Eric Boucher is familiar with the seemingly endless complaints surrounding Washington DC’s music scene. As the founder of local webzine BigYawn.net, he’s heard them all: there aren’t enough venues; there aren’t enough good bands; touring bands don’t stop in the District enough; crowds are unreceptive to new music. “There’s a lot of complaints about [the DC music scene],” Boucher acknowledges. “But the only way to change that is to do something positive.”

Enter Boucher’s latest endeavor: the District’s Awake! Music Festival (DAM Fest). Modeled after some of the bigger indie music festivals like San Francisco’s Noise Pop Festival or the Pop Montreal Festival, the DAM Fest aims to expose DC residents to local, regional and national acts that they may have yet to hear, all the while injecting local musicians alongside their nationally recognized peers. “We want to try and have different stuff and mix out of town bands with locals,” Boucher explains. “There is a lot of good music out there that nobody ever hears. [The DAM Fest] is by DC music fans for DC music fans.”

Indeed, a look at the lineup reveals a wide range of talent and genres. From the larger name acts like DJ Spooky to indie-blog darlings Bishop Allen and Longwave to local favorites like Travis Morrison and Laura Burhenn, the DAM Fest has booked close to 40 acts to appear during its two-week time window. The vast majority of shows take place between October 26 and October 28 at four clubs in the city: DC9, the Red and the Black, the Velvet Lounge and the newly opened Rock and Roll Hotel. Three of these clubs are owned in part by Bryan Deily, who is also aiding in organizing the festival.

Boucher admits that he initially had bigger plans for the DAM Fest, with hopes of including larger venues such as the Black Cat or 9:30 Club. These plans didn’t pan out for this inaugural year, due in part to a lack of funding, limited time in planning and failed negotiations with the venues. But Boucher holds out hope for future installments. “We tried to bite off a bit more than we can handle,” Boucher explains. “With an added six months of planning, I really feel confident that we’ll be at the 9:30 Club next year.”

Undoubtedly, any new endeavor will invite fresh criticism about DC music alongside any praise that the DAM Fest gathers. It’s a fact that Boucher is prepared for, though a bit annoyed with. “I know full well there is going to be a backlash,” Boucher says. “But at least at the end of the day, the people who are working the festival are trying to do something different.