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Meet the ‘DMV Roving Sketcher’: A courtroom-esque sketch artist for local musicians

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Armed with a bag of assorted colored pencils, a notebook and a discerning eye, Galen Summers has become a mainstay at local music gigs and known by many artists in the D.C. scene.

Known online as the “DMV Roving Sketcher,” Summers estimates he’s been to hundreds of shows and sketched thousands of musicians on stage.

Summers’ unique artistic flair and style, which almost looks like a variation of a courtroom sketch, has garnered him local fame that gives him an aura every time he enters a venue.

In today’s episode of “Matt About Town,” WTOP’s Matt Kaufax decided to drop in on a “session” of Summers’ where he sketched D.C.-based band Argo and Violet Queens during a recent performance at Comet Ping Pong in Northwest.

Watch Summers’ process unfold amid the live music chaos, which Matt documented in real time, from the opening notes of the set to finished drawings!

Hear “Matt About Town” first every Tuesday and Thursday on 103.5 FM!

If you have a story idea you’d like Matt to cover, email him, or chat with him on Instagram and TikTok.

Check out all “Matt About Town” episodes here!

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