Washingtonpost.com: Live Online

Eric Brace (By Mark Finkenstaedt/TWP)

Eric Brace was recently online to take your questions about all aspects of nightlife in the Washington metropolitan area.

From backstage at the annual Wammies (Washington's own Grammy Awards) to metal night at Phantasmagoria to waltz night 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, D.C. 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 plays rhythm guitar for the country-rock band Last Train Home.

McLean, Virginia: A Christian Coffeehouse that doesn't claim to be one? Are you sure there's not some subliminal messages coming out of the PA or something? How good are the bands - I mean, if they weren't playing there, where would most of them play? IOTA? The basement of the local St. Matthew's Church?

Eric Brace: Referring of course to Jammin' java, the place I write about in today's Nightwatch column:.....they don't HIDE the Christian roots of the place.. and most of the music that is on the PA when a band isn't playing IS of the "contemporay christian" variety... but the live bands are of all types and many are quite good. The John Faye Power Trip was there recently (he used to be in the Caulfields I think) and the Hal Howland jazz combo is there next tuesday and they're great... they also book a whole bunch of those Fairfax County kid bands.. the high schoolers that are putting together ska bands all over the place...
They might not have other places to play (McLean Teen Cneter and that's practically it....)
but I'd say check it out.. it can't hurt you.. and I'm a non-believer (ahhhh!! too much information!!)

Eric Brace: Hi all y'all... I started by answering a question and not even saying hi .. forgive me: Hi there. hanks for logging on... Anybody got big plans for the weekend? Anyone riding the late-night Metro these days?
Anyone of you been too Elements or Chamdo or Ningaloo or any other new places they wanna talk about? Seen a great local band lately? lemme know..
right now!!!

Washington DC: Hey Eric - who's YOUR favorite bartender? Speaking of which, what do you think of Toledo Lounge? It's okay, but I think Lautrec was a more happening low-key spot, if that makes sense.

Eric Brace: "More happening low-key spot is exactly the kind of place I like so I know what you mean..
I like Toledo, but the tables make me feel a little cramped.. i usually sit at the bar in there, and to do that I have to go on a slow night.. tuesday, wednesday..
Two of the nicest and best bartenders in the city are Neel at IOTA (yes that's how he spells it) and Doug at Felix.. dave and Sharveen at Kingpin, Angie at Black Cat and elsewhere... I don't need snappy conversation from a bartender, just quick attentive service and a good attitude.
any other votes? i know my colleague Fritz Hahn has been collecting your votes on this subject for a good while and has a cool list..

College Park: Eric - what ever happened to the good old "student club?" You know, the places you go for cheap, nasty beer and maybe a freak hookup. Now that Terp Station here in College Park has closed, what other area clubs are there, BESIDES the usual suspects - I mean Spy-Zei-Sting ...

Eric Brace: See .. here's the thing.. back when I was in college the drinking age was 18.... ahhhh the golden years...
Raising the age to 21 has given the fake ID biz a nice shot in the arm but has also made "student bars" pretty much disappear...
there are places around GW where a kid can still get served from time to time (damn, the ABC is going to swoop down on all foggy Bottom bars now) but mostly the places to hang for under 21 are coffeeshops and such.. Xando, Tryst, Jammin' Java, etc... the kind of place you're talking about exiss, but usually for post-grad 20-somethings.. places like the Bottom Line and Madhatters (yikes... if you see me there, slap me and push me out the door)

Arlington, VA: Hey Eric...this is Steve from Luka Brazzi. In reference to your question about great bands we played an absolutely horrible set at the Galaxy Hut a few weeks ago but the band before us, The Shakedowns, were great. Total energy....a real fun band to watch. Lamont, they're super groovy to dance to. Vanity Champ puts on a great show in an Iggy and the Stooges kind of way. Those are some of my new favorite bands around town.

See ya...

Eric Brace: hiya Steve! when's you guys' next show?
I"ve seen Lamont and Vanity Champ and they both throw it down pretty well. but I've not seen the Shakedowns.. I'll check em out. I'm sure your set at the Hut wasn't as horrible as you think, by the way..
Thanks for checking in..
e

Annapolis, MD: How are the new weekend Metro hours working out? Any plans to extend it to 2AM? I'll admit I haven't used it because I know I'll be out past 1:00.

Eric Brace: You've hit on the key problem of this half-baked plan...
Apparently the numbers are not nearly as high as had been hoped ... and Metro says they have no more money to promote the experiment.. That's a funny thing to say because I never saw ANY promotion.. the signs within the stations were teeny-tiny, informing folks about the later hour.. and I guess other peole have hear radio spots for it , but I never did... I think metro is quietly hoping the trial period will end and that will be that. I'm NOT optimistic that it will be extended pastJune or whenever it's supposed to end.

Arlington, Va.: E - I've used the late-night Metro reasonably often, but it would sure help if it ran an hour later. Duh! But how 'bout this: Why not run the buses late at night if they have to do maintenance on the tracks? Say, run buses to and from Adams Morgan, U Street, G-town, Clarendon, etc., up until 2:30 or 3? -This would be even more helpful if somebody - Metro would make sure the schedules were posted on all the bus-stop signs...-

Eric Brace: You've got a dang good idea... I think you should write to Metro or to Jim Graham, the City Councilman who is spearheading the push for these better hours. When you say reasonably often, how many is that..? And where were you going to/from? did it make anything easier for you?

Arlington, VA: Do you think our nightlife scene has plateaued? Only one big club has opened recently (Element) and Spy Club looks like it reopned with a new name (Club Dankos?) and a new decor but it's the same old thing in terms of the music. What is on the horizon?

Eric Brace: by "recently" you're being too narrow.. just within the past couple of years MANY MANY places have opened, and very few places have closed, so the number of nightspots in town (and in the burbs)is higher than I've ever seen it. this is good news... If this is a plateau, then that's cool. but there are still huge huge gaps out there: we still need a "dinner & dancing" place that's elegant and fun and well located. We need another nice small downtown jazz club that doesn't gauge you on cover/food charges, with nice bathrooms. We need a place for 20-30 yr olds to dance that's not techno and not Polly Esthers. We need a good acoustic music space to book stuff that might not have the name draw to fill the Birchmere. We need a fun dance place to replace Tracks where gays and straights and blacks and whites and asians and latinos can dance and not be weird with each other.
I think we're going to hold steady in 2000, with more places in 2001 (especially in the booming burbs).. Look for the Bohemian Cafe to open on U st. soon.

Dupont: Hey Eric, love the chats, have you heard anything about this new club Element? I've seen a few flyers scattered about the sidewalks in front of places like Dragonfly, Eighteenth St. Lounge, etc...

Eric Brace: I haven't been yet.. gonna get over there to Bound soon I hope.. it's reportedly a very nice space, element is very arty, apparently. It opened a couple of weeks ago at 714 6th st. Anyone been yet?
Oh my guy Fritz says we need a good indoor beach volleyball place. (oh, and thanks for the kind words!)

Washington, DC: Desperately seeking...a dance environ on weekends where both gays and straights can truly enjoy themselves. Velvet intimidates most of my straight friends and my gay friends wouldn't step foot in places like coco loco, polly esther's etc. even if they were welcome. Really would like to bring these friend "factions" together for a good time once in a while. any ideas? Merci

Eric Brace: Why wouldn't your gay friends go to Coco Locos or Polly esthers?? Too many "breeders"?.... I think the Latin dance scene, including Coco Loco, is the way to go.. theyv'e got the most mixed crowds I've ever scene.... Velvet intimidates yr straight friends you say?.. you mean places like 18th st lounge?
You've hit on a big gap in the club scene... places like Club Chaos seem to be thriving but it's mainly gay... where's Tracks when you need it..
I'd heard from one of the managers that they're gonna try to reopen down in SE sometiem in Feb or march.. we'll see..

Georgetown: So...Sports Fans bar in Georgetown .... shut 'em down or issue bullet proof vests at the door?

Eric Brace: boy last night at 2:30 a.m. there was a huge fight outside Cassava House in Adams Morgan, cops were called and they sat in their car and watched.. This is two weeks from a double murder in the same location. What is UP with that..???
Bars hate to be blamed for the violence that their patrons inflict... And they have a good argument in their favor, unless they're knowingly serving people who are way past their limits. I don't know what the answer to this is. i wish the freaks would leave their attitude and weapons at home.
Sports Fans is apparently still without its liquor licence pending a hearing of some sort. I don't know what pulling one venues liquor licence will do to improve a whole climate of violence.

Washington, DC: Hey Eric... shouldn't you be on your way to Philly?

Re: Metro...how hard would it be to synchronize the schedules so -for instance...- the last Green Line train into the city doesn't leave Fort Totten until the last Red Line trains get there? At the very least they could tell you -before- you get off the last Red Line that the last Green Line left the station 20 minutes ago...-can you tell I have a scary "I got stuck at Fort Totten at 12:30am" story to tell?-

I don't have a car, and live at Ground Zero -Adams Morgan-. I -love- the late-night option -I also have a less scary but equally vexing "I got stuck in Clarendon" story to tell-, but there are still a few too many bugs in the system yet for my comfort...

-Lindsay

Eric Brace: Heading to Philly to play tomorrow!
that sounds like too logical a plan... i wonder why Metro can't do that. It sure does make you think twice before hopping the last metro home.

Washington D.C.: top o' the frosty afternoon to you--and speaking of frosty, and favorite bartenders--if any of you establishment owners are out there reading this, remember that folks appreciate and enjoy hanging out at places where the bartenders are -1- nice, -2- efficient, and -3- even if they're having a bad night, they don't take it out on the customer--who knows, that tip might make things seem a little brighter. Seems like an obvious proposition, but I've been to a couple places lately -for example, if I may point a finger--the Shark Club in Centerville-, where some of the bartenders act as if it's an effort to look your direction, much less serve you a drink.

Eric Brace: I hope all bar owners are reading this! good thoughts..
And yeah, the Shark Club out there has chronically bad service.

Alexandria, VA: Hey Eric- Great chats!! Can you remind me where Velvet is, and what it is like? Thanks!!

Eric Brace: Let's see... oh yeah.. when the questinoer a few back said her (I'm assuming) straight friends don't like velvet, I thought she meant swank places with velvet ropes, not VELVET, the primarily gay late night dance night every saturday at Nation.. I haven't been to it since it moved to Natino from the 9:30 club.. it was very fun at 9:30.

arlington: Speaking of Tracks, what's up with The Pier? Apparently it was a big thing back when I was too young to care, and is making a comeback. I know it had a New Year's Eve thing but I haven't seen any ads since, and I don't even know where it is, do you?

Eric Brace: Rumor is that that's the SE location where Tracks is moving.. but that's not confirmed.. I'll get the crack research team on it rightnow..

washingtonpost.com: Hey Eric - the snow/sleet/wintery mix is coming again. If you had to be snowed in at one area club/bar, which would it be? Me, I'll take the Brickskeller. I need to tast like 787 more beers, and there's no time like the present (or a snowstorm ...)

Eric Brace: hey post.dot.commer!
stuck in snow... hmmmm definitely need a fireplace...
Perhaps Tabard Inn? (though it's with fake logs).. Brickskeller is a good call. Chi Cha lounge is toasty.
With any luck Cafe Lautrec is going to reopen soon, and 15 years ago, I'd warm up with their toasty coffee/grand marnier/tia maria combo with a little whipped cream and that was all I needed. (Apparently it IS reopening soon.. I'll keep an eye on it)

McLean, VA (where I should be working...): Hey Eric, got any recommendations on neighborhood bars in the Shirlington area? I've been down to Cap City Brewery, and they have really good beer, but sometimes it's hard to get the person sitting next to you at the bar to talk to you -that is, if I don't bring a good looking girl along with me-.

Eric Brace: So are you a guy or a gal who's trying to attract what? a guy or a gal? When you're out with a good looking gal, does she know she's bait? is it bait-and-switch? Shirlington is really a restaurant destination.. but go to the bar at Carlyle Grand. It's REALLY loud, so you'd have to SHOUT to the person sitting next to you, but the bartenders are nice and lots of groovy folks hang out there... I'm not fond of Cap City's beer so i tend to not hang there.

Alexandria, VA: Where are Toledo Lounge and Iota? Thanks!

Eric Brace: Where have YOU been?
Toledo Lounge is on 18th st in adams-morgan and IOTA is in arlington on wilson blvd. Check out this info and addresses for most other clubs by clicking onto the nightlife section of washingtonpost.com

Arlington, VA: Hey Eric,

So glad to read your write up from the last week or so of the Magnetic Fields show at the Black Cat. Some folks were moaning about their lack of drum machine, but I've seen them play a couple times now, and I thought it was a pretty good show nonetheless

As for Metro, the fact that the late night trains aren't open very late at all strikes me as a deliberately self-sabotaging move on the part of Metro...where is the rest of their budget money going to anyway that they can't have late night trains? Its obviously not gone to car maintenance as we've seen the last few weeks since the snow...grrrr

Have fun in Philly!

Eric Brace: good point about the Metro maintenance.
And I had to miss the Merritt/Magnetic fields show... I'm sure it was fine without a drum machine. He's pretty interesting.

Falls Church, VA: There is a place that has a draw which is a smaller venue than the Birchmere--- The State Theatre on Lee Highway here in Falls Church. I saw Warren Zevon there this fall and it was fantastic! Great acoustics and not-bad food!

Eric Brace: The State Theater holds more than 800 people while the Birchmere holds 550, roughly. I've heard a couple of shows there, but I've gotten many complaints about the service and the food there.... I'm gonna keep going there though, because they've begun booking good shows.

Glover Park: Eric, what bar would you hang out in Glover Park? New to the area. Thanks.

Eric Brace: ummmm Austin Grill? sushi-ko's amazing sushi... the only regular live music place in glover Park, Grog and Tankard doesn't do much for me... Busara (more a restaurant but nice garden) ... Good Guys (just kidding)....

McLean, Va: The bartenders at the Black Cat are absolutely the best - as long as you treat them like humans (no waving of cash to get attention - boy I hate that) they reciprocate. Stiff drinks too. Only problem is they need more of 'em.

Eric Brace: yeah, the bars are so long, it's hard to catch the bartenders eye sometimes on busy nights... but I agree.. they've always been super nice at the Black Cat.

largo, md: What would you say our the best clubs for african-americans in 21-25 range.

Eric Brace: It depends on the night.. but Fridays at Republic Gardens is pretty happening.. State of the Union.. the Coach & 4..... Kaffa House... 2:K:9.. those are all on the U Street corridor, I know.. i'm showing my ignorance..
Goor african american scenes elsewhere include Bailey's, BET on jazz, Zanzibar, but those are generally older crowds...

Fairfax, Va: Do you have any recommendations on night life in the 'burbs -not including Bethesda, Arlington, Old Town-?

Eric Brace: Paddy mac's in Bethesda, chick Hall's in Bladensgurg, Herndon has the Ice House, Jimmy's, Revolution Coffeehouse, Chamdo...
Falls Church has JV's, Ireland Four Ps, Broad St. Grill,
ahhhh, hmmm... ok, I'm drawing a blank.. but there's place out there! i swear! dig em up and let me know about 'em!

Alexandria, VA: Have you ever been to Zig's on Duke Street? Their beer is good and they book some really great bands. The staff there absolutely rocks. 60 Acres is playing there tonight and the Travis Allison Band -Richmond Area- has a Thursday night gig once a month.
Went to Adams Morgan last night and doubt that I'll do that again. There are enough bands playing elsewhere that fighting for parking just isn't worth it. That said, the girl bartender at Felix -I didn't get her name- was so nice to me and my friend. She made me feel comfortable and welcome in a bar I'd never been to before. Treat you bar staff nicely, people! They can make or break an evening sometimes.

Eric Brace: Zig's in on my list of places to get to very soon. I'm glad you like it.. and the Felix bartenders are always pretty great. don't give up on Adams-Morgan... try the bus in warm weather..

Warshington, DC: Why are bass players always just standing around looking like mopes? Does the instrument sap energy like a leech sucks blood or something?

Eric Brace: yes. all those low end vibrations rattle the part of the brain that controls sprightliness.

Manassas: My birthday is coming up and I would like to go to dinner close to home. Wejust moved to the Manassas area about 4 months ago and don't know any good places. Can you suggest any?

Eric Brace: hmmm you'd better ask Phyllis Richmond about that.. I don't know much about Manassas..

Eric Brace: Ok folks....my time's up.. thanks so much for signing on and sending me comments and questions. if you have any more thoughts on things nightlife-oriented, please send me a note at nightwatch.com.
See you in a couple of weeks.....!
eric

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