The running joke around TVD HQ is that, in contrast to the many going out websites, we’re your favorite staying in source. I mean, turntables pretty much dictate that, right? (We’re a pale bunch.)
But like you, we too can be found at many a show, and as such we’re delighted to announce that in partnership with our friends at the Fillmore Silver Spring, we’ve been asked to curate a recurring series of live events spotlighting bands and artists who we feel should be squarely on your radar.
And the first of these evenings arrives this Thursday, October 3, as TVD Presents at the Fillmore Silver Spring: Drop Electric, Honest Haloway, and Technophobia—and because it’s a bit of a staple around these parts, we have an early opportunity for you to attend as our guest. First, let’s introduce you to the bands…
DROP ELECTRIC | Based in a city known for stagnation and business as usual, Washington DC’s Drop Electric exists to break the mold. Drop Electric’s music is a manic barrage of soaring female vocals, distortion, tribal percussion, and electronic bleeps, controlled by structured, dynamic songwriting. Ramtin Arablouei, Neel Singh, Sho Fujiwara, and Kristna Reznikov’s shared experiences as children of immigrant families contribute to an air of vague unfamiliarity in their music.
“Our songs have always come from a collection of accidents. It is a few people in a room playing instruments until something sounds good. So we decided to do what we always did. Don’t think. Just write,” explains the band’s dummer Ramtin Arablouei. “Ideas usually come to me from a dark place. Many times the words are responding to the pressure of having to write an album worthy of lyrics and melodies, ” muses Reznikov.
In 2013, the four members of Drop Electric sat down to record songs that would eventually become Waking Up to the Fire. The result is a bass heavy, electronic collection of songs. Like past Drop Electric releases, the songs on Waking Up to the Fire have a cinematic quality while Reznikov’s voice and lyrics convey a sense of desperation in an increasingly disconnected world.
HONEST HALOWAY | Honest Haloway is a band created by DC-based songwriter Tim Kratzer, whose unique and provocative sound was developed years before the inception of the first EP, The Towns. The feel of the music evokes a fast-paced night filled with reverie and intrigue. The songs quickly unravel to showcase Kratzer’s haunting vocals, fused with layers of synth textures and nostalgic melodies. His muted tones gradually build and evolve into memorable intervals, creating visceral tracks that retain an ethereal, moody and, at times, a seductive atmosphere. It’s bedroom indie electronica at its prime.
Honest Haloway recruited Maryland native, drummer Charlie Karim as the band’s crucial second member. Karim’s stylistically diverse background made him an essential component to the band’s combustive and rich sound. Bassist Fico Lazzaro-Colon recently joined the band as the newest member of this power-trio. They are currently rehearsing and preparing for the release of their sophomore EP Perigee.
TECHNOPHOBIA | Combining a myriad of backgrounds, from punk and metal, to goth and industrial, to cold wave and EDM, DC dark synth-wave group, Technophobia, is poised to command stages from the District and beyond. The goal of this trio of Stephen Petix, Katie Petix, and Denman C. Anderson is to take the aesthetic and understanding of the underground and blow it up into an arena sized experience.
The group sows the patches of past and present influences such as Depeche Mode, Gary Numan, early Ministry, Light Asylum, Cold Cave, She Past Away, and Epee Du Bois, unabashedly onto its sleeves while maintaining an individual voice. With an almost entirely analog electronic setup, Stephen and Katie hammer away at layers of synthesizers, while Denman croons from the mic with a voice that is most certainly not another Ian Curtis rip off. All the while, Technophobia is entrenched in a flashing stage setup, reminiscent of the most creative days of early MTV.
Enter to win a pair of tickets to the very first edition of TVD Presents at the Fillmore Silver Spring by suggesting to us in the comments below, who you’d like to see perform at a future edition of TVD at FSS and very briefly why. One individual with some sage advice will join us Thursday, 10/3. We’ll choose our winner on 10/2!
TVD Presents: Drop Electric, Honest Haloway, and Technophobia
The Fillmore Silver Spring
Thursday, October 3
$12 | Doors 7:30pm
Purchase tickets!
RSVP on Facebook
Poster image courtesy Kristamas Klousch. Used with kind permission.
