WAMA Year End Appeal And Membership Sale

In an email to members today, Washington Area Music Association (WAMA) President Mike Schreibman offered discounts for those joining or renewing their WAMA membership before January 15, 2005. Normally $30 per year, memberships can now be purchased for $20 a year. The WAMA membership application is available online here.

In his email, Schreibman also reminded members about the ongoing Timeline Series at Strathmore and the 19th Annual Wammie Awards, which will be held at Strathmore's new 2,000 seat, state-of-the-art Music Center on Monday, February 7, 2005. Tickets to the Wammies can be purchased at this link

Networking Happy Hours

The next ArlingtonMusicScene.com networking happy hour is Wednesday, January 19 at IOTA Club and Cafe in Arlington, Virginia, from 6pm to 8pm. Stay tuned here or to the Yahoo Group for more details.

Semi-Finalists Announced for Texas Roadtrip

The semi-finalists for the Texas Roadtrip--a contest that will send three bands and a singer/songwriter from the D.C. area to play in Austin, Texas during South By Southwest--were announced in the December issue of On Tap magazine. Sponsored by On Tap, Austin Grill, Z104, Continental Modern Pool Lounge, Red Bull, El Tesoro, Jim Beam, Foggy Bottom Beer, Tower Records and Absolut, the competition will take place in January and February at Austin Grill Silver Spring and Continental in Rosslyn. The full line-up of semi-finalists and competition dates is listed here in this post to the Arlington Music Scene Yahoo Group.

From www.sxsw.com:
The SXSW MUSIC AND MEDIA CONFERENCE (SXSW) showcases hundreds of musical acts from around the globe on fifty stages in downtown Austin. By day, conference registrants do business in the SXSW Trade Show in the Austin Convention Center and partake of a full agenda of informative, provocative panel discussions featuring hundreds of speakers of international stature. The nineteenth annual SXSW Music And Media Conference and festival will take place March 16 - 20, 2005.

Happy Hour Tonight: Wednesday, Dec. 15

The next of our monthly ArlingtonMusicScene.com happy hoors at IOTA in Arlington is tonight, Wednesday, December 15. Click here for more details.

Wammies Tickets Now On Sale

Tickets to the 2004 Wammie Awards, presented by the Washington Area Music Association (WAMA), are now on sale and can be purchased online by clicking here. To be held Monday, February 7, 2005, at the new Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda, Maryland, this Grammy-style program is designed to recognize significant career achievements by Washington area musicians. Past awards winners and Hall of Fame members include Emmylou Harris, Joan Jett, Eva Cassidy, The Clovers, The Orioles, Bo Diddley, Dave Grohl, Bill Kirchen, Nils Lofgren, Jorma Kaukonen, Jimmy Dean, Danny Gatton, Patsy Cline, Roberta Flack, Chuck Brown, Duke Ellington, Marvin Gaye, Mary Chapin Carpenter, Seldom Scene, Ruth Brown, LaVern Baker, Sweet Honey in the Rock and more.

The brand new, state-of-the-art, 2,000 seat Music Center at Strathmore, has been called "the single most significant facility this County will build in our lifetime" by Montgomery County Executive Doug Duncan. To learn more about the new facility, which will serve as a home for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, click here.

Next Happy Hour: Wednesday, Dec. 15

The next ArlingtonMusicScene.com happy hour will be Wednesday, December 15, from 6pm to 8pm, at IOTA Club and Cafe in Arlington, Virginia. These are designed to give musicians, music industry professionals, music fans and anyone else who would like to join us, the opportunity to network outside of the typical show scene. There will be no music, other than what's on the CD player, giving people a chance to meet people, discuss ideas and network with one another. IOTA's weekly open mic will follow the happy hour, for those who want to play or catch some live music that night. Sign up for that is at 8:30pm.

IOTA is located along Wilson Blvd., two and half blocks from the Clarendon stop on Metro's Orange Line. Directions and other information about the club is available at www.iotaclubandcafe.com.

You can also post questions about the happy hour to the Arlington Music Scene Yahoo Group. Click here or on the link in the right-hand column to enter. The group now has approximately 900 subscribed members.