Nothing says summer quite like rolling down the windows and blaring some good music. Where better to explore all that music has to offer than our very own backyard: Washington D.C.? Sure, the city may be known in particular for politics and international business, but the nation’s capital has a rich music history as well. While D.C. may not be as renowned as Nashville or Portland, it has been home to some of the major music innovations of the past 50 years and continues to give rise to the new faces of music.
Back in the day, circa 1980, dozens of artists made their mark on the world and would, later on, become household names. D.C. was home to a huge transition from the days of classic rock to what now encompasses alternative music. Punk and hardcore music genres took off during this time and from there exploded into the hugely popular alt rock genre that we all know and love. Some hardcore bands of D.C even took their genre a little further, calling it “emotive hardcore” or “emo” for short. Flashing back to middle school yet? Hometown heroes like Rites of Spring and Embrace, among others, coined the term emo and gave way to the bands like All Time Low and Good Charlotte. Punk rock and post-hardcore also reigned supreme in D.C. in the 90's. Although not as renowned on the East Coast as the West Coast, hip-hop and R&B also saw a lot of contributions from artists that hail from the DMV.
Just five minutes on Wikipedia will probably surprise you with the number of nationally (and some internationally) popular names that have their roots in D.C., Maryland and Virginia. All Time Low, Good Charlotte,\ and O.A.R. all call Maryland home. Dave Grohl, the Braxtons and Ginuwine all have their roots in Washington D.C. And Virginia gave us everyone from Dave Matthews Bands and Jason Mraz to Trey Songz and Missy Elliott. The District also has its own music awards: Washington Area Music Awards (or, as they prefer to be called, Wammies). Pretty cool, huh? Who knew the DMV was that interesting? Plus, the area includes tons of must-hit venues for artists on tour so that’s pretty cool, too. You can count on some awesome concerts coming to the area this summer.
Not only does the District have a rich and varied history in music of every genre, it’s also home to dozens of up-and-coming bands. Somewhere in between “playing in my stepdad's garage was our first major gig” and “selling out the Verizon Center” rests a collection of bands on the rise, including lots of hidden gems. So I urge you to go out of your comfort zone this summer and take it all in. Tickets to shows at smaller venues are usually pretty cheap. Tons of local restaurants have live music on the weekends. Maybe your cousin’s best friend isn’t actually half bad as a guitarist. Maybe Vans Warped Tour will blow your mind this summer. Who knows? But D.C. holds a pretty solid title as a goldmine for cutting-edge music. Go out and check out the D.C. music scene of 2016 and see what you can find. Don’t know where to start? Here’s the DCist’s list of Best Up and Coming Bands and the more specific CBS list of Best Indie Rock bands in D.C.
