Limited Access

Anyone lucky enough to live in the community of Lansdowne, Virginia will be treated to an outdoor concert with The Rhodes Tavern Troubadours tonight. The rest of us will just have to go suck an egg.

How Much Does A Band Weigh Soaking Wet? OR What Happened In Herndon...

Mark Noone tells all:
We got out there, set up & it looked promising, but at 7:25, (we were slated to hit it at 7:30) it started thundering & drizzling, and the few people who were there left! Then it started raining harder and harder, so we waited for about 15 minutes so we could break down and load out when the rain subsided. Then people came back, and more people showed up than there were before!! It was clear and damp for a while, and we played our hearts out for the people who braved the unpredictable weather, and during the song, "Little Tornado", the sky opened up, and it just poured and poured. Everything got soaked; we quit playing mid song, and eventually loaded our soggy gear into the soggy Van. Wudda night! But we really appreciated all the people who did come out and I had a nice conversation with some folks who wanted to know the story about "My New Hero"…so I told 'em!

The Troubadours will be wringing themselves out today, and drying on the line tonight.

FREE Troubadours Concert tonight in Historic Herndon

Herndon.. We all know now was created several years before the Civil War in honor of Captain Herndon, the brave cat who went down with his ship. (At least those faithful readers who have been taking notes know-and yes, there will be a quiz.) So IF you are thinking it's too far to go for a show, think of it as an opportunity to travel back in time. A field trip through history with The Troubadours as your soundtrack....

OK- how about this? Just get a picnic dinner together, and get on out there. The show starts at 7:30- one LONG 90 minute set- no breaks. (poor band) The town green is at 777 Lynn Street in beautiful, historic, mind you, downtown Herndon, Virginia.

Why Come Over Here from Myspace?

It's calmer over here. You don't have to be in my space, your space or any space, but your own. There are lots o' links and more pictures-
like this rare shot of Mark Noone playing a wrench.

Who's On First?

So it's The Grandsons tonight at The Quarry House with Moe Nelson who also plays with the Hula Monsters of which band Mark Noone of the Rhodes Tavern Troubadours is in, (not to mention Chris Watling of The Grandsons, Moe Nelson, and Jack O' Dell ALL used to play with Bill Kirchen, but that's another story.)

TOMORROW NIGHT it's-JAKE Flack, formerly of A Thousand Dollar Car, JACK O' Dell, who used to play in The Hula Monsters and The Grandsons, too, and MARK Noone who still plays with the Hula Monsters, but will be a Troubadour when THE RHODES TAVERN TROUBADOURS play tomorrow night on the town green in HERNDON, VA.

Just so all that's clear.

Will Trade Grandson for Troubadour

The Troubadours have two dates in Virginia coming up- Thursday on the Town Green in Herndon and Lansdowne on Saturday night. The problem is they are all directionally challenged. As long as The Grandsons are playing tomorrow night at The Quarry House in Silver Spring , some one might considering capturing one that can at least get The Troubadours back over the river to Maryland again.

(photo by Driven on Flickr)

Free Music

The Troubadours will be playing later this week, but tonight you can catch a free concert at Fort Reno,
the highest spot in our nation's capitol. (It IS still OUR nation, right? Somebody needs to remind Dick Chaney)
LeJeune, Pup Tent and Engine Room all play tonight starting at 7:15 until 9:30. Come on out. Show the world DC is not just for megalomaniacs. Peace.

What Troubadours Do When They're not With Us

From Jack O' Dell:
I'm in the studio next week with Arty Hill--a Baltimore country
singer/guitar player. The band is called Arty Hill and the Long Gone
Daddy's. I guess that makes me a really wacky-ticky-tacky-rockabilly
guy! I'll be singing "I Might Have Been A Lawyer (But I Couldn't Pass The
Bar) "-a song I wrote and perform with The Troubs. He's got me singing one
of his tunes--"A Wreck Of A Man"-- as well.
I did the drum tracks a while back and the CD should be out in October.

Two Hulas On the Loose Free Concert Today

The musical lunch thing continues in Arlington today. Look across from the Ballston Metro for Mark Noone and Moe Nelson wearing their Hula Monsters hats, doing their part to bring quality entertainment to the streets. Catch their act between 11:30 and 1:30.
Bring a sandwich.

Have you seen this band?

Seems like Virginia is holding the band hostage lately. What can we do to get them to come back to this side of the river? (Perhaps bread crumbs are in order.)

Or hire The Troubadours for your summer party-picnics, family events, weddings...
(They clean up well, and they don't bite.)

Playing the Plaza

Actually the heat wasn't so bad at noon in the shade yesterday when The Troubadours played Anna and David Plaza on the other side of Key Bridge in in Virginia. There was actually a breeze going, too, and tents over the picnic tables, and even a little Arlington arts and crafts fair going as well. A nice little scene. The band played and sang up a storm, and I'm surprised it didn't rain then and there.

Troubadours Do Lunch Today

Wake up' y'all. It's another hazyhotnhumid day in our nation's capitol, and what better way to take your mind off the matter than sneaking off for a free lunch time concert with the intrepid Troubadours? (Did somebody say free lunch?) Everybody who can't stand the heat, can get out of the kitchen and get over to Anna And David Plaza.

Where???

Just a few blocks up from the Rossyln Metro at 1525 Wilson Blvd. Starts around 11:30 and lasts 'til 1:30. Hot day; cool music. Make it a long lunch.

See ya there.

Troubadours Do Lunch Tomorrow

Free Outdoor concert tomorrow at Anna and David Plaza, 1525 Wilson Blvd. in beautiful, hopefully not sweltering, Arlington- brought to you by Arlingtonarts. The show starts at 11:45-lasting until 1:30. Bring your coolest shades and come on out.

It's A Wrap

Jackie's was the happening spot last night when The Troubadours played for a wrap up party for the A.F.I.'s Silver Docs film festival in her back room. Cool little couches and chairs and lighting - the whole thing made you think you were in L.A., not our once old fashioned home town, now up and running megaloplis called Silver Spring. It was also the wrap up for Mark Noone's birthday and his fourth gig in three days, but he got to see his old buddy and former Slickee boy, John Chumbris, up visiting from Atlanta. Fun night, fun party, and, of course, great music.

Rock On... and On

Even though the band got lost- it is Virginia after all, they still made it to the pavillion at Lake Accotink last night, and no fish or fowl were heard to complain. In fact the birds even asked for an encore.

Today is MArk Noone's REAL birthday by the way, and I have to tell you he got carded last night. True story. Must be all that good clean hard rocking living he's done.
Happy Birthday, Noone.
You So Rock.

Rocking the Lake

VIRGINIA!!!
It's your turn...bring the picnic basket, the blanket, or chairs -maybe a candelabra or two,
and come hear The Rhodes Tavern Troubadours scare the ducks tonight at Lake Accotink in Springfield. ( Isn't that where the Simpsons live?)

Show starts at 7:30- one set, one hour. Don't miss it.

School's OUT For Summer

Thanks to everyone who came out to the Quarry House last night. There was a lot of dancing and carrying on, and of course, the now infamous one buck in the tip jar gets you a dollar's worth of any song. (Alice Cooper would have been proud.)

And Mark, the birthday boy, wants to thank everyone for all his loot.
Your good karma will carry on!

Troubadours Tonight At The Quarry House!

It's here.
Bring yourselves to Silver Spring.
Have a drink -shake that thing.
Bring birthday hats and party shoes.
(If you bring a dollar,
they'll play songs you choose.)
And to Mark, we'll raise a cup
Come out with us
Let's whoop it up.

And Virginian fans, look for the Troubadours in your neck of the woods tomorrow night!

Two Days And Counting

Don't forget- The Troubadours-very live and in person tomorrow night at the Quarry House in Silver Spring. You don't have to have a car to get there-you can walk from the Metro, but the Quarry House can be easy to miss. It doesn't exactly face Georgia Avenue, and it doesn't really face Bonifant Street. It's actually kind of like an underground bootlegger's hangout. You have to go down the stairs from the sidewalk to even find the door....
and when you do, knock twice- a little trap door should open...
tell 'em the secret password- "Noone's birthday"- and you should be able to get in, especially if you're wearing a dress.


(photo credit:Quarry House by chippy314's @ flickr.com)

Three Shopping Days

Now that the weekend is officially over, the next gig doesn't seem so far off after all, especially when you factor in the shortened shopping window for Mark's birthday. Turns out the best place to catch him this week will be at The Quarry House on Thursday night. (For those who made it to Jack O' Dell's birthday bash there in May, you'll appreciate how this band doesn't miss an excuse to celebrate.)
(And for those of you who know Mark, he doesn't need an excuse)

So line up a sitter, and get your work done early this week. After all Thursday is a great night to get out and avoid the hoi polloi. And Friday morning? Well, that's why they invented coffee.

BEGOOGLED

I think this is kind of amazing. I googled Rhodes Tavern (as promised yesterday) expecting to find loads of information about the our long gone historic landmark, but it was Rhodes Tavern Troubadours references as far as the eye could see! (I waded through four pages before my ADD kicked in.)The most I could find about the tavern was in an old Kennedy Center blurb ...about the Troubadours.
Even the DC history pages only had a mention of a commemorative ceremony in 2002-which would have been the tavern's two hundredth anniversary if local nitwits hadn't torn it down.
Guess who played at that event?

I mean I might have to go to the library or something.

They WANNA BE SEDATED

Well, if you missed the show last night, it was a beautiful evening at Brookside. The gardens are stunning; they looked like a painted sylvan backdrop with our favorite band inserted into the picture. And it was a great show, complete with a second line parade, in honor of Derek just in from The Big Easy. When Joe Bananas called, the kids came streaming in from all angles to join the parade. (You'd have thought that they were giving away money.)

Thanks to all of you who got the word out. There were a lot of familiar faces in the crowd. And as my friend, Brian said just after he saw the finale- the band knee deep in hyper frenzied tots on stage literally popping to "I Wanna Be Sedated"-
That was worth the drive right there.

Midday Cowboy

Summertime hit hard out at the Herndon Festival yesterday, but the band played on. At first it was difficult to spot the fans as they were all hunkered down in the shade of a tree about forty feet from the stage, but there was one lone cowboy who stood out in the blazing sun for the whole show with a yoyo in his hand. (Whoever you are, brother, we salute you.)

And as far as navigating Virginia goes, Mark was at the helm of the big blue van and had no problem getting there, but the road sign pointing back to DC was completely overgrown with vines. (Maybe Virginians just wanted to keep the Troubadours for themselves...)

Anyway thanks to everyone who came out to the mid day show (like mad dogs and Englishmen) and look for the Troubadours to be back in Maryland this Tuesday night at Brookside Gardens.