What existing venues (in D.C. or the surrounding metropolitan area only please) that you know of would be good for cabaret performances? Please respond in the “comments” section and help share your knowledge with our readers.
What existing venues (in D.C. or the surrounding metropolitan area only please) that you know of would be good for cabaret performances? Please respond in the “comments” section and help share your knowledge with our readers.
by George Fulginiti-Shakar
1409 Playbill Open Mic
Every Monday night 9:30pm – 1:30am
with Jill Parsons at the keys AND the Karaoke!
Great atmosphere, very friendly, low key, non-smoking and intimate. Jill is great player as well as host — she’s been there three years and has lots of experience on cruise ships and private parties in addition to open mic. She has a full electronic keyboard there that can make ‘club sounds’ as well as piano. She has a loyal following there with many ‘regulars’. She gets paid by the bar but is always appreciative of tips. Her Karaoke unit has 30,000 titles and her books of lyrics and charts have “hundreds” of songs in all styles: Broadway, standards, pop, contemporary and even rap. On a typical Monday she’ll have 8 to as many as 30 singers there. Go and check out the scene. Jill can be reached at jillpaigepiano@yahoo.com .

Interesting article in today’s Washington Post about the past, present, and future of Broadway cast albums, where many cabaret singers find that special gem of a song.
What do you do, where do you go, to find songs and new material to add to your repertoire?
Post your reply in the comments section. We’d love to hear from you!
Be sure and check out several DC Cabaret Network members who will be performing the next two Sundays at Artomatic, Washington, DC’s month long arts festival. They’ll be on the Cabaret Stage at 5 PM, Sunday, May 31, 2009, and Sunday, June 7, 2009, at 5:30 p.m..
These shows, known as Cabaret Heaven, feature Terri Allen, Ron Squeri, Maris Wicker, Kathy Reilly, Andrea Klores, Christy Trapp, Justin Ritchie and Beverly Cosham. Musical direction is by Reenie Codelka.
Artomatic is free to the public and features nine floors of visual and installation art, as well as musical and theatrical performances. Artomatic is located at 55 M Street, SE — next to the Washington Nationals Ballpark.
Thanks to Michael Miyazaki for highlighting this info on Miyazaki Cabaret Update: DC & Beyond.

Please join us at our next Open Mic on Monday, June 8th, 2009, @ our usual spot, the Warehouse Theater. Sign-up and socializing starts at 7:30 p.m., and the singing starts at 8:00 p.m. with the terrific Peter Darling, from Stars Bistro & Bar, accompanying everyone at the piano.
Admission to the Open Mic is a suggested donation for the pianist and to cover the rental fee: $15 for non-members, $12 for paid members of the DC Cabaret Network.
The Warehouse Theater is located at 1021 7th Street, NW, across from the new Convention Center.
Everyone is welcome. Our Open Mic Nights are a great opportunity to try out new stuff, take out an old friend, or just hone your skills in a friendly and supportive environment.
We hope to see you there.

The Wall Street Journal recently published a review of a new book examinig the American music industry. Check out their review article entitled “Music and Money: From Tin Pan Alley to RCA Victor: shaping musical taste, profiting from it.” And if you read the book or have an opinion to share, please add to the comment section for this post.