Sure, our nation's capital is known for being the political epicenter of American government, but to a music lover, there's a lot more to Washington, D.C. than meets the eye.
In the latest edition of the Recording Academy's music and travel digital series, On Location: Washington, D.C., host Dana Blair takes you deep into the city's rich music culture to talk with some of the market's major players, dive into it's unique history and look ahead at what's next.
Blair connects with Tom Goldfogle, President of Full Circle Entertainment, Inc., to learn more about how DC became the birthplace of Go-Go music, and Goldfogle chops it up with Go-Go's leading lady herself Michelle Blackwell, who delivers a bit of history about the movement. The pioneer shares her experience in the music industry as woman and what Go-Go means to the city (and vice versa).
"Go-Go is DC, and DC is Go-Go," Blackwell says. "It is how we carry ourselves, it's how we dress, it's our vernacular. It's a celebration. It's DC."
The Next stop is Som Records to talk to GRAMMY-nominated artist Kokayi about what make the DC music community tick. "DC will boo you," he says, pointing out how real the music scene is. "That's what I love about DC... If you come to DC, and you can make it in this music scene, or anything in arta and entertainment, you'll win."
Finally, for a special treat, Blair links up with Atlantic Records A&R and Highres Global founder Andre Hopson at DC's Entertainment & Sports Arena to talk about what's bubbling up next. Hopson dished some of the best places to hear new music in town, and also showed some love for local cultural activist collective Don't Mute DC.
Catch all this in more in the episode above, and stay tuned for more exclusive content on GRAMMY.com.
