Rock Out to Live Music at Sunset Grille

If you're in the mood to enjoy live music from local bands, look no further than The Sunset Grille. The self-described "inland beach bar" is a staple of the Annandale community.

Owner Shelton Youtz opened Sunset Grille in 1989. "It was a little pub before that," said Youtz. "It's been here in this location since the 1940s as some sort of roadhouse or pub."

The popular venue is located at 7250 Columbia Pike. Local bands play Wednesday through Saturday night. Youtz said the bands are mostly from Northern Virginia.

"We either discover bands when we research musical acts or they'll contact us and send us their demo," he said. "Or, we know they're playing at another club and we contact them to see if they're interested in coming in and playing here."

One of Sunset Grille's regular acts is Johnny Castle's Thrillbillys, who play almost every Thursday night. The band usually sticks to an energetic set of rock and roll and R&B, sometimes peppered with a few honky-tonk influenced songs.

Youtz said a couple of local bands rotate every other Wednesday. The rest of the bands play once every four to six weeks. There is a wide variety of music, but with a focus on older, classic rock.

"We pretty much stay with the kind of music that the people who come here seem to like," Youtz said. "There is a lot of rock, but not metal rock. We also have country and bluegrass."

On Sunday, Sept. 12, the Kingstowne Blues Band performed bluegrass songs at the Grille's Tailgate Party. Customers watched the Washington Redskins demolish the Dallas Cowboys, or in the loyal words of the Grille, "Cowussies."

"We had a nice turnout," said Youtz. The Grille also hosts movie night on Mondays and karaoke night every Tuesday.

Bands play at 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Thursday and between 9 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. They perform on a small stage in the front room of Sunset Grille near the bar and a handful of tables.

The back room is for the sports fans and features seven TVs playing major games, dart tournaments and video games. Customers can also order lunch, dinner and a Sunday breakfast buffet. The menu includes American, Italian, seafood and Tex-Mex.

The full capacity for the entire building is 98 people. "You could say it's a very intimate place," said Youtz.

The owner described his clientele as fun, outgoing and between the ages of 25 and 65. He said that a lot of Harley Davidson riders frequent the Grille and a lot of people in the area never come in because they assume it is a biker bar, which it's not.

"You can't judge a book by its cover," Youtz said. "That's one thing I'd like to get out. Just because you see a couple of motorcycles outside, people automatically think that's the only type of people that come in for lunch and dinner."

Youtz also said the sense of local community at the Grille has changed quite a bit in the past five years. "The sense of community in Annandale is not as strong as it used to be," he said.

The clientele may be shifting due to the current economic climate. "We're running over 30 percent less sales than two years ago," said Youtz. "Last year, there was a significant decline and this year, there was even more of a decline than last year. We could definitely tell when the economy really started hurting."

He said he has lowered food and drink prices and included different events to try to attract more people and encourage them to come in.

"[Sunset Grille] is a lot of fun to run," said Youtz. "It was a lot more fun until two years ago, let's put it that way. Now it's on the stressful side."

Youtz said he enjoys working in Annandale. "It's a nice town. My favorite part of owning Sunset Grille is the challenge of trying to keep everything together and being successful."

To learn more about Sunset Grille and view their performance schedule, visit their website.