Torres performs at Rock & Roll Hotel Friday night. (Photo by Ashley Connor)
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 29
JAZZ SPEAKS TO JUSTICE: Grammy Award-winning trumpeter Terence Blanchard has written entire albums, composed dozens of scores to movie soundtracks, penned a jazz opera, and used his music to speak to tragedies like Hurricane Katrina (he was born and raised in New Orleans) and the killing of Eric Garner (his 2015 album Breathless is a reference to the death that launched nationwide protests). This weekend, he performs multiple funk and R&B-infused concerts with his quintet, The E-Collective. (Blues Alley, 8 & 10 p.m. $55)
EL CINE: The AFI Latin American Film Festival wraps up its 28th year next week. Before the film stops rolling, celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with a Friday night at the movies. Kicks things off with The Desert Bride, an Argentinian and Chilean film in which a career maid learns to focus on herself for a change. Follow that up with the Colombian film Bad Lucky Goat, which follows two sisters on a wild adventure to cover up an accident that threatens to derail the family business. Finally, cap off the evening with Sambá, a Dominican boxing film. (AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center, 5:30-11 p.m. $15 per film)
WOMEN WHO ROCK: Let the deep voice of singer-songwriter Mackenzie Scott, A.K.A. Torres, pull you in with her insightful lyrics and hold you in place with hypnotic melodies and a contemplative beat. Her latest album, Three Futures, drops Friday night. Come see what all the fuss is about. Indie rock duo The Dove & The Wolf will open. (Rock & Roll Hotel, 8 p.m. $15)
MR. MUSTARD, IN DC SHARP, WITH THE JAPANESE KITCHEN KNIFE: Are your Friday night plans still a mystery? Enjoy the weather while it’s still warm and catch a drive-in movie at Union Market. The 1985 film Clue, based on the board game, finds half-a-dozen people at a strange house for an even stranger dinner party. When their blackmailing host is murdered, the guests must figure out who killed him. (Union Market, 6-10:30 p.m. $10 for parking)
More: (ACTION DC!) Dance Works In Progress & Community Conversation on Human Trafficking, Eternal Summer Screening & Artist Talk with Helene Berg
Capitol City Brewing Company’s 18th annual Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest is this Saturday.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 30
COME OUT AND PLAY: Are you seriously going to sit at home on your phone all day? The DC Department of Parks and Recreation presents the third annual DPR Rec Day, a family-friendly event. You can run a 5K, play bubble soccer, go for a bike ride, play some kickball, try your hand (and feet) at rock climbing, get your Zumba fix, and more. Free popcorn, cotton candy, and snow cones will be served, and food trucks will be on site. There will be free grub for the kids.Pups can get in on the fun too with a another doggie swim in the pool. (Randall Field, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. FREE)
WEENIES!: This is clearly not the weekend to leave Fido at home. Dogs are many things: adorable, lovable, loyal. But some breeds provide more entertainment value than others. With their short little legs and long bodies, dachshunds are one of the funnier lookin’ doggos on the planet, and watching them run is quite the spectacle. Add in a costume contest for dogs of all breeds, and you’ve got a solid event on your paws. On Tap presents the 6th Annual Wiener 500. Proceeds from the dachshund dash benefit the Humane Rescue Alliance, which will be on site with puppers who need a home. (Yards Park, 1-5 p.m. FREE)
DAS BEERFEST: Capitol City Brewing Company presents its 18th annual Mid-Atlantic Oktoberfest. More than 65 breweries will be pouring out 4 oz samples until the taps close at 6 p.m. A German band will play authentic music, setting the vibe so you can leave the lederhosen at home, not that you’d want to. (The Village at Shirlington, 12-7 p.m. $30)
OUT-HIPSTER YOURSELF: The American Field pop-up market is coming to D.C. this Saturday and Sunday. You’ll be able to shop wares by local artisans and more than 50 fashion, lifestyle, and apothecary companies from around the country. Come get your holiday shopping done early, or just check out some cool products while sampling cocktails and wine. (Union Market, 11 a.m. – 6 p.m. FREE)
WELCOME TO GLAM ROCK: Brothers Brian and Michael D’Addario of The Lemon Twigs are making their fam glam with lipstick, tight purple pants, and a pop-rock sound that’s received praise from some serious names in music. With their eye-catching costumes, humor-infused videos, and upbeat, pretty songs, these guys are clearly having fun. Take the gamble. Maybe you will too. (Black Cat 8 p.m. $15)
More: Tour: Fierce Women
The Takoma Park Street Festival is this Sunday. (Photo by Katie Jett Walls)
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1
CRAWL THROUGH THE COMMUNITY: The 36th Annual Takoma Park Street Festival is this Sunday, taking over the road from Carroll Avenue in Takoma Park, MD to Carroll Street, NW in Takoma, D.C. Grab a $10 “The Crawl” mug for discounted pours at local restaurants and bars as you bop between hourly concerts on a trio of stages. More than 200 vendors will fill the space with art, jewelry, textiles, and more. (Takoma/Takoma Park, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. FREE)
YARR: Hoist the sails sales of turkey legs. It’s Pirate Weekend at the Marrrrrryland Renaissance Festival, mateys! Give that old Jack Sparrow costume new life, pop a parrot on your shoulder, and go pillage some booty. Now is probably a good time to mention that no weapons, costume or authentic, are allowed on the festival grounds. Also, we’re kidding about the pillaging. Please pay for things. (Crownsville, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. $19)
OLE!: Clap your hands and stomp your feet as award-winning local ensemble Furia Flamenca Dance Company transports you to Southern Spain (not a stop on the H Street Trolley). Accompanied by guitarist Torcuato Zamora, the group will perform two cabaret-style events this weekend at Atlas. Drinks and tapas will be available for purchase before the show. (Atlas Performing Arts Center, 4 p.m. $30-35)
RECITAL FOR RELIEF: The Embassy of Mexico’s Cultural Institute presents a recital by Mexican pianist Juan Pablo Horcasitas. Proceeds from the concert will benefit victims of the earthquakes that recently destroyed buildings and claimed hundreds of lives throughout central Mexico, including in the country’s capital. (Mexican Cultural Institute, 5-7 p.m. $80-200)
KNOWLES: Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Solange Knowles’ 2016 album A Seat at the Table celebrates Blackness while exploring racism and trauma in what the artist calls “a project on identity, empowerment, independence, grief and healing.” See her perform live this Sunday, one year after the album’s release, during Orion’s Rise: A Special Performance with Solange and The Sun Ra Arkestra (The Kennedy Center, 8 p.m. $49-169)
