As XU Shots grows, expect more artists to join our publishing family.
John Fox
John Fox is the proprietor of Northen Virginia's DSIArchives/DSI Records since 1983, and is
a founding member and the guitarist for DC hardcore punk band United Mutation.
He has produced dozens of concert flyers, advertisements and record covers throughout
the 1980s and 90s for numerous DC punk bands and is still in the business of promoting
the Washington DC subculture.
Since the late 1970’s, Don Zientara has personally helped to create the robust alternative D.C.
music scene which continues to thrive to this day. Without Inner Ear Recording Studios, originally
located in his home basement, one has to wonder how bands such as Bad Brains, Minor Threat,
Black Market Baby, Scream, Dag Nasty, and countless other bands would have been heard. At a time
when Washington D.C. area recording studios were few in number, and very expensive to record,
Don offered a cheaper alternative to the emerging punk and hardcore bands of the 1970’s and 80’s;
giving bands and musicians a chance to record their cutting-edge style of music and expand
their fan base. As a direct result of Don Zientara’s influence, the Washington, D.C. punk scene
exploded into a world-wide phenomenon and created a legacy that continues to influence today’s music scene.
Thank you, Don.
The founder of XU Shots Publishing, Chris Henderson, began his artistic odyssey in 1987,
when as a senior in high school, he took a photography class because he had heard it was
an, “easy class with an easy grade”. Unbeknown to Chris, that photography class would unleash
a lifetime passion of capturing life’s more interesting moments. Whether spending 13 years
photographing some of Washington D.C.’s most influential punk/underground bands during
the late 80's and 90's, or promoting the beauty and allure of the Virginia wine industry
in the early 2000's, Chris likes to capture thought-provoking and stimulating images for society’s consumption.
Andy hosts the “Jams for Man” podcast about the Northern Virginia music scene of his teenage youth
during the 1980’s and 1990’s. “Jams for Man” follows the D.C hardcore scene from its roots following the first
wave of Washington, D.C. harDCore to the rise of independent labels throughout the area like Dischord, DSI,
and Torque Records. It delves through the alternative explosion and beyond into their influence on bands coming
up today. “Jams for Man” takes its name from a series of concerts in Keiler's hometown of Reston, Virginia, that
took place at the local community center and featured bands like AVAIL, L.D. Kids, and Transilience.
Those concerts benefited the homeless and gave the young bands a place to play other than garages and basements.
Keiler draws on his own experiences as a musician (he goes by AndyK) to tell the story of the Northern Virginia
suburban enclave that featured some of the most talented musicians of a generation during a unique place and time.
