Sponsored
A Bold and Beautiful Vision, at The Smithsonian’s Anacostia Community Museum, features captivating original artworks, rare video footage, and awe-inspiring artistic artifacts.

Home | Arts Guide | Best of D.C.

Washington City Paper has big plans. Your contributions will help us execute them. By supporting District Line Daily, you show your commitment to independent journalism. Thank you for your continued support.

It’s been 25 years since the Dismemberment Plan, D.C.’s oddball indie rock band, released their seminal album Emergency & I. In 1999, a year that saw an influx of undeniably fantastic art, the band’s third album resonated with “20-somethings shuffling through the snowdrifts of postadolescence, leaving behind prefabricated college social circles and struggling to find homes, literal and figurative, in a larger world,” writes WCP contributor Taylor Ruckle. But the band were, by no means, a chart-topping act. 

“With its odd time signatures and dissonant guitars, Emergency & I isn’t an album you hear for the first time over stereo speakers at a house party, and it never made an impact on terrestrial radio,” Ruckle notes. But what it has continued to do is find—and grow—a fan base of music lovers devoted to discovering new and old acts through streaming suggestions and digital publications. Though the band broke up in 2003, Dismemberment Plan reunion shows have consistently packed venues.

That was certainly the case last month when they reunited for a five-city tour to celebrate the 25th anniversary of Emergency & I. Kicking off in D.C., the originally scheduled show at the 9:30 Club sold out and a second night at the Atlantis was added, which also sold out. But a quarter of a century after writing these songs, the band’s Travis Morrison has noticed a shift in the audience’s age.

“Back then, the attendance was almost totally our peer group,” Morrison tells Ruckle, referring to the band’s initial run. “Now we have a relatively flat spectrum. The North Carolina show had a ton of younger people—they really pushed my parent friends from my kids’ school to the back.”

Ruckle couldn’t help but wonder: Why are so many Gen Z listeners falling for these offbeat songs about isolation and oblivion? “You could point to social media,” Ruckle writes. “‘You Are Invited,’ a magical realist parable about making peace with FOMO, hits hard in the age of the Instagram story. But if you ask young listeners, you get an even more obvious explanation.”

To learn more about Gen Z’s draw to the Dismemberment Plan 25 years after the release of Emergency & I—and how Morrison feels about the band’s continued relevance—read the full article on our website.

—Sarah Marloff (tips? smarloff@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Four teens were arrested for an alleged armed carjacking on H Street NE. One of the suspects shot a man who attempted to stop the teens; the man was taken to the hospital and is expected to survive. In a separate incident, on Saturday, three young men attempted to steal Calico bartender Randy White’s car while he was stopped at the Sunoco on 9th Street NW. White fought off the three would-be carjackers, an incident that was captured on surveillance video. [WUSA9, WUSA9]
• Baltimore police are searching for John Callis, who has been identified as the man who attacked two people on Sunday after the Ravens defeated the Commanders. A video of Callis, wearing a Lamar Jackson jersey, attacking two men in Commanders gear, went viral. After Callis punched and kicked the victims, he turned to the camera, flexed his muscle, and yelled “I don’t lose!” [Post, TMZ]
• Seven embassies—of Belize, Greece, Paraguay, Portugal, Lesotho, Slovenia, and Indonesia—will be handing out treats for Halloween this year. [Washingtonian]

By City Paper Staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)

A New West End Homeless Shelter Remains in Limbo, As Legal Challenges and Construction Errors Pile Up

A new homeless shelter in the West End neighborhood still can’t open, due to construction issues and more legal trouble.

• A handful of write-in candidates are aiming to challenge federally indicted Ward 8 Councilmember Trayon White, as is Republican Nate Derenge. But “some people have checked out of the Ward 8 race,” organizers say, assuming White will win easily despite his bribery charges. [Informer]
• D.C. traffic cameras issued nearly 1 million tickets in a six-month period, according to new data provided to the D.C. Council. Maryland drivers accounted for roughly 40 percent of the infractions. [DC News Now]
• Pediatricians are partnering with D.C. schools to figure out why kids are missing class and prevent chronic absenteeism. [WTOP]

By Alex Koma (tips? akoma@washingtoncitypaper.com)

• Union Market is overflowing with breakfast and brunch options. [Washingtonian]
• Bar Americano, a new natural wine bar and pizza cafe, is opening on the National Mall today. [Axios]

By City Paper staff (tips? editor@washingtoncitypaper.com)