by Caroline Dorey-Stein
If you aren’t following D. C. –based music blog “All Things Go” on Spotify, Twitter, or any other site, you’re doing it wrong. Formed by a group of four guys: Will Suter, Adrian Maseda, Stephen Vallimarescu and Zack Friendly back in 2010, ATG has expanded tremendously. They now have a record label called ATG Records, which mirroring Brightest Young Things, began promoting concerts and events in Gibson and U Street Music Hall in early 2012.
So what influenced ATG to create their label? Growing up, Suter states in an interview with The Washingtonian, “I think that traditional and that do-it-yourself work ethic have seeped into our subconscious and play a part in what we’re doing now.” The group grew up attending free concerts and listening to Dischord artists, and like Dischord, they were able to keep prices low for a while at a whopping $5 with their first concert. Their goal to promote local D.C. artists by charging a minimal fee was challenging, however. With so much talent coming from other areas of the country, ATG Record’s first seven-inch vinyl single “Alive” offered two minutes and 45 seconds of dance punk from Miami artist Nicky Blitz who is also well known for the smoke show hit “Summer Sinner.” Despite the first few acts not being from D.C. it was still enough to attract local musicians by holding events in the metro area.
“Vinyl isn’t a big moneymaker… to some extent this is a labor of love,” Maseda says. “We love the artists we put out, and if [the label] brings attention to All Things Go and all of the things we do, that can only help us grow.”
And that “labor of love” has struck the blog extreme success. In September, The All Things Go Fall Classic was able to score semilocal major artists such as Baltimore synthpop Future Islands headlining the event. In addition were Sun Club and the D.C. groups U.S. Royalty and Young Summer. Not to mention Tove Lo, HAERTS, and Panama Wedding. Prices may not have been $5 but an extra $40 doesn’t seem like a bad deal at all.
Don’t frequent the D.C. area? Check out allthingsgomusic.com for interviews with up and coming artists, playlists galore, funky remixes and great articles by exceptionally knowledgeable staff writers such as David Turner, D.C. resident, who hails from L.A.
I had the opportunity to speak with David and ask him what particularly distinguishes ATG from other music blogs: “Reading All Things Go is looking into a musical kaleidoscope that offers new, distinct artists all across the spectrum” he states. David has had the opportunity to interview Blake Mills, who co-founded Simon Dawes, which has since shortened its name to Dawes. His solo albums Break Mirrors and Heigh Ho have been successes. But the major reason you must follow the D.C. based blog is, as David points out, “its direct connection to artists and the editors’ and writers’ ability to find exciting acts before they’ve attained mainstream popularity.”
So do yourself a favor and treat yourself to allthingsgomusic.com this week.
Senior Caroline Dorey-Stein is a staff writer. Her email is cdoreyst@fandm.edu.