[Photo by Nick Thieneman]

A Few Of My Favorite Songs By DC Bands
By Ryan Patterson of Coliseum

As I write this, I have just turned 33 years old. At times I feel like I might have been born just six or seven years too late, because the time in music that has touched me most seems to be the the late ’80s, when bands from the first few waves of punk and hardcore started to expand their horizons musically and politically. While not entirely limited to bands from Washington, DC, many of the acts from that area—mostly on the Dischord Records label—are my favorites and have inspired me most, both as a musician and in my ethics and ideals.

I discovered punk and hardcore around 12 or 13 years old and dove in head first. Buying a Minor Threat cassette led me to tracking down everything I could get my hands on that carried the Dischord logo. The same went for other labels like SST, but Dischord seemed to have the highest quality and it was obvious they were documenting a community and a movement. Plus, you could order Dischord releases for cheap and they’d send you a catalog with a hand written note. It felt like I was a part of something. I would come to realize that I was—it was—something bigger than a label or a band or even a town. It was a way of approaching life and music and art and everything else…