Out and About: Weekend Picks

Photo by army.arch

FRIDAY

MOVIE: The National Portrait Gallery is showing free Western movies by John Ford this weekend. Tonight's movie is Fort Apache, starring John Wayne, Henry Fonda, and Shirley Temple, at 7 p.m. For more of our movie highlights, make sure to consult this week's Popcorn & Candy column.

MUSIC: Former Three Star artist Wayna is performing with Tabi Bonney at Zanzibar. $TBA, 8 p.m.

Fans of New Jersey's The Wrens have been taunted and teased throughout the years with well documented stretches of inactivity. The band's been promising new material for some time and are in town to warm up for its 20th anniversary shows in Hoboken later this year. Poor But Sexy start off the festivities. $15, 9 p.m.

Japan's raucous, insane geniuses, Melt Banana, are at the Rock and Roll Hotel, with The Deserts of Maine, Sugar Dunes and Abiku. $15, 9 p.m.

CLASSICAL: The Haydn Trio Eisenstadt will give a free concert with soprano Lorna Anderson and tenor Jamie MacDougall at the Library of Congress. 8 p.m.

FOOD & DRINK: Did you miss out on the Beaujolais Nouveau parties earlier this week? Well the Alliance Francaise is hosting their own Beaujolais Nouveau Wine & Cheese Party tonight, plus even more cheese: Jerry "The Piano Man" Roman will start the evening by leading some singalongs of standard French hits. Later, DJ Hervé will spin electronic mixes of house music and French covers. 6:30 to 9:30 p.m., $25 for members, $35 for non-members.

SATURDAY:

SHOPPING: National Geographic is having its big Preholiday Warehouse Sale sale at the D.C. Armory, where they'll be offering 25-90 percent off books, apparel, and gift items. 9 a.m. - 5 p.m., both Saturday and Sunday.

ART: And yet more National Geographic, this time the opening of the Terra Cotta Warriors show this weekend at the National Geographic Museum. Over 100 artifacts are on display from the 2000-year-old sculpted army that guarded China's First Emperor from any dangers as he entered the afterlife. Tickets are $12 (adult) and sold by date and 30 minute blocks; purchase them here. And you can find even more art events in our Arts Agenda.

JAZZ: One of the last surviving members of Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool ensemble, Lee Konitz, will perform 7:30 and 9:30 p.m. sets on at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater. Check out our full preview here. Tickets are $35.

MUSIC: "The Greatest Hip Hop Cover Story Ever Told" attempts to offer a look at the world of hip-hop over the past 30 years. The cast of the two nights, two shows Dance Place performance include numerous locals acts, including: Asheru, Tabi Bonney, Hueman Prophets, Maimouna Youssef, XO, Gods’Illa, Syn the Villian, Head Roc, Rosetta Stoned, Tony Moon, The Package, Fatso, Bomani Armah, Mahoganee, Enoch the 7th Prophet, Natural Mystics, Ardamus and Flex Mathews. $20-$50 in advance/$30 at the door, Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m.

Head over to Comet Ping Pong for a record release party celebrating local indie rockers The Jet Age's new release, in "love." Free, 10:30 p.m.

SUNDAY:

MUSIC: The latest concept from Jon Spencer (he of the Blues Explosion) comes to DC9 tonight. Heavy Trash is heavily influenced by rockabilly, with plenty of Spencer's particular brand of weirdness. Elliott Brood opens. 9 p.m., $12.