>> "Japanese Action Comic Punk" band PEELANDER-Z hits DC9 tonight, along with Massachusetts power-poppers My So-Called Friend, Lights Resolve and up and coming locals The City Veins. $8. >> The Lisner Auditorium is hosting Malian traditional guitarist Vieux Farka Toure (son of the late great Ali Farka Toure) and Tinariwen, a band of musicians from the Sahara who meld North Malian guitar stylings with blues, middle–eastern, reggae and rock influences. 8 p.m., $15-$45. >>......

Meh-NAH-meh-nuh? Meh-NOH-meh-nuh? Meh-noh-MEE-nuh? A nonsense word, an inside joke, or derived from that fantastic old school Muppet Show sketch? Whatever it is, it's not much of a telling name for a band with such a wide array of musical backgrounds and interests. Their debut I Am the Fun Blame Monster! was characteristically all-over-the-map in its creativity, but erred on the side of goofy and even a little obtuse. Then came Under an Hour, a score......

“If I do my job as an actor, you won't notice that I'm South Asian or that I'm a woman, or even that I'm playing one of the most controversial political figures of all time. I'm portraying a person at a crossroads struggling with a difficult decision.” So says Zehra Fazal (pictured right) of her striking portrayal of Adolf Hitler in her self-produced, one-woman adaptation of Yukio Mishima’s play, My Friend Hitler, currently running at......

Yesterday, we told you about the Associated Press' story that claimed Smithsonian officials altered a Museum of Natural History exhibit on climate change in order to make it less controversial. Subsequently, the Smithsonian issued a statement denouncing the AP report and the allegations made by Robert Sullivan, a former associate director at the National Museum of Natural History. The statement also claimed that the exhibit was not the subject of either internal or external political......

As if things couldn't get any more rocky for the Smithsonian Institution, it is the subject of yet another controversy. The AP reports that an ex-Smithsonian official says the institution toned down an exhibit on the effects of climate change in the Arctic out of fear that the exhibit would draw the ire of Congress and the Bush administration. Among other things, the script, or official text, of last year's exhibit was rewritten to......

DCist Jeff Beam contributed to this post. Drew McManus, who writes about the orchestra business at the ArtsJournal blog Adaptistration, has dubbed April Take a Friend to the Orchestra month. For the second year now, Drew has lined up names in the classical music world to write pieces on how ordinary people who love classical music can invite a friend who does not regularly go to hear live music to a concert. This year's articles......

Things are a little slow this week in classical music, because of Easter and all that. There are still a few good things to be heard, but the list is shorter than normal. Besides, it's hard to tolerate being indoors when those trees are doing their whole pink thing. >> A concert we are going to have to miss is the most interesting of the week, a program by the 21st Century Consort called Games......

Satomi Matsuzaki has been known to perform zipped up in a sleeping bag, or, in the band’s early years, in an orange bear costume. So it’s telling that the Deerhoof frontwoman took the stage last night in an all-black shirt, jeans, and boots ensemble. Could this be a confirmation of the reviewers’ buzz that the madcap noise-rock trio’s latest album, Friend Opportunity, was less oblique, more accessible, than past releases? It’s true that in recent......

Local blogger the Nabob has a modest proposal over at Pygmalion in a Blanket for all you kids out there grappling with the reality of the 10 p.m. curfew law (in case you've missed it, here's a breakdown of all the new rules going into effect tonight). His solution? It's the Nabob to the rescue: I’m officially offering my services as a grown up to anyone wanting to violate the curfew tonight. It’s not cheap,......

In its first weekend, the Capital Fringe Festival turned downtown D.C. into a moveable feast of performance, as show after show made its Fringe debut. As we enter Day Five of the festival, it’s now time to go get a second helping—a show you want to see again or a show your friends have told you is a must-see. Even still, a handful of shows will get their start today. At DCist, we’d love to......

Though everyone rhapsodizes about the power of the female friendship these days, there aren't too many works devoted to platonic affection between guys (HBO's Entourage perhaps one exception to the rule). Fringe Festivalgoers, however, have Like You're My Friend and All, which takes a peek at both the comic and darker sides of the male bond. If co-writers and co-stars Andrew Akre and Nathan Holt aren't close friends in real life, we would be surprised.......

We warned everyone a few weeks back — wear your seatbelt, or else. Friend and fellow blogger Rock Creek Rambler opted for the "or else," and he's not happy with the results. He writes today: So apparently DC has instituted seat belt traps. I found this out yesterday when I pulled onto Park from 14th, and was commanded to pull over by an officer in the middle of the street. I joined the other 5......

The Post has a blog for pretty much everything, the City Paper recently kicked off their own blog, and now the Express is joining the fold. Friend and former DCist editor Mike Grass -- who was wooed away from us last year by the Express -- has been putting his blogging talents to the test with a new blog launching this Wednesday, FreeRide. The blog will feature news, arts, music, food and sports from a......

This is your last weekend to take part in Take a Friend to the Symphony Month, the brain child of music blogger Drew McManus at Adaptistration. The big news in classical music this week is that the area's two leading symphony orchestras are both offering great concerts that feature 20th-century music and even some from the 21st century. We are going to try to review them both for you. MODERN SYMPHONY: >> Former music director......

Well, now that you've (hopefully) finished your tax return, you can clear your mind with some classical music. Blogger Drew McManus, at Adaptistration, has dubbed April Take a Friend to the Orchestra Month. If you like the symphony, buy a ticket for a friend who has never heard an orchestral concert. Drew is running articles by music critics and other readers who have done just that. Here are some concerts to which you can take......

First off, a huge thank you to all of our readers who have aided in the effort to save the Heurich House. On the heels of a successful Valentine's Day fundraiser was the February 15 deadline for possible foreclosure of the mansion. To that effect, we have some heartening news. Due to the large amount of money that has already been raised, as well as strong community support, the bank holding the mortgage has extended......

It wasn't long ago that D.C. Mayor Anthony Williams and police chief Charles Ramsey were celebrating a murder rate that looked to be falling relative to years past. Oh, how they must be pining for those optimistic days now. Yesterday marked the unceremonious day during which the District's murder rate came to match that of the same time last year -- 156 dead. And it came after a spate of killings that left four dead......

Classical Music Agenda by DCist contributor Charles T. Downey of Ionarts If you have not done your civic duty and Taken a Friend to the Orchestra yet this month, Washington is not the place to try to make that happen in late May. We don't have much to suggest for your classical listening pleasure this week, but you can keep yourself informed by following our Classical Week in Washington column at Ionarts. FREE CONCERTS: >>......

(Classical Music Agenda by DCist contributor Charles T. Downey of Ionarts) We hope you did your civic duty and Took a Friend to the Orchestra (as mandated by Drew McManus at Adaptistration and mentioned in our missive last week), because it will get more difficult now. In the first part of May, it seemed like we had a concert to see at least once a day (and sometimes we needed to bilocate to be fully......

(Classical Music Agenda by DCist contributor Charles T. Downey of Ionarts) Arts blogger Drew McManus, at Adaptistration, has proclaimed that May is Take a Friend to Orchestra Month. As Drew envisions it, this is "your sanctioned excuse to approach a friend about attending an orchestra concert with you." (All this week, Drew has been running responses to and suggestions concerning his idea at Adaptistration.) To that end, here is your weekly dose of concert suggestions.......