July 12, 2006

Highly Fort-ified

Fort Reno Playlist

Vegas has Manilow, Memphis has Graceland, and D.C.’s got Fort Reno. So here’s a playlist of the best Fort Reno songs complied by Alec MacKaye (of The Untouchables, Ignition, Faith, and The Warmers) — along with obligatory enigmatic commentary. (Hey. If we were meant to actually understand rock musicians, they’d enunciate better.)

1. “The Brain That Refused to Die,” by The Slickee Boys
What the world needs now is brains. Let there be brains.

2. “Washingtron,” by Tru Fax & the Insaniacs
Get up. Go to work. Go home. Go to bed. Repeat. Good work! Good-bye.

3. “The Break,” by The Penetrators 
How much can we take? This smack has got to break! So be different for your own sake.

4. “I Hate You,” by the Untouchables
In order to properly establish and exalt that which you love, you should directly pronounce and denounce that which you hate.

5. “Pod Life,” by Insect Surfers
Uhhh. Fun, happy abandon? “Now I am a human bean.”

6. “Repeater,” by Fugazi
Business theory taken to predictable ends in an outlaw economy. Perhaps we should look at the laws again.

7. “Timorous Me,” by Ted Leo + Pharmacists
Elegy: a person, a place, a moment in a young person’s life, gone and never forgot.

8. “And the Washington Monument (Blinks Goodnight),” by Q and Not U
Pointy-hooded watcher, I feel so safe! Wink, wink.

9. “Flattop Vampire,” by Eyeball Skeleton 
Granpa Munster for city council. I don’t care how old he is!

10. “Sermon on the Metro,” by Head Roc 
Where do you get off?

Want more? ‘Course you do. Go see some shows (Monday and Thursday nights through August 17, 7:15-9:30 p.m.).

Fort Reno, 3950 Chesapeake Street NW, between Wisconsin and Nebraska Avenues (703-318-2197 or fortreno.com).