Rafael Pondé was always fascinated by his grandmother’s accordion. A mainstay of Northeastern Brazilian music, the instrument sat in her closet unplayed (though not unloved – arthritis kept it at bay); and the look of it alone – its myriad folds, valves, switches, and buttons – was enough to call him[…]
If you long for the “golden era” of Cuban music, songs that evoke narrow streets, ’57 Chevys, pollo asado, and moonlit parrandas, answer the door: Son Cubano Subterraneo is knocking. This local band – led by tres player Josh Schneck – draws its inspiration from the ritmos of Old Havana[…]
You could say that Colin Cutler is as all-American as they come, shaped by an upbringing on military bases and in Pentecostal and Baptist churches around the U.S. But stints with the Virginia Army National Guard in Qatar and Romania—as well as some time teaching in the latter and studying[…]
The R&B Americana band American Nomad is a DC-based group with a reputation for putting on a rollicking, foot-stomping show. Think a James-Taylor-plus-Bill-Withers vibe with danceable grooves set to a Route 66 backdrop. We sat down with the band’s founder, Hassan El-Tayyab, to learn a little bit more about what[…]