Live from Strathmore: It's Friday Night Eclectic
Mansion seeks younger audience with new concert series
Mention Strathmore and "cool" isn't the first word that comes to mind. The Mansion and Music Center present world-class talent on a regular basis, but they rarely target Montgomery County's under-30 crowd. Next weekend, that changes with the start of Friday Night Eclectic, a concert series filled with up- and-coming acts.
"We wanted to do a nightclub kind of thing that would really lend itself to music that we don't normally present here," says Mac Campbell, Strathmore's operations manager.
"We came up with an initial plan and presented it to our executive staff," Campbell recalls. "They ate it up. We were really surprised at how much support we got from our board."
Within the separate rooms of the Mansion, comfy couches give the venue a lounge feel. Campbell says the goal was to create an atmosphere somewhere between a club and a house party. The organization has teamed with Pabst Blue Ribbon, a partnership that may attract the mobs that typically populate shows at the Black Cat and Rock N Roll Hotel.
Hip is what they're aiming for, but Javor and Campbell want to stick close to Strathmore's tradition of diversity and musicianship.
"I think what we're all about as a nonprofit organization is really hitting up all the different kinds of music that are out there," says Campbell. "Just doing a bunch of rock bands doesn't describe Strathmore."
"They know the venue and they understand how it works," Javor says. "I think they set the right tone for what we're trying to do. They're very forward thinking, but they're also classically trained musicians."
Twin frontwomen Susan and Emily Hsu grew up singing together in Chicago, but pursued journalism rather than music at Northwestern University. The band came together in 2003 after the sisters moved east to pursue graduate degrees at Georgetown University. The full sound replaced their duo act, and they continued to concentrate on the combination of their voices.
"We've always been very focused on harmonies, just because we have the same voices," Susan says. "They're slightly different, and when you put them together, it's got an interesting tambour."
Seven years into their existence and with every member pushing 30, the band is a polished machine that remains focused on the Northeast.
"It would be cool if we could break free and get on the ‘Jimmy Kimmel Show,'" bassist Brett Niederman jokes.
They are not signed to a record label, which is just fine with Susan Hsu.
"I think we're happy being an independent organization," she says. "For most of these years, we've run as a self-sufficient unit."
The band's latest effort, "Memento Mori," is a departure from the candy-coated adventures of previous releases like 2006's "Jolly Roget Sessions." The songs, though still melodic, are more melancholy. The Hsu sisters wrote a few of the songs while visiting their father in the hospital. Currently, the album is only for sale online and at shows. They're happy with the finished product, and are celebrating its release at IOTA in Arlington as well as at Strathmore.
"I don't think this [album] is a career-defining change," Susan says. "It's nice because it captures a certain mood in our band's progression."
Recording and rehearsing has become quite the endeavor. Susan is the only member still living in the Washington area. The others live in New York.
"We used to be all one unit in D.C., practicing four or five times per week," Susan recalls. "Now I go to New York once a month for a really intense weekend practice."
Although the band has performed on the Strathmore grounds twice, they were a bit surprised by the emergence of Friday Night Eclectic.
"I think it's a great idea," says Susan. "I was just talking to my friend about our show at Strathmore, and his impression was ‘They don't really do bands like you guys.' He's never been there, either. It goes to show that it's really not a venue that people think of."
Like Exit Clov, many of the FNE acts have previous ties to Strathmore. Jaime Salazar of Gato & the Palenke Music Co. is an alumnus of the Artist in Residence program. Others, like Incwell, represent new territory. The rapper, born Craig Carozza-Caviness, is blazing a trail for hip-hop artists at the Mansion.
"I'm excited. It's pretty much an untapped venue for what we're doing," he says. "I'm honored and blessed. I'm just a little anxious to get it going."
As odd a fit as he may appear, Incwell is actually a natural transition into the genre. He was raised by his grandparents in Northeast D.C. and Silver Spring, and grew up listening to everyone from Prince to Steely Dan. That exposure led to an appreciation of live music. He regularly performs with his band, The FreeWord.
"I'm definitely one of those people who likes to be a showman," he says. "You can do anything with a band. I always go band over DJ. You have so much more swagger with a band."
Stylistically, the 25-year-old recalls socially-conscious emcees like Talib Kweli, but his greatest inspiration comes from an unlikely source.
"My flow's not like Eminem's in any anyway," says Incwell. "But he's one of those people that helped mold me as an artist. ‘The Eminem Show' — that album changed my life. It's OK to talk about yourself in not the best light."
Detroit's most infamous son is known for his graphic imagery and brutal language. Incwell avoids the four-letter words, opting instead for clever wordplay.
"I felt like it was a challenge not to cuss, and it's still a challenge." he says. "It's so easy to drop the f-bomb and the n-bomb. It's so challenging to not do it and still express yourself. And my grandmother is still very important to me. I want her to listen to anything I do."
Incwell now lives in Bethesda and is active in the community. For the past several years, he has coached youth basketball and volunteered at various organizations around town.
"It's really important to me," he observes. "It's just the way I grew up. I always go back to my grandmother. She's the type of person that when you come in her house, you know you're family. And in my years in community service and civic duty, I've realized how much kids look up to what [musicians] do."
No matter how hot the bands are, Mac Campbell knows that the team has their work cut out for them.
"I think a lot of young people are coming to Strathmore as it is," he says. "But I think there's such a capacity for more. Hopefully this will put us on the map as a place you can hear hip contemporary music."
Friday Night Eclectic kicks off with Exit Clov next Friday, Jan. 29, at 9 p.m. at the Mansion at Strathmore, 10701 Rockville Pike, North Bethesda. Incwell hits the Mansion stage on Feb. 19. Tickets to both shows are $10 in advance and $12 at the door. Call 301-581-5100 or visit www.Strathmore.org.
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