DC9 Nightclub is a nightclub and restaurant in the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, D.C. It is known for its indie music scene, dance parties, and karaoke. DC9 has a capacity of 250 people and is a venue for live music and DJs.
DC9 was established in 2004 in at 1940 Ninth Street, Northwest in Shaw. Co-owner Bill Spieler, a DJ, launched the business with Joe Englert and other industry members. Spieler's wife, Amber Bursik is the venue chef and assists Spieler with operational management.[1] Steve Lambert became the booker in late 2006.[2] In 2007, general manager Josh Copeland joined DC9. It is a two-story space formerly occupied by Metro Cafe. Before that, the space contained Club Hollywood and Asylum. DC9 features musicians from the indie music scene.[3] The venue is mostly known for hosting indie rock bands, with a shift towards hosting house music events in its recent runnings. The venue is not known as a gay club, however the venue does attract a wide audience of customers through its variance in events.[4] DC9 hosts karaoke and dance parties.[5] In 2010, a man who had thrown a brick in the venue's window died after being restrained by five DC9 employees. After being initially charged with homicide, Metropolitan Police dropped all charges.[6] [7] [8] In 2018, DC9 began hosting pop-up bars.[9]
It contains a narrow saloon bar with a digital jukebox on the ground floor. The upstairs is a double-wide concert room. There is a glass-enclosed rooftop bar that opened in 2010.[10] DC9 has a no-phone policy at its DJ events and encourages people to check in the phones with their coats.