Washington, D.C.’s Own All-Judge Band Returns to the Stage
June 23, 2023
Eighteen years ago, a group of 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.
“We’d go to these conferences, [which] were away in the middle of nowhere, and there was nothing to do in the evening after dinner,” said Judge William Jackson, who sings and plays percussion. “Somebody sent out an email that basically said, ‘Anybody want to join a blues band?’”
The entry requirements were rigorous and strict, Jackson joked. Anybody who replied to the email was in. 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, requires hard work, preparation, and lots of practice.
Which new song will we hear? “You’ll be surprised,” Jackson said.
Over the years, they have played at children’s hospitals, veterans’ events, and just for fun for their friends and families, according to Canan. 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. It was in December. So, as more people are coming out and having functions, we were thinking, ‘Well, let’s do something to celebrate.’”
And there are many things to celebrate, he said, that didn’t get the recognition they deserved during the pandemic: birthdays, anniversaries, new jobs, and retirements. 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.
Asked about the band’s unusual name, Canan said it comes from an early practice session, where the judges discussed the name “The Indictments,” inspired in part by The Commitments, a 1991 film about an unlikely soul band.
“My children and my wife were watching us rehearse, and one by one they got bored and left the house,” Canan recalled. “My German Shepherd was on the rug. 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 “Deaf Dog and the Indictments” stuck.
Click here to purchase tickets to the band’s July 8 show.
