http://www.ontaponline.com/view_article.php?article_id=10209 MP3's from each group will soon be posted along with the article at On Tap's site.
Four Play
Four local artists that should be on your radar, calendar, and ipod
written by Chris Connelly
The Apparitions
Album: As This is Futuristic
Label: Machine Records
Next show: February 16, DC9, 1940 9th Street NW, Washington DC
Web:
www.theapparitions.net While all of us loathe morning traffic, DC-based songwriter Mark Heidinger has a commute that none of us envy: the rest of his band, the Apparitions, is based in Lexington, Kentucky. But the drive time didn??t prevent the quintet from releasing their second album, As This is Futuristic, in late January. While the group cites the Pixies and the Flaming Lips as primary influences, the band sounds very little like either of them??due in no small part to their three guitar assault and penchant for Americana influenced songs. In fact, the Apparitions sound like a more rock and roll version of Brooklyn hipsters the National ?? moody, dramatic, grandiose, but edgy. The Apparitions deliver rock anthems that are confidently executed and delivered.
Two if By Sea
Album: Translations
Label: Speedbump Records
Next show: February 4, Velvet Lounge, 915 U Street NW, Washington DC
Web:
www.twoifbysea.org One of the great enigmas in the music world is why certain bands achieve massive success while others remain under the radar. It would have been quite reasonable for Baltimore??s Two if By Sea to break as big as the Bravery or the Killers, as their synth heavy retro sound could have just as easily appealed to the MTV2 masses. Add in the fact that Two if By Sea has been writing songs since 2001, and it becomes an even greater mystery why they have yet to reach a national audience. Even though they've recently lost their keyboard player, the band still recalls the best of groups such as Echo and the Bunnymen or the Church, with singer Cris Cowan??s powerful and unique vocal delivery sounding more Manchester than Baltimore.
Shortstack
Album: Shortstack
Label: Planaria Records
Next show: February 10, Black Cat, 1811 14th Street NW, Washington DC
Web:
www.shortstackmusic.com We all know that most Northern Virginians swear up and down that they are NOT Southerners, despite a nasty little phrase like ??secession from the Union.? But we doubt Arlington??s own Shortstack would make any such denial. Playing a particular breed of country that just screams of the South, Shortstack blends traditional blues, folk and bluegrass with staggering ease. With gumption rivaling their twang, they recall the best moments of Whiskeytown and Uncle Tupelo, but also retain some similarities to newer rockers like Kings of Leon. Their songs convey images of whiskey bottles, back porch rocking chairs, and tumbleweed blowing through abandoned city streets??haunting but riveting ?? as guitars carefully blend in and out of steadfast country backbeats. Already playing stages like the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club, Shortstack has a tall future.
The Positions
Album: Bliss!
Label: Lazyline Media
Next show: February 18, DC9, 1940 9th Street NW, Washington DC
Web:
www.the-positions.com Anybody who read our last issue knows how much we enjoyed the Positions?? newest release, Bliss! But beyond the wonderful Belle & Sebastian meets Save Ferris indie-pop that graced that album, the Positions are quite simply a breath of fresh air for DC music. Formed by veterans of local groups Barcelona and the Sprites, the Positions formed in 2003, and have since solidified their six-member lineup ?? complete with a brass section and tambourine-ist. Though they are unlikely to revolutionize the area music scene, their songs are infectious and appealing, ensuring that as long as the Positions exist, they will be the standard bearer for their own corner of DC indie-pop: hopeful, bright, and most of all, satisfying. And frankly, it is the perfect position for them.
