The Black Cat is an independent music club in the Shaw/U Street neighborhood of Washington, DC, founded by former Gray Matter drummer Dante Ferrando along with a group of investors that included Nirvana drummer and future Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl. The club opened its doors on September 11, 1993, at 1831 14th Street NW, quickly becoming a home base for the city’s indie rock and punk scenes.
In 2001, the Black Cat relocated three doors south to a larger space at 1811 14th Street NW, a building that had previously housed a dance club called the Cage. The expanded venue reopened on September 13, 2001, and has continued operating there ever since, with its 800-capacity Mainstage remaining the heart of the club.
Stats at a Glance
- Location: 1811 14th Street NW, Washington, D.C.
- Type: Independent music club and nightclub
- Opened: September 11, 1993 (relocated to current address September 13, 2001)
- Capacity: About 800 in the Mainstage
- Famous for: Early and formative shows by Radiohead, Foo Fighters, Fugazi, The Strokes, and The Killers
The Venue Experience
The Black Cat’s Mainstage occupies a roughly 7,000-square-foot space on the second floor, giving touring and local acts a mid-sized room that has hosted everyone from scrappy punk bands to arena-bound headliners early in their careers. The club also operates the Red Room, a no-cover bar and lounge, alongside the Mainstage. The venue’s ground-floor Backstage room, a smaller 200-capacity space for up-and-coming acts, closed at the end of 2018 as owner Dante Ferrando restructured the club and leased the first floor to retail tenants.
Ferrando named the club after an establishment his great-grandfather had operated in Greenwich Village during the 1920s, tying the DC venue to a family history in nightlife that stretches back a century.
A Fixture of DC’s Music Scene
Since opening, the Black Cat has built a reputation as one of the key stops for indie rock, punk, and alternative acts touring through the mid-Atlantic. Early bookings included the Fall, Rancid, Morphine, Stereolab, Slant 6, and 9353, and over the decades the club’s stages have featured Radiohead, Jeff Buckley, Fugazi, Elliott Smith, The Strokes, and The Killers.
The club’s longevity and Dave Grohl’s early involvement as an investor have made it a point of local pride in Washington’s music community, and it remains a working venue for concerts, dance nights, and film screenings.
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Black Cat FAQs
When did the Black Cat open?
The Black Cat opened on September 11, 1993, at 1831 14th Street NW in Washington, DC, before relocating a few doors down in 2001.
Who founded the Black Cat?
It was founded by former Gray Matter drummer Dante Ferrando along with a group of investors that included Nirvana drummer and future Foo Fighters leader Dave Grohl.
What is the capacity of the Black Cat?
The Mainstage holds about 800 people. The club’s smaller downstairs Backstage room, once home to about 200 patrons, closed permanently at the end of 2018.
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Photo: AgnosticPreachersKid / CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.