As They Used to Say on Hee- Haw: SAL- UTE!

Since we lost Chick Hall's Surf Club in Hyattsville, Max Blob's Bavarian Beer Hall (or Blob's Park) in Jessup may be the closest thing we have to a honky- tonk around here which makes it the perfect venue for the "Tribute to the Women of Country" music show this Saturday at 8 p.m. featuring Diana Quinn, Ruthie Logsdon, Karen Collins and much more. (Is that a run on sentence or just a stream of consciousness ?)

Lacking the restraints of city life, this place stretches out with a huge dance floor and an even bigger parking lot, and is conveniently located within tobacco spitting distance of I-95.

Frager's FundIng Fete

Frager's Hardware- a DC institution- sadly made the news recently when a fire devastated the building. This Friday night Little Red and the Renegades will be playing at Eastern Market to help the folks at Frager's get back on their feet. Come on out if you care about the small local stores that were here long before the big boxes and chains that bedevil our landscape now.
6- 8 p.m.

Home Again

Luke Brindley has been busy guy-so busy in fact that he's putting out two CDs. Yep, two at once. Check it out when Luke plays his own home base- Jammin' Java this Friday.

Wednesday- Get Over It

June in Bloom

This year a lot of people think that June 16th is Father's Day, and that may be true, but every year without exception this date means Bloomsday especially in Dublin. Last year I was lucky enough to be in Ireland, but I have to admit I slept late that day, (which adds up to about 700 pages in Ulysses) but I did wake up in time for a Gorgonzola sandwich and a glass of Burgundy at Davy Byrne's. (And I have to admit I enjoyed that more than I enjoyed reading Ulysses.)

Hey!

I can hear the screams of "sacrilege!" from a few devoted readers. And I hear the sigh of "what the hell is she blathering about now?" from others, so let me get to the point.

For all of you looking to celebrate Father's Day, the "Like Your Dad Did" event at the Hamilton is definitely the gig for you. Musical fathers and offspring will be banding together to perform paternally themed tunes including local luminaries like Bill and Owen Danoff, Mike and Georgia Cotter, Jon and Ben Carroll and more. Show starts at 7:30.

For those of you leaning toward things Joycean, join the fray at Politics and Prose for a reading at noon Then the shenanigans go on at James Hoban's Irish Pub on Dupont Circle which has a "Dublin Resurrection" from 2-6 pm featuring 20 (possibly inebriated) volunteer readers with a special lunch and, of course, libations on the menu.

BBQ Street Jazz Flower Children and More

Once upon a time when I was expecting my first child, it wasn't pickles and ice cream I craved so much as baby back ribs in a sweet and spicy sauce that was worth the drive to Richmond. The BBQ hunt is an ongoing adventure, and I haven't tried Acre 121, but they advertise low country BBQ and live music in Columbia Heights. This Saturday night the Bumper Jacksons are throwing a CD party complete with burlesque dancing. Not sure how many young bands are out there doing "traditional street jazz, ragtime and pre-war country," but this sounds like a real show. Cover $10 and a free CD at the door. 9 pm

Meanwhile up at Clyde's in Chevy Chase, the ever reliable Vi-Kings are inviting you out to their summer party to get everyone into that beach-ey frame of mind. Their musical energy is dedicated to bringing back things psychedelic and that flower power decade. No cover.

And look for Doug Stevenson and the Spades tuning up and honky-tonking in the beer box alcove which constitutes being on stage at the Quarry House. This signless joint is quite literally underneath it all on the corner of Bonifant and Georgia in downtown Silver Spring. Free.

Just Move It

Haydee's is a neighborhood restaurant with decent margaritas and a lot of heart.  This place valiantly features live music on a regular basis which is a rare thing in Mount Pleasant, and the staff is ready, willing and able to push back the tables when people get up to dance.  Little Red and the Renegades will be there this Friday, and furniture will be moving.

DC Bands Just Keep Cropping Up

The Mission South- a DC based band with and rock soul roots, but its own unique sound migrates to Northeast to play Rock n Roll Hotel this Thursday night. They'll be opening for the London Souls- a limey based rock band from New York.

Music Plus Art =

Attention Rained Upon Local Bands

Are you are in a local band out there scrounging for gigs from a bar manager who asked you to play but won't call you back? Are you searching craigslist for new monitors after that incident with the hose at your cousin's backyard barbecue?  Chances are you could use a leg up, and the folks at Jammin' Java can help. Try out for their Mid-Atlantic Battle of the Bands contest this year. The winner receives $2500 in cold cash, (think of all the beer and mike stands that could buy)  plus studio recording time and more. All genres are welcome, but you must throw your musical hat in the ring by June 8. Click here for details.

Swelter Ring A Bell?

Howdy Heat, Humidity and Haze. Welcome back. I have to say I didn't miss you. At all. Maybe my tomatoes will be happy to see you. I know the mosquitoes will be elated, and a few of my more heat tolerant  friends (read mutants) see you as perfect summer weather. But basically I will wilt and lose the will to live under your grip. That's why I am happy to have something to look forward to this weekend- namely the rock show at IOTA on Friday night featuring local bands Jelly Roll Mortals and the Alice Despard Group opening for California pop rockers- The Orange Peels.

Good bye May. I'll miss your cool misty mornings. I'll miss watching the world go green and those riots of color erupting almost without warning.

Thanks for the mint- it's up and ready for juleps. And the lettuce which is just about to bolt, and the sweet surprise of an occasional errant fledgling fumbling around the yard. See you next year.

Hanging Round the Corner

Long Gone Rockville Gears Up to Party

The Rockville Home Town Holidays thing is coming up, and I can't help but think that the town of Rockville means different things to different people. First the obvious- it could very well be your home. A lot of people live in Rockville including folks who think they live in Potomac, but actually they  dwell in a village which was once known as Offut's Crossroads, and is now merely a census designated area - a sort of zip code state of mind - not an incorporated entity. If you mail a letter to someone you know in "Potomac" and substitute "Rockville" for the town, I bet you five dollars your correspondence  will get there.

Long gone Rockville was the stuff of Mayberry with tree lined streets and Victorian homes or farm houses. Chestnut Lodge, an 1889 hotel turned sanitarium burned to the ground in 2009, but not before it inspired a book I read in college called Lilith by my once and future English professor JR Salamanca.  And that book led to "Lilith"-the most star studded movie you never heard of starring the likes of Peter Fonda, Warren Beatty, Gene Hackman and Jean Seberg. The film was made mostly in Rockville in 1964. (and also my brother was in it, but I think his part landed on the cutting room floor.)

The new Rockville might be the end of the line of a long string of identity crises, but here's the good news:  Rockville puts on its party hat on Memorial Day weekend, shutting down its streets and inviting you out to a heck of block party.  Food vendors and over thirty bands and entertainers clog the streets Saturday and Sunday. Look for Kelly Bell Band,  Dixie Power Trio, Chopteeth, The Nighthawks, King Soul and more more more. Free free free.

Last Minute Honor

Want to see Honor By August in May? This Washington based band is now almost too big for DC, but they'll be at the 9:30 Club this Friday, and DC ROCKS has a last minute ticket give away.
Just send an email to dcrocksblog@gmail.com as soon as you read this for your chance to win two tickets. (Please put "honor" in the subject heading. )

(the) Razz Made DC Rock

J Scott Watson

It's rare that DC ROCKS looks back on a show, but history was made (once again) at the 9:30 Cub last Sunday.  DC's long lost Razz came back with a vengeance not seen in 17 years. "Just like the cicada" front man Michael Reidy pointed out, and just like the cicada, they were loud and they chewed the scenery .

photo by J Scott Watson

I have to say, despite the years gone by, Razz kicked ass, and the crowd loved it. It was part theater, part nostalgia, and totally rock and roll.

photo by J Scott Watson

The band took no prisoners and ended up including both lead singers of the Slickee Boys.  Mark Noone played bass and sang "Gotta Tell Me Why" mid set.

And last but not least, surprise guest, Martha Hull jumped on stage for the big finale of the classic "Boys." giving us all the girl's point of view. Thank you Michael Reidy, Bill Craig, Doug Tull, Mark Noone and Abaad Behram for coming together as the Razz for DC Central Kitchen. And thank you  J. Scott Watson for capturing the action of this unforgettable event.

Photo by J Scott Watson

And the Winner Is

Thank you to everyone who wrote in to win tickets for Soundbites and congratulations to our picked at random winner- Ed Innes!

Do You Wanna Dance?

Last week was my first trip to Artisphere for live music, and it definitely is a good place to dance. The ball room is huge with a rolling stage, surrounded by a balcony level with its own private bar and couches. There's plenty of free parking under the building and a Metro nearby. And it's a fairly painless foray into Virginia for all you river phobes. This Saturday's dance features the funky afro pop of Elikeh, plus Nappy Riddem and Black Masala.

Sound Off for Soundbites

Michael Reidy's ad/Unicorn Times 1979

Misty eyed friends,  does seeing Razz at the Far Inn ring a bell with you? NO? Not to worry. Music and food lovers of all ages should check out SOUNDBITES anyway.  I've been concentrating on Razz  because it will be a one off reunion performance with Ron Holloway sitting in and perhaps even a surprise guest. But it's going to be a great day full of food and music- a freaking amazing cornucopia of talent including:  Deathfix, Kid Congo Power Hour and Lee Fields. And all for an amazing place-DC Central Kitchen.

There are only a few more days to enter DC ROCKS' SOUNDBITES contest. Just send us a DC scene memory. Doesn't have to be old, doesn't have to be good. Winner picked by random. Just go for it. Email: dcrocksblog@gmail.com. Please put Soundbites in the subject box. Contest ends on May 15.

What the?

I tend to veer away from news stories, but this past week was particularly weird, and I'm not even including what happened in Cleveland.

 How about the lunkhead who suspended second graders for pointing deadly weapons at each other (aka number 2 pencils) and making gun like noises? These kind of stories make me talk back to the radio when I'm all alone in the house. What are they going to do next? Take little boys fingers away?

And did you hear about the three guys who attempted to steal an ATM from a Potomac bank? What were they thinking? Is no one going to notice a back hoe loading an ATM into the bed of a pick up truck? And what the heck do you do with it when you get that sucker home?

Even if you could steal one without anyone noticing, a backhoe couldn't carry all the musicians playing around town this Saturday night. Take a look at DC ROCKS' calendar and pick your poison from the Loggers at Maggie's to the Hula Monsters at Quarry House. And don't forget Doug Stevenson and the Spades, Kid Goat and Jelly Roll Mortals at the Pinch. And more. You don't have to break into an ATM to afford  FREE LIVE MUSIC.

Use Your Brain

When money get tight, arts funding gets the first axe which is just the way the Moneymakers think. And yet music conquers madness by spanning both hemispheres of our brains.When we get in trouble, music therapy can help stroke victims speak clearly or Alzheimer patients recall a memory.  Over in Arlington, in the heart of Rosslyn, some folks used their brains and turned the old Newseum building into Artisphere- a space for galleries, music and more, but now possible funding cuts loom ahead. 

This Friday DC's own King Soul will open for Big Sam's Funky Nation - a New Orleans crew which has been featured on the show "Treme" and described by George Pelecanos as "fucking awesome." If you like to dance, then you know first hand the dearth of floor space in this area. Artisphere features a 4,000 square foot ballroom. Please come out and support this space, your brain and the music.