ear plugs

Kirsten played a gig with her new band last night at the Red and Black in D.C.

The show could have used better sound and it was abbreviated - the club fit four bands on the bill from 9:45 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (and is it a D.C. licensing issue which forced the band to quit at 12:30? Bizzarre, when closing time is 2 a.m.). The set was cut to about five songs, which didn't inconvenience many; the crowd at midnight on a Thursday in the out-of-the-way club was pretty sparse.

But what caught my attention was a sign behind the bar - "Ear Plugs, $1." I don't remember seeing a music venue selling ear plugs. At first I thought it was a nice touch for the bar to offer a product geared toward preserving it's clientele's health.

Then I thought it might just be a statement on the quality of bands the club tends to book.