Washington, D.C.’s Own All-Judge Band Returns to the Stage
June 23, 2023
18年前，一群D.C. Superior Court associate and magistrate judges formed a blues band on a whim for a judicial conference talent show. And in the nearly two decades since, they’ve continued to rock out on local stages.
“我们会去参加这些会议, [which] were away in the middle of nowhere, and there was nothing to do in the evening after dinner,法官威廉·杰克逊说, 谁唱打击乐. “Somebody sent out an email that basically said, ‘Anybody want to join a blues band?’”
The entry requirements were rigorous and strict, Jackson joked. 回复邮件的人都进来了. They started out with three songs in their repertoire, but it’s expanded over the years.
“Most people of a certain age will know all the songs we play — Motown, blues, rock ’n’ roll,” rhythm guitarist Judge Russell Canan said. “Ray Charles, Van Morrison, a lot of the classic songs.”
And they’ll be performing a new song — or rather a new old song — for the first time at their upcoming show on July 8 at the Pearl Street Warehouse, said Jackson. But even a small addition to their playlist, he said, 需要努力工作, preparation, 还有很多练习.
我们会听到哪首新歌? “你会大吃一惊的，”杰克逊说.
多年来, 他们曾在儿童医院演出, 退伍军人的事件, and just for fun for their friends and families, 据迦南说. They’ve even graced the stages of such venues as the Kennedy Center and the 9:30 Club. Their July performance is only their second on-stage appearance after a three-year COVID-19 hiatus.
“We had a short program for the Barristers, a club of civil lawyers,” Canan said. “We were encouraged after that; we thought we sounded good when we played. 那是在十二月. So, as more people are coming out and having functions, 我们在想, ‘Well, 我们来庆祝一下吧.’”
有很多事情值得庆祝, he said, that didn’t get the recognition they deserved during the pandemic: birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, 和退休. That’s what the band hopes to address at the upcoming performance.
“Rather than just celebrate one person or one event, we’re going to celebrate all the good things that have happened over the last couple years,” said Canan.
当被问及乐队不同寻常的名字时, Canan said it comes from an early practice session, where the judges discussed the name “The Indictments,部分受到《澳门赌场官网》的启发, 一部1991年的电影，讲述了一个不太可能的灵魂乐队.
“My children and my wife were watching us rehearse, and one by one they got bored and left the house,迦南回忆道. “我的德国牧羊犬在地毯上. Someone said, ‘At least your dog likes us,’ and I said, ‘I’m sure she does, but she’s deaf as can be.’”
And so “聋狗和起诉书” stuck.
Click here to purchase tickets to the band’s July 8 show.
