Trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard (pictured right) is a friend to D.C. The New Orleans native chose Blues Alley as the spot to release his latest CD, A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Though he is a celebrated bandleader and performer, he has also been quietly making his mark in the film world as Spike Lee's chief musical collaborator. Tomorrow at 8 p.m., the Kennedy Center will host Terence Blanchard for what... more ›

"It pissed me off." That is how R.E.M.'s Mike Mills described his reaction to seeing firsthand the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina and the stagnated recovery effort since. Though his band has a history of political involvement, Mills himself has shied away from activism until now. Having seen the suffering of New Orleanians in the aftermath of Katrina, he declared, "No one can appreciate the destruction without seeing it and I was very aware that... more ›

MONDAY: Democratic presidential candidate and Connecticut Sen. Christopher Dodd will make an appearance at Politics and Prose to talk about his book Letters from Nuremberg, which has nothing do with 2008 and everything to do with 1948 (or thereabouts). Dodd's father, Thomas, was an attorney during the famous Nuremberg trials, in which members of the Nazi Party in Germany were prosecuted for their crimes, and the book consists of letters written by Thomas to his... more ›

>> D.C. Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton’s plans to hold a “major Katrina anniversary hearing in New Orleans” on Aug. 27 fell apart due to congressional vacation schedules. A new date for the hearings has not been set. [City Desk] >> Former Congresswoman Jennifer Dunn (R-Wash.) died unexpectedly Tuesday night in Alexandria from a pulmonary embolism. As we mentioned earlier, Rep. Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio) also passed away last night unexpectedly, reportedly from natural causes, in... more ›

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to a world of omnipresent peril. That's what it seems like, anyway, given the constant stream of recalls that we've been facing lately. This morning's additions to the list of things that are trying to kill you and your family: children's cribs and Mattel toys. Oh, and microwave popcorn — but then, that stuff's so delicious that you probably already suspected its deadliness. Firefighter Sex Ring Press Conference: WUSA... more ›

Good morning, Washington, and welcome to September. After what was quite possibly the most beautiful weekend in the history of late summer weather in this city, we've finally arrived at the date many of us still associate with "back-to-school" -- the Tuesday after Labor Day. So sharpen your pencils, polish your lunchbox and make sure you have the right Trapper Keeper as we check out today's headlines. At Least Four Weekend Killings: The Examiner... more ›

This weekend, Blues Alley hosts Terence Blanchard (pictured) and his fantastic quintet for the release of his new album, A Tale of God's Will (A Requiem for Katrina). Going into Thursday's early set, it was unclear how lushly orchestrated material would translate into a more traditional combo setting. As it turns out, it translates quite well, though we didn't get to hear very many of the new songs. While the band was burning, they only... more ›

>> Sigh. It's the last night of Fort Reno, which means summer is officially ending soon. Hopefully it'll dry out in time to make this a great final concert -- scheduled to play are drag-rocker Edie Sedgwick, Sentai, and the adorable Eyeball Skeleton, a Maryland band featuring brothers age 8 and 10 (plus their dad) who are known to sing the lyric "eyeball skeleton" over and over again in what sound almost like fake... more ›

This month marks the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's assault upon the city of New Orleans. The suffering and hardship of that city's citizens no longer makes headlines, but the havoc caused by the storm is something many people still live with on a daily basis. Jazz trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard is one of those people. A son of the Crescent City and musical descendant of fellow New Orleanians Buddy Bolden, Louis Armstrong, and... more ›

With Congress in recess, it's officially the August doldrums here at Reader, Meet Author. If you have any tips, feel free to drop us a line. Otherwise, read some good books and stay cool. MONDAY: Pushcart Prize-winning author Katherine Taylor will be at Olsson's Books & Records in Dupont Circle to talk about her debut novel Rules for Saying Goodbye, a coming-of-age tale that straddles the line between fiction and non-fiction. 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Man... more ›

>> Two quality offerings from the Black Cat tonight: Japan's uber-weird noise outfit Melt-Banana take the mainstage with Hex Machine at 8:30 p.m., $13. Plus Falls Church native and now Richmond-based newgrass singer Josh Small is in the Backstage tonight, with Tim Barry and The Wading Girl, for a paltry $8 at 8 p.m. >> Campus Progress is calling all summer interns and other young folks to head over to Science Club tonight for... more ›

MONDAY: Leftover anger from last week's G8 Summit? Check out John Perkins at Politics and Prose tonight. He'll be discussing his newest book The Secret History of the American Empire: Economic Hit Men, Jackals, and the Truth about Global Corruption, which details the shady deals behind U.S. foreign aid to developing countries. 7 p.m. TUESDAY: Hurricane season is upon us yet again, and this August will mark the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's devastating impact... more ›

>> Welcome to March and another First Friday in Dupont Circle from 6 to 8 p.m. Find the gallery locations here. >> We've all got our old movie favorites. If you pop in Gone with the Wind everytime you're home sick, or channel surf for old episodes of I Dream of Jeanie on a Sunday afternoon, you're just the person Mark Bennett is drawing for. His India ink draftings of the fictional homes used in... more ›

>> Those little snow flurries you see outside your office window are just the warm-up for the arctic temperatures that await us tonight. Remember your long johns tomorrow morning, when temps will be in the teens and "strong northerly winds will create frigid wind chills." Oh, weatherman. You sweet talker. [ABC 7] >> Hey China, over here! You need 18 baby panda names, do you? We've got all the panda-naming experience you need right here.... more ›

> > Totally uninformed theory: Wonderland robbery actually masterminded by the mild-mannered members of Norfolk & Western? Just putting it out there... > > Xmas In Washington play to feature Marion Shepilov Barry playing a heroic angel who sings "Stormy Weather" (WTFx10?!?) and comes to the rescue of Katrina evacuees separated from their children. Gloria Hightower says Barry's star turn comes from a desire to make the character "realistic"--which can only mean the following... more ›

should have drafted either Vince Young or Reggie Bush, the Cardinals should really think about ending their 25-year experiment of not having a competent offensive line, and, of course, Mike Vanderjagt is a punk. That's what is knowable. Then there's all the rest of it, like when the Saints, a week after horsewhipping Dallas in front of their own fans, come home with the chance to put themselves into the playoffs and fill their faithful with some much needed post-Katrina cheer, only to succumb to the Redskins. more ›

Akron, Ohio's very own Joseph Arthur is having a busy year. First, Michael Stipe and a bunch of other big-name artists released an EP with different versions of his song "In the Sun" to raise money for victims of Hurricane Katrina. Then, he showed up on The Twilight Singers' excellent album Powder Burns, adding that sweet falsetto to several of the songs. And last night the now-New York-based artist was out at Jammin' Java promoting... more ›

When we think of affordable housing in the region, we usually envision huge apartment buildings, such as those marching up 7th Street north of the Convention Center. Or we’ll think of the varying percentages of affordable units promised in the multitudes of luxury condo developments popping up all over our city, and often not delivered in the final construction. For the next several weekends in Silver Spring, you can get a close-up look at a... more ›

There isn’t a more arresting falsetto in rock right now than TV on the Radio’s Kyp Malone’s. This would be a feat in itself, were he not in constant harmonization with lead singer Tunde Adebimpe’s intense vocals -- taking TVOTR’s sound to another level of cool. In fact, were these two not harmonizing, perhaps TVOTR would be just another trip hop, art-rock, doo-wop, retro-funk, Brooklyn-based mash-up collective. To put it another way, this band is... more ›

Let's look back at a week in which no site in the -ist network adopted anyone from Africa... -Austinist reveled in the dumb antics of some U.T. law students and posted some great audio from former New Orleans natives who've decided to stay in Austin. But the best news for Austinist? They were voted Best Local Entertainment Web Site by the local Austin alt-weekly. Congrats, Austinist. -DCist gloried in being told their musical tastes made... more ›

This graffiti's sentiment notwithstanding, today the Democratic voters of the city will express their concerns and hopes for the city through their ballots, and, in the process, likely determine what most of the city's government will look like for the next few years. You can find your polling place here, and the Post's election guide here. Redskins Fall To Vikings: You probably don't need to be told, but we'll say it anyway. Last night the... more ›

Written by DCist contributor Abby Lavin. Last year’s rioting in response to Danish drawings of the prophet Muhammad showed that, in some cases, cartoons are no laughing matter. They don’t just lampoon the political landscape; they have the power to shape it as well. Provisions Library’s current exhibit, Drawing Back: Cartoon Critiques of America, examines the power of cartoons as a means of social protest. Culled from twenty-five different countries, the 80 editorial cartoons are... more ›

And so ends the suspense -- Adrian Fenty is the Post's pick for mayor. Though Fenty has held a comfortable lead in recent weeks, the Post's endorsement was seen as Linda Cropp's final chance in what has become a hard-fought campaign. Today's endorsement is sure to give Fenty the win next Tuesday, with the Post recognizing his "can-do quality" and his "vision of the city that challenges the best in people." And maybe to add... more ›

Good morning, Washington. And what a good morning it is. It's the first day of meteorological autumn, the brutal D.C. summer finally behind us. And is it just us, or was it cool enough last night to very nearly feel "chilly"? So breathe deep the cool, non-swampy air, and maybe skip out of work a little early on this long Labor Day weekend to enjoy the...um...torrential rains. CapitalWeather reports that Tropical Storm Ernesto, which made... more ›

Armageddon is once again upon us. America is on-edge, what with the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina this week, and it seems we can't wait for the next tragedy. Well, if you don't get an actual one, you might as well make one up. If you watch cable news, you'd think that Tropical Storm Ernesto was threatening the East Cost like a modern-day Krushchev. Here in the real world, Ernesto strolled through Florida, barely managing... more ›

A couple years ago, D.C. had two Kwame Browns in the news, a local politico and a mediocre hoopster, which might have caused a few people to comment how it was great that a pro athlete was getting involved in local politics. Thankfully for the Wizards, one of those Kwame Browns moved on. However, D.C. now has two Michael Browns in local politics. The other day we saw this poster on the street, which confused... more ›

Although District residents may be seguing into fall's business-as-usual pace, we're reminded today that, one year after Hurricane Katrina, those who call New Orleans home are still caught up in loose ends and mired in disarray caused by Katrina's aftermath. Area food folks remind us that people still need our help. As Metrocurean reported last week, local restaurants participating in Share our Strength's Restaurants for Relief today, which include Evening Star, Tallula and Capitol Grille,... more ›

Good morning, D.C. How are you feeling this morning? Tired? Did you stay up late to watch the old Wilson Bridge be demolished? Yeah, us too. After waiting for what seemed like forever (due to, it turns out, some real geniuses who broke through the fence to get closer to the action) , the Bridge was finally blown, though we have to admit to being somewhat disappointed with the spectacle. Sure, the explosions were loud... more ›

Share Our Strength Benefit For Katrina Victims August 29 will mark the one-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina's landfall, but clean-up, rebuilding, and resettling are still taking place. Charity group Share Our Strength will observe the date by holding Restaurants for Relief, an event in which restaurants will donate a portion of their proceeds to help recovery efforts and to end childhood hunger along the Gulf Coast. Almost 90 restaurants in the metro area plan to... more ›

TUESDAY Tired of running into the virtual junta of returned Peace Corps volunteers living in our fair city and being forced to listen to story upon story about how working in an office every day will just never be as fulfilling as digging that well in Cameroon? Then this event is not for you. Former Peace Corps volunteers read from and sign A Life Inspired: Tales of Peace Corps Service. Peace Corps, 111 20th... more ›