9:30 Club

Yay DC Bucket List! This week, I finally made it to a concert at DC's famed hipster haven, "The 9:30 Club."

For my western Mass readers, the 9:30 club brought memories rushing back of nights at Northampton's Pearl St. It's a small venue that caters to local, under the radar, or college-station performers. It's located in DC's U street neighborhood, which means it is way "cooler" and "off the beaten path" than many hot spots in the city. From the outside, the building looks unmentionable, almost abandoned. Only a few neon spray-painted parking signs tell you you're at the right place.

The venue isn't large at all. The capacity is for a little more than 1000 people, and there is no seating- just an open floor in front of a small wooden stage. The room felt like a large dance studio, dimly lit except for the purple glow of the stage lights. Fog machines add to the mystic effect of the space. In fact, it is so intimate that microphones aren't entirely necessary, and at times the musicians walked towards the front of stage and sang directly to the crowd. Each side of the wooden floor had a bar, and the back of the venue had a small cafe.

I don't ever pretend to be hip when it comes to music, and I never know about new artists or sweet local bands. But I surround myself with people cooler than me, so they always introduce me to new music. We saw Josh Radin play. He had a gorgeous voice and definitely fit in with my John Mayer "white guy with a guitar" preferences. Apparently, Ellen DeGeneres used one of his songs at her wedding, so you know he's good. Here's a video of him below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TyHQQWY5FAU&feature=fvst

I love my city and how much there is to do and see here. There are millions of other music venues to try- we had a great time and resolved to get out and see a concert more often!

Peace and Love.