Seems Like Old Times

A Last Hurrah on IOTA's patio September 2017

Any fan of Kevin Johnson and the Linemen, Karl Straub and the Last Train Home crew will remember many a show at the now shuttered IOTA. I recall the days when the club was really tiny, and we'd all sit on the slightly ramshackle back patio in between and after the bands- everyone smoking and yacking their heads off. In the summer, the warmer weather would allow us to linger long into the wee hours nursing a beer and gossiping - hoping for a bit of cool air from the alley.

IOTA may be gone, and we miss it, but the musicians are still alive and kicking.When I asked Eric Brace of Last Train Home to tell me something about the upcoming show,  he was eerily close to my wavelength.

"It's hard to imagine a world without IOTA, where Karl, Kevin, and I spent so many nights -- separately and together -- making music, seeing music, just hanging out. Now that it's gone, we're going to recreate that feeling at this new club, that has all the promise of delivering what IOTA delivered all those years. I play a lot of music these days, but mostly with my acoustic duo and trio. I can't wait to play with the big 8-piece LTH! It'll be a pleasure to play with all my friends again, and I hope to see more than a few in the audience as well."

Look for this reunion to happen this Saturday at the new Wharf's new club Union Stage. I do miss the old haunts, but at least DC is reinventing the wheel with three live music venues where local music and traditions can continue to thrive.