January 2014 – 8th and V Street, NW

Amazing.

Today:

“Hey PoPville,

This is going to sound Press-Releas-y, sorry, but I’m a real fan I promise. There’s a show tomorrow at 9:30 I’m really excited about and wanted to share with everyone, I think it could be special– This small band Atlas Road Crew from Charleston, SC that basically calls DC a second home (Their drummer, Patrick Drohan, is from the area). Over the past three years, they’ve grown in venue size from the Fairgrounds, to the Bayou, to selling out Gypsy Sally’s twice, and then selling out the Hamilton this past winter. It’s amazing to see them grow to 9:30, and yes, they get how big of an opportunity headlining the place is! Their sound is rooted in 70s-era southern rock, and luckily don’t get too jammy. Plus the shows are a party. Come out!

The song “Voices”

Tickets: All Good presents: Atlas Road Crew w/ The Southern Belles, Bencoolen

South Carolina rock ‘n’ roll shot with southern soul accents. Formed in fall of 2011, Atlas Road Crew is rapidly building one of the most loyal fan bases on the East Coast, packing venues to capacity from South Carolina to New York City, and expanding quickly to major US cities in between. Read More

screenshot via live at 9:30

From a press release:

“Launching nationwide on public television this April is a new series unlike any other: “Live At 9:30 Hosted by Squarespace” – an unpredictable, modern-day music variety show.

Off the beaten path in Washington, D.C. is one of the world’s greatest music venues — the 9:30 Club. It’s the most-attended music club of its size in the world – a 1200-person venue where world-famous artists have started their careers, refined their sounds, and played legendary shows. Now it’s home to TV’s most groundbreaking music show.

Each cinematic, one-hour episode of “Live At 9:30” will feature a collection of acts from different genres, interspersed with insightful and entertaining interviews, short films, and comedic bits. In a word: variety; variety that people will be talking about. Filmed unobtrusively with more than a dozen cameras, including hidden GoPros and an airborne cable-cam, “Live At 9:30” will be unlike any music show on TV today. Read More

Last month we spoke about concerts we wish we had seen but today let’s talk about one’s we actually have. In honor of the 9:30 Club’s 35th anniversary and 20 years at the current location – what was the greatest show you’ve seen at either spot? I’ll narrow it down to three – Wilco (when it snowed) I think Jan. of 2004 or something like that – was spectacular. Drive By Trucker July 2005 epic. And the first time I saw Thievery Corporation Live my mind was blown (blown to the extent I have no idea what year it was.) So many favorites, really hard to narrow down – anyway try! What was your number 1 or top 3 favorite shows you’ve seen there?

Side note: Anyone get tickets to the “9:30 WORLD’S FAIR” EXHIBITION? Read More

Photo by PoPville reader Sam

“Dear PoPville,

Last night there was a scheduled performance of “Big Tony’s Birthday Celebration” show which was supposed to be a celebration of DC music and was hosted by dave grohl. The acts listed included members of DC punk legends Bad Brains, Scream, and also included a set by Trouble Funk – A go-go legend of DC.

However, later in the night, the entire lineup of The Foo Fighters came on to play a 17 song, 2 hour set. One of the few times they’ve played in the last two years This was not announced ahead of time and was a surprise. Since Dave Grohl is from the area, it seemed appropriate.”

Ed. Note: Awesome.

Sad news about a legendary presence at the 9:30 Club – Josh Burdette has passed away at age 36. Back in Januarly 2010 Danny Harris did a profile titled Josh on the Little Pieces of the Puzzle – here are Josh’s words again:

“I was technically born in D.C., at Sibley Hospital, but I grew up in Kensington, Maryland and have lived there all my life. While Maryland is home, D.C. is home, too. D.C. has always been a big part of my life. As a kid, I came down to the museums. As I got older, I started going to the 9:30 Club, in the old location at 930 F Street Northwest, to see shows. My first show at the club was Shudder to Think. I don’t know exactly when it was, but probably sometime in high school. My sister was dating a guy who took us down to the show. From then on, I went to shows at 9:30 whenever I could. This was a really unique place. I had been to see the 80’s and early 90′s hair bands at Merriweather Post Pavilion and the Cap Center, but this place was simply hundreds of sweaty, dirty people going crazy. It was a nice change of pace and there was something about it that just spoke to me. I knew that when I was old enough, I wanted to get a job here.

“When I started at the University of Maryland, my parents gave me a hard time about getting a job. In the student newspaper, there was an ad looking for campus security staff with the words ‘size or experience a plus.’ I had no experience whatsoever, but I went in and got hired because I was big. I’ve always been bigger than everyone else. When you are the biggest guy around, you can either be a bully or go in the opposite direction and develop a slow fuse. I made a conscious decision as a young person to not abuse my size. Hurting someone is the last thing that I want to do. It turned out this was a good mindset for this work. Remember, we are not bouncers, we are door staff here. Read More