Swing Beat: Leigh Pilzer Has Very High Low Standards
How many work projects can you take on at one time? Not as many as Leigh Pilzer can. If you don’t know Pilzer from her regular seat in the DIVA Jazz Orchestra—drummer Sherrie Maricle’s blazing, nationally renowned all-women big band—you might have seen her playing baritone sax in the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra or the…
Beyond the Divas: This Pride, the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington Celebrates Daily Queer Life
“Nine artists, nine composers, nine choreographers, one GMCW” is how Thea Kano, the artistic director of the Gay Men’s Chorus of Washington, introduces the group’s almost-Olympic undertaking for its upcoming performance Portraits. The groundbreaking and multidisciplinary project is a nine-movement oratorio, featuring commissioned visual artworks brought to life by original music and dance performances. Timed…
What’s My Age Again? HFStival Returns Like No Time Has Passed
Wanna feel like it’s 2002 all over again? I.M.P., in partnership with the Washington Nationals, are officially reanimating HFStival with a lineup reminiscent of my high school CD collection. Taking place one day this September at Nats Park, the festival features the Postal Service, Death Cab for Cutie, Incubus, Bush, Garbage (personally, I think they’re…
Bacchae’s New Album Takes a Rat’s-Eye View of D.C.
What defines D.C.? Is it the museums? The monuments? The Metro? Talking with City Paper over Zoom, local band Bacchae offer a less obvious and less auspicious answer. “D.C. has one of the worst rat problems in the country,” says singer and keyboardist Katie McD. “Part of our experience of being from D.C. is that…
Heaven Forbid Are Bringing the Punk Ethos To Country Music
D.C. is a city of many musical modes. You can listen closely for its proud go-go heritage, its rich history in jazz, and its genre-defining punk movement. But if you lean in closer, you can also hear country music announcing itself in its own equally potent line. Enter D.C.-based band Heaven Forbid, making what they…