Outmusic at Phase 1 – Sunday

Who can resist a girl with a guitar? For area lesbian musicians and the women who love them, Phase 1 is becoming the place to go for performances by talented musicians from D.C. and around the country.

Local lesbian musician Mara Levi heads Outmusic, a Sunday night music series at Phase. Levi hosts open mic nights the third Sunday of the month, and recruits local and national musicians to play the remaining Sunday nights.


Levi started the open mic night in April 2006, and she said that each event draws between two and seven performers. Since performers tend to bring friends, the crowd varies per show, ranging from five to forty. She estimates that 80% of the performers and attendees are lesbians.

Levi also does the booking for the other Sunday night performances.

“I saw Outmusic as part of building the community,” Levi says, “I was interested in bringing in established musicians, to bring in money and help the gay community in a number of ways. The open mic as an offshoot of that is a way to provide an opportunity to have people come in and perform. It’s also a great way for someone who is an established performer but who doesn’t have a D.C. following to get exposure here.”

Levi is a mainstay on the D.C. lesbian music scene, having played at A Different Kind of Ladies Night events as well as Capitol Pride. She also organized this year’s Dyke March.

She notes the importance of having gay open mic nights, having participated in them in New York.

“The point [of the open mic events] is to encourage gay musicians,” she says, “There are zillions of open mics, but a lot of the time when people are writing music, it’s about personal experiences. So when you’re gay, you’re writing about that, and it can be tough stuff to play to a crowd who doesn’t know what you’re thinking about.”

Occasionally the open mics have a headliner, and the next one, on November 18, will feature Lindsay Bloom.

For gay musicians looking to play at Phase 1, open mic signup begins at 8:30 p.m., with performances starting at 9 p.m. on the third Sunday of every month. The open mic at Phase is supportive, with musicians making connections with one another, and audience and musician learning from each other.

“We’re building a gay music scene in D.C., that’s what Outmusic is about,” Levi says.

The other three Sundays draw from both local and national lesbian talent. Next Sunday’s Outmusic show is Nervous But Excited, who, according to their website, are a “pleasantly aggressive folk duo,” combining two singers, two guitars, a mandolin, a violin, and harmonicas to create their sound. There’s a $5 cover for the show, which begins at 9 p.m.

This post is the first in a series about regular lesbian events around the District. If you host a regularly occurring event geared towards lesbians, email amy@thenewgay.net.


Photo Credit: Sarah Winfield, 2006