Monday, August 31, 2009

Wednesday - The Subject is Mowers but not Your Lawn


Please come out to support Mike Ratel's on-going documentary project about lawn mower racing. Sounds bizarre? You betcha, and there's more to it than you think as you might recall from this blog's March 2009 post Now You've Got Somewhere to Mow! Plus you get to see Puptent and Olivia Mancini. It's this Wednesday, September 2 at 9 pm at The Red and the Black, 1212 H Street NE, upstairs.

Lyn2

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Slickee Boys Are Back in Town Just in Time

The old 9:30 Club used to advertise itself as "a place in time." Now it's a place that exists only in our minds. The long dark hall- the three seats by the back bar door- the tiny cubicle where Susan Mumford was usually posted to sell tickets. The front and back bars where Stewart Schmalbach could be counted on to hold down one end or the other. All gone. Only the facade of the Atlantic Building remains there now.

You can't go back to the old 9:30, but you can see The Slickee Boys again- alive and very much still kicking THIS FRIDAY night at THE BLACK CAT- another cool old DC bar with history.

Friday, August 28, 2009

Memo from Mark Noone


Rock guitar legend, cool older guy, and king of the surf guitar, Dick Dale will be at Middle C Music (4530 Wisconsin Ave) on Saturday August 29 from 12 - 1 p.m. to sign autographs.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

And now for something completely different...


This blog doesn't usually cover DJ sets but there are some great folks spinning their art around here. This weekend at Wonderland Ballroom (11th and Kenyon NW) you can catch the cosmic grooves of FunkDC. These guys have introduced me to sounds that have made my life better. Go get some too on Friday and/or Saturday. Upstairs.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Look What the Pres is Reading!


#1 on the President's vacation reading list is The Way Home by local writer George Pelecanos!!! How cool because he's one of our finest Metro area gifts to the world AND Mr. Obama did say he wanted to become a real resident of Washington. Good start. That and the half-smoke at Ben's.

Lyn2

Thursday, August 20, 2009

In DC It's the Go Go Way or the Highway


Check it out Chuck Brown Street!!!!!!!!
This Saturday at 4 p.m. Washington will officially recognize our one and only Godfather of Go-go at 7th and T by naming part of Seventh Street "Chuck Brown Way!" Mr. Brown will be on hand to meet and greet. What a great way to cool off this weekend-by basking in the coolness of this hometown hero.
And you can also see the Man himself Saturday night in concert at one of Washington's, yes, I will call it this-one of Washington's institutions THE ONE and ONLY 9:30 Club. A tradition. A time in place, a place in time. Go Go-go . Go!

Putting Out the Fire In Palisades

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

Serious Heat Means Sirius Rising



The dog days of summer traditionally refer to the hottest days of the year when Sirius the dog star rules the heavens, but in my mind I see a bunch of exhausted dogs lying prostrate on porches.
And in Washington, where the air is often deemed unfit for breathing, I feel for the canines and spend an inordinate amount of time hanging around the frozen food sections in grocery stores or any place with good air conditioning.
Still summer is a precious time so the writers here at DC ROCKS have come up with Summer Lists to remind us just why DC rocks, and why we still like living here even as the heat clamps down.

So far my favorite moment of the summer was waking up to the sound of rain Fourth of July weekend in a tent under a magnolia in St Michaels, Maryland about thirty feet from the water. It was one of the coolest holiday weekends I can remember, and "the rain" was just the rustling of leaves overhead. But any place in and around Washington where there is an abundance of water is a good place and that's not hard to find. Here are a few of the other places I like to go:

GEORGETOWN

My favorite summer activity used to be getting a sandwich from Harold's Deli on M, then taking it to the garden of the Old Stone House. The deli's gone, but the Stone House remains unchanged so find a picnic and try it. I also like to hang out in the church yard of Grace Episcopal down Wisconsin, almost to the river. A great place to sit and muse about things and only a stone's throw from the hullabaloo at Wisconsin and M.
Or have breakfast at an outdoor table at the original Booeymonger on Prospect Street. Again off the beaten path. Georgetown feels a little like Europe back there. And it's inches from Georgetown Cupcakes- a ridiculously wonderful confectionery.

Iota's back patio
. Pretty much a year round favorite though summer is the best. Many memories are piled up back there before, after and even during shows.

Dupont Circle One of the most beautiful spots in DC. Hit the Farmer's Market on Sunday and take something to eat over to the fountain. The bike messengers used to hang out there summer evenings.

Bishop's Garden of The National Cathedral I love the stone gazebo and the lawn. You can pretend you live here and are being benevolent towards the tourists.

Glen Echo I stuck my head in the Spanish Ballroom for the first time since it was restored last Saturday night and was stunned at how beautiful it is. While away a summer evening at a dance there or in the bumper car pavilion. Walk over to the old street car displayed out front and ponder how someone actually thought it would be a good idea to do away with that mode of transportation.

Maine Avenue Old time D.C. Fishmongers on floating barges. Total chaos on Friday evenings when everyone is down there buying anything from crabs to eels. Or you can stand right there at the docks and eat oysters on the half shell shucked moments before, now sitting pretty on a Styrofoam plate.



Lyn2's Favorite Summer Haunts:

Fletcher's Boat House - river dogs, water, people, my sister's picnic table. What more could you want?

Washington Harbor - It totally sucks on weekends, but that means it finally reached its intended purpose- which was to be a destination. I ran around the site from hole in the ground to grand opening because my sister Maude was a property manager for the project. Just west are the remains of an old building that had a ledge where I used to sit with a friend with our feet out over the water and drink sweet, white, German wine that cost $3.00 a bottle.

The Fox and Hounds or anywhere with outdoor tables. One place I mean to go more: Local 16 roof. One spot that is oddly comforting: Stetson's patio where you can watch the rat races up and down the walls; the AC isn't working inside anyway.

Fort Reno concerts - A 40 year tradition and fun for all ages and all types. Just sitting on a lawn chair or blanket on a summer evening watching a variety of music and chatting with friends is so pleasant you wonder why you don't do this every night. Unfortunately it's over for this year, but I got to go once this summer with my daughter Nicole, who is nearly 21. Ft. Reno is where I met her dad in 1979.

Eating lunch in McPherson Square, Franklin Square, Farragut Square or Lafayette Park. My Dad always liked eating in the park when he worked downtown, and his favorite lunch was a half smoke and a beer. Times have changed, but you can still have a coke with no hassle.

Rehoboth Beach -
To me Rehoboth has a bit of all the things a beach needs- yes, sand, surf a boardwalk etc., but also Planet X, Dogfish Head and other touches of class.

Thursday, August 13, 2009

Be Nice to Your Sister


Check out the fabulous Sister Ex at a new (to us) venue in Burtonsville this Friday night!

Friday, August 7, 2009

7 Door Sedan Goes For Virginia Inspection




"William McKinley died in 1901, but if he were alive today there is no doubt that he would go see 7DS on Sunday. No doubt."
-Ken Moss

Thursday, August 6, 2009

Nighthawks Rock


Washington is a complicated town unlike no other in America. We don't have Congressional representation, and yet this is where our Congress meets. We've got a heck of a lot of people coming and going every four years or so, but you if you live here long enough, you will find this is a surprisingly small burg where you will often bump into friends in a bar, on the bus or even at the beach.

And that's one of the best things about DC.

Another is that we have great bands like The Nighthawks who have been rocking for over 30 years now and are still going strong. (That's a lot of adminstrations- something like Carter to Obama.) The Nighthawks are playing this SATURDAY for ZERO cover at The Black Rock Center for the Arts up in Germantown. 7 p.m. A deal at half the price and a swell way to spend a summer evening.

NIGHTHAWKS- RIGHT BAND WRONG DATE

Sorry! The Nighthawks are playing this SATURDAY NIGHT- August 8th at Black Rock Arts Center-NOT Friday.

Monday, August 3, 2009

If You Like Guitars.....


Photo courtesy of JB and Surf Club Live & Phil's Guitar

.... you'll like Tuesday night's Guitar Trio Double Bill at the Velvet Lounge. It's an intriguing cast of DC guitar legends - 3 at a time in two separate bands though some of them overlap. Confused? Me too so I'm going to check it out. The line-up includes Private Language Argument (Chris Haskett, Jerry Busher and Ashish Vyas). These guys hail from many bands including Thievery Corporation, Fugazi, Rollins Band and the Black and Tan Fantasy Band that is rumored to have been totally hot at Black Cat the other night opening for Extra Golden. What will you hear tomorrow night? Come find out. Early show - 9 pm.

Lyn2