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DIY Digest: Doe Deer at DC9

BY TORI SWIACKI// On Tuesday, August 28 Doe Deer accompanied Thin Lips and Slaughter Beach, Dog at DC9 Nightclub.

Guitarist Matt describing his fine selection of homemade sauces for sale as band merch.

Doe Deer, based out of Fredericksburg, VA has been no stranger to the DC music scene, having played Songbyrd one week prior. Frontman Nabeel attributes some of Doe Deer’s success in DC to his time spent in the DMV DIY scene, looking upon of it more as a community, noting its inclusive nature. Beginning with humble roots, Nabeel recorded the earliest tracks as a solo project using a built-in laptop microphone and a small amp. He describes this minimalist setup, saying, “I didn’t have much experience, so I was kind of just playing around with the recordings until I figured out how to make it sound somewhat tolerable.” The result, December 2016’s “Sports,” was more than bearable, delivering a soft, nostalgic sound sprinkled with ambient sounds as seen in the ninth track, “waves.” Think: Starry Cat, or, more specifically, Teen Suicide’s “no, the moon,” or “Letterman” by foozle.

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REVIEW: Stars at 930 Club

BY SARAH SOPHER// What a special band and concert! Stars brought me all the feels at their show tonight. Honestly, just hearing Torquil and Amy singing together gets me emotional. The concert began with tracks from their latest album, “No One Falls In Love In Fluorescent Light,” and then, the Canadian band continued their almost 2-hour set with tracks from so many of their different albums. My favorite part of the show was hearing both of the singers describe their experiences at the 930 Club and in Washington, DC.  Torquil gave the audience something to be proud of when he told us, “If society treated artists the way the 930 Club treats artists, we would have a better society in my opinion.” Amy continued, “I have a one-year-old son and he’s already been to the 930 Club twice! So.. We are lucky.” Stars noted that this tour is unique in that there have been multiple children in the audience at recent shows. It feels nice to know that artists are treated right at our local venue.

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REVIEW: Lights @ 930 Club

BY SARAH SOPHER // Lights was peaking at her latest 930 club performance. On top of the world after publishing her multi-platform project, Skin & Earth, Lights showed DC her strong passion for the story she wrote. Skin & Earth is a comic series that takes place in a post-apocalyptic world, and an album with songs from the perspective of the comic’s main character, Enaia. It has only been a few months since the release of Skin & Earth, and it was fascinating to hear the 930 Club audience being able to sing along to many of her latest songs. Lights shared with us that, to her, S&E is about confronting your inner demon and allowing your challenges to make you stronger.

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REVIEW Ganja White Night @ 930 Club

BY SYDNEY SPENCER// Ganja White Night did D.C. a service on February 18th by showcasing their talent at the 930 Club. This show featured loads of strengths and did justice for GWN’s new album The Origins. The group did not shy away from a dramatic opening, blasting the new album’s first track (and probably its most intense), The Origins. The Belgian duo remained loyal to its fan base by playing a wide range of old hits, such as Flava and Mr. Nice. In addition, it was obvious that the group was determined to unleash the intense beats featured in many of the new tracks. They played a bass-heavy version of almost their entire new album.

Ganja White Night at 930 Club, photo by Sarah Sopher
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