On the 15th of February, D to Z Presents and Prospect Records are bringing together four DMV bands to raise money for Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP) at Bulldog Alley in the Leavey Center.
When a prospective student first hears the words “Georgetown University,” I’d be confident in saying that an experimental, buzzing, and exciting music scene is not what first comes to mind.
I’m lucky to have something to compare Georgetown’s scene to. I’m currently on a year abroad from the University of Edinburgh, which has a considerably lively music community, with lots of up and coming bands. There’s support available for grassroot artists, venues who look to lift up new talent, and regular gig nights organized by students.
When I arrived in D.C. in August, I was shocked at the prices of gigs and quickly realized that it was unsustainable to be spending so much of my budget on shows. Songbyrd, standing valiantly alone, seems like a lone soldier amist downtown D.C.’s corporate greyness.
I found myself wondering if a future of business suits, weekend golf trips, and corporate competition is enough for the graduates of the SFS. Are MSBros yearning for free jazz? Are college students ready to put down reading lists and pick up instruments?
Looking towards the small number of music students at Georgetown for answers, grunts of despondency echo back. Why? Well, one of the problems that campus musicians are facing are failing resources. Students are all too familiar with the regular floods in New North. Last week, a music class was cut short because one of the pipes in McNeir hall burst. What’s more, rehearsal space is extremely limited on campus (there are three drum kits to practice on, two of which are in the same room). There are only two spaces where full bands can rehearse—one of which could almost be categorized as an oven, thanks to the pinnacle of American engineering: The New North boiler. Even the piano rooms in the HFSC are falling apart—I was the first to witness the ceiling collapsing in on practice room 4 at the end of the fall semester. It still hasn’t been fixed.
The arts at Georgetown aren’t dead though. They’re just on life support.
It is a real effort to keep the music scene alive on campus. I’ve been impressed by student societies like WGTB, Jam, and Prospect Records who are working hard to cultivate a community of student artists and music lovers. I’ve enjoyed the external artists who are showcased at the Friday Music Series. Credited ensembles like Guild of Bands provide the opportunity for studio time (albeit, limited). Bands like Araujia, The Ordeal, That Girl Band, No One and the Elses, and Red Sunflower are writing new music. They, alongside the music department, should be commended for their resilience.
I wanted to put together this concert to showcase the most exciting bands I’ve come across in D.C. while simultaneously raising money for an important cause that works for the health and dignity of Palestinians living under occupation and as refugees.
It was a pleasure to curate this lineup and work alongside Prospect Records to organize this fundraising gig. I’m excited to share these bands with the Georgetown community. Without further ado, I’d like you to meet…
PINKY LEMON
“There are a lot of bands experimenting with shoegaze, but there are honestly none doing what Pinky Lemon is doing,” says The Alternative about the 5-piece band. Pinky Lemon is an eclectic take on indie rock that weaves shoegaze, pop, emo, and electronic music together to create songs that constantly evolve and surprise. Their most recent EP Pinky Hell demonstrated their genre-bending approach to music. Expect ethreal sonic textures and hypnotic rhythms from the self proclaimed “shoe-gays.”
For fans of: Deftones / Beach House / Smashing Pumpkins / My Bloody Valentine / Tame Impala
BALTIMORE AVENUE
Baltimore Avenue is one the most exciting up-and-coming bands in the DMV music scene. They cite their influences as coming from “post-punk, noisy 60s, 70s, 80s experimental type of stuff.” Those who experienced their palpitating performance at Battle of the Bands ‘24, held at Georgetown’s very own Leavey Esplanade, will tell you of the sweaty intensity the band embodies in shaking vocals and mesmerizing distorted riffs that culminate in an inescapable wall of sound.
For fans of: Interpol / Black Midi / Radiohead / Red Hot Chilli Peppers / Sonic Youth
WONK
The chamber pop six-piece consists of clarinet, violin, piano, guitars, drums, and the occasional melodica, played by multi-instrumentalists (and my wonderful friends). They’ve been described as “poets of the old school, writing about classic themes like witches, cigarettes and houses.” With their unusual song structures and orchestral climaxes, and lyrics exclaiming “I prayed for you last year, when winter ate me up and machines turned me on,” Wonk have been said to make audiences audibly gasp and often cry—I can certify this as I’m on vocals and guitar.
For fans of: Black Country, New Road / Wilco / Fiona Apple / Velvet Underground / Geese
SENSE MEMORY
Sense Memory is comprised of a laptop, guitar, electronics (generally), and bass. The group first started as a free improvisation noise duo, with the recent addition of the bass. Fans of experimental music should be excited to see Sense Memory reinvigorate the genre of “noise” to Georgetown’s campus.
For fans of: Pharoah Sanders / Keiji Haino / free jazz / noise
It’s going to be a great time. You can get tickets at the link, QR code, or if you can’t make it, there’s also an option to donate.
Daisy Casemore is an exchange student from the University of Edinburgh majoring in English Literature.
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