Hear Mt. Pleasant >> Andrea Blatchford

HEAR MOUNT PLEASANT >> Testimonial >> Andrea Blatchford


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I moved into a group house in Mt. Pleasant in 1994, shortly after graduating from college. My three housemates were each musicians who had played in various bands in DC since they were teenagers. It was in that house, with my 3 housemates and musician friends from other group houses in the neighborhood, that I first dared to pick up a guitar and play it and sing in front of other people. Before long, a couple of other friends played and sang with me, and we formed a band. Most of our shows were in Mt. Pleasant -- one at La Casa, another at Don Juan's, in a neighbor's back yard, and at All Soul's Church. We also played at other venues like the Galaxy Hut in Arlington and the Black Cat on 14th Street. But it's the shows we played in our neighborhood that resonate loudest in my memories, because the songs came from within my community of very creative friends and neighbors. It saddens me that these opportunities no longer exist for people who want to share their songs with their neighbors. It seems to me that playing music in your community, and getting to witness local talent in your neighborhood establishments, is one of the most vital ways to nurture the quality of life in any neighborhood.

Andrea Blatchford is a Social Worker and Mt. Pleasant resident.