Band Night at Clarendon United Methodist Church

For anyone who’s under the impression that Arlington lacks a rock scene, allow me to introduce band nights at Clarendon United Methodist Church (606 N. Irving St. Arlington, VA 22201). Two Saturdays a month, Clarendon United Methodist’s youth services plans a night for music-hungry teens “with nothing better to do” but stand around and bob their heads to a variety of local flavors for a mere $5 cover charge---from punk to emo to good ol’ fashioned rock and roll.

I went to my first Clarendon band night on Friday, May 26 after a long day of my teachers’ jamming SOL [Standards of Learning Test] review into my head, as I’m sure most Arlington Public School students experienced earlier that day. When I arrived ten minutes before the event was scheduled to begin at 6pm, only one band was present. A table was set up with T-shirts and CDs, and a couple of dim light bulbs flickered here and there, but for the most part, the room was dark and empty. I briefly spoke to the band members and then took a seat until the show began (which wouldn’t be for another hour because of Clarendon UMC’s disorganization and the fact that the other bands decided to arrive fashionably late). The audience totaled to about thirty people, not including band members waiting for their turn on stage. Notable performances included those of One Third Dork, The Silhouettes, School, and Zombie Revenge. By about 9:30pm, the crowd began thinning out and mostly only the older teens stayed for the final two bands. The last band finished playing by about 11:10pm, but a few people lingered to chill for a few minutes afterward.