First Look: U Street Music Hall
"One of our friends from the 9:30 Club was here last night, and he said, ‘nobody that works in this club will ever have kidney stones.’”
Will Eastman is, of course, referring to the U Street Music Hall's (or U Hall for short) sound system. Specifically, the bass, which is quite literally powerful enough to shake you across the dance floor (or, as we learned last night, shake a beer off of the bar), while still managing not to hurt your ears.
Eastman and Jesse Tittsworth are the principle owners of this no frills dance club, the latest addition to the city's music corridor. The top-of-the-line Martin sound system was "the number one focus" in developing the space, Tittsworth told DCist. The most casual observer to the pickiest of music nerds will appreciate the care taken to evenly distribute sound over the entire dance floor and to achieve a great mix for DJs and live musicians that plays up the highs, mids and lows without leaving your ears ringing.
Though it's joining several other music venues in the neighborhood, U Street Music Hall is not a rock club. It's focused on dance music — first and foremost this club was developed with DJs in mind — which isn't surprising, considering that five of the six owners are DJs themselves. There is a stage, and bands have performed at both soft opening events this week, but dance music will provide the heartbeat of the club. The bands they book will also have a dance-bent — for example, Bluebrain are playing tomorrow night.
"It’s no frills, but it’s not a dive bar. It has a little touch of class without being pretentious. You’ve got the infrastructure of a real dance club without any of the snobbery," Tittsworth said.
The brand new venue, which officially opens tonight, is singularly focused on providing a great experience for everyone who loves to dance. "We like to keep ticket prices around $10. There might be some nights that are free, there might be some that are $12. The most money we’ve spent on anybody is Aeroplane, and those tickets are $10. I love the idea of somebody being able to come out and get a couple drinks and admission for $20," said Tittsworth.
Those drinks, if you're curious, range from $4 (Natty Boh, High Life) - $7 (Warsteiner, 16 oz. Red Stripe can) for beer, and around $6-$10 for liquor (the alcohol menu is somewhat limited, with the exception of an extensive whiskey menu that's still fairly reasonably priced). Keeping in line with the dance focus, all "glassware" is plastic, and beer comes in cans, not bottles.
"I feel like there was room in the market for this," Eastman said. "I feel like the way people have been responding is a good affirmation of that. Now it’s our job to do the best job we can. We put a ton of work into building it, but it’s really just begun."
The idea for the venue was born, as Eastman says, out of "an interesting synchronicity of events."
"I remember being on tour in Australia one year, and randomly emailing Will - with jetlag being up at some godforsaken hour - hey I have this idea. We should open a bar. I think we could both bring something to the table," Tittsworth recalled. "And he said, it’s funny you should mention that, Brian’s been trying to convince me of the same thing." Brian is Brian Miller, DJ and architect behind The Gibson, Marvin and a handful of other bars and restaurants around town. Just a few days before that exchange, Brian had introduced Will to Eric Hilton, Ian Hilton and Farid Ali from the Eighteenth Street Lounge. "We had talked about opening a place — a dance club with a rock and roll atmosphere and a good quality sound system. And just a few days later, Jesse hit me up while he was on tour and said 'I’ve got an idea.'"
DJs who come to play the U Street Music Hall have a lot to look forward to. Will and Jesse took their combined 20 years of experience DJing around the world, and built their dream place to play. Little amenities like a bench for DJs to lean on, ergonomically designed boards at a comfortable height, space in the booth, full control from the booth of the sound, lighting and temperature systems, high quality DJ equipment, good sight lines in the club and great monitors add up.
You may barely recognize the space if you ever visited the short-lived Cue Bar, or the ill-fated Between Friends before that. The existing infrastructure — taps, bathrooms, a kitchen — saved the team a lot of time and money and allowed them to really devote resources to the sound system and amenities. But the look of the club is entirely new — gone are Cue Bar's oddly large, bright red curved bar and dart boards.
"When I first came down here to look at the space, I was not at all into it — it looked like a tacky Thai restaurant meets Dave & Busters. But we stripped out all of the furniture, and I warmed up a little bit. And then we laid down the dance floor, and I got really excited. A fresh coat of paint, and now I love the space," Tittsworth said. That dance floor is worth noting. Underneath the varnished wood panels is about an inch of cork, so when the dance floor is packed, it will give a little bit.
U Street Music Hall will eventually have food available. The musically inclined owners also all have a foodie side, so rather than bringing in a chef to develop a menu, each is adding an item or two. The idea is a new take on bar food — basic snacks that you "wouldn't be embarrassed to eat sober." A pho-inspired hot dog and a grilled cheese sandwich developed as an ode to Eastman's home state of Wisconsin are likely. Tittsworth also mentioned that their wide network of friends in the local nightlife industry may help them develop drink specials for the space to — so you could see a Gibson cocktail special, or a Marvin, or a Proof.
The bare facts: the club's capacity is 300. The shows currently booked are all 18+. Eastman and Tittsworth will continue to be the creative decision makers, and as principle owners, will handle booking. They'll probably only go behind the decks themselves about once a month. The HVAC seems to be on point, so you don't have to worry about disappearing into a puddle of sweat. They will have water easily available, a coat check, and ear plugs for sale. There's one fully stocked long bar, and one smaller bar near the entrance, with a couple of tables alongside it. Right now, the plan is to keep weekends focused on local acts, and keep the big name bookings on weeknights.
The first official event is tonight, featuring big time Belgian DJs Aeroplane. Doors are at 10 p.m. Events are listed on their website (which is just a temporary splash page for now; a full site will launch sometime this week), and you can follow their updates on Facebook and Twitter.
U Street Music Hall
1115 U Street NW
202-588-1880
Open nightly