Bumping against the 9:30 Club stage to the sound of ’90s pop rock, Hill staffer David Quinalty never imagined a bouncer would pick him for an open mic rap-off with Sugar Ray lead singer Mark McGrath.
Then again, there were only about 10 people going crazy for the band while the rest swayed gently at a holiday benefit for Bread for the City sponsored by the Recording Industry Association of America, the Entertainment Software Association and many others.
“I had no idea what was going to happen,” Quinalty, from the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology and the Internet, told Yeas & Nays.
The tatted bad boy McGrath, amused by his clean-cut contestant in a suit, blue dress shirt and red-striped tie, referred to Quinalty as “Mr. Brooks Brothers,” “Glenn Beck” and “Mr. C-SPAN.”
“I was at least wearing some Brooks Brothers, so it wasn’t too far off,” Quinalty said.
But once he hit the stage, it was clear from Quinalty’s rhymes the staffer had some street cred, with one win for the Hill boy, but a nick at his political career.
Ever vigilant of intellectual property, the RIAA made sure no flip-cams were capturing this live performance, though there were a lot of cover songs in the air.
Spotted at the party: Immigration and Customs Enforcement chief John Morton, complete with security detail; CNN’s Brianna Keilar, with husband and former MTV Communications VP Dave French; and David Washington. Also in the mix: Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist, who painted the town red Wednesday night with an appearance at a preview party for the Georgetown Dish and then a night of dancing to Doug E. Fresh.
