Out and About: Weekend Picks
FRIDAY:
>> Plenty of tickets still available to see The Flaming Lips at Merriweather Post Pavilion, accompanied by post rockers Explosions in the Sky and Stardeath and White Dwarfs. 6 p.m. doors, $40 Pavilion / $30 Lawn. Tickets available from Ticketmaster.
>> Head to Comet Ping Pong after 10 p.m. to join Panda Head Magazine, as it celebrates the release of its fifth issue. At the party, you'll hear music from fffever, Laughing Man, New Rock Church of Fire, U.S. Royalty, and a surprise "D.C. supergroup."
>> The Japanese Information and Culture Center at the Embassy of Japan is showing Death Note II: The Last Name at 6:30 p.m. for free. This movie, which inspired the Ring movies and was widely popular in Japan, is about a young man named Light, who finds a notebook (the "Death Note") which has the ability to kill people he chooses. Light decides to use this notebook to rid the world of evil, but as he does, a series of twists occur where someone else is taking credit for the murders; trailer. And don't forget to consult our other film picks of the week.
>> Twins Jazz hosts Three Stars alum and DCist fave Thad Wilson tonight and and tomorrow at 9 and 11 p.m. Tickets are $15.
>> The "AfroBeat For Your Soul" party is at Selam (1524 U Street NW) with, DJ Underdog spinning. $1 cover, 10 p.m.
SATURDAY:
>> Make your way over to Columbia Heights Day on the grounds of Harriet Tubman Elementary School at 11th and Kenyon Streets NW. There you'll find live bands all day, dance performances, a dog show, a petting zoo, a cupcake eating contest, and food on the field from Commonweath Gastro Pub and Room 11. View a full schedule line up, and make sure to visit other restaurants in the area offering discount specials all day.
>> The swell Brightest Young Things Summer Camp pool parties are rapidly coming to a close (there's only two left!), and this one is well worth the trip: the much-touted by DCist local hip-hop artist Tabi Bonney will perform live, along with a sweet DJ lineup including Tittsworth, Matt Nordstrom and Stereofaith. $10 gets you into the pool for the entire day.
>> Wake Up and Dream is a local organization that seeks to promote community engagement and involvement. On Saturday, they will be hosting a Rock the Boat DC! evening cruise on the Potomac, with proceeds benefitting the recently profiled Sitar Arts Center. Admission includes dancing, open bar, and heavy hors d'oeuvres. 7:30 to 11 p.m. $60
>> This is your last Saturday to enjoy the Corcoran Gallery’s Free Summer Saturdays from 10-5 p.m.
>> The DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities is hosting 50 dance performances and 10 workshops at 14 venues around the District from August 28-30, for the 6th Annual Dance DC Festival. Performances include hip-hop, salsa, swing, tango and many more, and are all free. There are more performances that can be named here; download the (.PDF) schedule for the full line-up.
>> Art Whino is hosting a fundraiser this Saturday from 5-9 p.m. to raise funds for cancer patients and their families, by featuring artwork from James Walker, performances by Once Okay Twice, Bud Wilkinson and a dance performance by Flying Fists From The Floor. $20 suggested donation at the door to benefit the Dewberry Life With Cancer Center.
>> The Shakespeare Theatre Company hosts a Target Family Fun Fair from 10-5 p.m. for their “Project Shakespeare: As You Like It” includes activity stations where young folks can audition, design sets and costumes, rehearse scenes and walk the red carpet, which I'm sure will all be very cute. (Free For All performances of Taming of the Shrew are also at noon and 8 p.m., see Sunday's listing for more details).
>> Local alt-country fans will want to catch These United States and Hoots & Hellmouth at the Black Cat. 9 p.m., $10/$12.
>> The Hold Steady haven't put out a record in a while, and they tour all the time, so the fact that they have not yet sold out the 9:30 Club on Saturday might have something to do with fan fatigue. Still, if you've never managed to catch them, snap up some $25 tickets for their early show (6:30 p.m. doors).
>> Stick around the 9:30 for the late show, which is serving as the official kick-off party for Sunday's Virgin Mobile Free Fest. DJ sets by Pat Mahoney of LCD Soundsystem, Ursula 1000 and Will Eastman will all be on offer. Did we mention it's totally free? Just RSVP here. 11 p.m. to 3 a.m., 21+
SUNDAY:
>> The Shakespeare Free For All continues through Sept. 12, with two free performances of The Taming of the Shrew today at Sidney Harman Hall: at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Be sure to get in line for tickets at least 3 hours (if not 4) in advance of the performance time - tickets will be handed out, two per person, on a first-come, first-serve basis starting two hours prior to each show.
>> Try an outside-downtown D.C. museum on Sunday by heading to Dumbarton Oaks to see their Charles Simonds Landscape/ Body/ Dwellings and Radiance: Light in the Byzantium exhibits. The museum is free from 2-5 p.m., and entrance to the garden is $8 from 2-6 p.m.
>> The Washington DC Jewish Community Center hosts some of my favorite plays in the area, and on Sunday, you can score pay-what-you-can seats for their new play, Zero Hour. See this highly acclaimed play about a contrary man whose penchant for truth-telling has been sorely missed. 7:30 p.m.
>> If you haven't gotten your ticket for the Virgin Mobile Freefest already, better check out Craiglist -- it's "sold out." 11 a.m. doors.