Electric Maid Community Exchange

As other reviewers have mentioned, Electric Maid is run by two elderly men and while I salute their initiative and their drive, I really don’t think it’s a great venue. Does it have potential? Yes, absolutely. However, it’s potential needs to be honed.
Here are the positives: metro accessible (located right next to the Takoma Metro Station), great stage, conveniently located near restaurants (for some dinner afterwards).
Here are the negatives: smells strange, no ambiance or décor to speak of, no heating, the old guys do the sound themselves and if the musician tries to intervene they get yelled at.
We went here last night to listen to three bands and besides the band members, the audience comprised of 5 people. This was rather unfortunate since it was actually a pretty good show. Since this is not a bar/​club, whoever the musicians can bring are the audience and no one else.
There was no cover charge advertised on their website or their facebook event page. When we got to the venue, they demanded a suggested donation of $ 10 per person and came up to people several times and asked them to pay. See, to me it’s very simple, either set a cover charge or then don’t expect everyone to pay the «suggested donation» (I don’t mean to sound cheap but it just seems really tacky).
Will I return here? Maybe, if there’s a really amazing line up but I will most likely not book it for a show that I plan. However, it’s worth checking out.

Electric Maid is a unique venue, and its casual nature suits me fine. I do my own promotion, so it works for me, though it IS sad when a good act is playing music there with hardly a crowd.
I’ve used it for classes, art shows, and concerts, and it has its problems, I adore it for classes. I wish it could sell drinks, but its visionary dream is a lil vague. So you can bring your own and just be clean and discreet, like an adult.

I’m in a band and I’m active in the local music scene. Electric Maid is not the best place to play. It’s very small. Shows have to be over by 10pm because of noise complaints. Smells like mildew. Two old guys run the place. They’re nice, but not the best business owners. Not very organized at all, no promotions, average sound equipment. I would not be surprised if the place closes down in a couple years.
The venue is very close to the Takoma Park Metro. And since shows are over by 10pm, you’ll probably make the last train on week nights.

Do not come to shows here, especially if you are in a band. If you get booked here, refuse the date. The sound is horrific, and the board is an 8 channel box run by someone who barely knows how to turn it on.

Electric maid is a wonderful place. Joel is making the place more organized and the sound man is awesome. There is great music being played by a lot of up and coming bands and there are lots of events for everyone. Check out

I like the idea behind this place, but the execution is lacking.
I’ve lived about a block away from this place for almost 3 years and until 3 months ago, I thought it was an electronics store. That says something about their advertising. I should mention that I’m a huge Takoma and moderate music fan. But I had no idea what this place was until I found out a friend of mine was playing there. Because my friend was playing there, I checked out their calendar and thereby found out another artist I happen to like was playing there. I went for the other artist and was embarrassed by the turn out. There were like 10 people there, half of whom I’d brought with me. The advertising was ridiculous. This artist is seriously talented and she deserved more than 10 people in the audience. The fact that me, a fan of hers, only found out about the concert through happenstance of my friend playing there, demonstrates how bad a job they do marketing themselves.
Not only that, but their website’s homepage isn’t even updated regularly. The calendar is updated, but you have to know to go straight to the calendar, because their homepage is months behind. The guy who runs the place doesn’t seem interested in reaching out to the various listserves and websites in DC that advertise live music and cheap events. This is a pity because the place is conveniently located and there are many people who would probably come here if they knew it existed. I hate putting down a place like this that seems community and volunteer run, but its unfair to the people who come from out of town to play here not to do an adequate job advertising and maintaining the website. I do volunteer work for other community organizations and it is key to have an updated website, listserve, and communications system — people need to know about things in order to partake.

I’m conflicted. I love this space and the idea behind it, but I’ve now been a part of planning two events that had to cancel because these folks took my information and then stopped calling. No confirmation on date or payment, no returned calls or emails. What happened, Electric Maid? Enjoy the events here, but don’t try to book your own until they get organized.