Out and About: Weekend Picks

Photo by mediaslave

FRIDAY

MOVIE: Don't miss our film picks of the week, including ongoing screenings from the DC Labor FilmFest and the Arabian Sights film festival.

MUSIC: San Francisco dynamic indie folk duo The Dodos, coming off this summer's well-received Time to Die LP release, are at the Rock and Roll Hotel. New Zealand psychsters The Ruby Suns, former Jukebox the Ghost tourmates, join in the fun. The show is currently sold out, but Craigslist has a few options. Doors at 9 p.m.

Lots of intriguing dance nights at the Black Cat this weekend, but for your '80s alt-pop dance fix, as always, look no further than DJ lil'e's Right Round. $8, Mainstage, 9 p.m.

The free concert series at the Library of Congress gets under way this week, with a performance by the Regev-Huang-Weilerstein Trio tonight at 8 p.m. The program will feature the alluring Alisa Weilerstein playing Mendelssohn's first cello sonata, as well as Mendelssohn's first piano trio and John Adams's Road Movies. Tickets for reserved seats are already all spoken for, but if you arrive early (at the First St. entrance of the Jefferson Building) you have a very good chance of getting a stand-by seat.

SATURDAY

FOOD & DRINK: Alexandria's Rustico hosts one of the more intriguing Oktoberfest options this weekend, featuring 26 beers on tap, live music, kids activities, and food from sister restaurants like Vermilion, Tallula, Buzz and the Evening Star Cafe. Free entry, 12 - 6 p.m. Plus enter to win a 1997 Harley Davidson.

Or pay either $5 for one sample or $20 for 5 samples at the Taste of Georgetown event this weekend, featuring 30 area restaurants. 11 a.m.- 4 p.m., at the intersection of Wisconsin and M Street. Don't miss our how to eat guide.

MUSEUMS: The National Museum of Women in the Arts opens two new exhibits this month. Lands of Enchantment: Australian Aboriginal Painting presents 26 masterworks by some of Australia’s best-known painters. The second exhibit, Telling Secrets: Codes, Captions, and Conundrums in Contemporary Art, asks viewers to consider multiple interpretations and inscribe their own ideas and experiences onto each image found in this collection. Both open Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. For more information on museum offerings this weekend, check our October Museum Roundup.

Have you been by the National Mall lately and seen all those houses? Wondered what they were for? It’s the Deptartment of Energy’s Solar Decathon, a competition among 20 college and universities to design, build, and operate the most attractive and energy-efficient solar-powered house. Read our preview of the free event here, which offers tours from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

JAZZ: Hear 15 promising young bassists compete for more than $100,000 in scholarships and prizes in the semifinals of this year's prestigious Thelonious Monk International Jazz Competition. You can catch them for free at the Smithsonian Natural History Museum from 12-4 p.m. on Saturday (the ticket line opens 90 minutes before the performances, get there early), or pay the $35+ for the final competition on Sunday night at the Kennedy Center, featuring a gala concert celebrating the 70th anniversary of Blue Note Records; the Sunday event starts at 7:30 p.m.

MUSIC: Hip-hop outfit Anti-Pop Consortium bring their abstract beats and rhyming styles to the Rock and Roll Hotel, $12 in advance/$14 at the door. 9 p.m.

The legendary Bob Mould sets up camp at the 9:30 Club for a full night of, well, Bob Mould. His band plays the early show with doors at 7 p.m. (tickets $20), while his signature BLOWOFF featuring the DJ stylings of, you guessed it, Bob Mould and Richard Morel takes over the late night shift starting at 11:30 p.m. Tickets $12.

SUNDAY

ART: Conner Contemporary continues their Experimental Video series with the third edition featuring work from the Rubell Family Collection. Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m., and at 5 p.m., Mera Rubell hosts a conversation with curator/video artist Brandon Morse. Free at the Capitol Skyline Hotel.

DISCUSSION: The Newseum's Inside Media event this weekend features Putlitzer-Prize winning WaPo journalist David Finkel discussing his work On the Front Line of the Iraq Surge and his new book, The Good Soldiers, at 2:30 p.m. for free with regular admission.

MUSIC: The Sweetgreen Barcode Block Party goes on from 4-8 p.m. at 20th and Mass. Check out performances from US Royalty, Beautiful Swimmers and DJ Chris Burns, plus yoga with Lululemon and fixed gear bike racing by DURKL.

The Black Cat and The New Gay host Homo/Sonic, the excellent alternative dance night for queer folks and their friends, on the Mainstage. This time, the party is in honor of the national equality march. Doors at 9 p.m., $10.

Combining traditional second line grooves with the sounds of contemporary funk and R&B, the Crescent City's Rebirth Brass Band is not-to-be missed. They're at Liv, the club level of Bohemian Caverns. $25, 7 p.m.