Make Love Not War

I've written about my neighbor Doug Dupin many times. He is always up to something interesting, and last Monday proved to be no exception. I was lucky enough to accompany him on an expedition which included transporting an eight by six foot space gun via pickup truck through the streets of Washington.

We  installed said project in the window of Upshur Books just in time for the Equinox and an upcoming art show.

Behold if you will.  "Baby with Deathray"  

But Doug is not alone. Over fifty participants are getting ready for Artists Against GunViolence- an event which will compliment the upcoming march this weekend. The opening reception happens this Thursday at Third Floor (above Slim's Diner) and runs from 6:00- 9:00 p.m.  Hit the link above for more details. The art show, made possible by the Ruppert family, will run through April 9th.

The Tots Are Back in Town

With the recent loss of Hank Dietle's, it was nice to see the Quarry House reopen last weekend. (In case you haven't been paying attention, both of these small venues were ravaged by fire- Dietle's last month and The Quarry House three years ago.) Except for the peculiar smell which (thankfully) is gone, the dive bar atmosphere remains remarkably in tact along with their extensive beer and bourbon menu of beverages to wash down those burgers and tater tots. The juke box is back, but for now live music is a thing of the past.

Kudos to Jackie Greenbaum for saving this little piece of local bar fly history in Silver Spring.

On the musical front, axe man Dan Hovey will be having a busy week. Thursday night he'll be playing with the David Kitchen Band at JVs. I saw them a couple of weeks ago and was bowled over. Again. That unassuming shopping center always tricks me into complacency, but open the door, and it's a pre-weekend throw down with excellent chops here.

Saturday, if you want to avoid those amateur green beer drinking leprechauns, head over to the Takoma VFW for Goin Goin Gone's old school style of rock and roll. Hopefully Dan will have rested up by then, because he's on this gig, too. Please note that the gracious lads of the band will be donating most of the ten dollar cover back to restoring Hank Dietle's.

And finally on Sunday - NOT Dan Hovey but Dave Chappell and Anthony Pirog will burn down the stage at JV. Wait. Poor choice of words. How about tear up the stage?  Shred? In any case, if you call yourself a guitar connoisseur and haven't caught these two in action, then you ain't seen nothing yet.

Dispatch From DC Rocks

Three shows this Friday. Zero time to write. Here we go.

Parthenon Huxley at Jammin Java. Google him then ask yourself did I read that right? He's at a little club in Vienna? Consider this a huge opportunity.

King Soul at the Takoma VFW. Open a can of sardines and jump in. The entire joint turns into a joyful mosh pit of cheap booze and kickass music when this band takes the stage. Not for the claustrophobic.

The Laurel Canyon Tribute at the Birchmere. If you are a sucker for a time and place like no other in California, Newmyer Flyer always puts on a great show with a truck load of local talent. Worth seeing even if you do have to sit down and shut up here.

Pretty In Pink

The Park Service made its Cherry Blossom Prediction today. Peak blooms will most likely happen March 17- 20. The earliest peak on record was March 15 in 1990 and the latest April 18 in 1958 so feeling like we are a bit ahead of ourselves. Judging by my yard, things are rolling along at least a few weeks early. A bit disturbingly early at that. Hold tight you Star Magnolias. Jump the gun on Jack Frost, and those pretty white blossoms will brown out much to the dismay of my neighbor Mary and myself.

While we are waiting for the tidal basin to go pink, here's local musical considerations for the month. Please hit me up with additions. (For some reason the text size varies which is unintentional and beyond my html ken. Apologies.)

MARCH

1

David Kitchen Band @ JV

3

Justin Jones/ Beanstalk Library @ The Hamilton

4

Music all Day n Night @ JVs:

Patty Reese/ Dave Chappell

Nighthawks 

Linwood Taylor

5

Goin Goin Gone @ Republic

6

Ruthie Jamboree @ New Deal Cafe

9

Parthenon Huxley @ Jammin Java

King Soul @ Takoma VFW

Laurel Canyon Tribute @ Birchmere

11

Fuzz queen/Candy Ambulance @ Galaxy Hut

15 

David Kitchen Band @ JV

17

Goin Goin Gone @ Takoma VFW

18

Dave Chappell And Anthony Pirog @ JV

22

Tom Petty Tribute @ JV

29

Dave Chappel Band @ JV