Justin Trawick at DC9

Local musician Justin Trawick is performing a show at the DC9 in Washington, DC on Wed Feb 13. Justin has been an extremely busy and prolific musician, touring with his own music, his band The Common Good and founding The 9 Songwriter Series. He also is co-founder of “The Circus Life Podcast" with guests such as Kevin Eubanks, Chris Thomas King, Ernie Halter, Yarn, and Snuffy Walden.

This Wednesday will be a special night of music as Justin Trawick will be giving us a solo performance with Louisa Hall opening up the night for him. Music starts at 8pm. $12 in advance or at the door.

Snowden at DC9 Friday night

Tonight, one of my favorite bands from years ago is playing in the city at DC9. The little music venue on 9th Street NW has an upstairs dance floor where Snowden will be appearing at 9pm. I loved their bass beats and airy tracks such as Like Bullets and Anti-Anti from their 2006 album. This DC9 will feature songs from their newly released second album "No One In Control." Tickets are only $10 and you can buy them online here.

KIDS @ DC9

Nacey and Steve Love were spinning old school hip hop tunes at DC9 tonight. Not terribly crowded, but enough people to make it worthwhile. If you have been wanting another opportunity dance to "Fresh Prince" and "Baby Got Back", this was the night for you.

Unfortunately for the DJs the power cord for their equipment was inadequately placed in a spot were dancers behind them could knock it out. Twice the beats went dead as the electric got cut from the turntable. Next time I'm bringing my own duct tape.

Update: Photos on Brightest Young Things

Vapiano

The trendy Italian venue Vapiano has been getting such great reviews from Yelp and local word of mouth that I had high expectations tonight. After a great meal, great wine and warming up next to the fireplace I was not disappointed.

Vapiano uses a completely unique ordering process that involves absolutely no wait staff. Instead, customers tell the chefs in person their order and the professional cooks prepare the meal right in front of them!

Also the venue uses swipe cards for each individual customer to keep track of what they have ordered, eliminating the hassle of splitting up checks for larger groups.

Located conveniently in Ballston near Best Bun. I highly, highly recommend a visit soon before they alter the wine list.

DJ Gavin Holland @ DC9

I finally made it out to one of DC's premier indie rock venues, DC9. Ironically, tonight did not feature local bands but instead was a dance party typical of their weekend nights.

The first floor is a cozy little dive-ish bar with a small selection of plush and intimate (aka small) booths. Upstairs is the crowded dancefloor, with so many bodies gyrating I thought several times the floor might cave in. DJs Gavin Holland, SteveLove, and Enaisee keep the room moving with mindless dance beats that featured lyrics like:

Soap
and water
Soap
and water
Soap Soap Soap Soap Soap Soap Soap Soap Soap Soap
and water

Ok, I'm being a little harsh. I'm just not a dance person. I had a good time and the bartender/co-owner Josh was very cool to us. DC9 attracts a diverse crowd, much of which are made up of very chill people. I'm looking forward to checking it out during the week for a different experience.

Amazing pictures of the crowd by Josh Sisk here.

Shout outs to T-Bone, Stiletto, and The Flash. I would pay good money to see you guys gyrating to 'soap and water' remixed.