Words and Photos: Kate Warren of GoKateShoot

Very few people go to concerts and listen to the music with their eyes closed the entire time. Well, some do, but those people stand in the back and generally come off as creepers. And while not every band has a wicked-awesome laser set-up, all of what you see during a show contributes to how you experience the music. To get to know some of the bands BYT will feature as part of the upcoming DC Emerging Artists Super Sampler, Vol. 1 on April 6, I went into the wilds of the outermost reaches of the DMV to photograph the visual identity of the bands in a series of wacky and wildly diverse portraits set in their houses, studios, and practice spaces. From band houses of questionable cleanliness to old-school cowboy boots and beloved Pomeranians, the fashion aesthetics of the bands are unique and very much their own. We’ll be releasing the photos and the stories behind them between now and the show so you can get to know the bands that’ll rock or rap your faces off in two weeks time. Enjoy!

Black Hills

  

We had a great conversation over a pot of coffee on topics that ranged from the death of Rolling Stone reporting to his secret identity as a professional trapeze artist (seriously). I should probably also mention that his dog was FREAKING AWESOME, and his group house in northern Petworth was filled with really, really excellent props. Thus, the following photos ensued, and I’ll be releasing a short film starring his Pomeranian quite soon.

 

My adventure with Drop Electric started with a text from them that said, “Pick you up in 5! We’ll be in a soccer mom minivan. The only thing that’ll be missing is a juice box and soccer balls…We’ll be the Indian and Asian in the minivan. Ignore all other minivans.”

!!!

Obviously we became best friends, a fact only emphasized by their willingness to bring all of their pet goldfish down from their bedrooms in the band house to be a part of our photo shoot.

Once we got past the shenanigans and immediate friend-making, we figured out pretty quickly that they are really excited about visual identity; so much so that they designed their own lighting set-up for their shows that includes original video projections and LEDs. Cue laser light show….GO! They make epic, movie-trailer prog rock, so those equally epic visuals make for some mega-woah photos. With all the male band members in black and white graphic tees and guitarist Kristina in some serious red glasses and lipstick, we transformed their practice room into a light installation extravaganza. Their performance energy is crazy, even in their living room – after each song there were high fives and cheers.

We had so much fun with the photos, we shot a mini music video and a short film that is tentatively titled EPIC HOUSEHOLD CHORES WITH DROP ELECTRIC. Yep, that happened.

Beyond Modern

 

Fresh off a run at SXSW, the guys of Beyond Modern and I met up at their graphic designer’s apartment. That ended up being incredibly apt; this hip hop duo provide an outlet for some incredible design work. From their promo materials to the graffiti covering every free wall of the apartment, graphic design is a major part of the visual identity of Beyond Modern. I was blown away when I stepped into the space – you expect a hum-drum beige congo and instead get ultra-street graffiti. Legit.

  

In addition to fostering visual art, the group are incredibly stylish in their own right. Outfitted in a high-low mix of street styles from local spots like Commonwealth, their deliberate attention to details, fit, and cut showed their commitment to looking as fresh as they sound. There was a heated conversation over who would wear what beanie, but then the shoot was off and running with the graffiti in the apartment providing the perfect backdrop. Does your living room look this street?

*****

On April 6th, 2013 @ 8pm
BYT & The Hamilton Present:
The DC Emerging Artists Super Sampler
Vol 1

Tickets on sale now:
http://dcsampler.eventbrite.com/

So, inspired by our 25 DMV ARTISTS TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR IN 2013 Feature, we decided to get a bunch of our favorite local acts to play a few of their best songs at one big massive show.  Sort of like a non-sucky battle of the bands where everybody wins.  Doing it at a swanky place like The Hamilton felt right.

The Hamilton Live
600 14th Street Northwest
Washington, DC 20005

Get your local love fest on with:

No, really, that’s:

Beyond Modern
Shark Week
Reesa Renee
Uno Hype
Black Hills
Ra The MC
The Static
Kid Named Breezy
Track
Locke Kaushal
Drop Electric
Incwell
DJ Steven Faith

That’s like $240 worth of live music for only $20
On sale now at:
http://dcsampler.eventbrite.com/

Or $22 if you wait until the day of.

But we expect to sell out before then.

I mean, look how much fun we had last time:

PS. This is an all ages event!

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