Damon and Kelsy afternoon at Archie’s

For the first time at the barbershop itself! Archie’s is one of the more important institutions in acoustic blues history, helping shape the sound in north east DC that is generally what is played when people in our scene play “Piedmont” blues; Mississippi John Hurt, Sonny and Terry, Cephas and (God bless) Wiggins, Archie Edwards, and such. We’ll eat, drink, dance, learn about dance, learn about music (bring an instrument if you want! Or borrow one from the Barbershop’s extensive collection!), learn about culture and history (both from the people present and the artifacts), and socialize as the mood takes you. Also, Archie’s now has a new sprung wooden floor. Dance instruction is from Damon and Kelsy. If you don’t know who they are, ask a buddy who’s been dancing a year. Expect a mix of instruction, food (feel free to bring something to eat or drink!), conviviality, concert, dancing, and conversation, all of which, with the exception of a certain minimum of conviviality, is optional. Pay cash there or PayPal [email protected] or venmo @jamesofengland for the dance/ food. $25 for the whole thing, or $10/ hour. Feel free to join or leave at any point, but be aware that there may not be so much instruction if you’re just there in the last 45 minutes. Plus $15 for food. If you’re not eating, $5 to cover the costs of feeding the professionals would be appreciated but not needed. Also, please tip the band. If you can’t afford to pay me and tip the band, let me know and I’ll waive or reduce the fee to me. If you can’t afford either, they’ll be happy to console you with some great blues and hopefully you’ll be moved to learn to play astonishingly good blues and pay the favor forward at a later point in life.