Daytime Music Abounds in D.C.
(From DCist contributor Kristin Kovner)
Every week, James Stevens plays to a packed house. Not a chair in the place is empty, and a line of listeners overflows onto the sidewalk during most of his set. Some of the audience members are newcomers, and many of them have never even heard of James Stevens. Others are regulars, who come out each and every week. And why shouldn't they? James Stevens plays a mean guitar, sings like a tenor Scott Weiland, and recently had his song "Color" named a Washington Post MP3’s "Editor’s Pick."
But the honest truth (we wouldn't give it to you any other way) is that most of the audience is getting James as an added bonus -– they really came for the Wreck with extra olives.
That's right. James Stevens is one of many local musicians gaining exposure in the growing daytime music scene in downtown D.C. His venue of choice? Potbelly Sandwich Works.
All over the city, restaurants are turning the clocks ahead and giving their customers that little something extra this summer: a chance to hear some of D.C.'s finest up-and-coming artists, smack in the middle of the workday. With countless locations in D.C., Potbelly's has made it possible to concert-hop during your lunch break.
"It's relaxing... a nice change of pace from working," says Mark, a paralegal we spoke with while he was eating lunch at Potbelly's on 19th and L. "Plus, the music’s really good."
Mark is listening to Courtney Dowe, who frequently performs at Potbelly's in Silver Spring, Dupont Circle, and Chinatown. "I played the 9:30 Club recently, and that was awesome, but my voice still hurts," Courtney half-complains. "It's great to play in a smoke-free environment, where kids and elders can also come and hear me play."
But Potbelly's by no means holds the monopoly on great music while the sun is shining.
Stroll down to Woodrow Wilson Plaza any weekday and hear everything from classic rock (The Plastingos) and blues (Bluesberry Jam) to Brazilian jazz (Sin Miedo) and folk (Spottswood & His Enemies). All the acts are part of this summer's "Live! On Woodrow Wilson Plaza" concert series. And they're all free. Or wander a few blocks north and grab a cup of coffee at newly opened Artizen Café. The sleek, European-inspired coffee bar features a variety of acoustic artists during the lunch rush (Not that you needed extra encouragement, but the turkey panini at Artizen is unreal). Or visit the corner of Metro Center or almost any park on a sunny day –- some of the street musicians are better than what you could pay to see. Wherever you go, we implore you to get out of the cubicle and into the scene.
For musicians, the experience couldn't be better. "These afternoon shows are great," James told us. "They're not as stressful, I can take requests from the audience, and it's automatic exposure to more people than would normally be at a nighttime show."
With over 200 sandwiches sold during a typical afternoon at a place like Potbelly's, the potential for new fans seems endless. James told us that his mailing list and CD sales have grown substantially since he started doing the lunchtime concerts, he's been offered other gigs by patrons in the business who happened to stop in, and he's even been asked on a few dates. Not bad for a Tuesday afternoon.
For those of you who eat ramen at your desk on weekdays, don't despair (well, actually, do despair, but that's a different topic for a different day). You can still get clued in to the music scene over brunch on the weekend. In fact, some of the hottest jazz acts around prefer to dazzle you while you nurse a Bloody Mary rather than pound a Jack and Coke. Take Kalahari, for example. Kalahari is led by George Jones, long considered one of D.C.'s finest jazz drummers, and while they play six nights a week, George says that Sundays afternoons are special. "On the weeknights, it's all about conversation. People have their dinner parties, and might not pay attention. On Sunday, it's a different story. People come to relax, enjoy some great food, and sit back and listen." And George should know -- he's been playing Sunday brunch at Tony & Joe's on the Georgetown Waterfront for the past decade.
Georgia Brown's and the Garden Terrace Lounge at the Four Seasons Hotel offer up similarly renowned combos and solo pianists each week. But beware -– the only thing that rivals the food and entertainment at these venues is the astronomical amount of their bills.