Arts and Events: November 2008 Archives

     

Hey, it's your last chance: Thanksgiving Weekend 2008 has officially come to a close. Before we check out of the world of football, friends, family, and cranberry in a can and back into reality, here's some of DCist's dinners that were.

In the month of December, this weekly agenda gets smaller and smaller as the number of concerts devoted to holiday music increases. Check our annual round-ups of concerts of seasonal music and and the endless performances of the M-Word, Handel's ever-popular oratorio, later this week. For now, there are three good pianists coming to the area.

What's one more day of gluttony? Flickr user staceyviera temps us with this super close up of a chocolate, peanut butter cup cake, wrapped in drool. EXIF.

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

>> The Millennium Stage at the Kennedy Center is continuing it's fantastic Jazz in D.C. program this week. The festival is designed to present the rich legacy of jazz in the District and features the area's top players, including the Young Lions, Buck Hill, and a host of others. Visit the web site for a complete schedule. The nightly concerts are held at 6 p.m. and are free.

Naturally, it's going to be a bit slow around the galleries this weekend, partly due to the holiday, and partly because everyone is scrambling to get their exhibits ready for the annual Art Basel Miami (and the many events leapfrogging off it nearby) next weekend, generally regarded as the most prestigious art fair in the country. Instead, let's catch up on some art news this week. Don't forget that most museums in town are open all weekend, including Thanksgiving.

Merry ... wait, what? It's not even Thanksgiving yet, you say? We've been hearing Christmas music in stores for a couple weeks now and saw trees going up at Target the day after Halloween. This photo by erin*carly shows her office trimming the office "holiday" tree on Monday. You almost can't blame the stores this year, which are desperate for people to start gift shopping, but I swear I will one day start a campaign based solely on the platform of banning all Christmas activity until Black Friday, and the playing of remixed "hip" carols, like the stores at Pentagon City seem to prefer, entirely. Perhaps I'll call it the "War on...," well, you get the idea.

It's a holiday week and things around the city are a little slow (including us, with posting the Agenda. Sorry about that). If you know of something worthwhile we've missed, please feel free to drop it in the comments.

The light in this shot by andertho is really quite beautiful. The 1/8 second exposure was just perfect to get the National Archives in the background, the streetlamps reflecting off of the ice, and the skaters moving gracefully (as far as we can tell) around the rink. The ice skating rink at the National Museum Gallery of Art is open every day; check their web site for hours and admission prices. Also, a big congrats to andertho, who on Saturday night took home the first place award in architecture at Fotoweek DC for the same photo we highlighted in the DCist Exposed Photography Show last year. We knew it was a winner!

>> A joke could be made about the munchies, Thanksgiving, and Method Man & Redman, but we'll spare you. The dynamic duo will be at the 9:30 Club along with Termanology and Alexandria native, Big Pooh. $27.50, 7 p.m.

Flickr user michael starghill caught Georgetown forward DaJuan Summers rising high during the Hoyas' 81-53 demolition of Drexel on Saturday afternoon. Summers made only two baskets from the field in the game; but as this picture proves, he wasn't at a loss for some serious air.

DCist's guide to lectures and discussions in the D.C. area

» November 26: On this day in 1924, the nation now known Mongolia presented itself to the world as the Mongolia People's Republic, thus ending the reign of the khan and establishing the world's second communist nation.

While the scary ghosts in andertho's picture seem to be enjoying themselves, those mortals among us are faced with the beginning of a season in which water turns to ice . Today's high is predicted at 40° F. Terrifying.

FRIDAY:

Sometimes a little distortion goes a long way. Taken with a Holga camera known for its light leaks and blurs, the South exit of the Dupont Circle Metro station is almost unrecognizable. Flickr user m hoek didn't provide EXIF for this one, as the toy camera only takes 120 film.

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

HAPPY HOUR: The Alliance Francaise's Soiree Carte Blanche bring-your-own-iPod DJ party is back at the Phillips Collection tonight. Held in the Center for the Study of Modern Art behind the museum, the evening will feature light food, cash bar, and the art films of Christo and Jeanne-Claude projected on the walls. 6 to 9:30 p.m.; $15 at the door.

The Washington Project for the Arts' fourth annual Experimental Media Series begins tonight with an opening reception at the WPA's Massachusetts Avenue space from 7 to 9 p.m. This year's exhibit, When Absence Becomes Presence, explores time based media in the forms of sound art, music, literary readings, video art, and sound recording, and is presented in partnership with the Phillips Collection.

At his Election-Eve chat at the Birchmere, Henry Rollins considered the post-presidential role of one George W. Bush. In Rollins's speculative, Bergman-movie vision of the Bushes' Golden years, they occupy a swank Houston condo, their suites situated on opposite sides of the long dining room where they take their silent meals together, the air so thick with tension it scares the help. Of course, pundits with loftier credentials than those of a punk singer-turned-storyteller will probably weigh in on this topic. Who is Hank Rollins to say what will happen to our sad president, whose nature and motives have already been examined by some of the sharpest journalistic minds of our generation? In such matters, Rollins is, as he freely admits, a lightweight.

We're still in the belly of FotoWeek DC, with three more days of photography goodness going on all around the city. We'll round-up a few not-to-be-missed events, then see how the art world plans on transitioning back to normal.

Some days, the train just can't come fast enough. Despite the hustle and bustle behind her, this woman wears the exhaustion of the day on her sleeve, and Flickr user Aziz Y. is there to capture the scene.  Somewhere, a bottle of red wine sits empty and a Joy Division CD receives an extra spin.

              

When the Newseum opened this summer, some commentators reminded us that museums are places to house the archaic, outdated, and the useless—what a perfect place for print media!

When seeing a play that's ostensibly about two crazy cat ladies, you expect that you're going to be a little disturbed. But the first jarring image of Studio Theater's production of comes unexpectedly; in the form of, "Jesus Christ, that little girl playing her looks exactly like Jackie O."

FOOD & DRINK: Tonight's the big night for Beaujolais Nouveau fans. Head over here for a rundown of which restaurants are staying open late to celebrate the annual uncorking, and note that one other party, hosted by BYT at 1905, is now over-booked and only those who have RSVP'd will be allowed in.

Sheesh, I've really got to start eating something more than a piece of fruit for breakfast. The credit for this revelation goes to staceyviera, whose close up of some buttermilk pancakes topped with honey has me -- and anyone else out there who has an unhealthy relationship with the snooze button -- drooling. EXIF.

MUSIC: As we mentioned earlier, the legendary Robyn Hitchcock is at the Birchmere tonight, and tickets are still available. 7:30 p.m., $25.

>> It's not The Dresden Dolls proper, but singer/toy-piano player Amanda Palmer has her own material that she's bringing to an early show at 9:30 Club. Vermillion Lies and The Builders and The Butchers join her. Despite their long awkward name, B&B put on an impressive showing when opening for Fleet Foxes at the Black Cat in July. 6 p.m., $20.

It's getting rather chilly out there, which may explain why we were so drawn to this shot's exceptionally cool color palette. Backwards Bill's capture of this epic warrior in mid-strike outside the Kennedy Center has us clutching to scarves and hats, our shields from winter's oncoming windy spears. EXIF.

All week, FotoWeek DC is holding lunchtime lectures at noon at the Discovery Communications headquarters in Silver Spring, including Michael Cunningham, Colin Finlay and Allison Wright. For more FotoWeek lectures and discussions, as well as a bunch of non-photo options, see the highlights below. For a full listing of FotoWeek lectures, check their web site.

>> Maxwell is in town today and tomorrow at Constitution Hall with his special guest, Jazmine Sullivan. Tickets may or may not still be available, so you can go to Craigslist or the conventional route. $60-$150, 8 p.m.

Double-aught eight hasn’t been particularly easy on any of us, but Dave Bielanko — frontman of Marah, the Brooklyn-by-way-of-North Philly true believers who were praying at the Stations of The Boss back when The Hold Steady were in, well, Lifter Puller — has had a particularly rough year.

READING: William Ayers is in town tonight, on the heels of having unwittingly become one of the most controversial rallying points of this year's presidential election. He was originally scheduled to appear at Busboys and Poets on 14th Street, but the event has been moved to All Souls Church at 1500 Harvard Street NW, which can handle a larger crowd. It stands to reason Ayers might also be hoping the audience will be better behaved inside a place of worship. Ayers will sign and discuss his two books, City Kids, City Schools: More Reports from the Front Row and City Kids, City Teachers: Reports from the Front Row. Free, 6:30 p.m.

Thank you, weekend thunderstorm, for providing some chilly sanity to the strange and confusing weather patterns we've been experiencing of late. As an added benefit, leaves are changing colors at full throttle, and Flickr user cstein96 was one of several in the DCist pool to capture the accelerating transformation. EXIF.

, Woolly Mammoth's crazy new comedy, you still have no idea who that wacky woman in the headset is who's literally pulling the strings of the players below, you're probably at the wrong show. But if as an audience member, you kind of like to run with absurdity, you're in for a fun (and eventful) 90 minutes.

The National Press Club's book fair is tomorrow afternoon, where for $5 (or free, if you're a member) you can shmooze with over 80 authors from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.

This is the last busy week for classical music before most of the concerts turn to the annual holiday music rigmarole. Here is a careful selection.

       

A very large group of protesters descended upon the National Mall yesterday as part of an international protest against California's Proposition 8, which overrode that state's Supreme Court decision that same-sex marriage was a fundamental right. Even though the weather was gloomy, the Washington Blade estimated that what "looked like tens of thousands" gathered on the Mall, marched, and chanted; other groups fractured off at locations like the White House.

       

On most nights, upon walking through the double doors on the Black Cat's second floor, it's immediately obvious what type of show is going on, judging only by the sort of people who show up. Punk rockers. Hip-hop heads. Indie rockers. Electro kids. Had you walked into the Black Cat on Wednesday night, however, you might have thought that there were four shows going on all at once. That's because Diplo's Mad Descent tour was rolling through town, bringing with it L.A. punk darlings No Age and Abe Vigoda, Brooklyn tribal experimentalists Telepathe, London electro act Boy 8 Bit and of course, the man himself, legendary Philly DJ Diplo.

Thirtysomething men in a state of arrested or regressed development. Is there a sociological phenomenon more over-analyzed in recent cinema? Men who can't commit, men who can't grow up, men using every excuse imaginable to justify their inability to function as mature adults. We're "a generation of men raised by women," whined Tyler Durden famously in Fight Club, giving a scapegoat to legions of aggro dudes who never got that he wasn't the hero of that movie. No one can blame you if you want to avoid Momma's Man on the basis that you don't really feel like watching yet another young male filmmaker work out his own insecurities on a movie screen rather than a therapist's chair. But it would be a shame if the fact that it's such an over-done trope kept you away, because Azazel Jacob's intimate little indie is such a quietly dazzling film.

It's difficult to describe Edie Sedgwick without using the word "strange." No, we're not talking about the actress who starred in Andy Warhol's short films in the 1960s and died of ethanol intoxication. We're talking about Antelope vocalist Justin Moyer's gender-bending side project, which recently released its third full-length, Things Are Getting Sinister And Sinisterer, on Dischord Records.

George Wildman Ball hit the nail on the head when he said bluntly, "Nostalgia is a seductive liar." While that may be true, it does not mean that the “seductive liar” cannot be a powerful creative force. Take Anthony Gonzalez (a.k.a. M83), for example. The Frenchman has mined the sounds and styles of his formative teenage years to great effect. In an interview with Spinner, Gonzalez reflects, "I don't know why I'm fascinated with this period of my life…I discovered so many things like new music, new movies, my best friends. Also, [I had] my first encounters with drugs and my first experience with sex. For everybody, being a teenager is one of the most important periods of life."

FRIDAY:

That's just some of the history NCinDC provides on the Schneider Mansion, found in the National Photo Company Collection. You can compare and contrast this before shot and read a more extensive write up of Schneider and the history of the house in NCinDC's after shot.

The internet age has brought people from all over the world together. Perfect examples of this are rapper/singer/comedian Phonte of the Durham, North Carolina-based hip-hop group Little Brother, and Nicolay, a Dutch-born producer. After posting several beats on the music-oriented Okayplayer site, Nicolay found himself getting a message from Phonte, who'd turned heads on his group's debut album, The Listening, praising his skills. Shortly thereafter, the two were exchanging vocal and music tracks electronically, a practice they continued for roughly a year and a half. The end products were the formation of The Foreign Exchange and the well-received album, Connected, in 2004.

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

We hope you have your walking shoes on and your art-loving eyes and minds open, because FotoWeek DC is here and it lasts through November 22. We let you know about PixTour yesterday, which is highlighting over 35 restaurants, bars, shops and music venues willing to expose you to photography while you're out and about. In this week's arts agenda, we focus on some (read: a ton) more venues for FotoWeek, as well as a smattering of other art events going on this week.

When cult film legend Bruce Campbell released his directorial debut a few years ago, fanboys and fangirls rejoiced. Man With the Screaming Brain was a film that had existed on the edges of conversations for years, talked about, but always a work in progress. It seemed a perfect match, a tongue-in-cheek B-movie made by the wise-ass king of the modern B-movie. Unfortunately, reality never quite lives up to expectations, and any screaming brains in the house were more likely to belong to those in the audience. Undaunted, Campbell is back in the director's chair for My Name is Bruce, in which Campbell, as the title suggests, plays himself.

You're going to be hearing an awful lot about FotoWeek DC over the next ten days. The largest photography-focused event Washington has ever seen is taking over the city's entire art scene starting Monday, and the sheer amount of gallery shows, museum exhibits and special events connected to the effort is overwhelming, to say the least.

          

The last time we saw Conor Oberst at the 9:30 Club, performing under his Bright Eyes moniker just prior to the release of Cassadaga in 2007, the mood in the room was quite different. Oberst had decided to draw a line in the sand and accordingly, refused to play anything from his extensive back catalog. His fans, however, weren't having it, shouting out requests at every opportunity (naturally, alongside screams of "I love you Conor!"). This clearly irritated Oberst and about halfway through the set, he finally snapped. “You know all those songs you’re yelling out? Yeah, we actually played those,” he sneered at the tweens in the front row. “You’re just five years too late.”

Written by DCist contributor Dave Weigel

MOVIE: The D.C. Film Society has put together a special event for those of us who love trailers almost as much as we love films: a selection of over 30 recent trailers in one screening session, including Bride Wars, Revolutionary Road, Underworld 3, Seven Pounds, and many more. At the Landmark E Street Cinema, $8 ($5 for members), 7 p.m.

You know that the financial crisis has already caused a lot of damage to the lives of everyday people, as companies go into bankruptcy and people lose their jobs and mortgages. The corresponding cultural damage is beginning appear as well: regional opera companies and symphonies are folding, while others are cutting back their projected seasons for fear of being unable to fill the house. The National Symphony Orchestra was recently able to secure a large financial gift to underwrite hiring Christoph Eschenbach as its new Music Director, but other arts organizations are losing donor pledges left and right. As Anne Midgette and David Montgomery have reported in the Post, one of the casualties is the projected complete performances of Wagner's legendary Ring cycle, planned by Washington National Opera for November 2009.

Ever wonder how much luck is involved in the success of the average quiz show winner? Sure, being a brainiac doesn't hurt, but no matter how much you know, unless the Venn diagram of your knowledge and those questions has significant overlap, you're done and luck trumps preparation. If Ken Jennings' first Jeopardy! appearance had the set of questions from the day on which he eventually lost, instead of being the most famous game show contestant in history, he might just be some nerdy computer programmer from Utah you never heard of. But what if you got on Who Wants To Be a Millionaire?, and every question you got, by pure coincidence, had a tie-in to a specific event in your life, fate putting the fix in so that you were only asked questions your life had been preparing you to answer? If you're a poor 18-year-old kid from the Muslim slums of Mumbai who grew up as an orphan and a grifter, it means you get to your final, 20 million rupee question and are hauled off by the cops on suspicion of fraud.

The golden yellow is such a perfect contrast to the slate gray in this photo. Flickr user *Toshio* found this at the Autumn Bonsai Exhibit (which ends on November 16) at the National Arboretum. EXIF.

              

Monday night's triple bill at DAR Constitution Hall had something for everyone, assuming they liked their guitars loud and their venues cavernous. Headliners Kings of Leon, touring behind their latest release, the stadium-rock ready Only by the Night, whipped fans into a prolonged frenzy by playing it cool, while openers We Are Scientists and The Whigs had to put in some extra work to win over the late-arriving crowd.

MUSIC: Husband-and-wife duo Kori Gardner and Jason Hammel, a.k.a. Mates of State, are at the Black Cat tonight doing their damnedest to melt your minds with insane male/female vocal harmonies, just like they have been for the past decade. Brother Reade opens. $15, 8 p.m.

>> Local vocalist Afi Soul will be performing at the Red Lounge along with Jamilla and the D.C. All Stars. Free, 9 p.m.

Well, at the very least, President Harding's wife is a rock star.

What could be better in autumn than a giant pile of fallen leaves and a big, happy dog ready to roll around in it. Flickr user IntangibleArts caught his dog Gomez here about to redecorate the lawn. EXIF.

This year's production of Bizet's Carmen (see the piano-vocal score) was a late addition to the company's 2008-2009 season, reportedly displacing another production to a future season when its star, Denyce Graves, became available. The American mezzo-soprano, born here in Washington and an alumna of the Duke Ellington School of the Arts, is a favorite with local audiences. For all of her struggles in recent years, personally and vocally, La Graves can still sell out a house, at least here in Washington. In fact, the opening night of this production felt somewhat like an opera gala, catering to the traditional tastes of audiences and the idiosyncratic whims of stars. Even the explanatory note in the program was not written by the director — the production is old and has nothing to say, anyway — but by Denyce Graves. The voice has lost none of its presence nor gained much in beauty, with an emphasis on the robust chest voice, which sounds forced from time to time. Her Carmen remains sexy, swaggering, headstrong, its dramatic scale tipped consistently toward emoting over subtlety.

If you're still looking for a place to honor our nation's veterans later today, here's a few suggestions:

About a month ago we interviewed mashup artist Girl Talk, who has received a lot of positive attention lately for the way his albums, Night Ripper and Feed the Animals, combine samples of a gazillion pop songs to create his own booty shaking mix of socio-emotional commentary. But this way of creating music has landed Gregg Gillis in the courtroom and in Senate committee hearings, as well as in sold out sweaty venues.

>> How about some Brooklyn hip-shaking indie sandwiched between some southern rock? Kings of Leon are a band you may have heard of. Also, you may have heard of this website called craigslist. You will need one to make the other happen. KoL is joined by We Are Scientists (the meat of the metaphor) and The Whigs (more southern rock brioche). DAR, 7 p.m.

MUSIC: Both Kings of Leon at DAR and Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band at the 9:30 Club are sold-out, so take the X-2 bus to the Rock and Roll Hotel to catch Mark Kozelek, the former Red House Painters frontman who is touring in support of , a solo compilation spanning his career in indie rock. $20, 8:30 p.m.

We just found afagen's framing for this shot so appropriate -- well wishes for the new President-elect in English, Spanish, and Arabic, all in the shadow of the memorial dedicated to the Great Emancipator. EXIF.

         

"Make it epic!" Dan Deacon's roadie was yelling in my ear as he held up a stack of stage monitors, working to keep the speakers upright despite the mass of bodies pummeling into them. He wanted me to take a shot of Deacon's so-called Trippy Green Skull — an object that often stands in for the man himself at his absurdly egalitarian shows, due to the fact that it's just about the only thing than can be seen from a distance of more than a few feet — from behind. That way, he reasoned, you'd be able to see the crowd spazzing out from the glowing skull's perspective. There was only one problem: I was standing just a few inches from the skull and had only packed a 50mm lens: not exactly ideal conditions for taking a wide-angle shot. While I may have failed terribly at 'making it epic,' Deacon did not, fighting against all odds to turn in a set on Friday night that was almost impossibly energetic, given the circumstances.

DCist's guide to lectures and panel discussions in the D.C. area

The next two weeks before Thanksgiving will be a busy time for classical music, with the last intense push of concerts before the dreaded holiday music season arrives. What to choose?

November 9: If any place is set to throw the followup party to the street celebrations that greeted Election Day in the U.S., it's Cambodia. Today, Cambodia celebrates the 55th anniversary of its declaration of independence from French colonial rule. Good on you, Cambodia!

              

It's not terribly clear that Deerhunter's decision to play D.C. on election night was a good one. Oh sure, once the show ended, the Atlanta quintet (of very vocal Obama supporters) had the opportunity to partake in the historic celebrations invading U Street just like the rest of the city. But unlike their visit to the Black Cat Backstage last year, the audience had ample breathing room and filled up maybe a third of the Mainstage floor. It seems the band did themselves a disservice by scheduling a show on a night many of the people drooling over last month's Kranky release, Microcastle, had more pressing things on their mind.

FRIDAY:

The newest Charlie Kaufman film is as difficult a film to figure out as you'll see all year. It is without a doubt the most complex and intricate script the screenwriter has ever written, and from the writer of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and Being John Malkovich, that's saying a lot. It is easily the most philosophically thought-provoking film to see major release in years. It is a film that is intimidating in its ambition, yet charmingly intimate in execution. Yet at the same time, it's a film that never quite lives up to that ambition, can't seem to wrap itself around its complexities, nor rise to the challenge of its heady intellectualism.

Flickr user sandygbandy captured a quieter, introspective moment from Tuesday night with this portrait. The expression on his face really resonates, as the city continues to have a palpable sense of pride. EXIF.

The big news in the museum world is the The American History Museum, which is scheduled to reopen November 21. The reopening will mark the completion of a two-year, $85 million renovation of the building, transforming the museum’s architecture while reorganizing and renewing the presentation of its extensive collections. Celebrations include a three-day reopening festival, with ribbon cutting ceremony at 8:30 a.m. and extended hours on Friday. Enjoy family-friendly activities, musical entertainment, and giveaways. You can get the full run down on the festivities here.

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

MUSIC: Tickets are still available to see The Mountain Goats and Kaki King at the 9:30 Club. 8:45 p.m., $18.

While everyone else in D.C.  was out on the streets Tuesday night in peaceful contemplation, Flickr user and avid arachnologist Marcellina was documenting a celebration of a different type.  This scrappy spider started with nothing but time and spinneret glands and has built a home and even has food to eat.  My friends, this spider is the true American hero.

D.C.'s art scene is gearing up for Fotoweek DC, as many galleries get a head start on the festivities by opening their photography exhibits this week. Take advantage of these shows now and you'll have room for more of all the photography goodness that's opening soon.

>> Otis Taylor's music is rooted in the traditional blues, but he infuses it with an Appalachian feel, often performing on the banjo or cello. This unique sound comes to Blues Alley tonight for 8 and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets are $25 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge.

>> Despite being saddled with the "controversial" label, Minneapolis emcee Brother Ali (pictured) has garnered acclaim from multiple publications. He'll be at the Rock and Roll Hotel along with BK One, Mr. Lif, Toki Wright, and local act, Educated Consumers. $17, 8 p.m.

>> RFD is hosting a big sponsored election night event with $3 Yuenglings, $4 Captain Morgans, trivia and party favors. This one kicks off at 6 p.m., and is a good option for those of you with large groups looking for a place where you might all be able to sit together -- just get there early.

We sort of futilely tried to find a non-election related photo for you in the pool today, but screw it! It's Election Day! We'll take this photo from Samer Farha as a reminder that, if you haven't voted already, be sure to pack some reading material for the wait. And if you have voted, sit tight: we always find the worst part of the entire election comes between noon and 7 p.m. when you *feel* like the election should be over, so you sit in your office hitting refresh on your favorite political blogs over and over and over and thinking, "If I leave work early to start drinking, will it make this end that much sooner?" But no, there are still many, many brutal hours to go.

On Saturday night, Washington National Opera opened a new production of Donizetti’s seldom performed Lucrezia Borgia, created for Renée Fleming’s first stage appearance at the Kennedy Center Opera House. The American soprano’s debut in this opera’s title role, at La Scala ten years ago, ran afoul of that theater’s infamous loggionisti. In a recent interview Fleming said that she regards the unruly crowd’s booing as a “badge of honor,” noting that part of her reason for returning to the role is to “get back on the horse again” and reclaim Lucrezia.

This week isn't quite as swamped as last, but is still stock full of intriguing events, including those discussing espionage, Nazi advertising, Darfur, religion, Surrealism and graphic novels.

SPORTS: Our Washington Redskins are being paid a visit by Pittsburgh's Steeler's tonight at FedEx Field. If you're lucky enough to have tickets, you'll probably want to leave work early to tailgate properly. If not, choose one of the many sports bars around town to get your MNF fix. It's sure to be a hard-hitting affair, and we're sure Roethlisberger will be working hard not to lose his concentration. It's hard to do your job when pretty ladies are around!

>>As previously reported, Henry Rollins is sold out at the Birchmere. Check out our interview with him here. And then take your chances with the scalpers.

      

Usually, when we turn up for a show at the Black Cat's backstage, we expect a relatively subdued affair. The smaller of the club's two stages, the backstage usually hosts smaller, lesser known acts--bands who haven't yet built a large or fervent enough fan base to fuel a raucous mainstage set. Thursday night, however, proved to be an exception to this rule. While both of the night's performers are relative unknowns in these parts, that didn't stop them from turning the backstage's tight quarters into a massive pogo pit.

Area companies this November have some recent Broadway transplants, Bard offerings and brand new takes on children's classics to offer this month.

         

Always remember: aim for the head. That said, here's to enjoying Halloween Weekend 2008 one last time before we return full time to the world of the living. These shots of the walking dead at this year's Zombie Lurch already have us looking forward to next year's festivities.

» November 3: The week in holidays kicks off in Japan with Bunka no Hi, otherwise known as Culture Day! Frankly, this holiday mystifies me. No doubt, you can make a day of celebrating Japanese arts and culture in the District. It might not be too late to book an appointment to visit Ippakutei, the Japanese tea house on the grounds of the Japanese embassy, or grab a table at Makoto. The Freer-Sackler Gallery is exhibiting seascapes by Hiroshi Sugimoto, Japan's best-known photographer. Japanese bubble tea can be had from Rockville to Annandale.