Interested in expanding your music horizons? Head down to the Velvet Lounge on January 16th to check out my friends, the NC-based The Hot at Nights – a trifecta of talent that meshes the jazz freedom of the 50′s and 60′s, and the spunk of the 80′s.

This isn’t the band’s first appearance in DC. A couple of years ago, Chris Boerner, Matt Douglas and Nick Baglio performed at Bohemian Caverns before a sold-out crowd and sent the town into a tailspin.

They are now back with a new album, ¡Try This!, which represents the next degree of the band’s exploration. Incorporating more penetrative keyboard sounds, stacked and looped saxes and woodwinds, 8-string guitar solostran and sounds that rival the aggression of the Prevailing Westerlies, they have advanced the sound of an instrumental trio to a place where the listener can examine their complexity of rhythm.

Bonus: ¡Try This! released to rave reviews, making the top 30 on iTunes in the Jazz category on release day. Do us all a favor and don’t miss them!