D.C. band @usroyalty set list with photos and wrist band from the @landmarkfestdc in 2015. Unfortunately they are no longer together, they have gone on to other project and bands. #usroyalty #washington #washingtondc #dc #dcframing #framing #music #dcmusic #landmarkfestdc #setlist #musicfestival (at Frame of Mine)

U.S. Royalty “Monte Carlo”

This past January, Washington DC-based indie rock band U.S. Royalty performed a live acoustic set at Georgetown’s Hill & Dale record store to celebrate the reissue on vinyl of their 2011 debut album, “Mirrors,” which was only distributed, so far, digitally and on CD. This event was the perfect occasion to meet up with the band and its stylish and strong-minded frontman, John Thornley, to assess their career, the experiences gathered throughout their six years of existence and to talk more about their two self-produced albums as well as what awaits in the horizon. Check out the full story, the series of 35mm pictures covering the concert, and the audio from the interview of drummer Luke Adams.

Listen to the interview with drummer Luke Adams explaining the choice of reissuing "Mirrors" on vinyl, the process of revisiting their debut record, and the progression of the band's sound since their inception.

For about a decade, indie rock music has often been associated with the New York scene, more specifically Brooklyn, which counts numerous bands that made it out there. Think TV on the Radio, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, or MGMT. New York is one of the biggest hubs, a constant flux where new artists of all genres pop up every year and succeed in the music industry. Yet, most people do not realize Washington DC’s unique place in the US history of music. For instance, prominent jazz musician Duke Ellington and soul singer Marvin Gaye are from the area, the first one grew up in the West End neighborhood, and the second in the northeastern section of DC, both started their musical career downtown.

Once the center of go-go and hardcore punk music in the 80s, with emblematic bands such as Chuck Brown & the Soul Searchers, Minor Threat and Fugazi, the nation’s capital progressively lost its aura in the 90s, predominantly due to its very work-oriented and bureaucratic mindset which never helped the creative and artistic scene to fully take off. Though, in this complicated atmosphere, several local bands still managed to produce and compose some quality music. For instance, take DC moguls, Rob Garza and Eric Hilton, today mostly known as entrepreneurs and restaurateurs, they were once recognized and celebrated as innovative artists and musicians. They had formed the band Thievery Corporation stem from their dissatisfaction of not being able to find the sound they liked in the city, a subtle lounge music mixing elements of dub, bossa and acid jazz. They created their own record label, Eighteen Street Lounge Music, and released their first record in 1997, laying the path for others.