Arts and Events: August 2008 Archives

Friday:

Flickr user murkiv captured what appears to be an intense game of chess at one of the tables located in Dupont Circle. We've highlighted Dupont chess before, uncovering a bit of this fascinating sub-culture. But this shot leaves me wondering; is standing a sanctioned fake out move?

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

SPORTS: The Redskins get their final walkthrough of the seemingly endless NFL preseason tonight, hosting the Jacksonville Jaguars at FedEx Field. Former defensive coordinator and one-time head coach to-be Gregg Williams makes his return to D.C. The starters figure to get one or two series, but the back ups will spend much of the game fighting for roster spots. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. but plan for a long trip out to the stadium because the shuttle between the Landover rail station on the Orange Line and Fed-Ex isn't running.

On a summer's day, a young couple walked through a park searching for a spot of shade to cool down.  Out of the singeing glow of the sun, their passion could not be contained any longer, and Flickr user (and noted voyeur?) angelakleis was there to capture their PDA.  Take note, young lovers...you may think you can sneak in that quick kiss, but know that our photographers are out there, ready and willing to document.

Keyboardist and producer Lorenzo “Zo!” Ferguson may not be a household name but he's been quietly amassing a strong list of credentials, particularly in the world of hip-hop, in D.C. and beyond. He's contributed his talents to projects by Slum Village, Little Brother, and Kev Brown as well as released nine solo projects.

>> Conner Contemporary has exciting news: instead of the previously predicted December 2008 opening, their 7000 sq. ft. newly renovated space at 1358-60 Florida Avenue, NE will hold their inaugural opening on September 27. We'll bring you more about the space and the first show later next month.

       

Some of you may have stumbled upon a giant blue head on a crane at 9th and F Streets on your coffee run this morning. That 31 foot tall, 13,000 pound sculpture is the work of Roy Lichtenstein, the renowned American pop artist who died in 1997. Known for his bright, bold colors and old-school comic book stylings, Lichtenstein already has work all over D.C.; in fact, the National Gallery of Art has the largest repository of his work, after he gifted a slew of his prints in 1996. You can also see a couple of his works at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden and the Sackler Gallery.

MUSIC: Three of DC's most unique sounding bands take over the Black Cat this Wendesday. Imperial China (***) packs a punch with furious percussion and keyboards that bring to mind bands like Battles. True Womanhood is more melancholy with their Radiohead meets Sonic Youth tunes. And Caverns round out the bill with a sound that's both punk and experimental. 9 p.m., $8.

As a recent MFA graduate of the Maryland Institute College of Art, Sebastian Martorana has found a calling in stone. A sometimes over-looked medium, Martorana creates work that is often somber and other times light in emotion. This fresh face in the art world is still finding his way as a sculptor as his style progresses, but he's one to keep your eye on. You can see a sample of his work at Irvine Contemporary's Introductions4 and online. DCist was able to catch up with Martorana on the heels of a residency in Vermont to chat about his work.

Charles Ostle is becoming one of the more sought after drummers in D.C.'s jazz scene, especially amongst the crop of younger players that have emerged over the past few years. In addition to performing with groups such as Inner Loop, Motel, and others, Ostle also chose to start his own band, a relatively rare step for a drummer to take. His group, The Oscillators, will be releasing its debut album, Beat Tectonics, on September 7th at the Bossa Bistro & Lounge.

Yum! It's that time of year when late summer harvests are ready, and that means delicious fresh tomatoes. Flickr user Pixilista took this shot at the Masonic Public Gardens on 15th Street NW. Are any of you getting ready to harvest some produce of your own? EXIF.

Open Circle Theater's production of "Story Theatre" easily whisks you back to the times right before bed when your mother was reading a book to you, or cozy hours in the library on a rug with the other little kids, hearing about the boy who cried wolf. The trouble with the production is it doesn't add any newness to those familiar, comfortable tales, making the production a slam dunk for kids, but one that won't capture the heart of adults so easily.

>> Local saxophonist Stan Killian performs every Wednesday at Twins Jazz. Call 202-432-0072 for set time and cover information.

Imperial China have created a sound that at once echoes this city’s musical history yet stands apart from anything else this city has offered previously or offers presently. Musically, the guitar riffs and speak-sing vocal delivery show a definite homage to bands like Minor Threat and Fugazi. The lyrics on songs like their EP’s opener “There Is No Translation” could as easily be a critique of the city as a fight with a friend. However, the overwhelming vibe on their EP runs closer to bands like Battles or Don Caballero with their rhythm-driven, heavily percussive sound. It’s at once experimental yet pattern-driven and it’s refreshing even as it blisters in your eardrums. Their live show is also ridiculously loud and energetic. As the trio of Brian Porter, Patrick Gough and Matt Johnson thrash about the stage, it’s hard not to pay attention and even harder not to start beating time with both feet (which in some cities is known as dancing.) We sat down with Porter and Johnson to discuss recording with Devin Ocampo, BYOB venues in North Carolina and why it’s refreshing to see their favorite bands mess up.

A bunch of local photographers gathered at Wonderland Ballroom for their monthly meet-up and were taken in by the new mural gracing the side of Harriet Tubman Elementary School across the street. Although the photo is a tad oversaturated, Aardvark for Freedom caught this nice image of one of the Latin American Youth Center volunteers doing some final touch-up work. The LAYC's Art + Media House has been been working on a series of new murals around the city, most recently finishing both this one (on Kenyon St. NW, between 11th and 13th Streets) and another near U Street NW, in an alley between 13th and 14th Streets. For folks looking for a good community center in Columbia Heights, the LAYC is one that's doing it right. From their blog Immediate Reaction, one of the kids had this to say about working on this mural:

Up until now we’re drawing and learning a lot about how to draw, mix colors, and learning different ways of painting. I also learned that to paint you don’t need to be a great artist because it’s really easy to paint. You just need to follow your teacher’s instructions. And it’s been fun because when I paint my mind flies and I enjoy myself a lot and my mind’s really busy. And I’ve liked participating and working in LAYC.

        

By Martin Locraft

>> Knee Deep is the headlining act but Janelle Monae (pictured) is also on the bill. Monae has been praised by the likes of Erykah Badu and Sean "Diddy" Combs, who signed her to his Bad Boy label. She'll be at Iota in Arlington. $10, 8:30 p.m.

MONDAY

FILM: With most of the free outdoor summer night activities officially over for the year (Fort Reno, Screen on the Green), the Crystal Screen Outdoor Film Festival is still going strong. They've been showing James Bond movies at 18th & Bell St. in Crystal City all summer. Tonight is the first of the Brosnan era, with GoldenEye. Movies start at sundown, which should happen tonight around 7:48 p.m.

It was a good weekend to enjoy summer's last gasps of blue skies outside of the city - to wit: Flickr user yospyn took this stunning shot while breaking gravity's oppression high above Shenandoah National Park's Skyline Drive, Mini Cooper and a paper crane in tow.

MONDAY:

              

By Nestor Diaz

FRIDAY:

A simple interpretation of "Chekhov's gun," a literary device made popular by author and playwright Anton Chekhov, is that if there's a gun in a story, at some point somebody should fire it. In other words, every detail in a story, no matter how small, should exist to move the narrative along. Even if the hypothetical gun is never fired, its very existence could be used to create an unnerving atmosphere crucial to the story. There are plenty of guns, metaphorical and real, in Eric Glick's The Dog At The Signpost. However, in the metaphorical sense, some get fired and some don't.

There's so much to enjoy about this shot from Flickr user andertho. From this vantage point, it's difficult to tell if the man depicted is crossing the street or climbing up a monument's staircase; the movement of the man's flowing slacks contrasts wonderfully with the stringent, unforgiving black and white lines; and the photograph's subject matter - art brought to everyday action - inspires us to look at such routine movements in a new aesthetic light. EXIF.

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

>> Artist J.J. McCracken will engage in a series of performances at Project 4 over the next week. Living Sculpture incorporates figures, spheres, and lots of clay in a way that ponders expectations and movement in life. See one of two performances tonight, 7 p.m. or 8:15 p.m., or next Friday, August 29, at 7:30 p.m.

READING: Paul Auster, author of The New York Trilogy and The Brooklyn Follies, is in town tonight for an appearance at Politics and Prose to talk about his latest novel, Man in the Dark. 7 p.m.

Did you catch the scattering of sunlight off dust particles, soot particles, and solid and liquid aerosols floating in the earth's atmosphere yesterday?  Flickr user soleil1016 probably had the best view, capturing the beautiful sunset on a descent into Reagan National Airport.

Like some poorly constructed M. Night Shyamalan film, something must be in the air killing off our favorite D.C. bands. The latest casualty is Telograph (***), who we've reviewed several times in the past. The band, which will be playing their farewell show at the 9:30 Club this Friday, wrote the following on their MySpace blog:

MUSIC: Tickets are still available to catch renowned Def Jux rapper Aesop Rock at the 9:30 Club. With Rob Sonic and DJ Big Wiz, and openers Yak Ballz & Grayskul. $20, 7 p.m.

We were just talking about all the new babies at the National Zoo yesterday, so we were taken in by this shot by RoxandaBear of the new golden lion tamarin twins. Last time I went to the Zoo was in June for my company picnic, and it was so deathly hot none of the animals were dumb enough to go outside (unlike us humans). With the weather so oddly mild right now, you might want to head down there to get your animal cuteness fill while you can. EXIF.

>> Hawaiian folk artist Gary Haleamau brings his slack key guitar prowess and his unmistakably Hawaiian falsetto style of singing to the Millennium Stage tonight. 6 p.m. Free

              

This past weekend welcomed a great indie rock show at the Atlas District's The Red and The Black. The night started out with a super tight set by local act Impossible Hair. Their sound can be likened to the straight forward indie rock of yore, with a dab of new wave sparkle. They consistently hit the audience with with pop sensible, nod-provoking tune after tune.

MOVIE: Director Miloš Forman is making a special in-person appearance tonight at the AFI Silver Theater for a screening of the classic anti-establishment funny farm flick, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. 7 p.m., $15.

When Joan Wages, President of the National Women's History Museum, was successful at moving the Suffrage statue to the Capitol rotunda from the depths of the basement, it served as a metaphor for women's history. She wanted to bring the accomplishments and contributions of women into the light and placed in full view for all to see and learn.

Flickr user david.abizaid took this night shot of a church tower in Dupont. He used a 1 second exposure that blew out the street lights a bit, giving the church a whole ethereal glow around it. EXIF.

>> Def Jux rapper Aesop Rock has been an underground hip-hop figurehead for roughly a decade. Now based in San Francisco, the New Yorker will be back on the East Coast at the 9:30 Club. $20, 7 p.m.

>>Yes, Suzanne Vega is the person who sings “Tom’s Diner”, and, lucky for you, we're guessing she plays it at her Monday night set at the Birchmere. Unfortunately for your neighbors, roommates, co-workers, and spouses, you’ll probably be singing its a cappella intro for days. With Christina Courtin. $35, 7:30 p.m.

MOVIE: Screen on the Green may be over, but the Comcast Outdoor Film Festival at Strathmore Music Hall is just getting going. Bring a blanket and make a picnic out of it with the kids -- all the selections are family friendly, and films begin at 8:30 p.m. Tonight's feature is The Kite Runner Ghostbusters.

Good news for all those who've lamented the unavailability of high quality, unrestricted digital content from D.C.'s most storied independent record label. Dischord Records' catalog has been available via the iTunes store and some other online sources for a few years now, but those recordings were most often only available at relatively low 128 kbps quality, and contained all the usual DRM restrictions. Not only that, in many of those stores a Dischord track cost the same as the new single by Britney Spears, when the label has historically been all about pricing things more reasonably than major labels.

Breena Clarke, a Washington D.C. native and alumna of Howard University, will be at Politics and Prose to discuss her novel, Stand the Storm, which is set in Georgetown but takes place before and during the Civil War. 7 p.m.

What an interesting shot of a miniature model of Union Station's exterior. I mean, look at that detail on the rear of the Circulator...wait a minute. Flickr user Jet Back to the Lab just fooled us good. We've featured some tilt-shift photography before, but never a photo taken with a tilt-shift lens (in lieu of a Photoshop alteration). Jet Back borrowed such a lens for the weekend and took a set of amazing pictures around Union Station and inside Rock Creek Park which will have you asking "is that really not a model?" EXIF.

              

"Revolution girl style now!"

       

There are probably quite a few working bands on the East Coast who would pay good money to sit in on a workshop run by Vicki Savoula and Amanda MacKaye. The Black Cat talent buyer and the Fort Reno summer concert series organizer held a masterclass yesterday to teach a group of aspiring musicians how to approach booking their bands at some of D.C.'s most famous venues. Didn't get an invite? That's probably because you're not a girl between the ages of eight and 18.

Rock 'n' roll has always been lousy with dudes who dance like women, but Craig Finn — the high-school-math-teacher-lookin' frontman of The Hold Steady, as if you didn’t know by now — is possibly the only guy in the game who dances like a five-year-old girl: Elbows in. Forearms out. Knees high. Eyes squinted shut. Beatific grin. Jazz hands all over the place.

Although Bright Eyes became the defining face and sound on Omaha's Saddle Creek Records, arguably it was The Faint who helped first bring the label into the spotlight with their synthy, dance-punk anthems. The Faint not only made people dance, they made people think, with songs like "Agenda Suicide" and "Paranoiattack" taking stabs at more high-minded social fare. Their latest offering, Fasciinatiion, continues their trend of combining socio-political anthems and vocoder-drenched (anti-)love songs. It also marks their break from Saddle Creek, as they've decided to start their own record label, blank.wav, to put out this album. After the jump, keyboardist Jacob Thiele talks about their decision to create their own record label, addresses misconceptions about the band and explains why they respect works of science fiction.

>> Check out our film picks of the week, including As Tears Go By, Wong Kar-Wai's first feature film, playing at 7 p.m. as part of the Freer & Sackler Galleries' Hong Kong Film Festival.

While the dog days of summer can mean long lulls at local galleries, Flickr user RSchley brings us this lovely reminder that you can still get your art fix at area museums. The American Art Museum is home to Nam June Paik's Electronic Superhighway exhibit, a behemoth video installation with bright neon lights and movie clips meant to convey our connection to both our sprawling countryside and infinite new media. Check out the August Museum Round Up for a list of other potential museum outings including exhibits and events. EXIF.

Wooten, who made his name playing with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, had a simple answer to these questions when he spoke with DCist earlier this week, just as the group was beginning rehearsals for a tour in support of the album. The trio will be performing tomorrow night at Wolf Trap.

We love to pick apart our ranking in the multitude of lists on which our fair city appears. A new one came out today: StubHub, the online ticket marketplace, has compiled a list of the 20 "Most Rockin'" cities in America for 2008, based on summer ticket sales. Out of 90 cities in the ticket sellers' database, D.C. came in 18th. Not too bad, we suppose, and all the cities that came in ahead of us are pretty major markets. With the exception, perhaps, of Richmond, of which the story has this to say:

Richmond, Virginia took the biggest leap in this year's rankings moving up from number 17 in 2007 to number 9 in 2008. The live concert ticket market in the area was bolstered by performances from Jimmy Buffett, Radiohead, Bruce Springsteen, Jonas Brothers and Dave Matthews Band -- the majority of which took place at Nissan Pavilion. Many fans from surrounding areas traveled to Richmond to see these bands since they did not schedule performances in Washington, D.C.

TENNIS: Andy Roddick plays the 6 p.m. match tonight at the Legg Mason Tennis Classic at the William H.G. FitzGerald Tennis Center in Rock Creek Park. Check out our report and photos from last night's action.

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

Everyone loves a long exposure shot, whether on the ground or in the air.  Flickr user Dsade's shot of a train zipping through Farragut North gets me in the mood for some laser-tag.  Since most laser-tag venues are located out in the 'burbs, maybe we should pool sets and start up our own venue.  Maybe Metro Center or Gallery Place?  EXIF.

First things first. Let's get this whole controversy bit out of the way. Ben Stiller's Hollywood action satire, Tropic Thunder, has drawn the ire of a number of groups representing the mentally disabled. The offense is taken at a plot point which has Stiller's Tugg Speedman, an action hero desperate to be taken seriously, playing a character in the mold of Sean Penn's in I Am Sam. Speedman's performance in this past role is a ridiculously offensive (if comically well-intentioned) caricature of a developmentally challenged adult. He and his co-stars on his current feature, a gritty Vietnam War flick, refer back to his performance as "Simple Jack" using the word "retard." Seventeen times they use it, according to the also comically well-intentioned Timothy Shriver, who laments the frequent use of the "r-word" while the "n-word" is only used once. As if it might have been less egregious had there been more racial slurs.

Drop Electric was no different from many a local band. They played the occasional festival, headlined local clubs, and were on their way to garnering a decent local following. But their story took a tragic turn last month, and the band is still trying to recover.

              

One of my favorite summertime activities growing up was going to the local county fair, petting all the smelly farm animals, cheering for the pot-belly pig races, stuffing my face with funnel cake, and then losing it all on whatever super-spinny ride barely passed the safety inspection that year. We're lucky enough to be near two big fairs -- the Arlington County Fair ended last weekend, but the Montgomery County Fair, in Gaithersberg, is open through August 16. Our Flickr photographers have visited both, bringing us some great night shots of the midway and tempting images of delicious treats.

MUSIC: Margot & the Nuclear So and Sos bring their big chamber-folk sound to the 9:30 Club. With Audrye Sessions & Revival. $12, 7 p.m. doors.

Much more likely, artistic directors appreciate the general brilliance of this Pulitzer Prize-winning work, which has been adeptly staged by Olney Theater. It's a production with a clean, contemporary look (notice the silvery, twisting trees adorning the streamlined house set) and a team of actors with the grace to carry the rapid, conversational dialogue.

>> If you've never seen Chicago blues king Buddy Guy in concert, then you best make your way down to Wolf Trap tonight because at 72 years old, he's still one of the best performers around. Tickets to the 7:30 p.m. show are $22-$40.

We may not have any new adorable pandas to look froward to, but there is still a whole zoo-full of interesting creatures. Flickr user choofly stopped by this weekend to see the animals, getting this nice image of one of the tiger sisters (she guesses this is Maharani). EXIF.

Superlatives run free when describing Herbie Hancock's nearly 50 years on the music scene. A consummate artist, he has been a pioneer throughout his career, breaking ground in genres ranging from straight-ahead jazz to electronic music. Despite his status as a jazz legend, it was still somewhat of a shock to all when his latest album, River: The Joni Letters, won 2008's Grammy for Album of the Year, beating out the likes of Kanye West. The album, a warm tribute to another artistic treasure, Joni Mitchell, features a selection of her songs, some done as instrumentals, and others featuring the vocal talents of Tina Turner, Corinne Bailey Rae, Norah Jones, and Mitchell herself. This new material is what separated Monday night's performance at Wolf Trap from last year's stellar show at the Birchmere, as Hancock & Co. delivered a performance that proved a jazz musician need not sacrifice integrity or artistry by choosing to play commercial music.

>> Tony Terry had a big R&B hit in the early 1990s with "With You." Now on the indie scene, he'll be performing a two show set at Blues Alley. $35, 8 p.m. and 10 p.m.

             

More star wattage, more choice, more tough choices. V-Mo Fest V. 3, Part II offered more of the same, and in this case, that's a very good thing. In addition to the words and visuals you saw yesterday, today we've also got audio of several on-the-spot interviews Chris conducted at the festival.

READING: D.C.'s own George Pelecanos is at Politics and Prose to talk about his latest novel, Turnaround. It's a sure bet the house will be packed, so get there early to make sure you get a seat. 7 p.m.

              

As we mentioned yesterday, last night was the penultimate Fort Reno show of the summer. It was a magical evening, with weather that gave the term "unseasonably cool" a new meaning. It was almost cold! Everyone cuddling on their blankets in the park seemed to enjoy the cooler climes, that even seemed to keep the mosquitoes at bay. The only person who probably wasn't happy with the way the weather turned out was the ice cream man, who can usually count on a sweaty Fort Reno crowd for a good haul.

There don't seem to be any shots of last night's Perseid meteor shower in the pool (though admittedly, they're pretty hard to photograph unless you have a spectacular trigger finger). We still really like this long exposure shot of an airplane by Pianoman75, who got up early this morning to try to catch a few shooting stars. Click through to see some great meteor shots he took in 2007 and 2006. If you managed to catch an image of one last night, let us know in the comments. And don't forget, this morning was only just the peak; you can still catch some flashes in the sky over the next week or so.

           

By Ryan Holloway

TUESDAY

No, you're not having a waking nightmare. It's really happening. So says Patrick Gavin and Jeff Dufour in their Yeas and Nays column in the Examiner.

We can now exclusively confirm that Lifetime has picked up the show and filming begins in September. The half-hour show is slated to air in November and has scored a crucial timeslot: Immediately following Lifetime's popular reality show, "Project Runway" (which will switch from Bravo to the Lifetime network this fall).

             

Whether you're a little bit Iggy or a little bit Moby; whether you breathlessly await each L'il Wayne mixtape or whether pop music ceased to interest you the year the Beatles stopped touring and Dylan went electric (in which case, congratulations on figuring out this old Internet), there was something to your taste at the third edition of the Virgin Mobile Festival this weekend. Not just something, actually: A lot.

MUSIC: Fort Reno is almost over. Don't miss Jukebox the Ghost and These United States tonight, and our look back at this year's Fort Reno season. 7:15 p.m., free.

          

It's hard to believe that just a few short months ago we were questioning whether or not this season of Fort Reno would even happen. Drastically cooler temperatures and Halloween candy on the shelves in drug stores tell us that the lazy days of sitting on blankets and catching shows under the stars are drawing to a close. Tonight is the last announced Fort Reno show of the summer (there's still one surprise line up left on Thursday; DC Rock Club says that it'll be Yell Country, The Jet Age and Title Tracks), though we haven't been able to confirm that just yet (we'll let you know when we hear).

Mr. T in DC captured this idealistic weekend scene on Saturday, one of the nicest August days that we've seen in quite some time. What beats lounging out in the sun at the Sculpture Garden Fountain with a good book? Hopefully, your Monday morning is brightened slightly by the big, blue, wide open sky overlooking less stressful times. EXIF.

MONDAY:

FRIDAY:

Virgin Mobile Festival is like the two-party system, except you can vote in the other party's primary and even change your vote mid-set. (I'm dismissing the Dance Tent the way most people dismiss third parties.) Herewith follows (with apologies to DCist Cinephile-in-Chief Ian Buckwalter) a wholly arbitrary, hardly comprehensive, but probably alphabetical listing of the acts I'm keenest to see.

What the hell is one of the season's most vibrant, exciting new works doing debuting in August in an off-the-beaten-path, half empty Alexandria theater?

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

Flickr user dharmabumx captured this shot of a beautiful blue sky and fluffy white clouds at Nationals Park. Here's wishing the same blue skies and clean air for all of the athletes set to compete in the 2008 Summer Olympic Games in Beijing, which begin today. It doesn't look so good right now, however.

>> Randall Scott's new renegade film series, Video Smack, just sent out the announcement for the second showing, tomorrow night at his gallery on 14th Street, starting at 8 p.m. Head over for a cold beer and the free showing of the art flicks Windmaker by Kika Nicolela and How to Make a Baby by Jemima Burrill. While you're there, check out phase three of 8 Photographers, featuring Alexandra Catiere & Shen Wei.

JAZZ: D.C. native Andrea Wood is performing at Twins Jazz tonight. The talented vocalist is currently a jazz studies major at Michigan State and has already performed at many notable festivals and venues. Call 202-234-0072 for set time and cover information.

Over 250 artists from across the country were evaluated for Irvine Contemporary's "MFA annual" group show, Introductions4. Each of the artists were chosen by a selection panel of collectors of early-career artists through studio and exhibit visits along with open submissions. The chosen nine, Becky Alprin, Reid Bingham, Christina Empedocles, Adam Frezza, Andrea Land, David Linneweh, Sebastian Martorana, Jimmy Joe Roche and Matthew Woodward, represent an interesting cross section of the graduate art world, displaying work inspired by material, the intersection of people and nature, and memorial.

I'm sorry to say I have not encountered this particular piece of...art...on the side of an Adams Morgan building. Lucky for us, Flickr user Kevin H. thought to pick up his Nikon and capture it to share with us. Any explanation of this scene and who put it there will be appreciated.

MUSIC: D.C.'s own Devine Nature are back together and playing two shows tonight as a part of Bohemian Caverns' Rhythm & Soul series. $10 in advance/$15, 8 p.m. & 10 p.m.

>> Now's a good time to remind everyone of all the great jazz jam sessions that happen around town every week. HR-57 hosts sessions on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Columbia Station on 18th Street hosts afternoon jams on weekends, and Twins Jazz has a session on Sunday nights. All of the jam sessions are reasonably priced and a great opportunity for aspiring musicians to cut their teeth, as well as a chance for the rest of us to see the next wave of the District's jazz musicians.

Now this is a fun summertime shot. Flickr user Karon found these dancers moving to the tunes of the brass band in Dupont. Is this a bunch of folks who just happened to stop and enjoy the music, or is it a coordinated group who meet for some evening entertainment? More importantly, how grossed out should we be by the two center girls not wearing any shoes? EXIF.

MUSIC: Gnarls Barkley, Hercules & Love Affair is sold out, but try Craig. At the 9:30 Club. 7 p.m.

>> Recently opened on July 18 and running through January 3 is Dig It! The Secrets of Soil at the Natural History Museum. The exhibit covers a massive 5,000 square feet with interactive learning activities which explore fungi, bacteria, worms, and other organisms often hidden from view. Check the website for a wealth of related learning materials for the kiddies.

>> There isn't much much to say about Gnarls Barkley other than Craigslist is probably the best way you stand a chance of seeing them tonight at the 9:30 Club. 7 p.m.

From the Flickr user who likes to bring us amusing signs from around town, spiggycat caught