Worship the Rat

Hello February. You bring Love and Mardi Gras and a good excuse to watch one of my favorite movies- Groundhog Day. In this goofy romantic time loop, Bill Murray's character gets stuck living February 2nd over and over again, but it's not so different from our retail life now that I think about it.  Halloween gives way to Christmas... which transitions to Valentine displays... which once set off a panic in my own heart, knowing that I had to get my kids to churn out tokens of love for some forty classmates.

The more recent Russian Doll  would make a great double feature with Groundhog Day if you can stand the recurrent repetitive repetition of repeating scenes.

Now, for something completely different, February first gives you a variety of chances to see live music starting with Saturday: Little Red and the Renegades will kick your Mardi Gras spirit into gear over at New Deal Cafe while the Cravin Dogs bring their gonzo folk thing to El Golfo.  Also up for consideration- King Soul converts their blue-eyed soul into a St Patrick's Day parade fundraiser at Barking Dog.

Sunday, aside from Groundhog Day,  I hear there is some sort of sporting contest going on, but Galaxy Hut is blessedly featuring a football free end zone with Karaoke Sexy.

February February February February February February February February February

1

Little Red and the Renegades @ New Deal Cafe 

King Soul @ Barking Dog

Cravin’ Dogs @ El Golfo

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Dave Chappell/ Steve Abshire @ Blues Alley

6

Thrillbillys @ JV

8

Newmeyer Flyer Beatles Love Songs @ Hamilton

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Tommy Lepsom @ JV

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RTTS @ Takoma VFW

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Bumper Jacksons @ Hill Country

Valentine Slim @ TAkoma VFW

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David Bowie Valentine W/ Spiders From Mars and more @ Pie Shop

Eric Felten Red Dress Ball @ Glen Echo 

Valentine Slim @ Wheaton VFW

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Hank Dietle’s Benefit @ Knights of Columbus Silver Spring

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David Kitchen Band @ JV

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Anthony Pirog and friends  @ Black Cat Red Room

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Dave Chappell Band @ JV

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The Allman Others Band @ Hill Country

Kill Lincoln etc @ Pie Shop

Beanstalk Library @ Pearl Street

A Visit with Papa

Last week I escaped to Florida to visit my brother's digs in Pompano and to see Key West for the first time which, for me, meant a mandatory pilgrimage to the Hemingway House. I became acquainted with Mr Hemingway in 1979 via my writing professor Jack Salamanca who hammered into me a lifelong respect for spare "muscular" prose and authentic dialogue.

When he wasn't writing, Hemingway liked to drink and fight. And fish. He also loved women and married four of them. The Key West house was a wedding gift from his second wife's uncle. 

At some point the 1851 Spanish Colonial "fixer-upper" was upgraded to include a catwalk which connected the master bed room to Hemingway's writing studio where he worked every morning. To me the room feels a tad too clean and uncluttered to have been a writer's lair, but descendants of Hemingway's polydactyl cat "Snow White" still prowl the property keeping a whisper of his ghost alive.  

Key West has its tropical allure, but I'm glad to be back in DC where I can be hopeful for snow although there's not much chance of sled time this weekend. We do have lots of live music choices starting with the quandary of Dave Chappell at JV's or The Thrillbillys at Takoma VFW on Thursday.

Friday Vintage #18 plays the DC Blues Happy Hour at the Silver Spring Legion while the Black Cat hosts "Canvas Vibes" - a no cover music and painting event. 

Black Masala's playing at the New Deal Cafe, and Newmeyer Flyer presents a big fat Jimi and Janis tribute show at the Birchmere - both on Saturday.

Finally on Sunday The NRIs and Don Zientara are at the Pie Shop while The Delarcos and Insurgent DC invade Galaxy Hut. 

Ambitious non-deciders could have a very busy weekend !

All Summer in a Winter Day

This week I felt like I was living in a science fiction kind of world. Last Saturday my son asked me if we were about to have World War Three because of all the memes he was seeing on social media. And despite a bit of snow yesterday, this winter isn't really acting like winter. There's a climate changing vibe in the air.

I remember a teacher long ago reading aloud a Ray Bradbury story. I always loved it when the teachers read to us. It was the best part of a school day, but that story always haunted me. It was about a rainy planet where the sun made very rare appearances. Children were eagerly waiting in a classroom, about to see the sun for the first time, but for some reason, they locked one girl in a closet, and she missed it.

That's all I remember, but since we live in futuristic times I can plug in the words "Ray Bradbury" and "rainy planet" and up pops "All Summer in a Day." Complete and online. Hit the link, and we can read it together right now.

Guess what? The reason they locked her in a closet was because she was different from the rest of them. She was from Earth.

I love Ray Bradbury, but he can often be disquieting which is why I turn to exuberant noise with little or no cover charge  when I am feeling disheartened, and often I find this kind of thing goes on in taverns. For example The Rhodes Tavern Troubadours are back in full swing at the Takoma VFW tomorrow evening with cheap drinks at the cash bar and early sets 7ish-10 pm sharp.

On Friday kick off the carnival season (which began on Monday) with Little Red and the Renegades at Haydees.

Saturday two post punk but still punk style shows compete for attention with Sister Ex and crew at The Ugly Mug 

and Catscan!'s record release party at Slash Run. Let's make some noise!

Almost forgot ...Rock-A-Sonics liven things up at New Deal Cafe also on Saturday...and on Sunday kick back with Jumpin Jupiter at JV- four p.m., late matinee and no cover.

Everything Old

 On January 1, 1920, the front page of the Evening Star covered topics from presidential campaigns to DC's voting rights in a way that is alarmingly current.

And although representation was proposed, District citizens didn't get the right to vote in a presidential election until 1961, never mind that we are still waiting for a say in Congress.

Our lack of sovereignty even lost us the right to drink in 1917 years before the rest of the country. We were supposed to be a model of temperance.

Instead we made do with bootleggers and over 3,000 speakeasies, and probably led the nation in subterfuge. At least today we have legal drinking establishments. Please take advantage of this inalienable right and make a resolution to make or see more live music this decade.

Here's a few ideas for January:

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Thrillbillys @ JV

3

Last Train Home @ The Birchmere

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Dot Dash/ The Ubangis/Apollo 66/ Candy Smokes @ American Legion Silver Spring

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Black Muddy River Band @ JV

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RTT @ Takoma VFW

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Little Red and The Renegades @ Haydees

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Sister Ex/Red Medicine @ The Ugly Mug

Catscan!/The Electric Grandmother/ Crab Legs @ Slash Run

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Jumpin' Jupiter @ JV @ 4 pm

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Jackie and The Treehorns/ Goodbye July @ Pie Shop

Thrillbillys @ JV

Flower Avenue @ Takoma VFW

Paul Collins/Teen Cobra/The Jennifers/ DJ Daisy @ Slash Run

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Lunch With Bob @ Takoma VFW

Nah./ Dominy/Milo in the Doldrums/ The Duskwhales @ Pearl Street

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Thrillbillys @ Takoma VFW

Dave Chappell Band @ JV

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Joplin- Hendrix Tribute @ The Birchmere

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The NRIs/ Don Zientara @ Pie Shop

The Delarcos/ Insurgence DC @ Galaxy Hut

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Bleeder/ Don Zientara @ Galaxy Hut

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Sol Roots @ JV

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Rock-A-Sonics @ JV