Travis Morrison is probably on the road right now, somewhere between Atlanta and Florida, getting ready to play yet another show in front of his, um, shall we say, devoted fans. For the past 10 years he was the front man for the much loved D.C. emo/power pop/punk quartet The Dismemberment Plan, but recently took the big leap and went solo. His debut album, travistan, is out in stores and avilable from Barsuk records. A homegrown rock n roll hero and something of a D.C. legand, Morrison is also a really nice guy and was kind enough to give us his perspective on his hometown.

VITALS
Name: Travis Morrison
Age: 31
Hometown: Alexandria, Va.
How long have you lived in Washington: All my life
Where do you currently live: Alexandria
Occupation: Musician

THE INTERVIEW
You just got back from the first leg of your tour. How did it go?
It was great! We're a new band and it was a really fresh experience, being on the road with these folks. They're great musicians and great folks.

How was it touring with Death Cab for Cutie?
Great, of course. Good friends, good band.

You've traveled through a good portion of the U.S. and the rest of the world actually, how does D.C. compare as a city?
Well, D.C. is a funny city. It's really southern and sleepy, and also really official and government-y. It's got a combination of things that you don't really find in any other city.

What's your favorite city to play a show in?
Oh, D.C.

Your old band was able to lend some hipster cache to a city not widely known for its musical scene. What do you think about that legacy?
Great! I mean, you just wanna rock your hometown, really, more than anything else.

How do you feel about the music scene in DC in general?
I like it because it's so odd. D.C. punk-rock has just kind of been doing its thing for all these years, and then there's go-go, the native variant of funk, which has also just been over in its corner, never really breaking nationally but always strong here. And bluegrass -- a lot of dudes come up from SW and Virginia and West Virginia to play. So it's really fantastic in that way.

What's the best/worst thing about the DC music scene, or lack thereof?
Well, what I said above, I suppose.

What local artist, besides yourself, do you want to plug?
Q And Not U, Food For Animals, Beauty Pill, Horses, Metropolitan, The
Cassettes...

If there was one thing you could improve about D.C. what would it be?
The fricking traffic!

Is there a major misconception that you think people outside of Washington, D.C., have about people from Washington, D.C.?
That it's this crazy offical political town. It isn't about politics. It's bureaucratic. It's a big difference. Politics is what goes down outside D.C.

It seems that for many people, especially young, hip, up-and-coming musicians like yourself, New York is the place to be. Are you
planning your escape to that Big Apple in the sky anytime soon?
No. I love it here.

Name one thing you hate about D.C., and one thing you love.
The traffic really does drive me crazy. One thing I LOVE about D.C., I'd say plentiful Ethiopian food.

You've got quite the devoted fan base. Do you have people come up to you in the street, begging for a lock of your hair? Has that ever happened in town?
Naw. My fans are reasonable.

Finally, some random questions about D.C.:
Metrorail line and/or bus line of choice ... or do you drive?
Yellow Line. I'm an Alexandria boy.
Are you a Washington Post reader or a Washington Times reader?
Post.
Favorite watering hole?
Black Cat Black Cat!

Interview by Hemal Jhaveri