MUSIC: Minneapolis’s These Modern Socks bring their sugary, Matthew Sweet-inspried indie pop tunes to the Red and the Black. With locals Hydras, $8, 9:30 p.m.

READING: Jennifer Lowe-Anker, widow of Alex Lowe, wrote the tribute Forget Me Not — A Memoir about the climber who died in an avalanche Tibet in 1999. She’ll speak at National Geographic’s Grosvenor Auditorium about how first bonding with, then marrying Lowe’s climbing parnter, gave her an even greater appreciation for Lowe’s achievements and the short time they had together. 7:30 p.m. Order tickets online.

MUSIC: Detroit’s Was (Not Was) are best known for their 1988 pop hit “Walk the Dinosaur,” but David Was, Don Was, Sweet Pea, Sir Harry and various guests were mixing bizarre lyrics with edgy R&B and reaching an audience with cuts like “Out Come the Freaks” and “Wheel Me Out” circa 1980. Now they’re back with their new album, Boo, and are at the Birchmere. 7:30 p.m., $35.

MUSIC: Eli Paperboy Reed sounds like he fits right in to the royal family of soul, as though Sam Cooke and Otis Redding are his uncles, but he’s a 24-year-old white boy who wears sweater vests. He’s playing with his band, the True Loves, tonight at DC9. 9 p.m., $10, with The Positions and The Atomic Brides.

FORUM: The Anacostia Community Museum hosts a forum tonight to foster discussion about the development of the arts east of the Anacostia River, with representatives from arts organizations and artists active in Wards 7 and 8 scheduled to appear. 6:30 p.m., free, moderated by Camille Giraud Akeju,
Director of the Anacostia Community Museum.

Photo by sandygbandy