FRIDAY:
>> A solid, full bill of local bands at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight. Army of Me; The Dance Party; Exit Clov; Goodnight, States; and DJ Cale should all keep local music fans entertained well into the night. Doors 8 p.m., $10. And if that isn’t enough for you, head upstairs to hear Chris Burns and Maxmillion Dunbar spinning Larry Levan classics along with other quality dance tunes as a part of their free Disco City, starting at 9:30 p.m.
>> Bohemian Caverns features DCist local jazz faves The Young Lions. Sets are at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. Tickets are $15.
>> Tickets are still available for the National Symphony Orchestra’s final performances of Mahler’s sixth symphony on Friday and Saturday. Baritone Thomas Hampson singing the song cycle Kindertotenlieder is an added incentive to find a seat in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. Tickets run $20 to $80, 8 p.m.
>> If you missed Patti Smith (pictured) at the 9:30 Club in December, you can try to catch her tonight at the Donald W. Reynolds Center for American Art and Portraiture. Tickets, which appear to still be available online, are a steep $50 (or $40 for members), but Smith is a living rock legend, and she’ll both be performing songs and reading poems in a rather intimate setting, so we’d say it’s worth it. 7:30 p.m.
>> Shortstack celebrates the release of their new EP at the Black Cat tonight, with Junior League and Sons of Guns. $12, 9 p.m.
>> So about that House of Sweden After Dark party. The pluses: Only $10 for an open bar, cool art in an even cooler building, swanky embassy affair. The minuses: The RSVP list is up to 2600 people for a space that only holds 400, and it’s pouring rain outside. Then again, maybe the combo of us scaring people into thinking it’s going to be a horror show and the rain itself will actually keep the numbers down to something more reasonable. Attend at your own risk. 8:30 p.m. to 11.
SATURDAY:
>> We’ve been hearing great things about A Sunny Day in Glasgow from our friends in Philly for a while now, so you can bet we’ll stop by The Velvet Lounge Saturday night to catch them play with psych-revivalists Screen Vinyl Image, local psychsters Twin Earth, and The Offering.
>> “An Alphabet Garden of Orchids”, the annual orchid exhibit cosponsored by the U.S. Botanic Garden (USBG) and the Smithsonian Institution’s Horticulture Services Division opens at the USBG Conservatory. The free exhibit features hundreds of orchid varieties, including some rare and endangered species, from the collections of both institutions.
>> Recent contemporary R&B Grammy nominee Emily King (pictured left) is at the Black Cat, with Franklin Bridge of “America’s Next Top Band” fame. 9 p.m., $15.
>> Michael Ian Black and Michael Showalter will perform what’s sure to be the most profance evening of comedy ever at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue at 8 p.m. Don’t miss our interview with Michael Ian Black from earlier this week. Tickets are $20 and available through ticketmaster.com.
SUNDAY:
>> Uhh, we’re watching the Super Bowl, like everyone else. But if you really hate football, maybe you like … dancing? If so, check out the “Black Expressions Series: Hip Hop Festival!!!”, hosted by Mason/Rhynes Productions and Dance Place at 3 p.m. (also Friday and Saturday). General admission is $22; students, teachers, and professional artists are $18; and children are only $7. Tickets are still available by calling 202-269-1600 or visiting the Dance Place web site.
>> And if you’re still stuck on what to do, check out our film picks for the weekend, including a rare screening of The Loneliness of the Long Distance Runner at 4:30 p.m. at the National Gallery‘s East Building Auditorium.
