Ten Out Of Tenn @ Iota

I'm really glad I got to see Ten Out Of Tenn perform tonight, it one of the biggest shows ever at the smallest venue in Clarendon. Talk about getting alot for your money, this band combines ten outstanding musical talents into one phenomenal show. They even managed to squeeze as many as nine performers on Iota's minimalist stage at once!

Calling them a "band" is a gross understatement, like calling Batman "a guy in a cape." This is a group of 10 friends who share some great charisma and musical abilities with each other. I love watching them perform and enjoyed how easily they changed their lineup with every song. It seemed as if every member of the group was comfortable with every instrument, giving a very fluid and flowing feeling to the night.

Each one of the ten could have easily had their own solo performance that would have been worth seeing. Here's a quick synopsis of my favorite members:


This British Australian bombshell impressed me with both her vocal and guitar skills, but then she picked up the bass just as easily! Every part of her oozed with coolness, from her red heels to that great accent.









Erin's soft spoken demeanor was completely contradicted by her incredible stage presence, as her vocal talents match her beauty.










This guy was one of the funnest to watch, as his talent varied from bass to keyboards to "swamp" style guitar to politically charged rap.










Katie was ducking back in forth between selling CDs at the door and performing vocals and guitar for us. She did not disappoint the audience with her awesome rendition of "Hologram".

I'm kicking myself that I missed a chance to talk to her before the show started, but I didn't recognize her with that hat on.






Andy' finesse with the keyboard was impressive enough, but then I was even more amazed by both his voice and his ability to get the audience involved in his music.

Ten out of Tenn on July 24

A very large indie band (10 members!) is coming to Iota this Thursday night. Their music sounds promising, as it sounds heavy on progressive/rock influences and very light on any country sounds.

I'm not a fan of country music if you haven't noticed, but I'm definately looking forward to seeing Ten Out of Tenn on the 24th!

Listen to their music on the band's MySpace here.

Tripp Fabulous @ Clarendon Grill

Tripp Fabulous made their third appearance at the Grill tonight, and awesome vocalist Laura Lea did not disappoint.

My only complaint was that Laura didn't perform every song. With talent and beauty like hers I was looking forward to seeing her on stage, and didn't care too much about the rest of the band. They played a range of covers, with a couple of Sublime songs that got the crowd going.

I didn't get any quality photos tonight, so here is an excellent example of Laura's vocal abilities when they played in Philidelphia:

Drama at Murky Coffee

The Washington Post ran an article yesterday about Clarendon's hipster anti-Starbucks coffee joint, Murky Coffee. The story is about a customer from New York demanding a beverage that was not offered by Murky, actually the beverage was "against company policy" and the barista said preparing a drink that way would ruin the integrity of the coffee.

I'm going to be loyal and side with owner Nicholas Cho, especially since Murky's response seemed the most mature:

"The customer in question, when told that it's our policy NOT to offer "espresso over ice," got angry right away. Regardless of how you feel about the merits of our policy, the fact that he got angry (in my opinion) is the crux of the matter. There are things in life to get angry about. There are matters that demand an elevated heart rate. This is not one of them."

Apparently all this coffee drama has taken the Arlington blogosphere by storm, so of course I had to jump on it too =)

Spider Kelly's

Spider Kelly's just opened up on Wilson, and it advertises itself as a more casual nightlife alternative. They promise no cover charges or dress codes, ever. Located next to the Ballroom, its a small restaurant with a promising menu and a bar that seats a little more than a dozen patrons.

The place seems to be trying to be the anti-Ballroom, and so far is succeeding. The candle lit black leather booths looked like a nice place to catch up with friends. But not too many friends, as I heard the comment "Could this place be any smaller?" more than once.

Looks like this place is building some positive buzz so far.

Rome In A Day @ Clarendon Grill

Once again I got the privilege to watch Rome In A Day perform at the Grill. James Stevens lead the band with great energy and is a great on-stage performer. Jay Brazao made the thumb-slap/finger-pluck technique look easy on his two bass guitars. Ali DiPippo was incredible, with ferocious guitaring and backup vocals. I couldn't tell you anything about Adam Lee's drumming because I've never played drums and have no context to judge him, and I was just a little distracted by Ali's hotness =)

Ali's performance was so good she could easily do her own solo guitar act at Iota sometime, but their style is more 90's rock and cover songs.

For only a $5 cover these guys are a bargin! I would have easily paid alot more to see them live. They will be playing again at Dogfish Head on August 7th!

Open Mic @ Iota

Got to the open mic night a little late, and I missed Arlington Public TV filming some of the early acoustic sets for a local segment. Despite this I got to see a few talented regulars, including the famous Eric Summers. You know someone is a serious performer when they bring six guitars and their own custom mic on stage with them.

Eric's extreme talent with the guitar was evident even if the P.A. system wasn't co-operating. You can't go wrong with a guitarist who tapes individual picks to each finger of their right hand.