The projection screen at the back of the stage flickered to life with a giant from the District's past, when it truly was Chocolate City. The clip featured Petey Green, the legendary talk show host, who gave the audience his own inimitable thoughts on the proper way to eat a watermelon. Thus began Amino Alkaline--The Watermelon Syndicate, Mos Def's new concert production that teams the MC with a 25-piece band. Potent hip-hop grooves, supplied by some of the country's finest young jazz and orchestral musicians, coupled with the rapper's on-point delivery resulted in an impressive performance that showcased a consummate artist in his prime. The Kennedy Center also deserves credit for mounting this event, which drew as diverse an audience as one is likely to see in a formal concert hall setting. more ›

By DCist contributor W Jacarl Melton When Mos Def dropped the mic à la Randy Watson in Coming to America at the conclusion of Saturday’s 9:30 Club show, it was hard to tell if he was just being playful or if it was indicative of sentiments he harbored. A name like Mos Def, when announced to hip-hop heads or general music aficionados, is bound to create some buzz. This night was no different as... more ›

By DCist contributor W Jacarl Melton Femi Kuti performs tonight at the 9:30 Club. Doors at 9 p.m. $25 Following in your father’s footsteps isn’t easy because there will be the inevitable comparisons, especially if your dad was a musical vanguard. Femi Kuti can’t avoid the path his father, Fela, blazed so he’s decided to embrace it and further his family’s legacy in Afrobeat. It goes without saying that Fela Kuti was one of those... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Even though Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is an obvious choice for the movie-going crowd this weekend, the Avalon Theatre -- just north of the Potter madness at the Uptown -- is showing Talk to Me, the new biopic on the life of famed Washington, D.C., talk-show host and activist Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Jr. 5:50 and 8:30 p.m. >> Unbuckled alumni The Vita Ruins celebrate the release of their... more ›

MONDAY >> Today's Fort Reno show features local indie poppers Greenland (***) with Statehood and Kitty Hawk. The weather report calls for clear skies, but bring water. 7:15 p.m., free. >> How about another free event? The Black Cat backstage will feature movies about punk rockers Murder City Devils and Anti-Flag. 9 p.m., free. >> This week marks the sixth year of the Hip-Hop Theater Festival, sponsored by the DC Commission on the Arts and... more ›

When was the last time you went to see a band play for the first time and knew you were witnessing something special? Le Loup is barely out of the gate yet, but they're making major waves and for good reason. The seven piece band is producing something so infectious, so engaging, and so very of-the-moment, it's not hard to see why Hardly Art, a label started by some folks from the revered Sub Pop,... more ›

The official date for the start of the tourist flood is but a few weeks away, but traffic here at Overheard in D.C. has already picked up and we have a steady stream of submissions coming in. For this, we thank you from the bottom of our cold, dark hearts. Hear something too good to keep to yourself? Share it with us at overheardindc (at) gmail (dot) com. Quote of the Week At a party... more ›

WEDNESDAY: >> Recently named Kennedy Center Artistic Advisor for Ballet, Suzanne Farrell knows George Balanchine's repertory better than anyone else -- she ought to, since Farrell herself is his most famous protégée. So you can expect nothing but exuberant and masterful performances, through Nov. 27, of The Suzanne Farrell Ballet's all-Balanchine extravaganza. Tickets are $29 to $84, at the Kennedy Center for Performing Arts. THURSDAY: >> It's Thanksgiving, and most of you will be gathering... more ›

Monday: Long before its Starship iteration, with all its associated abominable number one hits, the band called Jefferson Airplane (pictured) released some of the greatest psychedelic rock anthems of the late 1960s, fueled in part by the guitar and bass work of D.C. natives Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady. The two left the Jefferson collective to work on their blues side project, Hot Tuna, full-time, an undertaking they've continued to today. The duo play an... more ›