Fire Relief Event

Hey little rock dive fans, please  come out and support the employees of the Quarry House tomorrow noon 'til midnight at Silver Spring's School of Rock.  A lot of musicians will be giving it all they've got for the cause which makes it a painless way to contribute.
All ages.

Can't make it? You can still give what you can here.

Quarry House Under Water

the Quarry House in happier times

Bad news in the local rock world this week. A two alarm fire wreaked havoc on the building that houses both Gaylord's Indian restaurant ( above)  and the Quarry House Tavern. ( below)
It happened in the wee hours of Thursday. Fortunately everyone got out safely, but the building will be closed indefinitely while facing major repairs. Fire hoses drowned that whole wonderful inventory of bourbon, and it sounds like this little basement club will have more water damage than anything else. The possibility of shows relocating to Jackie's Restaurant and Sidebar is not out of the question, but for now there are more questions than answers.

Rocking the Lids

Some people, like those funny chaps in the Yachtsmen, can carry off a captain's hat.
And some people just can't. My mother positively recoiled from anything that might wreck her last visit to the beauty parlor.  Here she is positively levitating the head gear:

Hats aside, the Yachtsmen's mission is to make you believe in their sea salt masquerade, but fear not dear readers, underneath those navy blue blazers beats the heart of rock and roll. Pair that with another DC ROCKS' favorite 7 Door Sedan,  and this Sunday at the Galaxy Hut you have the show you've been waiting all winter for. Outstanding beer selection, intimate club and crazy good ROCK. All for $5.

Etch This

My first foray into the world of "mechanical" drawing was probably the Magic Slate- those "mystical writing pads" that could be scrawled on, and then the "ink" would disappear with just a flick of the top sheet. Free do- over. Wow. I was sold. I remember getting one around the age of five, but in my enthusiasm, I must've ground that little stylus too hard because the top sheet quickly developed a crease and later a couple of permanent lines showed up like angry welts. Not so magic after all.

Then came the Etch a Sketch which drove a lot of kids crazy because all we could manage to draw was a stick figure or a house.

If you worked all your life, you might get pretty good at it, but then some wisenheimer would come along and give it a shake, erasing the whole thing. Just picking it up could do permanent damage. Pretty annoying- especially if your house looks like this:

But then I found the doodle creator at Smudge's web site. I couldn't resist the thing-whatever it is. Within minutes, I had a masterpiece hanging out on their home page:

Move over Etch A Sketch...So long Mister Slate.


Smudge is a comics arts expo and  looks like an arts- explo-sion type happening this Saturday at the Artisphere from noon until 6 p.m. Expect presenters, exhibitors and hands on workshops. (In other words I'm thinking a bunch of crazy storytelling artists hanging out together. )

It's a free all ages event, one which might actually appeal to all ages- a rare thing in my book.

An English Major Ponders March (with apologies to Bryan Ferry)

Between the winter storm watches and wind chill factors, March really snuck up on me this year, and with more snow predicted tomorrow, I know I am not alone in disagreeing with T.S Eliot. Remember how he began The Wasteland?

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing 

Memory and desire, stirring 

Dull roots with spring rain. 

Hell, no, T. S. 
I get that you are talking about deeper things than the change of seasons, but March is the Cruella Deville of Washington weather. After all, meteorological Spring happens in March, yet District skies will throw down misery for pretty much the whole month- even if we do get that random 75 degrees day, we need to brace ourselves. 
Sleet, slush, freezing rain? Enough already! 
Emily Dickinson, living  as she did up in New England must have felt the same way, but she's more polite about the whole thing:

Dear March - Come in -

How glad I am -
I hoped for you before -
Put down your Hat - 
You must have walked -
How out of Breath you are -

And Charles Dickens nails it here:

It was one of those March days when the sun shines hot and the wind blows cold:when it is summer in the light, and winter in the shade.

While we are waiting for our summer in the shade, here are a few suggestions to keep your spirits up: 

1. Lettuce up, limbo down… ( Never mind Mary Jane, tomatoes are the drug I'm thinking of) Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, it's time to start your seedlings! Have faith that May will be here in about 8 weeks, and we want those puppies ready to go! 

2. Feeling cold blooded right about now? Make like an anaconda and hang out at the zoo where it's always warm in the Reptile House.

Or  try Amazonia, another steamy favorite, especially if you can't go snorkeling somewhere warm and azure. Even if you are house bound, you can check out the new Elephant cam. Yes, you heard me. We can now spy on the Elephant House 24/7 and see what kind of pachyderm pool parties are going on when we are not around. 

One caveat before we leave the zoo: I don't recommend visiting the Great Ape House this time of year. I thought teenage boys' rooms were rough, but these guys win.

3.  Lastly an Irish coffee will warm your soul at one of my favorite watering holes, Martin's Tavern.  Martin's has perched on the same corner of Wisconsin and N in Georgetown since the repeal of Prohibition in 1933. Welsh rarebit, French onion soup and Brunswick stew are also on the menu if you are looking for further old school sustenance. Martin's has a way of making everyone feel welcome from families to the old guy at the bar, tourists and regulars alike. (and this is where you will find the rare bird that is a DC native.) Here's a picture looking out at the Saint Patrick's Day snow storm last year.  (Remember that, Farmer?)