BACKYARD LIVE! @ Sycamore & Oak - 10.29.26

11/12/26

Thursday, October 29, 2026 ( SE, Washington, DC) - After living in the DC/MD area going on 7 years, this evening I would experience my 1st Go Go — The legendary BACKYARD BAND (@backyardband)!

Sycamore & Oak (@sycamoreoak) was our host for the evening, accompanied by my wife, and her bestie, (who are both Go Go vets). I’d been to a couple performances and events there before, where Go Go is always played (and performed), but this night was totally different - This was an official, leave the kids at home type of evening!

For some background, I went to Temple University, and while there, was introduced to the culture through the many DC/MD natives I would befriend during my time there. But nothing can compare to actual experience. I was told that what I witnessed was a “tame Go Go” in comparison to the historic aesthetic that would describe a “Go Go”…lol.. What was missing? Some gun shots, some fist fights, and some scantily clad women, but two of those elements weren’t missed ..lmao!!!

I had a ball! The energy in the building reminded me of early Hip Hop shows, parties and mixtape culture in NYC— finally, I was able to find the comparison that made me understand the deeper meaning of the music, and why DC natives have such a strong love & support for their music & culture. In my opinion, it is rooted in the neighborhoods where these art forms & cultures orginated from. Like Hip Hop in NYC, even though it spread to other places, and was then influenced by the world, it’s about where it started. Especially when these neighborhoods and environments, mostly impoverished, had very little that they owned, prided themselves on being pioneers of these regional art forms, that out grew their surrounding boundaries, only to explore and inspire the world at large.

Thank you Backyard Band! Thank you Sycamore & Oak! And Thank you DC!

1Lov3✌🏽💛