Appearances are deceiving. Jammin' Java sits in a small strip mall in downtown Vienna, and driving down Maple Avenue, you'd probably mistake it for just another suburban coffee shop. In fact, it serves that function during much of the day, starting at 7.

But at night, Jammin' Java transforms into an intimate venue showcasing national, regional and local acts, with an emphasis on singer-songwriters and roots and Americana acts. Owners and brothers Luke and Daniel Brindley are themselves acclaimed musicians, and touring the country, they've obviously taken notes on what constitutes a great listening club: small, cozy, with a sterling sound system clean and clear for acoustic groups and sturdy for electrified bands.

Who goes? The nighttime crowd is the standard college kids, young professionals and savvy music fans.

What to eat and drink? Coffee may be Jammin' Java's mainstay (the cappuccinos and lattes are highly recommended), but wine, beer and, more recently, liquor are also available. A small menu features salads, sandwiches, chilis and desserts as well as good vegetarian alternatives.

Tickets: All concerts are general admission. Tickets, generally between $10 and $20, can be purchased at Jammin' Java, online or by calling 703-255-1566.

Getting there: No close-by Metro stop, but there is plenty of parking -- hey, it's a strip mall.

Here's a tip: Giving added meaning to "all ages, all the time," Jammin' Java serves the area's widest, and youngest, fan base. Almost every day, there are morning kids' shows. The club clears out an area in front of the stage so tot-rockers, mostly 5 or younger (their elders should be in school) can bounce around as designated drivers -- moms, dad, nannies -- enjoy a cup of joe (adults are free, kids pay).

-- Richard Harrington (Nov. 2, 2007)

Five Years of Jamming (and Java)
By Fritz Hahn
Washington Post Weekend Section
Friday, October 26, 2006

If you didn't know better, you'd probably drive past Jammin' Java without a thought. Set into one of the many strip malls that line Vienna's Maple Avenue, alongside a credit union, sub shop and Mandarin restaurant, Jammin Java's name recalls a folkie coffee shop in a laid-back college town. It certainly doesn't sound like a venue that concert-industry bible Pollstar called one of the top 100 clubs in the world in terms of ticket sales in 2005 or a concert hall with a top-notch sound system that offers more than a dozen shows a week, including children's entertainers and nationally recognized touring acts.

Daniel Brindley, one of three brothers who own and run the venue, knows that they're operating with two strikes against them. "We deal with it all the time," he sighs. "We're in a strip mall in the 'burbs, and our name is Jammin' Java. We've heard it all." The club has lost shows, he says, because some artists would rather play in the heart of the District than in Vienna.

"But once you walk in the door, none of that matters," he says. "We're all ages, all the time. We're smoke-free. We're a rock club, and we're a listening room [with 170 seats] at the same time. We're accessible. We're in a safe area. We have plenty of parking."

As the Brindleys get ready to celebrate five years at the helm of Jammin' Java this weekend, they acknowledge that the key to their success is the venue's versatility. Commuters stop in at the coffee bar for mugs of joe at 7 a.m. Later in the morning, the performance space is more "Romper Room" than Viper Room, as bands such as Rocknoceros sing silly songs about washing your hands and brushing your teeth while toddlers jump up and down, dance and clap along.

Afternoons find teenagers commandeering tables and gossiping while working on homework. (Hey, at least they have calculators out.) Later, lights go down, and adult crowds file into the back of the room, an industrial-looking space with a brick-and-corrugated-metal design scheme, to listen to such acts as Citizen Cope, the Soldiers of Jah Army, former Squeeze frontman Glenn Tilbrook or even the Brindley Brothers themselves -- Daniel and older brother Luke have released two critically acclaimed records of alt-rock. It's one of the area's most pleasant places to see live music.

In the past six months, the Brindleys have built a new, larger stage; received a license to sell liquor in addition to the beer-and-wine menu; extended the bar area; gotten rid of some booths to make more room for standing customers and bar stools; and begun more upgrades to the club's equipment.

"We want it to be the best possible experience," Daniel Brindley says, explaining that he and Luke take notes when touring as the Brindley Brothers. "We play in clubs like ours -- the Tin Angel and World Cafe Live in Philly. We know what they have. We're just out to blow them away."

Not bad for three New Jersey siblings who had never run a club when they arrived in Vienna in 2001, the proud new owners of a failing smoke- and alcohol-free Christian coffee shop that also included a small stage, a recording studio and facilities for private music lessons. They admit it has been hard -- "There have been some incredibly stressful times," says Jonathan, the youngest Brindley.

"We rolled in here under the impression we could compete as a coffee shop, but it's really expensive around here," Daniel Brindley adds. "We have to pay the rent. Early shows, late shows -- I think that's how we got on the Pollstar list. We just do so many shows."

Next week's schedule is a typically packed affair: 10 evening concerts, a full slate of seven morning and afternoon kids' shows, and the regular Monday open-mike session. On Nov. 4 alone, there's kids' performer Bradley Rymer at 11 a.m., a band of Vienna-based teenagers called MoonHostageRebellion at 3, an album-release show by a group called the Blue Union at 7 and, finally, at 9:30, a three-band bill headlined by all-female rock band Wicked Jezabel.

"Stylistically, we'll do anything," Daniel Brindley says. "We have Bio Ritmo coming. They're a great salsa band. Teddy Geiger was here, and he's on the cover of Seventeen. Billy Joel's daughter is coming in here. And we have all these local bands."

Then there are the kids' shows, which sometimes outdraw those targeted at adults.

"We try to capitalize on the whole suburbs thing," Brindley explains. "There are moms looking for stuff to do with their kids. We'd do a kids' show during the week, in the middle of the afternoon, for free and hope people would come in and buy coffee. And we started getting crowds. Then it went to five days a week -- every morning at 10:30, and it was packed. We decided we'd start charging a cover, and it didn't slow down. It went to three shows on Monday."

Now they're booking huge acts -- for the pre-tween set, anyway -- such as Ralph's World and Justin Roberts. The Brindleys think the key is Jammin Java's upscale look -- carpet, tables, a nonsmoking atmosphere. "It's not a concrete-floor rock club," Daniel Brindley says. "You wouldn't necessarily know what happens at night."