Capital Swamp: The DC Resource Thread

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I don't know anything about the square footage of the site House of Blues is looking at taking, but I would hope/think they're looking at the larger end of their buildouts. A 2000 person venue would be great, right now those acts either go to the 9:30 club at ridiculous prices, go to Constitution Hall, or skip DC. Given the option of opening a larger venue there's no incentive for HoB to open a 9:30 Club sized venue and compete head to head with them.

DC also needs a 4-5000 person concert venue.

manifestation of the information age taken to the max (Brian Miller), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:19 (seventeen years ago) link

Also, what the hell is going on with Lincoln Theater and Howard Theater?

manifestation of the information age taken to the max (Brian Miller), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link

How many shows a year would come to a 4 to 5,000 person venue? It does not seem like that many to me (correct me if I am wrong). How many does DAR Constitution Hall hold? Doesn't it sit empty alot (I think so)? Don't 2,000 seat venues like Strathmore and slightly smaller ones like the Clarice Smith Center, George Mason Center for the Arts,the National Theater and Lisner sit empty alot (I think so)?
Even the Kennedy Center has theatres sitting dark some nights.

The city is to blame with both the Lincoln and the Howard theaters. The Lincoln Theater seemingly has no budget for promoting shows there; some events there I'd only know about if I happened to be walking by and noticed something on the announcement board they have outside (they may have ocassionally had promoters who advertised stuff on radio; but never in any print media that I saw). Why they have not tried to have more outside promoters regularly do things there, I wish I knew. Now the folks who run it are pleading poor. Years ago 930 club/IMP did a show there, but nothing since. I wonder why.

Who knows when and if the Howard will finally be renovated, and will it be run by the same folks who ran the Lincoln (into the ground)?

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:50 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.wtop.com/?nid=596&sid=1030008

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 16:59 (seventeen years ago) link

The issue with all the 2000 capacity venues you listed is that they're all seated - DC needs a larger standing concert venue.

I'd love to see the Uline arena turned back into a concert hall.

DC is so screwy with the old theaters - they want a private rganization to come in and assume all the risk of running them but with heavy restrictions on what they're allowed to do. With nobody clamoring for the Lincoln Theater DC seriously needs to look at relaxing the usage restrictions on the Howard Theater. There's just no incentive for a promoter to shoehorn themselves into DC's economic model when they could open another place without it.

manifestation of the information age taken to the max (Brian Miller), Wednesday, 24 January 2007 17:18 (seventeen years ago) link

I googled the city's 20 some page 2004 proposal for those developers who wish to acquire/use the Howard Theatre. Here's excerpts:

"The Howard Theatre was the nation’s first full-sized theater for African-American audiences and entertainers. Designed by J. Edward Stock and opened in 1910, the 1,200 seat theater was a prominent performing arts center .... to an Offeror that will satisfy the following policy and programmatic objectives through a redevelopment of the Property:

The District envisions the Property as a “mixed-use entertainment facility.” The Offeror is expected to renovate the building into a 500-600 person live entertainment venue with dining and beverages amenities and a museum or gift shop. The Offeror will also be asked to consider making certain commitments to the local community once the Property is redeveloped, such as making the Property available for local arts and entertainment events and providing discounted ticketing for students and seniors. The redeveloped facility should meet (or exceed) the following programmatic and usetargets: 1.Medium size stage for concerts and solo performances with flexible seating (500-600 person) to enable sit-down or dancing formats; 2.Upscale, full-service food and beverage offerings to meeting ongoing operating revenue needs; 3.Designed to accommodate a broad range of special events; 4.Intermittent programming to celebrate the Theatre’s heritage (e.g., annual jazz weekend, summer jazz series, etc.); 5.Restoration of Howard Theatre’s facade to approximate its 1910 appearance."

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Thursday, 25 January 2007 06:29 (seventeen years ago) link

My brother once played hockey in the Uline Arena. That was the only time I was there.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Thursday, 25 January 2007 16:06 (seventeen years ago) link

Front page of the Washington Post article on the underage in clubs thing. It does not seem clear what Graham wants. The ideal response is much more complicated than anything he seems interested in coming up with.

Also in the W. Post today, The Fake Accents (with several ILXers) are reviewed in the Weekend section. A Gig on Thursday.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 26 January 2007 14:50 (seventeen years ago) link

>What DC is missing for dance nights:
- a 100-150 capacity venue with great sound and DJs every night
- a 300 capacity venue to take the place of Red
- a big room venue to take the place of Nation

Brian, Joe Englert is gonna open 2 more places on H. St Ne. One is gonna be called the H St Country Club and feature indoor miniature golf and stuff. Maybe you can get him and his fellow investors to branch out and try to open one of the above items with you doing the programmming!!!...

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 26 January 2007 14:53 (seventeen years ago) link

Joe Englert doesn't care about dance people.

THE POLITICO (Brian Miller), Friday, 26 January 2007 15:08 (seventeen years ago) link

I figured you could chomp on a cigar with a proposal in hand and convince him that he could make money on them dance people even if he doesn't care about 'em.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 26 January 2007 15:12 (seventeen years ago) link

It's interesting - the Rock & Roll Hotel bookers certainly see the value in DJs, but given the choice he's never going to develop a venue that caters to that. If I were really interested in opening a place and having it bankrolled by an existing nightlife mogul, I think I'd at least pick someone who put money into their places! Probably the best bet for any enterprising club owner is to watch which of the new venues are underperforming - that way all the building systems are upgraded and the licensing is already in place.

THE POLITICO (Brian Miller), Friday, 26 January 2007 15:17 (seventeen years ago) link

So according to the Washington Auto Show site, Georgie James have been playing XM radio sponsored shows there at the Convention Center since Wednesday night. Tonight they are there at 6 and Saturday night at 7. It's 10 bucks to see them and all the cars and stuff though.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 26 January 2007 20:37 (seventeen years ago) link

Oops, it's 6 o'clock both nights

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 26 January 2007 20:42 (seventeen years ago) link

without a lot of the VA crowd

hey!

Mary (Mary), Saturday, 27 January 2007 01:09 (seventeen years ago) link

Yea, all us Virginia residents are the same. I know you didn't mean us! I remember going to a party in DC way back and listening to some Dupont Circle area folks snear at my then PG County residence. The snearing was bad enough, but the fact that those folks made it out to less interesting stuff around town than PG County me made it even more pathetic. They also acted like PG was hours away from DC. A buddy of mine and I joked that we should do a "Tour and Learn about Prince Georges County bus trip for DC hipsters."

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 29 January 2007 18:46 (seventeen years ago) link

Mary, clearly I wasn't talking about you - you never come out anywhere!

fuck mountain (Brian Miller), Monday, 29 January 2007 21:16 (seventeen years ago) link

hey guys what's going on over here

say it with blood diamonds (a_p), Monday, 29 January 2007 21:24 (seventeen years ago) link

brian's picking on mary!

Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Monday, 29 January 2007 21:25 (seventeen years ago) link

OK Brian, explain how a stereotypical Virginian acts in a DC club. Or maybe tell a joke, you know how many people from Virginia does it take to change a lightbulb or something... Of course people from Northern Virginia are allowed to stereotype those from the rest of the state!

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 04:11 (seventeen years ago) link

i heard a stereotypical virginian got beat up in a club

say it with blood diamonds (a_p), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 16:15 (seventeen years ago) link

Alright, time to move on. So with the changeover of WETA to all classical all the time, Nick Spitzer's American Routes show and the syndicated Afropop Worldwide show have disappeared from the local airwaves. That makes me sad, as I liked listening to those programs in my car. Mary Cliff's longtime WETA folk show is apparently moving to WAMU (which is a good thing as it is well respected but I never listened to it that much). Commercial classical station WGMS is now just another one of those MOR pop/80s stations that DC now has several of. Ugh.

In my car I can pick up 92 Q out of Baltimore which I find to be a superior commercial rap/r'n'b outlet to KYS and PGC most of the time.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Tuesday, 30 January 2007 17:07 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.dcsoulrecordings.com/index.php

Woah, that's alot of research and crate-digging. I've never heard Coombes spin at St Ex on Thursdays

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 2 February 2007 18:33 (seventeen years ago) link

I bet that big step show at Lisner Saturday will be alot of fun, really (even if I think the frat system is demeaning). I'll be checking out local salsa and mariachi bands performing with the Washington Ballet at the Kennedy Center though.

from the Lisner site:
"Alpha Phi Alpha presents

Step Show 2007: Step Your Game Up

The Alpha Phi Alpha fraternity will host their 10th annual charity step show Feb. 3 to benefit the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Fund and the Black Genesis Scholarship Fund.
The show, Step Your Game Up, will feature "traditional step dancing" and hip-hop dance performances by GW's Capital Funk and Georgetown University's Groove Theory, said junior Eric Woodard, president of Alpha Phi Alpha. The chapter will also host an after party in the Continental Ballroom of the Marvin Center."

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Friday, 2 February 2007 22:20 (seventeen years ago) link

Oh boy, it's that WAMMIES time of year again--see below. The nominees are on their website(ah yes, I remember when they gave the Slickee Boys the award for best heavy metal band, and then one year I think all their blues nominees were white blues-rockers). And no local club dj is spinning cuts in between presentations and performances. I'm shocked (said sarcastically). Actually, a few of the performances look they could be good (Ruth Brown tribute, Howling Mad). Is Bob Schieffer that CBS national news guy? He's a local music fan? I know that WTOP radio guy Neil Augenstein used to follow the DC punk scene and maybe played in a band, but I don't know about Bob.

The 21st Annual WammiesTM
at The State Theatre
220 N. Washington Falls Church, VA
Sunday February 18, 2007 - 8:00PM

Performers Include: (in Alpha Order)
Ruth Brown Remembrance
featuring Daryl Davis, Ruby Hayes, Melanie Mason,
Mavis Waters, & Cha Chi Goyette
Fools & Horses
Wil Harris Band
Shane Hines & the Trance
Hoag, Kelley & Pilzer
The Howling Mad
Robert Lighthouse
Randy Waller & the Country Gentlemen

Host:
Bob Schieffer
Neal Augenstein

Keynote:

Fred Cannon
SVP, Government Relations
BMI

Pit Band:
Tommy Lepson Band

After Event Party:
Ireland's Four Provences

Scythian

Tickets:
$25 Non WAMA Members
$15 WAMA Members (up to 4)
$10 Nominees (up to 10 per nominated group). .
$550 Corporate Table of 8 (includes full page ad in souvenir program, admission to pre-reception)(Camera-ready ad deadline Feb 3)
$300 Corporate Table of 4 (includes half page ad in souvenir program, admission to pre-reception)(Camera-ready ad deadline Feb 3)
$100 Patron Table of 2 (includes recognition in souvenir program, admission to pre-reception)(program deadline Feb 3)

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 5 February 2007 13:53 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.crosstownarts.com/wama/the_wammies.html

Check out the electronica and other nominees (it looks like they left alot of folks out)... No local dancehall artists under reggae I see. I forget what category I saw them under, but is Basehead still together and performing locally?

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 5 February 2007 14:14 (seventeen years ago) link

I'm a little surprised that Deep Dish is nominated for best live performers in the Electronica division, as I'm pretty sure they didn't perform live anywhere around here in 2006 and only spun together maybe once.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Monday, 5 February 2007 14:31 (seventeen years ago) link

Fake Accents and various other local combos left out of "Modern rock" and/or "pop/rock"

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 5 February 2007 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, i'm not gonna pretend it doesn't hurt ;_;

whatever i do, it's right (teenagequiet), Monday, 5 February 2007 16:15 (seventeen years ago) link

olol jah works is b-more and mostly white

am0n (am0n), Monday, 5 February 2007 16:25 (seventeen years ago) link

No metal.

No Aquarium, Evens or Joe Lally, and several go-go bands absent as well.

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Monday, 5 February 2007 18:14 (seventeen years ago) link

I have been to the R&R once. I wanted to go again, but no one would go to the David Bowie night with me. Is it because I live in Virginia?

Mary (Mary), Monday, 5 February 2007 20:32 (seventeen years ago) link

no, it's because single-artist dance nights are terrible without exception.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Monday, 5 February 2007 20:44 (seventeen years ago) link

(xpost) Steve, there are bound to be some absentees in the go-go categories when there are fewer of them than there are reggae categories! Oh you crazy wammies.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Monday, 5 February 2007 20:46 (seventeen years ago) link

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/02/05/AR2007020501602.html
By Keith L. Alexander and Nikita Stewart
Washington Post Staff Writers
Tuesday, February 6, 2007; Page B01

Any District club, bar or restaurant with entertainment that serves alcohol after 11 p.m. would be required to have a special license to admit anyone younger than 21, under a D.C. Council proposal.

Council member Jim Graham (D-Ward 1) said he would introduce a bill today requiring that establishments present a detailed, written security plan before obtaining the annual license, which would cost $375 and be in addition to the regular alcohol license.


The nightspots would have to assure the city that they have a certain level of security and maintain logs of violent incidents. They would have to train employees to handle unruly crowds and specify procedures for checking identification and searching customers. And if the measures weren't enough to maintain order and prevent underage drinking in the city's entertainment spots, the proposal would reserve the right of the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration to tighten the measures.
.... His colleagues had not seen his proposal yesterday, so it was difficult to asses the bill's chances for approval. But D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) said he was worried that the bill could make it "onerous" for businesses to operate.

"We don't want to interfere with parents going out with their children. We want to encourage parents to have that experience with their children," Gray said.

Restaurant executives worry that the bill could reduce revenue and burden restaurants with more paperwork. Andrew J. Kline, general counsel for the Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington, called the plan "overly broad" and added that an 11 p.m. curfew at restaurants could inconvenience businesses and patrons.

"I would hate to walk into a restaurant after the theater and be told that I cannot dine there [with my children] because they don't have a permit," he said.

Parents often take their children for late-night dinners or a show at a club such as Blues Alley, Kline said. "I am troubled that there is no exemption for a minor accompanied by a parent or guardian," he said. "If I want to take my daughter to Blues Alley, I should be able to do so without an impediment."
....Nightclubs that cater to younger crowds also would have to implement a $1 surcharge on all under-21 admissions at the door. That fee, Graham said, would be used to fund the expansion of the city's underage-inspection unit, part of the Alcoholic Beverage Regulation Administration. "

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:18 (seventeen years ago) link

ha mary, brian is kind of otm but i'd go to david bowie night with you. when the hell is it?

fuck yr face blogger (a_p), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:23 (seventeen years ago) link

last month, blogger. Next is the always-jammed...

DEPECHE MODE DANCE PARTY w/ DJs Steve EP, Killa K, Krasty McNasty
Blact Cat mainstage $10

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:38 (seventeen years ago) link

and

IT'S NO GOOD: The music of Depeche Mode spun all night long

Friday 25 May 2007
@ THE ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL
1353 H Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C.
9 p.m. - 2.30 a.m.
$10 cover - 18+

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:41 (seventeen years ago) link

maybe the Wammies can start a category for best Depeche Mode played out empty nostalgia cash cow night.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:43 (seventeen years ago) link

LOVECATS: The music of Robert Smith and The Cure spun all night long

Friday 27 April 2007
@ THE ROCK AND ROLL HOTEL
1353 H Street, N.E.
Washington, D.C.
9 p.m. - 2.30 a.m.
$10 cover - 18+

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:43 (seventeen years ago) link

And I'm sure it won't be long before Dredd does another one of his Black Cat mainstage holiday Sunday Prince vs. nights where he ritually plugs another name into the flyer for the tired all-Prince night to vampirically draw strength from. But at least he's a good DJ and he's pretty much using them to keep Vegetate afloat.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:47 (seventeen years ago) link

i can't believe the fake accents weren't nominated for best Depeche Mode played out empty nostalgia cash cow night.

fuck yr face blogger (a_p), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:50 (seventeen years ago) link

the Wammies should have a "semi-professional" category.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:51 (seventeen years ago) link

LOVECATS: The music of Robert Smith and The Cure spun all night long

NO NO NO NO

Mr. Que (Mr.Que), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 15:53 (seventeen years ago) link

the Wammies should have a "semi-professional" category.
-- YAAAAAOW! (yourjobisyourcredi...), February 6th, 2007.

Isn't that what all the Wammies are now.

Hey Brian, Councilman Graham IS going after under 21s, not just under 18s with his (latest draft) bill...

curmudgeon (DC Steve), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 16:00 (seventeen years ago) link

(xpost) also, the CRYFEST Smiths vs. The Cure party was funny the first time FYM did it, but that was like 6 years ago and no joke stays funny that long unless it involves an animated GIF.

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 16:02 (seventeen years ago) link

yeah, Steve, that bill is pretty crazy. Good to know there's the special license, but it kind of seems like a case of the license covering things that the MPD and ABRA should already be on top of.

Reason there's no provision in the bill for admittance when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian: who's going to serve as the legal guardian of someone who's over 18?

YAAAAAOW! (Brian Miller), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 16:05 (seventeen years ago) link

img src="lamenostalgiafest.gif"

fuck yr face blogger (a_p), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 16:07 (seventeen years ago) link

Alex, the David Bowie night was a one-off, but we can hope for it's eventual return.

Might you interested in DM party, by any chance? I love single-artist theme nights!

Mary (Mary), Tuesday, 6 February 2007 17:06 (seventeen years ago) link


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