Photo by ElvertBarnes
The Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, the District’s library system’s flagship branch, closes on March 4 for an extensive renovation that will leave it shuttered for three years.
But that doesn’t mean the love-it-or-hate-it example of modernist architecture can’t go out with a bang.
On Friday evening, the venerable building’s Grand Hall will host Rock The Stacks, a music festival to raise money for the DC Public Library Foundation, a non-profit organization founded in 1985 that has raised millions for literacy and children’s programs. The concert will also serve as the launch party for ALB’s Rock the Stacks, a complementary compilation album featuring a number of the night’s performers.
“Frankly, this checks a lot of boxes for us,” says Linnea Hegarty, the DCPL Foundation’s executive director. “One of the foundation’s key roles is to support and promote the public libraries. One of the libraries’ key roles is to support and promote the cultural vibrancy of D.C., so that’s become part of the foundation’s mission as well.”
ALB’s Rock the Stacks is named for, and in many ways a tribute to, Annie Lou Berman, a fervent public library supporter. The roots of the project stretch back to 2007, when the Georgetown Public Library caught fire and had to be rebuilt. Burman was also plugged into the D.C. music scene, and she, Hegarty, and Anna Fuhrman, another friend of DCPL, came up with the idea of putting together a local music compilation and hosting a benefit at 9:30 Club.
The plan fell by the wayside, but was resurrected when Berman succumbed to cancer in 2016. A committee of local musicians, as well as members of the library and Berman’s family, was formed to complete the project. Prominent members of the local music community that stepped up include Brendan Canty (Fugazi, Deathfix), Jim Thomson (Gwar), Ben Gilligan (musician and restaurateur), Vida Russell, and Jerry Busher (Deathfix, French Toast). Maggie Gilmore, a library staffer, played a key role in identifying younger acts to bring into the fold.
“Her hand is on this project,” Hegarty says of Berman’s legacy. “She was so amazing about bringing groups of people together to do really great, creative, and interesting things.”
Showcasing some of the lesser-known services that DCPL offers was also among the project’s goals. The MLK Library has a fully functional recording studio and one only need a library card to take advantage of it. Four of the album’s fourteen tracks were recorded at the studio.
Furnace, a pressing company located in Fairfax has produced the vinyl version of the album. A digital version will also be available with bonus tracks.
Thievery Corporation, Deathfix, Fort Knox Five, Shortstack, Ardamus, and Small Doses are among the acts featured on ALB’s Rock the Stacks. The release party will feature many of the bands on the album, as well as Elmapi, Furniteur, Warm Sun, The ALB Allstars (a supergroup of musicians appearing on Rock the Stacks), and others.
“One of the things we talk about is the library being a unique resource for the community,” Hegarty says. “This project shows that the people the libraries serve and the communities they are in are connected in a way that may not be expected.”
Rock The Stacks takes place on Friday, February 24, at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library (901 G Street NW) from 7 to 10 p.m. Tickets $75 and up with proceeds benefiting the DC Public Library Foundation.
