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City Cast DC

Ashe Durban

Mosh Madness, D.C.’s premier music festival slash basketball tournament is back for its second iteration this spring. On April 11 in the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church’s gym, the DMV’s best and brightest bands will rock out — while teams, made up of D.C. musicians, showdown in a 3v3 basketball tournament below for the title of 

“The Best Band in the DMV (Who Decided to Sign Up For This Particular Basketball Tournament).”

And D.C.’s music scene is behind Mosh’s out of bounds concert: last year it was a smash hit. This year promises to be even bigger, doubling capacity and pulling sponsorships from 9:30 Club, Chuck Levin’s, and more.

On the surface, the festival breaks age-old jock-artist rivalry stereotypes. But according to organizers — Reid Williams and Ian Donaldson, both of the band 

 — the inspiration for the festival was way more utilitarian.

“We’re working musicians who play basketball a lot during the weekdays. And the only people we know that are also available are other musicians, basically. So we have a whole ‘musicians who ball’ community. And the soundtrack is often just our friends' music,” says Donaldson. 

It wasn’t just a love of music and basketball that spawned Mosh Madness. It was a desire to move past the scenes and social groups segmenting D.C.’s music scene.

“I love the fucking diversity here. But with genre, it’s easy for people to silo themselves,” Williams said. The Mosh Madness lineup this year reflects that diversity. In contrast to last year's festival, which leaned heavily on the city’s indie rock scene, this year features a tasting menu of D.C.’s musical palate. D.C. indie’s finest 

, an award winning Jazz-Go-Go band, rapper-sculptor 

But is it a basketball tournament? Or a music festival?

“It’s performance art, it's a bit campy. I would urge people to come for high quality music, not high quality basketball.” said Donaldson. Williams describes it as an IRL version of those brainrot videos where audio content is paired with subway surfer compilations, for the severely attention-impaired.

In that way, it’s an occasion born from the Gen-Z zeitgeist. But in other ways, it fits neatly into D.C.’s music history. All the proceeds will be donated to the 

, placing Mosh Madness in the long line of D.C.’s benefit festivals dating 

back to the 80s with music collectives like Positive Force

. They’re also not the first Washingtonians to use a basketball tournament as a vessel for change. Metroball famously promoted youth mentorship and community intervention in their annual 

At the heart of it, Williams and Donaldson just want to bring different parts of D.C. together for a good cause. “ I hope that they come away with the more philosophical take of ‘We're not so different you or I, music and basketball, they're all just fun things people like to do.’”

Mosh Madness tips off at 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, April 11 at Takoma Park Presbyterian Church. 

 (but add a donation on top!) and moving fast.

 | April 11 | $20 | Takoma Park Presbyterian Church

 (Techno) | April 17 | $9-25 | Transmission

Consumer Culture, XK Scenario, Miracle Blood

 and local underground legend Oddisee on this bright new single from their upcoming collab project “From Takoma With Love” out April 29.

, featuring the Mosh Madness lineup and other picks.

Let's Rock

Mosh Madness, D.C.’s premier music festival slash basketball tournament is back for its second iteration this spring. On April 11 the DMV’s best and brightest bands will rock out — while teams showdown in a 3v3 basketball tournament below.

DC’s Next Big Music Festival Is Also a Basketball Tournament

Mosh Madness: DC’s Next Big Music Festival Is Also a Basketball Tournament

What Washingtonians have been wondering. We break down why things in DC are the way they are and how they work.

DC, Explained

Wrapping up the past year of music in D.C. in a bow is damn near impossible. A lot changed. 

 continued to grow, and local YouTube music series 

 rivalled NPR’s Tiny Desk for the biggest live concert series in town. And the more I learn about D.C.’s music scene, the more there is to discover.

In fact, keeping up with all the music in the DMV is like that 

: Just when you think you’re hip, a couple of 20-something zine-makers put you on to the most amazing local band you’ve never heard of. (This

So what did we miss? A lot, according to Jordan and Audrey from 

, the DMV’s wackiest zine with their finger on the pulse of D.C. 's flourishing DIY music scene. I called Haus up to chat about their favorite music from 2025 and who we should be listening to.

 rightfully grabbed a lot of headlines for reviving the Rock and Roll Hotel, Haus also had their eye on venue 

, which held some of the year’s biggest shows on a geriatric horse farm in Boyds, Maryland.

Unorthodox venues were a fixture this year, and local artists trekked to the sticks to push the geographical boundaries of the scene. For this, look no further than 

January’s music festival/fundraiser/basketball tournament held in a church gym, of course. “Mosh Madness was a great way to start the year,” says Jordan. Similarly, indie venue 

 brought some of D.C.’s best all the way to skateparks and garages in Carroll County.

Here are some of Haus Magazine's favorite local songs and projects from 2025:

A Scoria is a dark volcanic rock filled with bubbles, and “In My Skin” somehow delivers on both darkness and bubbliness with its ominously catchy hook.

Riot grrrl punk is alive with Cherub Tree. This single is the only song they released this year but it’s enough to keep us hooked until their debut album drops in the near future.

WormWagon have coined their sound “wormcore.” And you know what? There is a grimey-wriggliness to their distorted rock sound.

Italian synth-pop out of D.C.? C’mon. This one earns its spot on the list for ingenuity alone, but the infinitely danceable, 80’s synth vibes certainly help.

FOAM put together five versions of the beautifully-ethereal track “Porcelain,” plus ender “Suffocated.” My fave is 

There’s a familiar yet fresh grunginess on this EP from the cutting intro “

“We’re Only Getting Older” - Mancala

Mancala’s debut album scratches a lot of Indie-Rock itches. Try out “

“Alaska’s Angels” - Alaska’s Angels

Alaska’s Angels came together as a band all the way out in Boyds, Maryland, but this nostalgic indie record shows why they made a splash in the DMV in 2025.

Benefit for Free DC - Birthday Girl, Mabel June

Glitterer, Aunt Katrina, B. Reichhardt/Tan White, Guttered

 (Punk) | Jan. 17 | $20 | St. Stephen’s Church

Big Xan is back with “Only Way Out,” a new 18-track album full of undeniable melodies over his trademark out-of-pocket lyrics. “Never Missing” is the peak of both.

, featuring Haus Magazine’s picks for 2025.

Listen Now

Everything you missed in the DMV music scene in 2025. 

Music That Defined the DMV in 2025 According to Haus Magazine

April + VISTA are not your usual D.C. band. Most local music fans can hear 

 and immediately identify the DMV flow, and every self-respecting Washingtonian should be able to clock Go-Go from a muffled subwoofer three blocks away. April + VISTA may be D.C. through and through, and proud of it, but to hear it, you’ve gotta dive deeper into the extended DMV musical universe.

April George and Matt Thompson went to Hampton University together, but met via Soundcloud DMs post-graduation in 2014. Thompson, like so many millennial-aged locals, grew up in the burgeoning early-’10s Maryland burbs rap scene. “I started making beats with my friend Sir EU. I could talk for days about running around the city and catching shows.” George’s story is very D.C. in its own right, moving here from Virginia post-grad and turning to music to offset the soul-suckery of 9 - 5 life.

A decade later, April + VISTA have turned these experiences into a sound completely their own. 2018’s 

 is equal parts scientifically-engineered and soulful, 2021’s 

-esque, and 2023’s collaboration with Little Dragon 

 showed they could hang with the big dawgs.

Throughout it all, their work strikes the rare balance every artist strives for: Unique and undeniably listenable, avant-garde but accessible, and pleasing to both the music snob and the casual listener. “At its root our music is still hip-hop but when we were growing up we listened to so much alt-rock, gospel, soul music, hardcore music, and screamo music. When we came together we realized we listened to the same kind of weird stuff,” says George. 

April + VISTA don’t fall into the trap of transgression for transgression's sake, rather a transgression inspired by their pursuit of synthesizing the array of musical influences they were exposed to in the DMV.

Thompson added, “We draw so much inspiration from our peers locally. Our biggest influences are our friends here.” One of those friends, Tony Kill, a comparably dissonant PG County prodigy, is featured on April + VISTA’s new single 

A stank face-inducing bass line leads “Bless My Heart,” as it often does in an April + VISTA concoction. But this time it’s dirtier, punkier, and complimented primarily by a drum kit. George’s verses bring a familiar haunting beauty, while Kill’s autotuned hook is simultaneously confounding and catchy. It reflects a fresh direction for April + VISTA’s debut full length, slated for early 2026. “We get bored really quickly with our sounds. We're always trying to challenge ourselves in different ways.”

When reflecting on April + VISTA’s journey thus far, Thompson said their success has been due in large part to their DMV upbringing, “The decisions to take risks and our absolute DIY-to-a-fault spirit comes from the scene we were born out of.”

It’s a distinctly D.C. story: If there’s not a venue, we’ll build it, if there’s not a scene, we’ll nurture it, and if there’s not a sound, we’ll find it.

 (Bluegrass) | Dec. 4 | Free | Quarry House

Girls on Toast, Ammonite, Hotel Sewing Kit

Genocide Pact w/ Deliriant Nerve, Backlash, and Seclusion

Hast de Feur Presents: THE RETURN ft. Underground Resistance and Hesh 

Boxer, Scenic Overlook, Dorinda, Jem Wilde

Max Levine Ensemble: 25th Anniversary Show

“Supa Cousteau” El Cousteau feat. A$AP Rocky

 — I’m late, but D.C. native El Cousteau’s new album is full of DMV shouts and easter eggs. This rock ‘n’ roll Rocky feature is just the icing on the cake.

 featuring April + VISTA plus their local picks and inspirations.

How April + Vista Made Their Own Washington, DC Sound

Approachable and Avant-Garde: How April + Vista Made Their Own DC Sound

City Cast DC podcast host and documentary lover Bridget Todd here 👋 The 

Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival

 returns to D.C. this weekend from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2, bringing four days of films to the District.

This year’s lineup is stacked: From one of my favorite filmmakers, Laura Poitras’s new film “CoverUp,” which dives into the career of Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh (known for exposing U.S. military abuses in Iraq), to “Canceled: The Paula Deen Story,” directed by Billy Corben, whose project “God Forbid: The Sex Scandal That Brought Down A Dynasty” became Hulu’s most-streamed documentary ever.

But for D.C. audiences, some films hit especially close to home. Here are three I am particularly excited for that speak directly to the city’s political pulse and social fabric.

‘Thank You for Allowing Me to Speak with You Today’

Let’s be honest, the only person D.C. might collectively despise more than Dan Snyder is Elon Musk. This film takes that shared frustration and gives it an imaginative twist.

After Musk took over at DOGE and thousands of D.C. residents lost their federal jobs, agencies quietly began scrubbing “forbidden” words from public websites and official documents. Director Kate Stonehill uses that moment of bureaucratic erasure to ask: “What happens when language itself is censored?”

Her answer is as provocative as it is uncanny. She feeds the banned words into ChatGPT, which then writes a speech performed by a deepfake Musk.

episode about Elon Musk’s disrespect of D.C.’s federal workforce

For Black women, D.C. remains one of the most dangerous places in the country to 

. “Listen to Me,” a new documentary directed by midwife Stephanie Etienne and Dr. Kanika Harris, the Executive Director of the National Association to Advance Black Birth in D.C, follows three Black women as they navigate pregnancy, childbirth, and the systemic racism embedded in American healthcare.

It’s an intimate, urgent look at what it means to demand dignity, safety, and voice in a city that too often denies all three.

episode about infant mortality in the District

One of President Trump’s first acts after returning to office in January was signing an executive order cutting off U.S. foreign aid. “Rovina’s Choice” traces the devastating ripple effects of that decision through the story of one woman fighting to save her daughter from starvation.

Rovina Naboi’s story shows how policy signed in D.C. can reverberate across the globe, hitting vulnerable communities hardest and undoing decades of progress in the fight against malnutrition.

how Trump’s first 100 days changed D.C.

The Double Exposure Investigative Film Festival returns to D.C. this weekend from Oct. 30 through Nov. 2, bringing four days of films to the District.

Guide To DC's Double Exposure Film Fest 

What To Watch At DC's Double Exposure Film Fest 

Tips and tricks for living your best DC life, by locals, for locals.

DC Life Hacks

The government shutdown means all the Smithsonian museums are closed, but there are plenty of other A-plus museums in D.C. you can visit instead. Unfortunately, not all of them are free, but many 

 doing free admission for federal workers during the shutdown.

$10/Adult, $7/Youth and Seniors, free for federal workers

Housed in the former Pension Bureau building, the architecture of the museum alone is worth the price of admission. Discover all things architecture and construction then make sure to stop by the Brick City LEGO exhibit.

$13/D.C. residents, free for federal workers

, this museum has become one of my favorites. It’s the perfect size, with creatively curated exhibits and plenty of space to rest and admire. The 

 “Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam” is a refreshing take on the artistic influences of the Low Countries in the 1600s.

This museum is packed full of interactive and immersive exhibits making it great for kids, or for feeding your childlike whimsy. Explore how language has evolved and how words and stories shape us.

$20/Adults, $10 federal workers, Free/18 and under

One of the most expensive museums in D.C. but worth the price. (It’s also free after 4 p.m. and every third Thursday!) Master works by Renoir and Picasso sit beside contemporary local artists and immersive exhibitions. We especially love the 

View Shakespeare’s first folios, try ancient printing methods, and grab a coffee from the stunning Quill & Crumb cafe in the Great Hall. They also have a cool garden filled with plants mentioned in Shakespeare’s works.

Opened in a repurposed public school, this contemporary art museum is built around the Rubell family’s private collection, but also features rotating exhibits. Basil Kincaid’s current exhibition here is a must-see. His master quilts explore identity, ancestry, and place.

A small but underrated museum located on George Washington’s campus includes global textiles and Washingtoniana. They have a great exhibit on responsible fashion and one exploring the history of D.C.’s transportation systems right now.

Technically a museum, the Mansion on O Street is more like paying to get trapped in your hoarder aunt's house. Hundreds of rooms connected by secret doors are stuffed with odd eccentricities. It’s not for everyone (and wasn’t for me) but if you’re a freak like that, don’t skip the legitimately terrifying Halloween room.

More Things To Do In DC This Week

The government shutdown means all the Smithsonian museums are closed, but there are plenty of other A-plus museums in D.C. you can visit instead. 

Washington DC’s Best Not–Smithsonian Museums 

DC’s Best Not–Smithsonian Museums 

Find the best of everything that DC has to offer.

DC’s Best

DC's Best

, rises from the ashes of the Rock and Roll Hotel this weekend, hoping to fan the flames of the city’s electronic and punk scenes. The pandemic killed some of D.C.’s most influential music venues: U Street Music Hall, 18th Street Lounge, Twins Jazz, and, importantly, Rock and Roll Hotel. Every D.C. music lover— from raver to hardcore kid — lost a home.

Enter 618, Transmission’s predecessor, where scene frontliners oro, Katii, Ellie, Kelli, and Kabir concocted some of D.C’s freakiest parties, raves, and mosh pits above the Chinatown Garden on H Street. When the opportunity to reanimate the corpse of the fabled Rock and Roll Hotel arose, the team jumped.

Transmission comes to life on Oct. 3 as a space curated by and for D.C.'s underground — from hardcore to techno. They open with a two-day, two-floor festival showcasing local legends like 

, and even international acts like Ecuadorian spinner 

 for what promises to be the birth of a new era of music in D.C.

Reviving the Rock and Roll Hotel is huge — what are y'all hoping to bring to D.C. with this new space?

 We’re focused on underground music across the board: hardcore, club, techno — all of us come from DIY backgrounds. We want to take the ethos of what we built at 618 and scale it up at Transmission. It puts the organizer and the artist first.

We want to pay homage to what the Rock and Roll Hotel was, but also expand and add components that have evolved since they closed. D.C.’s dance music scene has really grown since then and there are many burgeoning artists coming up who deserve a platform.

We used 618 to teach free DJ lessons. We want to keep doing that. We want the space to be open for our community to hone their craft.

 There's really three key pillars: excellence in the underground — platforming local artists and international artists who value creative integrity, community building — creating safe third spaces for marginalized communities, and service — being able to give back through fundraising events and nonprofit hosting.

The venue is on H Street NE, an area with so much history — How do you see yourself fitting into the neighborhood?

 Locals are excited. We can't walk out the door without someone being like, “Oh man! The Rock and Roll Hotel is coming back, I used to go there all the time!” H Street is such an overlooked corridor. They start projects here and then let them go. This is not a project where we want to let go.

 Without the hardcore scene and the dance scene organizers there is no Transmission. Some of those people are local to H Street. We are committed to making sure this is a space for the people who are already here.

What about D.C.'s music scene is exciting to you right now?

“No one’s moving to D.C. to get famous. Maybe that’s why the music is so good.”

 People here know they're not gonna make it big here. They're here because they love it. And that means that they're gonna make time to give back.

 D.C. is at this really interesting intersection. We get a lot of influence from New York sound, but also from Baltimore. So we have this crazy amalgamation of music that's somewhere between Baltimore club, Jersey club, and a lot of hard dance variants. It’s tough to even describe it as a genre.

Transmission’s opening weekend has a huge lineup with artists from 

 I'm excited for Entrañas on Oct. 3, they’re one of the strongest underground Latin dance music DJ’s I’ve seen. 

, a rap group of D.C. natives, who bring an unmatched energy to their sets. 

 is launching a series with us on Oct. 4 called “Sugar Rush” focusing largely on Black femme DJs at the top of their game.

 The sound programming in terms of the physical speakers has been curated with such audio-nerd audacity and care. Shout out to Beltway Audio Group.

 I’m excited for the unveiling of the murals. Some incredibly talented artists have come in and have taken the space from something a little dinky to something beautiful and community built. We’re also excited to find a place with such a large, outdoor patio where you'll be able to sit, make friends, and have fun.

What should people keep an eye out for? Anything that you want to tease?

 Lookout for a multi-day festival in mid-November, a couple of very legendary label showcases in December, a wild New Year's Eve party, and one of the biggest shows I've just ever been a part of mid-October which we'll be announcing soon.

Broadcast Zero: Transmission Grand Opening

 | Oct. 3 and 4 | $20+ (Use our link for 10% discount)| Transmission

Gus Englehorn / Mia and the Argonauts / Overtime ZZZ

 (Rock) | Oct. 9 | 7 p.m. | $10 - $20 | Rhizome

 | Oct. 11 | 10 p.m. | $15+ | Transmission

Doubt w/ Dry Socket, Sluggo, United by Choice

 (Hardcore) | Oct. 18 | 8 p.m. | $15 | Pie Shop

 (Cumbia) | Oct.18 | 10 p.m. | Free | Marx Cafe

Hausloween w/ Arid Bloom, Druid Stone, Scoria, and Worm Wagon

 (Rock) | Oct. 25 | 4 p.m. | $10 w/ costume | College Park

, in September. They all rip. This is my pick of the riffs.

, featuring Transmission’s picks and inspirations.

Your October Playlist

Transmission comes to life on Oct. 3 as a space curated by and for D.C.'s underground — from hardcore to techno. They open with a two-day, two-floor festival showcasing local legends like Spinrillo, Cherub Tree, and Les the DJ.

Meet Transmission, Washington DC's New Underground Music Venue

Meet DC’s Next Legendary Music Venue: Transmission

Argentina has Cumbia Villera, Panama has Cumbia Santeña — and now, D.C. has “ritmos nómadas,” or nomad rhythms, at least that’s what Bongo District calls it. A listener could be forgiven for calling it ska, reggae, punk, or cumbia, depending on the show, the band’s mood, or what day of the week it is. And as D.C.’s self-anointed “hardest working band,” there are a lot of chances to decide for yourself. In August, they averaged four shows a week.

“It's the rhythms that travel with you wherever you go. We are born nomads. We are always moving. And that always comes with change,” is how founding member Pedro ‘Dros’ Alfaro defines “ritmos nómadas.” After all, he and keyboardist Francisco Flores met decades ago in El Salvador. While life took them all over the Americas, the mystical, musical powers steaming off of the Anacostia river brought them back together in the DMV. Several years and four (official) band members later, Bongo District is spearheading D.C.'s bouncing cumbia scene.

It seems like there’s been more cumbia bands in the DMV — Bongo District, Cumbia Heights, Chicha Morada, to name a few. Is something bubbling here?

 It's crazy. Within the last three years things have started to bloom. When we were starting it was just us and Cumbia Heights. And I do feel like we have been a catalyst that pushed that to happen. I love that right here we have people from all over the world. As a Salvadoran, it’s a place where I think about pupusas and I can just get them right away.

Let’s talk about the songs on your EP. "Bongo Bong” is cumbia, “Reggaemusik” is reggae, the last song, “Gear Up,” starts as a punk song then goes into a cumbia rhythm. Did you plan it this way?

 When we started, I thought about all the rhythms and music I grew up with. My background comes from my parents blasting music every Saturday at 8:00 a.m. — “Everyone wake the fuck up!” you know?

This month, we're highlighting Bongo District, a local reggae-cumbia band with energy we can't get enough of. 

arts & entertainment

Mosh Madness: DC’s Next Big Music Festival Is Also a Basketball Tournament

Music That Defined the DMV in 2025 According to Haus Magazine

Approachable and Avant-Garde: How April + Vista Made Their Own DC Sound

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