Washington has a music scene, but it’s found in other cities

→T hao and the Get Down Stay Down’s new album is “We the Common.” The band performs March 20 at the Black Cat.

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Ben Thornewill

Singer and pianist, above center, of rock band Jukebox the Ghost

●Moved to Philadelphia in 2007.

“We took the name Jukebox the Ghost the year we were graduating from George Washington [University], and we left after we graduated. Part of it was testing out a new scene, part of it was that rent and livability was so expensive in D.C.

“So we migrated to Philadelphia and got a three-story house with a basement and a back yard for $1,200 a month. That kept our costs low, so we could afford to go out and make $100 a night on tour. And once it became financially feasible, we made the move to New York. We’re all in Brooklyn now.

“There is that culture in D.C. — it’s a transitional city. People come and people go. That was part of the narrative when we got there, and I don’t know if it’s a self-fulfilling prophecy or what.”

→Jukebox the Ghost performs March 16 at the 9:30 Club.

Jesse Tittsworth

Producer, DJ and co-owner of U Street Music Hall

●Moved to Los Angeles in 2012.

“I was just doing the most Cali thing ever: I was doing a conference call on the treadmill!

“Moving here was something I was thinking about before the club opened, so once U Hall got some strong legs, I started looking at neighborhoods. I wanted to see my career go in a certain direction, and there’s a meeting-of-the-minds sort of thing that’s going on out here. It’s almost an American Berlin. And there are opportunities that come with that. My booking agency is out here. My manager is out here. You’ll go out to dinner and maybe run into a vocalist or an A&R [a record-label talent scout].

“There are obvious reasons that people are moving here. The Skrillex thing is happening. The house music scene is bubbling. The major labels are all out here. But there’s also this peer pressure to be successful, and it can swallow your identity if you’re not careful. So I feel super, super, super happy to have U Hall as an excuse to fly back and forth.”

(Disclosure: Tittsworth is a friend of the author.)

→ Tittsworth performs March 2 at U Street Music Hall.

Alice Smith

R&B singer

●Moved to New York in 1995.

“I grew up on Capitol Hill, and I remember that we had really good radio in D.C. When I write music, in my mind, I still hear go-go beats.

“I left for New York at 16 to go to school, and at the end I started singing backups. Then I started writing songs and met someone who wanted to manage me. At my second show, somebody tried to sign me. I guess that wouldn’t have happened in D.C.

“I came home after college for about two months but had to leave. . . . Artistic people need space and freedom. And I love D.C. — I’m not putting it down. That’s just how I felt growing up. If you’re different, you know you’re different. You don’t need to be told.”

→ Alice Smith’s album “She” is out March 19. She performs April 4 at the 9:30 Club.

Christian “Billy Jeans” Blunda

Singer and guitarist of punk band Mean Jeans

●Moved to Portland, Ore., in 2007.