Ping Pong, Pizza and Bands? by Lyn2

That's the ideal Friday night, and it's business as usual at Comet Ping Pong on Connecticut Avenue NW. This intriguing venue has great wood fired pizza, funky decor, and a full bar up, but that's not all.  There's also free ping pong and occasionally live late night music. The Urban Verbs did a sneak preview here once so this place is worth keeping an eye on.


This Friday, it's 7 Door Sedan - who are turning out new songs and continually refining their sounds. They'll be joined by Silver Spring's Ravenous and Tiny Animals from New York. This is a solid line-up, and it's FREE at 10:30 pm!

Please note the kitchen closes at 10:30 on Friday so come early if you are hungry.

Been a Long Time Since We Rock and Rolled

by Lyn2

It feels like ages since I saw 7 Door Sedan and Sister Ex, so Tuesday night's Black Cat show is welcome. You won't hear either of these bands for a little while so if you've been saying "next time" the time is now. 7 Door's hypnotic sounds will be back after a hiatus, and Sister Ex is working on those brilliant songs in the studio this spring.

It's also Jane Henderson's birthday celebration.

Tuesday night, Black Cat Backstage, 9 p.m. And like every show at the Black Cat, but unlike most others, it's all ages venue, and you can play pool in the Red Room in between bands.
Show the kids you're not to old too rock on a week night. $8 cover.

Wednesday Night : Make a Snow Monkey or... Rock

This week I'm two shows and one school night away from being a bad girl: Seven Door Sedan plays Asylum in Adam's Morgan and Greenland will be at the Black Cat.
Why are two of my favorite bands playing on - of all things- a Wednesday?
Because DC can't help but rock as anyone who was at the Sunset Grille last Sunday can attest when they saw Bill Kirchen earn his Purple Heart of Rock. (And I'm not kidding when I say Bill bled for the Cause, but that's another story.)
Even now I am plotting with myself-can I get a nap in on Thursday?- because these bands are definitely worth the extracurricular behavior.
See for yourself.

Your Car is Here

You've got two chances to check out the unparalleled sounds of 7 Door Sedan in the next week. Saturday night (January 9) they'll be in Baltimore at The Depot with Retrogramme. (Check these guys out for sure with the link. Something new. Then on Wednesday, January 13, 7DS will be at Asylum in Adams Morgan with The Public Good. This is another new find for this writer and I'm looking forward to seeing them. Plus they have a song called "If I Still Had Hair."

Asylum is a great place to see a show and it's only $5! Not to mention that on a Wednesday you can actually park in Adams Morgan so you almost have to go just for that. Both of these shows are your chance to hear the rumored new 7DS song and to congratulate Glenn Kowalski ("The Man with the Blue and Orange Guitars") on his Washington Area Music Award nomination.

Lyn2

Put On Your Red Dress Darling by Lyn2

I had a friend who said Friday night was the best night to go out. It had something to do with putting on your red dress darling and going honky tonkin'... you can rest up on Saturday night. That must come from a song. You can do just that at Surf Club Live this Friday, because this place really feels like an old roadhouse honky tonk. There is nothing like it, and it needs your support. There will be music, and it's not old-school at all. Sister Ex plays smart songs loud and fast. 7 Door Sedan plays psychedelic glam jams that rearrange your brain. I don't know The Blue Line, but Lyn1 says if you listen to their song "Fantasy Girl"- Slickee Boys will come to mind... so that is the word.

If you need more convincing, the Surf Club has all you need on a Friday night. If you want to sit at a table, you can. Or you can stand around, sit at the bar or play pool. If you want to dance, which you probably will, there is a great big dance floor. Eat some food and have a drink. Stand outside, monitor the parking lot and feel like you're in a movie about Patsy Cline and a roadhouse.

If you know Charles Steck, you can see him playing bass with 7 Door Sedan since Josh Singer has to be out of town with family. (We will be on good behavior Josh so you all are invited back.)

I can't think of any reason not to see you there.

Lyn2

Rites of Spring

No, this isn't about the legendary Rites of Spring, but you should look them up if you're into DC music history. It's about this weekend, where the vernal equinox meets local music in a burst of rejuvenation. Spring fever is setting in, and if DC Rocks seems irrational and opinionated sometimes, that's because it is. It's just the musings of a a handful of people who like a lot of the same things. For example:

We irrationally like Spring in DC, especially the pink-blooming trees.

We really like seeing people we know play live music.

We like music venues that feel like someone's living room only you have to pay for beer.

We like to see people we know at the shows and meet new people who are just like us only nuttier.

We like 7 Door Sedan in a glam/psychedelic/rock wow sort of way. Still.

We insanely like DC's adopted Prabir and the Substitutes even after 2 and a half years of fandom. (remember the origin of fan is fanatic)

So it ought to be a good weekend to celebrate warmth, sun, rebirth, pagan stuff, and the like. Saturday night at the Velvet Lounge we plan to catch the 3-way extravaganza, and we will have a lot of questions:

Where did the Septic Twins get their name and why are their 3 of them? 

Is that Arthur Noll's real hair in the Myspace picture?

 How come 7 Door Sedan just gets better and better?

Will John Stabb's new band Sleeper Agent be playing at a Glen Echo hardware store anytime soon? 

How many old DC punk hardcore players/fans are here? Raise your hands.

Then, after sleeping most of Sunday, we will bravely cross the bridge to Iota in Arlington, VA to see those fabulous Substitutes with The Laughing Man and Sleeping Bags. Richmond's finest have severely curtailed their appearances in our metropolitan area of late, so get on over and end the deprivation. We have run out of things to say about this band except that we love them and think everyone else should, too.

Irrational, maybe, but come along and see for yourselves.

Torn

There's a reason DC ROCKS has two authors named Lyn-it's so we can attend different shows on the same night. This is a tribute to the wealth of talent at work around here. This Sunday night, it's a monumental split since the bands involved are among our favorites. Everyone knows we've got a "Prabir and the Substitutes Problem." We've been in withdrawal during their 3 months absence from the DC scene. It's also well known that of the fabulous new entrants of the last year or so, 7 Door Sedan is one that stands out for DC ROCKS, and they haven't played since early December.
Sigh.

You can imagine our dilemma, with both of these acts playing this Sunday night, President's Day Eve.

The answer? Geography among other things.
Lyn1 will cross the Potomac to get to the Galaxy Hut in Arlington for Prabir and the Substitutes and their friends The Palominos- both outstanding acts for a mere $5. Lyn2 will hit the Quarry House in Silver Spring for 7 Door Sedan's first show since early December. New songs are promised and the opening act is King Mixer with Lyn2's childhood friend Danny Ingram on drums.

Roll with 7 Door Sedan Thursday

7 Door Sedan. We've always been fans here at DC Rocks, and just lately they've gotten good press from the City Paper as well. Help this original DC band keep going by goin' to see them. Glenn Kowalski sent this shout out about their next show:

"We're excited about our gig with the Dexter Romweber Duo at the Red and Black. Dexter Romweber (formerly of the Flat Duo Jets) is the cult legend that influenced Jack White among others, and is the subject of a recent documentary. The Dexter Romweber Duo is comprised of Dex and his sister, Sara (formerly of Mitch Easter and Let's Active).

The show is Thursday night at 9 at the Red and Black on H Street. Pretty sure we'll be going on first, so get there early. I don't know what kind of turnout this will be. Possibly an unusual crowd!"

From Two Women Who Don't Stay Home To Wash Their Hair: Girl Talk

LYN2: Hey what are you doing on Saturday night? I can't wait to see Sister Ex, 7 Door Sedan and Beatnik Flies all in one show at the Velvet Lounge.

LYN1 Yeah-all of them in that tiny space? I love it! You can stand close enough to the bands there to start a revolution or something. On the other hand that new band King Soul is playing at the Surf Club. They need bodies.

LYN2: I wish more people would check out the Surf Club. It's old-school honky tonk feel makes me feel like Patsy Cline.

LYN1: Yep-The Surf Club is great- plenty of room to dance or you can play pool or just chill at the bar. But you can't beat the Velvet Lounge for tiny rock dive intimacy- sort of like those night clubs in old movies except without the cool tables and chairs and waiters and just about everything else.

LYN2: Atmosphere aside, I can't believe how much I look forward to seeing two bands that didn't even exist a year ago-7 Door Sedan and Sister Ex just get better and better. As for the Beatnik Flies, their three decade history has defined my life! I really like their version of the Beatles' "Every Little Thing She Does!"

LYN1: King Soul hasn't been around very long either although all of their members have been in or are still in a ton of bands like Chris Watling from The Grandsons or Jake Flack of the RTTS-speaking of which The Troubadours will be there, too, and they don't play out much anymore. 

LYN2: I saw King Soul at the Takoma Street Festival, and it was a wall of talent and fun. As for the Rhodes Tavern Troubadours- it will pain me to miss that. They rock.

LYN1: It'll pain me to miss you! 

LYN2: So it sounds like one of us might be in DC and one of us might be in Maryland. Let's meet up for a 2 a.m. breakfast!  

LYN1: Amen.

P.S. We heard VL has made a number of improvements including the bar being open upstairs during the bands. Links to all the bands and bars mentioned above can be found in the sidebar of DC ROCKS. 

Free Music/Free Spirits

Takoma Park. It's a haven for the oh so politically correct set- plus artists, writers, and musicians. You could shoot a Nerf gun down Carroll Avenue, and your chances of hitting a Republican are probably a thousand to one. (I'll bet Cheney has never even stepped foot in this berg.) At any rate, this Sunday head on up there for a  great escape from all the talking heads and problems of the last week.

Since 1981 The Takoma Park Street Festival has been a great all day party with craft and food vendors and stuff for kids to do.  Best of all, three stages of live music will be happening from one end of town to the other. This year's line up is pretty amazing, including Ruthie and The Wranglers, Janine Wilson, Tommy Lepson, Billy Coulter, King Soul and more! Hit the link above for a list of all the bands, times, and locations. Wake up with 7 Door Sedan at 11 and polish the day off at 4 with Chopteeth and/or The Nighthawks , but whatever you do, don't miss PRABIR AND THE SUBSTITUTES at 2 p.m. at the dance stage.

Parking can be problematic at this event, but The Metro is just a few blocks away.

This Just In:

Roddy Franz favorite Girl Loves Distortion will be playing with 7 Door Sedan at The Surf Club tonight. Show starts round 9.

DC-Music Music Everywhere

Tonight Scott Giambusso- bass players to the stars and also the G in GHz- will be doing an acoustic solo thing for the happy hour crustacean crowd set at The Dancing Crab...5:30-8:30.

Tomorrow night 7 Door Sedan and mystery band at the Surf Club
OR
go go go see Chuck Brown at The Kennedy Center- dancing under the stars program.

Let 7 Door Sedan Put A Spell On YOU

Glenn K Ringleader of 7 Door

7 Door Sedan. Where the heck did this band come from and how did they get to be so good so fast?

Glenn Kowalski gave me the scoop:

I went to a Vampyre Bunnies gig at the Black Cat, maybe two years ago. I didn't know any of these guys but liked the show and struck up a conversation with Jamie Holiday, the singer. Jamie knew of my work in the past and asked me to play on an upcoming CD being recorded at Norman van der sluys' "Madhouse" studio. I accepted and recorded several guitar tracks over the next few months. Coincidentally, at my day job I received a resume from a Mr. Josh Singer, who in a phone interview informed me, "This is going to sound strange but I believe you and I have done some recording on the same album!" I didn't hire him for the job he applied for, instead quickly recruiting him for 7 Door Sedan, and after realizing Norman was the drummer of the Vampyre Bunnies, I asked him to join as well. I just needed one more person to fill out 7 Door Sedan. Enter Ken Moss, the curious guy about 5 houses down on my block. The one my 8 yr old daughter called "your maniac guitar friend." And here we are about 13 months later."

So there you have it- a random act of talent. This band just keeps getting better and better. The last time I saw them I was mesmerized by their groove. Hypnotized. Magnetized. Well, maybe not magnetized, but I didn't leave the room until they did. Drive over to the Surf Club and see for yourself. This Saturday- 9 p.m.

P.S. Opening act TBA ; Julie Ocean had to cancel.

CD Party In NE

H Street NE has seen a lot of changes over the years. When my family lived there, almost a hundred years ago, it was a shopping district and a neighborhood full of new homes and a lot of immigrants- especially Greeks. My grandfather had a candy shop, but there were all sorts of stores, restaurants, bars and even a couple of little movie houses. H Street is now coming back with another bunch of bars and restaurants leading the way.
If you are familiar with Washington, but can't picture this area, it's only about 10 blocks from Union Station and there's a bunch of small bars right near 12th Street.
Check out the scene- ths Saturday night at The Red and The Black. A bunch of local bands are converging for 7 Door Sedan's CD release party
( I for one have been waiting for this one!)
Rambling Shadows will also be in on it with their new CD.
Dollar Bin (actually just Donald Keesing - solo) is slated to go first for a short set to kick off the madness, followed by Puptent.
Show starts promptly at 9 and the music has to stop by 12:30 a.m. Plan accordingly.

Yell County AR Meets DC IN a 7 Door Sedan

When I first heard of Yell County, it seemed unlikely the band had anything to do with my mother's home - Yell County, Arkansas- but Y. County front man, Joel Maupin grew up right over the mountain from my people and knew some of them. Within 7 seconds of meeting Joel my Arkansas accent, nurtured by summers in Yell County, was back. Friday I will finally get to check out the band. One of my music authorities says Yell County is like "The Jam with a Southern drawl." Maybe you'll hear the accent, too.

As for 7 Door Sedan, I still feel lucky to have gotten in on the ground floor. 7 Door Sedan is rising. If you haven't seen them yet you can still get in on say the 2nd or 3rd floor, but do it soon as they have a CD coming out and new songs. Band member, Glenn Kowalski has a hard time coming up with a description of their style- a mix of glam, punK and psychedelic rock. (glunkedelic?) But whatever you call it -this is a band that's fast becoming the hottest force on the scene.

All of this happens on Friday, July 18, at the place that feels like home, Silver Spring's legendary Quarry House. It's right near the Metro, just on the other side of the DC line, has a great beer selection and the best tater tots west of the Ozarks.

Lyn2

What's New ?

This Friday is all about new. New Surf Club owner J.B., who rescued this one of a kind place from near demise, is booking great new line-ups, and Friday's is a strong one. It seems like ages, but it was just seven months ago that I happened on 7 Door Sedan's first show. This new band gets stronger every time I see them- so much so that I find it painful to miss a show because then I'd miss a stage in their evolution.
Rambling Shadows has been around longer, (actually risen from the ashes of many DC bands as they put it) but this year with new drummer Tommy Carr, they are playing more shows, sounding trance-alicious. Plus they have a new CD out.
Tru Fax and the Insaniacs are the least new of the bunch which isn't a bad thing. This is the 4th decade in which they have agitated the scene, but this Friday night they'll be joined by a new bass player. Upon stalwart bassist Kenny Bugg's partial retirement, the one and only Jamie Cramer has agreed to try something new, being accustomed to playing lead guitar. The world eagerly awaits his debut.

If you haven't been out in a while, or if you're sick of just hearing about these bands and the Surf Club- then try something new yourself and get over there. The sounds start at 9. Some call it Hyattsville, some call it Bladensburg, and even others call it Hyattsville Beach-but what ever you call it, the drinks are reasonable, and there's pool tables to boot. Old club-new management- check it out.

Lyn2

MEMO for SUNDAY

If you are looking for something to do- RTTS are at The Taste of Wheaton at 4 p.m. today- and 7 Door Sedan will be At Artomatic at 7 p.m. Both bands are only doing one set- both events are free.

Line Ups

It's just like the grocery store. You go in - you see no one as you cruise around- then you get to the check out aisle, and boom there's a line as long as the Post Office when they up the cost of a stamp on you. You get in the back of line. You are last. No one comes after you. When you leave the store, it's empty.
So tonight and tomorrow are empty on my calendar, but Thursday night, May 15, there are TWO good shows: (at least) Alice Despard Group and Cashmere Jungle Lords are playing at The Quarry House in Silver Spring and 7 Door Sedan and Sister Ex are at The Red and The Black on H Street.

The Jungle Lords and Alice go way back. How far? Well, The Jungle Lords met Alice when they double billed with Hyaa at dc space back in 1986. They see themselves as: (albeit through a glass darkly) Frank Sinatra backed by tequila-sodden cow punks posing as a mariachi band trying to be rock n roll.
Alice says this about Jungle Lords: They play this infectious combo of surf, rockabilly and jungle music. Dominic is a phenomenal guitarist in the style of Eddy Cochrane, Duane Eddy, and that ilk. Lately, he has been a adding a Latin flavor to some of his songs. CJL is always fresh and sexy, and always reinventing themselves.

And Dominic had this to say about Alice: I've always had tremendous respect for her songwriting and guitar playing, as well as the timbre of her voice. Beyond that, she is one of the most deeply spiritual people I've ever met... She handles her music career with a lot of wariness in terms of avoiding doing anything crass or commercial.

Now that you are primed for that show - think again- 7 Door Sedan and Sister Ex are also playing at The Red and The Black down on H Street. I know good established bands that are afraid to play with 7 Door because they've seen people get up and leave when they finish. I guess Sister Ex can hold their own. 7 Door has been described by Lyn2 as having "a glam, psychedelic rock and soul thing which will wow you," and I haven't heard anything to dispute that.

Now it's time to flip a coin. (You do have have another chance to see 7 Door and Sister at Artomatic May 18)- or try to get all four in one night. (Write me if you do!)

Artomatic For the People

There are some treasures in DC neighborhoods, but one thing we don't have is one area where all the artists live. So once a year (since 1999) that space gets created at Artomatic. From May 9 until June 15 ArtoMatiC will reign at the Capitol Plaza 1 building - 1200 First Street NE (on the corner of M and First St. NE, New York Ave. Metro it on the Red Line) One building- 1000 artists. Artomatic is a great place to see art, meet artists, bump into people, see bands and just hang around. Watch for 7 Door Sedan to play May 18 , MYSTR Treefrog on June 8 and Puptent on June 13, but check out www.artomatic.org because there is always something happening. Artomatic is By Artists For Everyone, and it starts Friday. A pre-party with bands from the upcoming Artomatic 2008 CD will happen at Ibiza Nightclub from 6 -9 Thursday night, right next door to the Artomatic building.

this posting brought to you by: Lyn2

The Quarry House Pops This Weekend

The legendary 9353's 25th Anniversary Hometown Tour hits The Quarry House this Friday and Saturday nights. These two shows are the last chances this year to hear the band that FuzzLogic.com calls "paranoia pop." (And one of the most prolific poster plasterers this town has ever seen.) Four more bands will be joining 9353- a different line up each night:

Friday Night:
Puptent - "Pop-not-Pop"
Ironboss - a Baltimore band, very much not Pop

Saturday Night:

7 Door Sedan - their glam/psychedelic/rock and soul thing will wow you, but it's not quite Pop
New Standard - descendants of The Penetrators - (Does that sound like Pop to you?)

Try to make it out to two full nights-5 full bands-whether it's pop or not it's all local so please show the love.
xo
Lyn1 and Lyn2