The idea of a house show is nothing new, but over the past few years, Washington, DC has seen a veritable explosion in the number of highly structured alternative venues popping up in every part of the nation’s capital. On a cozy street in Petworth lies the Paperhaus, the veritable epicenter of this movement, and in it resides one Alex Tebeleff. Not only does Tebeleff play in a band that shares it’s name with the house, but he has spearheaded a resurgence in DIY, or DIT (Do It Together), that has not only brought the varied DC scene closer together, but has paved the way for more and more musicians and music fans to try their hand at concert promotion right in the comfort of their very own living room. We sat down with Alex on the back porch of the Paperhaus recently to talk about how he got his start putting on these shows, how he sees this movement growing, and how the DC scene is continuing to amaze. 

On our latest podcast, Kevin, Andre, and Adam dish out some tough love when they explore the "do's" and "dont's" of how to go about getting your music noticed in a digital age. Plus! We review the latest round of metal madness from MASTODON, and then take the occasion of uber-jamband PHISH'S latest release to discuss the band's legacy, the necessity of new material and more!

Sylvan Esso started off as a side-ish project between Amelia Meath and Nick Sanborn, but has quickly blossomed into their full time gig, due in no small part of the success of their stunning debut album released earlier this year. In our latest podcast we sat down with Amelia and Nick the morning after they delivered a positively killer set opening for tUnE-yArDs at the 9:30 Club to discuss how the project came together, where they draw their formidable creative spark from, pop music, the internet, Moms and more. So tune in now to what is one of our favorite episodes to date of ChunkyGlasses: The Podcast with Amelia and Nick from Sylvan Esso!

In the first of what will be an ongoing series of round-table discussions we sit down with Rabbl CEO Wade Lagrone and Listen Local First co-founder Chris Naoum to discuss the good and the bad of the crowd-sourcing platform that made waves in the DC music community a few short weeks ago. Whether you think it’s the future of music promotion, or nothing more than another example of the “pay to play” model, it’s a talk that everyone who is passionate about the issue should hear. 

After nearly two decades, space rock cult giants Failure have emerged from their catacombs and into the daylight to kick off 2014 with a big bang. Now touring as a power trio, Kelli Scott, Greg Edwards and Ken Andrews have been traversing the country to treat their devoted fans to textured sounds and fantastic sets with sides of fun filmic inspiration. Before taking us on that ride -- and what a ride it was! -- our own Roddy Rasti caught up backstage with Greg, who was kind enough to chat with us about cat allergies, the early days, fretless bass, head-space, and what's on the horizon.

Dean Fields, Andy Zipf, Jason Myles Goss and Eliot Bronson are all accomplished musicians on their own, but now they've joined forces and are hitting the road with a show they've dubbed The Parlor Sessions.

Over the next two weeks this newly formed band of brothers will be delivering a uniquely intimate night of music up and down the East coast. After their stop here in DC the guys stopped by to talk about the genesis of The Parlor Sessions, how the experience hasn't been quite what they expected in the best ways possible, and what they see the future holds for each of the guys individually and together as The Parlor Sessions. 

This week the gang puts on their curmudgeon hat as they take on new records from Sharon Van Etten and up-and-coming DC punks, Preists! PLUS! More Rick Springfield talk then anyone should ever be safely exposed to and Paul, Kevin and Suzie try to figure out what the hell is up with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. 

Straight out of the van to your ears, Miss Shevaughn & Yuma Wray finish up their “honeymoon” tour right here in DC at the Black Cat on Wednesday 6/4. Yesterday the band, comprised of Erin Frisby (Miss Shevaughn), Chris Stelloh (Yuma Wray), and DC music scene mainstays  Ben Tufts and Derek Evry, stopped by the studio to talk about the tour, their new album Lean Into The Wind and much, much more. Whether you’re a fan of their “cosmic Americana”, looking for some tales from the road, or just want to find out why it’s essential for musicians to insure their instruments, this one’s got it all.

If you live in the District (of Columbia) and have even barely waded into the burgeoning local music scene, then you probably already know the name Sean Barna. Best known for his work behind the drum kit for a multitude of bands, last year Barna packed up and moved to California to pursue other dreams. But, it’s always, always been about the music for him and so eventually he found himself pursuing a new role, that of singer songwriter, with everything he’s got...

BONUS EPISODE! Richmond, Virginia has always been a hotbed of music activity, and now a new crop of artists is starting to rise up to make their mark on the musical landscape. Leading that charge is My Darling Fury, a four piece whose sound is as much grounded in the vibrant punk and jazz scenes that have flourished there for years as it is in the dreamier sounds of modern indie giants going by names like Sigur Ros and Radiohead.

In this episode, Kevin sits down with Franz Nicolay, revered multi-instrumentalist / composer / performer who you might know from bands like the World/Inferno Friendship Society, The Hold Steady, Guignol, Anti Social Music and much, much more. Hard at work on his next solo record Nicolay talks a little about the past, a little about life as a solo artist, and even a little about singing like Meatloaf. Tune in to this one kids, because when you’re talking Franz Nicolay, well that’s about as good as it gets!

In this episode WE GOT COMMENTS!! But does the old adage of “Don’t feed the trolls” apply? Andre and Kevin talk through their feelings about being called “worthless” for speaking their minds. PLUS! Speaking of feelings, this week we review two records that couldn’t be further apart on the spectrum if they tried. First up is To Be Kind, the latest crushing record from experimental/post-punk/no wave legends SWANS. Then we take to the canyons – Laurel Canyon to be exact – to check out Separate Oceans, the latest release from Chicago’s lauded Numero Group celebrating the career and influence of singer/songwriter Ned Doheny!

Casey Dienel, aka White Hinterland, has been making gorgeous, slightly off-kilter indie pop since 2006, but it was on 2010’s Kairos that the masses began to really take notice of her eclectic talent. Hitting the road armed with a new record, Baby, her tour stopped through Washington, DC a few weeks ago, and Andre sat down with her before the show to talk about her musical upbringing, the new album, and more. Settle in for a great conversation with one of 2014’s most innovative artists, White Hinterland on Episode 57 of ChunkyGlasses: THE PODCAST!

In our latest episode, we try to figure out what Apple’s acquisition of Beats might mean for the future of streaming music, and things get heated when Kevin introduces some good old fashioned yacht rock into the mix. PLUS!! We review the debut record from indie duo SYLVAN ESSO, and FINALLY get to talk about Meta Modern Sounds In Country Music, the stellar sophomore album from what may be Nashville’s last true outlaw standing, STURGILL SIMPSON! 

Washington Post Pop Critic Chris Richards has covered Bad Brains, Lady Gaga and everything in between. In this episode of the podcast he sits down with us to discuss his job as music critic for one of the most prestigious publications in the world, his “infamous” review of Arcade Fire’s Reflektor, the state of modern music criticism, and more. Music nerds, this one's a must! 

In this episode Kevin, Adam and Quinn convene in the rawk basement to get drunk and break shit while taking in Old 97’s latest, Most Messed Up…but not before they dive deep into Nikki Nack, the new record from TUNE-YARDS. PLUS! After seeing the tour closer at the 9:30 Club, Kevin commits to converting Adam over to the Future Islands cause. And the Pixies put out a new album last week? Without Kim Deal? What’s the world coming to? Go ahead and waste some time with us to find out!

Hot on the heels of their latest release, The End Of Everything, DC's very own TYPEFIGHTER stops by the basement to talk about the new album, offer up some choice ideas for band names and the pros and cons of metal gods, Extreme. PLUS! Quinn joins Paul and Kevin in reviewing Shriek, the fourth album from Baltimore's Wye Oak, and Wasted Years, the latest 24 minutes of fury from hardcore super-group, OFF!

In this episode Andre and Kevin sit down with Midlake’s Eric Pulido before their recent gig opening for Neil Finn at the Lincoln in DC to talk about their new album Antiphon, the beginnings of the band, their recent split with front man Tim Smith, and more. PLUS! Kevin and Adam review the Afghan Whigs first new release in sixteen years, Do To The Beast. How does it measure up to classics like Gentleman and Black Love? Listen in and find out!

In 2010, David Wax Museum took the Newport Folk Festival by storm, and it's been nothing but up, up, up ever since. With thrilling records like 2012's Knock Knock Get Up and an even more thrilling live show the ever evolving band has continued to win over fans  both new and old wherever they go. When the band stopped at the 9:30 Club last week, front-man David Wax sat down with us...

Many moons have passed since we first hit the airways, but now we find ourselves at our FIFTIETH FREAKING EPISODE? What's in store? Did we have an epic guest? Did we break bad like the most EPIC episode of Behind The Music? DID BOSTON ACTUALLY PLAY THE RAWK BASEMENT??!!!

Nope...