Last January, we packed 40 D.C.-area creators of comix, fashions, arts, and jewelry, a belly dancer, an improv troupe, and four bands into a spacious bar and called it the Washington DC Counter Culture Festival II. We were mentioned in the Washington Post twice, Daily Candy, Wonkette, DCist, and countless blogs and message boards. We estimated an attendance of over four-hundred people throughout the day and they all enjoyed the wares and the entertainment.
Now we're coming back with some new bands, new acts, and a mission to send Arlington's most eclectic bar out with a bang. We are formally extending the invitation to new artists and local retailers to join in the festivities.
The Washington DC Counter Culture Festival III, brought to you by the DC Conspiracy. January 19th from 4PM – 2AM (times may change). The weekend before Dr. Dremo's closes its doors forever in order to make way for a mid-rise condominium complex. Whether you know it as Bardo's or Dr. Dremo's you know what it represents – one of Arlington's oldest and most celebrated independent bars. We just want to send it off with a bang.
The tentative schedule is:
3PM-4PM: Table Set-up
4PM-8PM: Selling stuff
8PM-10PM: Acts (likely including a full-on, professional freak show this year)
10PM-2AM: Bands (Rock & Roll, Hip-Hop, Punk, and whatever else gets us excited)
We're charging a whopping ten bucks to reserve a table this year in order to cover our expenses. As it was the past two years, admission will be free.
If you're interested in presenting, please send an email to Jason Rodriguez at jrod@dcconspiracy.com. Let him know what you'll be selling and what you'll need. Dremo's is dark and there is not a lot of power outlets available – special requests should be brought up early. Dremo's is also a bar – we recommend people don't smoke where the tables are located but be advised that they will try anyway. Over the past two years we've hosted comic creators, artists, fashion designers, craft makers, prose writers, photographers, movie makers, and bands. Dremo's is metro-accessible (a block away from Courthouse) and there's also plenty of free parking available on the weekends.
Due to the number of responses we've received in the past, tables will not be issued on a first-come, first-served basis. Jason will be informing people of their table status by mid-November.
Any press inquiries should be sent to Matt Dembicki at matt@dcconspiracy.com.
If you have a band that would be interested in playing the show, email Evan Keeling at evan@dcconspiracy.com. Evan usually seeks out the music acts but we're sure there are some bands out there that he should know about. Over the past two years we've hosted hip-hop, rock, rock-a-billy, and noise bands and we're always looking for something different.
If you have some sort of unique act we should check out, contact Chris Piers at chrisp@dcconspiracy.com. As mentioned, we're lining up a freak show this year but there's room for more acts if it sounds interesting. In the past we hosted a film festival, a belly dancer, and an improv troupe.
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The DC Conspiracy is a collective of comic book artists, writers, editors, and enthusiasts based in the DC-area. We meet once a month at Dr. Dremo's to talk comics and make jam books. Check us out on the web at http://www.dcconspiracy.com or at our message board on the ArtDC site at http://artdc.org/forum/index.php?board=61.0.
Dr. Dremo's has been the DC Conspiracy's home for the past three years. The bar, which has consistently been included in the Washington Post's Best Bets polls, is closing January 26th, 2008. Check them out on the web at http://www.drdremo.com.
