Watch

Read

Listen

Go

Play

Shop

Community

Play (Lists)

Click an image to learn more.

Looking for information on your favorite bands, musical artist or music venue? You’ll find tour dates, band interviews, new music and more. We cover your favorite bands and musicians from all over Virginia, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and the world.

The Latest Music News

aSanTIS posing for the camera with headphones on (for accessibility)
Cynthia Gross

aSanTIS: ‘You Are a Part of the Highest Form of Creation’

Flow-bending artist aSanTIS discusses art, culture, and whether sound can solve the world’s problems in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
My interview with Amy Santis aka aSanTIS began in the most unexpected way. The Maryland-based flow-bending artist and lyrical storyteller came prepared to engage in conversation around questions I had posed – and she also brought one or two of her own thoughtful prompts based on her curiosities around my view of learning.

This practice of taking in her surroundings deeply through observation and inquiry has come naturally to aSanTIS ever since she was a young child. In terms of her early starts in music, she notes that she began as a discerning listener. “Just listening to music from my mom, on the radio, just being a consumer in the world of sound. But I think mainly, my mom has always loved dancing and listening to music, so that was sort of like second nature. We play music at gatherings, we play music in the car, and these songs are sort of like diaries that take us into a specific place.”

Read More »
Soft Punch - Above Water album art: A painting of a pond and two dogs embracing overlaying it, one wearing green pants.
Percy Sampson

Stay Afloat with Soft Punch — Above Water

Soft Punch, aka Rye Thomas, of Washington D.C. released his debut album, Above Water on September 15th, after years of working on it.
The album is a labor of love that Soft Punch, the stage name of Rye Thomas, has been working on for years since the diagnosis of his chronic illness. It takes you through the highs and lows, mourning the freedom lost, and celebrating the things that he is grateful for in his day to day life. I had the opportunity to sit down and talk to him about his process of writing the album.

The titles of albums are the first thing that an artist sees. That, and the artist’s name. When I first heard the name ‘Soft Punch’, I was intrigued. It was gentle but intentional. “I don’t know if I had a specific ‘A-ha, Lightbulb’ moment, but I was interested in words that sound good together and have multiple meanings,” Thomas said. “It’s a gentle hit, and a nonalcoholic punch. It’s the image of something harsh and something soft is interesting to me. I think I lucked out.”

Read More »
Violet Silhouette pose for a press photo at a dining room table that has a knife in the middle.
Eric Althoff

Zaii Valdes of Violet Silhouette Discusses Musical Heritage

Zaii Valdes of Violet Silhouette discusses new album and proud roots in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The sound of Violet Silhouette is unlike anything else you’re likely to hear. Their music blends rock and electronic with dance—with a great deal of mystery tossed in for good measure. But however it’s classified, their sound is rather unique.

Singer/guitarist/drummer Zaii Valdes is joined in the group by Dan Potvin and Justin Gianoutsos. The group’s latest EP, “FEVERBLUE,” drops October 20. In anticipation of the latest release, Valdes spoke with Alchemical Records about the new record and, in honor of his Cuban extraction, Hispanic Heritage Month—which kicks off September 15.
How did you first get involved in music?

Being of Cuban heritage, music and dance were very much a part of [my] cultural and familial experience. Not to mention, there was a spiritual aspect to it—trance states and such that could be achieved from rhythm and beat.

Read More »

WATCH

LISTEN

Alchemical Records, music review, music enthusiast, music artist Virginia, music entertainment, music artist Maryland,

Subscribe To Our Email Newsletter.

Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates about all the best music happening in the Washington DC region.