You Might Have Been Nominated...

If you’re interested in the Wammies, you can check out this year’s nominees over on the WAMA website here. Only WAMA members can vote for the normal categories, but apparently a “Fan Favorite” category will be open to outside voting. They’ll be holding the Wammies at the State Theatre in Falls Church on Sunday, February 17th.

Trash My Crib!!!

Looking for a novel gift for the music lover in your life? Consider Abby Banks' recently released Punk House: Interiors in Anarchy. Ms. Banks, an artist based in Vermont, spent 3 1/2 months traveling cross country checking out the digs, often communal, of punk musicians and artists. Sporting an intro by Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore, the book documents the anti-establishment decor in towns like Seattle, Minneapolis, and Cleveland, among others.

If you can't overlook the fact that Abby overlooked DC's most famous punk house, then you could always pick up a copy of Susie Horgan's Punk Love. With text by the MacKaye brothers and Henry Rollings, this is the definitive photographic history of the birth of the DC punk scene. If you're the enterprising sort, you might even unearth an autographed copy.

A Case of the Fridays

It’s been a cold, white week here in the DC Metro area, but hopefully some music will warm things up. So we kick things off with Patty Reese’s alt-country/rock track “Just Friends.” I’m really liking her vocal range, especially when she digs in and gets a little Melissa Etheridge thing going on. She just picked up a silver medal for it in the rock category at the 2007 Mid-Atlantic Songwriting Contest - take a listen.

MP3: Just Friends – Patty Reese

And we close out with a UK import, “Bleeding Love,” from Leona Lewis. It’s a sweet pop confection, combining programmed beats with Lewis’ Mariah Carey-esque vocals. And a hooky chorus to boot. Take a listen.

MP3: Bleeding Love – Leona Lewis