Jammin' Java
Encyclopedia
Jammin' Java is a 200-seat music club and coffee bar located at 227 Maple Avenue East in Vienna, Virginia, and was founded in 1999. In 2001 the venue was bought and revamped by the Brindley brothers who currently own and run it today. Since its Brindley ownership, it has become a successful music venue, placing in the top 100 clubs (for ticket sales) in the world as tallied by Pollstar
, as well as being named one of the top 40 music clubs in America by Paste Magazine
. The venue focuses on local and independent musical acts and has hosted famous national artists such as Nick Jonas
, Paramore
, Bon Iver
and Ingrid Michaelson
.
themed and owned coffeehouse
s started by The Sunrise Foundation. The Sunrise Foundation, created and funded by the Fairfax, VA senior care provider Sunrise Assisted Living Inc., began a two-part plan to make Maryland a center for Christian
music, first opening a 1,000-square-foot recording studio
with state-of-the-art equipment in 1996. The studio, Waters Edge, was a non-profit
studio available to Christian recording artists. The second part was to create a chain of Christian-run coffeehouses called Jammin' Java to host Christian artists.
The first Jammin' Java opened in 1998 and was located on Kent Island, Maryland
. Additional areas were scouted, including a partially DHCD-funded location in Washington, D.C.
that never materialized. In November 1999, the second Jammin' Java was opened in a strip mall
in Vienna, Virginia. Located outside of Washington D.C., the former Rite Aid
became a coffee shop, small music venue and recording studio, as well as a music store that sold guitar
s and amplifiers. The venue mainly featured Contemporary Christian music and small acts but was described by the owner Matt Turner as being "faith-based and non-denominational" and did not feature Christian iconography
. The Vienna Jammin' Java lasted for two years before changing management and direction.
, were interested in opening a place where other musicians could play and began to renovate the venue to improve its musical capabilities. Renovations to the venue included building a new stage and installing new lighting and sound system, as well as a full bar. The menu was also expanded to include liquor and meals.
The club re-opened a few weeks after the events of September 11th and struggled in its first few years. The musical acts originally focused on singer-songwriters and local bands, but has since moved on to more varied offerings such as punk, rock and pop acts. Over the years the venue became more successful and well-known, earning accolades such as being named one of the top 40 music clubs in America by Paste Magazine, topping reader polls from The Washington Post
for local live venues and being named one of the best places to hear live music by AOL Cityguide
.
In October 2011, Jammin' Java celebrated its tenth anniversary under the Brindley owners. The anniversary month featured special events and concerts and allowed patrons to buy a month-long pass for $100.
Owner Daniel Brindley also operates an artist management company out of the club with Go Team! Music Artist Management as well as a record label, Go Team! Records. Artists managed by the company include Chelsea Lee, Rocknoceros and Deep River.
Pollstar
Pollstar is a concert tour industry's leading trade publication that gets its information primarily from the agents, managers and promoters who are producing concerts. Founded in 1981, it is based in Fresno, California and has an office in London with correspondents in six countries. Pollstar is...
, as well as being named one of the top 40 music clubs in America by Paste Magazine
Paste (magazine)
Paste is a monthly music and entertainment digital magazine published in the United States by Wolfgang's Vault. Its tagline is "Signs of Life in Music, Film and Culture."-History:...
. The venue focuses on local and independent musical acts and has hosted famous national artists such as Nick Jonas
Nick Jonas
Nicholas Jerry "Nick" Jonas is an American singer-songwriter, musician and actor best known as one of the Jonas Brothers, a pop-rock band he formed with his brothers Joe and Kevin. The Jonas Brothers originally started as an attempted solo singing career for Nick, but the record producer liked the...
, Paramore
Paramore
Paramore is an American rock band from Franklin, Tennessee, formed in 2004. The band consists of lead vocalist Hayley Williams, bassist Jeremy Davis, and guitarist Taylor York...
, Bon Iver
Bon Iver
Bon Iver is a Grammy nominated folk band founded in 2007 by American indie folk singer-songwriter Justin Vernon. It includes Michael Noyce, Sean Carey, and Matthew McCaughan. Vernon released Bon Iver's debut album, For Emma, Forever Ago independently in July 2007. The majority of that album was...
and Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid Michaelson
Ingrid Ellen Egbert Michaelson is a New York-based indie-pop singer-songwriter. Her music has been featured in episodes of several popular television shows, including Scrubs, Bones, Grey's Anatomy The Big C and One Tree Hill, as well as in Old Navy's Fall 2007 Fair Isle and Opel's/Vauxhall's...
.
Sunrise Foundation & Christian roots
The Jammin' Java brand was originally a collection Christian musicChristian music
Christian music is music that has been written to express either personal or a communal belief regarding Christian life and faith. Common themes of Christian music include praise, worship, penitence, and lament, and its forms vary widely across the world....
themed and owned coffeehouse
Coffeehouse
A coffeehouse or coffee shop is an establishment which primarily serves prepared coffee or other hot beverages. It shares some of the characteristics of a bar, and some of the characteristics of a restaurant, but it is different from a cafeteria. As the name suggests, coffeehouses focus on...
s started by The Sunrise Foundation. The Sunrise Foundation, created and funded by the Fairfax, VA senior care provider Sunrise Assisted Living Inc., began a two-part plan to make Maryland a center for Christian
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
music, first opening a 1,000-square-foot recording studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
with state-of-the-art equipment in 1996. The studio, Waters Edge, was a non-profit
Nonprofit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
studio available to Christian recording artists. The second part was to create a chain of Christian-run coffeehouses called Jammin' Java to host Christian artists.
The first Jammin' Java opened in 1998 and was located on Kent Island, Maryland
Kent Island, Maryland
Kent Island is the largest island in the Chesapeake Bay, and a historic place in Maryland. To the east, a narrow channel known as the Kent Narrows barely separates the island from the Delmarva Peninsula, and on the other side, the island is separated from Sandy Point, an area near Annapolis, by...
. Additional areas were scouted, including a partially DHCD-funded location in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
that never materialized. In November 1999, the second Jammin' Java was opened in a strip mall
Strip mall
A strip mall is an open-area shopping center where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front...
in Vienna, Virginia. Located outside of Washington D.C., the former Rite Aid
Rite Aid
Rite Aid is a drugstore chain in the United States and a Fortune 500 company headquartered in East Pennsboro Township, Pennsylvania, near Camp Hill. Rite Aid is the largest drugstore chain on the East Coast and the third largest drugstore chain in the U.S....
became a coffee shop, small music venue and recording studio, as well as a music store that sold guitar
Guitar
The guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s and amplifiers. The venue mainly featured Contemporary Christian music and small acts but was described by the owner Matt Turner as being "faith-based and non-denominational" and did not feature Christian iconography
Iconography
Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", and comes from the Greek "image" and "to write". A secondary meaning is the painting of icons in the...
. The Vienna Jammin' Java lasted for two years before changing management and direction.
Brindley brothers ownership
The Waters Edge recording studio and Kent Island Jammin' Java would eventually close, but the struggling Vienna Jammin' Java was bought by three brothers: Daniel, Jonathan and Luke Brindley, in October 2001. The brothers, all musicians originally from New JerseyNew Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
, were interested in opening a place where other musicians could play and began to renovate the venue to improve its musical capabilities. Renovations to the venue included building a new stage and installing new lighting and sound system, as well as a full bar. The menu was also expanded to include liquor and meals.
The club re-opened a few weeks after the events of September 11th and struggled in its first few years. The musical acts originally focused on singer-songwriters and local bands, but has since moved on to more varied offerings such as punk, rock and pop acts. Over the years the venue became more successful and well-known, earning accolades such as being named one of the top 40 music clubs in America by Paste Magazine, topping reader polls from The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
for local live venues and being named one of the best places to hear live music by AOL Cityguide
AOL
AOL Inc. is an American global Internet services and media company. AOL is headquartered at 770 Broadway in New York. Founded in 1983 as Control Video Corporation, it has franchised its services to companies in several nations around the world or set up international versions of its services...
.
In October 2011, Jammin' Java celebrated its tenth anniversary under the Brindley owners. The anniversary month featured special events and concerts and allowed patrons to buy a month-long pass for $100.
Services
As a musical venue, Jammin' Java is a 200-seat club that offers daily live music. Shows average more than once daily and the venue has held about 7,000 concerts from 2001 to 2011. During the day Jammin' Java features Tot Rock, a music series for families and their children. The club also teaches music lessons with Music School at Jammin' Java.Owner Daniel Brindley also operates an artist management company out of the club with Go Team! Music Artist Management as well as a record label, Go Team! Records. Artists managed by the company include Chelsea Lee, Rocknoceros and Deep River.