Local bands

[HoyaSaxa03]

now that we're on the eve of Q and Not U's last shows ... of the current crop of local rock contendors, who do you think will make it "big" on a national level (either in the indie scene or mainstream)?
 
 1) Washington Social Club?
 -- don't you kind of feel like their buzz window to really go national has passed? am i wrong there?
 
 2) One of the Dischord groups composed of old scenesters (Medications, Evens, Weird War, etc)
 -- i feel like all these groups are as big as they'll ever be, with niche audiences
 
 3) Cartel.dc?
 
 4) Bicycle Thieves?
 
 5) Monopoli?
 
 6) Army of Me?
 
 7) One of those cookie cutter nova bands?
 
 
 I'm sure i'm missing a bunch on here, so feel free to add some

[chaz]

Fee Foe 5

[brennser]

alot if it is down to luck and timing but I think cartel.dc could go national if they keep the quality of their initial releases

[you be betty]

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
  now that we're on the eve of Q and Not U's last shows ... of the current crop of local rock contendors, who do you think will make it "big" on a national level (either in the indie scene or mainstream)?
 
 1) Washington Social Club?
 -- don't you kind of feel like their buzz window to really go national has passed? am i wrong there?
 
 2) One of the Dischord groups composed of old scenesters (Medications, Evens, Weird War, etc)
 -- i feel like all these groups are as big as they'll ever be, with niche audiences
 
 3) Cartel.dc?
 
 4) Bicycle Thieves?
 
 5) Monopoli?
 
 6) Army of Me?
 
 7) One of those cookie cutter nova bands?
 
 
 I'm sure i'm missing a bunch on here, so feel free to add some

hmmmmmmmmm.
 well, i agree completely with you on the WSC note.  i remember at one point in time i was thinking "okay, this is it, they're about to make it really big" and then...well, it didn't really happen so much.  i wish they would get more national recognition though, because they are just fantastic and such hard-working and talented musicians.
 
 as far as the dischord groups go, ditto as well.  they'll always have large DC followings but a lot of people really haven't caught on.  i definitely thought more people would get into the Evens, and i am still surprised at how many people i know that were die-hard Fugazi fans and don't even know that the Evens exist.
 
 Cartel i've heard OF; but never heard...
 
 Bicycle Thieves i've really just started getting into, so i can't really say.  i think they're great, and have great potential but i don't know too much about their history and whatnot, so i can't really say.  i really hope to see more of them around though, and think they'd be a really nicely and easily marketable band.  y'know, for all those recording jackasses that are concerned with that stuff and whatnot.  
 
 Monopoli i'm also not INSANELY familiar with, however i again think they are great and have a lot of potential, yadda yadda.
 
 Army of Me, well goddamnit, i sure as hell hope they do.  prepare for a rant.  i know that most of you on here pretty much despise of this band and i'm really sorry for that.  i understand though, because they are kind of a hit-or-miss band.  from what i've observed from other people that have seen/heard/i've tried to get into them; you either love it or hate it.  and a lot of you have hated it, and hated that they always have amazing opening slots around here for your favorite bands.  but whatever.  deal with it.  i love these guys to death, i love their music; i have loved it from the first time i heard it.  they are really incredibly hardworking guys who are constantly touring and trying to balance jobs and other stuff (as you may or may not know, their bassist also plays in Hello Tokyo)...which of course most musicians are doign as well, but they just dedicate so much to their music and that gives me so much fucking respect for these guys.  i've also got to hand it to them, that these guys have gotten better each time i've seen them, and are alawys improving and looking out for what they can do to improve.  
 so with all of that said, i really think they have the potential to make it big on a more national level but have no idea what is going to happen.  they have been playing around here for so long and sometimes it just boils down to whether you've got the luck to know the right people or not.  so i sure as hell hope they get some recognition, and if they keep recieving these awesome opening slots then you would think that something would pull through.  but the music industry...well, you never know these days.  i also wish a lot of you guys on here wouldn't just glaze over this band so much because they really are a fun live act.
 
 
 i also will definitely root for Exit Clov and The Soft Complex; both i think are amazing and really original sounds with awesome potential.  so if you haven't checked out either of these two, please do so.
 The Greenline are also really great, i was lucky enough to catch them at fort reno this summer.  they are awesome though, and i hope they keep playing together (there was some ambivalence expressed on this a while ago) because they seem to really have it together and have a really solid and interesting sound to them.
 
 
 so there's my two cents...

[MindCage]

I like Army of Me  
 
 I hope we make it big! yeah.
 
 MindCage
 Mindless Faith
 Deep6 Productions

[Julian, Alleged Computer F**kface]

Had it been a year ago, I'd say WSC. Monopoli would be who I'd go with now.

[Sage 703]

as far as bands/singers with potential to break through that i've seen personally...but making it big?  and we're comparing to Q and Not U?  Did Q and Not U really "make it big?"
 
 andy zipf
 
 exit clov - probably won't be "big," but could definitely become a solid player on the national indie circuit.  
 
 two if by sea
 
 soft complex
 
 the bonapartes - doing some interesting stuff; i think they need to come a ways still before they'll be on the potential breakthrough level
 
 restoring poetry in music

[ggw]

Washington Social Club were dubbed "hot up-and-comers" in yesterday's New York Times "Men's Fashion of The Times" magazine.  I take that to mean that their star has faded.

[HoyaSaxa03]

Originally posted by callat703:
 and we're comparing to Q and Not U?  Did Q and Not U really "make it big?"
 

i'd say they're the biggest local indie rock group, and i think they "made it big" ... most knowledgeable rock fans around the country know who they are, probably not the same for most of the other bands i mentioned (except for the dischord groups, maybe)
 
 do we get to claim ted leo?

[Bombay Chutney]

Originally posted by HoyaParanoia:
  1) Washington Social Club?
 -- don't you kind of feel like their buzz window to really go national has passed? am i wrong there?
 

I don't think it's too late for them.   It does seem like they've slowed down a bit since last year's national attention (Warped Tour, MTV, a week on Kimmel (I think that was the show) and a nationally distributed CD), but that's not uncommon after your latest CD has been out for a year.  I'll bet when their new CD comes out, they'll be getting a lot of attention again.  I think these folks are the best-bet for breaking through.
 
   

 2) One of the Dischord groups composed of old scenesters (Medications, Evens, Weird War, etc)
 -- i feel like all these groups are as big as they'll ever be, with niche audiences
 

Unfortunately, I agree.  Medications may be my favorite band in the city right now.  They deserve a lot more attention than they're getting.  I don't see it happening though.
 
   

 3) Cartel.dc?
 

The time is right for these guys to hit.  Don't take this the wrong way Fico, but for some reason I always associate your sound with Death Cab. And I mean that in a good way.  With DCFC blowing up the way they are, I could see a lot of people digging their sound.  You guys need to get a record out ASAP.
 
   

 4) Bicycle Thieves?
 5) Monopoli?
 6) Army of Me?
 

I've seen these bands and always came away thinking they were just ok.  Good, solid bands, but I never came away thinking "Wow - they were terrific!"   Not incredibly unique, but definitely not boring either.  Who knows - maybe that's exactly what it takes to break through.
 
 Julian mentioned Two If By Sea.  I really like these guys.  They should have been snapped up in the "they'll be the next Bloc Party/Killers" sweep, but I think that time has passed.  Great band though.
 
 I really wish Beauty Pill could hold a steady line-up.  Maybe then they could hit the road more and get more national attention.

[kosmo vinyl]

So which bands currently playing the Grog and Tankard will be breaking out soon?  
 
 evil kosmo

[kosmo vinyl]

Your Pal!!!!

[HoyaSaxa03]

I actually would think the best money to break big would be on one of those non-descript cookie cutter bands in nova, ala our friends good charlotte from waldorf

[Sage 703]

i don't know - i sort of think the pop-punk thing has run its course.  it doesn't seem like any of that is really that big right now, and music trends seem to be changing.

[Fico]

Interesting thread I'm just catching up on...
 
 I agree with many points expressed here..WSC are incredibly nice guys and they deserve a break..they're ready for it and yesterday's popmatters thought so:
 
 Saw this on popmatters' site: http://popmatters.com/music/features/cmj2005/day3-showcases.shtml
 
 WASHINGTON SOCIAL CLUB
 Why can't we treat new rock more like advances in technology? No engineer was ever expected to reinvent the wheel, just improve on it. Add a motor here, a chassis there and (holy smokes) you've got a car where there was once a carriage. If we think of rock that way then the Washington Social Club just won the space race. Their songs are effervescent bursts of rock n' roll energy, their vocals and their riffs are spot-on. Best of all, you can tell that their music won't seem dated in a year because it's next year's technology. The Washington Social Club isn't trying to be "new," just trying to be good, and that's one of the newest ideas I've heard in awhile.
 
 It's hard for us local bands. For one, I haven't heard of a band catch a break by being recognized or appreciated on the DC "market". It seems it'll take for some curious A&R to catch you at a NYC show to get the ball rolling..to that extent bands such as Monopoli, Exit Clov, Army of Me, WSC and Us are trying to get a buzz going within NYC...but it's all luck really...
 
 I don't mind a comparison to Death Cab. One of our guitarists is from the Pacific Northwest so he grew on bands like Death Cab and Modest Mouse when they weren't known outside of a 50mile radius. He got me into Death Cab and I quite like them. Can't say the same for the rest of the boys in the band...
 
 We are looking into finishing up some songs we recorded in NYC plus maybe record 2 or 3 more ideas we have to we can have a new EP of 5 or 6 songs by November...wishfull thinking right now, but it could happen so stay tuned...
 
 oh, and Cartel.dc will start going by "Cedars"
 
 you heard it here first!!