LOVESICK LONER CAR WITH CHAMP De MARS and SCHMUCK

Lovesick Loner Car is the brainchild of DC Metro native, Chris Goodin – described to have a smooth indie-rock/shoegaze sound with hints of Kate Bush-like synth lead, Death Cab for Cutie’s warm keys, and a dash of Lord Huron. Goodin’s vividly honest and emotional storytelling blends beautifully with this mash-up of genres.

Goodin has made a name for himself in the DC Metro area the past 20 years, being a member of numerous groups (Cobbler, The War Within, Green Light at the End) as well as establishing himself on the production and engineering side with his degree from Blackbird Academy and experience under Grammy award-winning producer, Ryan Hewitt. With a catalog of over a dozen songs and ideas from the past few years, Goodin approached his best friend and fellow local musician, Josh Peterson, to start Lovesick Loner Car. Eric Stevens (Bass), Josh Bono (Guitar/Keys) and Kyle George (Drums) were recruited soon after.

Lovesick Loner Car is currently recording their first EP, Love & Loss, set to release in Spring of 2024. Their first two singles, The Past is a Ghost and Abandoned Buildings were debuted at the Baltimore Soundstage as they opened for Baltimore’s The Chief End.
https://lovesicklonercar.com/home
https://instagram.com/lovesicklonercar
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwlLytBWUrjYZbF_M7h0O7A

Champ de Mars, an indie rock band based in Alexandria, Virginia has released an ambitious, dark, and compelling third album titled Halloween Leaves. The band’s previous two releases, 2016’s Back From the West EP and 2019’s Rancho Seco Victory garnered positive critical reviews for weaving alternative guitar tunings with intelligent lyric writing to form an unique musical voice which pulled influences from REM, Wilco, Radiohead, Built to Spill, and Sonic Youth.

In his latest release, Champs’ songwriter David Bruns experiments with new layers of piano, full choirs, and hints of hip-hop rhythms to form dark sonic tapestries combined with compelling, introspective lyricism. The album primarily focuses on the story of a couple’s existence in different rooms of a house in suburbia during the pandemic. There’s allusions to wedding dresses in closets and desires to ‘have a baby,’ but also to relationship dysfunction, substance abuse, and reconciliation. The album’s centerpiece may be ‘Leaves in Winter’ which courageously confronts the societal taboo topic of miscarriage and the grief that couples often experience from it.

Halloween Leaves is slated for official release February 15th, 2024 and will be available on all major streaming platforms. The first single “Kids” features a video in partnership with German Artificial Intelligence art group The Thor Brothers, and is already on YouTube on the band’s YT channel.

Bruns began his musical career in Davis, California and fronted two main bands there, The Said and Bellstar. Both groups released two albums and performed heavily in the local music scene. Among some musician circles he rather notoriously ‘went homeless’ for half a year in 1996 to help save money to pay for the production of his first album, living for a time on the roof of a supermarket in Davis. He currently works at the Washington Post newspaper and is the author of a novel, The Silent Year.
https://champdemars.net/home
https://www.facebook.com/Champ-de-Mars
https://www.instagram.com/champ_de_mars_band/

Schmuck
DC’s future legends playing music for your good time, Schmuck is going to tear the floor down with punk sounds and happy smiles. Jake, Micah, Mike, and Dan go way back in the DC music scene, and recently blended their projects to make this new light-hearted endeavor. Taking inspiration from artists like Green Day, The Roots, Widespread Panic, and Hüsker Dü, just wait and see what their music will Hüsker Dü to you!
https://www.instagram.com/schmuckdc/