It's been a hot minute since we've heard from Middle Distance Runner , but DC's finest are back with "Cherry Blossom Bop," an explosive rock 'n' roll ode to their hometown. Clocking in at just under two minutes, "Cherry Blossom Bop" is both a celebration of springtime in the District as well as a lamentation of "the arrival of hordes of blissfully oblivious tourists." In the band's words, the track is a "catchy and upbeat meditation on nativism, isolationism and horticulture." Couldn't have said it better ourselves. Grab a copy of the song below. MP3: [...]
Today's download is a World Cafe performance of "Middle Distance Runner" by Sea Wolf. The band performed it during a World Cafe session it did in September, 2012; listen to the full session here. This month (and this month only) World Cafe is offering free downloads of performances from bands including Calexico, Lord Huron, the ... Continue reading

Walking into Lincoln Hall is a little intimidating. The restaurant/bar portion is always very noisy with lots of people. I got to the Sea Wolf show about fifteen minutes early, and the stage area was completely empty, which is equally as intimidating. Luckily, by the time the show actually started the place had filled up pretty well. But I was fortunate enough to be right up close near the stage. And the nice thing about shows like this is you don’t have to worry about being pushed or knocked down. You can actually listen to and enjoy the [...]
Last week IRC presented the first springtime mix for 2011 (see 2010 and 2009) as part of the weekly Sunday 25 Mix. As we indicated then, there will be at least one, perhaps, two more springtime mixes, including today's mix, before it's time to unleash a new set of summer-themed playlist mixes. We doubt though [...] Read more, get songs or stream the entire mix on Indie Rock Cafe

Radio On The TV highlights music from some of our favorite current tv shows (guilty pleasures included). Please feel free to submit any shows with bangin' soundtracks that we may have missed. MP3: Young Man - "Up So Fast" MP3: Middle Distance Runner - "Man Of The People" [...]

A huge THANKS to everyone who came out to Rock N Roll Hotel last Friday to celebrate the release of The Dance Party's new album Touch and a re-launch of All Things Go. We promise the new site will be up very, very, very, very soon. In the meantime check out some pics that Jeff Martin was able to snag along with a download of DJ Chest Rockwell's set from the after party. A special thanks to WVAU , The Dance Party , Middle Distance Runner , The State Department [...]

We're super excited to be hosting two of our favorite bands at The Rock And Roll Hotel on Friday, October 1st. The Dance Party will be celebrating the release of their debut album, TOUCH, out via Hell Ya!/Atlantic Records on September 28th. They'll be joined by good friends Middle Distance Runner . Also, big things on the ATG horizon - keep a close eye on the website over the next few days. MP3: The Dance Party - "Sasha Don't Sleep" MP3: [...]
100Bands Poll: Choose A Band! If you are an avid concert goer like us, then you are familiar with those unfortunate times when two bands you want to see live are playing at different venues on the same day. In some cases it is an easy choice, but other times when you have an equal interest in both bands, it can be downright impossible to choose one. Riddled with indecision, I am asking you, dear reader, to take the matter into your own hands and [...]

Middle Distance Runner is an indie pop group hailing from the District of Columbia. The group was started in 1998 by Allan Chappelear, Erik Dean and Steve Kilroy. Over the next few years, members Jay Smith and Ian Glinka joined the group, thus completing their present day lineup of five. The band then went on to release their debut album “Plane in Flames” in 2006. [last.fm] 2009 saw the release of a brand new album, The Sun & Earth, which entered the world on October 20th of last year via Engine Room [...]

Part of Copywrite's upcoming album "The Life and Times of Peter Nelson" dropping this October. Download Copywrite ft. Middle Distance Runner "Forever And A Day" (Produced by RJD2) Free Download Link (mediafire) via MB: Copywrite ft. Middle Distance Runner "Forever And A Day" (Produced by RJD2) Read More about Hip Hop & Street Art at Flawless Hustle.

Copywrite's "Forever And A Day" is a leak off his upcoming album The Life and Times of Peter Nelson due out in October of 2010 DOWNLOAD| Copywrite (ft. Middle Distance Runner) - Forever And A Day (Produced by RJD2)

Copywrite "Forever And A Day" ft. Middle Distance Runner In the wake of so much loss, sometimes you can find enlightenment. Somewhere between frustration and remorse, Copywrite found the words to pen "Forever and A Day". Reflecting on the recent loss of his longtime friend and collaborator, Camu Tao, the words flowed from the page to the microphone. With a song this special, Copywrite turned to his other longtime collaborator RJD2, who like Camu and Copywrite was also a founding member of the group MHz. The haunting production matches [...]
Finally, my first post of the new decade. After my ski trip, I was backed up with work, and I've had a lot of photos to edit. And for the second year in a row, the task of making my lists sort of drained the free-form fun out of what I do here. I'm ready to start finding new music as well as posting about some older stuff that had a hand in me starting this blog in the first place. Truth be told, I wanted a little extra time to refine this list as it is quite [...]

I need to preface this post with four simple words. I HATE CHRISTMAS MUSIC Why do I hate it? Well, in recent years it has just become a platform for crappy pop stars to keep re-covering the same christmas songs over and over. I don't need to hear Carrie Underwood sing White Christmas, or Wynonna singing Silent Night, or any big shot artist covering a christmas classic to get me into the spirit. I think I should stop being such a grinch, and just let the [...]
Check out Part I (11-20) Part II of my Top 20 Albums of 2009 10. Justin Townes Earle - Midnight At The Movies Bloodshot, 3.3.2009 Justin Townes Earle 's second album cemented his star-studded name as star in his own right and won the top spot in the first ever [...]

photo courtesy of Cleveland Public Art Being a music blogger this time of year is always interesting because bands are always doing Christmas covers and originals. It is great pleasure in listening to people's interpretations or even their own idea of what a Christmas/Holiday song means to them. This year is no exception recently we found in our inbox these goodies to share with you 5. (mp3) Middle Distance Runner - "Holiday (Be Good To Me)" These guys from D.C. bring us a happy pop tune about all [...]
Here's our Holiday Hash Vol 2 for all of you hipsters out there who like to listen to bands with names that cause your parents to stare blankly when you first mention them, then repeat the band name slowly back at you before shaking their head and saying "how do they come up with something like that?" Mind you, this is only 12 of the 24 songs I have queued for this holiday genre, so keep checking
Here's an unranked group of some of the best music videos from 2009. I didn't scour the internet (or god-forbid watch MTV/CMT) for every video made this year. They are basically taken from those artists in my Top 20 Albums list (coming soon) that happened to make videos this year. These United States - Everything Touches Everything The Low Anthem - Charlie Darwin The Avett Brothers - Slight Figure of Speech Bombadil [...]

Middle Distance Runner are a band that have been on the periphery of my musical radar for some time now, but I've never taken the time to get to know them. I often come across blog posts about them, and they often seem to be placed next to artists I love, so I suspect I would really like them. Thankfully I came across their Christmas song, which apparently dates back a few years. Now I'm hooked. This is about as close to perfect as one can get for a song, let alone a Christmas [...]

photo: Adam Kissick Power pop is a genre that is deemed uncool by most music geeks. Reeking of commercialism and selling out to the Man, its players and fans are barely tolerared. Middle Distance Runner , a quintet from Washington, D.C., not a particularly cool city - have been soldiering regardless and yes, they sold out - to Harley Davidson. Their new album The Sun & Earth is brimming with self-confidence. And since there is not a clunker among the tracks they might land another [...]