DC

Mole Magazine in DC zine history book

Keep Your Ear to the Ground: A History of Punk Fanzines in Washington, DC was recently published by Georgetown University Press. Written by John Davis, member of punk band Q and Not U and an archivist at the University of Maryland library (he commands the DC Punk Archive there), this large tome makes a case for the strength of the DC zine scene of decades past. My own fanzine, Mole, is represented in the book on pages 204-206; there are pictures of two issues, and a rather nice capsulized history of the 13 issues published from 1989 to 2001. The only “error” is citing Mole as a photocopied zine; to set the record straight, Mole was pro-printed by offset printing for the duration of its run.

There’s much I didn’t know about DC zinedom past. From my recollections of the 90s, I would not have said a book was merited, but Davis dug deep and it’s a strong showing. If you’re not already sick and tired of the zine hype, you may want to check it out.

Stylus ensemble memorial concert for Keith Sinzinger on Friday, February 1

stylus-keith-mem

This Friday, February 1, turntable ensemble Stylus will perform at a memorial concert honoring ensemble member Keith Sinzinger. The concert will include performances by Art & Amber (theremin duo), Hawkins & Mullinax, Liquid Friction Ensemble, and the trio Beau, Bev, DeJoe. The event will be held at Rhizome DC. Admission is $10 at the door, with proceeds going to sponsor a DIY electronic workshop scholarship in Keith’s name.

A mainstay of the DC experimental music scene, Keith Sinzinger was known for inventing strange musical instruments from found materials, circuit bending children’s musical toys, and collaborating with just about everyone else in the scene in different projects. In particular, he was an inaugral member of the Stylus ensemble, a group using Califone turntables and prepared LPs to create atonal musical works under the direction of Jim Adams. Keith’s passing last November caught us all by surprise, and his enthusiastic, supportive presence in the scene, as well as his creative music, will be missed.

For more info about the show, go to the Facebook event page here.