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The GW Hatchet

AN INDEPENDENT STUDENT NEWSPAPER SERVING THE GW COMMUNITY SINCE 1904

The GW Hatchet

Serving the GW Community since 1904

The GW Hatchet

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Officials name senior vice president, chief of staff
By Fiona Riley, Assistant News Editor • March 26, 2024

Friendly indie: DC9

According to the owner of DC 9, the new U Street bar blending indie rock and good ‘ole fashioned tube lighting, the bar has been open for eight months. But I refuse to believe it. Everything about the bar seems to say that the corner of 9th and U streets has always been home to the tattered store-front fa?ade, the smoky interior and most importantly, the multigenerational crowd of regulars that fill the bar’s booths on any given night.

Situated conveniently at the east end of the U Street bar district, just steps away from the Black Cat and the 9:30 Club, DC 9 is the area’s newest dive bar/music club. Fully conforming to the aesthetic of a dive bar/music club, DC 9’s entrance is nearly indiscernible. The downstairs is smoky and dark, with the only light provided by antique bulbs that frame a faded painting behind the bar and the neon glare of the jukebox. The ground level bar is small and busy, but not cramped. Upstairs is a small stage for the band, another bar, and a back room lounge filled with couches and the glow of red tube lighting (shady).

While the d?cor and formula for this “local haunt” may sound simple, DC 9 is actually quite a rare find. First, for a hipster, indie music club, the place sure lacks pretension. The crowd at DC 9 is relaxed and usually friendly, as are the bartenders. For a mere $6-10 per show, students can catch quality up-and-coming bands on any given night, but with DC 9’s line-up of local acts and underground national acts, don’t expect bands that are familiar. Also, DC 9’s serves Schlitz in a can (I just thought I’d throw that out there).

But DC 9’s greatest strength is its ability to facilitate many types of evening plans. Patrons can pay the cover and see the band on the upstairs stage, cue up a set of a few of the 130,000 songs on the jukebox cover-free, or even just drop in for a quick, cheap drink before a show at 9:30 Club or the Black Cat. DC 9 will showcase local DJs Friday nights starting this fall and open a rooftop deck in the near future. In any scenario, DC 9’s casually cool atmosphere is a welcome addition to U Street and the D.C. music scene.

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