♪ Hey, everybody, I'm Felicia Curry, and welcome to "WETA Arts," the place to discover what's going on in the creative and performing arts in and around D.C.

When Washington, D.C., was founded in 1790, it had about 14,000 inhabitants.

Today, the Greater D.C. area has over 6 million people.

Although the city most people see in the news revolves around government and monuments, its residents live in and create a rich culture scene.

But as in any big city, it's challenging to make human connections, to find the communities we seek and crave.

Man: D.C. is kind of known as a political city, but there's still this huge population of artists that maybe in the national eye is just under the radar.

People need to express themselves and experience life balance through music.

Curry: Miles Ryan is on a mission to help artists find each other.

Miles: 7DrumCity is a community hub for music lessons, rehearsal rooms for bands and solo musicians, as well as a venue for local artists.

Curry: 7DrumCity started as 7DrumLessons.

Miles: Had a job working in solar energy, and I always loved music and drumming.

I was hanging out with friends, and one of them wanted to learn drums.

So he was like, "Can you please teach me?"

I'm like, "All right.

Fine."

Eventually, I accumulated 30 students.

I wanted to be able to say yes to more people.

Never really had a waiting list.

I'd just hire more teachers or build more spaces.

Man: Check.

Check.

Hey, Miles, are they miking the amps?

Miles: No.

The plan was to get the vocals from the PA, and then the rest of it is just ambient.

Miles, voice-over: Part of the nice thing about having a community is it attracts all these wonderful people to your space.

Woman: I'd been working with global activists, and music has always been sort of on the side of that.

One day, someone had a ticket to this '90s cover show.

I walked in, and I instantly knew, like, "Ooh, this is my thing.

These are my people," and it was Flashband.

Flashband is an opportunity for adult hobbyist musicians to sign up for a showcase.

Every show is different.

Every band is different.

They play in a meet-and-greet jam, form a one-time band, and play a rock show a month later.

Flashband is just a big experiment every time.

Miles: Neal Humphrey, founder of Flashband, reached out to me and asked if he could do a Flashband jam at 7Drum.

He came in and toured the space, and he was like, "This is perfect.

Oh, my gosh."

It was the perfect synergy.

♪ Emily: Everyone can just come on this way.

We'll do this all at one time... Emily, voice-over: In terms of serving the D.C. scene, D.C.'s rock living room is how I think of 7Drum.

Hi.

How's it going?

Good.

How are you?

Emily, voice-over: For all of the do-gooder workplaces that I've been, this one is really, like, where people show up with their whole heart.

Woman: You're here for Flashband?

Yeah, I am.

Cool.

You're gonna go and check in with Emily here.

Emily: Hi.

Emily, voice-over: This is my 22nd Flashband that I'm producing.

We have people from all walks of life-- private sector, teachers, government.

D.C. is just so cool for that.

Emily: So, folks, if you're here for Flashband, you can follow that hallway out to the back, and we'll be back in a little bit to start the pre-jam huddle.

Thank you.

♪ Emily, voice-over: There's nothing like Flashband in Chicago or Paris or anywhere.

And it really is the special sauce of having a community like D.C. but also a facility like 7DrumCity that enables Flashband to happen.

Curry, voice-over: On this Sunday, just a mile from the Capitol, 7DrumCity's backyard is crammed with 50 musicians, who have come from everywhere, from the farthest suburbs to just around the corner for the chance to rock and connect.

[Indistinct chatter] Emily: So great to have you all.

Welcome to Flashband!

[Cheering and applause] We are very excited to have you here today.

If you are a first-timer to Flashband, please raise your hand.

Welcome.

If you are a second-timer to Flashband?

Awesome.

How about 16 to 20 Flashbands?

Nice!

[Cheering] Very simply, how the jam works, for everyone who's new, We have three jam rotations.

They are each 45 minutes long.

You are pre-assigned to rooms, and you're going to be shuffling all around in that time.

And the point is to play, get to know each other, get to hear each other's music.

You're going to be making connections.

Man: Have fun.

Have fun!

[Laughs] Emily: Flashband is this multi-generational community.

Uh, first one is yellow.

Yeah.

Emily, voice-over: Lots of different experiences when it comes to music, but everyone is looking out for each other because that's the kind of community it is.

[Musicians tuning instruments] Man: I hope we can get everyone to start.

[Indistinct chatter] Different man: Like, Emily talked about it being, like, dating.

Like your job is not to show everyone else, like, how good you are and how you're better than them.

Right!

We've all been on a date where someone's doing that, and it's not pleasant.

♪ Singer, voice-over: They give you, like, four songs to kind of prepare for the day.

Because you have the four songs already planned, that makes it a lot easier.

You're not just like, "OK, what should we play?"

OK. All right.

Here we go.

Mm-hmm.

[Tap tap tap] ♪ I was just a skinny lad ♪ ♪ Never knew no good from bad... ♪ I mean, it's always a little nerve-wracking-- [Laughs] when you first get up.

♪ Nursery ♪ ♪ Left alone with big fat Fanny... ♪ Caitlin, voice-over: But then once I start singing and I'm getting in the groove of things, it just kind of flows naturally.

♪ Ooh, and you give it all you got ♪ ♪ Fat bottomed girls ♪ ♪ You make the rockin' world go 'round ♪ ♪ Let's try it, because I know that one a little bit more, and I don't really know "Valerie."

I guess I'm gonna have to learn it next time if someone else does it.

Um... Musician: Three of the 4 have, like, the time signature you'd never play as a violinist, like, ever.

[Laughter] Yeah.

You're adding the funk to it.

Musician: Yeah, yeah.

I just have to tell my fingers to move a whole other direction... Are we ready?

Let's go.

♪ So we're wrapping up our first jam rotation right now.

I'm giving everyone their five-minute warning, and then it's a big shuffle all around the studio, and they start it all over again.

♪ Last all night ♪ ♪ She was ♪ ♪ An American girl ♪ Singer: Really a pleasure jamming with you guys.

I had a blast.

So have fun in the rest of your rooms.

[Indistinct chatter] How was your first room?

Real good.

It was fun.

Yeah?

Saxophonist: Yeah.

Singer: Do we want to-- Could we start with Whitney Houston?

Musician: Can I look at your chords...?

I don't have ones for that.

Oh, damn.

OK.

I'm sorry.

No.

I got it.

Emily sent me the songs maybe three hours, four hours before.

So I was a last-minute addition.

[Indistinct conversation] Singer: It'll be good with keys.

Trevor: And so just went and just played not knowing the songs at all, really.

Singer: Everybody else ready?

All right.

♪ Trevor: It's cool having people who pretty much have, like, different music tastes to mine, but everybody is really very into doing this thing.

♪ With somebody who loves me ♪ All right.

Sorry.

I got real confused there for a second.

Something happened.

Bryce: Do we want to, like, just listen to the recording first as a refresher?

Yeah.

We can do that.

Trevor: It's a cool challenge, but if it was me, I'd be probably playing, like, really dark Black Sabbath, old Black Sabbath, like, pre-stadium tours and definitely pre-Dio, probably even pre-biting the head off the bat.

[Chuckles] Um, yeah, stuff like that.

Singer: ♪ I want to dance with somebody ♪ ♪ I want to feel the heat with somebody ♪ ♪ Yeah, I want to dance with somebody ♪ Emily: My job is making sure that they really feel comfortable because when you're in those jam rooms, it's a nervous excitement.

[Musician laughing] Musician: Anybody have songs that they think would be good for a jam, let me know.

Violinist: This is my third Flashband.

I don't play guitar.

I don't play, you know, the drums.

But I went up to Emily.

I was like, "Would it be OK if I just, you know, jammed with a violin?"

And she's like, "I don't see why not."

And so that was kind of the start of it all.

♪ Singer: ♪ Well, sometimes I go out by myself ♪ ♪ And I look across the water ♪ ♪ And I think of all the things ♪ ♪ What you're doing ♪ ♪ In my head, I paint a picture... ♪ Drummer, voice-over: I did my first Flashband two years ago.

This is my third one.

♪ Well, why don't you come on over, Valerie?

♪ Brian: I'm just in a place in my life where I realized I didn't have enough music, I wasn't playing enough.

So the best way I thought I could get back into it was through Flashband.

Singer: ♪ Why don't you come on over, Valerie?

♪ ♪ I did not know that song needed a violin, but...

Miles: So at 7DrumCity, we like to talk about this life cycle of a musician.

You go to a show.

"Wow!

That's so cool.

Like, I don't know how to do that."

You can take the lessons, meet other people through performance opportunities, and form your bands, and then rehearsal space, so you can practice and then perform.

I think we gotta wrap it up.

So thank you.

Curry, voice-over: Three jam sessions later, it's time for the musicians to form their bands.

Welcome back.

Welcome back.

♪ Emily: OK.

If I could get your attention, please.

OK, well, you made it.

Congrats.

[Musicians cheer] The way the band forming works is there's enough people here for eight bands, and each band is going to have one drummer, one bassist, one lead vocalist, two guitar players, and maybe you'll have a keys player, maybe you'll have a saxophone player, maybe you'll have a trombone player, any combination therein.

You might not know everyone who's in your group, but that's cool.

Everyone here is guaranteed to go home with a band.

Everyone here is guaranteed to have a good time.

Rock on.

Have fun.

[Indistinct conversations] Woman: Yeah, I got one, two... Man: All right.

I need your nametags.

We're making a pact, gentlemen.

[Indistinct conversation] Woman: Starting a-- Yeah, exactly.

You know... How is our recruiting going?

She's popular.

I know you're popular.

Everyone's like, "Please?"

The last time I did this, we did Cheap Trick, we did Jimmy Eat World.

Do you guys need a guitarist?

Yeah, yeah, we do.

Yeah, we do.

Emily: We got bands.

Everyone, congratulations.

[Musicians cheer and applaud] We are one big Flashband family for this next month.

Rock on.

Curry: For the very first time, introducing... My name is Caitlin Barbara Contri.

I am a dental hygienist.

My name is Brian Li from the Bay area.

I'm from Baltimore, work in the government, Evan Kalikow, and I play bass.

I'm a violinist.

I'm from the suburbs of Philadelphia.

I'm an architect.

I play bass trombone.

I'm a software engineer.

I play guitar.

Curry, voice-over: otherwise known as Death Club 7.

♪ Nate: We are Death Club 7.

And it was decided based on a series of increasingly shorter polls.

WhatsApp polls.

WhatsApp polls.

Evan: There was a British pop group called S Club 7 from the late nineties, and we just thought, S Club 7?

Death Club 7.

There are seven of us.

It was one of the only choices that we all unanimously agreed on.

♪ Curry, voice-over: While most members of Death Club 7 have been rehearsing with each other for just a few weeks, two of them have played together before.

This room is a little small.

Nathanael: We met in middle school.

I mean, it's hard to judge exactly when.

Yeah.

We just started taking classes together and have known each other ever since.

Yup, in eighth grade.

Yeah.

I played clarinet in middle school, but I didn't like that instrument that much, but I liked making music and playing music and playing with other people.

Well, I started playing trombone back in middle school band.

In UVA, I did the UVA Jazz band.

More classical and big band background than a rock situation.

I mean, this is the kind of energy that I want.

Trevor: Yeah.

That one.

And then when he's doing his licks, it's also kind of like... Evan, voice-over: We have practiced together as a group probably 6 or 7 times.

Trevor: You all ready?

Wake me up.

I don't know if I'm ready, but... Caitlin: I'm really not.

You're not ready?

Caitlin: No, I mean I am.

One way to get ready-- practice.

Get it, get it feeling good.

Yeah.

♪ Ooh ♪ It's cool how you go from nothing and then you just have four weeks, and then all of a sudden, you have, like, this whole set.

♪ Birds flying high ♪ ♪ You know how I feel ♪ ♪ Sun in the sky ♪ ♪ You know how I feel... ♪ Caitlin, voice-over: I love to sing.

It's like my favorite thing in the whole entire world.

[Laughs] And performing is just fun.

♪ A new day... ♪ ♪ Evan: The biggest struggles have really just been figuring out how to showcase all of us.

We're a 7-piece band with trombone and violin, and most of these songs don't have all of those elements.

♪ For me ♪ ♪ And I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Good ♪ [Indistinct chatter] OK, I need to just look at one of you guys 'cause you are both, like, trying to cue me in, so... Just keep playing it straight, and then you just hit louder with the crash.

Just hit louder.

Yep, yep, yep.

That's it.

Takes a lot to, like, learn to play well with someone.

Would it help, if I, instead of doing that, I did something like... [Plays 5 notes] That would--that would, Yeah.

Because that's mimicking, like, the horn, right?

Trevor, voice-over: We're trying to learn people's, like, nonverbal cues and learning their strengths, weaknesses, how they communicate their tells, stuff like that.

Nate: Oh, you mean to try to cue him in?

Yeah.

We all have such different focal points.

Trevor: It don't got to be exactly that, but it should be something there because that's, like, one of the key points of the song.

Melissa, voice-over: Trevor's, like, out here producing us.

And, like, the string part is, like... ♪ Oh.

Melissa, voice-over: Curtis is really good at being very technical, and Brian's just bringing the energy.

I think we got it.

I don't think we need to overthink it, is, yeah, what I'm hearing.

OK.

Altogether, I think we make a really great team.

And Evan's our manager.

[Chuckles] Whoo!

[Tap tap tap tap] ♪ Brian, voice-over: I really owe a lot of the fun in my life, honestly, to coming here and being in 7DrumCity.

I just like to play with people that I consider my friends, and these were all really cool people... ♪ so it really doesn't feel like a chore to come over here and rehearse for, you know, two hours at a time.

♪ Whoo!

Whoo-hoo!

Coo-coo-coo-coo.

It's more about just the camaraderie.

A lot of us are kind of in the same stage of life, so we're trying to hang on and maybe take this beyond what Flashband is, which is kind of what it's there for, is, like, meeting new musicians.

This is how we should feel, like, the week before.

You know, I don't feel stressed at all.

Like, we're going to go and rock it.

Evan: It's going to be fun.

Brian: Oh, yeah.

♪ Emily: We are at Pearl Street Warehouse at the Wharf, and we're getting ready to put on the Flashband Showcase.

♪ Emily, voice-over: 7DrumCity and Pearl Street, we handle what's called all the backline for a show, so we bring all of the drums and amps and all the things that the performers need.

♪ Yeah, 'cause I definitely need it on this side.

Emily, voice-over: The collaborative thing to pull off a showcase, there's going to be 60-plus people involved.

You're the best.

Emily, voice-over: So I'm just keeping tabs on all of it and getting ahead of any problems.

So you're gonna go check in with James.

You know the drill.

Thank you.

♪ All right.

Miles, voice-over: So what you're seeing today is the well-oiled machine that took years to build.

How y'all feeling?

Welcome!

You made it.

[Cheering] These doors are going to open in just a couple minutes, so we're going to get started at 8:00.

First band, you're going to gather at, like, 10 to 8:00.

The most important thing is just to remember to relax.

You are so prepared.

But otherwise, congratulations.

You made it.

Have so much fun.

[Cheering] ♪ Miles: Flashband, it's evolved a lot over the years.

It came from a DIY kind of, bring all the gear into a dive bar and throw a show, and now it's selling out shows every time.

We've got eight all-new Flashbands here.

I will go ahead and introduce our first band.

[Cheering] Please welcome the Doc Martyrs.

[Cheering] Singer: ♪ One time a thing occurred to me ♪ ♪ What's real and what's for sale... ♪ Curtis: Yeah, it's kind of a weird period.

We're playing sixth, so we just have to hang around.

Trevor: Being able to interact and hang out with my bandmates and stuff is cool, but I like to just go and do the thing, you know?

And that's the harder part for me, is just I'm not good at sitting around.

♪ Oh ♪ [Cheering and applause] [Violin tuning] Trevor: Evan, can I borrow your tuner when you're done?

Evan: Yeah.

Caitlin: Question about the glow sticks.

Where should we put them?

Do you have a pocket?

I don't have a pocket, but... Brian: We're just gonna go there and do our thing, you know?

It sounds good as hell in that room.

We all know it.

♪ Evan: Sounding real good.

Nathanael: I'm a little nervous, but I'm excited to be with friends, you know?

My band is, they're my friends now, so they are helping me to calm down and center a little bit.

Emily: Hey, y'all, sorry.

I didn't mean for you to wait here.

Curtis: Oh, I'm sorry... [Cheering] Let's go.

Break a leg.

[Cheering] [Indistinct chatter] ♪ Caitlin, voice-over: I get very nervous, so I feel, like, once I'm onstage, I feel much better.

[Chuckles] Host: All right.

Up next, the one, the only Death Club 7.

[Cheering] ♪ Birds flying high ♪ ♪ You know how I feel ♪ ♪ Sun in the sky ♪ ♪ You know how I feel ♪ ♪ Breeze driftin' on by ♪ ♪ You know how I feel ♪ ♪ It's a new dawn ♪ ♪ It's a new day ♪ ♪ It's a new life for me ♪ ♪ And I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Good ♪ Miles: Flashband just embodies all the values of 7DrumCity-- learning, rehearsing, and performing.

You grow when you're a little uncomfortable.

That's how you get better and more confident by doing things like this.

Caitlin: ♪ New dawn ♪ ♪ It's a new day ♪ ♪ It's a new life ♪ ♪ For me ♪ ♪ And I'm feeling ♪ ♪ Good ♪ [Cheering] How's everybody doing?

This is so much fun.

Emily: Flashband crowds are crazy.

It's full of musicians.

It's full of everyone's friends and family and coworkers.

We have so many Flashband veterans supporting their friends.

It's a lot of love.

♪ ♪ Another head hangs lowly ♪ ♪ Child is slowly taken ♪ ♪ And the violence caused such silence ♪ ♪ Who are we, mistaken?

♪ ♪ But you see, it's not me ♪ ♪ It's not my family ♪ ♪ In your head, in your head ♪ ♪ They are fighting ♪ ♪ With their tanks and their bombs ♪ ♪ And their bombs and their guns ♪ ♪ In your head, in your head ♪ ♪ They are crying ♪ ♪ In your head ♪ ♪ In your head ♪ ♪ Zombie ♪ ♪ Zombie ♪ ♪ Zombie-ie-ie ♪ ♪ What's in your head?

♪ ♪ In your head ♪ ♪ Zombie ♪ ♪ Zombie ♪ ♪ Zombie-ie-ie-ie ♪ ♪ Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh ♪ ♪ Hey, ah ah ah ♪ ♪ [Cheering] Thanks.

Host: Give it up for Death Club 7...

Thank you.

[Cheering] ♪ Man: She gets on the stage, she just lights up... She's always been, like, a shy little kid.

So when she's up there, she's like, a totally different person.

Yeah, it's incredible to watch.

Woman: He was so good.

This is the first time I got to see him actually play the trombone in front of people.

And the chemistry of the group is just, like, so good.

Evan: That was my first time performing for a big audience since college.

All my friends here have never seen me perform ever, so it was great to show them what that was all about.

Melissa: Some of my bandmates from the first Flashband showed up, and they're just, like, waving at me.

And I was like, "Oh, my gosh."

It was so exciting.

[Indistinct chatter] Brian: I would like to keep this going.

If everyone is not opposed to that, then let's do it, you know?

I would love to.

I would love to.

Yeah.

Yeah.

We've just got a really special thing here in D.C. Flashband is completely unique to us, and we know that, and we're so lucky for it.

I'm so lucky for it.

Great job, guys.

Y'all absolutely killed it.

A lot of fun.

Thank you.

It's just a total gift.

All: Death Club 7!

Curry: For information about 7DrumCity's classes, performances, and more, go to 7drumcity.com.

Thank you for watching "WETA Arts."

Be well, be creative, and rock on.

♪ Emily: Everyone who does Flashband knows that I'm also a musician.

And so I walked into a room, and I was just helping set some things up.

And Beau, who was at keys, was like, "Emily, hop on a mic.

Sing that harmony."

So I was just like, "Yeah, of course I will!"

♪ Oh, I want to dance with somebody ♪ ♪ I want to feel the heat with somebody ♪ Emily, voice-over: That's sort of the only loss to running it, is that I don't--it's harder to participate in it.

♪ With somebody who loves me ♪ ♪ ♪ Announcer: For more about the artists and institutions featured in this episode, go to weta.org/arts.