Dot Dash is a something of a local jangle-pop supergroup with roots in another jangle-pop supergroup, Julie Ocean. In last week’s One Track Mind, I wrote:
Dot Dash is named for a song by Wire, kind of like how Julie Ocean was named for a song by The Undertones. [Leader Terry] Banks says he’d just as soon tell people that Dot Dash refers to the first Morse code message, sent between D.C. and Baltimore in 1844, but then he’d be stretching the truth. At least good indie pop, like good code, keeps things simple. “I don’t like to make it some sort of device or gimmick; that’s as bad as having 10-minute songs,” says Banks. “But I do love short songs.”
The song we featured, “I’m Going Home,” is the jam. Dot Dash performs at 9 p.m. with Adam Franklin and the Bolts of Melody tonight at DC9. $10.
MUSIC
The Whale, the semi-regular residency of local nu-disco label Future Times, returns to U Street Music Hall, with locals Beautiful Swimmers and Germany’s DJ Kaos spinning. 10 p.m. Free.
Felice Brothers are at the Black Cat, and while their last album was something of an overwrought mess, they Catskills-hailing folk-rockers are known for their rough-and-tumble live act. 8 p.m. $18.
For a few years, Brightest Young Gays has been trying to put on gay nightlife events that draw lots of straight people. Here’s what BYGays’ Bradley Portnoy says of his new party Heart 2 Heart, which takes place tonight at 10 p.m. at Lost Society:
Inspired by this moment, HEART 2 HEART is all about the music that brings us together – pure, fun, and danceable. We’re creating a space where everyone feels comfortable, and we can forget our mid-week cares for a few hours while we get lost in the music. We think it could be DC’s first truly mixed party, something I’ve been working towards for the past few years.
It’s free, too.
FILM
In Surviving Hitler: A Love Story, a teenager in Nazi Germany learns she is Jewish, joins the resistance, falls in love, and plots to assassinate Hitler. Spoiler alert: This is a documentary. 8 p.m. at Artisphere. $6.