District Digs: 9th & Beats – A New All-Ages Art Space for Everyone

Joanna Dressel

In a world of conglomerated music venues and promotion companies like I.M.P. and Live Nation, 9th & Beats stands alone.

The brain child of Sweet Tea and Pumpkin Pie Fest (which featured the WVAU-hosted Shark Week Capital Punishment Showcase) founder Dave Mann and photographer Rachel Eisley, 9th & Beats has only been open for two months but is already generating buzz in local blogs and makes regular appearances in Brightest Young Things‰’ “Weekend Best Bets’ column.

Located in a former sushi joint attached to the Old Dominion Brewhouse, the all-ages-admitted arts space is a just a short walk from the D.C. Convention Center. Currently, the 2,000 square foot venue is set up for live music performances, DJ sets and comedy shows. Rotating art exhibits line the walls.

9th & Beats is a young venue for a young crowd. Their primary communication is through Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter. Their graphics feature anthropomorphized animals with instruments and reference turn-of-the-20th-century-era circus posters.

They have two shows with online ticket sales available: DRGN KING and the Who‰’s in the What Now Variety Show. The variety show will feature dramatic readings of Yelp reviews for local establishments; DRGN KING is a nouveau power-pop group for whom the venue has chosen this Vice review excerpt as endorsement:

“DRGN KING sounds exactly like what smelly stoned group sex would sound like. It‰’s messy, it‰’s silly. It‰’s certainly different, but not scary different, awesome different.‰”

The youthful gaiety of 9th & Beats shouldn’t deter anyone from checking it out. D.C. is known for being a city of somber lawyers, and the more whimsy we can add to our streets the better. As an all-ages space, the venue could book almost anyone without worrying about catering toward a target market.

By starting young and fresh, Beats has an opportunity to grow in eclectic and exciting ways. Want proof? Their most recent booking was Masta Killa, the ninth member of the Wu-Tang Clan, on March 2nd. The hip hop vet will be supported by DMV area MCs Substantial, Lyricks, RAtheMC and Javier Starks.

In the words of their own Facebook post, “$#!%‘s about to get real.‰Û