In September, the future of the Surf Club was looking bright. The Kenilworth Avenue roots music roadhouse in Edmonston, Md., had regained the right to sell alcohol on nights it featured live music. But Thursday afternoon in an email to members of the Twistlist roots music listserv, Surf Club owner James Byrum wrote:
I want to thank everyone for [...]

Local combo Hillbilly Jazz returns to Hyattsville roadhouse the Surf Club tonight.  Hillbilly Jazz was the Thursday night house band there from 2003 until 2009, when this longtime honky-tonk dropped live music and became simply a drinking bar for the neighborhood (that is now mostly Hispanic).  But as noted here, last August Surf Club owner [...]

Thanks to Steve Kiviat for passing along some sad news: Chick Hall Sr., longtime owner of P.G. County roadhouse Chick Hall's Surf Club, died Tuesday. The release from the Washington Area Music Association:
On Tuesday, November 18, 2008, Chick Hall Sr. passed away. He was a musician of enormous talent and a humble man.
Chick Hall [...]