Arts and Events: May 2008 Archives

Does a musical have to break new ground in order to be considered a success? It’s true that Broadway has seen some exciting evolution lately in the form of “younger” works like Spring Awakening and In The Heights. But in an era that’s largely been dominated by jukebox musicals and cinematic retreads, it’s refreshing to see a new production that feels like a return to the old form, and a triumphant one that’s neither nostalgic nor ironic. Good musicals are hard to write, and it’s perhaps not surprising that such a work come from some of the old masters, Kander & Ebb.

Starting this morning and continuing until Saturday evening, the Start with the Arts Family Festival is holding performances and kids workshops in Columbus Circle, in front of Union Station. VSA Arts, which is throwing the celebration, is an organization dedicated to making a place where people with disabilities can participate in and enjoy the visual and performing arts.

Now this is some great perspective. Flickr user ccandumplins took this shot of little Mia at Gravelly Point near National Airport. The choice of tones and the shallow depth of field bring the whole composition together.

Assrockers have a simple goal: to rock asses. The D.C. quintet plays half-joking hard rock, with songs about Julius Caesar, the Battle of Hastings, and hot moms. They've been around since 2001, playing with various line-ups complete with leather pants and ridiculous assumed names. The band's genius is in its live shows, which are loud and funny, but still appeal to anyone who likes to rock.

Let's not beat around the bush. Radio waves, video channels or whatever other medium we find ourselves receiving music through are cluttered with nonsense, more times than not. The effort required to wade through this audio morass can be daunting, but when that special "something" is found, it's rewarding. Much like her debut album, Moments of Clarity, Wayna's newest release, Higher Ground, displays a level of artistry that's rarely found among the plethora of singers presently occupying the musical landscape.

Get psyched -- the Source Festival is back! When the Source Theater went off the map for awhile, so did the annual event, but it's returning this year. The event boasts interesting collaborations between seasoned artists and rookies, and creators in different mediums. It begins June 21.

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week.

JAZZ: Serbian guitar virtuoso Goran Ivanovic leads Eastern Blok at Twins Jazz. The group blends traditional Balkan melodies with the improvisational elements of jazz. Tonight's performance will also feature the vocal talents of singer Grazyna Auguscik. Call 202-234-0072 for set time and cover information.

>> At Randall Scott, see the new photographic exhibit by Sarah Wilmer. The young Brooklyn artist was named as one of the 30 under 30 to watch by PDN Magazine last year; in the accompanying profile she describes her work as "dark and weird." Wilmer creates worlds -- often faiery, dream-like worlds, populated with pale, beautiful people doing mysterious tasks (pictured right). See them at the reception on Saturday, 7 to 9 p.m.

Flickr contributor ZM73 used geotagging to let us know exactly where this photo was taken. While it may seem that this bike path may bring you straight into a black hole, rest assured that it does continue on, though you may want to have a light on your bike if you want to navigate it safely.

From Ethiopia to D.C. and from White House staffer to R&B singer. It goes almost without saying that the story of how Wayna got to the point she's at today is quite unique. But the important thing is that she got here and we're richer for it.

One of the great things about living in a city as diverse as ours is the variety of ethnic music that one hears while just walking down the street, whether it be coming out of a club, a car rolling with its top down, or out of an open apartment window. Those looking to open their windows and contribute to the city's ambient soundtrack should give a listen to Made in Dakar, by celebrated Senegalese collective Orchestra Baobab. Released last week on World Circuit/Nonesuch Records, the recording provides the perfect aural complement to the sunshine filled (and often steamy) days that make up spring and summer in the District.

FILM: AFI is showing Kim Dae-woo's Forbidden Quest, the story of a Korean scholar who embarks on a journey to write an erotic novel. The show is at 9:45 p.m., and tickets can be purchased ahead of time.

      

On the surface, Danish post-rock band Efterklang, experimental Oakland hip-hop act Subtle and mysterious Pittsburgh psych-poppers Black Moth Super Rainbow have little in common. The three acts hail from different parts of the world, write songs that occupy different bands of the emotional spectrum and can, for all intents and purposes, be filed away in different sub-genres. In a live setting, however, the distinctions and genre lines that separate these bands crumble, giving way to a show that feels more like an act in three parts than three separate performances.

During "I Made a Resolution", Sea Wolf songwriter Alex Church promises that he's never going to sing a sad song again. But considering that Sea Wolf's set at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Sunday had been half downtrodden weary balladry and half more uptempo yet equally gloomy chamber-pop, this resolution will likely go the way of the standard "I'm going to quit smoking," "I'm going to lose weight" and "I'm going to stop drinking." Church is clearly a moody balladeer at heart, but he has a way with picturesque arrangements and much like the songs on Midlake's The Trials of Van Occupanther, some of these songs brought to mind woodland cabins and cloudy skies as easily as broken hearts. This sort of moody songwriting might not necessarily lend itself to memorable live performances but luckily for Church and co., their set had enough variety in terms of tempo so that there were only a few lags in their set.

>> Drummer Brian Choper leads the Choper Jazz Project tonight at Twins Jazz. Call 202-234-0072 for set times and cover information.

Mr. T in DC took this photo of a windpower themed globe at the U.S. Botanic Garden. Over 40 sculptures are included in their One Planet -- Ours! Sustainability for the 22nd Century exhibit, which opened last weekend and runs through October. Check out one of the many corresponding events (pdf) going on this summer -- and be sure to take a peek at what's in bloom while you're there.

Mid-Atlantic rockers My Friend Autumn began recording sessions for their first full length album back in 2004. Four years and a series of major life changes later, they have re-emerged this month with a collection of tracks exhibiting an eclectic mix of emotions and sounds. Summer Music for Winter People appropriately sums up the moodiness of these melodies, peppered with just the right amount of positive, upbeat moments to keep everything in balance. Jim Greif, Jon Heller, Chris Kudela, and Matt Cummins have put together a first album that tests the waters of their abilities and styles.

The folks at DC9 like The Republic Tigers. The Kansas City quintet were at the 9th Street club in April, and the club liked them so much they brought them back for Friday's Liberation Dance Party.

There's a sign inside of Mt. Pleasant church space turned alternative venue La Casa that reads "Capacity: 74 people." It's a picture that, if juxtaposed with the number of music lovers actually crammed into the place to check out U.S. Royalty at a benefit for victims of a neighborhood apartment fire last month, could've found itself a spot in The Onion. The crowd already knew that established acts like Kitty Hawk and Ra Ra Rasputin would put on exciting sets, but U.S. Royalty seemed to be the night's great question mark since a buzz had already started to simmer, despite having come into existence only six months before. After a powerful set that saw singer John Thornley fall effortlessly between the microphone and the piano bench and provide some exciting hooks that ranged geographically in influence from Brazil to Tennessee, the question mark wasn't whether the band was any good, but for how long they'd stay local. It seems they've picked an appropriate band name, although we'll have to wait until July for their first release.

>> Twin Cities-based indie hip-hop stars Eyedea & Abilities are on the road again and will be at Rock and Roll Hotel as a part of the "Appetite for Distraction" tour. They'll be joined by local acts Educated Consumers and Math Panda. $12, 8 p.m.

Mascagni's over-performed, bite-sized piece of verismo pablum is neither of those things (although even WCO resorted to Cavalleria a few years ago). The initially disappointing sales for these performances seemed to indicate that even the often unadventurous Washington audience had voted it down. The slate of singers, however, had to give anyone pause, as it included two important names in this sort of repertory. The Sunday afternoon performance removed any doubt: anyone who loves great singing, such as we do not hear all that often here in Washington, should find a way to hear the only remaining performance, this Friday night.

It would be impossible to review Artomatic’s ten floors of art in its entirety. The show is scatterbrained, and intentionally. First come, first serve is no jury; Artomatic treats all artists and crafters the same, and puts them all smack next to each other. In an art setting where it can be difficult to determine if a participant is old or young, joking or serious, novice, student, or seasoned, some work stood out to the DCist staff. Below are some of our favorites; leave yours in the comments.

CLASSICAL: The Richmond Symphony Orchestra will perform its 50th Anniversary Concert at 8 p.m. in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, with guest soloist Christopher O'Riley. O'Riley is well known for his piano arrangements of songs by alternative rock musicians like Radiohead and Elliott Smith, but will be playing more traditional fare tonight with selections by Mahler, Rachmaninoff, and Ravel. $35-$55.

While most everyone is back at work today, today's photo by Flickr user noahdevereaux let's us reminisce about what you may have been doing during your long weekend off. And also remember that this will be a short work week, so we're already one day closer to the weekend.

The District is excited to welcome its newest rock royalty!

Carl Hiaasen will make an appearance at Politics and Prose to discuss and sign copies of his book, The Downhill Lie. A downhill lie must be like when you tell a friend that you love their favorite band, even though you don't, and then they say, "Well, I have an extra ticket to their show on Saturday," which you respond, "That's too bad. My sister's in town." Actually, the book is about golf. 7 p.m.

>> Happy Memorial Day! Assuming you're not exhausted from all the pool splashing and hot dog eating, you can head to Iota for a rare show from Ida (pictured right), who have been singing gorgeous indie folk-rock harmonies since the mid-1990s, and have the particular distinction of being the favorite band of DCist editor Sommer Mathis. $12, 8:30 p.m.

>> Finnish composer Jean Sibelius is one of those composers whose name is recognized by many people, but much of whose music is not well known. He has written more than just those few famous Finnish-themed tone poems, including a cycle of symphonies well worth knowing better. You have your chance this week when guest conductor Vladimir Ashkenazy leads an all-Sibelius program with the National Symphony Orchestra (May 29 to 31) in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. The program combines two of those symphonies, no. 1 and no. 7, as well as the tone poem The Oceanides. Tickets: $20 to $80 (full-time students are eligible to buy $10 tickets through the Attend! program, only at the box office and only for the Thursday and Friday concerts).

Theater J's -esque musical referencing the WWE in the same breath as scripture. Postmodern, "in-on-the-joke" type of piece that directly addresses the audience and weaves the future with past.

The first time I saw Nick Thorburn perform he was wearing a pink tuxedo, and with good reason: although his group, the Unicorns, sang songs about things like death, ghosts and nautical catastrophe, they did so with the youthful exuberance of mischievous teenagers headed to prom. Thorburn and his bandmates took to the stage, then the rafters, then the outstretched hands of an audience full of newly-minted fans.

Antony and Cleopatra is a sprawling, lumbering beast of a play — war, international intrigue, doomed love — but the best stuff in the Shakespeare Theatre’s current production is the smallest stuff: he-said/she-said, jealousy, drunkenness. When Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, learns from a rightly mortified messenger that Antony, the Roman General with whom she’s been engaged in a forbidden and yet very public love affair, has married (for the second time), she demands a description of the bride. “What majesty was in her gait?”

>> Stop by the Hillyer Art Space for an art party, featuring DJs Will Eastman and Gavin Holland, while Kylos brings you some live video art. Tickets can be purchased in advance for $10 (email katherinep [at] artsandartists.org), with the money going to support the gallery's Local Artist Series. While you're there, enjoy the ongoing show by Anna U. Davis. 7 to 11 p.m.

As unabashedly retro, amphetamine-spiked rocksoulpunkabilly two-fers go, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than pioneering Los Angeles punkers X, with garage-rock archeologists the Detroit Cobras on the undercard. Billed as X’s 31st anniversary tour, (though their recorded career began with 1980’s Los Angeles) this greasy double bill pulled into the 9:30 Club Wednesday night for two-and-a-half hours of rocket-fueled Motor City soul and punk.

Although this great photo by mosley.brian was taken while spending the day in Cheverly, the District has its own owls as well, although a bit more caged. If you're around town this weekend, why not take advantage of the great weather and head to the National Zoo for a stroll? The zoo's Bird House has a Burrowing Owl and a Mottled Owl, as well as over 100 other birds throughout the park. EXIF.

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week.

MUSIC: Artomatic hosts a free performance from local shoegazers Screen Vinyl Image. The band's hazy sound and atmospheric visuals should provide a nice compliment to the visual art overload housed inside the eight story building. Free, 8 p.m.

       

Written with DCist contributor Amy Maxmen

One of the great things about our fair city is its proximity to the open road and some gorgeous scenery, and this photo by SpecialEd98 serves as a reminder. Those of us trapped in cubes might be kinda jealous of the happy dog, whose name is Wally for those of you that are curious, but this picture helps us take our minds off the unseasonably cold weather and keeps our attention on a potentially glorious long weekend. Old Rag, anyone? EXIF.

Crafty Bastards participants may have a higher calling now. The Smithsonian American Art Museum has just announced the creation of a Curator of Craft position, after an $800,000 donation was made by Lloyd Herman, founder of the Renwick Gallery. Other patrons inspired by the gift have ponied up more funds to support the new role, amounting to $1.2 million so far. Herman encouraged, "Whatever their means, I hope that artists, collectors and all others who treasure American creativity in glass, clay, wood, fibers and metals will help me establish a permanently endowed curatorial position for craft at the Smithsonian American Art Museum."

Some joyful men the likes of The Hold Steady's Craig Finn and Jens Lekman have graced D.C.’s stages over the past year, but all pale in comparison to the utter excitement exuded by Pela’s Bill McCarthy. Since their performance at DAM! Fest in October, Pela has had a rough couple of months. In addition to McCarthy’s 45 stitches in his hand, there was an allusion to a band member who went into the wilderness of his mind during that period, and a less than amicable split from their record label, Great Society Records. As it turns out, these challenges not only birthed four new songs, but the sort of fire onstage that made an already exciting live band put on a show that caused even lukewarm fans to leave with fists and hearts pumping.

Sure, with Folger Theater, two Shakespeare Theaters, and Washington Shakespeare Company all alive and kicking in D.C. (not to mention Synetic's silent Shakespeare productions), it's not exactly hard to get your Bard fix in this city. But what do all those companies have in common? You have to pay for them.

One person out there was angry enough to pick up the phone—not to call the city or the gallery or the developer, but to alert the Humane Society to the fact that goldfish were trapped inside. The caller pleaded for intervention on behalf of the fish, which were swimming in wall-mounted half-globes backed with photos from various sites around the city.

MUSIC: A strong night of local hip-hop at the Velvet Lounge. Slated to appear are Dr. Beckett, The Package, Peace Justice (a.k.a. DJ Eurok) and DJ Provoke. Presented free by Upset the Setup and Catalyst Skateboards, 9 p.m.

James Marshall, or Dalek, has been a fixture in the urban art scene for ten years. Best known for his "Space Monkey" characters, Marshall brings this influence to Irvine Contemporary in his solo show, Overweight.

When I first came across this photo by cstein96 in the DCist pool yesterday, the quaint scene and the cinematic quality to it gave me a strange sense of joy. When I found it again today, I realized why: The Red Balloon! The image of this bright red hat blowing away in the wind over the cityscape is a cute little homage to the film so many of us remember watching in our childhood. EXIF.

It's clear from the moment they hit the stage that Pattern Is Movement want to become everybody's friends. The Philadelphia duo immediately invite everyone down to the stage, eliminating the awkward horseshoe shaped barrier that sometimes exists between band and audience and immediately plunge into their visceral yet symphonic tunes from last month's release, All Together, that include such disparate influences as Radiohead, math rockers like Deerhoof and Broadway musicals. Then they ask the audience to join in for hand clapping and sing-alongs, whether they know the words to the songs or not. Andrew Thiboldeaux's vibrant tenor and friendly manner of speaking and the cheerful exuberance of drummer Chris Ward make the show an inviting experience. Thiboldeaux will even take his shoes off. We caught up with both Thiboldeaux and Ward after their Baltimore show to ask them five (actually, six) questions about covering Radiohead, which city has given them the best sing-a-long and what they had planned for last night's show at the Black Cat Backstage with another duo, Phoenix Subpoppers, Helio Sequence.

>> Tonight's pick takes place at Bohemian Caverns, as Three Stars alum Will Rast leads his smokin' 11-piece band, Funk Ark, through two sets. Tickets are $10, 8 and 10 p.m. sets.

MUSIC: The Black Cat's backstage hosts a night of duos: Portland's The Helio Sequence pens indie-rock songs with electronic embellishments while Philly's Pattern Is Movement craft minimalist tunes out of repeating patterns and theatrical vocals. $10, 9 p.m.

>> At the Velvet Lounge, four local hip-hop acts will be putting on a performance. Slated to appear are Dr. Beckett, The Package, Peace Justice (a.k.a. DJ Eurok) and DJ Provoke. Free, 9 p.m.

An automotive showroom for the R.L. Taylor Motor Company, a restaurant supplies retailer under Adams-Burch, and a Pentecostal chapel with the Church of the Rapture—the building that occupies the southwest corner of 14th and T Streets NW has served many people in many ways. Its most recent and perhaps improbable career turn—as a guerrilla art space hidden in the heart of one of D.C.'s fastest-rising commercial corridors—came to a close on Saturday.

Today's photo of Union Station was taken by Flickr contributor djgroovyslug. The curved fisheye lines and the wonderful colors and lights make this image stand out. While the fisheye look may not be for everyone, it gives the viewer a unique perspective on a frequently photographed building. (Photographing inside Union Station may be a whole other story, of course.) EXIF

>> The wye oak is Maryland's honorary state tree, so it makes sense that Baltimore duo Wye Oak chose to pilfer the moniker for their band: while essentially an indie-pop act, there's a woodsy, folky undercurrent that runs through the band's songs, rooting them to the folk traditions that once dominated the Mid-Atlantic. At the Black Cat with The Dead Science and Yukon, $8, 9 p.m.

Pela, the Brooklyn four-piece, had quite a year in 2007. They released their debut album, Anytown Graffiti, in April, had their music featured on the dearly departed Veronica Mars, made inroads at influential radio stations like KEXP, Indie 103.1 and WOXY, and spent most the year touring the country. They also headlined our own Unbuckled 5. In November, they decamped to L.A. to record their sophomore album and planned to spend the early part of 2008 back on the road.

     

On the list of the most widely circulated myths about Washington, sandwiched in between "they all work for the government" and "it's such a transient city" is this little mistruth: "no one in D.C. knows how to have a good time". Now, we could (and probably will) spend all week arguing this point in the comments, but at the end of the day, that surely isn't going to convince anyone outside of D.C. that we know how to have fun -- if anything, just the opposite. Luckily, there are folks among us who are doing their part as goodwill ambassadors for the District, by disabusing out-of-towners of their erroneous notions in person. Don't believe us? Well, you should have been at the Black Cat on Thursday night, when a sold-out crowd showed a few touring bands that there's more to this town than what you see on C-SPAN.

Another Monday, another finished weekend jampacked with photogenic activities. Looks like folks hit up the many embassy events for Passport DC, the Asian Heritage Festival, the Washington Post Hunt, the Andrews AFB Air Show, and of course, Artomatic. We've been waiting for "the" shot from the windows of Capital Plaza I -- on my trip there this weekend, I spent nearly as much time staring out over the cityscape as I did looking at the art. This brilliant yellow sunset captured by spiggycat gets just the peak of the National Cathedral (and a couple of cranes, of course) rising up over the other buildings, giving it a quintessential D.C. feel. Maybe we should add that silhouette to our logo, huh? EXIF.

Kelly McMasters will be at Politics and Prose to talk about her memoir, Welcome to Shirley, which looks at the town of Shirley, New York — a wonderful place to grow up in the 1970s, but unfortunately not a great place to spend the rest of your life thanks to the close proximity of the leaky Brookhaven atomic research facility. 7 p.m.

>> The bonus performances from Washington National Opera this week are devoted to a popular verismo opera, Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana. Concert performances are scheduled for next Sunday (May 25, 2 p.m.) and the following Friday (May 30, 7:30 p.m.), in the Kennedy Center Opera House. The two leads will be sung by big-name stars, mezzo-soprano Dolora Zajick and tenor Salvatore Licitra, and Gordon Hawkins will sing the role of Alfio. Preceded by crowd-pleasing overtures and orchestral pieces from other 19th-century Italian operas, this saccharine program is a shameless appeal to the most traditionally minded audience. Tickets, ranging from $24 to $250, are surprisingly still available.

FRIDAY:

This Saturday and Sunday from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m., plan a stroll around the Logan and Dupont Circle neighborhoods to check out the art studios of the Mid City Artists. Be sure to print out their map before you head out, wear comfy shoes, and take note of the specific times listed—the studios span nine square blocks and the opening and closing times vary. This week, DCist spoke with several of the participating artists, including Sondra Arkin, Brian Petro, Tanja Bos, Bridget Sue Lambert and Scott Brooks.

Most of us have made, or will make, a major career change at some point, but it must have been a shock to those close to her when, in 1997, Vijai Nathan decided to abandon her career in journalism for the dog-eat-dog world of stand-up comedy. Since then, she has appeared on ABC News’ 20/20, PBS, The Oxygen Network, the BBC, and in 2003 was named one of the country's top ten comics by Backstage Magazine. For the past several years, she also followed another path by developing solo theater pieces.

Flickr user {ryan} took this shot of a familiar sight for many of us as summer rolls around, though we have to admit he captured colors and lines much more beautifully than most of us tend to remember, as we drag our heavy bags through the terminals at DCA. EXIF.

. The performers, by and large are first rate -- we have Kate Eastwood Norris, she of the impeccable comic timing, as the social-climbing Lady Teazle, and David Sabin as her husband, blustering conspiratorially to the audience at her antics. When it comes to playwrights, Sheridan's no slouch, and it's at times surprising how well the 18th century work's slapstick and satire holds up over time.

Last week, when DCist met with Michael Janis at the Washington Glass School, the studio was abuzz with artists working. Janis’ colleagues Tim Tate and Erwin Timmers were there working on their own projects, and the team was preparing for several upcoming events: this Saturday’s Gateway Arts District Open Studios, the many glass events at Artomatic, and the June 4 grand opening of their public art project at Ballston Liberty Plaza, as well as their regular regimen of teaching classes, creating artwork, and displaying in galleries nationwide.

>> Artomatic continues this week. Join them tonight for an art collecting discussion sponsored by Pink Line at 7 p.m., or on Friday for Meet the Artists Night, from 7 to 10 p.m., or perhaps feel more at home during Blogger's Night in the 12th floor lounge on Saturday from 7 to 9 p.m. Read through the other hundred or so events going on this weekend on Artomatic's calendar. And don't forget to check out the winners of the Sunday Source's annual Peeps Diorama Contest on the 10th floor.

MUSIC: Didn't manage to score a ticket to tonight's sold-out Cut Copy show at the Black Cat? Head over here to RSVP for the official afterparty at edgy clothing boutique Redeem across the street. The party starts at 10 p.m. and goes until 3, with local DJs Will Eastman and DJ Cale adding their support to the music choices. The event is being advertised as having an open bar, but the folks at Redeem told us the only free drinks are likely to be vodka and Redbulls -- if that's your drink of choice, you're in for a treat.

This photo, titled "The Great Divide" brought to you from Flickr contributor picture prefect, reminds us to head down to the D.C. waterfront to pick out some fresh catch. Why not break out the Old Bay and mallets, and get some of both? EXIF.

When blogging about books in D.C., you tend to receive more press releases about political non-fiction than any other genre — so much that it starts to make you cynical. Most of the books read like armchair quarterbacking with an unhealthy dose of rhetoric. But Matthew Yglesias' book, Heads in the Sand: How the Republicans Screw Up Foreign Policy and Foreign Policy Screws Up the Democrats, manages to break out of that mold. Yglesias, an associate editor at The Atlantic and one of the most recognizable names in the blogosphere, has put together an intelligent analysis of foreign policy that really stresses the shortcomings of both parties, instead of glossing over problems on the left and villifying the right. The independent voter in us loves that kind of stuff. We were able to chat with Yglesias recently about the book, the presidential election and what's next.

While the Kennedy Center's annual Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival should be applauded for honoring the women of this great American art form, it is a shame that it is even necessary. While artists such as the festival's namesake and a host of others have made major contributions to jazz, the fact of the matter is that this music is still heavily male dominated. When asked how she viewed the festival, drummer par excellence Allison Miller (pictured) chose to look at it from a broader perspective.

The death of the irrepressibly innovative artist Robert Rauschenberg on Monday marks a loss for the entire world of art. Tyler Green rounds up a list of obituaries and more for accounts on the man. In D.C., the loss is acutely felt, owing to his many fine works in the national collections this city hosts, but that should also serve as a warm reminder about his life and works.

MUSIC: Members of three of our former Three Stars (The Bonapartes, Death By Sexy, and The Third Programme) have banded together to form Cobra Collective. They'll be performing their first show at the Black Cat tonight with Dennis Kane and Once Okay Twice. $8, 9 p.m.

Seeing a band scheduled for two consecutive nights can be nirvana for die hard fans, but for those without that sort of disposable income, it can also pose the question of which night will yield the better show. Granted, many concert goers are also at the mercy of their daily schedules, but trying to figure out whether a band is a better band the first night or the second night, even without factors like a band member's tenuous health (see: last month's New Pornographers two-night residency) can be nerve-wracking. The Black Keys singer/guitar virtuoso Dan Auerbach broke it down simply on Monday night: "We'll play better tonight and we'll play more songs tomorrow night," he said.

We may see helicopters flying around the capital all the time, but this photo by SuperTopher is admittedly pretty cool. This U.S. Park Police helicopter was banking over some rough Potomac waters, in front of a very nice, subtly colored sunset. EXIF.

>> Tonight, Chicago's freewheeling fusion quartet Hudson pays a visit to Busboys & Poets. 9 p.m. $10

    

Last night Cultural Tourism DC threw a party with Ambassador of Morocco Aziz Mekouar to give invited guests a taste of Moroccan cuisine, music and culture. There are loads of other events still planned as part of the Passport DC festival, which runs through May 17. Unfortunately the Morocco event last night couldn't be held in the Embassy of Morocco because the building isn't currently open, but the Arts Club of Washington made for a fine substitute.

>> It's been over a decade since Erykah Badu burst onto the scene with her nasally ode to the nature of the universe, "On & On". She'll be at Constitution Hall for two nights in support of her latest album, New Amerykah, Pt. 1: 4th World War. Joining her will be America's foremost hip-hop band, The Roots. Last month they released Rising Down, which features guest vocals from D.C.'s own Wale on the go-go influenced track, "Rising Up". The Wednesday show is sold out but Craigslist has a few sellers. $51-76, 7:30 p.m.

MUSIC: Colour Revolt, an up and coming rock band from Mississippi, plays guitar-heavy tunes with literature-inspired lyrics tonight at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Also playing are Snowden, The Epochs, and Bellfur on this full bill. $12, 8:30 p.m.

Today's photo of the inside of the Newseum by Flickr contributor LOOKING S I D E W A Y S utilizes words along with strong imagery in this wonderful black and white capture. The Newseum has inspired many images of its exterior, but the view from inside the building out seems to be just as good. EXIF.

Driving down I-66 West to the Nissan Pavilion Saturday evening was an experience (though obviously, not nearly as much of an "experience" as Sunday night's Radiohead show was). There were a number of cars loaded with people looking to be in their teens or early 20s lining the road, wearing the trademark sunglasses and blaring the music of the artist they were going to see, Kanye West.

Elektra has been abandoned in the house of Agamemnon, who was murdered upon his return from the Trojan War by his wife and her lover. She plots her revenge for her father's murder, even burying the axe used to kill him, in the hope that she and her brother, Orest, can use it to slay Klytemnästra. This is not the first misfortune to befall the doomed House of Atreus, and it will not be the last. Why is Elektra so devoted to her father, who slew another of his daughters, Iphigenia, to appease Artemis and grant strong winds for the voyage to Troy?

>> The Black Keys are playing two sold out shows this week (Monday and Tuesday) at the 9:30 Club with Buffalo Killers. Their latest album, Attack & Release, was released on April 1 and produced by R&B and mash-up producer Danger Mouse. Looks like there are a few tickets for sale for both nights on Craigslist.

MUSIC: The Black Keys are playing two sold out shows this week (tonight and Tuesday) at the 9:30 Club with Buffalo Killers. Try Craigslist.

              

Swiss lighting artist Gerry Hofstetter brought his work to Washington National Cathedral over the weekend, as part of a celebration of the Cathedral’s centennial. Hofstetter projected his incredible artwork across the Cathedral for a piece titled Lighting to Unite. There were so many amazing captures of this event in our Flickr pool this morning, we just had to share them with you. Did you make it up to the Cathedral to see it for yourself?

That Mark Antony was really a master manipulator.

If you sat at home all weekend, you're likely the only one in the Metro region who did. Between Artomatic's opening weekend, National Cathedral's Lighting to Unite event, or six hour roundtrip drives to Nissan Pavilion, you got our Flickr pool jampacked with the weekend's goings-on. We decided not to torture some of you with this great shot of Johnny Greenwood, especially after we saw this lovely photo by Aardvark_For_Freedom of a lady taking her time to check out a couple Artomatic booths. We've been hearing good things about this year's show so far, so be sure to set some time aside for a couple trips to cover the entire exhibition. EXIF.

Nostalgic for the grunge rock of yore? Laurie Lindeen will be at the Olsson's in Dupont Circle to talk about her memoir, Petal Pusher: A Rock and Roll Cinderella Story, which looks at her stint in the 80s and 90s as the guitarist for Zuzu's Petals. 7 p.m.

Graphic designers: Back away from the computer and head to the Ballyhoo! Posters as Portraiture exhibit at the National Portrait Gallery. In the sixty displayed postered portraits, one can see an evolution of graphic design and advertising, with each era screaming its identity through fonts, colors and graphic techniques, as well as the obvious context of the featured face. Keeping true to the NPG’s mission, all 60 posters are about Americans or American films, however many of them were produced in Europe to promote overseas releases. In addition to the numerous film ads, the exhibit also highlights circus posters from the late 1800s, war propaganda, and the $100,000 reward poster for John Wilkes Booth and his accomplices (which, interestingly, screams "100,000 Reward! THE MURDERERS," only naming Lincoln and Booth in very small type beneath).

>> The modern music ensemble known as eighth blackbird will perform a program called The Only Moving Thing on Tuesday (May 13, 7:30 p.m.) in the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater. This adventurous concert combines Steve Reich's Double Sextet (for six musicians playing simultaneously with a recording of themselves) with a staged collaborative work by David Lang, Michael Gordon, and Julia Wolfe of Bang on a Can fame. Both works were premiered by the ensemble this past March (reviewed by the Post). Tickets: $38.

Last month was National Poetry Month. But for poets and proselytizers of poetry, the work never stops. Local poet and human dynamo Deborah Ager is the driving force behind 32 Poems, one of the most respected poetry journals in the country, one that has, in the short time its been around, attracted the attention and the work of such notable poets as Brigit Pegeen Kelly and former U.S. Poet Laureate Billy Collins. Ager and 32 Poems are co-hosting Poetry and Music tonight at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, combining poetry readings from local poets Sandra Beasley and Bernadette Geyer with songs performed by the group The Caribbean.

FRIDAY:

Despite eight full floors filled with the work of over 800 visual artists, a slew of stages prepared for musical, dance, theatric, and 200 other performing artists, it's good to remember that Artomatic, which opens today, is about a lot more than "art."

Singer/songwriter/guitarists Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley had already been struggling to make music together for more than a decade when they formed the Drive-By Truckers in 1996. As the 1999 live album Alabama Ass Whuppin’ documents, this early incarnation of their band — which also featured drummer Brad Morgan, the only other founding member who has remained amid several lineup changes — was an explosive unit that specialized in bitterly funny slice-of-life alt-country-rock, mostly about working-class or sub-working-class characters (many of them non-fictional), all from the South.

was only the second show in history to transition from D.C. to Broadway - and its run only lasted one night.

Solistalgia: a combination of the root words solacium (comfort) and algia (pain), best defined by its author as "...a form of homesickness one gets when one is still at home." Citing the term and how his generation has nothing to hold onto, young artist Benjamin Jurgensen brings together everyday objects that are highly influenced by pop culture and mass media. In Don't Ready to Die Anymore at Meat Market Gallery, Jurgensen presents a collection of these influences in bright monotone sculptures.

Looks like Flickr contributor calnenearley got an early preview of Lighting to Unite at the National Cathedral, which is set to start tonight. With colors this good, it looks like this is one event that shouldn't be missed.

MUSIC: The "queen of rock", the one and only Wanda Jackson, is at Jammin' Java in Vienna tonight. 7:30 p.m., $18 at the door.

If you happen to be on the mailing list for Artomatic, precisely 3,000 emails have told you that the five-week, eight-floor exhibition opens on Friday. Keep an eye out tomorrow, as we'll be headed to the pre-opening walk-through and will have a preview of the whole shebang for you in the afternoon. The gates officially open at noon at Capital Plaza I, 1200 First St NE, near the New York Avenue Metro. All events and exhibits are free.

As you can read in a preview article by Stephen Brookes in the Post, the performance will be "spoken and sung by an amplified soprano (the remarkable Hila Plitmann, in her NSO debut) who at one point sings through a bullhorn." You may remember Plitmann's disembodied voice from Hans Zimmer's soundtrack for The Da Vinci Code, but don't hold that against her. Brookes also writes that Final Alice "calls for a gargantuan orchestra augmented by sirens, a theremin and an amplified 'folk group' of saxophones, a mandolin, a banjo and an accordion." In other words, this is not going to be your average evening at the symphony.

Today's photo from Flickr contributor c00lmarie of a gentleman trying to enjoy the weather by bringing his office outdoors. While this was taken some time ago, it was just added to the DCist Pool and is a gentle reminder that with the much warmer weather ahead, you might want to find your little spot outside where you can work but still keep cool.

Trumpeter Nicholas Payton emerged in the early 1990s as part of a new wave of young lions who picked up the trail left by the likes of Wynton Marsalis in the 1980s. The Crescent City native, who will be performing tonight and tomorrow at Blues Alley, is the son of respected bassist Walter Payton. Growing up, he studied and performed with some of the finest jazzers New Orleans had to offer. This upbringing has had a lasting effect on his music, leading him on a crusade against the notion that jazz is elitist or an acquired taste.

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week.

In the past, we've written a lot about two start-up music festivals, the Six Points Music Festival and DAM! Fest, which were both organized locally, held in venues around town and highlighted both local musicians as well as acts from elsewhere. We realized that too many press-release-free months had gone by with no mention of anything new, so we checked in with the organizers to see what was afoot. Unfortunately for local music fans, there isn't much good news.

MUSIC: Finnish cello-based metal band Apocalyptica are famous for playing Metallica covers, which is cool, but somehow not quite as cool as Harptallica, the two harp Metallica cover band. But Apocalyptica branched out from just Metallica long ago, and they'll perform their cello rock tonight at the 9:30 Club. $15.

The National Portrait Gallery recently opened a pair of shows, Zaida Ben-Yusuf: New York Portrait Photographer and Edward Steichen: Portraits, which combine to weave a single portrait of American cultural life in the early decades of the twentieth century. Though Steichen is the much better known photographer, Ben-Yusuf’s work is equally compelling, and together the two exhibitions portray a range of politicians, actors, writers, musicians and other important figures, giving us a glimpse back into time.

Since it's not an outdoor pool, I suppose this photo by Pixilista can't exactly scream summer, but it does get us in the mood for it nonetheless. The greenish yellow tones of the deep end let you almost smell the chlorine coming out of the water at the YMCA. EXIF.

>> Tonight, the Washington Performing Arts Society presents the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, under the direction of the one and only Wynton Marsalis. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show at the Kennedy Center's concert hall are sold out, but you can try contacting the box office for last minute availability. $40-$85

MUSIC: Minneapolis's These Modern Socks bring their sugary, Matthew Sweet-inspried indie pop tunes to the Red and the Black. With locals Hydras, $8, 9:30 p.m.

As spring and summer roll in, D.C.’s museums offer a great way to get out of the heat and boost your brain power. And, after spending most of your free time relaxing at outdoor happy hours, who couldn’t use a brain boost? DCist has gathered some of May’s best museum exhibits and events. While some of the exhibits are long term, now’s as good a time as any to check them out, as we'll have more suggestions for you next month.

>> Portland, Oregon-based indie soulstress Liv Warfield has been garnering positive reviews ever since the 2006 release of her debut album, Embrace Me. She'll be performing two shows at Blues Alley this evening. $20, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

Most first-time novelists never actually become first-time novelists; in most cases “first novels” end up abandoned as real life overwhelms the time commitment and intellectual energy necessary to take a book from concept to completion. Those lucky enough to finish sometimes never find a publisher, ending up instead with dashed hopes and a pile of rejection notices that begin with “While we found your book intriguing and well-crafted…” and end with “…and we’re sure that your work will eventually find a publisher.” It’s easy to understand what T.S. Eliot meant when he wrote that “most editors are failed writers. But so are most writers.”

Flickr contributor Samer Farha shows us that sometimes the simplest things can be so beautiful. These yellow leaves stand out so well against the dark blue sky that happens around dusk. Thankfully now that the days are longer, many of us won't still be stuck at work when this magical hour happens. EXIF

Anyone going to the Kennedy Center, the Watergate, George Washington University, or any other Foggy Bottom attraction should be sure to take a path down K Street, between 24th and 26th Streets NW.

MONDAY

Today, Radiohead kicks off its In Rainbows world tour in West Palm Beach, Florida, which means that D.C.-area fans are mere days away from getting their fix.

CINCO DE MAYO: It's tough for us to endorse yet another misunderstood cultural holiday that's long-since been appropriated by lame Americans as an excuse to drink to the point of vomiting. Then again, margaritas are delicious. The best margs we've had in the city lately were the house variety at Casa Oaxaca in Adams Morgan -- fresh ingredients and quality tequila for $7 seems like a bargain compared to the $5.50 you might pay elsewhere for a mix and the cheap stuff. Or if you're just looking for cheapo drink specials, the Rock and Roll Hotel has the most ridiculous looking party planned that we've seen: $3 coronas, "south of the border" food specials, $2 shots of tequila if you wear a lucha libre mask, and, for no apparent reason, a guitar signed by Canadian radio pop band Sum 41 will be raffled away. 7:30 p.m. to 1:30 a.m. in the upstairs bar.

From the first sparkling notes of his intro to Luiz Bonfá's "Manha De Carnaval", originally recorded for the soundtrack to the classic film, Orfeu Negro ("Black Orpheus"), it was clear that Kenny Barron is a master pianist who plays with soul, grace, wit, and technique. His first set on Saturday at the Kennedy Center's Family Theater saw him play 90 minutes of polished jazz that was pleasing to the ear, but there was something missing. While there is no fair criticism of what the audience heard, we did miss what was unheard, and that is any sense of adventure from the music. Barron and his highly skilled rhythm section of Japanese bassist Kiyoshi Kitagawa and Cuban drummer Francisco Mela gave a polished performance, but these musicians are capable of taking the music anywhere, and they didn't. The result was a show that was very good, but fell short of being truly memorable.

Washington, D.C's Big Read continues through May 24. Celebrating F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby this year, venues throughout town are holding events: On Tuesday the Arts Club of Washington will be "Flirting with the Masters," with two fiction writers discussing Fitzgerald's impact on their work, or try one of the many events at the MLK, Jr. Library, such as the ongoing Fitzgerald exhibit, or the film tribute screening of The Last Tycoon on Thursday. On Saturday, take a walking tour to experience the influence of the "Jazz Age," during which Fitzgerald placed his most famous book. See a list of all events, including dance lessons, dramatic readings, and various author events here.

Images that find new perspectives and patterns in the things we see everyday are some of our faves. This photo, by Flickr user out_on_an_island, embraces the mega-patterned view from inside the World Wildlife Fund building, with the many windows (quaintly framed for such a modern office building, we might add), running up to the skylight, broken up only by the colorful posters hanging from the ceiling.

>> Joining the National Symphony Orchestra this week is one of my favorite soloists, Baltimore-born violinist Hilary Hahn (May 8 to 10). Her contribution, Paganini's first violin concerto, will be matched by soprano Hila Plitmann giving Washington a chance to hear Final Alice, the ground-breaking work that won David Del Tredici a Pulitzer Prize. Tickets: $20 to $80.

Comic books are big business. Hell, they're doing so well that they're giving the things away. The king of the comic business, Marvel, is so flush that they decided that instead of letting big movie studios buy the rights to their stories, they'd expand the movie arm of their operation into a full-fledged studio and just make them on their own. And if anyone doubted the studio's ability to make that leap, their first effort, Iron Man, should be enough to erase all doubts.

Antonio Gaudí

FRIDAY:

If National Dance Week got your blood pumping, consider heading over to Joy of Motion’s Bethesda Studios this Sunday afternoon for Hurray for BOLLYWOOD! The adult workshop class invites all levels and styles of dancers to come and explore Indian dance.

With great power comes . . . free comics!

It's Friday, so it might be time to leave the concrete jungle for the weekend and enjoy this warm weather we're getting back. Flickr user cstein96 took a short trip out to the Virginia countryside and got a shot of the crystal clear blue sky and a few loungy cows. It's not the beach, but it still looks pretty good from here. EXIF.