Juniper Lane @ Iota

Once again, I was blown away by Juniper Lane's talent, execution, energy and stage presence. They have such a positive energy and rapport with each other it is always enjoyable to witness them perform live. The very colorful Reni Lane (no relation haha) opened for them to a full house, as Iota was packed tonight due to the band's popularity with both the indie crowd and more mainstream alternative/rock audiences.

Lead singer Vivion Smith plays the role of siren with her mesmerizing voice and hypnotizing eye contact with the audience. Her beauty and talent have the entire crowd wrapped around her keyboard playing fingers. Drummer Eddie Pasa showed us that he is equally talented on vocals as he is keeping the beat.

Juniper Lane this Friday at Iota

The very talented and catchy Juniper Lane is coming to Iota this Friday night.

The last time they visited Clarendon I was very glad I made it out and was mesmerized by Vivion Smith's striking vocals and smooth keyboarding. Looking forward to this show!

Juniper Lane "plays polished, radio-ready rock with all the right nods to U2 and Coldplay... this is definitely music to hear on the radio... the total package." - WashingtonPost.com

Lost Dog Cafe's new location

Lost Dog Cafe opened up a second location on Columbia Pike seven weeks ago. Located in a brand new mixed use building across from Arlington Cinema Drafthouse, it provides the same great menu as the first branch did but with a new and inviting atmosphere.

Lost Dog is both a chain of three restuarants (two Lost Dogs and one Stray Cat) and an animal rescue foundation. The restaurant features a huge menu of specialty sandwiches, fries, pizzas and "dog collar" onion rings. Everyone enjoys the wall-to-wall dog themed murals and the friendly wait staff.

Make sure to remember to get a very rich milkshake for carryout after your meal!

Katie Herzig @ Iota

Talented and personable Katie Herzig opened for Hoots And Helmouth tonight at Iota. I arrived to late to see Katie perform, but was still lucky enough to chat with her and grab a copy of her new album Apple Tree.

The last time I caught her performance was when she sang and in the super-talented Ten Out Of Tenn in December. That Christmas themed show was awesome, especially with Katie's rendition of her hit Hologram. She will be back in town on Oct 7 at the 9:30 club.

Construction stalled on 2900 10th St.?

There is still a vacant lot where Sala Thai and CVS once stood at 2900 10th Street. The two retailers where moved out to make room for a four story condo/town house development called "Garfield Park".

I'm not sure if those plans have changed, but it doesn't appear any work is being done past tearing down the previous building. Their site garfieldparkcondos.com is now a spam placeholder.

It's odd walking past and noticing the same checkered floor of Sala Thai now exposed and bare without walls.

Arlington is #2 in the US for meeting rich singles

WTOP recently did an a report on Money Magazine's "Best places for rich and single." Our hometown is at the top of the list!

"If you think smart is sexy, you'll love Arlington, where scientific geniuses and government types dominate"

Here is the top ten places in the nation for singles looking for a date with money:

1. Hermosa Beach, Calif.
2. Arlington, Va.
3. Coronado, Calif.
4. Edgewater, N.J.
5. Santa Clara, Calif.
6. Edwards, Colo.
7. Oak Park, Ill.
8. Herndon, Va.
9. Irvine, Calif.
10. Arlington, Mass.

The rest of the list is here.

Telograph @ Iota

Tonight was a great night at Iota. Cobra Collective was good, but missing something.

Telograph electrified the room with crisp rhythm and charisma. Their indie rock sound was solid and satisfying, and they attracted a score of ladies close to the stage who invaded the band's personal space with cameras and dancing.

All cover charges for the night went towards raising money for a local walkaton for breast cancer.

Falls Church Standoff Update

The recent local drama of a man shooting his ex-girlfriend in Falls Church did not end peacefully today:

John T. Valentini, 44, who police believe shot his ex-girlfriend on Tuesday night in his Pimmit Hills neighborhood in the Falls Church area, died at 4:12 a.m. today at Inova Fairfax Hospital, police spokeswoman Lucy Caldwell said.

The man died from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound after more than a day of police standoff in the residential neighborhood.

Thanks to DCFemella for the heads up!

DC Blogger Meetup @ Madams Organ

I was lucky enough to attend the DC Bloggers at their second meetup tonight in Adams Morgan. I was able to chat with blogging veterans like Shevonne, Mike and Yali as well as fresh faced comedian Leon.

Talking to about a dozen well connected and experienced local bloggers was fun and helpful. It was interesting to see the diversity of attendees and how people where using social networks, Twitter, etc in different ways to reach their respective audiences.

I recommended joining networks like FriendFeed and Meetup to prevent missing out in local events like this one.

Attendies:
A Glenn -- http://jenesaisrein.blogspot.com &
http://aureliaglenn.wordpress.com
Dave Newman -- http://groovysoup.com
Margie Newman -- http://flackrabbit.com
Kier Duros -- http://www.durosia.com/
Kathleen Canedo -- http://brutalism.net
Mike Licht -- http://NotionsCapital.com
Pat Thibodeau -- http://DCBlogs.com
Yali Friedman -- http://biotechblog.com
Joe Logon -- www.joelogon.com/blog
Shevonne -- http://freeagentwriter.com
Marie -- http://blog.mermedia.com
Leon -- http://www.ListenToLeon.net
Jade -- http://jadxia.livejournal.com

Hostage Situation in Falls Church

According to a witness I talked to, a man on Fisher Ave in Falls Church shot a woman at point blank range on the street corner last night. The man then entered a home and police have been surrounding the location since.

Police have the area blocked off and are waiting, hoping for a peaceful ending. Apparently there are other people inside the home along with the shooter, so this is technically a hostage situation.

Fisher Ave is still closed, so its a good idea to avoid that area on your commute home.

This is the second shooting this month a normally very safe Northern Virginia suburban area, as it reminds me of the Mac store robbery recently.

Flippin Pizza in Falls Church

A nice local find is Flippin Pizza that just opened recently in Falls Church. The cozy modern neighborhood pizzeria offers decent New York style slices. With deals like two slices and a drink for $5.50, its hard to pass up and a good alternative to Z-Pizza.

It is tucked away in the corner of the atrociously decorated "Flower Building" on Route 7 and very easy to miss. They don't deliver, but they have a call-ahead-and-pickup service available.

Local blogger Blueweeds did an excellent review of this pizzeria recently too. Its getting good reviews on Yelp too.

Top Ten Arlington Condos For Fireworks

This year's 4th of July holiday was accompanied by a absolutely beautiful weather and clear skies. The Mall was packed as usual, but there was plenty of other places to view the festivities without the massive crowds.

Arlington Condo blog has listed 1o good highrises to view the DC fireworks:

1. Prospect House
2. Waterview
3. Turnberry Tower
4. The Odyssey
5. Woodbury Hts.
6. The Representative
7. Clarendon1021
8. Liberty Center
9. The Bella Vista
10. The Eclipse

I've heard that the view this year from The Odyssey was outstanding. Also, I imagine 1021's roof deck would also provide a great panoramic view from Arlington.

Daily Free Performances @ Kennedy Center

The Kennedy Center is known for hosting a variety of shows and concerts and for possessing a spectacular panoramic view of the DC monuments. Another lesser known feature of the Center is its Millennium Stage which features free performances every day of the year.

This week Roger Guenveur Smith played a fierce modern rendition of Frederick Douglass in his one man show and succeeded in scaring the white out of me.

The Millennium Stage performances is a great alternative for something to do in the evenings, and makes for a cheap, easy date alternative. Unlike most of the other formal shows at the Kennedy Center, this stage is more casual dress.

Robbery at Apple Store in Clarendon

Neighborhood residents were alerted to a local crime by the sound of a circling police helicopter. Local news stations are reporting that at 10:30am this morning the Apple Store on 2800 Clarendon Blvd shopping center was robbed at gunpoint and a female was shot.

The female victim survived and was taken to a local hospital. No other injuries were reported. AppleInsider press release here for more info.

The shopping center is crowded with heavy Arlington County police and news crew presence currently.

This is a strange and out of place occurrence in such a generally safe and quiet area. Add to the strangeness that the robbery occurred in broad daylight, on a holiday, and the shooter was also described as wearing a fake beard???

Folklife Festival @ National Mall

A nice surprise to my trip to DC was the 2009 Smithsonian Folklife Festival being held on the National Mall.

Located right off the Smithsonian Metro exit, halfway between the Monument and the Capital, if featured dozens of tents with live music and diverse food. Musical performances range from Welsh signers to traditional Latin bands.

The festival is this week from July 1st through 5th, 11am till around 5pm.

Clarendon Center construction continues

The central tower of the three high rise project called Clarendon Center continues to grow. Construction has finished on the underground parking garage, and now the second floor's concrete skeleton is visible.

When completed, the complex on the corners of Clarendon Blvd and Highland Street will feature one apartment building and two office towers varying in height from 10 to 12 stories.

Open Mic Comedy @ RiRa

Another great night of standup comedy at RiRa bought to us by StandupComdeyToGo. The night featured more than a dozen comics from amateurs to veterans like Seaton Smith, Hampton and Mike Way. And half price burgers!

As always, the irreplacable John Quirk was there to warm up the crowd and MC the audience joke contest at the end. Even if you get stuck in the front table right next to the loud speaker, its still a worthwhile night.