Peter Murray • May 6, 2015

Pop music can be fickle game for its many princesses. While Beyonce, Taylor Swift and Katy Perry have hit seemingly unreachable heights, others, including Lady GaGa and Rihanna, are trying to reinvent themselves in different genres (in RiRi’s case, by throwing an eclectic mix of songs at the wall and seeing what sticks, judging by early singles off her eighth album) to avoid the pop industry’s cannibalization of its stars, which seems to happen when every time an album produces only one hit. The original princesses of the modern era, Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera, still manage to cash in on their celebrity and land songs on the radio sporadically but haven’t had big hits in years. Meanwhile, upstarts like Charli XCX, Kiesza and Tinashe are chasing stardom by reviving old pop tropes, often to the extreme. Lorde and a few others are just making it up as they go.

That’s what Kesha, America’s favorite valley girl turned ratchet, did when she debuted as Ke$ha in 2010 with infectious dance-pop tracks on which she sang, rapped and shouted about drinking, dancing, hooking up and dicks (among other things) in a language that young people ready to party were attuned to.

The star’s world has been tumultuous of late; after rising to the top of pop with her valley girl gone ratchet routine in the early 2010s, Kesha went to rehab for an eating disorder, decided to ditch the dollar sign from her moniker and filed suits against her long-time collaborator and pop music phenom Lukasz Gottwald (the producer better known as Dr. Luke) of rape and emotional abuse.

Amid controversy, Kesha surfaced a few weeks ago at a Haim-led charity event in Los Angeles where she dressed down and performed a stripped version of “Your Love Is My Drug” with the increasingly prominent pop-rocker sisters.

Then, out of nowhere, Kesha announced she’d be playing at the Black Cat, a grungy 750-capacity venue she played years ago on her rapid ascent to stadium and pavilion stages. Fans eager to see a pop princess from the past in an intimate venue snapped up the tickets in minutes but nobody could explain why she was playing such a small show. Would she have new music to play? Would she unveil a new persona as an artist sans-Dr. Luke? Would the show be more acoustic and less electronic like her performance with Haim?

The answer to all of those questions turned out to be no. Kesha played an all-out, bombastic dance-pop show replete with beefy and glistening bare-chested male back-up dancers, sequin leotards (yeah, that’s multiple), thumping backing tracks, animal costumes, choreography, confetti cannons and the singer’s bouncing blown-out blonde mane. Sure there were a few things that one wouldn’t necessarily expect at the show, like Kesha doing pretty impressive acoustic covers of Chris Brown (“Loyal”) and Nick Jonas (“Jealous”) and drag queens taking over the stage for the encore. But even those moments demonstrated to the crowd, consisting mostly of white women and gay men no younger than 19 and no older than 30, that this was the same Kesha they partied to and fell in love with during high school and college, just on a smaller stage.

Not that the size of the stage was a bad thing. Fans relished in the fact that they made it to this intimate show, where they could take close up smartphone shots of a certified popstar, who would notice their elaborate outfits (their “stockings ripped all up the side,” if you will) and glittered eyes. Every member of the audience had a legitimate chance to get sprayed by beer coming out of Kesha’s mouth or catch a sweaty shirt or headband tossed off the stage by the songstress.

But there were moments, or rather songs, where Kesha didn’t completely command the small crowd. The volume at the Black Cat was lower than it typically is, and as Kesha worked her way through lesser hits and the aforementioned covers, dancing slowed, talking ramped up and phones starting popping out of pockets, for photos or maybe some pre-“Tik Tok” texting. It was a bit depressing; fans who were able to get hands on tickets through tight planning, radio contests or expensive resale ended up talking and using their phones during songs they weren’t 100 percent familiar with.

Despite some in the crowd’s inattention, Kesha put on a fabulous show. She had ferocity in her eyes and swagger in her demeanor as she danced, marched, jumped and bounded on stage, her voice sounding almost exactly how it does on her records.

She was a force to be reckoned with. And when she whipped out the big hits, everyone turned up and became an ardent fan, shouting every word while dancing madly, arms in the air feet off the ground. First came “We R Who Who We R” and “Blow” early in the set, then “Blah Blah Blah” led into the classic “Your Love Is My Drug.” The show culminated with “Tik Tok,” Kesha’s debut song, before she left the stage only to return with drag queens for “Die Young” and then “Timber” sans-Pitbull wearing a sequined American flag bandana. Kesha left the crowd sweaty, drunk and blown away.

Where Kesha is headed beyond a slew of secret one-off American club shows is unclear. But her show at the Black Cat exemplified that she’s still got the star power America fell in love with in the first place. If she wanted to, she could probably bank off of college nostalgia for a few more years before figuring out something else. More likely though, the show indicated the princess’ (valiant) return to the volatile world of pop music that chewed her up and spit her out. Now, she just needs a new hit.

Peter Murray • April 28, 2015

The Fuchs family’s 90-year-old Wagshal’s empire has a new crown jewel: Pitmasters Back Alley BBQ.

The new venture, housed in an alley alongside Wagshal’s sprawling base in the Spring Valley Shopping Center, is unassuming but noticeable; the reclaimed wood entrance – in shades of amber, maroon and mahogany – stands out from the white walls and loading docks, announcing to passersby that something good is afoot.

And it really is. The literal hole-in-the-wall, 900 square feet with a rustic, pig-centric aesthetic throughout, serves up amazing barbecue, possibly the best in the District.

The quality is no surprise given that Bill Fuchs and his son Brian have been supplying renowned barbecue pitmasters with prime cuts of meat for competitions for years. In ramping up their own barbecue restaurant, they even got a few pitmaster pals to contribute recipes and cooking techniques – the equivalent of state secrets in the barbecue world. (The Washington Post reported that the Fuchses make the cooks at Pitmasters sign nondisclosure agreements.)

Additionally, their experience with Wagshal’s Market and Wagshal’s Deli has lent the Fuchs a unique perspective on meat. Brian takes great pride in the product quality, emphasizing that his team is intimately involved in the process, from farm to table (fear before slaughter can completely “change the taste of the meat,” he says). In the case of the “Kobe” of pork, their Ibérico de Bellota Costilla ribs, that involvement requires international travel, to Spain.

The care put into the meat shows, or, rather, comes through on the palate. The St. Louis ribs don’t fall off the bones – Fuchs says they really shouldn’t – until you take a bite. They feel like butter in between the teeth, but with a scrumptious and savory flavor. The half-smoke, which blows others in D.C. out of the water, is crispy on the outside and tender, with umami flavor, on the inside. The garnishments (chili, fries, cheese and onions) are the cherry on top of a near-perfect package.

Most barbecue joints serve up more pulled pork than you can wag your tail at. At Pitmasters, Fuchs opts for chopped pork, saying that competitors’ pulled pork is often overcooked. The resulting Carolina chopped pork shoulder is succulent and robust, excellent-tasting on its own, without any barbecue sauce. (There isn’t anything on the menu that needs sauce, despite how good the Pitmasters sauce tastes.) Flavor also carries the day for Pitmasters’ smoky, marbled brisket, which practically melts in your mouth as you chew.

As for sides, let’s start with the power players: the burnt ends. The beef and pork burnt ends are delectable little blackened bites rolled in sauce. They crunch before giving way to soft, delicious, slow-cooked meat.

Chef Trini’s “Mother in Law” salsa-cum-slaw – made with pickled veggies, Caribbean flavor (thanks to green mango) and a spicy kick – impresses right off the bat. One would be hard-pressed to find a similar taste elsewhere in the District, let alone the world. The staple sides, like the collard greens and baked beans, distinguish themselves with meat – bacon, that is. The rest of the sides, including the mac ‘n’ cheese and loaded fries (nachos on steroids: covered with cheese, burnt ends and pickled jalapenos), are sure to be crowd-pleasers in all their gluttonous glory.

This review may tempt you to tear up to Pitmasters to get in on all of this hot-meat action. But hold back: the restaurant only offers barbecue to order. You have to call it in, and you can’t eat it there.

Fuchs savors conversation about how his team prepares orders so that they are fresh for customers. Despite the trend of extending smoke times up to 24 hours, the meats are smoked for just a few hours, which Fuchs says is all they need. The restaurant even provides reheating instructions, because, Fuchs says, “you don’t want to microwave ribs.” [gallery ids="102055,134558" nav="thumbs"]

Peter Murray • April 23, 2015

According to a new community survey conducted by the Palisades Citizens Association, local residents support upgrading the old Glen Echo Trolley, the 3.1-mile path that runs along Canal Road between Georgetown University and Galena Place.

The Glen Echo Trolley line ran from Georgetown proper to the Glen Echo Park but hasn’t been in service for 52 years. Now overgrown with grass, the area is popular for recreational activities like jogging and dog walking and is utilized by Pepco and the D.C. government for select purposes. However, there is a dearth of park infrastructure in the area and existing fences and drains have decayed to an unusable state.

In response to PCA’s poll, more than 60 percent of respondents expressed support for improving drainage, mowing and erosion control. About the same amount of respondents said that bikers should have access to the trail as long as speed controls are instituted.

Creating a new parking lot and installing benches with lighting were unpopular proposals, while respondents were split on whether or not a new surface should be laid down on the old trolley line.

After releasing the poll’s results, the PCA’s trails committee recommended unanimously that the D.C. Department of Transportation perform a “comprehensive feasibility study” to look into upgrading and reconnecting the trolley trail. DDOT says that trail improvements will come in the next few years. The full PCA will hold a meeting to uncover the survey’s findings on March 6 at the Palisades Recreation Center at 7:30 p.m.

The survey was conducted between mid-October and mid-January and included 806 community members from the Palisades, Foxhall Village and Georgetown.

Peter Murray •

District restaurants may boast menus featuring local, organic foods, but if you want the real thing, the freshest food out there, head to the source (or close to it) in Middleburg, Virginia. Artisanal food is plentiful there and in nearby Upperville and The Plains, all about an hour from Washington, D.C. These small towns offer not only an abundance of country charm, but also a plethora of fresh foods in their quaint restaurants, inns, groceries and butcher shops.

Here are a few highlights of the artisanal and organic food offerings in the Middleburg area:

The Hunter’s Head Tavern

The Hunter’s Head is a must-see – and must-eat – attraction in Upperville. Originally built as a log cabin in 1750, this English pub-themed restaurant maintains all the charm and character of the 1700s in its ambience and décor, with original log-cabin walls, fireplaces, floors and mantels. While those are the most striking features when one enters, the food is the real selling point here.

The menu leans heavily toward English fare: meat pies and sausage dishes, sometimes with an American twist (sweet-potato biscuits with gravy, for instance). There are also a number of internationally-inspired dishes, including vegetable curry, whole-wheat pizza, risotto bites and stroganoff (topped with melt-in-your-mouth veal). The menu uses icons to tell patrons which items are made with organic and local ingredients, the large majority falling into one or both categories. The Hunter’s Head team prides itself on the local-ness of their food, even displaying a map of vendors by the restaurant’s entrance to show customers where their food is coming from.

The Hunter’s Head Tavern, 9048 John S. Mosby Hwy., Upperville. Monday through Sunday, 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. (opens 11 a.m. on Sunday for brunch). 540-592-9020

The Whole Ox

Housed in an old train station, the Whole Ox is owned and operated by Derek and Amanda Luhowiak, two impressively badass characters living their dream of butchering humanely-raised local meat. “We carry humanely raised, antibiotic and hormone free meat from our neighboring farms and various small distributors around the country,” the duo says on the company website. Their offerings include beef, lamb, chicken, turkey and a huge, ever-changing selection of sausage.

6364 Stuart St., The Plains. Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
540-253-5600

The Home Farm Store

The Home Farm Store, the outlet for meats and produce from nearby Ayrshire Farm, is becoming as much of an institution as the former bank that it occupies. Located in the heart of Middleburg, the store sells Certified Humane and Certified Organic pork, beef, veal, chicken and turkey. Larger orders for special occasions include succulent meats and delicious, inventive side dishes. The Home Farm Store also sells local wines, ciders, honeys, jams and fresh-baked goods, and sandwiches for lunch.

1 E. Washington St., Middleburg. Seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. (until 7 p.m. on Friday). 540-687-8882 [gallery ids="102024,134912" nav="thumbs"]

Peter Murray •

Peter Thiel, the multi-billionaire investor who founded PayPal and Palantir Technologies and played a key role in funding Facebook, SpaceX and LinkedIn, comes to Georgetown University on Tuesday, March 31, to deliver “Developing the Developed World,” as part of the Michael Jurist Memorial Lecture series.

The lecture is cosponsored by Georgetown Young Americans for Liberty, Georgetown Entrepreneurship Initiative, and online publication Venture Capitol and will touch upon Thiel’s philosophy regarding technology and innovation, the focus of his new book “Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build The Future.”

The event runs from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. in the ICC Auditorium and admission is free with a complimentary copy of “Zero to One” for the first 300 attendees. For any questions or concerns, contact Christopher Grillo at cfg32@georgetown.edu.

The Washington, D.C. office of Thiel’s company Palantir Technologies jumped from the suburbs to the city in January, when it moved from McLean to 1025 Thomas Jefferson St. in Georgetown between Baked & Wired and Washington Harbour.

Peter Murray •

Years & Years are rising fast in the pop world, with a slew of hits and the BBC’s coveted “Sound of 2015” poll under their belts. (Previous “Sound of” winners include Sam Smith, Haim and Ellie Goulding.) The band’s newfound fame owes much to Olly Alexander, Years & Years’ charismatic if a little too youthful frontman, who belts and soars over bandmates Mikey Goldsworthy and Emre Turkmen’s synthpop productions with emotive force and intensely intimate lyrics. While the band was in Austin winning over American crowds at South By Southwest, we had the chance to have a frank conversation over the phone with Alexander about growing up, past relationships and being a gay musician.

Georgetowner: When did you start singing? Were you into it as a kid?

Olly Alexander: My mom says I was always singing as a toddler. Just talking and screaming with this horrible voice she said. Then, as a teenager I always wanted to be a singer.

GT: Did you ever do musical theatre or anything?

OA: I did but never had a big part in it. I was a bit shy and weird. You’re allowed to be weird in drama group in school, which is why I enjoyed it. And then out of college, I mainly just did music.

GT: The story goes that Mikey heard you singing in the shower when you’d both slept over at a mutual friend’s after a party and then asked you to join the band. Was that all set up by you to get into the band?

OA: [Laughs] Yeah, it was like my audition. If you’re looking to make it into a band and maybe someone in it stayed overnight, I’d recommend doing that.

GT: It seems like all your songs are about dysfunctional relationships. Is that coming from personal experience or is that just how you think pop music should be?

OA: That comes from experience, you know. I just have had a lot of dysfunctional relationships, Peter. I’ve really gone from one to another to another. I’ve been stuck in a cycle of being addicted to rejection in some fucked up way and always choosing someone who is going to reject me. But, I’m in a less dysfunctional relationship now. I’d say it’s relatively functional.

GT: In “Memo”, you sing and write from a gay perspective about romance and heartbreak between two men.

OA: I’m definitely writing from that perspective. There’s a choice when you write a song with how you talk about someone else. I watched Joni Mitchell do this interview where she said songwriting became easier when she started writing about “you and me.”

GT: I would think that writing and singing about some other experience that isn’t your own would be hard.

OA: Yeah, that would suck. I wouldn’t know how to do it.

GT: So are you going to pull a Sam Smith and have a big interview to come out, or will you just let people listen to your songs to figure it out?

OA: This has only been a thing recently. I’ve done a few interviews and been like “I’m gay and I’m singing about my boyfriends.” I guess for a lot of people you need to say something before they’re really accepting of it.

GT: Do you think you being gay might disappoint the female fans fawning over you?

OA: There are a lot of gay artists with a lot of young female fans who love them just as much after they’ve come out.

GT: You guys have swag. What influences your style?

OA: Emre doesn’t care about what he wears; we have to dress him. Mikey is into dapper clothing and printed button-up shirts and like Alexander McQueen and fashion label stuff. I dress like I’m a teenager in the 90s or like a 90s west coast hip-hop rapper or something. We are each our own individual Spice Girl.

GT: [Laughs] You’re like retro Sporty Spice and Mikey is like Posh?

OA: Yeah, exactly. Mikey is absolutely posh.

GT: So what’s Emre?

OA: I don’t know what he is. Emre is more like Scary [Spice].

GT: [Laughs] Well that’s all I got. I enjoyed talking with you. Good luck at South By!

OA: Thanks Peter. Bye!

Years & Years play U Street Music Hall on Sunday, March 29. Their debut album “Communion” comes out on June 22 on Polydor Records.

This post originally appeared in [The Downtowner](http://downtownerdc.com/a-frank-conversation-with-years-years-frontman-olly-alexander/).

Peter Murray • April 13, 2015

EagleBank is best known in Georgetown as a local community bank, specializing in providing its customers with personal care. The bank is also well known for its involvement with D.C.’s booming restaurant scene, serving over 100 area restaurants including the Black Restaurant Group (behind BlackSalt), José Andrés’s growing ThinkFoodGroup empire and local Georgetown spots like the Peacock Café, J.Paul’s and Paulo’s.

After successfully tackling commercial and personal banking on a community level, to the tune of over $3 billion in loans in and around the District, EagleBank is looking to provide banking services to Washington’s most celebrated multi-billion-dollar industry: politics.

With the hiring of John Vogt as senior vice president and Joanne Parker as assistant vice president, EagleBank is pivoting to where the big money is in Washington, the political arena. As the 2016 election season heats up, EagleBank is looking to steal the business of super-regional banks like SunTrust and PNC and – even bigger – national fish like Bank of America and Wells Fargo, by taking a community-oriented approach to the commercial banking needs of D.C.’s trade associations, political committees, unions, lobbying firms and advocacy groups.

It all starts with Vogt, a 30-plus-year political and policy veteran who worked as an operative on the Hill, at the Treasury Department under President George H. W. Bush and as the head of the Washington office of the now-defunct Bond Market Association. (The Bond Market Association was a part of the trade association merger that resulted in the formation of the Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association or SIFMA.)

After bouncing between Tennessee, West Virginia and New Jersey growing up, Vogt visited Washington on a trip with other promising youths on a Hearst Foundation fellowship. The group met President Carter, Vice President Mondale and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall. Vogt was most impressed by a day spent shadowing Senator Howard Baker of Tennessee on the trip. He told the senator that he was applying to Georgetown University, to which Baker replied, “If you go there, why don’t you come and work for me?” Vogt ended up at Georgetown and that’s exactly what he did.

Years later, with a young family at home and Jack Abramoff in the news, Vogt made a career change, starting Chain Bridge Bank near home in Mclean. “A community bank is what I’m built for,” he says. He cherished life as a part of the McLean community, volunteering to coach his kids’ Little League teams, becoming treasurer of the McLean Community Foundation and teaching financial literacy and setting up a student-run bank at their school.

Vogt was having fun, but started itching for a new challenge. Upgrading his credentials at Barclays, where he got licensed and registered as a broker-dealer and investment advisor, he found himself missing the “people-ness” of community banking. His office at Barclays was housed in the same building as EagleBank Vice Chairman Bob Pincus’s office, and Pincus kept after him to meet. The subject: banking for the political sector, something Pincus had been intimately involved in during the 1980s and ’90s.

One conversation led to another. Vogt ended up joining EagleBank’s enterprise banking team in early 2015, along with Parker, who had previously worked as chief financial officer of the Republican Governors Association.

The freshly hired duo is in charge of bringing in business from the big money players in Washington, regardless of political affiliation. With inside knowledge of how political operations work, Vogt and Parker are hoping to bring EagleBank’s customized and personalized brand of commercial banking to D.C.’s countless political organizations.

Parker says, “We can go in anticipating what they [clients] might need off the bat and understanding where they’re coming from with a lot of the things they’re asking for, and their wants and desires.” As for their political affiliations, Vogt says, “Bankers keep their mouths shut. We are a bank for organizations of all sizes and all entities.”

The work itself isn’t very sexy, but Vogt and Parker hope that their know-how, networks and experience make EagleBank a more attractive place for political organizations to bank. As campaigns ramp up for the coming elections, EagleBank is launching a campaign of its own: a bid to take business from the bigger banks, using its trademark tailored approach.

Peter Murray •

This weekend, the Georgetown Business Improvement District will widen sidewalks — between 29th and 31st Streets — on M Street by a whopping eight feet to accommodate increased foot traffic caused by tourism around the National Cherry Blossom Festival and parade. In addition, the Circulator bus will offer free northbound trips up Wisconsin Avenue NW from 30th and K streets, thanks to BID. Lastly, area drivers can receive discounted parking in Georgetown lots Saturday and Sunday if they buy online.

The sidewalk widening will be the first of its sort this year, though BID has widened walkways in Georgetown on three other occasions, the latest of which occurred when Georgetown University and George Washington University had overlapping parents’ weekends last fall. The business organization plans to extend sidewalks for coinciding Georgetown and GW graduations in May and for the Georgetown French Market later this month.

The widening is a key part of the Georgetown 2028 15-year action plan, which aims improve the business district by modernizing aspects of the historic neighborhood and upgrading how Washingtonians access it.

Peter Murray •

This week has brought a string of high-profile announcements on new businesses opening in Georgetown.

First came news that Kickstarter darling Crumbs & Whiskers leased space on O Street and obtained the necessary zoning approvals to open, clearing the remaining obstacles to opening. Owner Kanchan Singh told the DCist that the cat café is “solidly tracking towards a summer opening.” Crumbs & Whiskers will be the city’s first cat café.

Another more established start-up, online hipster glasses outlet Warby Parker, announced Thursday that the company signed a lease in Georgetown at 3225 M St. NW.

The announcement follows news that Warby Parker will open its first Washington, D.C., location in Shaw, at the Shay development on 8th and Florida Avenue. The Georgetown space used to house True Religion.

Lastly, casual French steakhouse and mussel bar Maxime opens today on M street. The concept comes from Moe and Joe Idrissi along with Ben Kirane of Thunder Burger and Bodega fame. The location formerly housed Rialto and, before that, was the spot for the legendary Guards Restaurant, which had its run from 1966 to 2012.

The menu prominently features steak frites and mussels in addition to a number French hors d’oeuvres including quiche, French onion soup, charcuterie with rustic bread, and a Belgian-inspired list of specialty beers and cocktails. Maxime is located at 2915 M St. and is open daily from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m.