For those seeking local entertainment, the D.C. area can be a bit overwhelming. With dozens of musicians and comedians performing on any given evening, with varying degrees of quality, it’s not always easy deciding what acts are worth checking out, especially on a student budget.
Enter Brightest Young Things (BYT), an online entertainment magazine and production agency based in D.C. and New York City. In an effort to promote local talent, BYT organized an event featuring up-and-coming DMV area musicians last year. The first “Emerging Artists Super Sampler” went over so well that BYT has decided to make it an annual event. This year’s showcase was held at the historic Howard Theatre on March 1.
“It started with this guy Steve Place, who wrote an article on our site called ‘Top 25 DMV Artists to Watch’ in 2013,” BYT event coordinator Brandon Weight said. “It got so many hits that we thought, you know, why not play this up into a sort of party?”
While the first Super Sampler concert successfully sold out The Hamilton, BYT collaborated with the Howard Theatre to throw a bigger, better party in celebration of D.C.’s most talented artists. The “D.C. Emerging Artists Super Sampler Volume 2” featured 11 musical acts and, new for Volume 2, stand-up comedians.
Each musical act, from rappers to punk rockers, was given three songs (or roughly 15 minutes) onstage. To keep the party moving between these mini-sets, BYT invited the most promising DMV area comics to entertain the packed theater.
The scope of the Sampler, while eclectic, was a refreshing mix of artists from different backgrounds and genres. Despite the differences in their acts, the local musicians and comedians kept an overwhelmingly positive atmosphere all evening.
“Everybody’s down to be a part of this scene, they’re all happy to be part of this,” Weight said of the performers’ attitudes.
The coexistence of hip-hop artists and stand-up comedians with punk rock and indie synth-pop bands was inspiring, and the celebration of their creativity spread infectious positivity through the crowd.
Each artist brought something unique to the stage, and there were no real “dud” performances. However, standout acts included Baltimore based rap artist DDm, indie-shoegaze band The Walking Sticks and stand-up comedian David Carter. The diversity of their acts speaks to the Super Sampler’s mission: to expose audiences to new music regardless of their normal tastes and preferences.
After two enormously successful Super Sampler shows, BYT looks forward to continuing to host their showcases annually as well as to expanding the tradition to their New York City operation. The saturation of musical talent in New York will prove difficult to distill into one showcase, but the artists and event coordinators alike are committed to promoting up-and-coming artists. In cities where a multitude of cultural offerings can make it difficult to find new acts, events like BYT’s Super Sampler shows are great ways to get out of your comfort zone and find the best, freshest local acts.
“I’m exhausted, I’ve been here since 2 p.m. moving equipment and getting it all set up,” Weight said around 11 p.m., three hours before the event officially ended. “But in the end, the artists are all amazing and the whole thing really comes together. It’s so worth it.”
Links
Musicians:
DDM
Pleasure Curses
Akoko
Hassani Kwess
Walking Sticks
Farma Wes
Me & This Army
Sheila D Yeah
Ras Nebyu
Coup Sauvage and the Snips
Loud Boyz
Comics:
Dana Bell
Andrew Bucket –
David Carter
Adam Friedland
Russ Green
Jamel Johnson
Jenn Tisdale
Haywood Turnipseed Jr.
Brandon Wetherbee
Michael Foody
Howard Lester
