Who is D-22?

“I can’t believe it!” yelled D-22 bar manager Charles Saliba. “Wait … did you guys rig this thing?”

There’s no denying that plenty of others were also surprised at the results of last week’s that’s Beijing Reader Bar and Club Awards ceremony, when D-22 accepted the award for Bar of the Year, narrowly beating out runners-up China Doll and Suzie Wong’s. “We’re like the anti-establishment club,” said Saliba, still flustered after the win – and indeed, the so-called “hard-core music dive,” as described by owner Michael Pettis, is certainly nothing like the rest of the nominees. Just over a year old, the club has quickly established itself as the headquarters of the bourgeoning indie-rock music scene.

Celebrating the victory from New York – where he’s scouting new talent to display at his club, – Pettis offered his take on the win: “There are only two reasons I can think of for getting this support. First is that our space really is a great space in which you can throw yourself into the sweaty crowd in front of the stage, hang out with regulars behind the sound booth, or relax upstairs on the sofas, from which you can get great views of the performances and the crowd.”

Perhaps. Certainly, there’s no denying the, umm, character of the venue, with cigarette-scarred sofas and band-graffitied bathrooms – but what does D-22 have to offer compared to the slick comforts of say, Suzie Wong’s?

“The other reason,” continues Pettis, “and probably the most important, is the regular crowd. There are so many local musicians and artists who hang out here almost every night, and these tend to have a great time until very late. They also tend to know the performers very well, so bands often put on pretty crazy shows (see this video of The Scoff ripping it up as an example), largely for each other. Along with the musicians there are lots of Chinese and foreign university students and music lovers, and they all tend to know each other.”

“We didn't expect that outside of the regulars who follow the Beijing music scene closely a lot of people knew about us,” admits Pettis, while chuckling, “or even less that they liked us!” But with many of D-22’s so-called local “house bands” beginning to attract international attention, there’s certainly no doubt that the club is in the midst of something grand and important – something that readers have noticed. “Good for them,” said Jonathan Ansfeld of the Stone Boat, another Bar of the Year nominee. “It really shows that the readers are getting smarter … maybe they’re actually reading the magazine!”

And just in case you were wondering, this is why it's called D-22?

Links and Sources
D-22 Site
Youtube: Why D-22?
tbjblog: D-22 wins Bar of the Year at 2007 tbj Reader Awards
that’s Beijing: Original Review of D-22
Youtube: Scoff Live at D-22
CLUAS.com: Beijing Beat: Dive Bar D-22
The Star.com: China set to rock music charts
The McGill Daily: Feedback and the Forbidden City