pop culture, reviewed

When Jake and I moved to D.C., I was sad.  I am a South Carolina girl.  I am from South Carolina.  However, there are a few things I have to come to love about our nation’s capital, and without question, one of them is the 9:30 Club.  I love the 9:30 Club.  Here’s why:

1.  You can show up to the 9:30 Club an hour before the show (or more, or less) and get a seat in the basement.  Now, maybe I shouldn’t be telling you this, because a lot of people don’t know about the basement, but the basement almost always has a seat, drinks are cheaper, and there is usually good music playing.  (Read:  you don’t have to listen to bad opening bands, or fight the crowds.)

2.  Say you’ve been in the basement enjoying a (reasonably priced) cocktail.  You can make your way up to the club five minutes before the band starts and probably get a good spot.  Even if it’s sold out, it doesn’t matter.  The 9:30 Club is so awesome that you can stand in the balcony or on the very back of the floor and unless you have a giant standing in front of you, you’ll be able to see.  You’ll certainly be able to hear, because…

3.  The sound in the 9:30 Club is better than any club sound I have ever heard.  It’s incredible.

4.  The 9:30 Club books good bands.  In less than two years, I have seen the following at the 9:30 Club:  Ryan Adams,  Justin Timberlake, Lucinda Williams, Liz Phair, My Morning Jacket, Belle and Sebastian, The New Pornographers (twice), Shooter Jennings, Dwight Yoakam, Scissor Sisters, Wilco, Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins, Arctic Monkeys, and The Good, The Bad, and The Queen*.  Not bad, right?  In the next six weeks, we’ll also see Joseph Arthur and Peter Bjorn and John there, along with whoever else comes along. 

Love, love, love the 9:30 Club.  Love it.   

*Incidentally, it was the Good, the Bad, and the Queen show tonight that had us singing the 9:30 Club’s praises, and yes, I know that Damon Albarn claims the TGTB&TQ is the name of the album, and not the band — he introduced them tonight as “a collection of individuals” — but it’s far easier referring to them as The Good, the Bad, and the Queen instead of “Damon Albarn and Paul Simonon’s new project.”  And yes, the show was really good.  My favorite part was how Damon Albarn swaggered out  (in a top hat!), kind of like Amber on Saturday Night Live, just kind of standing there like, “Yeah, here I am, now clap for me.”  A good time was had by all.