Eric Brace (Mark Finkenstaedt for The Washington Post)

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Nightwatch -- Live
Hosted by Eric Brace
Washington Post Nightwatch columnist
Friday, Sept. 7, 2001; 3 p.m. ET

Where's the best karaoke joint in town? What's the best brewpub around? Who was that band that rocked at the Black Cat last week? For the answer to any going-out-in-Washington question, just ask Eric Brace -- our resident nightwatchman.

From backstage at the annual Wammies (Washington's own Grammy Awards) to karaoke at Galaxy Hut to swing dancing at the Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom, every week Post staff writer Eric Brace throws himself on the front lines of the bar-n'-music beat in the Washington area. A Washington resident for nearly 30 years, Brace started with the Style section in 1990, where he wrote live music reviews and filed longer feature stories on the likes of Fugazi, Jawbox, Pearl Jam, Stephane Grappelli and many others. Then he created the Nightwatch column, which appears every week in The Post's Weekend section and on washingtonpost.com's Nightlife page. He also sings and plays guitar for the country-rock band Last Train Home.

The discussion ended at 4:30. The transcript is below.

Editor's Note: Washingtonpost.com moderators retain editorial control over Live Online discussions and choose the most relevant questions for guests and hosts; guests and hosts can decline to answer questions.

Eric Brace: H'lo there folks,
It's time for the bi-weekly examination of local nightlife!
questions, comments, gripes..more!

bethesda: hi eric! can you help me? i prefer places like 18th st. lounge, chicha lounge, platinum but the new man in my life prefers stetsons and common share. is there a happy medium for us? and if so, where? he thinks chicha lounge is "too many people in chic black suits." that's how laid back he is. is aroma a good choice? the new fluid?

Eric Brace: Ahhh perhaps more of a question for Carolyn Hax than for me.... You like to look sharp and be seen, and he likes to drink beer with a game on a TV over the bar. Are there other things that are coming between you or have you mastered the "we'll agree to disagree" method? but your quest for a compromise shows a good heart, and yes there are some middle ground choices.
Aroma is a good thought, as there's a nice bar out front, with a loungy space in back, so you kinda get both things.
The new Fluid on U street could be just the ticket, as could RendezVous in Adams Morgan, which still is a lounge/bar space, and not an Ethiopian restaurant as I wrote in my column last week.
Other places: toledo lounge... state of the union.. the new Stacatto on 18th st...
Or you could hang at Lucky Bar, so he can get the bar thing, and you can zip into neighboring 1223 as you need a fix of glamour.
Perhaps Habana Village.. which has some of the sleekness of other dance clubs, but I find it to have a comfortable bar as well. And in Bethesda, there's Chrome, which is a fancy looking lounge, but the bar/club side of Lewie's is soon to reopen and will perhaps be more to his taste..

Dupont Circle: I often go to HR-57 and am amazed at the number of people who have no problem talkibf while the musicians are playing. What's your opinion on chit-chat during performances, and what can fellow audience members like myself do to quiet them down without seeming like a killjoy?

Eric Brace: I'm of two minds about the chattering factor at music clubs.
One, if musicians play in a bar, they know there's going to be some noise. Two, if I'm an audience member in such a place, I try to understand that in advnace and not get too mad at people who are there to socialize and not necessarily listen to the music.
Still, some people do not know how to chat quietly, and some well-timed stares can often do the trick. But sometimes if you're really listening and someone near you is really loud and obnoxious, you definitely have the right to POLITELY ask them to keep it down.
HR-57 is particularly noisy, because it's such a comfy place, people feel like it's their living room. Places like the Birchmere put signs on the table asking you to not talk during the performance, but that's a bit much, I find.
What amazes me are those people who pay $25 to see big names at big clubs, then don't bother to listen.. music should be about listening, but at some clubs, people aren't going to listen. I feel worse for the musicians than for the audience.. maybe you just need to squeeze up closer to the stage. But if you wanna listen to the music and not someone's conversation, definitely tell them to hush.

Washington, D.C.: Hi there, Eric--

This past Tuesday night at Wolftrap, I had what I thought to be a really weird experience, but I wanted to get someone else's take on the situation. I was with a group of friends at the BB King Blues Festival. We had lawn tickets. When BB came onto the stage people stood up and applauded and my friends and I continued to stand and dance to some great music. (He had a great horn section.) However, not 5 minutes later more than one person suggested (and not that politely either) that we sit down, I turned around and noticed that not one other single person was standing. I've been to a number of concerts over the years at Wolftrap and this is the first time in my memory where people on the lawn complained that others were standing and dancing. Am I missing something? Isn't it an outdoor concert? I can understand if we were sitting in the pavillion and blocking someone's view, but there really isn't much of a view from the lawn. I can also understand if we were standing and dancing while watching the NSO, but this was a blues concert...

I know that if I were BB King I would rather see an audience that was standing and dancing and enjoying the music, rather than one sitting on their hands. Interested to hear your thoughts. THanks.

Eric Brace: This sorta goes with the talking question above. I don't blame the folks for asking you to sit down, but I don't blame you for wanting to dance either. Washington audiences are pretty dang conservative, as I'm sure you noticed, and most people (certainly those at Wolf Trap) want to sit and enjoy and sway their heads perhaps, but not their bodies. Of COURSE BB would have preferred that everyone be standing and boogie-ing to his tunes, but Wolf Trap is not that kind of place... if it were more of a festival, then you'd be ok doing what you were doing, but since the folks around you were sitting, I reckon you ought to have done what the majority were doing, and that's sit.
Were there any pathways/sidwalks etc where you could move to do your THANG? Did you end up sitting down?
Wolf Trap books lots of danceable bands. I remember seeing gipsy Kings there 5 years ago, and half the audience was on its feet dancing, and the other half was grumbling about it. Those situations you have to play by ear.

Reston, VA: Hey Eric -

What do you think of the Black Cat's upcoming move? I hear new space will house two stages and more room for DJs, etc.

I'm looking forward to seeing Modest Mouse, Bis and Metropolitan there in the coming months.

Eric Brace: I think this is a great great move.
The old space was getting a little worn down, and it was clearly time for some upgrades. This way, a sound system can be improved/tweaked... there'll be fresh paint, fresh attitude. Dante seems to have been doing very well the past several months, and live music seems to be on more and more peoples' calendar, so the fact that Black Cat in its new location (where The Cage has been) will have TWO performance spaces makes me happy.
I would expect there to be two shows a night, now and then, since there's going to be the big concert hall upstairs and the small cafe space downstairs.
Dante can continue with his creative booking, letting more adventurous musicians and performers and poets and filmmakers and hot DJs work in the ground floor space, while big names like Modest Mouse take over the upstairs. The space upstairs is roughly the same as the main room of the current Black Cat... you have good taste in music.

lost in the city: Eric, I thought Rendevous closed as the owners have now opend Fluid on U st? Is Rendevous still open? The DJ's there spin some great stuff.

Eric Brace: I was perhaps misleading in my article last week. Rendezvous IS still open, with a full calendar of DJ driven nights. The fellows who are doing Fluid used to be the main promoters of Rendezvous as a hipster joint,but they weren't the owners. Now that they've moved, some other folks are doing the DJ booking at Rendezvous.

virginia: for the person dancing at the bb king show: were you doing that weird kinda grateful dead hippie dance kinda thing? if you were SIT DOWN. please.

Eric Brace: HA! yeah, yeah.... that's what you get though, if you attract a crossover crowd.

DC: ok, so the consensus is we don't have to worry about the new Black Cat becoming anything like the new 930 club.
still, i can't help but feel like it's not going to be anything like the space that DC needs.
do you foresee any indie/rock clubs opening, maybe between the size of the metro cafe and the new black cat?

Eric Brace: I'm optimistic about the space. As far as what DC needs, that's an open question, but between Velvet Lounge (50 people), Metro Cafe (150 people), downstairs at new black cat (250), upstairs at new black cat (600), 9:30 club (up to 1100), it seems that there's a lot of different sized venues.
i don't know about other spaces opening, but I have heard from some folks interested in exploring the idea, and I've told them they should go for it....
but I think the thing to keep an eye on now is the ground floor space at the new black cat. That's where the cool stuff will be going on.

D.C.: Hello All,
I wanted to know if you have ever been to a Club called Club 55. I've seen it on HBO and wanted to get someone else's idea of it.

Eric Brace: Haven't been... It's a "gentlemen's club" on K st. SE.
Any thoughts, anyone?

Dupont: What would it take for DC to become a kick-as- nightlife city?

Eric Brace: lots of in-town parking (for adams morgan, dupont, u street, g-town), Subway open til 3 a.m., more housing requirements so that people can live and hang out in the same neighborhoods.... rent controls... and a few more really comfortable cool spots that aren't about $10 drinks.

Anyone else want to add to that list?

SW, DC: Do you have any idea why Stereophonics cancelled their show that was scheduled for 9/24?

I'm so bummed. First it was Stereo MC's, then Radiohead and now Stereophonics...notice a pattern of bands with names that involve sound?

Is Stereolab next?

Eric Brace: I haven't heard why
Stereophonics canceled, but I think Stereolab will NOT cancel when they hit the road in support of their new CD which is out soon if not already. Those guys are road warriors and love to tour. Look for them later this year at 9:30 club probably...
You have an interesting theory there.

bethesda,md: I recently got tickets through ticketmaster for the 930 show of tenacious D on 10/13 at 6:30 pm but I do not see their 9:30 website for that date. I have heard that the 930 is double booking events. why do you think that is?

Eric Brace: The tenacious D tickets were only offered online first, but not really advertised on the site much, or in the print ads. The tickets are quickly selling out... so it'll be on the site and in ads this week, but then when it sells out, they'll pull the date from ads....

Clarendonguy: Fall approaches and there's nothing like
a drive to the mountains and some cool music--any personal fave places other than Cooters
BBQ and Blue Moon Cafe??

Eric Brace: Those are both in Rappahannock County and are well worth the drive. On the way out there, stop at Bardo Brewery in Amissville. Other nice road trips, Sykesville for Baldwin Station, though it's not really in the mountains. I'm woefully ignorant of live music places out toward the mountains. Anyone wanna offer suggestions in Front Royal, Winchester, Warrenton, places like that?

Washington, DC: Does the Clarendon Ballroom serve food? What is 'it' about that place?

Eric Brace: It does serve food. It's not bad at all.. they have a HUGE kitchen there which they use mainly for catering outside events, but they serve patrons too. "It" is simply that it's a non-threatening place.. well run, clean, staff with good manners. The inside was nicely refurbished. Bands are cover bands, mostly, so you know what you're getting. It's really just a place to go with pals to hang out. The deck is the place I go .. just for air and the view.. but i don't hang there.

Heavenly on Capitol Hill: So, I'm a youngin', recently (17 months ago) moved to DC and have only known the 9:30 Club in its present location. What was the old place like? Or is it that people have a fear of the unknown/change? Like when they changed Darrens on "Bewitched."

Eric Brace: The old place was a hole in the wall that held (legally) 200 people and smelled like (as one person described it back then) rotten band aids. Having said that, it was one of the greatest rock and roll clubs of all time. Nearly all the best bands of the 80s and early 90s played there. Who cares if there was a pillar that blocked a good part of your view...?? It was a wonderful sweatbox of a joint. It introduced much of washington to great new music.. the possiblities of punk and misc other stuff before it got to be a big business. But as the owners pointed out, a 200 capacity live music club has a hard time making money.. so thus the 1100 capacity new 9:30 club which is far from a sweaty hole in the wall .. it's a world class showcase club for all kinds of music.

Eric Brace: oh.. and as for the 9:30 booking two separate shows several times this month, (like aren't there 3 nights in a row with 6:30 shows and 9:30 shows??), you can't blame a businessman like Seth Hurwitz for wanting all the action. When he's booked a show for , say, a Friday night, and a booking agent calls him to see if he's got a slot for "band x", Seth says, "well, I've already got 'band z' in that night, but we can put you on at 7 pm, and I'll promote it as an early show and your 'band x' will be done early and can get back to the hotel and sleep".. then the bartering goes back and forth, and seth makes a good chunk of money, and "band x" doesn't go to Black Cat or Nation or Birchmere or Wolf Trap, and so he's beaten the competition...
I'll be asking him about that soon...

U Street: Stereolab - The new album was released Aug. 28. They will be coming to the 9:30 club on Nov. 13. Tickets will go on sale in the next couple of weeks.

Eric Brace: voila!
and don't expect them to cancel.
thanks.

Washington, DC: Not positive but believe Club 55 is a gay stip club.

Eric Brace: a-ha!

For a Kick A-- DC: LOTS more places with live music!! With room to dance...like the Birchmere bandstand!

Eric Brace: yeah, I'm a live music fan, but I can't imagine that there's going to be that many more places opening up..
it's the time of the DJ now, isn't it??
Bands are so inconvenient... all that gear.. stage requirements... Hmph. Props to all the clubs that book live bands!

Fistfull o' dollaz: Re: Club 55....

Gorgeous healthy black women of different types. Petite and lithe to voluptuous around-the-way girls. They work up a sweat and actually DANCE. Down home atmosphere but not low class. Best bang for the buck. You can see fancier ladies at Nexxus Gold or thin college chicks at Archibalds but 55 got the goods for the real booty conneisseur.

Eric Brace: ahhh
sounds like you are the connoisseur.. and sounds like that last person was a little off the mark.
thanks.

for the BB.King festival person: It's funny you mention that - I had the exact same experience two years ago at Wolf Trap at the B.B. King festival. I've never seen so many uptight people at a blues concert in my life. I haven't been back since. If you can't relax and dance at a place like the lawn at Wolf Trap, why go? I can sit in a blues bar on more comfortable seats for cheaper. Those people probably thought that they were going to Riverdance or something and got their nights mixed up.

Eric Brace: ouch.

Washington, D.C.: Wolf Trap goer here-

No, no weird twirler dancing. Just a tall girl swaying to the music and tapping her foot.

We did ask the usher if we could stand in front of the railing that runs down the center of the steps. He said sure, that we would not be blockig anybody's view from there. However, shortly thereafter someone complained that we were in their line of sight. THe usher said it was fine for us to stay there, but we wanted to enjoy the music and didn;t want to prevent others from doing so, so we ultimately sat down. I have to say though, that I would have been much more receptive to the initial sit down requests if they were made in a polite manner-- i.e. no profanity necessary. It was a blues concert, it was a nice tuesday night, people need to relax.

I do have to say however, that we were there to see the Indigo GIrls last year (perhaps one of the mellowest bands around) and there were people sitting and standing and no one really bothered anyone else. Folks just seemed to be there to enjoy the music.

Thanks.

Eric Brace: sounds like some folks need to chill out.. profanity? that's a little extreme...
Sorry that happened to you.

Washington, DC: It's almost 4pm on Friday and I have no plans tonight. What should I do?

Eric Brace: Twins on U st. has a great unsung band: the Harold Mabern Quartet, with saxophonist Eric Alexander.. E.A. was runner up to Joshua Redmond in 91's monk jazz contest.. and his new record is great. Mabern is a tremendous pianist.
Firewater and Skeleton Key are two of my favorite rock bands.. onthe same bill at the black cat tonight.,
zydeco at half moon bbq, catfish hodge blues at madams organ..

Falls Church, VA: Hi Eric
Enjoyed your article about Joe Glazer in today's On The Town. Would like to obtain some of his CD's but can't find the phone number or address of Collector Records, Silver Spring. Do you have any info? Thanks

Eric Brace: well thanks so much:
no phone, but write to
Collector Records, 1604 Arbor View Rd., Silver Spring MD, 20902...they're very cool records..

DC Taxed and unrepresented: I got tickets this morning for Bob Dylan at MCI. I know they don't go on sale til tomorrow, but TM allowed you to get them online as long as you registered for a contest or some such thing. What's the deal with that sort of arrangement and will anything be left tomorrow? (not bad seats; 4th row Club Sec., just off stage).

Didja see local heros Fugazi and Nils Lofgren recently? What'd you think?

Eric Brace: I missed Nils and Fug. this year. but heard great things about both shows. I've seen em both a bunch, and folks who saw them these times say they were both as good as they'd seen em. High praise.

as for the TM/dylan ticket deal.. i HATE those scams. it shuts people out. I wonder if anyone is monitoring that garbage. Lucky you that you got a ticket, but now are you going to be spammed to death by contest hoo-ha??

Naive City: OK - I'm in my late 20s going to Buzz - Nation next Friday night for the hell of it -- to see what's the deal, etc. I've never been to anyplace like it (I don't think) but I have a very open mind and relaxed attitude so I am sure I will enjoy it and I'm so looking forward to it. However we don't want to stick out like sore thumbs. What attire should we wear? Are we going to be the oldest clubgoers there? HELP!

Eric Brace: just be gooovy baby. no one's looking.. it's too packed for anyone to care. wear black pants and a black t-shirt ... dance the night away

Arlington: You hear anything about the owner of D.C. Tunnel getting arrested? Is Tunnel staying open?

Eric Brace: hadn't heard anything but I'll look into it..
there's a big chuck brown party there on saturday night, and it's still going on as far as I know.
I'll check it out.

'burbs again--: Best place to hear live music and dance? The Virginia State Theatre. I've seen Koko Taylor and Dr. John there--both AWESOME shows. You have 20s/30s/40s/50s/60s something all on the dance floor boogie-ing away. Incredible atmosphere!!

Eric Brace: in the 'burbs...
I have my own problems with the State Theater, mainly about the sound system, which seems to always need tweaking. but they've gotten some very good shows there over the past few months..

'burbs, VA: Going to 9:30 club next Thurs. Best way to get there? Would you recommend taxi'ing it (from another section of DC)? I've heard that it isn't it the best section of DC. Any recommendations/thoughts to share?
That aside--can't wait to go!

Eric Brace: There's a fenced in parking lot... not to worry. but if you do worry, yeah, just cab it.

New York, NY: Hi, Eric. I got an advance copy of the new Citizen Cope album. You were right. It is fantastic. I can't believe it has taken so long to get it released.

Do you know what his touring plans are? I understand he has Me'Shell N'Degeocello playing bass.

Eric Brace: Cope's CD is going to be huge when it "drops"...
M'shell did play bass with her homey the last time he came to Metro cafe last month...
I know he'll be touring soon, but don't have any dates.. I have a call into him for details, and I"ll pass em on when I get em

Herndon, VA: eric,

Are you going to see the Cash Brothers Tuesday at Iota? I heard they're great! Do you think it will sell out? I get tired of draging myself down to that club only to find the shows are sold out.

Eric Brace: it will definitely not sell out.
I know Rounder/Zoe is getting behind the Cash Brothers record in a big way, but it doesn't blow me away...
they're canadian roots roockers alt/country types, for those of you wondering.

Washington, DC: Hey Eric,
I just wanted to let you know that there is a new Afterhours place in DC. The party is called "This Way" Its on Saturday nights from 10pm- 6am. Marx's Cafe puts it on. There located at 3203 Mt. Pleasant St, NW ( near the corner of Lamont & Mt. Pleasant.) Its a free spot. The environment is quaint with lots of candles & incense but by far some of the best House music and atmospere in DC. I will be there this Saturday! Take care, William

Eric Brace: well thanks william! i needed to know that.

Arlington, VA: Re: Late 20s going to Buzz

You won't stick out, but most of the "old fogies" tend to hangout in the upstairs portions of the club. You know, where you (usually) have to have the 21+ wristband to get at.

Wear whatever you want. What differentiates Buzz from CLub 5 is that no one really cares what label is on your shirt.

Eric Brace: thanks.
so you think there's more attitude at 5?

Woodbridge, VA: Eric,

My wife and I moved to the area three months ago. Where are the good music stores in the region that aren't part of a chain, carry an eclectic array and even stock (or special-order) those Jurassic holdouts known as vinyl records? Thanks.

Eric Brace: in Clarendon there's Orpheus.. good stuff.. wide choice
in deep rockville, there Joe's Reocrd Paradise that's amazing...it has everything.
in Silver Spring there's Road House Oldies..
Now! Music and Fashion across from Orpheus has some vinyl, punk and DJ stuff..
Smash in G-town has lots of stuff... not all chains are bad..Olsson's seems to care the most.

DCjazzlover: Any good places on the hill to hear jazz?

Eric Brace: Mr henry's on friday nights, the Kevin Cordt Quartet.. amazing trumpeter.. great band. I play with kevin in other incarnations, not jazz, but his jazz work is stellar. At 8th and Penn SE>
also, Ellington's on 8th street, a little south of Penn. on Thurrsdays bassist Donna Curtis plays with Vince...? pianist. really good stuff.
ummmm, I'm thinking.

Naive City again: When's a good time to get there? We don't want to show up when the club is empty but we also don't want to wait in the interminably long hipster-late night line. PS - thanks for the clothing tips - black it shall be.

Eric Brace: for Buzz.... oh.. depedns on if you have a specific DJ you want to see...
Scott Henry, the man behind buzz , is spinning on the outside Deck (called "bit o' honey") from around midnight to 4 am.
If you're just interested in the vibe, go at midnight and see it grow..
have fun. report back.

Arlington, VA: Re: Attitude at 5

Well the patrons are whatever you make of them, but the doormen aren't my favorite (the onagain offagain dresscode for example)

Then again, I haven't been to Buzz in a while cause the crush of wacked out 19 year olds gets tiresome...

Eric Brace: ahhhyes, the old dress code thing.
at least they don't have one of those at buzz that i know about..

Confirming Club 55: I can confirm that Club 55 is not a gay club; I am one of the DJ's there and it is all that my man said it was! Any man that loves beautiful women of color should check it out.

Eric Brace: cool, mister dj man,
thanks

Columbia, Maryland: Where's the best Irish music pub in the Washington/Baltimore area?

What ever happened to the Irish Tradition (if you know who they are)? They used to play at The Four Provinces in D.C

Eric Brace: I remember the irish tradition.. don't know what's up with them. For live irish music, check out Nanny O Briens across from 4 ps in DC.. and the 4 ps in Falls church.
And Pat Troys in old town.

Curious: Do you really go out and check out all of these venues? Does it ever get old?

Eric Brace: I DO go check these places out... it's a little exhausting, but there's always something fun about it.

Arlington, VA: Hey Eric - what do you know about this Kennedy Center Open House this weekend?

Eric Brace: just that it's huge, free, and there's going to be lots of music worth hearing.

Just wondering: Is Cobalt really going to be re-opening soon?

Eric Brace: hmmm not that I've heard, but I'll ask around.

clarendon, va: hi, eric! what's the deal with the new bar/club in arlington run by the chi cha lounge folks? do you have any details, i.e., when it's opening, what the basic vibe will be...?

it's always nice to have a new place to walk to...

Eric Brace: Guarapo? I'm close , i think.
the lounge part will be on the second floor. It'll be on wilson blvd across from Xando at Courthouse.. the ground floor will be a latin-ish restaurant, with tapas and such, and you'll be able to get late food there in the lounge (until last call closing).
I'm optimistic it'll make arlington a little hipper. I like what Mauricio has done at Chi Cha, Bambule and Gazuza, for the most part.

Washington, DC: Where do you suggest going in Georgetown to watch the games? Please spare me Champions or hiking down to ESPN Zone.

Eric Brace: I'd probably just go to a regular bar, like Nathans or the Guards and watch it on the screen over the bar if i wanted to avoid sports bar stuff.

Sterling, VA: I just moved to the area and some folks were talking about Ned Devine/Ned Kelly's. Do you know anything about this place? Food, atmosphere, etc? I don't want to waste a trip if I don't have to. Thanks and have a good weekend

Eric Brace: Herndon's joint? I honestly haven't been, but Ihavne't gotten any negative feedback about it. give it a try, and report back.

Silver Spring: yes, but where does your "night life" take you?

Eric Brace: me, I gotta run around all over town...
gotta hit the Hollywood ballroom in way way out silver spring for my column next week (it's national ballroom dancing week!)... gonna try to hit black cat and just make the rounds. find out what's going on.

Eric Brace: So there you have it folks.
thanks for your thoughts.
If there were questions I didn't get to or you want to chat with me directly, or you have other thoughts, comments, gripes, etc, send me a note to: nightwatch@washpost.com
thanks again.. see you in two weeks.

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