(Photo courtesy of Kill Lincoln)
This weekend, check out some parties, enjoy live music, and maybe make some of your own.
FRIDAY, AUGUST 10
GARDEN PARTY: Smithsonian at 8 presents A Garden Party: From Africa to Asia. This rain or shine event will feature late night access to the National Museum of African Art and the Sackler Gallery, a cash bar, a GIF photo booth, African and Asian food for purchase, music by DJ As-One, curators talks, and a few extra benefits for VIP ticket holders. (Enid A. Haupt Garden, 8 p.m.-11 p.m., $30-$55)
OTAKON: Celebrate Asian pop culture at Otakon, the weekend-long annual celebration of anime, manga, video games, and more. You can kick off the festivities Friday night with the Distant Worlds: Music from Final Fantasy symphony concert. Conducted by Grammy Award-winner Arnie Roth, the performance will feature music by Japanese video game composer Nobuo Uematsu. Come enjoy an evening amongst other people who land somewhere in the middle of that nerdy-classy Venn diagram. (Walter E. Washington Convention Center, All Day, $40-$100)
PICK IT UP PICK IT UP PICK IT UP: Once a ska kid, always a ska kid. If Less Than Jake and Streetlight Manifesto hold a special place in your heart, let yourself live a little and dance off the week at D.C. ska-punk band Kill Lincoln’s vinyl release party. They’ll play songs from their EP Good Riddance to Good Advice. Joystick and Boardroom Heroes will open. (Black Cat, 8 p.m., $12-$15)
LET’S GO TO THE MEOW-VIES: Commentariat, please sit down. Grab a glass of water. Are you ready? Okay. *Inhales* Do you like cats? Hahahaha, just kidding. That was a rhetorical question, internet friends. You can watch a recent CatVideoFest reel on the big screen in Silver Spring—wait! Don’t leave! Silver Spring isn’t as far as you think it is. Also, cat videos. Also, real cats. Alley Cat Allies co-presents this catastic event, which will include a 6 p.m.-7:30 p.m. pre-screening adoption, courtesy of the Humane Rescue Alliance’s mobile adoption center. Adopt, don’t shop, then celebrate by knocking something off a table. It’s less rude than sticking your butt in someone’s face. Wait, are we still talking about cats? (Sonny’s Green, 8 p.m., FREE)
(Photo by Derek Bruff)
SATURDAY, AUGUST 11
GET A CLUE: Was it Miss Scarlet or Colonel Mustard? Ditch the board and play a live action game of Clue, with a scavenger hunt twist. Teams will search for items and participate in challenges throughout the day. Top teams will win prizes and bragging rights. (Meet at Ollie’s Trolley, 11:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., $20)
SAY NO TO SLUT SHAMING: Making people feel bad about their sex lives, or lack thereof, isn’t funny. But Corinne Fisher and Krystyna Hutchinson are. The “Guys We F#@$!D” podcast co-hosts are performing in D.C. this weekend. Their show will make you laugh, think, blush, and probably get a little angry. Such is life. (DC Improv, 7 p.m., $27)
HIPS DON’T LIE: “Whenever, Wherever” does not apply to concerts. Your butt better be at the Capital One Arena on time if you plan on shaking it when the queen of popularized bellydance comes to D.C. this weekend. Shakira’s El Dorado World Tour finally makes its stop in our nation’s capital Saturday night, after the January date was cancelled. The Colombian singer’s video for “Clandestino” with Maluma just dropped two weeks ago, in case you were wondering if Shakira has still got it (she does). (Capital One Arena, 7:30 p.m., $57-$165+)
Porch Life – travelling music box neighbors jam from New Orleans Airlift on Vimeo.
SUNDAY, AUGUST 12
HAPPY BEER-DAY: 3 Stars Brewing Company is celebrating a full six-pack of anniversaries. The brewery’s 6 Year Anniversary Bash will feature music, local vendors, and a lot of beer. General admission tickets get you a custom glass and a beer to put in it. The VIP experience will cost you extra, but you’ll get the custom glass, four draft beer tickets, a 4-pack of each of the brewery’s new in-house releases, and an extra hour to enjoy it all. (3 Stars Brewing Company, 1 p.m.-7 p.m., $10-$50)
DOWN WITH DISEASE: Every year, Phish comes to Columbia, MD for two days of peace, love, and really, really, really long songs. Saturday’s show is already sold out, but you can still grab tickets for Sunday. Bust out that hemp necklace you loved in college and let yourself groove to the music. No actual dance skill required. (Merriweather Post Pavilion, 7 p.m., $45-85)
THE BAND’S BACK TOGETHER: Seattle-based indie rock band Pedro the Lion broke up in 2006, when frontman David Bazan launched his solo career. Last year, he reformed the band, which is known for its political and religious themes. But you don’t need to be religious to appreciate the music, as the lyrics are more in line with questioning than confirming one’s faith. (Black Cat, 7:30 p.m., $22-$25)
WHAT’S ALL THAT RUCKUS?: Embrace your inner stoop kid and live the Porch Life this Sunday. Good luck relaxing, though. This traveling version of New Orleans art collective The Music Box Village is an all-ages playhouse where visitors are encouraged to create music with the mobile home’s built-in instruments. It could be cool. It could be more obnoxious than when your rhythmically-challenged roommate came home with a darbuka. Thankfully, local musicians will have a go first, with public performances created and conducted by Luke Stewart with Janel Leppin, Layne Garrett, Jamal Moore, Thomas Stanley, and Twin Jude. (The Kennedy Center, 5:30-8:30 p.m., FREE)
