After six years of adding to the eclectic flavor of the intersection of 18th and Florida NW, word comes to us this week that Staccato is closing its doors forever next month. Staccato has always sort of been the Little Club That Could, hosting aspiring musicians from a variety of genres in its no-frills, teeny, converted-townhouse venue.
Funky little joints like Staccato are the white blood cells of a city’s music scene. Maybe not so individually important, but when the count goes down, we’re left exposed to infection by bad cover bands at Ri Ra. Local artists need places where they can hone their original acts and experiment with new material or a different sound – venues where there’s little pressure to pack the place. The Grog and Tankard in Glover Park is still alive and kicking, showcasing little-known local acts five nights a week. But the audience is usually sparse, and, with the encroachment of more upscale bars like Town Hall and Bourbon nearby, we wonder how long it will be before the Grog goes the way of Staccato.
These places are harder and harder to find in a booming city with rising rents and increased presence of national chains. Accordingly, WaPo’s Going Out Gurus speculate that the changing dynamic of Adams-Morgan and pressure of the bottom line is mostly to blame:
Staccato’s been a reliable place for local musicians who’d play small crowds of friends and regulars, which has hurt the bar’s bottom line. “These weren’t the kinds of bands who appeal to the average weekender in Adams Morgan,” says [owner James] O’Brien, who performs with the Irish rock band Potato Famine. He’s got a point; most of the folks clogging 18th Street on Friday and Saturday are more interested in drinking beer and meeting singles than checking out a group they probably haven’t heard of.
These musicians on the fringe are more frequently being pushed outside the District. The more intimate venues in NoVa, like Galaxy Hut, Iota, and Dr. Dremo’s, provide a laid-back setting for young bands working to find an audience.
But which came first? The loss of small, experimental venues, or the lack of a supportive local music audience? O’Brien compares D.C.’s scene unfavorably to creativity cradles Seattle and New York [warning: D.C. Hipster Insecurity Alert]. “I don’t think the average D.C. person is as supportive of original live music,” he says, “The average person on a weekend night isn’t looking for original live music.”
Is this a downward spiral for Adams-Morgan? Or just a natural cycle where for every Staccato and U-Turn closing, a Red and Black or Rock & Roll Hotel opens elsewhere?
Photo by Flickr user La Tur. Abby Lavin contributed to this post.
