Connectivity

Unicorn Times October 1979

Washington is a small town, and if you stay here long enough, the connections will start to criss cross like a spider web. The story of how Razz ended up playing at the upcoming 930 Soundbites benefit for DC Central Kitchen is no exception.

I first met Robert Egger when he was hanging around with us at the old 9:30 Club happy hour back when Mark Hall was tending bar and playing video deejay.  I knew he got involved with feeding the homeless, but the details were sketchy for me until I went to his farewell party at the Hamilton a couple of months ago. Yes, I'd heard about his brainchild DC Central Kitchen, but holy cow! Oprah made him an angel. Why?  Because since 1989, he has made a difference in people's lives, not just by feeding them, but by training folks to work in the restaurant biz at the same time.

So way back when Robert was managing the (now defunct) Childe Harolde, he ran into a guy named Seth Hurwitz who was putting rock shows like Joe King Carrasco and The Cramps into the (soon to be condos) Ontario Theater on Columbia Road. Robert also was an editor at the (no longer in circulation) Unicorn Times, and Seth would come in to advertise the shows. Both were in their late teens. Seth (and his partner Rich Heineke) bought and still own 9:30.

And the connection to Razz?  A band which essentially broke up in 1979? Robert remembers being especially struck by their guitar player Abaad Behran standing out as "a shaman and a dynamic gifted performer." He remembers the wild front man Michael Reidy - not just for his music- but also for the art he created for Razz's ads in the Unicorn Times.

So now the stars have crossed sufficiently for (the) Razz to make one more run on May 19th- to help make that difference for their old friend Robert and for the Kitchen.

For your chance to win two tickets to see Razz plus six more bands, tons of free food and more : just write up one short foggy memory of the DC music scene, and send it to dcrocksblog@gmail.com. Please put "Soundbites" in the subject header. Contest ends May 15th. No talent required! Winner picked at random.

Unicorn Times April 1979