Relax-Chuck's in Charge for Labor Day Weekend

With temperatures back in the nineties forecast for Saturday, it's back to DC weather as usual- as usual as Washington can get being the weirdest city on the planet. (Did anyone else think this was a particularly long August? Not to mention rather peculiar?) At any rate, the long weekend will give DCPS students a much needed respite after two full weeks of school if you don't count that Earthquake break.

What's up for Summer's Last Weekend?

Friday night, Last Train Home, the DC band with Nashville wanderlust, will report back to their true home bar IOTA for one show only with good friends Chris Watling, Dave Van Allen and Kevin Cordt coming out for full press band support.

Then Sunday, the deepest DC experience award has got to go to the National Symphony's tribute to native cats John Sousa, Duke Ellington and Mr.  Chuck Brown (!) happening on the West lawn of the Capital at 8 p.m. This concert will be followed by a performance featuring the only man in that crew that is still very much alive.

So good bye August and hello September. Slip out of those white bucks and gear up for November .

Hunker Down- Shows Cancelled Tonight

Mother Nature is not to be argued with so Surf Club and Chuck Brown shows have been cancelled for this evening. Fill the bathtub with gin and take it easy 'til we meet again.

Real Rocking Beats Quaking

DC really did rock yesterday, but now it's time to get over the earth quake and look forward to real rocking plus maybe a hurricane this weekend. (As the Cowardly Lion would say "Unusual weather we're having, ain't it?") And why do they name hurricanes but not earthquakes? I would've called this one "Little Susie." (You know "Quake up, Lil Susie, quake up)

Although live shows have been suspended at Surf Club of late, this weekend the show(s) will go on so please come out and support this venue and keep this place more than just a great idea.

Friday night a Hank Williams tribute brings a variety of musicians out to give HW the musical nod he so well deserves. (You might want to sport dancing shoes and a cowboy hat for this one.)

And Saturday brings the long awaited return of The Beatnik Flies- a band that that just plain defies the box. It's been two years since the Flies played, and with The Yachtsmen at the helm for openers, this will be a night to remember. Original music and attire all OVER the place so come as you want to be.
Just be sure you are there.

Play It Again, Marginal Man

All the original members of Marginal Man will reunite THIS SATURDAY at the Black Cat. If you know the name of this band then I am preaching to the choir, but if you don't this is original DC harDCore springing from our very own home town when 9:30 was on F Street and Dischord Records gave bands like this a voice... on vinyl.

Here's Mark Noone's take: 
 "Marginal man had the power. That double guitar attack contributed to their wide loud sound. They also sported a great front man and killer drummer; Slickees were considering him when Dan Palenski left."

And this from a deep background source at the 9:30 Club: 
"Although they came out of the harDCore scene, I always felt they were a little different than many of those other bands. They had plenty of songs that were serious, like "Identity", but also had some more fun, light-hearted songs, like the instrumental "Chocolate Pudding", and a pop sensibility to their songwriting.  I now see them as one of the founding bands of the "pop-punk" genre, which later became huge and spawned very successful bands like Green Day, although their influence on others up and coming bands was not apparent at the time. It takes time and perspective to see how influential they were."

Also on the bill: Strike Anywhere and Damnation ID. 

Tickets $15

Support Your Local Surfers

You may have heard that live shows at the Surf Club have been suspended due to an overlooked and unchecked box on a form and an unfortunate series of events possibly resulting in a nearby shooting last March after the club had closed. This incident did NOT involve live music and did not occur at the Surf Club and is the ONLY act of its kind in the three and a half years JB has owned the club.

Politically the towns of Edmonston and Hyattsville are torn between having a club and shutting it down. Most people involved in making the decision have never attended a show there and mistakenly think it's a dark and violent place, not one where the disco ball inspires swing and zydeco types to go nuts only on the dance floor.

Shows have already been cancelled, but a temporary though precarious permit has been issued for the Hank Williams tribute and The Beatnik Flies Reunion- August 26 and 27. If you want to see more shows like this, please take a minute  and help keep this historic and endangered honky-tonk  live and alive.  Here's how:

Write to Chairman Franklin D. Jackson of the Prince Georges County Liquor Board. Chairman Jackson oversees the board which has the authority to amend the oversight in the application that would allow live bands to once again play at the Surf Club. Please speak of your experiences there, and whether this included witnessing any sort of violence.

(Chairman Jackson's emails are directed to him by staff members.)

Email:

KEMarkomanolakis@co.pg.md.us (Kelly)

DMBryant@co.pg.md.us (Diane)

Direct Mail:

Franklin D Jackson, Chairman

Board of License Commissioners

County Service Building

5012 Rhode Island Ave., Room 204

Hyattsville, MD 20781

Gone Fishing

Yeah. It's August. Things are slow, and as usual Congress has left such a mess that even DC Rocks needs a vacation.
 See ya next week.

Bring Out Your Dead

Tired of listening to "Box of Rain,"on the tape player out in the garage? I was never a big fan, but can't deny they influenced my life back in the day. There was the time my housemate went to a show and came home with a puppy. Another housemate designed tee shirts featuring Jerry Garcia's head on a Maryland Terrapin body which, considering Jerry's physique at the time, totally worked.

At any rate, the time has come to fling those cassettes and simplify your life. Pull on a tee shirt and truck on out to Surf Club this Friday night for the Black Muddy River Band-  acoustic covers brought to you by three real guys playing instruments right in front of you. Get your Dead on live.

Last Chance

Fort Reno is winding down this week so if you've been meaning to get up there...it's now or never. This Thursday the season closes out with an extremely rare appearance by the The Evens who do NOT appear in clubs. (At the 9:30 Anniversary Party you might have seen them in the balcony, but not on stage)

If you do not know who The Evens are then check the Who's Who Directory of Local DC Bands...DC ROCKS itself. Yep, there's a little search box at the top of this blog.

Go early. Parking is limited due to Wilson High School construction, and those in the know know this is  a show not to miss.

This Dog Can Hunt

Sonic Phenomena

Can't get enough of Slickee Boys?

Nope, they aren't coming back.

And yes, you missed the event of the summer if you missed their last show at the 9:30 Club, but here's a saving grace- former Slickee- Marshall Keith will be at Surf Club this Friday night along with outer limit music making Cigarbox Planetarium and The Spectacles. 

Marshall has struck out on an ethereal path all his own which can be heard most often on his solo CD Roadside Shrine. Live and in person, just go ahead and expect the unexpected.

Be Cool and If You Can't Be Cool Be Hot

Every summer I lose my will to do just about anything right around now. The Dog Days are here followed swiftly by the Doldrums which are brought on by the "code red" air quality. My garden has to fend for itself. My neighbor, Joel comments that I've let my lawn go dormant as if that were a Plan.

The only thing that rescues ninety plus days are the slightly less steamy though still sultry nights.
That is the time to defy the elements and make your own heat: dance hard and create a breeze of your own.

Here are possibilities for this week: The Atomic Mosquitos which do not have an annoying habit of sucking your blood to ensure future progeny will be at The Surf Club Friday night and the Quarry House on Saturday. On the other side of Old Man River, look for Kid Goat and Yell County at IOTA- also on Saturday night. And finally Greenland, a perennial favorite of DC ROCKS, will be at the stellar Galaxy Hut this Sunday.

A Guy with a Guitar Walks into a Bar

Saturday Night We Need a Time & Space Inter-County Connector by Lynn Thorp

(and the best poster award goes to...)

It's hard to know where to be Saturday night. To catch all the shows you'd have to rely on good old 410 our East-West Highway, but a time-space travel machine would be easier.

Over in Prince Georges County, you've got The Yachtsmen, Monsters From the Surf and El Quatro at the Surf Club. The music is back at this iconic place, and they need your support to keep it live. If you've never gone because you don't know where Kennilworth Avenue is, choose the Eastern end of the night's listings, and I guarantee you will be back for more. Three bands, a great sound system and dance floor, plus pool tables and a place that feels like a honky tonk should on a Saturday night.

To the West, you can opt for Color School at Parker's in Bethesda. Check out their newly posted songs, and you'll hear these guys are a real treat live. No cover here.

If you need to get your Dead on, not far north of Parker's you can catch Black Muddy River Band. This mostly-Grateful Dead acoustic trio does it better than I've ever seen. They're at Branded 72 BBQ in Rockville.

So wherever you are on the East/West continuum of our thriving music scene, support our local bands with whatever rocks your boat this Saturday.

Stranger Things May Happen But This Is a Good One

This load of alliteration just in from last week's Surf Club Soul man Mark Noone:
"Aloha nui loa friends and fans of Hawaiian Swing Music and Boogie Blues! Washington DC's highfalutin-hillbilly-hula-honchos, The Hula Monsters will be swingin’ the stage with the legendary boogie-woogie-bad-boy-barn-busters, The Nighthawks at Surf Club Live right there on Kenilworth Avenue in Hyattsville this Friday night, July 15th.  
Get there early, stay late, bring your dancin’ shoes! 
Only 10 bucks!!!"
And watch Mark transform himself yet again on Saturday night. Same Bat place. Same Bat time. Whole different persona. Stay tuned.

Be In Love With the Past

All of you sentimental people out there looking for nostalgia in cool places-check out Owen Wilson channeling Woody Allen in his new film "Midnight in Paris." Then head over to Clyde's cavern club Friday night for those masters of the flashback The Vi-kings. These guys are veteran rockers bringing you back to the Sixties with a secret weapon in their midst-Bob Berberich. Bob's a walking legend around these parts, and we are lucky he is still keeping the beat alive. In the mean time Vi-Kings' ring leader Joe Dolan wants you to know he is putting you all on the guest list. (which is his way of saying "no cover")

Live Music Attack This Weekend

Be prepared for your in box to be full from DC ROCKS this week because when it rains it pours,and when it rains, this DC native is a happy summer camper.
This show was brought to our attention by Dead Leaf Echo. All ages is always a cool scene.

Dash Out to the Rock and Roll Hotel Thursday by L. Thorp

Dot Dash, Ft. Reno, August 2010
Photo Courtesy of Peter Muise

Dot Dash and The Jones share the stage with Urge Overkill Thursday night at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Two great local acts and a blast from your mid 80s - mid-90s past.

ERROR Please note Goldrush at Galaxy Hut JULY 17

Sorry about the mix up.

BAck to the Future JULY 17

Our old friend Prabir will be at the Galaxy Hut NEXT Sunday in his new incarnation Goldrush.

The Galaxy Hut is so small you're bound to come away with new friends, and the music will surprise you. Absolutely worth a school night out.

Wait a minute...make that a summer school night.

Support Your Local Hercules

Everyone knows Hercules. He's the guy immortalized in myth and cartoon as the strong man who can throw a raging bull or a large car across the street with one hand. If you remember the original myth, however, Herc had a huge to-do list which included taking care of man eating birds, (right after he cleaned up the Aegean stable) rounding up the Mares of Diomedes, and going after the elusive Golden Apples. All of these chores seemed insurmountable, but Hercules some how found a way.

A few years ago, James Byrum, unsuspecting music lover, put himself in the same position as Hercules. He bought the Surf Club.

Next thing you know, here came the man killing birds, (county regulators)  strange creatures which had to be herded inside(local musicians)and those golden apples- ever elusive profits- are still hanging out of reach.

Yet James continues to defy the odds by bringing on more live music than ever this month. This week alone look for The Thrillbillys Friday, King Soul on Saturday night, and an afternoon open-mike with Stacy Brooks on Sunday.

Come out, have fun and support our local music heroes.