Last night I headed over to the opening of the DC Mini, a new space owned and operated by Michael Harris of
Laughing Man notoriety. Though it was an opening party, the space isn't officially open for business (I'm checking with Mike on a date-- TBD), but last night he and his bandmates invited friends to get a sampling of what we can expect from this new, exciting all ages venue.
The DC Mini brought me back to the days of the Electric Maid, Corner Kick, Wilson Center, and all the random church and college basements I saw shows at in high school. At 14th & Crittenden St. NW, it's in between two heavily residential neighborhoods, Petworth to the east and 16th St. Heights to the west. Many businesses in this strip are Ethiopian-owned, including the excellent restaurant right down the block from the DC Mini, and there's a large Ethiopian church a couple blocks south. The city likes to call this 'hood 14th Street Heights. They even put up signs making it official, so I guess that's what we'll call it.
When I walked in I was taken aback by how large the space is. There is a stage on the west wall, a backstage (!), and a roomy basement ideal for shows. Brandon and Luke of the Laughing Man were handing out cupcakes. Ebony from 52 O St. was iTunes djing. The
All Our Noise crew was representing in full, taking video and Twittering like wild.
J squared had some vintage clothing, shoes, and accessories for sale. It was fairly crowded when I got there, and when I rolled out around 10:30, people were still hanging and watching the bands. I had a blast at this spot and I see it being a great space for DC music. Kudos, Mike!
The DC Mini
Mike, proprietor