Out of This World Rock Show Monday

Mark Noone - Slickee Boy, Troubadour, King Soul man, Hula Monster is coming out of the basement (and his clothes closet) with his newest incarnation the Yachtsmen this MONDAY night at Galaxy Hut- one of my favorite tiny haunts thanks to former owner and long time ethereal rocker Alice Despard who will also be playing this extraordinary double bill. It might be a Monday, but this show is a must see. Local rock history will be made before your eyes-don't miss it. Starts early -9 p.m.- so you can hit the pillow, too.

Check Out Another Galaxy

Alice Despard. I ask people questions now and then to get me going when I want to write a story about them, and I'm happy to give over the reins when I get answers like this one. I asked Alice how she got started, and this is what she said:
I picked up the guitar shortly after I first heard Creedence Clearwater Revival's album Cosmos Factory. It just inspired me totally. All my friends were playing guitar in 7th grade. I was 13 years old, and my boyfriend played guitar, and I thought he was so cool so I imitated him.

I asked my parents for a guitar--begged for a guitar. My dad heard me and sent me a Sears guitar: an Astro, tobacco sunburst. Hard as hell to play and the strings cut into my fingers.

I developed calluses, which I have never really lost. Then I had to beg for guitar lessons, which I took for 6 months and grew bored, realizing I could play along with my favorite albums, read tab charts, and learn all I needed by myself. I learned most of my chords from George Harrison's All Things Must Pass album. And the Stones' Sticky Fingers and Exile on Main St.

I began playing with others when I was 15 and wrote my first songs then. My first band was an all girl blue-grassy thing called Magpie Rag during my sophomore year at Whitman.

It was a good start. Our first gig was Mr. Henry's in Tenley Circle. It didn't seem to matter that we were teenagers.

And that's where Alice trails off, but those calluses she talks about, that she never really lost, are a testament to how long she has weathered the music scene. Through the years she has developed her own amazing style on the guitar. She has honed the band down to just herself and Evan Pollack on drums, but the sound is much richer than two people.
Alice used to own The Galaxy Hut ; she is the soul and heart that got this sweet little place going. And Larry, the present owner, has done his best to keep it that way. Alice will be playing there this Monday which makes it all the better to see her in the cool little place she created- a refuge from the yuppie storm that threatens Clarendon and indeed our entire area. Art Daniels, her beloved barback will be opening.

When Was the Last Time?

When was it we last urged you to see Prabir and the Substitutes? And you didn't do it, despite your resolution to have more fun on Sunday nights? You might not think it's the easiest night of the week to have fun on, but it beats the heck out of staying home and doing your laundry. And here's the chance to finally check out Richmond's finest, pop/soul/rock demons who are coming our way this Sunday at the Galaxy Hut. That's 2711 Wilson Boulevard, between the Courthouse and Clarendon Metro stops in Arlington, Battleground State, Virginia. See why grown men and wild women have become repeat offenders at these shows. Also check out a great local band Nunchucks, who play "rock and/or roll but never not both" and were last spotted by these correspondents doing a Buzzcocks cover.
Doors at 9, Nunchucks at 9:30, Prabir and the Substitutes at 10.

-brought to you by lyn1 and lyn2-(fusion, man)

A Quandry

Blogger went to the beach, but came back just in time to ponder which show to go to tonight- Alice Despard is back at the Galaxy Hut, and she won't be playing again for quite a while. Then again there is the old folks' show* at The Velvet Lounge with New Standard ( x Penetrators) Ottley (x Slickees) and Rustbuckit (x Blackmarket Baby) All still alive and very much kicking. I'm not sure how The Velvet Lounge can handle all that energy, but it'll definitely be worth finding out.


*sorry, Mary, but that's what everybody's calling it.

High Jinks with Prabir and the boys

Prabir and the Substitutes did it again at The Galaxy Hut last night.
Man, those guys can move, and play and sing. They practically vibrate. They've got ants in their pants. They're the Beatles on steroids. Don't look now, but the key board player is standing on the windowsill knocking into the big letters that spell "HUT". The rail thin guitar player's legs are moving as fast as his shredding hands. Prabir doesn't take any prisoners. He and the Substitutes have more fun than their audience, though I'm laughing my head off, and the door man has a huge grin. Then, suddenly, they stop and step into the crowd to sing "Everybody Falls In Love With You" a cappella, as calmly and as beautifully as choir boys. And everybody listens. Then it's back to their high jinks- full throttle. My only complaint- the set was too short. More More More!

And don't forget Alice Despard at the Hut tonight. Trust her to make your Sunday .

Hit the Galaxy Hut This Weekend

Prabir and the Substitutes are playing The Galaxy Hut in Arlington on Saturday night. (If they can find it, so can you.) Alice Despard, herself, returns on Sunday.

Prabir's band is young and funny and energetic. I've seen them literally swing from the rafters on stage at Iota. Plus they can sing like nobody's business.

Alice has a voice I never get tired of, and she and her drummer, Evan Pollack have stripped down the concept of a band to two people with drums and a guitar who sound like way more.
(The first time I heard them, I was peering through the crowd trying to find the other guitar player- or at least a bass player.) Don't miss either of these shows.

( See the sidebar for links to all of the above)

Galaxy Hut

Galaxy Hut
Photo Originally uploaded by Spitzbob

You may have heard that The Galaxy Hut, one of my favorite bars in the world, has changed hands, but it landed safely in the arms of Larry, long time bartender-dj- musician, and he has done little to change the cosmic atmosphere which Alice Despard created. It's an amazing little place with a "patio room" the size of a bathroom hallway in an apartment- under the stars. Art on the walls and on the tables. Plus it's easy to strike up a conversation at the bar. When there's a show, there's enough room for the band and their friends, and you and your friends. That's it. Don't try and swing a cat. Do try the amazing selection of beers.