Photographs by Christine Walters.

Gold Leaf Studios, a space in Mt. Vernon that since 1998 has provided artists and musicians a DIY venue to hone and show off their talents, is closing down this month as its building at 443 I Street NW is set to be torn down in favor of a new development from Equity Residential. (Seriously, read Ryan Little’s epitaph for the place in last week’s City Paper.) That’s not to say the garage-like structure—which most recently served as home base for bands like Ra Ra Rasputin and U.S. Royalty—is going gently into that good night. Last Saturday, ace promoter Sasha Lord, who books the shows at Comet Ping Pong, put together a noisy, raucous and altogether proper sendoff for Gold Leaf featuring Alex Minoff, Edie Sedgwick, The State Department, Publicist (Sebastian Thomson of Trans Am) and Dance Party.