dc space...back in the day

Count Four /photo by danny brown

Back in the day, 1977 to be exact, one of the scarier walks at night was between dc space and the old 9:30 Club. People may be leery of the new 9:30 Club's urban setting on V street, but back then there was nothing open and lit between 930 F Street and 7th and E. (except maybe those adult places on 9th) There was a truly scary pedestrian mall where the Portrait Gallery is, or you could skirt around that through a parking lot. But it was worth it. Once you got to either of those places, there was music and poetry and people interested in whatever was new inside. ( And sometimes a lunatic from the bus stop outside Space would reel through) Bill Warrell and his mother, Susan had a vision, and they made it happen- way back when DC was NOT the place to be anymore- "space was the place".

And now over 50 artists are gathering at the 9:30 Club to celebrate dc space and to donate their efforts to help their friend, Tom Terrell who is battling cancer. Tom T, King Pleasure-always upbeat on the radio. I would call him late at night just to hear him say hey.
His show "Cafe C'est What" was on WHFS, but he also deejayed at WPFW, space and the 9:30 club. He wrote music articles for The Unicorn Times and The City Paper and others. If you're lucky you might still catch him reviewing jazz for NPR on "All Things Considered."

So come on down to the 9:30 Club on Sunday. Doors open at 4. Dig up a twenty (for Tom) to get in.
It'll be a scene like no other...