Some bands just can’t agree on the merits of Primus. Some bands just aren’t meant to spend a month at a remote cabin in Georgia in an attempt to finish their long-in-the-works debut album.

Thankfully, Friday Pilots Club is both of those bands.

Formed in 2017 as a duo of vocalist Caleb Hiltunen and bassist Drew Polivick, the Chicago-based combo has grown in recent years to include guitarists Sean Burke and James Kourafas and drummer Eric Doar, whose contributions are readily apparent on Friday Pilots Club’s electrifying first full-length, Nowhere. On an album positively crammed with irresistible grooves, big riffs and even bigger choruses, its most distinctive quality might just be the varied tastes and talents of its members, demonstrating once and for all how consensus is overrated but compromise is often key.

“For me, that's what I'm most proud of,” says Polivick, who met his bandmates while they all pursued music or music-adjacent majors at Columbia College. “We used to be a two-piece, and then we were a two-piece with these three guys. They started writing with us and playing on the songs, but it still didn't quite feel like a band. We finally feel like this album is an amalgamation of what all of us like and what all of us believe in.”

Alluding to a previous dark period when Friday Pilots Club felt creatively stifled while signed to a restrictive major-label deal, he continues, “It has been a tough road with a lot of sacrifice, but I think we did a damned good job navigating it.”

Indeed, Nowhere boasts a wealth of sonic riches, from the delicious guitar line and earworm chorus of “Nothing or Forever,” the dance floor-ready first single “Vampire Disco” and the sleek soul ballad “Coffin,” which manages to weave in references both to prosecco and Egyptian queen Nefertiti. Songs often boil over into incendiary alt-rock workouts before evaporating back down to their elemental foundations as acoustic guitar and hushed vocals, with subtle production accents (Ween-esque pitch-shifted singing, nighttime cricket sounds) adding to the widescreen listening experience.

“I've been obsessed with sexy-sounding music for a long time,” admits Hiltunen, pointing to vintage favorites such as Humbug by Arctic Monkeys and Rubber Factory by the Black Keys. “But I’ve also been chasing a sound that's a little bit more intimate. There’s a darkness to it that is not sad. It’s more moody. I don't think we could have done that as well three years ago. There's an undertone of it on the album which makes me really, really, really excited.”

This is an an all ages event

Songbyrd

Friday Pilots Club - The Nowhere Tour

Friday Pilots Club & Audiotree - Better With

Friday Pilots Club - End of It

Friday Pilots Club

Family Dinner

Gigs

Washington D.C.

Tuesday, October 8th 2024  
Angry Blackmen + Airospace, Griot X, Synae  
8:30 - $15 - All Ages

ANGRY BLACKMEN  
Chicago, IL

Chicago based experimental hiphop duo ANGRY BLACKMEN formed sometime in early 2017. The group consists of rappers Brian Warren and Quentin Branch. Now in 2024 ABM are back with a full-length record entitled ‘The Legend of ABM’, a 30-minute coming of age narrative about black men navigating this wilderness known as North America.

‘The Legend of ABM’ immediately smacks the listener in the eardrum leaving no second wasted and jumping straight to the point. ‘The Legend of ABM’ tells the story of two Black men hustling through the trenches of capitalism and the effect that this journey has on them. While the album exudes catchy wordplay and spine-splitting production handled by Formants, digging deeper into the album the group spin a tale of depression, existentialism and afro futurism. Warren & Branch’s raw poetry educates the listener of the pre-apocalyptic hyper capitalistic world we’re already living in throughout this project. Personal anecdotes of tragedy and survival over soundscapes created from the future provide a passionate yet introspective look at the world-at-large. ‘The Legend of ABM’ is not an excursion for the weak, the production is meant to snap your spine in half, the lyrics from Quentin & Brian are pathos infused and relatable to anyone simply trying to survive.

\- Michael Stover

AIROSPACE  
Washington, DC  
https://airospace.bandcamp.com/album/sum-parts-2

GRIOT X  
Washington, DC  
https://open.spotify.com/artist/5kiT3BktHkoa128to5w63S?si=vfDe_UsFQ92N5WPGIjxwQA

Griot X is an independent artist from Washington DC, by way of Lagos, Nigeria. He began releasing music through his original name Chimoe Griot in 2019. He began his career with a debut EP “Flavors”, which infuses elements of soul, rap, and rock into a brand-new innovative sound. It explored topics ranging from social justice to economic disparity all the while providing an opportunity for fans to jump around and get lit. He continued with merchandise roll outs to prepare for his 2nd EP “Griot Globe” which included features from many of his friends in Washington D.C.

SYNAE  
Washington, DC  
https://synaemusic.bandcamp.com/album/wild-world

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: There are 13 stairs at the entrance to Quarry House Tavern

All ages

Rediscover Fire

Angry Blackmen, Airospace, Griot X, Synae

Dopamine (3am at Hartsfield-Jackson)

Angry Blackmen

Airøspace

Quarry House Tavern

Saturday, October 12th 2024  
Black Eyes + Bed Maker  
10PM - $15 - All Ages

BLACK EYES  
Washington, DC  
https://blackeyes.bandcamp.com/  
  
BED MAKER  
Washington, DC  
https://bedmakerdc.bandcamp.com/

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: Comet is wheelchair accessible

Black Eyes, Bed Maker

Comet Ping Pong

Thursday, October 17th 2024  
June Henry + Everybody's Worried About Owen + I’ve Never Been Here Before  
8:30pm - $15 - All Ages

JUNE HENRY  
Lawrence, KS  
https://junehen.bandcamp.com/

EVERYBODY'S WORRIED ABOUT OWEN  
Miami, FL  
https://everybodysworriedaboutowen.bandcamp.com/album/there-are-leeches-in-denton-lake

I'VE NEVER BEEN HERE BEFORE  
Santa Cruz, CA  
https://iveneverbeenherebefore.bandcamp.com/

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: There are 13 stairs at the entrance to Quarry House Tavern

June Henry, Everybody's Worried About Owen, I’ve Never Been Here Before 

Fat Dog are one of London’s most exciting new bands, conjuring the sort of frenzied and wild live shows not seen in the capital for years. Their debut album WOOF. is a brilliant and mind-bending blend of electro-punk, rock’n’roll snarling, techno soundscapes, industrial-pop and rave euphoria, music for letting go to or, in the words of frontman Joe Love, “screaming-into-a-pillow music”.

This is an all ages event

Fat Dog - The Woof. Tour

King of the Slugs

Fat Dog

Lip Critic

Thursday, August 24th 2024  
Bassmasters + The Electric Grandmother + Wave Generators  
8:30pm - $15 - All Ages

BASSMASTERS  
Washington, DC  
https://bassmastersdc.bandcamp.com/

THE ELECTRIC GRANDMOTHER  
Washington, DC  
https://electricgrandmother.bandcamp.com/

WAVE GENERATORS  
New York, NY  
https://heightkeech.bandcamp.com/

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: There are 13 stairs at the entrance to Quarry House Tavern

All 

Bassmasters, The Electric Grandmother, Wave Generators

Drinking Boys and Girls Choir (DBGC) are a three-piece punk band from Daegu, South Korea. Members consist of MJ on Drums, Meena on Bass, and Megan on Guitar. Inspired by Daegu’s 90s-00s hardcore punk/indie-rock scene before it moved to Seoul, the band have vowed not to move to the capital and prefer to nurture a sustainable local scene.

In 2017, MJ suffered a serious motorbike accident, so the band took a hiatus while awaiting her recovery. When she was fit again, they DIY produced their 18 track debut album “Keep Drinking”, released on Damnably/Electric Muse in 2019, followed by show stealing appearances at SXSW, TGE, LSC, Pentaport, Busan International Rock Festival, Zandari & MU:CON and also toured the UK tour supporting label mates Otoboke Beaver & Say Sue Me.

In February 2020 the band toured Europe with Otoboke Beaver just ahead of the pandemic shutting down the world. So, they wrote and recorded a new album and participated in several online editions of festivals.

The band’s sophomore album “Marriage License” was released in 2021, receiving acclaim and making best-of lists in the likes of Spin, Paste, MTV, Bandcamp, and gained radio play from KEXP and Strombo’s show on CBC in Canada. The album is a rallying cry in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights in conservative Daegu - this year the 15th Daegu Queer Culture Festival (DQCF) saw them perform, protected by 1,500 police from 450 homophobic government officials, for equality in marriage rights, and speaking out against sexual harassment and exploitation such as what occurred in the heinous Nth Room case.

In 2023, the band joined labelmates Otoboke Beaver’s UK/Ireland shows and joined them again for their 2024 North American tour in February. They were live in session at KEXP studio in Seattle, after having previously recorded a KEXP at home session for the station in 2021. They released new single “History” and have just finished recording their third album for release later in the year.

Drinking Boys and Girls Choir

Saturday, November 9th 2024  
Celebration Summer + American Television + Sick Move  
9:30PM - $15 - All Ages

CELEBRATION SUMMER  
https://celebrationsummer.bandcamp.com/  
Washington, DC

AMERICAN TELEVISION  
Washington, DC  
https://amtv.bandcamp.com/

SICK MOVE  
Baltimore, MD  
https://sickmove.bandcamp.com/

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: There are 13 stairs at the entrance to Quarry House Tavern

Celebration Summer, American Television, Sick Move

**Destructo Disk** is a 3 piece punk rock band from Richmond VA.

Flowers for the Dead is the Washington DC based rock project of guitarist/vocalist Ella Buskirk, and drummer Rickey Martinez. Blending elements of indie rock and shoegaze while nodding to the bands influence of 90's alternative rock.

Most bands fit cleanly within a genre but Tongues of Fire don't. At their heart they are a punk band, their shows are unhinged, the music is straightforward and hard hitting, there is no trace of pomp or excessiveness but they are accesible and there is a well crafted feel to what they do. The production on their albums is clean and the instrumentals deceptively complex. They have many contemporaries and influences but can't be compared to them. Tongues of Fire are firmly themselves, and intent on moving the scene forward

Destructo Disk

Destructo Disk - I Wish I Was A Riot Grrrl

Flowers for the Dead

Tongues of Fire

From seductive club bangers to therapeutic, night-time-cruising tunes, Slater has solidified his role as a tastemaker and star of the new wave of alternative pop. Since 2013, Southern California’s rising underground sensation, Slater, has blended the best elements of alternative, pop, and hip hop into a new, unique sound all of his own. Smooth, groovy, and infectious, his niche style is as reminiscent of early 00’s pop and radio hits as it is innovative and fresh. As a member of the collective, Vada Vada (consisting of The Garden, Enjoy, Puzzle, Cowgirl Clue, Lumina, and Glitch), Slater is no stranger to experimentation. With over 20 releases under his belt, he continues sonically evolving his signature sound.

Slater - Race to Nowhere Tour

Slater

Somewhere Special

Funerol

Sunday, November 17th 2024  
Rent Strike + Trashboat & the Ambush + Girls on Toast  
9PM - $15 - All Ages

RENT STRIKE  
Lansing Charter Township, MI  
https://rentstrike.bandcamp.com/music

TRASH BOAT & THE AMBUSH  
Washington, DC  
https://trashboatandtheambush.bandcamp.com/

GIRLS ON TOAST  
Washington, DC  
https://www.instagram.com/girlsontoast/

ACCESSIBILITY INFO: Comet is wheelchair accessible

Rent Strike, Trashboat & the Ambush Girls on Toast

Rent Strike

Dillinger Four is a punk band formed in Minneapolis, MN in 1993. Founding members Erik Funk, Lane Pederson and Patrick Costello were later joined by Billy Morrissette in 1995, still often referred to as "the new guy", although the band has maintained the same lineup for nearly thirty years.

Creating a hybrid of the noisier elements of hardcore punk with classic punk's catchier leanings, along with a reputation for energetic, unpredictable , and even occasionally legendarily chaotic live shows, Dillinger Four developed a loyal cult following and influenced many bands coming after them despite a surprisingly unprolific musical output. They are a rare band in punk that blurs the lines within its many sub genres and enjoys support from a broad audience. Their catalogue consists of a few self-released 7"s followed by the albums Midwestern Songs of the Americas (1998) and Dillinger Four Versus God (2000) both on Hopeless Records, then Situationist Comedy (2002) and C I V I L W A R (2008) both on Fat Wreck Chords.

\---Since forming in 2002, Philadelphia’s Paint It Black have rewritten the rules of hardcore punk with each new release. Across three full-length albums and three seven-inch EPs, the four-piece of vocalist Dan Yemin, bassist Andy Nelson, guitarist Josh Agran, and drummer Jared Shavelson have been crafting concise, incisive statements that meld hardcore’s fury with a nuanced lyrical perspective. On Famine, the band’s upcoming 12-inch on Revelation Records, Paint It Black shows all sides of itself, returning as inspired—and inspiring—as they were a decade ago.

Punk Shows in Washington, D.C.

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