Poppy Patica Releases D.C.-Inspired Album “Black Cat Back Stage”
Poppy Patica is the passion project of Peter Hartmann, a D.C. native who is now based in Oakland, CA. Black Cat Back Stage is the band’s new album, released on May 5 and named after the iconic D.C. venue, that is made of the perfect indie rock sound for your summer.
Hartmann describes Poppy Patica’s music as “poppyseed-themed odd rock.” He strives to create something that sounds familiar, yet still surprising, following the footsteps of rock music he grew up with. For Poppy Patica, experimentality plays a role in creating, as heard in Black Cat Back Stage, which utilizes many unique sound and production techniques.
“I like to imply a certain experimental quality without it being too overt or obvious in the production and the arrangement, as well as in the songwriting,” Hartmann says. “If you’re just listening without paying too much attention, it could just sound like a normal rock song. But then if you’re really focusing in, there’s stuff happening that’s like treats for people who want something a little bit more unusual.”
Ski Queen: Born and Raised in the DMV
Alexandria natives Ena Sullivan and Julianne Lane founded their bubble grunge band Ski Queen during the COVID-19 pandemic. Their music takes listeners on an honest emotional journey, but doesn’t take itself too seriously, either.
Lead singer and guitarist Julianne Lane started in music by taking piano lessons at the age of just four. Around 13, she started guitar, which led her to songwriting. Lane soon got involved at a local music school, Rock of Ages Music, where she met Ena Sullivan.
Drummer and backup vocalist Ena Sullivan started learning violin at eight years old. She began lessons in traditional hand drumming at an after-school program when she was 10, which sparked her love for percussion. She began kit drumming a few years later.
The pair was involved in a number of different bands over their high school years, but decided to start their own project during COVID, and thus, Ski Queen was born. The group began as a cover band, but as they found their own sound, they began to write their own songs as well.
Sullivan and Lane appreciate the musical history of the DMV.
“Being so close to DC, which was the birthplace to so many punk and go-go bands, has been a catalyst for my own love of music.”
Girls Rock! DC Empowers Our Community with Accessible Music Education for Youth and Adults
Girls Rock! DC is a music and social justice education program in Washington, DC for young people and adults that centers and uplifts marginalized identities in music.
Girls Rock! DC is a music and social justice education program in Washington, DC for young people between the ages of eight and 18 that centers and uplifts marginalized identities in music – women, queer, nonbinary, and transgender musicians, especially those who are people of color. I sat down with Girls Rock! DC’s co-executive director Shady Rose – artist, educator, activist, and DC native – who discussed why the nonprofit’s mission is so imperative, and how the organization commits to putting it in action by providing a safe space for these groups, while spreading awareness of the social imbalances in our music world.
New Single by Poppy Patica Is “Awful Sound”
Recent Articles “Awful Sound” is the name of the new and sweetly raw single by Washington D.C. indie-pop/indie-rock artist Poppy Patica. Blink and you’ll miss it. The happy exuberance displayed by “Awful Sound” is pure indie rock at it’s most fun and uplifting. The track is the lead single from the band’s newest album, Black […]
She Wants Revenge @ Black Cat
Thursday, November 3, 2022
Doors Open: 7:30 p.m. EDT
Washington D.C.
The Improvised Dreamscapes of “Maybe We Leave”
Recent Articles Ryan Buell. Photo courtesy of Ryan Buell and Garrett Gleason Garrett Gleason. Photo courtesy of Ryan Buell and Garrett Gleason DC based guitarists, Garrett Gleason and Ryan Buell, have teamed up for an experimental collaboration titled Maybe We Leave. Recorded at the historic Black Cat this past October, the album’s foundation was pulled […]
Girls Rock DC – Until June 27, 2022
Recent Articles Girls Rock! DC’s Summer Camp is a week-long in-person music education program for young folks ages 8 to 18 in the DC area. Campers learn to play an instrument, form a band, write an original song, and perform it at a big concert! Each action below is worth one point, except the bonus. […]
Church Night DC
Go see Church Night this Friday at the Black Cat. Friday, April 5, 2019 at 9:00 PM – 12:00 AM EDT Black Cat DC1811 14th St NWWashington, District of Columbia 20009 churchnight.org
