Pirates have taken over the District! From the War of 1812 to the crack wars of the 1990s, DC has been caught in the middle of an historical power struggle between external forces seeking to raid and pillage this fair city and its denizens’ own inability to right the ship of progress. And until those corsairs in Congress allow for complete autonomy and a vote in their hallowed halls, the residents of the District will continue to live a shackled life with no sign of treasure in sight. Avast, me hearties! Softcore Laundry believes it’s time to stand up for our rights and set this schooner on a course for freedom.

Purchase this kickass shirt in our Etsy Shop

Today marks John Lennon’s 70th birthday. He is one of our favorite personal heros;  musician, peace activist, artist. We wish we had the chance to live in a world where he was alive in it.

Etsy recently composed a list of Lennon-inspired items for sale and our ‘War Is Over’ t-shirt was included. We love it and we hope he would have, too.

Happy Birthday, John.

I attend a lot of shows. A LOT. My enthusiasm for live music is only constrained by my need for a few hours of sleep and a little money left in my bank account at the end of the month to buy beer. And living in Shaw provides ample opportunities to see great DJs and bands pretty much every night of the week. Over the past month, I’ve been fortunate enough to see LCD Soundsystem, !!!, No Age, Holy Fuck, Pavement, Sleigh Bells, Neon Indian, Designer Drugs, Starfucker, The Octopus Project, The Temper Trap, Jimmy Eat World, Thievery Corporation, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Yeasayer, Matt & Kim, Chromeo…I think that’s it?

Sick. Granted, a lot of those were knocked out in one amazing day at Virgin Mobile FreeFest but it’s still been one hell of a summer in DC. And with the next couple months of shows shaping up to be FUCKING AWESOME, I’ve decided to jot down a few words and pictures after each show to share my love of audio with all our friends.

But don’t worry – the Softcore Laundry blog won’t turn into some kind of overzealous, self-glorifying ode to my personal obsessions. We’re still in the business of making t-shirts. And coming soon, HOODIES! Giggity.

Last night I saw The Octopus Project and Starfucker at DC9. If you’ve never had the chance to see one of your favorite bands in a venue smaller than most people’s apartments, I suggest you check out their calendar. DC9 is owned by the same team that runs Rock N Roll Hotel and The Red & The Black so they always manage to book awesome bands. But enough with the fucking history lesson.

I arrived around 9:45 thinking that I’d catch the end of The Octopus Project’s set but they ended up going until about 10:30. They bring a ton of energy and have some pretty, er, interesting shit playing on a projection screen behind them. I’ve never been a huge fan of experimental instrumental electronic music but I was amazed by their sound. The lead singer plays a theremin, which is basically just an L-shaped antenna that makes tones when you wave your hand in front of it. Pretty cool but I was over it after about 3 songs.

Starfucker, formed in 2007 in Portland, has been on my hit list for about a year now. Just four dudes who each play a couple different instruments. I really dig the random loops and voice samples they mix on a turntable, which generally plays untouched throughout each song. And they bring a ton of energy! Even though it was a Wednesday, the packed crowd was bouncing the entire time. I always thought they’d be much more mellow live based on listening to their album. But these guys could easily rock out at a much larger venue. They finished off a great hour-long set with a huge blowout of Isabella of Castile, much to the satisfaction of two girls in the front row who had been begging for it the entire night. So glad I went (even though I was by myself which is perfectly acceptable and don’t let anyone tell you different). Rock.