Alex Vans is becoming a centerpiece in the DC scene, often recruiting local favorites like Margot MacDonald and Will Rast, amongst many others, to join him and his band, The Hide Away, for rollicking indie rock jam parties that leave the band and audience sweaty and gleeful. All that fun boils down to Alex and his superlative guitar skills, and you can catch the experience at Iota in Arlington, VA on March 22nd with The Beanstalk Library. –Natan Press

Baltimore’s Modern Ruins features local power-pop/alt-country savant Andy Bopp (Lovenut, Myracle Brah, Bleaker Street Cowboys) on baritone guitar, Ken Shopf (Slide, Ligature) on cocktail drum, and Niall Hood (Sixty Acres, DREN Records) on bass. Modern Ruins is like a stripped down Big Star, with clever bare bones arrangements dressing perfect pop skeletons, or a raw roots-rock combo version of the Beatles, relying on strange instrument choices rather than studio magic to lure the audience into their catchy, and heartfelt, embrace. You can catch them at Holy Frijoles in Baltimore on March 15th. –Natan Press

Richmond’s beloved Black Girls started the year by announcing the impending release of their new album, Claire Sinclaire, with a video teaser.  Finally, you can pick up your first copy (and/or a limited edition cassette with bonus tracks) at the record release show at Balliceaux, in Richmond this Saturday, 3/8, where they will be joined by Sleepwalkers and DJ Rattan. Check out a new surfy instrumental B-side (not on the album) below. –Natan Press

Eternal Summers‘ greatly anticipated third album, The Drop Beneath, is being released tomorrow, March 4th (via Kanine Records). The trio from Roanoke have been working hard since the release of Correct Behavior in 2012, and have gained a dedicated following. The Drop Beneath promises to be only a slight departure from their previous work, featuring lusher tones and more input from their bass player (who was a new addition to the band for Correct Behavior). The album is already being streamed exclusively on Pandora, and you can listen to a featured track, Never Enough, below. The band is touring for the album, and you can see them locally at U Street Music Hall this Thursday, March 6th (with Cheatahs), before they join Pains of Being Pure at Heart for a tour of the south starting at Baltimore Popfest this Friday, 3/7, and then in Charlottesville, at The Southern, on 3/8. –Natan Press

GEMS expoloded onto the DC scene last year, winning the Deli’s DC Area Emerging Artist of the Year in 2013 with almost all of the juror votes. Their chill sounds, the beautiful voice of Lindsay Pitts and solid production combine to give the local listener a band they can cheer for as GEMS speeds along towards national recognition. In this interview, we tried to find out how GEMS was able to do so much in such a short time, and how they developed their thoughtful style and professional work-ethic. You can catch GEMS tomorrow, March 1st (7pm, the early show), at U Street Music Hall as they head out on tour towards SXSW and beyond. Tour dates below: 

03.01.14 – U Street Music Hall – Washington, DC
03.06.14 – Majestic – Madison, WI
03.07.14 – Double Door – Chicago, IL
03.09.14 – The Orange Peel – Asheville, NC
03.11.14-03.16.14 – SXSW – Austin, TX
03.17.14 – Bronze Peacock Room – Houston, TX
03.19.14 – The Parish – Austin, TX
03.20.14 – House Of Blues – Dallas, TX
03.22.14 – Terminal West – Atlanta, GA
03.23.14 – Music Farm – Charleston, SC
03.25.14 – Music Hall of Williamsburg – Brooklyn, NY
03.27.14 – Sinclair – Boston, MA
03.29.14 – SAT – Montreal, QC
05.10.14 – Sweetlife Festival – Columbia, MD

DC’s The Strangest Places is a new project by Chris Howard (with a little help from his friends). The first album, Premature Awakenings, is being released today after a successful Kickstarter campaign. The album is an exploration of mournful, fuzzy, low-fi indie-pop, with a surprisingly wide range of sound and tempo (including a cover of Robert Palmer’s Johnny and Mary). The songs are all meticulously crafted, and no two are put together exactly the same way, with a lot of effort put into the guitar sounds that are the centerpiece of most of the tracks. Check out the video for Could Someone below. –Natan Press

Walk the Plank won our Best of 2013 DC readers’ poll, due to their ability to create a strong following in the DMV scene through an incredible DIY work ethic, and an adventurous take on the hardcore sound. They mix metal and punk in a satisfying onslaught of energy in show after show after show for two years. Hopefully this is just the beginning. In this interview, members of the band discuss what it takes to make it with a DIY mindset in the DMV. You can catch them in DC at DC9 on Tuesday, 3/11, or in Richmond at Strange Matter on Wednesday, 3/12 before they head to Texas for a number of SXSW showcases. –Natan Press

JDVBBS‘ first album is exciting and engaging. So much so that he’s the Deli DC’s Artist of the month for February. His tracks expose a wide variety of influences, interests, and skill. It’s a superlative introduction, and we can’t wait for more. We had to know how he did it. Here he explains how a boy from the suburbs has so much control over urban sound. 

Richmond’s doom metal power-trio Druglord is releasing a new album, Enter Venus, on February 22nd (STB Records). The cover art alone makes me so happy. Druglord is streaming a track so you can preview the sonic assault (or buy the digital album), but there are THREE (3) versions of this release (follow link for a temporary full stream of the album as well) including a very limited edition with clear vinyl (with “dopesmoke” green splatter) and custom artwork. Garrett Morris, of Richmond metal legend Windhand, produced the record, and there’s pretty much nothing more appropriate to listen to on Valentine’s Day. So listen to it.  –Natan Press

Richmond’s Dumb Waiter is not the usual math-rock band and they’re not simply a jammy fusion group either. Where most math bands aim to excite (or confuse) with surprising changes, Dumb Waiter adds an unexpected element of sound. The saxophone is central to their sound, and gives every track a jazzy vibe. On their debut, Is This Chocolate, they switch from sing-songy, to dancy, to epic, often within the same song, and fans of metal or fusion or inventive and proficient indie combos will find a lot to like throughout the album. You can see their instrumental acrobatics live on February 16th at Gallery 5 in Richmond, VA, as they, and fellow Richmond band Night Idea, send of drum and bass duo New Turks on their tour of the east coast. –Natan Press

DC’s Mittenfields and Richmond’s Positive No will play Arlington’s Galaxy Hut on Sunday, February 16th. Mittenfields’ sound is incredibly comforting for those feeling lost in an indie world increasingly full of solo or dueling synths/computers. Their three guitars are the focal points of a kind of sound-craft almost forgotten since its heyday with 90’s indie-rock. Positive No doesn’t shy away from noisy guitars either, and being composed of members who’ve been rocking Virginia since the 90’s, they carry that legacy incredibly well. The combination of fuzzy guitars, pounding drums and melodic but casual female vocals recall the best of the 90’s indie/alternative I grew up with in Boston, like Throwing Muses, Helium, The Blake Babies and The Breeders. This will be a great show for those of us who love the electric guitar, and Galaxy Hut will provide the sort of intimate setting you may not be able to see these band in again. –Natan Press

There’s a fantastic show at The Dunes this Saturday. Previous DC Deli Band of the Month winner The Walking Sticks will be joined by previous DC Deli Album of the Month winner Klauss and the super adorbs America Hearts (The Deli hearts them too). Brooklyn based How to Be Topp completes this stellar lineup. Don’t miss it! –Natan Press