A
group
of
local
musicians
will
take
the
stage
at
the
Staccato
Music
Hall
&
Lounge
in
Adams
Morgan
next
week
to
sing
a
few
songs
and,
in
the
process,
raise
money
for
the
Whitman-Walker
Clinic.
The
organization,
which
focuses
on
helping
people
affected
by
HIV/AIDS
and
providing
health
services
for
gay
and
lesbian
clients,
is
struggling
to
cope
with
a
financial
crisis
that
recently
prompted
its
board
of
directors
to
approve
the
layoff
of
nearly
a
third
of
its
staff
and
a
drastic
cutback
in
clinic
programs.
The
majority
of
musicians
who
plan
to
perform
at
the
music
hall
on
July
22
are
not
gay.
“I
was
reading
on
their
Web
site
about
D.C.
having
one
of
the
largest
HIV-positive
populations
of
any
city
in
the
country,”
says
John
Thayer,
the
drummer
for
Exit
Clov,
an
indie
pop
quintet
and
one
of
the
groups
slated
to
perform.
“We’ve
got
to
do
our
part.
We
can
go
out
and
do
what
we
love
to
do,
which
is
just
play
music,
and
if
it
has
a
positive
effect
for
someone
else,
then
that’s
great.”
In
addition
to
Exit
Clov,
other
artists
slated
to
perform
include
lesbian
rocker
Mara
Levi,
folk-rock
artist
Wes
Tucker
of
Wes
Tucker
and
the
Skillets,
and
Plastic
Sky,
another
D.C.-based
group.
Organizers
say
all
the
proceeds
raised
will
be
donated
to
Whitman-Walker’s
marathon
program,
an
initiative
that
involves
training
people
to
run
in
various
marathons
to
help
raise
money
for
HIV/AIDS
causes.
The
benefit
concert
next
week
is
expected
to
draw
up
to
120
people
and
organizers
hope
to
raise
at
least
$1,000.
In
addition
to
musicians,
who
are
donating
their
time
and
talent,
James
O’Brien
at
Staccato’s
says
he
isn’t
charging
anything
for
the
space
where
the
event
will
be
held,
and
ABS
Printing,
a
D.C.-based
company,
contributed
free
posters
to
help
spread
the
word.
The
HIV/AIDS
fund-raiser
came
about
because
of
Fancy
Records’
Emily
Stark,
a
lesbian
and
Mara
Levi’s
manager,
who
plans
to
run
in
the
Marine
Corps
Marathon
this
year
and
donate
funds
raised
to
HIV/AIDS
causes.
She
says
the
lineup
for
the
benefit
concert
was
assembled
after
an
informal
search
for
crowd
favorites
among
Washington’s
local
bands.
Each
musician
or
band
is
scheduled
to
perform
for
just
under
an
hour,
beginning
with
Plastic
Sky
and
ending
with
Wes
Tucker.
Between
performances,
guest
speakers
will
discuss
topics
related
to
HIV/AIDS.
Levi,
who
lives
in
Washington,
has
been
performing
for
about
six
years.
The
only
openly
gay
musician
on
the
bill,
she
performed
during
the
Capital
Pride
celebration
last
month.
Having
recently
parted
ways
with
several
other
musicians
who
played
with
her,
Levi
describes
her
new
solo
sound
as
“a
little
bit
folky,
with
an
acoustic
guitar
but
hopefully
still
a
rock
‘n’
roll
edge
to
it.”
She
said
Aimee
Mann
and
Melissa
Ferrick
influence
her
work.
Wes
Tucker
usually
performs
his
blues-inspired
folk
rock
along
with
several
band
members,
known
as
the
Skillets.
But
for
the
upcoming
benefit,
he
plans
to
take
the
stage
with
only
one
of
them.
Tucker
has
been
performing
music
for
about
four
years,
but
his
current
band
has
only
been
together
for
about
eight
months.
He
expects
their
new
album
—
with
a
style
comparable
to
musicians
like
Jack
Johnson
and
Ben
Harper
—
to
be
released
in
the
next
few
months.
Like
Tucker,
Exit
Clov’s
Thayer
says
that
even
though
not
all
of
his
band
members
would
be
able
to
attend
the
concert
on
July
22,
the
group
still
agreed
to
perform.
“Realistically,
if
it
were
any
other
show,
we
would
have
said,
‘No,
we
can’t
do
it,’”
Thayer
says.
“But
really,
we
don’t
turn
down
benefit
shows.
We
try
to
do
as
many
as
are
offered
to
us.”
Exit
Clov’s
name
is
a
reference
to
the
Samuel
Beckett
play
“End
Game.”
Thayer’s
fellow
band
members,
sisters
Emily
and
Susan
Hsu,
sing
and
play
the
violin.
Emily
also
plays
keyboards
and
Susan
plays
the
guitar.
Aaron
Leeder
plays
guitar,
and
Brett
Neiderman
plays
the
bass.
Exit
Clov’s
members
record,
mix,
produce
and
distribute
their
own
music.
So
far,
they’ve
finished
two
EPs,
which
are
available
online
and
at
their
shows.
Among
the
band’s
influences,
Thayer
sites
the
Beatles
and
early
1990s
British
pop
groups
like
Blur
and
Pulp.
Emily
and
Susan’s
vocal
sound
has
garnered
comparison
to
Tanya
Donelley
of
the
alternative
band
Belly.
