Don’t get yourselves down about the gloomy weather, fellow DC-ites. Capital Weather suggests that it’ll get sunny by tomorrow afternoon, and there are plenty of goodies to keep you occupied this weekend.
FRIDAY:
>> Local band Full Minute of Mercury (pictured here) plays the Velvet Lounge tonight. Read a review and see pictures over at Seeking Irony. She calls them “fun girl-fronted powerpop with a smile.” Plus, we think they’re hot.
>> The Fraser Gallery in Bethesda has an from 6-9 p.m. this evening for “Cuban Artists: Three Generations,” which features new works by Sandra Ramos and Jacqueline Zerquera Tejedor, as well as works from the Estate of Carlos Alfonzo. There’ll be sangria, Cuban music and mojitos.
>> The DC International Poetry Festival kicks off with an opening reading and reception, hosted by the Post’s Book World’s Michael Dirda, at the Navy Memorial Auditorium. 7:30 p.m., free. Full schedule for Friday and Saturday is here.
SATURDAY:
>> Get a head start on your cultured Christmas shopping: Strathmore Hall in Bethesda welcomes 17 museum shops to its gallery for its 15th annual Museum Shop Around. There’ll be vendors including the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Library of Congress, Freer Gallery of Art, and many more.
>> Make your way downtown for the “Chill on the Hill” Capital Hill bar crawl this evening. A $10 cover (or $7 with two cans of food for the Food and Friends charity) will get you $1.50 pints of Bud and food specials until 9. Bars on the crawl include Bullfeathers, Tune Inn, Tapatini’s and Hawk ‘N’ Dove. Check lindypromo.com for advanced tickets and more info.
>> Artomatic 2004 opens this weekend to both enthusiasm and sour reviews. Located in the old Capital Children’s Museum building, Artomatic is a free event that showcases the work of more than 1,000 metro-area artists. Admission is free; open from 12 p.m.-1 a.m.
>> Matthew Sweet plays an early show at the 9:30 Club. 6 p.m.; $20.
SUNDAY:
>>Three of the performers behind MTV’s fondly-remembered sketch comedy show “The State” are coming to the State Theatre in Falls Church as the comedy trio Stella. Michael Ian Black, Michael Showalter and David Wain, who were also behind “Wet Hot American Summer,” will no doubt provide an evening of sarcastic comedy. 7 p.m; $15 in advance, $17 day of show. Read an interview with them in The Onion’s A.V. Club here.
>> “Six Centuries of Prints and Drawings: Recent Acquisitions” including works by Pietro Perugino, Albrecht Dürer, Rembrandt, and Toulouse-Lautrec, opens at the National Gallery of Art West Building.
>> Scotland’s Delgados bring their folk-pop to the Black Cat. Crooked Fingers open. 8:30 p.m. $13.
