Good Things Happen in Small Places

Going to these little clubs has its advantages for me. First there are no bad seats (or possibly no seats) Second it's easy to talk to people you don't know because often as not you bump right into someone. And last but certainly not least- if you hang around this town long enough it becomes not a seat of power, but the home town that we native types know and love. Besides a rocking good show here are a few things that I saw at The tiny Velvet Lounge last Friday:
Martha Hull collaring a bewildered Michael Reidy and singing to him.
Short Staxx dancing.
Josh Arnson incognito as himself.
Door man Bucket watching the door and selling a bicycle on Craig's List at the same time.
Phil Duarte taking pix from the floor. (literally)
Abaad Behram doing that Tasmanian Devil thing right into the drum kit playing guitar all the while.
And after all the bands had played-Mark Noone slow dancing with Martha Hull.

I might be wrong, but I just don't see these kind of things happening at The Verizon Center.

Rock out Rockville This Thurs/ Oct 25

(Ottley! named themselves for this guy
Hangman,Dave Ottley)

Once upon a time there was a Band, or maybe I should say once upon a time there was a Garage which begat a band called The Reekers which begat a band called The Hangmen which were so dang hot they locally knocked the Beatles off the charts according to Garage Hangover: "What A Girl Can't Do knocked the Beatles' We Can Work It Out/Day Tripper out of the top spot of the charts for Arlington radio station WEAM on Feb. 7, 1966."

How's that for deep cut trivia?

If you don't believe it, you can ask Bob Berberich himself this Thursday night when he plays with Ottley! at the big rock show that Joe Lee (of Joe Lee's Record Paradise) and Damian Einstein are putting on. Bob was there- playing drums with The Reekers and The Hangmen, and he's here now keeping the beat in Ottley! with Marshall Keith and Martha Hull of Slickee Boys fame.

But that's not all. The Beatnik Flies and The Howling Mad are also on the bill. I could go on and on, but all three of these bands played last summer at the d.c.space reunion at the 9:30 Club, and I can testify that all these veterans can still kick you know what-and are quite possibly better than ever.

So how much would you pay to see these local legends?

(Three of these guys are in The Howling Mad)

Twenty? Fifteen? Would you believe a mere 8 clams gets you into this extravaganza?
(And you can spread the love-take the kids- and get another generation going-it's an all ages show- just $5 for the student set)


(The Flies took their name from this song.)

When I was a kid I thought Rockville, MD was pretty much nowhere, (and the way things have turned out, it still pretty much is) but this Thursday, October 26 should prove the exception.
It's all happening at 7 p.m. at El Boqueron II, 1330 East Gude Drive.

Come out and see Rockville rock.


(I can only guess where The Howling Mad got their name.)