After lookouts at Fort Reno saved the nation's capital from Confederate siege more than 150 years ago, it currently hosts the past, present and future of what really put D.C. on the map: music. The highest point in the city (taller than the Washington Monument) is home to the musical highlight of the summer - the Fort Reno Concert Series. Established in 1967, this summer marks the event's 40th year of celebrating local music and fostering community both on and off the stage.
"It started as a project through the city," said series co-organizer Amanda MacKaye, founder of Sammich Records and formerly of The Routineers. "Concerts [were held] all around the city in different locations until, as I understand it, a group of residents petitioned the city to have it in their neighborhood."
In the late '80s, the D.C. government passed the torch to the Northwest Youth Alliance, a non-profit organization that provides job opportunities to D.C. youth, which has been running it ever since.
"It's really a phenomenon because bands really want to play there and people can't wait for it to start, but we don't advertise," MacKaye said. "After it's over, we take down the Web site and turn off the phone number, don't answer e-mails. I hate to use the word 'legend' about it, but it's a very unique situation."
The series begins today with openers The Boom Orangutangs, Deleted Scenes and headliners Mass Movement of the Moth. Thereafter, shows begin every Monday and Thursday night at 7:15 p.m. until Edie Sedgwick and Sentai close the series Aug. 16. The month of music promises performances from The Evens, Beauty Pill and Georgie James, among others. The complete schedule, which locals, bloggers and The Washington Post have been anxiously awaiting, is available at the series' homepage, www.fortreno.com. As if the prospect of seeing former Fugazi-mates Joe Lally and Ian MacKaye (July 2) under the stars isn't reason enough to start planning summer around the schedule, the price is hard to beat: the concerts are totally free.
"The bands all play for free, and it's run by volunteers. Even our web designer is a volunteer," Amanda MacKaye said. "The only person who gets paid is the sound man. He gets a little bit of money for putting up the gear, taking it down, making sure things run smoothly. The money we use to pay him is all from private donations."
That, coupled with the fact that it's within walking distance of AU, makes attendance practically compulsory, even for those who are not aware of the city's rich musical history.
"It really warms my heart, having grown up here and loving music and being a part of the scene, that people come just for the opportunity to listen to these bands that they may not even know the name of," said MacKaye. "Most people that come are from the community, out walking with their kids, and they just come and listen."
This is MacKaye's third summer co-organizing the event, a process that begins each year well before the snow melts and D.C.'s swampy origins become humidly apparent. With around 100 submissions received annually, nearly three times the available openings, narrowing submissions down and organizing the event is no easy task. The band must be from the D.C. area, no more than 40 minutes away from the city, MacKaye said.
"After that it gets pretty subjective," she said. "The things I look for when I open a package are intention - I want to see that these bands really want to play Fort Reno as opposed to just looking for another gig. I want folks who are into community." Such criteria are to be expected, as the D.C. music scene has been home to positive vibes and an altruistic ethos since Revolution Summer of 1985, when the fast and violent hardcore that had typified music coming from the nation's capital coalesced into a more introspective and emotional mid-tempo style.
"Usually, I put three bands together in a set that don't know each other," MacKaye said. "Most of the D.C. music scene started with people helping each other out, playing shows together, and now as the scene grows, I feel people lost that and tend to stick with bands they know, so it's a great way to get people together to meet new people."
Each summer, the series keeps this community alive, offering new bands and youths the chance to play alongside the musicians that inspired them.
"I would love to have more kids send in demos," MacKaye said. "The first year I did it, I think I got one band whose members were under the age of 19. This year I've got three or four."
With two months booked solid, attending at least one show at Fort Reno Park is an easy and wise incorporation into vacation plans, if for nothing else then to experience why some students chose to attend a D.C. university in the first place.
