Photo by murkiv
MUSIC: Jenny Lewis and Ratatat are both sold-out, but tickets are still available to catch Seattle’s Damien Jurado at the Rock and Roll Hotel. With Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Title Tracks. $12, 8:30 p.m.
JAZZ: The Duke Ellington Jazz Festival continues with a dual performance from Step Afrika! and the W.E.S. Group, led by former American University music professor Will E. Smith. The two groups will team up to perform Trane, a combining of the percussive sounds & movement of stepping with on-stage jazz musicians. The 7:30 p.m. performance will take place at the Atlas Theater. Tickets are $25.
MUSIC: The Sonic Circuits festival has another packed line-up at the Velvet Lounge, including spacey-groovy Irish experimental music artist Pacific 231. 9 p.m., $8.
SILENT AUCTION: D.C.’s homeless newspaper, Street Sense, holds their annual silent auction fundraiser tonight at the Josephine Butler Park Center at 2437 15th Street NW. Tickets are $35 at the door ($25 in advance), which gets you access to the auction and the open bar. Over 60 items will be up for auction, including theater tickets, Wizards and Capitals tickets, high-end small kitchen appliances, restaurant gift certificates, artwork and handmade jewelry. 7 p.m. to 10 p.m., and we’re told Street Sense will have a television tuned to the Vice Presidential debate on site. (Full disclosure: I am a member of the board of directors of Street Sense).
HAPPY HOUR: From 6 to 8 p.m. tonight, the National Zoo is celebrating the year of the frog with Science on Tap. Drink beer and talk conservation with a panel of scientists and zoo staff. $15 for FONZ members; $25 for non-members. Find out more and register here.
DEBATE WATCHING: All the usual politico bars will packed to watch tonight’s much anticipated VP debate between Sarah Palin and Joe Biden. The action starts at 9 p.m., though you should arrive anywhere much earlier if you want a seat — Washingtonian has an OK list of options, but for something more low-key, we’d recommend Townhouse Tavern in Dupont or The Pug on H Street NE.
