Something There Is That Doesn't Love a Wall

Robert Frost 1913

Wow. I find it hard to believe that Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall" was first published in 1914 -over a hundred years ago. It might be worth rereading if you haven't cracked a poetry book in a while. Modern times being what they are, he is also on youtube reading the thing out loud for Pete's sake.

"Before I built a wall I'd ask to know

What I was walling in or walling out,

And to whom I was like to give offense."

I'm with Robert.

In the meantime, while we are busy discussing walls, we might forget that this is really about people. People who are driven to leave their homes in hopes of finding a better life in another country.

One such person is Massama Dogo. He felt compelled to come here about fifteen years ago.  Now he keeps one foot in D.C. and one foot in Togo where he is working on musical projects. His latest video was shot both here and in Africa.  I can't understand a lot of French, but the poignancy of leaving all you know and love for opportunities elsewhere comes through loud and clear.

Massama's band DOGO will be performing at the Bossa Bistro + Lounge Thursday night. Friday night the Bold Deceivers are back doing their thing at Hell's Bottom a.k.a. the Takoma VFW.  Look for more things to do on DC ROCKS calendar and keep thinking about those walls.

Nothing But Gray Skies

The leaden skies which cloak Washington DC seem to be occurring with alarming frequency lately, almost as if the weather senses the federal mood about town. When the sun shines, we squint upward and look for the dimmer switch or dash outside to take advantage of the Vitamin D before the clouds return.

Last Sunday, in keeping with atmospheric upheavals, a mini blizzard occurred just as we began our pilgrimage to Susan Mumford's memorial at the 9:30 Club. Massachusetts Avenue was covered with snow as we cautiously descended to the deserted parking lot on 9th Street which looked more moonscape than District.

As an unintended consequence of the government melt down, Bill Warrell was snowed in at a national park in Delaware while many other friends were marooned just beyond the Beltway. Kudos to Kenny Inouye who gets the long distance award for flying in from Hawaii,

and also to Chris Vine who blew in from Brazil via England.

Brendan Canty was among a myriad of musical troops who joined forces to reprise Tiny Desk Unit - an effort which succeeded in both channeling and honoring Susan. The love in the room inspired all, and we missed those near and far who couldn't make it to say good bye. Thank you to all who helped make this event happen.

............................

                                                       
In between storms this weekend, old school rockers might want to seek refuge from the gloaming with the ever reliable Thrillbillys at JV's on Thursday, and Lunch with Bob, featuring Ratso at the helm, will take down the Takoma VFW on Saturday.

Back to Things 9:30

Hey, kids. This Saturday night the 9:30 Club is putting on a show with all home grown bands which is not so much the norm on V Street.  The "rockabilooza" line up features Jumpin' Jupiter, The Grandsons and Virginia and the Blue Dots, but I'm also looking forward to Dingleberry Dynasty shaking things up in a different way. Attendance counts if we want to see more DC area bands on the marquee although a possible snow day might interfere with the head count. Don't be weenies, you all.  Bonus attraction: long time 9:30-ite, Lisa White will be in the DJ booth.

By the way, the folks at IMP are offering a furlough deal for everyone- not just the beleaguered federal workers:

"We know it won't pay the bills, BUT we're doing what we can to lift spirits during the furlough by offering ticket freebies from now until the shutdown ends (ha!) or 11:59pm on Monday, January 14, (whichever happens first).

Buy a ticket to eligible 9:30 Club, The Anthem, The Lincoln Theatre, and 9:30 Presents at U Street Music Hall shows happening through February 8th and get one free (so long as it's not sold out and supplies are available)!" 

Sunday evening, we convene, again at 9:30,  for a concert to remember Susan Mumford who was an early pioneer at both dc space and 9:30 F Street.  Whispers and spirits of the old 9:30 live in the basement on V Street now. Here the original back bar from F Street and art postcards of past show calendars by Mark Holmes grace the walls. When we lose people from the olden days, this is where we gather to remember them. (Thank you, Seth and Rich)

I wrote about Susan back in September, but Alona Wartofsky's wonderful piece for The City Paper was more comprehensive.  Hit the links to read all about it although Susan would probably just say aw, shucks, why bother? But bother we will.

She was a rare and funny bird. She fronted the band Tiny Desk Unit which both christened and closed the club on F Street, yet her musical career and life were both too short. Despite the brevity of our time with Susan, she sparked brightly while she was here on this planet- both on stage and off.

Hello 2019

Goodbye 2018. I'm not sure what to make of you. I hope I learned a thing or two though I can't remember a single thing right now.

Pictures remind me that travels included Philadelphia, Brooklyn, Ohio.and West Virginia. The farthest I got was New Orleans for Mardi Gras, but it turns out Point Pleasant, West Virginia, despite its name, was the scariest place what with the Mothman and all.

I also took a field trip to the Baltimore Aquarium with a bunch of Wilson High school kids. That was fun until I lost one. (What? It was dark in there.)

Holton-Arms was often in the news during the Kavanaugh hearings, but I didn't hear anyone mention that The Slickee Boys made it into the Holton Arms News a while back.  How about that? (A Holton graduate worked on the DC Punk Archive project.)

We marched more than once in 2018 and did some kooky things in the name of making love not war.

I attended a wedding.

and more than one funeral.

In the DC music scene we lost Susan Mumford, Billy Hancock and now, rather suddenly, Andras Fekete. I often mentioned his band Boat Burning, and I am glad I got to see them play before it was too late. Lots of music lies ahead for January. Please make a resolution to see live music in 2019.

Here's a few considerations for your calendars- with more to come:

January 2019 (!)

3

Thrillbillys@ JV

5

Daryl Davis/Patsy Stephens @ College Park Legion

10

Rhodes Tavern Troubadours @ Takoma VFW

12

Local Music Night @ 9:30 Club

13

Susan Mumford Memorial @ 9:30

17

Thrillbillys @ JV

24

Dave Chappell Band @ JV

Dogo @ Bossa Bistro Lounge

26

Tom Principato and Dave Chappell @ JV

27

Jumping Jupiter 4 pm @ JV

30

Robert Gordon/ Chris Spedding w/ Jumping Jupiter @ City Winery

Happy New Year to you all from DC ROCKS

Wake Up Rockers of DC

Ready or not it's time to emerge from your holiday cocoon. Resist the couch, people! Here's a quick reminder from the ever dwindling DC ROCKS 2018 calendar that there are kick ass shows EVERY SINGLE NIGHT from now until the End of the Year.
Please go out and support our local swinging scene.

27

Dave Chappell Band @ JV

Thrillbillys @ Takoma VFW

28

XMC /Sister Ex/ Traildraggers @ Villain and Saint

29

Last Train Home / Cravin' Dogs @ Birchmere

Bold Deceivers @ Takoma VFW

30 

Thrillbillys @ Villain and Saint

31

King Soul @ Rock Creek Mansion

The Day I Visited Santa

I am feeling a bit nostalgic what with Christmas right around the corner although "the day I visited Santa" was not a favorite memory. See how my arm is crooked? I didn't want to touch that weird old guy's arm much less sit on his lap, but once I got over my fear of Christmas, life improved.

Driving up Wisconsin Avenue to hit up that one stop shopping mecca we call Rodman's, I pass my grandparents' house on Upton Street. We used to have our Christmas dinner there, back when trees looked like this.

We would eat in the dining room with card tables extending into the living room, and after dinner there might be presents and unfortunate photographs.

Back in my younger days, we roamed the city looking for art, music and a tribe, and we found it all at dc space and 9:30. Christmas parties back then looked like this.

And here's my buddy Art under the mistletoe in 1987.

Back to the present,  I am proud to report that local drummer Ray Brown of Snail Mail  has a sell out show at the 9:30 Club this Friday. You may remember Ray as the bass player in a very young and truly talented punk rock band called The Black Sparks.  

Congratulations, Ray.

For us slightly older folks Justin Jones holds forth at DC9 while The Delarcos are at Dangerous Pies. Both on Friday.

Saturday choose from vintage rockers Lunch with Bob (with Ratso!) at the Takoma VFW or the more electronic slanted rock brought to you by Color Pallette at the Black Cat's Backstage

The Messthetics - a super trio featuring Brendan Canty, Joe Lally (both of Fugazi) and guitar slinger Anthony Pirogue- are also at Black Cat 's Back Stage with their very cool prog rock project on Sunday. The Back Stage and the club's entire first floor including the Red Room bar and Food For Thought will be closing at the end of the month so if you are feeling nostalgic, check out the schedule and make your pilgrimage while you still can.

Jangled Bells

Today is Thursday December 13th. I am saying this out loud as I need to remind myself of all the things I should be doing and need to do between now and you know when besides watching The Great Rupert. (Maybe not such a great movie, but have you ever seen a squirrel do a jig?) A lot of my friends are making lists which I think is a great idea.  Here's mine:

Make a list!

I don't know why I am feeling especially scattered this year although I did make it to the Holiday Market last night. Have you noticed all those white tents looking like Lawrence of Arabia and his entourage have settled in downtown?  Heat lamps, hot things to drink and live music make this shopping experience completely pleasant.

And no need to subject yourself to a shopping mall when the real zoo is open every evening 5-9 p.m. All decked out for the holidays with live music, too.

 Don't forget to buy cigarettes for all the smokers on your list! Is that a duck on his desk?

Speaking of ducks, get yours in a row by patronizing our very local Sullivan's Toys and Art Supplies on Wisconsin Avenue NW. Still in business since 1954, despite all three of my children having worked there at some point.

Which reminds me, Martin's Tavern in Georgetown is a great place to take kids of all ages for a dose of Christmas kitsch. They really go crazy with the decking of halls, and the bartenders are top notch.

Where was I?

Oh yes. Tonight The Rhodes Tavern Troubadours play the Takoma VFW which is an excellent way to take your mind off your list as well as what day of the week it is. Plenty of free parking and cut rate drink prices make this scene a party every time.

Friday The Black Muddy River Band will wake the Dead at El Golfo where, the last time I was there, the $5 cover converts to a free margarita. 

And Saturday night The Thrillbillys will be rocking the New Deal Cafe while the Daryl Davis Band gets the dance groove on at Glen Echo's Spanish Ballroom.  

Rudolph and the Misfit Parade

Remember when this time of year meant hopefully catching "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" on TV ? My childhood bestie Joy has a birthday today, and when we were kids, she occasionally had to incorporate the event into her slumber party.

Who knew that when we grew up we would be able to watch the whole dang thing on our phones ?

Well, kids, it's time to tell you. The Island of Misfit Toys is real, and musicians live there, too. Especially players like Eddie Angel of Los Straightjackets (although we in D.C. like to claim him for Switchblade.)

This Thursday you can catch Eddie Angel's Guitar Party opening for  J.D. McPherson at the Black Cat. On Friday Bill Hanke recommends Slash Run for "1960s style garage stompers Ar-Kaics and 60s style lysergic jingle-jangle Beginner's Mynd. Drink the cool-aid, said Ken Kesey. I hate to say 1960s style, but the new generation needs to know." 

Gotta love Bill. God bless the freaks. 

P.S. The answer to last week's quiz? The "new wave" club was Silver Spring Station and the other was L.A. Cafe at 18th and Connecticut NW. 

The End Is in Sight

Dang. December sure got here in a hurry.  I haven't even gotten used to writing 2018 yet. And what a wet dreary November it was. We had over 7 inches of record breaking rain- busting the stats of 1877. Time to get out those sunshine mimicking light bulbs and other seasonal lights.

I'm not sure what was going on in D.C. in 1877, but the December 1977 "contemporary music" listings in the Evening Star included the Rossyln Mountain Boys at Fred and Sullies, Grit at the Italian Gardens, Root Boy Slim and the Sex Change Band at the Back Room of the Varsity Grill,  Harrison Bond and Goddard at the Far Inn, Skyline at Paul Mall, and Spats at the Psyche Delly.

Charlie McCollum's Rock Notes column also recommended the line up at the Capital Centre which included the Kinks, Earth Wind and Fire, Boz Scaggs, Patti LaBelle, and "for the kiddies" Kiss and Aerosmith.

He also noted that "two new city rock clubs will open in the next month. At least one will feature new wave (i.e. punk rock acts.)"  This was back when New Wave had to be defined.

The clubs opened in January 1978.  Can anybody guess what they were? While you're thinking (and the answer is by no means obvious*) here's a partial list of what's going on this December 2018:

DECEMEBER

1

Caustic Casanova CD release party @ Atlas Brewery

Linwood Taylor @ New Deal

2

Woodgrove/ NRIs @ Black Cat Backstage

Granny and the Boys @ Showtime ( every Sunday thru December 30)

3

Unring the Bell/ Dot Dash/ Cory Shane @ Black Cat

6 

Eddie Angels’ Guitar Party/ JD McPherson @ Black Cat

Thrillbillys @ JV

7 

The Ar-Kaics/ Beginner’s Mynd/Teen Cobra/The It’s Alive @ Slash Run

11

Boat Burning @ Millennium Stage Free

11/12

Eric Felten’s Duke Ellington Nutcracker Suite @ Blues Alley

13

Rhodes Tavern Troubadours  @ Takoma VFW

14 

Black Muddy River @ El Golfo

15

Daryl Davis @ Glen Echo

18 

Fuzzqueen/Time Is Fire/ Company Calls @ Black Cat

20

Thrillbillys @ JV

21

Delarcos @ Dangerous Pies

Snail Mail @ 9:30 Club

23

The Messthetics @ Black Cat

25

Jimi Smooth and Hit Time

27

Dave Chappell @ JV

31

King Soul @ Rock Creek Mansion

*The answer will be in the next DC ROCKS

Thanks

Good morning, Washington. Happy Thanksgiving.

Please excuse my laziness today, but I thought I would re-run part of a piece I wrote a few years ago, thanking my dad for teaching me about this place we call the District of Columbia. 

My father George was born in 1916 at home on 11th Street NE to Greek immigrants. 

Maybe you can tell by the picture? 

George didn't speak English until he went to kindergarten, but he learned in a hurry. He went to school, worked and lived in the District most of his life, and his Washington had nothing to do with politics. He was always more at home in work clothes than a suit or a tie.

We may have buzzed by the monuments when friends or family came to visit, but I don't ever remember going to the Smithsonian or Capitol Hill except on a school field trip. 

Here's an excerpt from Thanks to My DC Dad:

Thank you for:

Taking me to the zoo.  A lot.  Sometimes just on the spur of the moment, sometimes for a birthday.  I suspect he liked it because it was uptown, free and outdoors.  I remember he would park our station wagon right near the elephant house and partly on the sidewalk. Crazy, right? He had a little home made sign that he would put on the dashboard which said  "Modern Linen -Making Delivery." That seemed to do the trick.

All those DC stories. George worked mostly in the restaurant world, and he had the low down on how the Italian statues got into AV's yard on New York Avenue. Another friend,  Ulysses Auger, got his start after World War Two when everyone was craving meat after years of rationing. "Blackie" was his nick name, and he sold steaks from the trunk of his car until he could open his own place called "The Minute Grille."  When he had made enough dough to buy the property at 21st and M, he changed the name to Blackie's House of Beef. Money was tight, and the kitchen was in terrible shape. One day my father and Uncle Mimi just happened by to see the new place. Blackie asked them whether he should spend money on improving the kitchen or buy a new sign. My father said go for the sign, and that's exactly what happened. It was a big sign!

Introducing me to DC food 
George always asked for a half smoke over a hotdog. He also liked the fried chicken wing sandwich at the Florida Avenue Grill which comes with another story.  Chewing right through the cartilage and spitting out the bones, he would talk about how Father Lalouissis from St Sophia's would come for Sunday dinners when he was a kid.  The chicken on the table only went so far with a family of five and an honored guest.  The priest would get the biggest piece, and my grandfather would get the next biggest and so it went.  My grandmother always insisted that "Georgie loved the wing." I guess it happened so many times that he believed it, too.

Teaching me how to drive with impunity. Technically I learned to drive on a VW bug with a driver's ed teacher, but my father taught me the finer points of operating a motor vehicle with his mind bending lane changes on the Beltway and sometimes stunning U turns on avenues around the city. Even though he constantly scared the crap out of my mother, he gave me a lot of confidence behind the wheel. And unlike my mother, he taught me how to pump my own gas.

Taking me to Sherrill's Bakery. When I first met the "girls," as George called them, Lola Rivas, the owner, started yelling at him in Greek as soon as we walked in. She seemed angry and scary to me.  Her daughters Kiki and Dottie were less frightening, but I didn't know what was going until the scene devolved into pinching cheeks and handing out cookies. They loved my father and were scolding him for not coming by more often.

The bakery was once a mainstay on Capitol Hill and served breakfast, lunch and dinner 364 days a year in a time capsule of a 1940s diner. It hadn't changed much since Lola and her husband Sam bought the place. A cigarette machine and a fortune telling scale flanked the front door, and I thought it was cool we didn't have to pay for the cookies. Former busboy and local film maker David Petersen almost won an Oscar and did win a well deserved Emmy for capturing those crazy hard working women and their customers in his documentary "Fine Food and Pastries." Hit the link to watch as there's nothing left of Sherrill's except memories now.  

                                                              *******

If you don't feel like cooking today, JV's in Falls Church has you covered. They'll be serving up both turkey and one of DC's finest guitar heroes Dave Chappell for all your fine dining and rock n roll needs.

Ready or Not

 What gives Mother Nature? Snow before the leaves have fallen?  Here in my rural corner of DC,  I still have a rose or two trying to bloom out there. Well, they were.

For all of you who gladly go with the snow globe theme, the ice rink at the Sculpture Garden opens for the season this weekend. On the other hand, winter weather phobes might want to hide out at Hill Country Barbecue where everyone can pretend they're in Texas. The Highballers and Whiskey Daredevils are on hand to support the fantasy this Saturday.

Finally congratulations are in order. Back in the day when we were all hoping to start a rock n roll band,  Chuck Levins Music Center was there with picks and amps and good advice.  Guitar geeks especially should be aware of Chuck's  60th Anniversary Party with Paul Reed Smith on hand.

Count 'em

Just how many musicians does DC actually have? The answer is too many to count, of course, but now there's a plan is in the works to do just that.  According to city officials and a story on WAMU today,  look for an online census coming in January 2019. Meanwhile, I've been counting local musicians since the early 1970s starting with Fat City, The Seldom Scene and The Blackbirds. But that was just the tip of the iceberg leading to the vibrant scene we have now.

This weekend is ridiculous with gigs- all starring veteran musicians- starting tonight with The Rhodes Tavern Troubadours' early throw down at the Takoma VFW. Free show starts at 7 ends at 10- just right for the working stiff's schedule and pocketbook.  Friday night The Rock-A-Sonics rip up JVs while The Hall Brothers are at the College Park American Legion-another free event and money back guaranteed good time.

Saturday night is when things get really crazy. Pick your poison, people:

Rock n roll?

The Nighthawks at JVs now with Dan Hovey tearing things up on guitar.

Big band ?

Find Eric Felten swinging the very romantic Spanish Ballroom at Glen Echo.

Something not in a pigeon hole?

How about the Bold Deceivers at the Takoma VFW? They describe themselves as "Satan's cabana boys take up folk" with an event they're calling " First Annual Hell's Bottom Hootenanny. " Can't argue with that.

For you nostalgic types, take a trip to fantasy land. You can catch The Beatles, The Dead,  Dylan and The Band. All on one night for Pete's sake. ( i.e. The Apple Core at Jammin' Java, On the Bus AND The Bob Band at Villain and Saint. And last but not least The Last Waltz tribute at The Hamilton, but beware this show usually sells out.)