The crowd last Friday consisted mostly of the younger punk set — some with tattoos, Mohawks and piercings — but included plenty of aging punk fans as well. When the doors opened at 9 p.m., they milled around in the bar area playing pool and talking about the upcoming show. Behind the bar stood the Black Cat mascot — complete with whiskers, fur and tail — serving drinks. “It’s to celebrate the reason for the season,” the Black Cat mascot said. “You lost a bet?” a patron asked. “No,” said the costumed cat, laughing and pouring another drink.

Indie and alternative music lovers know where to get their audible fix in D.C. For the past 15 years, they have been flocking to the Black Cat in Northwest D.C.’s U Street neighborhood. Last Friday’s headliners, Gray Matter, disbanded in 1993 but got back together for the club’s 15th anniversary party on Sept. 12.
Jackie Niles sat in the back of the main room at a table with her family and spoke of the early years of her brother, Gray Matter bassist Steve Niles.

She recalled growing up in conservative Reston, Va. Her brother Steve didn’t fit in. He wore a leather jacket. He listened to the Ramones, the Bad Brains and Fu Manchu.

“I was the only punk in my high school,” Steve Niles said in an interview before the show. The siblings recollected driving into D.C. to go to concerts. Steve Niles, who now writes comic books and screenplays, just loved playing music in bands with his friends.
Though a little shaken by the high volume of the first band to play that night and his earlier sound check, Niles remarked how excited he was to get together with Gray Matter to celebrate Black Cat’s 15th anniversary. “I just need to get some ear plugs,” he said.

When Dante Ferrando opened the Black Cat in 1993, he wanted to fill the District’s void of a club catering to independent, alternative music. The run-down 9:30 Club did not provide enough local focus at the time, according to Ferrando.

With funding and backing from industry insiders such as Dave Grohl, Foo Fighters front man and former Nirvana member, Ferrando opened his club five doors down from its current 1811 14th St. NW address. The Black Cat consisted of two rooms: the Mainstage and the Red Room Bar. Bands including the Fall and Cat Power made the club a popular venue in its first week. Ferrando transferred his love of music from playing in Gray Matter to a successful business venture.
In 2001 the club faced greater audience demand for concert and bar space and moved down the street to its current location. The new building added a smaller stage called Backstage and a restaurant with many vegetarian options called Food for Thought. Some people who played in the original club get confused because it looks so similar.

“People get bummed out when things change,” Ferrando said.
The second floor, Mainstage, and its black-and-white-tiled 7000 square feet, now holds roughly 700 people. The seating in the far back, complete with couches, provides a comfortable view of the stage, the standing crowd and the two bars on either side of the main room. Downstairs, Backstage provides a much more intimate space fitting about 300 people, and the Red Room Bar and restaurant provide cover-free sustenance to those looking to relax at the Black Cat on the cheap. Ferrando said cover-free spaces were important for his club. They really compliment the club’s indie nature.

The music scene in the District has always been behind New York City and Los Angeles when it comes to bigger bands with lots of hype. “But the Internet has caught D.C. up a little bit,” Ferrando said. Still, smaller and mid-size bands in terms of popularity have been more successful for the Black Cat because he can fill the club and still make a respectable profit after paying the band.

The Black Cat is proud to offer all its shows to all ages. Many city and state regulations do not allow minors to enter clubs that serve alcohol, but it is legal in D.C. Although much controversy abounds on this subject, the Black Cat has prided itself on bringing a wide group to enjoy good indie and alternative music.

“Music should be accessible to people under 21,” Ferrando said.
In early 2007, a 17-year-old girl was shot outside Club 1919 on Ninth Street NW. The police report stated that a gun went off during a fight between an angry patron and bouncers, and innocent bystander Taleshia Ford was shot in the chest. Because all of the people involved were underage, Jim Graham, a District city council member, proposed emergency legislation that could have possibly banned minors from clubs that serve alcohol. “Teenagers fought it. There was a huge-ass Facebook group,” concertgoer Hariton Wilson said. In the inclusive spirit of the Black Cat, Dante Ferrando agrees that there needs to be good security at clubs but that they should stay open to all ages.

In the afternoon, a few hours before the show, Ferrando answered a call regarding a concert coming up the next week. He’d deal with it Monday. Friday night, he was working as both club owner/manager and as drummer for Gray Matter.

From booking bands to managing the finances to keeping up the bar, Ferrando stays busy.

“I still fix toilets,” Ferrando said. Friday night, he couldn’t think about the next week or even speculate about the Black Cat’s next 15 years. “I’m just thinking about my show tonight,” Ferrando said.

Embodying all that Black Cat’s about, openers Domino Theory left the crowd with some fitting final words before the Shirks and Gray Matter took the stage: “This song goes out to all the skaters — past, present and future.” Locals, the Shirks played a few songs before Gray Matter made their first performance in more than 15 years. A small but energized group of about 50 moshed next to the stage. The rest of the club, young and old, bobbed their heads in homage to the Black Cat’s anniversary and to the past, present and future of alternative music.