meandthestereo

Awesome place for chili!

Living in DC has many perks: The White House, Smithsonian Museums, Georgetown, and most of all, the Music.  Jazz, R&B, Go-Go, Hip Hop, Latin, Classical, it’s all in Washington DC. There are so many good places to go and hear live music, especially on U St. It does not matter what day of the week it is, you will always find a broad selection on this side of town. U Street is the center of Washington’s music scene, with the Lincoln Theatre, Howard Theatre, Bohemian Caverns, and other clubs and historic jazz venues.

U Street has a collection of shops, restaurants, nightclubs, galleries, and residences located along a nine-block stretch of U Street in NW Washington DC. It extends from 9th Street on to 18^th Street and Florida Ave. On Mondays through Thursdays you can visit Club Pure, Jo Jo’s Restaurant and Bar, or HR 57, and listen to a variety of music.  On Friday thru Sunday, you can check out Café Nema, Twins Jazz Lounge, Indulge, Station 9, Bohemian Caverns, Utopia Bar and Grill and if you don’t mind traveling further than U Street, visit the 18^th Street Lounge. There are also specific groups that perform on certain nights. On Thursdays, The Young Lions give a great show at Café Nema. On Fridays you have the Collector’s Edition at Utopia Bar and Grill, Saturdays are the Twins Jazz Lounge to hear local and national touring jazz greats, and if you want to hear some Go-Go, visit Indulge on Sundays.  It really does not matter when or where you go because there will always be an artist performing there.

A wonderful view of U St.

Source

If you would like to check out these places visit the links below:

http://dc.about.com/od/washingtondcnightclubs/tp/UStreetNightclubs.htm

http://www.dcjazz.com

I’m not naturally a performer, but there is an element of performance to being a musician.  So I have attempted to transform my nervous energy into stamina for singing and playing music onstage.  Usually, the crowd is nonexistent or mostly intoxicated if I was lucky enough to play on a weekend evening.  Perhaps the most nervousness comes from playing at open mic opportunities, when some of the crowd is actually listening!

I can’t say I ever feel comfortable or at ease on stage.  But I still value music performance, because I believe it is an opportunity to share.  I spend a lot of time working on songwriting in the privacy of my own living room with a notebook and a guitar.  The process is not really complete until I share the song with a few listeners. Read the rest of this entry →

I have been in LA for about a week now, and I have seen many fascinating things. Besides the traffic on the 405, the tar pits on La Brea, and the tasty waffles and grits at Roscoe’s, I have seen performers who know how to lock, pop, and just plainly entertain. These artists come from all over the country, while others come from abroad. The most common story I hear is that they want to make it big in Los Angeles; well who wouldn’t?  Some of the performers live off of the donations that the crowd gives and some are already well established and are taking their careers to the next level.

It doesn’t take a lot to get your street gig going. On Hollywood Blvd, the street where the famous walk of fame lies, you need a costume of your favorite actor and need to possess the ability to quote lines from that actor’s movies.  Similar gestures and accents from the original movies are needed to make the character come to life. I have seen many performers come up to families taking pictures and showing them a good time, and in return, they receive a donation.  Many of these performers start out at dawn and end at dusk, “Captain Jack Sparrow” once told me that he made $300 in one day. Not bad for a day’s work. Read the rest of this entry →

Venue: the Red & the Black
Location: 1212 H Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002
Age Range: 21 & Up Only
Website: http://www.redandblackbar.com
Score: 3/5 Enjoyable

This is what the Red & the Black has to say about itself:

“The Red & The Black is a cozy tavern and live music venue located in the H Street “Atlas” shopping district of North East, Washington, DC. Decorated inside with “New Orleans” style tin ceilings, walls covered in doors, and red velvet drapes. The Red & The Black  is a comfortable place to have a drink and some Jambalaya with friends or see some local live entertainment. ”

So, I’d like to provide my experience with the venue:

1. The Arrival

     Getting there is a pain in the @$$. It was only six miles away from my start location (Takoma Park), yet it still took about 40 minutes to get to the general NorthEast DC area. Parking is, of course, no fun (as it usually is in DC); however, there is a nice parking lot across the street (the Auto Zone lot) which did not result in the towing of the car (no promises on towage). All the Red & the Black seems to have for location indicators is a nicely decorated window and a doorman looking more likely to play you a crappy punk song than have the nerve to throw you out (no promises on the throwout-age). I didn’t pay cover this time, but it usually runs around 8 – 10 US Dollars (a little pricey in my opinion). Upon checking your ID, they stamp you with a nice black stamp that washes off easily (so be careful restroom frequenters!).

2. The Atmosphere

     Very nice! It’s very similar to most small bar situations. In fact, it made me feel like it was plucked from the heart of Adams Morgan and moved over here. It has a very large bar, though, which I find very necessary when entertaining many patrons. It’s a loud place, with plenty of echoes, so expect to do some yelling to communicate with friends or significant others. Drinks are average priced, maybe even a little cheaper than some places. The downstairs area is mainly seating and bar. A jukebox is around the corner for your perusal. Upstairs boasts a winding, wooden, creaky staircase to a set of bathrooms. Past them and through the heavy curtains await another smaller bar and a small stage. The room is a bit smaller, but for small bands that want to play here, it’s a wonderful intimate environment for your show. Note: Being a sound guy myself, I was NOT pleased with the job the sound guy did. Granted, he was both the bartender and sound guy, but I believe a live music venue should have an official sound guy on duty.

3. The Decision

     3/5 Enjoyable. Unless you know the DC area really well, this place is a pain to get to. The neighborhood is not too bad, but it’s not that nice either. For bands, the sound guy could be more skilled, but live music is meant to be enjoyed loudly, not precisely. It’s a nice place for a show, even a nice place to grab some drinks, but it’s just not in the best location. Seriously, if you have the money to spend on bands you maybe haven’t heard of yet and don’t live too far from the venue, you should be checking out this place every night they have live music. I’ll definitely be going there again, but hopefully I won’t be driving next time.