VENUE REVIEW:
Rock and Roll Hotel
1353 H Street N.E.
Open daily at 8 p.m.
The Rock and Roll Hotel isn't actually a hotel. There is no room service or concierge, nor any rooms in which to sleep. Instead, it's a club that hosts a large assortment of bands passing through the area. An excellent place to forget all about essays and exams, it's a place where one can get lost in the music, provided one doesn't get lost en route.
Located in northeast D.C., the Hotel is a worthwhile visit. There's likely to be a band playing several times a week, depending on the traffic of artists going through town.
Once on-site, visitors will be greeted with a nondescript exterior that is nothing like the inside. The main hall dominates the first floor with a capacity of 400 people. Jam-packed at that number, audiences are usually there to listen to bigger bands of all genres (the Hotel does not discriminate between musical tastes) that are just emerging into the mainstream.
While the main hall is for general audiences, the second is for the 21-and-older crowd. Admission is always free, and it hosts a second bar (the main bar is one floor below). With a caf?-style space up front, further back the Hotel has various smaller rooms where visitors can take a break from the main hall. Private parties can also be booked in these rooms, though one expecting hotel-quality furniture is going to be disappointed.
Then again, the musty old furniture helps add to the atmosphere conjured by the winged guitars hanging from the ceiling. The largest couched room on the second floor actually has a third bar, with three available spots to get booze when the crowd is large enough.
National acts enjoy a large band room in the back adorned with various red China posters of Mao Tsetong. A far smaller room houses smaller, local bands or the equipment of the national acts. Complete with a shower and guitar tuner, it has everything a band might need.
Added into the fray, the Hotel plans on opening its modest kitchen within a few weeks, completing the classic combination of booze and music so loud it's hard hear yourself think.
Nonetheless, the Hotel is in a part of the city that is neither easily reached nor traveled to alone without a small degree of caution. When making the trip, be sure to travel in a group with a reliable means of transportation. The nearest Metro stop is 11 blocks away, at Union Station, but a shuttle runs from there to the club.
For information on the Hotel, including bands soon to be playing, visit www.rockandrollhoteldc.com.
