“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.
