simons, died in May 1997. "I decided I wanted to do something with a little more substance," recalls Simons, who had been doing "the dreaded cover band thing" with drummer Chris Russell, a fellow WVU School of Music student. Simons also had been doing some fairly substantive work while at school, composing music for chamber ensembles, as well as "Alight In The Attic," on the poetry of Shel Silverstein. But he found kindred spirits in Russell and Fairmont natives Warder and bassist Brent Bunner, who had played together in the band 42. Warder, a William and Wary graduate, had also toured with Virginia/D.C.-based acts like Mudcat Jones, which he helped found, and The Emptys. |