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Beloved Dupont neighborhood watering hole Fox & Hounds returned to its roots this month, permanently bringing back its old, standard jukebox almost three years after the machine was replaced with a newfangled digital version.
The old machine, with its painstakingly curated selection of compact discs, reappeared in the dark interior room of the bar about two weeks ago, much to the delight of regular patrons, and, perhaps especially, the bar's employees. It seems the advent of the digital Touchtunes jukebox, which connected to the Internet, was driving away the Fox & Hounds faithful by providing a little too much of a good thing: endless musical choices.
"People could come in and play country music all night," explained longtime Fox & Hounds server Lauren Scott. "That's just not what my regulars want."
Fox & Hounds owner George Mallios, who has been running the bar, along with companion restaurant Trio, since taking over the business from his father in the late 1960s, only got rid of the newly reinstated jukebox in 2006 after getting a lecture from his salesman at D.C. Vending.
"The jukebox company said I should get with the program," Mallios said. But after several years with the new machine, the bar kept hearing complaints. Patrons were using the digital machine to indulge in singalongs of the same Journey song three times in one hour. Or they were programming three-hour blocks of Britney Spears songs. Or they were taking advantage of Touchtunes's option to pay extra to push their choices to the head of the line, much to the irritation of other customers.
Eventually, Mallios asked his two night bartenders if they would be up for once again programming a CD-based jukebox. They enthusiastically agreed.
The album choices currently in the jukebox, which include artists ranging form The Silver Jews to Led Zeppelin to Toots and the Maytals, aren't identical to the previous iteration. For one thing, bartender Brian Jones conceded, there aren't quite as many Frank Zappa albums as there were before. But a couple of mix CDs compiled by customers (one titled "There's No Dancing at the Fox" really embodies the spirit of the entire collection) are still there. So is that Kinks album you love. And Neutral Milk Hotel. And the obscure solo album by early 1970s glam rocker Mick Ronson.
The decision to return to the old machine was not about the money, Mallios said. The Touchtones jukebox arguably brought in more cash, since it charged almost three times as much. Instead, he said, just wants his employees and customers to be happy, especially once the bar's spacious outdoor seating area becomes less popular as it grows colder.
"It'll definitely make a difference in the winter," Jones said. "At least with this, you can be sure someone's not going to play Madonna for five hours straight."
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nice...i will be sure to stop by and re-live my drunken 80's/90's nights there
Awesome move by them. Put a lot of quarters in that thing over the years. Wish they would do the same at the Tune Inn.
Amen, bubba.
wouldn't mind them clearing about half the douche-y hill staffers out of the tune inn as well. guess you can't win 'em all.
Yeah, but they've been apart of it forever. I am usually a Sat/Sun afternoon guy, so not so much then.
I still say it's the best cheap breakfast on the hill. Nothing like following up a run and having greasy diner food while being surrounded by drunk firemen on a tuesday at 8:00 AM.
I whole-heartedly support this move. I was there a couple of weeks ago and even the bartender was hating on the music selections. So he "pre-empted" the Internet jukebox for a couple of songs.
This makes me really happy. I cried when they put in that god awful new fangled machine in. And now that the old juke box is back, I will return to you, you cruel bitch with your tiny glass bottles of soda pop.
Sweet! I'll definitely have to go hit up a happy hour there soon. Fond memories at that place!
After being a regular customer at Fox and Hounds for just about 10 years now, I have to say that I was extremely disappointed to see the return of the juke box. Part of what made Fox an amazing bar was that it was a free for all….the land of misfit toys if you will. Anyone and everyone is accepted there. And part of the fun of Fox was being able to hear a Madonna song and then a Kiss song right after it. And what could be more fun then a sing along to Journey? The patrons didn’t seem to mind it, they all would join in. The music at Fox was an eclectic mix of many diverse people’s taste. Anyone could play what they wanted…and that was cool .
Well, apparently it’s not. Apparently the employees govern what music is played there now and their opinions are worth more than the customers. As a bartender, if you don’t like what is being played by a customer at your bar, you suck it up. Your paying customer wanted to hear that Britney song. I understand some of the staff not enjoying pop music. But get with the program…Fox evolved as the neighborhood did around it. If you don’t want to hear Britney or Madonna then Dupont Circle isn’t the neighborhood you should be working in.
The return of the jukebox will make about 10% of Fox’s regular patrons happy. The other 90% will not be happy. And as the winter months approach, a lot of those regular customers probably won't come back. One thing is for sure, this loyal customer will definitely start taking his business more often than not some where else.
bjsrjc: i don't know about you, but 9 times out of 10, i go to bars to drink. i think that 90% of the customers at fox and hounds are there for the same reason. if the selection of music is that important to you, bring an ipod, stuff the earbuds in, and revel in your selection of music. otherwise, who really cares? sorry to be dick-ish, but sheesh.
when i was an MSU student, there was a jukebox at a bar in east lansing that was stuck with only one song—peace train by cat stevens. after hearing it a couple time, you didn't even notice it was there...
Yes, agreed…I do go to bars to drink. But more importantly, I go there to be with friends, have conversation, meet new people and enjoy the atmosphere. Not to listen to my Ipod...I can do that at home by myself.
And I agree 100% with the comment made by m.l.bvrd. The atmosphere is completely different inside now. And that is what makes a great bar….the atmosphere, and the energy it creates. Fox now lacks that.
And yes, music is that important to me. And it obviously is to the other regulars and staff there. So I say be fair…and let everyone have the chance to listen to what they want.
More important than drinking?!?! It's a shame if you said anything witty or relevant after that, becasue I stopped at the first line. You, sir, have lost all credibility.
I have to respectfully disagree. When I first saw those internet jukeboxes I thought they were awesome . . . until I realized that rather than giving people who listen to interesting stuff that I may have never heard before an opportunity to DJ, they guarantee that I will have to listen to "Paradise by the Dashboard Light", "Sweet Caroline", etc. every night I'm anywhere near one of them. Those things are teh suck.
Many years ago, Brickskellar had a couple of great old Whurlitzers full of obscure 45s. These were the old timey ones with lights and trim full of colored water that bubbled when it played. They had a great range of stuff: from old blues and jazz to pop standards from the 1920s up to 60s classic rock. I particularly recall a nasty version of Harlem Nocturne done by Earl Bostic: lots of surface noise and a saxophone full of spit. Then one day they hauled them away and replaced them with CD jukes full of the usual crap you'd find at any bar. Customers keep coming, but the place lost some of the rotten sheen that I'd really come to appreciate.
All Hail the return of the jukebox!!! This disgruntled "regular" should know, if he has in fact been a "regular" for 10 years, that the internet jukebox was only installed 2 gruelling years ago. What kept him coming for the previous 8, I wouldn't know. What I do know is the "old" jukebox was constantly on the top of Citypaper's list of great jukeboxes. It is what makes the Fox and Hounds a place to go for it's uniqueness and not simply some bland saturated semblance of anyplace, USA. The jukebox regularly features local bands, something the internet jukeboxes, can't! The Fox has always been a gathering place for musicians, locals, and regulars to enjoy great music, not to hear the musical whims of those who have come because they heard about the place and decided they'd make it their own by playing,quite simply, crap. Perhaps you fit into that second category. Come enjoy the fox for what it was and now is again. If not, I'm sure there's a TGIF around the corner from you.
If a tree falls is the forest and no one's around to hear it, does it make a sound? Damn right it does, the sound of the door hitting you on your way out!! The notion that the Fox and Hounds will be empty because you won't be there is laughable, it just won't be filled with the likes of you! Good Riddance, my friend.
The last couple visits to the Fox (as a regular) have been, well, SILENT! And not very busy. I think your answer is there. It actaully felt a little stodgy.
I don't always like what's playing but far be it from me to empose my musical taste on a room full of diverse and dynamic people. I like the evironment of anything goes that exists there and I hope that remains.
I too would rather bang my shins with a hammer have Britney hit me one more time. But I also don't want to sit in silence or have to select the same 10 songs over and over again from an aged and not very genre-varied dinosaur. While I like the dark melancholy of many of those songs.. watch the people walk out the door for something a little more fun. I say bring it back.. what the hell.
Just my two cents.. stick it where you like.
Never thought of the Fox as a place to go to hear good music, so I am a little surprised they care so much? But aside from that I applaud them bringing back the real box.
The interesting thing about the infinite jukebox, is that they allow us to really see what the majority of people like, a musical democracy if you will- not just that, but a democracy based on who has the most dollars to shove in (sort of like Congress), so you know your high spenders also. The poor bastard nursing that 1 beer for three hours isn't dropping cash in, but I am sure he hates the music. Just like all other cases, we soon find that the majority sucks ass. What I think is funny is that getting rid of that is like saying "we want your money, we want you to drink, we just hate your music tastes." Why not just discourage Brittany fans from coming in? You can spot them a mile away! Oh, because that is illegal, and you would go broke.
People who love things other than top 40 probably don't think Fox and Hounds as their #1 choice to get a drink anyway, if they did they would be competing at the internet box to find the most obscure track possible to boost their geek cred, not dropping Journey. Way to bite the hand that feeds.
By your logic, the rich get richer and the poor get sicker. The irony in it is that those "obsure songs" are either not available on the top 40 heavy internet machine or either cost $1.00 per song while those bubble gum pop songs can be had for $5.00 for 12 songs. Do the math, idiot. As to those discouraged Britney fans and any accusation of bigotry, the Fox is more diversified than any if not most of the establishments on the street. And lastly, those people who don't love top 40 dont' think of the fox is exactly true. Wasn't the case before the internet jukebox though. It was a burgeoning place of artist, intellectuals, musicians, and true locals. Hopefully it can now be again
i guess i'm outside of the mainstream here. since the saloon is my go-to place, and commy often has no music on there, i don't think of music as an important part of my bar scene. i guess i'm in the minority.
Who TF sits inside anyway?
I can't get past my mid-90's memory (note the singular) of darkness, smoke and sticky tables. Bletch.
A place that once served Fidel deserves a more approachable legacy.