Arts and Events: February 2010 Archives

MONDAY more ›

Wow! Our contributing photographers are amazing. They have been out all weekend taking photos of the snomgasm, and our flickr pool is full of great shots. They are more reliable in poor weather than the Post Office! Take this photo from Nivad for example, he has risked life, limb, and camera to get a great shot of the Dupont Circle snowball fight. Great work photogs, now if I could only get you all to come shovel my street... more ›

The Magnetic Fields are hardly suited to conventional rock performance. Due to a hearing condition called hyperacusis that amplifies sounds to the point of screeching feedback which plagues lead songwriter Stephin Merritt, The Magnetic Fields can't have any percussion onstage. Merritt cringed and plugged his ear at every audience applause and although they have an album called Distortion, they certainly can't use any of it when playing the tunes from that 2008 album. In fact, it was a rare moment during last night's set when all five band members simultaneously played their instruments. more ›

At the end of his life, Russian author Leo Tolstoy (played here by an impressively bewhiskered Christopher Plummer) was a huge celebrity in his native land and inspired the fervent dedication of a group who followed his philosophies and teachings, calling themselves Tolstoyans. As portrayed in director Michael Hoffman's The Last Station, one gets the sense of the group — those that settled on a plot of land near Tolstoy's own home, anyway — as an early hippie commune. Minus the sex and drugs of course, both of which were frowned upon by Tolstoyan doctrine. more ›

Romeo and Juliet? Been there, done that. Synetic Theater has a new pair of star-crossed lovers at the center of their latest silent Shakespeare production, and their story fuels one of the company's most arresting shows to date. more ›

Maybe it's the kid in us ready to come out and play in the impending snow, but we're digging the popcorn and candy colors of this fun composition by Dstylezs|Fotography. EXIF. more ›

As one of the few American women painters of the 20th century to receive notoriety, Georgia O'Keeffe's body of work is characterized as modern, abstract, representational, feminist and highly sexual. Interpretation of her abstract flowers, skeletal bones and landscapes have been debated throughout her life with O'Keeffe largely rejecting the later characteristics and interpretations she didn't like. more ›

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

We were punched in the gut in December and lightly slapped in the face over the past week. With news that Mother Nature is prepping a brutal beatdown this upcoming weekend, furcafe's lonely watering hole shot provides some appealing options as to what to do with all that quality time indoors. more ›

If we get another snowstorm this weekend, please check with each venue before you go; galleries will often reschedule an opening if the snow accumulates. more ›

"You can't be on both sides." So says Sterling North (Craig Wallace), the new director of a private suburban art museum in Thomas Gibbons' trenchant, provocative Permanent Collection. Sterling knows exactly which side he's on, and so does his opposition, the museum's education director Paul Barrow (Jeff Allin). The two are so far into their respective sides that they can barely see the middle ground, let alone one another. more ›

MUSIC: Brooklyn's Alberta Cross bring their southern-rock sound, reminiscent of The Stills or BRMC or The Black Keys or any number of others in that vein, to the Black Cat's back stage. San Antonio's Hacienda kick things off. $10, at 9 p.m. more ›

>> Guitarist Rodney Richardson leads a group featuring Three Stars alum Will Rast and drummer Larry Ferguson tonight at Twins Jazz. Call 202-234-0072 for set time and cover information. more ›

Absorbing but unsettling. That's what kind of experience you get while spending roughly an hour inside the realm of the suicide chat room, where those considering hari kari discuss methodology and motivation, and even find a certain kind of support. But I'm not talking about going online and wading through the forums; Taffety Punk Theater Company is bringing the experience to you. With interpretive dance. more ›

There are a lot of good and funny pictures from last night's snow in our Flickr pool. But this split camera shot of Arlington Cemetery in the aftermath of Saturday's storm (it's getting hard to keep up, isn't it?) is simply stunning. The shot is well composed and captured by akkleis, and shows why, despite the unrelenting snow this year, I'm personally still hoping for more. more ›

>> This Saturday, the National Museum of American History celebrates Black History Month with a Family Day Celebration. Activities include book signings, sit-ins, a musical program and a genealogy project. 10 a.m. - 5:30 p.m. more ›

The forecast for the rest of the week is excellent news for snow lovers of all kinds. Appropriately-named photog Nivad shared this nicely framed action shot of the fun-but-futile sport of snowball catching. (EXIF) more ›

>> Bohemian Caverns plays host to "The Beat Clash XI" with Tae Barz, Madam Madon and Gordo Brega. $10, 8 p.m. more ›

Would you rather get a history lesson, do the hand jive or sit trembling in the wake of the demon barber of fleet street? All are options on the D.C. stage in February. more ›

>> The Silent League straddle a few genres. The octet craft sweeping orchestral (on synths) ballads with a hint of bubbling electronics and a dollop of syrup. It all sounds very proper and English and a bit like Snow Patrol (for lack of a better comparison). Bone Gunn open. 8:30 p.m. DC9. Tickets are $8. more ›

This weekend's weather got you down in the dumps? How about a brief peek into the future: sunshine, the glorious combination of hot dogs with beer, and wooden cracks preambling the pop of gloves and clouds of dust as the home team runs the bases. Ahhh. more ›