FRIDAY:
>> Dan Bejar is in town with his band, Destroyer, at the Black Cat. Andre Ethier opens. 9 p.m., Tickets are still available for $12.
>> Check out one of the highlights of Filmfest DC tonight: Patti Smith: Dream of Life, an impressionistic take on the punk legend filmed over the course of more than a decade by fashion photographer Steven Sebring, narrated by the singer/artist/poet herself, and featuring both live footage and a more intimate look at her life outside the spotlight. Both Smith and Sebring will be at tonight’s 9:30 p.m. screening at the Lincoln Theatre: Call (800) 955-5566 to check on last-minute tickets, which cost $10.
>> At Bohemian Caverns, Dr. Leonard Brown is holding a CD release party for Sons of Suns, his first album as a leader. Brown is a professor of music and ethnomusicology at Boston’s Northeastern University and has performed with Alice Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders, George Russell, Bill Barron, Yusef Lateef, Alan Dawson, and Ed Blackwell. Check out our full preview of the show, and get tickets to the 9 and 11 p.m. sets for $15.
>> The Wu-Tang Clan is at Love for a 9 p.m. show. $20.
>> Tickets are still available to catch Son Volt at the 9:30 Club, along with Grammy-nominated folkster Bobby Bare, Jr. $25.
>> Chicha Libre is a Brooklyn group led by a French born record collector/store/club owner who went to Peru and put together last year’s critic fave, “Roots of Chicha”, a psychedelic-surf-cumbia compilation. Now he’s got his own group that does covers and originals chicha-style, and they’ll be at the Velvet Lounge. They’re opening for Black and Tan Fantasy Band, which features members of Thievery Corporation, Fugazi, etc. Doors 9 p.m., $10.
>> The artist studios at 52 O Street NW will host their annual open house this weekend. Don’t miss our full preview showing what you can find in the four floors of art spaces on Saturday and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
>> In the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s Kogod Courtyard, plein air painter Deborah Chapin demonstrates color mixing techniques geared towards creating realistic natural colors. Workshop costs $30; see the SAAM web site for details on registration.
>> Locals Five Four, New York’s Hello Tokyo, and D.C.’s The Frustrations are all releasing new CDs at at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Or head upstairs to catch DJ Doc Rok and AutoRock, who specialize in mash-ups and genre blending. The Mass Appeal event upstairs is free, 9:30 p.m. Doors for the mainstage show are 8:30 p.m., tickets are $10.
SUNDAY:
>> All About Eve, the finest film Bette Davis ever acted in, makes its way at last into the AFI Silver Theater‘s retrospective on the actress this week. The story of the calculated and meteoric rise of a young actress set the record for most Academy Award nominations ever given to a film, and every one well deserved. Playing at 1:10, 4, 6:45, and 9:30 p.m.
>> Elbow is one of those bands with critical praise and a devoted fanbase, but not much big time success. They bring their unusual rock to the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue tonight. Read our interview with front man Guy Garvey. Show is at 8:30 p.m., $20.
Photo by Pianoman75
The listed events were chosen by the editors of DCist and brought to you by the 2009 Toyota Corolla.
