In Between Time

This is a weird week- these lame duck days between Christmas and the next thing. Traffic is sparse. You can drive around relatively unmolested by commuters and park in Adam's Morgan without taking a taxi. (Where is everyone? Are you all still in the malls returning things?) The news is all about looking backwards- the year in review- the best and the worst of everything- none of which is news.

New Year's Eve has never been a favorite of mine- maybe because I never had anywhere to go. Our idea of excitement was to pick up the phone and dial up the time continuously from about 11:45 on, then at midnight, run outside and bang pots and pans together. "At the tone the time will be..."

You get the idea.

Then when I was older there were suddenly too many places to be, and all kinds of confusion about where the most righteous place was to land when the clock struck twelve. I soon realized that was all just a goose chase on a hamster wheel.

But if you are looking for somewhere to be without a lot of running around, there's a great New Year's Eve party going on via the Knights of Columbus, and it's got a DC Rocks kind of price tag: $45 for all you can drink (what?) appetizers, a champagne toast, and a full breakfast at mid night thirty. Oh and a band. A big band- the ever raucous eight piece King Soul will be playing all night and then some. Find all this under one roof at the Rock Creek Mansion on Cedar Lane  in Bethesda.

And by the way in case you do feel like staying home and calling the time- you're going to have to call a friend instead. As of last Spring, dialing up the time became another lost thing of the past.

New Space for This Place

Greetings Survivors of the Yule. Time to turn our thoughts to Other Things like the new club in town. Everyone is raving about The Hamilton- the newest venue from Clyde's featuring a large beautiful performance space which holds at least 300 people seated and more standing.

Tons of local bands are playing there coming up- too many for DC ROCKS to list, but for starters the schedule includes a humongous variety of local talent: David Kitchen, Wil Gravatt, Christylez Bacon, Soul Crackers and Justin Trawick- and that's just this week! The Hamilton is located in the old Garfinckles Department store building which was built in 1929.  inches away from Metro Center. The restaurant upstairs is open 24/7 in hopes of adding true night life to our sometimes stodgy downtown.

Merry

Hope this holiday seasons brings fond memories to keep you company,

and great  friends to keep you laughing...

Thanks for reading and Merry Christmas from DC ROCKS.

Dance This Mess Around

Yahoo and Then Some!

Please note the Music Cafe is deep in the heart of the country- tiny, no bar, and last time I went I ended up parking in the back yard. But that's all part of the charm. This Saturday is going to be a killer two for one show:  Ruthie and the Wranglers and Billy Coulter. A good place to land after you get lost looking for Christmas trees.

What the Holiday Heck?

What do you want to do? Run around like a chicken with your head cut off? Sit in a car stuck in traffic circling the drain of a shopping mall?

Heck no! Yes, dear humans, just walk away. Join the 99 percent and drop that manic consumerism. Give the gift of freedom- take someone you love to see live music. There are two traditional shows this weekend. Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun await you at Jammin Java this Friday.
And the Last Train Home once again pulls into IOTA station for the entire weekend which peaks with an all ages show and juice boxes for all my friends at the Sunday matinee.

Shopping is for sissies. Spend your money on an experience. Memories last longer.

A Preview of The Past

Unicorn Times 1979

The Bayou brings back a lot of memories for a lot of people around here. The club opened in 1953 and morphed with the times showcasing jazz, bluegrass, rock and more. The list of bands that played there- both national and local ran the gamut from Count Basie to the Ramones. Nils Lofgren to Chuck Brown. U2 opened for The Slickee Boys on their first U.S. tour. (There are a lot of stories buried under what is now a movie theater in Georgetown.)

 This Wednesday the  DC Music Salon will be hosting a discussion looking back on the bar and looking forward with a sneak preview of a new film "The Bayou: DC's Killer Joint" at the Shaw Library from 7 until 9 p.m. Bring your memories or curiosity. Both are welcome.

Music Meets Art Head On This Saturday

Bob Boilen, Robert Goldstein and Robin Rose. Any of those names sound familiar?
(Picture a Tiny Desk Unit on an Urban Verb kind of street with art thrown in.)

This Saturday find all three at Hemphill Gallery where Robin Rose currently has an exhibition up called "The Big Payback." (now think James Brown) Hemphill is hosting a rather eclectic panel discussion with Robin Rose and the musical minds of both Bob Boilen and Robert Goldstein about the relationship between art and music and the blurry lines that connect and inspire.
10 a.m. Free.

Sunday Night Train