DC Music Review is intended to serve the music communities in and around the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia region.
Contributors
We have connected with some exceptionally talented people who together contribute and collaborate to our online publication. Each individual brings a unique and diverse set of skills that enable us to bring you world class music coverage.
This list represents the staff who contribute to DC Music Reviews success.
Photographer
Writer
Bob Adamek is a full time photographer working for Harrisonburg City Public Schools and the Forbes Center for the Performing Arts at James Madison University. He has been writing about and shooting music since 2006 and spends his summers covering music festivals and concerts from New Orleans to New Jersey. Bob also played bass in bands for 30 years and attended the Manhattan School of Music in the mid 1980’s.
We are exceptionally happy to have Bob contributing to DC Music Review.
See all of Bob's contributions here.
Writer
Annette Arceneaux is a journalist and music reporter based in Baltimore. She has always been a rock and roll fan, but her passion for music really stirred after she was forced to listen to Phish and then slowly grew to love them. Since then, the music scene has been her safe haven and getaway. She now combines her love of writing with her love of the scene to give back to the music community that gives her so much.
See all of Annette's contributions here.
Writer
Matthew Bowers is a lifelong music lover. You will find him at shows up and down the Eastern Seaboard and beyond. Matthew is originally from Arlington, VA but now makes his home in Baltimore, MD.
See all of Matty-Bo's contributions here.
Writer /Photo Contributor
Josh Brick is amongst the most prolific photographers in the Washington, DC area. On any given night, Josh can be found at literally any venue in and around the Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia landscape.
See all of Josh's contributions here.
Photo Contributor / Writer
Em Bryant, a Maryland native, found a home in the Baltimore music scene in 2022 after moving close to the city for college. She quickly found a love for bringing her camera to shows and the love blossomed into her own photography business. Outside of her photography business, Em has a degree in social work from UMBC and supports local bands through band management and touring support.
See all of Em's contributions here.
Photo Contributor / Writer
Sean Chagnon is one of the premier photographers of Southern Virginia.
When Sean isn't designing boats for the Navy during the week, he can be found near live music, a brewery, or with a board under his feet in the mountains or water. He is a life long resident of Hampton Roads, Virginia, who enjoys chasing the Milky Way and shooting long exposures as much as concerts and festivals.
See all of Sean's contributions here.
Writer / Photo Contributor
Brady Cooling can be found up and down the North East, camera in hand, at concert and festival pits near and far - big and small - all year long.
Brady is a proud DMV resident hailing from Frederick, MD and in between concerts lives in Ocean City, MD. You surely recognize Brady with his signature a smile as he roams music venues and catches some ocean waves in while not on the road capturing mind-blowing photographs.
See all of Brady's contributions here.
Writer / Photo Contributor
2024 International Correspondent based out of Copenhagen, Denmark
Jess Daninhirsch is a journalism student at the University of Maryland in College Park. Hailing from Pittsburgh, PA, she has loved photography since early middle school and has been finding ways to incorporate it into her future career. Jess has been a lifelong appreciator of music, and though she didn’t stick with the numerous instruments she played as a kid, she loves collecting vinyls and going to (and photographing) concerts of any kind. Ask her about her 80s playlist—it’s over 30 hours long!
We are very happy to have Jess on our team as we are excited to see this journalism major flourish in the DC music community.
See all of Jess's contributions here.
Writer / Editor / Photographer
Abbie Ginis has been a music junkie for as long as she can remember. Hailing from Michigan (Go Blue!), she is eager to continuously explore and be immersed the DMV music scene. When she's not at concerts, Abbie can be found at the movies or longingly ogling at puppies.
See all of Abbie's contributions here.
Writer / Editor
Nina Goodman is a music lover, dancer, artist, keyboardist, and an avid ukulele player. You may even see her up on stage performing with local DC bands. Above all, Nina is a fierce supporter of the Washington DC local music scene. Nina's talents are mostly behind the scenes where she maintains and curates our event calendar and conducts interviews with local artists. If there is music playing in the DMV, you can expect to see her attending or at least making sure that our audience knows about it.
See all of Nina's contributions here.
Founder / Photo Contributor / Writer
Jason Herman has been a music lover for his entire life. Some people see numbers in their head -Jason feels musical notes and rhythms at his core (because he cannot actually read music)!
A native of New York City, Jason in the past could be found at one of the countless music venues throughout the New York Metropolitan area at night, or in line for tickets at a Ticketmaster or box office (he once camped out for TWO DAYS at Radio City Music Hall to see The Who perform Tommy in 1989). The first concert he ever paid with his own money to attend was Ron Wood opening up for Chuck Berry at The Ritz in NYC's East Village in the 80s.
Jason now resides in his adopted hometown of Washington, DC, and you will probably find him at one of the city's many music venues on any given night.
See all of Jason's contributions here.
Photographer / Writer / Interviewer
Heidi Holloway is a distinctive force in the realm of music journalism - photography, interviews, and the written word. From the tender age of 8, Heidi's journey was set in motion when she cradled her first fiddle, igniting a lifelong passion for the enchanting world of melodies. Catch Heidi Holloway in the bustling pits of festivals across North Carolina, Virginia, and Tennessee, where her passion for music comes alive.
See all of Heidi's contributions here.
Photo Contributor / Writer
See all of Gary's contributions here.
Photographer / Writer
Taylor Lewis' lifelong love for live music began with his first concert, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers in 2008. Raised in a music-filled home, thanks to his guitar-loving father, Taylor also developed a passion for photography during college.
In 2022, he merged his two loves and ventured into live music photography, instantly falling in love with it.
See all of Taylor's contributions here.
Writer / Editor
Seth caught the bug of live music after seeing Elton John play the MCI Center at the age of 10 and has been frequenting DC"s concert venues since moving to our nation's capital in 2006. A dedicated fan of the jam band scene, Seth has logged countless miles attending upwards of 70 Phish shows, dozens of Umphrey's McGee shows, and trips to LOCKN' and Peach festivals. Also an activist, you're likely to spot Seth registering voters with Headcount at DC's local music venues.
See all of Seth's contributions here.
Writer
Nora is a D.C. area native and passionate concert taper. She has had a love of music since she was young and combines her love of music with capturing music for others to enjoy. When not attending shows she's a full time nanny and enjoys hiking, reading, and painting.
See all of Nora's contributions here.
Photo Contributor / Writer
Sophie Macaluso is a senior at American University, and is originally from Annapolis, Maryland. She has been photographing and reviewing shows since high school at DC's finest venues including the 9:30 Club, The Anthem, and more. Ask her about her dachshund puppy Cowboy, thrifting, the history of disco, DC's lack of good deli, or Maryland politics.
See all of Sophie's contributions here.
Artist Interviewer / Writer
Karin has been a live music junkie all her life, however is a fairly new fan in the world of jam bands and bluegrass. She grew up on hip hop, classic soul, motown and classic rock but has found a new home in the festival world and that is what, in part, had brought her to DC Music Review. Karin produces and hosts a weekly radio show in the area called Karin's Calendar, where she talks all about 'Where to be in the DMV'. She is very excited to be starting down a semi-new road with us and hopes to use her interview skills and write ups of shows to contribute even more to DC Music Review.
See all of Karin's contributions here.
Photo Contributor
Caitlin Moore is a professional photographer by trade and a passionate music junkie. Caitlin now combines her photography skills with her passion for music. Caitlin divides her time between her native Florence, South Carolina and the Washington DC area.
See all of Caitlin's contributions here.
Photo Contributor / Writer
Liz Pappas, more commonly known as Barley Moon, is a live music photographer living in Baltimore. When introduced to the wildly talented local music scene in 2022, she immediately grew a deep passion for promoting Baltimore bands. Since finding her passion for photography, she has joined media teams for festivals such as DelFest, Charm City Bluegrass, and Hot August Music Festival. While she loves knocking elbows in the pit, on any given night, you can find her making her local bands sparkle at Fed Hill's most popular venue, The 8x10.
We are exceptionally happy to have Liz collaborating with DC Music Review and expanding our coverage into Baltimore again.
See all of Liz's contributions here.
Photo Contributor
Nate Payne is a photographer, graphic designer and video creator based in Washington, D.C. Since 2015, Nate has been capturing photos and video at concerts, festivals and live events up and down the east coast. Having grown up in a musical household, Nate has always felt at home at musical venues whether it's backstage with the crew or down in the pit snapping photos. When he’s not swimming in pixels or attending shows, you can find him creating culinary treats at home or catching up on sci-fi films.
See all of Nate's contributions here.
Photographer / Writer
David Roberts has been covering live music in the DMV and Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Pennsylvania) area since the early 2000’s when he used to cover the scene for Music Monthly. From rock to blues, jam bands to metal, music has been an enjoyment for him since a very young age. It was an obvious blend of hobby and profession when he started taking his camera to shows. Although his interest is more on the photography side, writing is a unique challenge that enables him to share his experience of live music with others.
See all of Dave's contributions here.
Writer
Kimberly Shires is a native of the DC Metropolitan area. Kimberly is a freelance writer, music degree holder, road bike warrior, songwriter, corporate ladder climber, and a Subaru driving nature enthusiast.
See all of Kimberly's contributions here.
Photographer
Writer
Lexi Simcic is a photographer based out of Charlottesville, Virginia. Originally from Tampa, Florida, Lexi moved to Virginia in 2016 and has since been involved in the music scene. You can find her photographing mostly in the DMV area, but she loves to travel so you may catch her elsewhere!
Interns
Anna Mudd, a UNC tarheel, is still as passionate about music as she was the day she cried to her elementary school teacher about Johnny Cash dying. Though she still has a soft spot for bluegrass, Anna is mainly into Indie music. Despite being located in NC, Anna is excited to explore the DMV area as much as she can. When she isn’t listening to music, Anna is going to spin classes or hanging out with her friends.
DC Music Review is exceptionally happy to have Anna join our team for Summer 2019 as our first college intern.
See all of Anna's contributions here.
Guest Contributors
Shantel (Mitchell) Breen has been photographing shows for various blogs and publications in the DC/Baltimore area since 2008. Music has always been a big part of her life and she always admits to being a lover of music before being a photographer. Shantell has gone on to found These Subtle Sounds and we could not think of a better person to represent Baltimore, MD. On occasion Shantel will provide her phenominal photographs and reviews but at the moment she is working hard to better serve the artists and music lovers of Baltimore. See all of Shantel's contributions here.
Former Contributors
Inspirational Contributors
March 1990 - December 2016
Heartfelt Friend
Lover of Music
Lover of Washington DC &
Washington DC's Live Music Scene
Photo Credit: John Shore
Andrew McConnell passed away far to early and was an integral part of the DC live music scene. Although Andrew lived in his adopted home town of Washington DC for only 6 years, he brought such passion for music and cared so much about his friends & the bands. His passion for music was infectious and left an indelible mark on everyone he crossed paths with. To an extent this website was started with the thought of Andy in mind, keeping his passion and love for the music of this region alive. May our success be an honor to his legacy and memory. We miss him, his infectious music passion and friendship each and every day.