Born in Washington, DC in the mid 1970’s. Raised in the burbs. Lived everywhere locally. I started going to shows in the mid 1990’s. Way too many shows to count in the last 30 years. I’m not a musician. I don’t know music theory. However, I know what I like when I hear it – usually the noisier the better, guitars over keyboards. I’ve always been a compulsive listener and avid collector of music. I used to take some photos at shows for a while, but now I prefer to sit back and watch – sometimes I try to put the show experiences into words.

My favorite top ten records of the 1990’s:

Mogwai – Young Team
Lungfish – Pass and Stow
Rancid – And Out Come the Wolves
Fugazi – Red Medicine
Tom Petty – Wildflowers
The Cure – Wish 
Front 242 –Tyranny for You
Afghan Whigs – Black Love
Jawbreaker – 24 Hour Revenge Therapy
Pearl Jam – Vs. 

Shawn Breen is a writing contributor to our blog. He has a great knowledge of music, especially music from the 90’s. You can see his contributions to These Subtle Sounds here and enjoy some of his film photographs of bands from around D.C. below: