Photo by Paul Sirajuddin
FRIDAY
WEIRD AND ACOUSTIC: Jonathan Richman, the kooky, technophobic former frontman of The Modern Lovers, plays the 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW). Just how endearingly weird is he these days? The Washington Post recently asked him for an interview, and Richman responded by sending back a handwritten letter—written in verse. Begins 7 p.m., tickets $20.
LOUD AND FUN: Three bands are going to do their damndest to make sure your ears ring on the Black Cat’s (1811 14th Street NW) main stage tonight. Brooklyn punk rockers Parquet Courts, Baltimore noisemakers Roomrunner, and D.C. garage rockers Foul Swoops are set to perform. Begins 9 p.m., tickets $12.
COMPETITIVE ART: Having made its name at the now-shuttered Red Palace, Super Art Fight moves to the Black Cat’s (1811 14th Street NW) backstage, featuring performers creating art on-the-spot, mixed in with improvised comedy, and pro-wrestling-style bravado. Begins 9:30 p.m., tickets $12.
SATURDAY
DO NOT MISS: We’ve been giddy for Pump Me Up: D.C. Subculture of the 1980s ever since the Corcoran Gallery of Art (500 17th Street NW) announced it last November. Well, the exhibit finally opens this weekend, and the Corcoran is stacked with graffiti, go-go posters, and relics of the hardcore and post-hardcore heydays. There are several special events surrounding the exhibit this weekend, including the premiere of the documentary The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan, but many of those events are sold out. Museum open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., adults $10.
BUTT-NUMBING MARATHON: The Academy Awards are on Sunday, and perhaps you missed one of the nine films nominated for Best Picture, or perhaps you just really have some burning desire to see Les Misérables again. (Frankly, Oscar voters who think that was the best movie of 2012 should Argo, fuck themselves.) But, as it does every year, the AMC Loews Georgetown 14 (3111 K Street NW) is showing every nominated film in one sitting, with occasional breaks for bathrooms and meals, but not sanity. The full line-up: Amour, Argo, Beasts of the Southern Wild, Django Unchained, Les Misérables, Life of Pi, Lincoln, Silver Linings Playbook, Zero Dark Thirty. Begins 10 a.m., tickets $60.
COMMENTER HAPPY HOUR? If you’ve ever wanted to throw on a onesie and hit up a bunch of bars in Adams Morgan with like-minded individuals, here’s your chance. Beginning at 8 p.m., patrons at Millie and Al’s (2440 18th Street NW), Town Tavern (2323 18th Street NW), Grand Central (2447 18th Street NW), and Chief Ike’s Mambo Room (1725 Columbia Road NW) can get drink specials, provided they show up in adult-size clothing for infants. We did not make this up. Here is event’s Facebook page.
SUNDAY
FILM: The annual Iranian Film Festival wraps up at the Freer Gallery of Art (1200 Independence Avenue SW) with a screening of The Iran Job, a documentary about Kevin Sheppard, an American basketball player who wound up playing in Iran’s professional league. At 2 p.m., free.
PUMP IT UP SOME MORE: Even if it has moved locations since the 1980s, D.C.’s most celebrated music club wouldn’t miss a chance to celebrate the the Corcoran’s Pump Me Up exhibit and the release of The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan. The 9:30 Club (815 V Street NW) hosts the D.C. Funk-Punk Throwback Jam, an all-day show featuring a lineup that includes, among many others, Trouble Funk, Scream, Shady Groove, DJ Kool, and Youth Brigade. Henry Rollins hosts. Begins 3 p.m., tickets $25.
