As a Cali girl living on the East Coast, there’s one thing I’ve learned: DC is a small town. You WILL run into that scumbag loser you went on one date with back in 2000 who spilled red wine down the front of your favorite white silk D&G cocktail dress as he leaned over to try and paw you with his sweaty meat hooks.

You WILL run into that girl you almost got into a fight with at the club because her man was trying to holla at you while she was in the bathroom—you’ll run into her AND her man at the grocery store, in the cereal aisle while you are wearing some ratty sweatpants and looking a hot mess. [Sigh]. Yes my friends, sometimes DC can feel like an extremely small town. You will most definitely run into people you hoped you would never see again. But there is an upside!

Feeling like you’re in a small town is absolutely wonderful when it comes to the DMV music scene. Last Thursday, July 30, I had the privilege of attending a little known, but up-and-coming musical showcase held at the Vegas Lounge on 14 and P dubbed Washington, DC Unplugged. There, I was pleasantly surprised to see one of the most talented lead guitars in the city playing with the house band.

As soon as I saw Stan Thompson on the stage, I knew I was in for a real treat. Stan is one of the top lead guitarists in the DMV and plays for at least three local bands. I mentioned to him what a small world it is in the DMV and I think he said it best when he said “Everyone feeds off each other. [The DMV music scene] is a small scene, with very few levels in between, but there’s a sense of community. Everyone has big ambitions of getting out, but a lot of us are just happy playing music.” I couldn’t have said it better and it’s that feeling of love for the music and performance that completely captured the audience at DC Unplugged.

The show is produced by a local group called The Board Administration, and their goal is to hold DC Unplugged throughout the year on the 2nd and 4th Thursday of the month. The artist line-up included hip-hop artist XO, R&B singer Tabria Dixon, and the R&B acoustic sound of Terrance Cuttingham. Co-founder of the event Legreg Harrison said that he wants the audience to “Be fair—listen to the music and listen to the stories. [DC Unplugged] is not all about the music, but it’s also about the emotion of the artist and the heart. There’s no other city like DC.”

It’s true that DC is a unique town with a great deal of cultural history that has strong roots reflecting the sociopolitical struggle for freedom. For the DMV underground artists, the city also presents unique challenges as well. These challenges are part of the reason that The Board Administration founded the DC Unplugged event. “Other cities and their local radio stations support the music coming from the region”, Harrison says, “but DC radio does very little to support the DMV music scene—so we have to do it live.”

The artist performances were notable for the quality of sound and emotional intensity of the lyrics. It was obvious to me that you are going to find a certain connection to what’s real coming out from the speakers at a DC Unplugged showcase. You could tell that these young artists are burning with passion for their music and ready to take over the world. I was especially impressed by the sultry voice of Tabria performing songs by Beyonce and Chrisette Michele, as well as an original song. Although her pitch and balance seemed untrained at times as is the case with a new artist, she had the magnetic stage presence, style, and the natural emotion and depth of a young Keyshia Cole. As her style and vocals mature, Tabria is gonna burst onto the scene as a true talent.