Although Americans are flocking to the nation’s capital this summer for the country's 250th anniversary, many aren’t aware of the city's musical significance.

Prior to the 1970s and 80s, D.C. was known for its jazz on U Street. Then, Chuck Brown became known as the “godfather” of Go-go music. Punk rock hit the scene, and the ball was rolling.

The 1970s politics of America was fraught, not unlike today. Following the 1969 Moratorium anti-war protests in D.C. during the Vietnam War, younger people wanted an outlet for their anger, says Bill Warrell, a force behind the avant-garde music scene.

He said the downtown area was somewhat abandoned or occupied with pornography and bookshops at night in the 70s.

“Downtown was pretty deserted at that time,” Farrell said. “As a result, we also could make as much noise, and there was plenty of parking. We all kind of felt like it was ours, you know, that whole part of D.C. had been given up on.”

Warrell opened DC Space on 7th and E St in 1977 as a collective visual arts space with poetry, performance arts and a focus on jazz. The Atlantis then opened in the Atlantic building at 930 F Street, hosting the Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Police and the Slickee Boys. In 1980, it was rebranded as the 9:30 Club in the basement.

The 9:30 Club was – and continues to be – the melting pot for bands, musicians, fans, artists and everyone in between. Club owners brought in musicians from surrounding cities. 

Lynda Cokinos, a D.C. native, spent many years working at the 9:30 Club and attending shows from the beginning. She said bands often came from outside of the nation's capital, but almost everyone who worked there or went to shows were musicians or wished they were.

“It was progressive music. It wasn’t Top 40, that kind of thing at all. So there were a lot of artists down there. Everybody that worked there practically was in a band,” Cokinos said. “So yeah, there’s a big community, and as I said, almost everybody did not live in D.C.

When Seth Hurwitz and Rich Heinecke bought it in 1986 through I.M.P., their business model was to treat bands well, so they wanted to come back. And come back they did.

The 9:30 Club in the Atlantic basement was home to the post-punk hardcore scene. Bands like the Ramones, Fugazi, REM, Tiny Desk Unit and more played at the 9:30 Club. The club wasn’t glamorous, and it was notorious for its rats and distinctive smell, Cokinos said.

Management booked many Go-go shows, including Chuck Brown and Trouble Funk. Today, there is a Go-go museum educating people about Go-go’s origins in Anacostia that D.C. residents can explore for free.

The mix of punk, Go-go, hip-hop, rock and all different categories of music brought together crowds of people and artists.

Warrell said he lived in the Atlantic building on the seventh floor, and he was involved in both the 9:30 Club and DC Space. He fell in love with improvised music and avant-garde jazz. Often, duets and trios came from New York, and DC Space became well known with Chicago and Philadelphia musicians too.

The Art Ensemble of Chicago and Sun Ra Arkestra came down. Renowned jazz talent Charles Mingus had just passed away, and younger musicians who had played with him came to DC Space. It turned into a music aficionado spot, according to Warrell.

Mark Noone, lead singer of the Slickee Boys, a punk rock band, said he played 99 shows at the 9:30 Club between the old and new locations. He knows Warrell and Cokinos well to this day.

“The whole punk rock thing was an extremely positive thing. It was very, very positive. It was a scene. Everybody respected everybody even though everybody was, you know, bouncing off each other in front of the stage and the pit.”

The new 9:30 Club opened in 1996 at 815 V Street. Noone said one of the original owners of the old club, Dody Bowers, wanted to create a community feel.

“You know they had these punk bands, three bands for three bucks where bands could just come in; couldn’t get a gig anywhere else, but you had a place to play,” Noone said. “And there were also good bands, touring bands. It just kind of grew and grew and grew.”

The 9:30 Club started small and expanded quickly, but it was accessible to bands who just wanted to play.

Whether it be slam-dancing fans, excited bartenders, bands passing through, teenagers looking for a good show, or anyone else, Washington D.C. has become the place to see a show across many genres of music. 

Noone said that he hopes more people can understand the significance of the 9:30 Club and its part in Washington’s musical development.

“This place ... was way ahead of the game, they were on top of it, and I think people need to know that,” Noone said. “How important this club is just to music; the past music and what’s going on today.”