NYE without cover in Clarendon

Don't feel like paying a cover charge or buying a ticket in advance to celebrate New Year's Eve tonight in Clarendon? Here is my short list of some of the local venues open for business and free to get into:

Bakeshop - For the anti-NYE crowd, this local cupcakery will have its doors open until midnight to server your final 2013 sugar cravings.

Bracket Room - Open at noon with no cover all night. My pick for one of the best free spots to go to, and probably will be crowded early.

Eat Bar - Complimentary toast at midnight

Fireworks - Good if you want Neapolitan pizza and beer one last time in 2013.

Fuego -  $5 Carlos Slim margarita all day, happy hour at 4pm

Hunan Number One - Giant beers!

Mexicali Blues -  Half price burritos all day and night; mini-champagne or Corona toast at midnight.

O'Sullivans - An early NYE celebration with an Irish Guinness toast at 7pm. After that live music by William Dickey at 9:30pm

Spider Kelly's - Bound to be packed tonight, with no cover or dress codes.

If I've missed any please tweet me the info.

NYE live music party at Iota

For this 2013 New Year's Eve Iota is throwing its 4th Annual NYE party. The night starts at 9pm with a $18 cover charge, and features three local bands and DJ Sam Snow to keep things moving between sets:

The Beanstalk Library
Derek Evry
These Future Saints

Wilson Tavern Misfits Christmas Party

This Friday, December 27 Wilson Tavern is throwing the last holiday themed party this year for those of us who didn't travel out of town this winter break. Break out your Christmas sweaters and holiday swag one last time with the Misfits Christmas Party starting 9pm.

9 Comedy and Songwriter Series at Iota

This week Iota features back to back performances of "The 9" groups headed by local musician Justin Trawick. Monday, December 16 starts off The 9 Comedy Series at 8pm with nine great DC area comics for only a $5 cover, including:
Kat Timpf
Doug Hecox
Jared Stern
David Miller
Carson Gross
Wes Martens
Mariya Alexander
Mike Finazzo
Pete Bergen

Then Tuesday The 9 Songwriter Series returns to Iota for the second part of its Holiday Show. They will be singing an assortment of holiday songs with nine local musicians for $10. Starting at 8pm, the line up will include:
Justin Trawick
Don Kim
Matthew James Scott
Jasmine Gillison
Alexe Colbus
Jon Blashford
Kevin de Souza
Brittany Jean
Heather Mae

Antonette Goroch and Olivia Mancini at Galaxy Hut

This Monday, December 9 Clarendon's smallest live music venue Galaxy Hut will be packed with two touring female acoustic indie/folk/pop musicians: Antonette Goroch and Olivia Mancini. The shows start at 9pm and a cover of $5 gets you in for both performances.

Antonette is a world traveler, mother, writer, singer and songwriter. She is the co-founder of the Art Beat Summer Rock Camp and the Art Beat Foundation. This time she plays solo, but she also tours with her SF-based indie group Super Natural.

Olivia hails from Washington DC and plays tunes with folk/pop roots and hits of rock and roll. On stage either solo or with her bands Olivia & the Mates and Astra Via, Olivia has been touring US and Europe for more than 10 years and opened for one of my favorite bands, Stars.

Hokie Appreciation Sat night at Wilson Tavern

This Saturday, December 7 Wilson Tavern is throwing another Virginia Tech appreciation night. Wear your Hokie gear to get drink specials starting at 8pm, which include the $7 VT Rails miser and $5 Fireball shots.

Toys for Tots party at Boulevard Woodgrill

On Saturday, December 14 the 10th Annual "Colleagues in Action" will be collecting toys and funds in Clarendon for the U.S Marine Corps Toys for Tots Program. The party will be held in the downstairs of Boulevard Woodgrill starting at 8pm Saturday evening with guests bringing a new, unwrapped toy to donate. The party is hosted by about two dozen sponsors who graciously chip in funds to pay for some upfront costs and the open bar.  Once the bar turns to cash there will be great drink specials. Cocktail attire or holiday festive. If you cannot make it out, you can still make a donation online here.

Ragegiving at Mister Days

More pre-Thanksgiving parties are popping up in Clarendon, the latest being Mister Days' Ragegiving this Wednesday, November 27. Music is provided by DJ Qwerty and MixMasterRod with accompanying videos and visuals on the TVs and projector. Drink specials will include $3 select beer bottles.

Thanksgiving Eve at RiRa

Thanksgiving Eve turns out to be the biggest drinking night of the year, with all the locals back in town and everyone has work off Thursday. This Wednesday, Nov 27 I'll be stopping by RìRà to check out local band Practically Einstein on stage at 10pm. The Better Than Eza-like rock band has been touring recently showcasing their hit Soldier Girl. If you can make it earlier, starting at 8pm their is RiRa's weekly free stand up comedy show, half price burgers and $15 craft beer buckets to keep your mind off the next day's family drama.

Philippine Disaster Relief at Iota

Iota is throwing a benefit concert to help the Philippine disaster relief effort on Monday, November 25 starting at 8pm. A $10 or more donation will go to the Red Cross, which gets you three performances by Matt Tarka, Mantua Finials, and Steve Bowes of The Pharmacy Prophets. Iota will also be playing the Redskins vs 49ers game on their front porch starting at 8:30.

NYE party - Lindy's Downtown Countdown

It's not even Thanksgiving yet, but the New Year Eve party planning has already begun. First up the third annual Lindy Promo Downtown Countdown at the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Avenue in DC. Music will be provided by the Richmond rock Pat McGee Band, covers by Philidephia's Kristen and the Noise, Dave Matthew songs by Crowded Streets, and latin rock by Lloyd Dobler Effect, along with multiple DJs.

Ring in the new year with thousands of other party goers,with full dinner buffet starting at 9pm and five hours of open bar 9pm-2am. Prices vary depending when you get there and if you chose VIP status, but you can save $10 off ticket price with my promo code CNights until Dec 30.

Thanksgiving at Lyon Hall

Lyon Hall is open for their annual Thanksgiving Day feast again this year. Next Thursday, November 28 the Clarendon restaurant will be hosting a special holiday menu from 11:30am to 6:30pm serving a three course meal for about $40 per adult and $10 for kids. Included is an appetizer, entrée and dessert. You can preview their Thanksgiving special menu here and make reservations at OpenTable here.

Movember Party at Wilson Tavern

This Thursday, November 21 Wilson Tavern is celebrating moustaches and raising money to combat prostate and testicular cancer with their Movember Party from 8pm - 2am . "Movember" festivities typically involve growing as much facial hair as you can in a month to raise awareness for men's health and cancer prevention. Wilson Tavern is pitching in with giving away t-shirts to those who donate at the door, a prize contest for best 'stash, and proceeds for the night going to Movember.com.

Christmas Bar Crawl for Cystic Fibrosis Dec 14

Yes, it may be a little early to get into the Christmas spirit, but it's important to keep your December 14th weekend open for OnTap's Holiday Crawl for Charity. This holiday themed bar crawl hits eight great Clarendon bars and raises money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Tickets are only $10 and gives you access on Saturday Dec 14 from 3-9pm to specials and prizes at Clarendon Grill, Mad Rose, Mister Days, Mexicali Blues, Hunan Number One, Bracket Room and Sobe. Dress up in your finest holiday costumes and prizes will be awarded for the most creative costume, dynamic duo, and best dressed group.

Deleted Scenes at Iota

This Friday, November 15th the DC quartet and compulsively apologetic rock group Deleted Scenes graces Iota's stage again. The band recently debuted new track Stutter, described as a "neuron scrambler" and a "full-body freakout." Deleted Scenes recently put on a fantastic show with The Dismemberment Plan at the 9:30 club and got high praises from the band. The Washington Post also praised them with saying "if Deleted Scenes isn't the best rock band in Washington, it's certainly on the very short list." Their 8pm show is opened up by Young Rapids as has a $12 cover.

Pop Zeus at Galaxy Hut

Pop Zeus, a DC area cover band, is playing at Galaxy Hut this Sunday, Nov 10. You may have noticed by the band's name that they play covers of Guided By Voices tunes, as one of the many, many, many songs GBV has produced over their decades of performing was titled "Pop Zeus". Their 9pm show has only a $5 cover. More info on their Facebook invite page.

Dia de los Muertos at Iota with The Highballers

Iota is celebrating the Day of the Dead this Saturday, November 2. For their Dia de los Muertos, local DC band The Highballers highlights the night with their Americana/alt country rock. Opening for them is the dischord-rock tunes of Alarms and Controls that will start at 9pm. Cover is $10 and also includes the aggressive electric guitar riffs of MusicBand.

All the Halloween Things

Get your sleep in the next few days because I've got a dozen Halloween events, parties and bar crawls over the next week. Here is everything Halloween related in Arlington and a few in DC in chronological order:


Monster Bar Crawl
Friday Oct 25 4-9pm
Giant bar crawl including Bailey's, Clarendon Grill, Darna Lounge, Fat Shorty's, First Down, Front Page, Green Turtle, Hard Times, Iota, Mad Rose, Matsutake, Mexicali Blues, Mister Days, RìRà , Rock Bottom, Sobe, Spider Kelly's, Velocity 5, Whitlows, Wilson Tavern and World of Beers. Tickets are $15 and benefit Stop Child Abuse Now.

Elliot in the Morning costume party
Friday Oct 25 8pm-2am
Clarendon Ballroom hosts the annual gigantic costume party hosted by DC101 radio jockey with a $3,000 grand prize. Live music by cover band Junkfood and DJ JC. Doors at 8pm, $15 cover, goes up after 10pm.

Alexandria Scavenger Hunt
Saturday Oct 26 1-5pm
Hunt around Old Town pubs and bars and enjoy drink specials and a grand prize of $500. Tickets are $10.

Nightmare on M Street
Saturday Oct 26 5pm-12am
Huge bar crawl in DC with 34 participating bars, starting at Maddy's in Dupont, McFadden's at Foggy Bottom, or The Exchange Saloon near Farragut West. Drink specials, a costume contest at McFadden's, and radio station 107.3 on hand. Tickets are $30.

Clarendon Ballroom party
Saturday Oct 26 8pm-2am
There should be a good crowd at Ballroom with music by the great cover band Liquid A with DJ Lil Fos downstairs. Doors open at 6pm. Cover is $10.

Front Page Capitals costume party
Saturday Oct 26 8pm-2am
Dress up in hockey gear, normal, sexy or gruesome, and watch the Captials vs Calgary Flames. No cover.

Whitlows costume contest
Saturday Oct 26 10pm-2am
Party/rock band The Vigilantes perform at Whitlows with a $100 prize costume contest. $5 cover.

Mad Rose Mad O Ween
Thursday Oct 31 8pm-2am
DJ SAAM provides the beats on the Halloween night party with a special dance off with their "Thriller" Michael Jackson Tribute. No cover.

Wilson Tavern Monsters Ball
Thursday Oct 31 9pm-2am
This second annual party includes drink specials, a shot ice luge  and a costume contest prize of a $50 bar tab. No cover.

Clarendon Grill party
Thursday Oct 31 9pm-2am
Costume contest with music by cover band Total Whiteout and DJ 2 NUTZ






Velocity 5 Spooktacular costume party
Friday Nov 1  9pm-2am
Free event with Welby Luk and DJ LION, which also benefits The Childrens Tumor Foundation

 

Mexicali Blues Day of the Dead party
Friday Nov 1
Keep your costume for El Dia De Muertos  party with a $200 first prize contest. No cover.



Clarendon Halloween Crawl
Saturday Nov 2 2pm-9pm
Local post-Halloween bar crawl including Whitlow’s, Spider Kelly's, Clarendon Grill, SoBe, Hunan One, Hard Times Cafe, Mister Days, Iota, Velocity 5, and Wilson Tavern. Tickets are $15.

Halloween in Clarendon - Front Page Capitals party

If you like hockey and Halloween, then this is the event for you. This weekend Front Page in Ballston is throwing a Capitals Game watch Halloween party on Saturday Oct. 26th from 9pm-1am. Come dressed as your favorite Caps player, whether your past, present, gruesome, sexy, or exact look alike. Costume place prizes and trophies awarded directly after the game against the Calgary Flames, which the Capitals beat last month in an overtime shootout. During commercials they will have raffle drawings for tickets, T-shirts, gift certificates, and the Guinness girls will be there with more give-aways also.

Halloween in Clarendon - Mad Rose Mad O Ween

Halloween night Mad Rose is having a Mad O Ween party starting at 8pm. Live music by DJ SAAM, who just played for a huge crowd at Echostage in DC this weekend. There will of course be costume contests, prizes and Halloween themed drink specials. There is no cover at the door, and the night will feature a special dance off with their "Thriller" Michael Jackson Tribute. The Halloween party is being thrown by Clarendon based Social DC PR and more info is on the Facebook event page.

Chiefs vs Chefs AFAC fundraiser at Ballroom

Tonight, Wed Oct 16 the Clarendon Ballroom is hosting the Chiefs vs Chefs 2, the second annual cooking competition to benefit the Arlington Food Assistance Center (AFAC). From 6:30 to 9:30pm, local chefs from Bayou Bakery, Majestic Café, and Fuego Cocina y Tequileria will compete in a three course cook off against members of Arlington's fire department. Tickets are available at the door, prices vary and there is a special for furloughed government workers.

Little Pink Dress breast cancer benefit at RiRa

Given that this is breast cancer awareness month, RìRà is also having a fundraiser party for the Breast Cancer Care Foundation. On Saturday, October 26 if you don't feel like celebrating Halloween early, come out to RìRà in Clarendon and instead dress in pink to avoid $5 cover charge and skip the line. This month RiRa's special drink is the $8 Jameson Cherry Sour featuring Jameson Irish Whiskey, freshly squeezed lemon juice, sugar syrup, fresh cherries, a dash of egg white and Peychaud's Bitters. Other drink specials include $3 pints of either Heineken or Bud Light.

USA vs Panama soccer at RiRa

The U.S. Men's National Team has secured its 2014 World Cup bid, and has one more official World Cup qualifying match left on Tuesday, October 15. Starting at 9pm, RìRà in Clarendon is showcasing the match against Panama on their big screen. If you get your RìRà Match Card punched four times you can enter to win a trip to the Champions League Final in Berlin in 2015.

Columbus Day brunch at Lyon Hall

Lyon Hall is open this Monday, Oct 14 to cure your Sunday Funday hangover with their brunch menu. This Columbus Day their brunch is available from 10:30 until 3pm, and includes their homemade and over the top donuts. If you miss that, their usual happy hour then picks up from 3pm to 7pm which includes their popular
$5 SJF made with ginger beer. Other specials include:

$4 Beer
- Weihenstephaner
- Stella
- Palm Amber
- Lagunitas IPA
- Crispin Cider
- Schwarzbeir

$5 Wine
- Sparkling Domaine  du Margalleau
- White Domaine Uby
- Red Paul Ponnelle

Breast Cancer Awareness at Mad Rose Oct 24

Mad Rose Tavern is hosting an awareness and fundraising party for breast cancer research on Thursday, October 24. There is no cover charge, instead all donations made that night go to the National Breast Cancer Foundation through the OneUmbrella Foundation. The evening starts at 9pm with music via DJ C Lo, raffles for Capitals and Redskins tickets, gift cards, and wristbands. More details on the Facebook invite page.

Marymount Black Alumni happy hour at Buffalo Wild Wings

Next Friday, October 18 Marymount University's Black Alumni Network is having a happy hour in Ballston. Buffalo Wild Wings is hosting the event from 5-8pm and providing appetizers and drink specials. A $5 cover charge per person will directly benefit the Black Alumni Network's Bench Naming Opportunity which was part of Marymount's 26th Street Project. To date $1,175 has been raised toward the $5,000 pledge.

Halloween in Clarendon - Elliot in the Morning bash

I don't go to Clarendon Ballroom very often, but when I do, its on Halloween.

Ballroom becomes a very different place on this particular weekend. The Clarendon dance floor magically becomes a place where everyone is costumed and friendly, which about the same level of intoxication as usual. Long lines are guaranteed to form around the block for the Elliot In The Morning annual Halloween Bash on Friday, October 25, which is actually half of the fun of the night. This is the best people watching night of the year, with many people standing in line late into the night just to be "seen" in their creative or scandalous costumes, and impromptu costume judging threw the window at Eventide.

The Halloween bash includes a costume contest with a $3,000 grand prize, live music from veteran local band Junkfood on the main floor, DJ JC downstairs. Doors open at 8pm, and its best to get their early as there is a $15 cover and it goes up after 10pm.

The Naked And Famous at 9:30 Club

New Zealand synthpop/indie The Naked And Famous played at 9:30 Club in DC last night to a sold out show opened by The Colorist. TNAF was amazing live, with energetic and songs from their new album In Rolling Waves and finishing the night with an encore performance of the popular "Young Blood" song. Lead singer Alisa Xayalith sported a new look with short blonde hair, and her voice along with other founding member Thom Powers mesmerized the audience all night. Their Sunday night performance sold out so quickly they added a second show tonight, Monday October 7.

The Colorist at 9:30 Club

The Colorist is a four piece talented band from California and is touring on the east coast now. Their catchy and energetic songs warmed up the 9:30 Club crowd Sunday and Monday night for The Naked And Famous. I really enjoyed their performance, especially during the duet vocals of guitarist Adam Castilla and drummer Maya Tuttle. The Colorist has a lot of chemistry together and is very versatile in their pop/indie beats, with each member switching between two instruments.

Halloween in Clarendon - Nov 2 Bar Crawl

If your costume isn't completely trashed from the previous Halloween bar crawls, suit up for Project DC's bar crawl on Saturday November 2. The Clarendon Halloween Crawl goes from 2pm to 9pm Saturday with access to many local bars. Start the afternoon off with registration at Mad Rose and then continuing to Whitlow’s, Spider Kelly’s, SoBe, Hunan Number One, Wilson Tavern, and Mister Days. Tickets are $10 right now, but go up to $15 after Oct 17 and then $20 at the door. You get to keep the refillable mug Halloween mug, party favors, $2 Bronx Pizza cheese slices, $2 beers, $3 rail drinks, raffle ticket and other specials. More info on their Facebook event page.

"Shutdown Reboot" Arcology free show at Iota

Tonight's a special night at Iota as there will be no cover in light of the government shutdown for the show starting at 7:30pm. This Friday, Oct 4 the Clarendon venue is hosting the band Arcology and later on DJ Sam Snow will keep the music going.

Halloween in Clarendon - Monster Bar Crawl

On Friday, October 25 HiBall events is throwing a large Halloween bar crawl in Arlington. The $12 tickets gets you in to almost every single bar around here and $1 of that cost is donated to Stop Child Abuse Now. There will be costume contests and drink specials that have not yet been announced. From 4 to 9pm that Friday evening get dressed in anything that isn't a Miley Ray Cyrus costume and hit up all these orange line hot spots:

Ballston
Bailey's
First Down
Front Page
Green Turtle
Rock Bottom Brewery
World of Beers

Courthouse
Velocity 5
Wilson Tavern

Clarendon
Hard Times Café
Iota
Mad Rose
Mexicali Blues
Mister Days
RìRà
Fat Shorty's
Sobe
Spider Kelly's
Clarendon Grill
Darna Lounge
Whitlows

Halloween in DC - Nightmare on M Street

First in my series of posts about local Halloween events is Lindy's Nightmare on M Street in DC. This huge bar crawl starts on Saturday, October 26 at 5pm and lasts until 1am, starting you out at one of these four bars for registration: The Front Page, Maddy's, McFadden's or Exchange Saloon. You can then jump to the 30+ participating bars without a cover and with specials like:
- $2 Coors Lights
- $3 Blue Moons
- $4 Bacardi drinks
- $4 Monster Energy drinks
- $5 Pizza Hut Special

Make sure to use my promo code Nights before Oct 18 at checkout to save 20% off your ticket price!

The Naked and Famous at 9:30

After this past weekend's Sunday Funday debauchery at A-Town for the Redskins' win, I'm spending this next weekend in the opposite direction. DC is hosting fun music options, starting with DJ Lil E and her legendary 90s mixes at Blackcat on Saturday, Oct 5 10pm.

The weekend will end strongly with The Naked and Famous' sold out show Sunday night 7pm at 9:30 club. Fronted by Alisa Xayalith (vocals/keyboards) and Thom Powers (guitar/vocals), the band debuted their new album In Rolling Waves. They just appeared on Craig Ferguson last night, and decided to add a second chance to see them on Monday Oct 7. Tickets are $35 and The Colorist is opening for them.

Mike Mangione & The Union at Iota

Sunday is busy at Iota, with three bands playing that evening to round out this beautiful weekend. On Sept 29, Mike Mangoine and the Union play around 8pm. The Union is a five piece orchestral folk-rock outfit with a variety of strings, electric guitars and drums whose songs range from contemporary folk to blues.

Also playing that night is Kenny Kohlhaas and local Wes Tucker and the Skillets. A single $12 cover gets you access to all three performances Sunday night.

And if you get to Iota early, they will be playing the Redskins vs Raiders games starting at 4:25pm with no cover.

Clarendon Day this Saturday

Clarendon Day is an annual family friendly block party that is taking over the neighborhood this Saturday, September 28 from 11am to 5pm. Streets around central Clarendon will be closed off as dozens of local restaurants and businesses will have tents offering up food, beer, wine, chili cook-off and other goodies. There will also be a ton of live music playing on three stages all day long:

Arlington’s Car-Free Diet Stage

• 11:00 am               Nanny Assis
• 11:50 am               Roosevelt Dime
• 12:40pm                Derek Evry
• 1:30 pm                 Kitty Boy
• 2:20 pm                 Cecily
• 3:10 pm                 The Beanstalk Library
• 4:00 pm                 The Cowards Choir

 Burke and Herbert Stage                 

• 11:00 am               The Unexpected
• 11:10 am               Static
• 11:20 am               Safety Third
• 11:40 am               Jason Masi
• 12:10 pm               Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray
• 12:40 pm               49 cent Dress
• 1:20 pm                 The Microphone
• 2:00 pm                 Diamond Dolls
• 2:30 pm                 The Curbfeelers
• 3:10 pm                 Skip House
• 3:50 pm                  Go Go Symphony
• 4:30 pm                 West Main

ARC Stage                     

• 11:00 am               ReVision Dance Company
• 11:35 am               Ballet Nova
• 12:15 pm               Laura Baron
• 12:55 pm               Adagio Ballet
• 1:30 pm                 The Flashband Project
• 2:10 pm                 Red Light Distraction
• 2:30 pm                 Saffron Dance
• 3:10 pm                 Big Hoax
• 3:55 pm                 O’Neill-James School of Irish Dancing
• 4:20 pm                 Richie Walz & Mo Safren

Nine Songwriter Series at Iota Tuesday

This Tuesday, September 24th the Nine Songwriter Series returns to Iota. Doors are at 7:30pm and show is at 8pm for a great showcase of nine local musicians playing in one night for a single $10 cover charge. For more information about the show check out their Facebook event page. They have a world class lineup of DC area songwriters including:

Justin Trawick
Amanda Lee
Jason Ager
Gordon Daniels
Ted Garber
Tiffany Thompson
Lauren Calve
Ken Wenzel
Carolyn Crysdale

Project DC "free beer" party at Mad Rose

Project DC Events is celebrating their one year anniversary this Sunday, September 22 at Mad Rose Tavern in Clarendon. Their theme is a "free beer" party, with participants getting one free beer with this ticket and redeem it between 11am to 4pm. Your free beer entry also gives you access to these exclusive drink specials, photo booth, party favors, a chance to win 2 Redskin tickets and other giveaways. The specials include:

• $2.50 Beers
• $3.99 Fireball shots
• $20 Champagne Magnums
• $23.99 Signature glow in the dark beer towers
• All day bucket beer pong games