Photo courtesy Capitol Groove Fest
Let’s face it, the Capitol Riverfront may not be the first neighborhood that comes to mind when you think of a local music scene. You’re probably heading to clubs along H Street or U Street when you want to listen to up-and-coming acts.
But on July 28th, the Capitol Riverfront will finally get its chance to get its ‘groove on’ with an inaugural music festival showcasing a number of local bands.
The Capitol Groove Fest, an all-day music event to be held at the Half Street Fairgrounds, across from Nationals Park, will bring together nine bands, many of which hail from D.C., Maryland or Virginia and highlights a growth in local music talent.
“If you think of D.C. as a city, chances are you don’t think of this place as a music town,” said Capitol Groove Fest organizer, John Reardon. “This is a political town, but this is also one of the greatest cities in the world.”
Reardon, originally from suburban Virginia, is working with a team of event organizers to prepare for the musical acts, as well as an array of food and drink offerings. The festival will host approximately two dozen different food trucks and vendors, including DC Slices, Feelin’ Crabby, Pinkberry and party bus service, KegBus.
“This is not your typical music festival,” Reardon said. “We hope it will support local music and give bands a venue, year-after-year.”
The bands scheduled to play feature a range of different genres, all with different musical influences, some of which have been derived from living in the city.
Redline Graffiti is one of those bands. They are a Brookland-based group, which got its name from a mix of graffiti sprayed up and down Metro’s red line, between the Rhode Island Ave-Brentwood and Fort Totten Metro stations.
“The graffiti art is a mix of art,” said band leader Drew Moten. “Our music is very much a mix. We’ve been described as electro-rock, but I would say we blur the lines of dance, electronic and indie music.”
Redline Graffiti formed almost a year ago when the three band members moved into a group house together.
In that one year, the group has played popular D.C. venues, including the Black Cat and U Street Music Hall.
“There is an ebb and flow to the house. Because we’re roommates, we can sometimes get under each other’s skin, but our music has structure,” Moten said. “It helps our on-stage performance. We’re on stage with the people we live with.”
Moten credits a constant collaborative effort between band members as the main reason for the group’s rising success.
Another one of the festival’s performers, Drop Electric also knows a thing or two about collaboration.
In the last five years, the band has added members, experimented with new sound and incorporated visual elements into their performances.
The band is one of the headline acts for Capitol Groove Fest. For the event, they will add two new instruments to their set performance — a violin and viola, said founding band member and guitarist Neel Singh.
Singh, who was trained as a jazz and bass musician, said each member has a different artistic and musical taste. Some members grew-up with a background in punk rock, while others appeal to electronic and post-rock styles.
The performances go beyond musical experimentation. One of Drop Electric’s members is a “moving pictures” artist and displays images and movies on a screen while the band plays.
“We try to tap all of the sensory experiences to push the production and performance levels,” Singh said.
With each new show, the band has grown. Most of the members grew-up in suburban Maryland. And now, they travel up and down the East Coast for performances in cities like New York and Philadelphia.
But, playing in their hometown and at a festival showcasing local D.C. music is special, Singh said.
Both Redline Graffiti and Drop Electric are now focused on practicing in the weeks leading up to the festival.
As for Capitol Hill, this is an extraordinary opportunity to support and hear local music, Reardon said.
“I can’t think of better concert opportunity, within walking distance, for someone to take advantage of,” Reardon said. “You’re going to hear a wide sampling of music, and you may walk away a fan.”
Click on the video below to watch Drop Electric’s recently released music video from their single “Empire Trashed.”
For ticket information to Capitol Groove Fest please visit: http://capitolgroovefest.com
Event Line-up:
12pm – Doors Open
1-1:50pm – Clones of Clones*
2:10-3pm – The Weathervanes*
3:20-4:20pm – The Blackout Project*
4:40-5:40 – The Silver Liners*
6-7pm – Redline Graffiti*
7:20-8:20pm – Pants Velour*
8:40-9:40pm – Drop Electric*
10-11pm – Lightwaves
*DJ Sets in between acts by Groove Merchant
Editor’s note : The original post stated that Drop Electric formed seven years ago, the band formed five years go.