Becky

By Fritz Hahn
Friday, Feb. 24, 2012

DJs Stereo Faith and Trevor Martin are known for spinning indie rock, electro, hip-hop and punk records at such too-cool spots as the Black Cat, Little Miss Whiskey's and U Street Music Hall. So when they debuted a no-cover Top 40s party called Becky at the Rock & Roll Hotel a little over a year ago, it was with a heavy sense of irony.

The DJs announced that not only would they take requests, they'd be happy to play "Crazy in Love" for bachelorette parties or 50 Cent's "In Da Club" for birthday girls. Basically, they'd act like wedding DJs - something you wouldn't find at 99 percent of D.C. dance parties, and especially not on H Street. (There's a joke right in the name: "Becky" is a term DJs use for clueless women who, among other things, come up and request Top 40 songs that wouldn't fit in the context of what's currently playing.)

Becky started as a guilty pleasures party - hipster friends and fans of the DJs dancing to Madonna, Kanye and Drake radio hits while being in on the joke. But fast-forward 12 months and the whole place has become an irony-free zone: a straight-up rager packed with people who wouldn't ordinarily set foot in the Rock and Roll Hotel's grungy upstairs bar, shrieking when their favorite Taylor Swift song comes on.

Whether this is a good thing or a bad thing is up for debate - you can guess what the hipsters think - but the capacity crowds show it's clearly filling an void. Just check the pretense at the door and get cray-cray.

Friday from 9:30 p.m. to 2:30 a.m. 1353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625. www.rockandroll
hoteldc.com. Free.