The pandemic has dealt a staggering blow to local music venues, shuttering Twins Jazz, 18th Street Lounge and Alice’s Jazz and Cultural Society so far.

The new space advertises itself as a “cocktail bar for purists.”

With a tip of the cap to Dan Steinberg, here’s your video introduction to the University of Maryland’s latest athletic triumph: the school’s new competitive eating team.

FRIDAY >> The legendary Patti Smith is at the 9:30 Club tonight, and tickets are incredibly still available for $25. Doors at 9, show at 10 p.m. >> The idea of attending a lighting display, particularly after Christmas, might sound a bit cheesy. But the Garden of Lights in Wheaton might just change your mind. The designer tours the county gardens each year for inspiration for his display; this year, it invokes the four seasons….

We’ve got a secret for you: Sweeney Todd is a musical. We understand there might be some confusion about that, seeing as how the television ads don’t have a single note of singing in them, and if you blink during the theatrical trailer, you’ll miss the five seconds of Johnny Depp singing buried in the clip. Make no mistake, though. The vast majority of this film is told in song. On the one hand, it’s…

FRIDAY: >> The 18th Street Lounge’s regular Wednesday night reggae stars SEE-I are at the Rock and Roll Hotel to celebrate the holidays with some friends who are sure to get you dancing too — DJ Mat the Alien and remix artists Fort Knox Five. Tickets for the Happy FKX-XMas are $10. >> Rufus Wainwright begins a two-night stint at the 9:30 Club tonight with his sister, Lucy Wainwright Roche. Tickets are still available for…

Once again, the Pollstar Concert Industry Awards nomination list shows that D.C.’s no small potatoes when it comes to touring music. Like last year, the 9:30 Club is nominated for Nightclub of the Year, Wolf Trap’s Filene Center is nominated for the Red Rocks small outdoor venue award, and Birchmere’s Michael Jawarek is nominated for Nightclub Talent Buyer of the Year. There are a few new additions to our area’s nods too. The Verizon…

>> The 1930s-era Hecht’s building in Northeast has been bought by a Philadelphia developer who plans to incorporate the historic structure into a new retail hub off New York Avenue. [WaPo] >> D.C.’s State Education Office established new criteria for free- and reduced-price-meal programs in an effort to increase enrollment. [Examiner] >> Construction has begun on Alexandria’s 167-acre Potomac Yard development. [Washington Business Journal] >> The death of musician Casey Calvert last month outside…

FRIDAY: >> Bay Area songstress Goapele’s (pictured) musical background is almost as diverse as her ethnic background. Born to a South African political exile father and a mother whose parents survived the Holocaust, she studied at the Berklee College of Music and later would form musical partnerships with the likes of hip-hop acts like the Hieroglyphics crew and E-40. However her 2005 release, Change It All, established her as especially talented when it comes to…

Good morning, Washington. We’ll be standing by for a good chunk of the day to see what the Metro Board decides to do about the proposed fare hike – the Board is meeting at 11 a.m. for a session that is expected to produce a final vote on the fare hikes, which could go into effect as soon as January. Board members have indicated they would likely pass a fare hike that is slightly less…