No Cover for New Years Eve in Clarendon

Don't have any plans for New Years Eve! Clarendon is very welcoming to last minute party goers with several places that don't charge a cover or sell tickets to get in. No reservations are needed at:

The Renegade
3100 Clarendon Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
The new Mister Days maintains everything you liked about the classic previous bar and has a casual night with a DJ, dance floor and drink specials.

Spider Kelly's
3181 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
DJ Styles is playing here with plenty of room to spread out and mingle with the two bars and three rooms open.

G.O.A.T.
3028 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
If you didn't get into Don Tito, The GOAT is another great venue for a similar experience. Expect it to be packed but the two story sports bar has room to move around.

Galaxy Hut
2711 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA 22201
Clarendon's last true dive promises no drama and no silliness on NYE, just a fun time in a quirky tiny bar with a Vegan friendly menu.

Punch Bowl Social
4238 Wilson Blvd Ste. 1180, Arlington, VA 22203
Located in Ballston Quarter, the popular bar games venue is hosting a space themed New Years Eve party.

Don Zientara and Dougie at Galaxy Hut

Monday night the legendary Don Zientara is playing another show at Clarendon's own Galaxy Hut. The founder of Inner Ear Studios, Don has recorded and produced for DC luminaries such as Fugazi, Minor Threat, Scream, Lungfish and countless others.

Opening up for him is the talented local band Dougie, a four person group staring Nelson A. Cuellar, Mike Larmoyeux, Phil Carluzzo, and Ked Thornton. Check out them playing Angela Ash at Evening Star.

The show starts at 9pm and cover is $5. Facebook invite page here.

5x5 Showcase at Galaxy Hut

The 5x5 Songwriter Showcase presents the first of five live events which will be recording both audio and video for streaming/televised broadcast. This kick-off event will feature the hosts and producers of The 5x5, Daniel Warren Hill, Eli Lev, Ginny Hill, Gabrielle Zwi, and Justin Shapiro. These artists will host the next set of The 5x5 events featuring an entirely different and unique set of songwriters throughout Washington DC, Maryland, and Virginia.

The debut show on Sunday April 14 features performances by 5 founding members:
YellowTieGuy
Ginny Hill Project
Gabrielle Zwi Music
Justin Shapiro Music
Eli Lev

Doors at 8pm. Tickets $5 at the door.

Don Zientara and Joshua Palace at Galaxy Hut

Don Zientara is a legend and a true hero of Washington DC. The founder of Inner Ear Studios, Don has recorded and produced for DC luminaries such as Fugazi, Minor Threat, Scream, Lungfish and countless others.

Joshua Palace is a singer-songwriter from the outskirts of DC in the vein of William Basinski, Brian Eno, Belong and My Bloody Valentine, fused with the soul of 70s rock and 80s post wave. Palace aims to challenge and uplift the soul through songs of isolation and hope. Having released his first full-length debut in 2018, Palace is now currently recording a new album with producer Don Zientara at Inner Ear.

Alex Parez at Galaxy Hut

Local favorite Alex Parez is playing this Sunday, Sept 30 night at Galaxy Hut. Music starts at 8:30pm, $5, 21+. Come help us celebrate the first year of his band Alex The Read Parez And The Hell Rojos album's existence! Guest performance by Derek Evry.

Joshua Palace & Koshari at Galaxy Hut

Local musician Joshua Palace returns to Galaxy Hut this Sunday Sept 9 to open for another great local talent Koshari. The shoegaze/progressive rock/noisey music night starts at 9pm and is only a $5 cover for both acts.

Ghosts of Sailors at Sea at Galaxy Hut

Tonight at Galaxy Hut in Clarendon the Boston based Ghosts of Sailors at Sea are playing! This fun band is described as post-rock/math rock/indie. I love their catchy and moody instrumentals with heavy and fast bass lines. Check out their latest album Red Sky Morning at BandCamp. Their song Mary Celeste is now stuck in my head. Also playing with them, to round out the "math rock" theme, is DC's Numbers Station.

If you are not glued to your HBO account watching the season premier of Game of Thrones tonight, make sure to catch both these great acts starting 9pm! Cover is $5.

Alex Parez at Galaxy Hut

On Monday April 17 you can catch Alex The Red Parez and The Hell Rojos will be headlining at Galaxy Hut for their 4th Annual Earth Day Show. Alex Parez is one of the most active players in the local Clarendon music scene, with Alex hosting Iota's open mic night every Wed, manning the door at Iota, and playing frequently in the area. Also playing that night will be Sunchild. Music starts at 8:30pm with the usual $5 cover.

Joshua Palace and Impuritan at Galaxy Hut

Joshua Palace is returning to Galaxy Hut on Monday, June 13 for his second show this year. The talented guitarist and vocalist has a powerful neo-noir electric sound and will be opening for Impuritan at 8:30pm. Impuritan is an experimental rock three-piece from San Francisco that has been playing for the past 5 years. The band just released “Everything Is Magick”, an eight-song alchemical mix of psychedelia, post-rock, space-rock, ambient noise, and surf.

Cover is $5 for both acts. Don't miss this musical Monday special with abstract sounds and thought provoking songs!

Joshua Palace at Galaxy Hut

January 4, 2016 marks the debut live performance of Joshua Palace, a multi-instrumentalist singer-songwriter. The 9pm show at Galaxy Hut will have the local artist creating walls of sound via loops and synth patterns.  Palace builds upon the wall with songs of isolation and hope. In the vein of William Basinski, Brian Eno, Belong and My Bloody Valentine, Palace aims to challenge and uplift the soul.

The $5 cover will also get you in to see Don Zientara, a true hero of Washington DC, Mr. Zientara is the founder of Inner Ear Studios, recording home to such DC luminaries as Fugazi, Minor Threat, Scream, Lungfish and countless others. Mr. Zientara is also an accomplished and brilliant singer-songwriter. Incorporating gorgeous acoustic guitar and haunting vocal melodies, Mr. Zientara's songs are songs for the world.

More details on the Facebook event page here.

Justin Trawick at Galaxy Hut

Justin Trawick returns to Clarendon this Monday April 13 to play a show at the cozy and quirky Galaxy Hut. Justin is a well known and accomplished local musician, writing his own moving songs, founding the traveling super group Nine Songwriter Series and hosting The Circus Life podcast. Watching him perform in the friendly and tiny Galaxy Hut space will be a treat. More info and details on the Facebook event page.

Justin will be joined by Jahnel Daliya, another local singer songwriter with a  powerful voice, along with the guitar and vocal duo Len and J. Music starts at 8:30pm with a $5 cover.

Saturday Giant and Derek Evry at Galaxy Hut

One man indie band Saturday Giant is playing at Galaxy Hut this Monday February 16. Phil Cogley is from Columbus, Ohio and started touring the country in 2010. Phil layers bits of guitars, drums, keyboards, vocals and beat boxing into catchy songs like his "When Death Comes" title track on his new EP.

Opening for him is local favorite Derek Evry that Monday night starting 9pm with awesome alt/pop rock guitar playing. $5 cover for both musicians.

Onward Chariots and J Lima Foxtrot at Galaxy Hut

Brooklyn band Onward Chariots will appear at Galaxy Hut on Sunday, Sept 28.Their catchy beats have gotten positive reviews globally and have been compared to the Beach Boys, the Shits and Belle and Sebastian. Check out their hit video Save Me Maryann for a sample.

Also appearing on the cozy stage is J Lima Foxtrot and her full band opening at 9pm. Her vocals and indie-synth-pop on tracks like Flashbacks have me mesmerized. Cover is $5 for both acts.

Invisible Witches at Galaxy Hut

Northern Virginia based rock band Invisible Witches plays their third show this Monday night at Galaxy Hut. The show starts at 9pm with David Barker on guitar, Simon Ley on drums and great vocals and bass by Josh Padgett. Cover is $5 and the small but character rich Galaxy Hut can only hold a small crowd so make sure not to miss the show by arriving late.

Invisible Witches at Galaxy Hut

Invisible Witches perform at Iota

My favorite local band Invisible Witches is set to have their second show in Clarendon on Monday, August 11 at Galaxy Hut. The three piece band made their debut show at Iota last month with David Barker on guitar, Simon Ley on drums and great vocals and bass by Josh Padgett. The music starts at 9pm with Arlington based  Koshari opening up for them. $5 cover includes both bands.

Eureka California at Galaxy Hut

This Sunday July 20, Georgian based indie rock band Eureka California is rocking Galaxy Hut's cozy space. The spontaneous duo is touring the east coast and playing this weekend in Clarendon with the British Good Grief.

Eureka California is celebrating their second album in less than two years, with music that is like being "Torn between rocking out and giving up, their live show blurs the line between comedy and tragedy in a way that borders on performance art, a band who appreciates the dumb jokes as much as the funny ones, and yet on a good night they're one of the best bands you could ever hope to hear."

Music starts at 9pm and cover is $5.

These Future Saints at Galaxy Hut

This Monday, Feb 17, local band These Future Saints will be celebrating their one year together as a band at Galaxy Hut. I'm starting to get addicted to their catchy, light and just-the-right-amount-of-energetic indie rock. The show starts at 9pm and the $5 cover also includes a performance by local talent Derek Evry. More info on their Facebook invite page.

Mittenfields and Positive No at Galaxy Hut

Electric guitar fans should come out on Sunday, Feb 16, to see local DC band Mittenfields play at Clarendon's Galaxy Hut. Mittenfields is a five piece band with three guitarist producing solid indie rock. They are sure to fill the small space with energetic tunes, especially since they will be joined by Richmond's Positive No as well. Positive No has been touring in Virginia for over a decade with their 90's indie/alternative inspired sound. The music starts at 9pm and there is a $5 cover. More info on their Facebook invite page.

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.

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.