Mother May I Do It Again?

 



















Attention DC Rockers-
Did you see either of these shows?

If not this Saturday may be your last and only chance to see two vintage DC bands in reunion mode. If you did- then you get to do it again.

Mother May I and Hyaa! will both be at IOTA October 2 playing a concert for the benefit of the children of Rob LeBourdais from Mother May I.(Please don't pull out your old 80s garb or hairstyles for this one because we don't want to see them!) But we do want to see you. Come out and support a good cause, and the musicians that are making this scene happen...again.

A $15 donation gets you in to witness DC rock history come alive.

(And thank you Alice Despard for your help with this post.)

Galaxy Stars Returns

Star gazers alert. Mark your calendars-the Perseid meteor showers won't be peaking until August 12 this year, but  Alice Despard, creator of one of the coolest little bars in the universe, will be playing the Galaxy Hut this SUNDAY night with Crowd Scene. Both these bands play out about as often as a full lunar eclipse (the next one in the U.S. being December 21) and both groups are stellar. I won't say more as there's not much room over there-it is a Hut after all- but this is a cosmic event.

Five bucks gets you into another galaxy.

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.

DC- More Cosmic Than You mIght Think

Considering what happened to Jupiter this week, this weekend maybe a good time to get out and see live music... while we can. Alice Despard, a star in my book has been a part of the DC music scene for many a moon now. In bands since she was a teen, she later launched one of my favorite clubs- The Galaxy Hut. These days Alice has other fish to fry which translates to infrequent gigs so when she plays, I go. This weekend, happily enough, there are TWO chances to see her:
SATURDAY evening Alice Despard Group is playing with The Lost Patrol at the New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt from 8-11. This from Alice:
"An intimate evening with The Lost Patrol, a sensuous spy/surf/psychedelia outfit from NYC. Alice Despard playing with Evan Pollack on drums. The food was made by Lebanese Taverna chefs last time we were there. We hope they are still making falafel."

And SUNDAY it's back to her old stomping ground on the OTHER side of our world The Galaxy Hut in Clarendon- same line up- different venue. Alice calls it "The Beltway Tour."

So now I'm thinking of the Beltway as DC's outer planetary ring-and all those cars just so much cosmic dust. The Hut and The New Deal satellites or maybe asteroids. On the other hand, maybe I'm thinking too much.
I'm worried about Jupiter.

Columbus Day

When we were growing up, Columbus Day did not bring the word genocide to mind, as it might now. Back then it was all about how Columbus was practically God's gift to the poor savage Indians. These days Columbus Day might have more meaning as a shopping day-except the economy is sinking faster than the Nina or the Penta would have if they had been caught in a perfect storm. So take those hard earned dollars and spend them wisely- support our local music scene. Ten dollars won't buy you much anymore, but it will buy you a whole night of music as all the shows listed here are ten bucks or under.

Tonight for example, you could have dinner with The Loggers- at Bangkok Blues in Falls Church. Saturday night there's the whole Surf Club /Velvet Lounge dilemma (see last posting) But wait there's more!

Sunday at 2 those venerable canine musicians  The Cravin' Dogs will do a matinee at Iota. Bring the kids; see a great band, have a beer and a juice box. It's a hoot.

Then Sunday night the Alice Despard Group (which usually brings tears to my eyes at least once a set) comes back into the fold to play at the sweet club Alice founded- The Galaxy Hut in Arlington. Alice never charged for bands during her reign, and Larry the new owner has kept the cover way low at just five dollars which is dang reasonable. Memphis 59, a rock alt country type band will open. (By the way if you can't make the show, you can read about Alice's DC memories at Washington D.C. My Hometown)

And just across the street from The Hut at Iota the alt country indie rock type thing continues with three more bands.

WAMA Crosstown Jam Presents:

SUNDAY is the New SATURDAY Show (for all you wise crackers with Monday off)

This show features: Little Pink  with Mary Battiata another DC area singer with great lungs and heart breaking potential. Plus David Kitchen, a man of many bands and talent, and 

Leaving, TX which self describes themselves as "a country band with a twang-rock problem.

The shbang starts around 8:30 p.m.

$10.

DC Rock Homies

Alice Despard- you might know her as the founder of The Galaxy Hut or you might know her for her music. Though Alice sold the club some time ago The Hut still lives on as a great little dive in Clarendon with a great selection of beer and a haven to see all sorts of indie music and meet all kinds of individuals.

What you might not know is that Alice grew up here. Check out her contribution- "The Mobile Party Unit"- as my first guest author on Washington DC- the Hometown blog.

Why Go Anywhere Else?

Friday night. Date night. Get out and see friends night- and a lot of talented friends are playing this Friday night. Two totally different shows at two very different venues- but if you are an ambitious night owl, you can catch them both.

First the venerable Alice Despard, former owner of The Galaxy Hut, is playing at The New Deal Cafe in that all American socialist experiment- Greenbelt, Md.
Alice has pared down her band to The Alice Despard Group. Bare essentials here: she plays guitar with a rich and amazing energy that is all her own. You might want to ease Alice into the folk category, but she has always leaned towards an edgier side and her drummer, Evan Pollack is in total sync with what she has going on. Add to the mix Alice's voice which I could listen to all day even though girl singers are not usually my thing. The opening band, The Lost Patrol starts at 8; Alice goes on around 9:30.

Meanwhile just down the road the honky tonk which was once Chick Hall's but is now Surf Club Live will be feature two true blue road house classics: The Thrillbillys and Ruthie and The Wranglers. (The one and only Johnny Castle)

The Thrillbillys, one of our local super groups, usually play the TINY Sunset Grille in Annandale so this is a great chance to see them in action over on the other side of DC in a much larger venue. (Though they have such a strong fan base that I wouldn't be surprised to see Sunset Grille pilgrims showin' up.)And Ruthie and The Wranglers are no strangers to The Surf Club. They recorded one of their earlier CDs right here on the Surf Club stage. When the band doesn't have you up and dancing, Ruth can bring about a sea change: she has the kind of cry in your beer voice that will make you ask the bartender to leave the bottle.

Things get rolling at Surf Club around 9 or so, but go on fairly late-until 1 or so.

Please support these local bands and venues before they go the way of Starbucks and Hard Rock Cafes-just what this corrupted capital DOESN'T need!

Subscriber's Lament

So I have been writing DC Rocks for a year, but I am still feeling my way along in the cyber dark as this whole thing has been a learning process for me. I put a subscription service in the side bar ages ago and had friends sign up to see how that worked. (A third party sends an email every time I post.) Unfortunately, the delivery times seem erratic so I try and post at least a couple of days ahead of a show date. But since my life is somewhat erratic- this isn't always possible. I do keep a calendar going on the blog itself, so if you are a subscriber hit the link that takes you back to the blog now and then, and you will see a lot more acts listed than I or my staff get around to writing about- and you might want to make a note on your calendars.

So even though it is the eleventh hour (i.e. 6:30 p.m.) I still want to write that the truly soulful (though not in the traditional sense) Alice Despard Group is playing The Galaxy Hut in Arlington this very evening at 10:30 p.m.
(Just thought I'd throw that out there for the erratic planners amongst you.)

Line Ups

It's just like the grocery store. You go in - you see no one as you cruise around- then you get to the check out aisle, and boom there's a line as long as the Post Office when they up the cost of a stamp on you. You get in the back of line. You are last. No one comes after you. When you leave the store, it's empty.
So tonight and tomorrow are empty on my calendar, but Thursday night, May 15, there are TWO good shows: (at least) Alice Despard Group and Cashmere Jungle Lords are playing at The Quarry House in Silver Spring and 7 Door Sedan and Sister Ex are at The Red and The Black on H Street.

The Jungle Lords and Alice go way back. How far? Well, The Jungle Lords met Alice when they double billed with Hyaa at dc space back in 1986. They see themselves as: (albeit through a glass darkly) Frank Sinatra backed by tequila-sodden cow punks posing as a mariachi band trying to be rock n roll.
Alice says this about Jungle Lords: They play this infectious combo of surf, rockabilly and jungle music. Dominic is a phenomenal guitarist in the style of Eddy Cochrane, Duane Eddy, and that ilk. Lately, he has been a adding a Latin flavor to some of his songs. CJL is always fresh and sexy, and always reinventing themselves.

And Dominic had this to say about Alice: I've always had tremendous respect for her songwriting and guitar playing, as well as the timbre of her voice. Beyond that, she is one of the most deeply spiritual people I've ever met... She handles her music career with a lot of wariness in terms of avoiding doing anything crass or commercial.

Now that you are primed for that show - think again- 7 Door Sedan and Sister Ex are also playing at The Red and The Black down on H Street. I know good established bands that are afraid to play with 7 Door because they've seen people get up and leave when they finish. I guess Sister Ex can hold their own. 7 Door has been described by Lyn2 as having "a glam, psychedelic rock and soul thing which will wow you," and I haven't heard anything to dispute that.

Now it's time to flip a coin. (You do have have another chance to see 7 Door and Sister at Artomatic May 18)- or try to get all four in one night. (Write me if you do!)

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.

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.

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.