DEPECHE MODE
DANCE PARTY

10PM $5

STEPANIAN

BICYCLE THIEVES

ADAM RICHMAN

10PM $7

STEPANIAN formed in the summer of 2000. The band's acoustic rock style consists of rhythm guitar, lead guitar, piano, violin, bass and percussion. Heading up the band is singer/songwriter Eric Stepanian who began performing in local clubs and bars in 1999 with guitarist Dan Morris. Eric's classic/folk rock influences and Dan's passionate lead guitar playing began to shape the bands unique style of music. Brook Cebula, a multi-talented musician, plays both lead guitar and violin, during a typical set. On bass guitar is Ben Wager whose busy style of performing contributes an intricate role in the band's overall sound. Brian Demlein's creative piano riffs compliment the ever-flowing, improvisational motif produced by the lead guitar, violin and bass. The backbone of the band is Craig Blinten, whose drumbeats guide lively songs adding the structure needed to stay composed.

Playing their first gig on Friday the 13th was apparently a good omen for the band BICYCLE THIEVES. Since that fateful night at a small underground club in Washington, D.C., where they were approached to open for Jesus Jones' comeback tour (it was supposed to be all on bicycles...really), the Thieves have managed to establish solid fanbases in both their own hometown and in New York City, appear on national radio, and make a musical contribution to the newest season of MTV's international hit show, "The Real World." BICYCLE THIEVES strive to create a stimulating mix of solid, catchy songwriting, soaring vocals, and top-notch musicianship. They begin with songwriting influences as diverse as Elvis Costello, R.E.M.., Counting Crows, and Van Morrison, and wind all the way around to the soul of Stevie Wonder and the raw power of Led Zeppelin. The bottom line is that they are a unique rock 'n' roll band blessed with the award-winning songwriting and unique, powerful vocals of frontman Jon Kaplan, who was recently tapped for an appearance at the legendary Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The band also features the crack rhythm section of Scott Aronson on bass and John Dinsmore on drums.

ADAM RICHMAN stepped forth from a cloud of certainty as he left behind a comfortable lifestyle among students his age, and established himself as a regular in the Washington, DC and Northern, VA music scene. Soon he was playing amongst seasoned local veterans and doors began to open for larger and louder shows. In 6 short months, Adam found himself opening for crowds of thousands of concertgoers, and sharing the stage with acts such as The Roots, Good Charlotte, Antigone Rising and Redman.

HIPS & LADYFEST BENEFIT

7PM
$10
$5 with bag of candy for HIPS OUTREACH

Helping Individual Prostitutes Survive (HIPS) is a non-profit organization dedicated to ending the cycle of abuse faced by sex workers. Don't miss the symposium, " Sex (Work) in the City". There will be a panel discussion with community advocates, sex workers and legal experts, followed by a discussion about the legalization vs. decriminalization of sex work.

All proceeds benefit HIPS and LadyFest.

DC SOCIETY OF YOUNG PROFESSIONALS

7PM

PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST

JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY

10PM $8

PSYCHEDELIC BREAKFAST who hail from East Haven , CT is not your average jam band. Their contemporary update on Zappa is augmented by their obvious love of P-Funk and the Allman Brothers. Every pocket of groove is chock full of jams that are never boring and improvisation that is gives the listener something to chew on.

JACOB FRED JAZZ ODYSSEY has often been compared to Medeski Martin and Wood. However, MMW tends to strike a groove, where JFJO tends to deconstruct the pocket Moments of repetition and vamping get taken as improvisation by listeners with unsubtle ears, who claim it to be moments in which everyone is soloing. Sadly, few have heard Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew", which set the standard and the modus operandi for several of these fusion bands including Weather Report. Jacob Fred's trumpet and trombone players (Kyle Wright and Matt Leland respectively), each play off of the others sounds: i.e. call and response. At the same time, Brian Haas on Rhodes plays lines that accentuate, rather than follow the leads of the horns. Layers upon layers of percussion underscore the whole formula. At the moment that the band appears to strike a noticeable groove, they suddenly act capriciously.

FOURTH OF JULY HEMP COALITION presents:

THE HEMP SEED CAFE
featuring:

SUGAR JONES
OUTER BODY LLAMA

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.

MVP

10PM $10

FRENCH KICKS

MINK LUNGS

LENNEX

10PM $8

FRENCH KICKS are the kind of band you grew up loving. All the members have been friends forever, and have played in bands together since their early teens. They have that mythic telepathy between them that draws you in, with songs that never let you go. Jamie Krents, Matt Stinchcomb, and Nick Stumpf began playing together while attending middle school in Washington, DC. The three decided to attend Oberlin College and continued jamming during those four years in Ohio. In the summer of 1997, Krents, Stinchcomb, and Stumpf relocated to Brooklyn, and the following Spring they met Alabama-native Josh Wise. With Wise on board, French Kicks were born. FRENCH KICKS is the sound of new New York, a town whose unparalleled cultural and social treasures are yours for the taking, if only you can cough up enough money to pay the rent. It's this paradox of New York life that prompted the French Kicks to flee Brooklyn in the summer of 1998 and take refuge on an isolated farm in the mountains of Virginia. After three months of writing and rehearsing the band emerged, ready to exist and thrive back in New York City. Numerous appearances in the New York area (as well as doing tours of the East Coast, Midwest, and California) earned them a devoted following with their raw rhythms, signature vocal interplay, and ever-shifting catalog of material. Part trashy New York rock, part arty DC inspired post-punk, part mod-era Brit-pop, the band's ability to drop an unforgettable and sweet melody over nasty guitars and pounding bass and drums sets them apart from countless cookie cutter alterna-rockers. In early September 2000, the band left New York again to tour the United States with a new bass player, Lawrence Stumpf. Brother to Nick and friend to all, Lawrence immediately integrated himself into the lineup with grace and poise. After a month and a half of shows nearly every night, the French Kicks emerged an even tighter live unit.

With four distinct songwriters, four personalities and four approachs to music, one would think that a band like this would be all over the place. Yet, MINK LUNGS are one of the most cohesive and exciting bands to emerge from the indie-rock landscape in recent years. While others rally around a charismatic leader or collectively hide in the shadows, Gian Carlo Feleppa, Jennifer "Miss Frosty" Hoopes, Tom Galbraith and Tim Feleppa all share the spotlight (and the four-track recorder) in Mink Lungs. Long one of Williamsburg, Brooklyn's best-kept secrets, the band bounces from fuzzed-out pop to twangy psychedelia to frantic punk, with a few noisy interludes to ensure that the ride never gets too smooth - with a lot of theater involved!

Hailing from the beach resort town of Ocean City, MD in 1997, LENNEX or "local favorites", as they're often referred to at the beach are all very best of friends (and family) that have literally grown up together. At the young, ripe average age of 22, LENNEX has created a sound and style that needs no comparison or description except, LENNEX. They consist of brothers Brian and Brandon Lucket (Guitar and Drums respectively), their cousin Derek Boening (Guitar), Bruce Long (Bass) and Phil Ritchie (Vocals) and sometimes Trumpet. After playing as much as possible during the summer months of 1998 and 1999 at the beach and rehearsing in the off season, they built up quite a following at home and among the college crowd that invaded the beach week after week. Young, talented and driven, these five best friends growing up are making a lot of noise around the Mid-Atlantic region and are determined to expand their growing popularity even further.

GROOVE GUMBO presents
a memorial show honoring

THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G.
featuring:

W. ELLINGTON FELTON

UNSPOKEN HEARD

DJ CHRIS WASHINGTON

10PM $10

The smooth sounds and feel of lyrical sounds and sights presented by those purveyors of urban high style GROOVE GUMBO. W. ELLINGTON FELTON (Dub Ell), the son of Cynthia E. Felton and world-renowned jazz musician Hilton C. Felton Jr., is a native Washingtonian and product of the DC Public School System. One day when he was traveling on DC's 14th St., he stumbled into Soul Brothers pizza shop and met Toni Asante Lightfoot, Dj Renagade, Brandon Johnson and M'wile Askari. With a host of other poets they began a series of poetry readings and workshops that came to be the foundation for the resurrection of the now nationally recognized "U Street Black Arts movement." After serving a four-year sentence at Carnegie Mellon University Theater Conservatory Dub returned home to DC and once again it was Baba M'Wile Askari who introduced him to this surging arts scene and encouraged him to explore his vocal talents. Now, as an actor and vocalist this beacon of artistic creation connected with Sol Entertainment's Tony "Brother Tone Capone" Walters and began to delve into the world of arts organizing. The collaboration was known as Picture This, a venue for local artist to truly showcase their talents outside of the open mike circuit. As Dub grew artistically, (he was once called the Sammy Davis Jr. of our time) Picture This evolved into what is now known as Groove Gumbo, which Dub not only co-produced but also hosted for over a year. As time passed Dub's role projects such as the nationally acclaimed ground breaking hip hop theater production Rhyme Deferred, Arena Stage's Expedition Theater and Chad Boseman's Hieroglyphic Graffiti his participation in Groove Gumbo waned, but his influence and artistic taste are still very much a part the presentation. Look for W.Ellington Felton's CD's, titled Authorized Bootlegs and Beautifully Absurd LP, his two books On The Lam Underground In Flight From The Daylight World of Nice and SEEIZE THE TIME. You also can see his comedic film debut in Wu-tang Internationals "Breakfast at Ben's", directed by Chuck Wilson.

An oxymoron that in it's intricate simplicity describes the position of the MC with respect to hip-hop and popular culture. It's a mirror that never lies, reflecting the truth of who or what stands before it. It's The Unspoken Heard, a collective response to individual representations of the thugged out, big-ballin', shot-callin' variety. Emcees Asheru and Blue Black (Maryland-born Gabriel Benn and Bronx-born Robert Jackson), choose instead to move crowds as grown men committed to the evolution of their art. Since 1996, The Unspoken Heard is about expressing the duality of life and the black cultural experience, while simultaneously making heads nod, necks snap, and asses wiggle on the dance floor. From the mid-Atlantic and The Bronx, but neither confined nor defined by those geographical locations, their very name alludes to the intangible threads connecting those of like minds the world over.

SCRAPPY HAMILTON

THE HILLARY STEP

10PM $7

"What exactly is Stomp Rag Boogie?" you might ask? SCRAPPY HAMILTON plays original music inspired by ragtime, hot jazz, old Louisiana R&B, secondline brass bands, country shuffle, doo wop, Klezmer, Appalachian snake handling diddies, and Rock & Roll. The fruit of their efforts is certifiable Stomp Rag Boogie. Hailing from Asheville, NC, SCRAPPY HAMILTON has shared the stage with The Squirrel Nut Zippers, The New Orleans Klezmer All-Stars, The Dirty Dozen Brass Band, The Asylum Street Spankers, The Rebirth Brass Band, and The Moldy Peaches.

The "Step" in THE HILLARY STEP referred to in this promising new band's name is not a veiled reference to Mrs Clinton's entry into the Senate race, but a direct reference to Mount Everest's final 4O feet, a sheer patch of rock and ice named for Sir Edmund Hillary, the first westerner to conquer it. Lofty imagery for a pop band, but the handle somehow captures the determination and enthusiasm that this six-piece band brings to its music... Their brand of roots-pop will be compared (favorably) to Canada's Barenaked Ladies, and that's not a bad thing. Led by songwriters,Rob Schiffmann and Jon Rothstein, they turn out quirky, hook-rich, harmony-soaked gems,the kind the Ladies have already used to beat an advance path to radio programmers everywhere.

OSTINATO

THE MONSOON

GALUSHA GROW

10PM $7

ALOHA

THE LOVE SCENE

MONO

10PM $7

HOTWIRE

AMPLINE

10PM $7

JULIE DOIRON

ROSIE THOMAS

8:30PM $7

UBIQUITONE

THREE

10:30PM $7

"An infectious blend of
roots-based song-writing and expansive grooves."
- George Mason Broadside

If UBIQUITONE, a 7-piece DC based band including mandolin, acoustic & electric guitars, keys, bass, drums & percussion, had to be described in one word, you could simply say: groovin'. Their funky, folky, happy rhythms, are splashed with a little reggae and pretty much whatever else might strike you to move your feet. Their sound oozes with the electric-country of the Grateful Dead, the rockin groove of Widespread Panic, and the sunshine rhythms of Bob Marley. Throw in a little funk and a little bluegrass and you've got yourself a one band festival. Have shared the stage with the likes of Leftover Salmon, The Recipe, ekoostik hookah, Donna The Buffalo, & Keller Williams.

Check out the review on Jambase.com of a recent show.

HOMUNCULUS

DAREDIABLO

RINGSEND

10PM $10

Metro Cafe's St. Patrick's Day Celebration
featuring:

Acoustic sets from

MARY PRANKSTER

ANTIGONE RISING

with special guest DJs!

10PM $10

Don't let her sweet looks and petite frame deceive you, MARY PRANKSTER, leader of the Baltimore-based trio that also bears her name, lives and breathes rock & roll. Despite her cute, animated expressions conjuring up a sort of Celtic Betty Boop, this girl is loud and rowdy, and, man, does she have a foul mouth. PRANKSTER, who will neither confirm nor deny if the moniker is her actual birth name, spent several years earning a reputation for herself in the Mid-Atlantic as a solo artist. With songs like "Tits & Whiskey" "Mercyfuck," "Piss Off" and "The World Is Full of Bastards," it's no wonder that they've actually been banned from playing clubs in and around their own stomping ground!

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.

YOUR DIRTY UNCLE NIGHT
featuring:

UNCLE SAMMY

UNCLE VITO

10PM $7

Combining the grooves of funk, rock, latin, drum and bass, reggae, swing and afro-beat with the harmonic languages of jazz, pop sensibilities, progressive composition and full on improvisation, UNCLE SAMMY has been turning heads and opening ears on the east coast U.S. and around the world for over four years. They have shared the bill with such acts as Steve Kimmock, Percy Hill, Moon Boot Lover, Jiggle, The Slip, ulu, The Miracle Orchestra, Sector 9, Psychedelic Breakfast, The Disco Biscuits, Soulive, Foxtrot Zulu, Brothers Past, Ancient Harmony, Blueground Undergrass, JGB, Deep Banana Blackout, The Heavy Metal Horns, Two Ton Shoe, moe. side project Ha Ha the Moose, and many others. The band finds its beginnings in the halls of the legendary Berklee College of Music in Boston, MA. In the fall of 1996 in jazz ensemble classes and through mutual friends. After gigging in the Northeast and becoming a staple of internet jam band underground taping, the band is finally ready to break out to the nation.

Annapolis, MD's UNCLE VITO is an instrumental project that is almost all improvisation. Combining the best elements of high energy funk, drum & bass, and even metal, this dynamic trio comes up with what they call "tribal rock groove improv."

BOOGIEHAWG

10PM $7

DIRTBOMBS

THE PHOBES

GROMMIT

10PM $8

THE DIRTBOMBS are a five-member dance combo from Detroit, fronted by Punk-blues originator, guitarist Mick Collins. THE DIRTBOMBS unorthodox dual bass guitar/dual drums lineup, their willful disregard for genre boundaries, and their legendary 'crash & burn' live gigs have combined to make them one of the more unique bands in today's post-punk milieu.

Power-pop is a thankless calling. At the bleeding edge of today's techno-metal-hop world, such tuneful music has been devalued, and the less trendy people who might actually like your songs are unlikely to hear them. THE PHOBES, a D.C. trio that hasn't remade or remodeled power-pop, and singer-songwriter Eric Litts' considerations of lost love ("Think About Me"), lost youth ("Greenwood Park") and women he wishes would get lost ("She's Into") are entirely typical of the form. "We're just another pop band/ And the riffs all sound the same," the singer playfully notes in "Today." Yet the group is not "all dried up," as the same song jokes. Such tracks as "Pick It Up!" and "Something in the World" are packed with life and melody, the latter accented by Litts' catchy guitar fills. Those don't all sound the same, and neither do the Phobes' '60s-rooted but forward-looking songs that although indicative of the genre are never boring.

COMMONBOND

8PM $10

SAY ZUZU

MORRIS

10PM $8

SPORE MAGAZINE CONCERT SERIES
featuring:

LIQUID SOLID

NATIONAL RAZOR

ESTILO

DJ SOLTERRA
DJ SCOTT TROPIC

Hosted by:
November 2001
Playboy
Cyber Girl of the Month
SHILOH

10PM $10

LORDS OF ALTAMONT

MAINMAN

10PM $8

EMIKO

8PM $10

DRESSY BESSY

DEATHRAY DAVIES

10PM $7

Denver's DRESSY BESSY return picking up right where they left off with the fuzzy sounds and fuzzy sweaters of their debut "Pink Hearts, Yellow Moons" and its follow-up EP, "California". This time around, singer Tammy Ealom's girl-pop songs are stronger, more focused, and catchier (is this possible?). Dressy Bessy's new material has been worked out in a live setting for some time and even casual fans of the group's show will find themselves remarking "Wow, I'm glad that one's on here!" or "Oh yeah, I love that one!" Comments like these are typical for a band that does not write filler - where each track is a single. "Sound Go Round" is essentially that - a compilation of 13 hit tunes. This is no concept album - unless the concept is to leave you singing these songs to yourself as you sun on the beach, ski down the mountain or run in the park. Good music for good people who like to feel good! Critics are good people too and they adore DRESSY BESSY! Tower Records in-house magazine "PULSE" named DRESSY BESSY's debut album one of the top 100 indie releases of the year. MTV.COM exclaimed that the band's tunes "float like sugary dreams" and THE WASHINGTON POST said that the band's songs are "as sweet as bubblegum and as effervescent as champagne". In praise of the band's "California" EP, CMJ said that Tammy Ealom's "indie-naivete-meets-power-pop stylings lead each of these irrepressible bouncers down the path to beaming retro-pop glory" and the National Lampoon of our generation, THE ONION, emphatically stated that DRESSY BESSY is "one of the best reasons to see live music in Denver". One of the best reasons to see live music ANYWHERE really, as DRESSY BESSY's high energy live show packs 'em in wherever they travel. Tammy Ealom's exuberant, candy-coated vocals, John Hill's melodic guitar playing (something he has had plenty of time to perfect as guitarist with THE APPLES IN STEREO) and transplanted Staten Islanders Darren Albert (drums) and Rob Greene (bass - how do you play that many notes, that fast anyway Rob?) providing the rough and tumble rhythm section that most pop bands lack, combine as a force to be BECKONED with, drawing you closer and closer with their infectious performance.

Dallas' DEATHRAY DAVIES score points with the pop fans with a current release when which taken together may be better than the whole of the sextet's strong sophomore effort last year, The Return of the Drunk Ventriloquist. The sextet recalls a circa-'78 NYC band holding the line between intelli-punk and New Wave with the occasional playfully dirge through an organ-filled late-Sixties garage. Ray Davies would be thrilled to death.

CLOSED

MY MORNING JACKET

SWEARING AT MOTORISTS

10PM $8

TY-SHE ENTERTAINMENT presents:

AN URBAN SHOWCASE
featuring:

OPUS AKOBEN

EDUCATED CONSUMERS

DJ Symphoni

DJ D'Salaam

6PM $10

open mic 7PM

Hosted by:
STORM THE UNPREDICTABLE

As seen on BET's Rap City &
USA Network's Farmclub

Check out STORM's new EP
The Unexpected featuring the blazing single Stop Lyin with Priest da nomad

Interested in showcasing your talent?

Contact STORM at q.storm@juno.com

THE PUSH STARS

10PM $10

CACTUS PATCH

VROOM

KI:THEORY

DRAW THE KITTEN

NAD NAVILLUS

PARKER PAUL

10PM $7