Brightest Young Things

Are you getting sick of us talking about Bluebrain yet? Tough tits, we got a two part feature coming your way to get you horny for the big shindig Thur night:

BYT Presents:
Bluebrain: Album Release Party / Live Performance
Thur, March 18th, 9pm
18+, $5
First official live concert at the new U St Music Hall
1115 U St NW
With Molly from Ponytail and Empath of BYT Rave Camp on the decks
+ Smirnoff Bluebrain drink special @ $7, yummy
BUY TIX: http://www.ticketalternative.com/Events/10750.aspx

Bluebrain: With only days to go till you open the doors, how are you feeling?

Will Eatman: Giddy. We tested the sound system last night for the first time and I literally cried tears of joy.

B: What a fantastic location! How did you find this space? What was here before?

WE: Our partner, Brian Miller, who is designing the space and also designed a number of other DC bars, restaurants and nightclubs, noticed it and we just called the number on the For Lease sign. It was previously a pool hall.

B: What was the very first thing to play out of the new speakers?

WE:First song was Goldie's "Inner City Life." We felt like we were hearing it for the first time. There are elements of that song we'd simply never experienced, particularly in the lower hz. The second drop was like a roller coaster ride ending in another dimension. A dimension governed by bass.

B: Your regular party, BLISS, has enjoyed quite the run. Will USMH now be its permanent home?

WE:Yup! Thrilled to be moving to U Street Music Hall. U Hall was built from the ground up to be a world-class, music-focused venue run by DJs who appreciate new, forward-looking music. There's also more space at U Hall. It's twice the size of the Black Cat's back stage. We were having to hold the door at the Black Cat more often than not before midnight because the room had reached capacity.

B: You told me that, until recently, you had absolutely no interest in opening a club. What changed?

WE:Until about a year ago I was pretty much uninterested in the notion of owning a music venue of my own. I was entirely focused first on a career as a historian and programs producer at the Smithsonian, then, since 3 years ago on DJing and producing music full time. What changed is I met a great group of people who have expertise managing clubs--basically none of the things I know about like negotiating leases and ordering liquor--who share enthusiasm for a no attitude, affordable music venue with a rock club atmosphere and high quality dance club sound system.

B: Tell us about the people that you're working with on this and how you came to partner with them.

WE:The partners are Jesse Tittsworth and myself with Eric Hilton, Farid Ali, Ian Hilton, and Brian Miller. Two days after I first met with Eric and Brian to discuss the idea, Tittsworth wrote me while on tour in Asia to say he had an idea he wanted to talk about. When he got back we met and the first thing he said was "I want to open a club with you." It was really amazing timing. My response was, "Perfect! I want to introduce you to some people" and that was pretty much it. 5 out of the 6 of us are DJs, and we're going to teach Ian how to spin sooner or later.

B: You aren't from DC. You moved here for college, correct? What made you stick around?

WE: I great up in Wisconsin, went to undergrad in Minneapolis and moved here for grad school. Fell in love with the place immediately. Landed a job after finishing at GW at the Smithsonian, where I worked for 10 years.

B: You've been a big supporter of DC bands and musicians. Who are some of your favorite local artists at the moment?

WE:Well, Bluebrain actually. Outputmessage, Nadastrom, True Womanhood, US Royalty, Tittsworth, Micah Vellian and Dmerit, the Nouveau Riche dudes, Starks, Nacey and Gavin Holland, Casper Bangs. I'm also a big fan of our hometown peoples Beauty Pill, Dubfire, Fort Knox Five, and Thievery Corporation.

B: A while back, you posted on Twitter a call for beer requests at the USMH bar. I requested Guinness. Did it make the cut?

WE: No, sorry. It was a hard decision, but ultimately I think we ended up with a good array.

B: Who are three acts you're dying to get to play the club?

WE:An intimate Gorillaz or Blur set... actually I'd settle for Damon Alborn just playing bongos. Daft Punk. A dude can dream, right? Gui Boratto.

B: You released your single 'Feelin' not too long ago. Are you working on new music now?

WE:My remix of Reni Lane's "Place For Us" just came out (download here) and one I did for the new Pipettes's single called "Stop The Music" is coming out next month as an iTunes exclusive. I'm working on demos for another single now. Think playing on the sound system at U Street Music Hall is going to change the way I produce music. I'm already thinking about a ton of different approaches I'd like to try based on hearing demos on those speakers.

B: Is the winter finally over?

WE: Winter is a state of mind. Forget about it and it's gone!