I forget who I saw perform at The Birchmere at the first show I attended in the early 1990s, and it wouldn’t be for several more years before I went again. But once I did return, I was treated to musical riches beyond compare.
I do recall seeing Canadian singer-songwriter Kathleen Edwards in 2005, and taking my teenage son and aspiring musician to see Jorma Kaukonen in 2012. But it’s been my association with national music blog, Parklife DC, that truly revealed to me The Birchmere’s special place in musical history in the nation’s capital.
Covering many shows from 2017 to 2022 for Parklife DC in that special venue was a photographer’s dream come true: brilliant lighting, clear sightlines, and a supportive venue staff made every experience an absolute treat. For music fans, the sublime acoustics enhance the performances beyond compare. I experienced shows by legends like Nils Lofgren, Jeff Baxter, and Rodney Crowell to personal long-time favorites Samantha Fish, Eric Johnson, and Martin Barre.
All Roads Lead to The Birchmere: America’s Legendary Music Hall by owner/operator Gary Oelze and Stephen Moore (musician, music writer, and retired Georgetown University technologist), published in November 2021, describes the venue’s origin story opening in a Shirlington strip mall (in Arlington across the Potomac River from Washington, DC) on April 4, 1966. Oelze never intended that The Birchmere become a live music venue — but by the early 1970s, it was a humble neighborhood bar where a piano player or folk singer would perform a couple nights a week. Eventually, the region’s changing demographics prompted Oelze to feature live music, specifically bluegrass, in an effort to bring in more customers.
Bluegrass music had first been popularized in Washington, DC, after the Second World War when folks from Appalachia moved to the area bringing the unique musical art form with them. The Birchmere soon became bluegrass central as Oelze strove to make it a listening room that respected the music as a genre, posting signs asking audiences to remain quiet during performances.
Slowly the venue’s reputation grew, prompting Oelze to expand the roster of musical acts appearing there. After a couple more location changes, The Birchmere now occupies a beautiful building off of Mt. Vernon Avenue straddling the line between Arlington and Alexandria.
Since its modest opening in the mid-’60s, The Birchmere has hosted more than 12,000 nights of music and “probably 9,000” artists, Stephen Moore told City Paper in January 2022. Though Oelze passed away in January 2023, his vision has lived on. The Birchmere still often features bluegrass music, but the variety of genres has expanded to include country, soul, R&B, rock, blues, and even comedy acts. During my time in Washington covering shows for Parklife DC, I was privileged to experience and photograph a wide array of artists. So, this is my thank you to Gary wherever you are, and all those (artists and audiences alike) who’ve supported The Birchmere over all these years.
(All photographs courtesy and copyright Mark Caicedo/PuraVida Photography)
