And for his next trick, monologuist Josh Lefkowitz will riff for 85 minutes on how hard it is to be a 26-year-old artist struggling to write a follow-up to his celebrated show from the 2006 Capital Fringe Festival, lest he be forced to, well, get a job. Also, he loves his girlfriend, but once he became a success — Heaven forfend! — other attractive women started hitting on him. Yep, it sure sounds like the…

Hemphill Fine Arts opened two shows this past weekend, showcasing James Huckenpahler’s digital prints in Mindless Pleasures and David Byrne’s furniture design in Furnishing the Self – Upholstering the Soul (Chairs). And while both shows are housed in the same gallery space, they displayed art at opposite ends of the spectrum in both medium and in feel. The first of the two shows at Hemphill is Huckenpahler’s computer art presented in Mindless Pleasures. His work…

Story and photo by DCist Contributor Jason Cox The last time Paul Van Dyk was in town, it was an almost somber occasion — his trance anthems pulsed through the chambers of Nation one last time, only weeks before the raver haven shut its doors for good. When would he return? Where would he play? Fur, the most obvious choice, was likely out of the question if you listen to the urban legends about PVD…

MONDAY >> Looking for an act whose name you are sure to forget at least once over the course of the evening? We give you an Orlando hip-hop duo with a name like a serial number: X:144 and SPS. Okayplayer called their debut collaboration, M.E., “a producer’s wet dream.” At the Red and the Black. 9:30 p.m., $8. >> After releasing solo CDs and making babies, Aterciopelados, Colombia’s finest rock en español outfit is back…

FRIDAY: >> You don’t need us to tell you any more about local heavyweights Benjy Ferree, Meredith Bragg and the Terminals, or Greenland. But tonight is Ferree’s first time headlining at Black Cat’s mainstage, so don’t forget to show up and lend your support. 9 p.m., $10. SATURDAY: >> Guitarist Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will spin a DJ set at the Rock and Roll Hotel. $10 after 10 p.m., free before. >>…

The long, dark night of the Arts Agenda is almost over! Our fearless arts editor, DCist Heather, will return next week and restore confidence in our coverage of the arts. It has been an enjoyable task for me to fill in, but we are all relieved; let’s face it. THURSDAY: >> If you have not seen The Société Anonyme: Modernism for America at the Phillips Collection, you have to do it by this Sunday. Read…

By DCist contributor Graham Hough-Cornwell The pseudo sub-genre of schizo-pop that the Fiery Furnaces made well-publicized if not so much well-liked culminated – at least for this reviewer – with Architecture in Helsinki’s second full-length album, In Case We Die. To call the two groups similar perhaps isn’t fair; their most basic common aesthetic is a lack of one in particular. But for my money, Architecture are the more playful of the two, their shouts…

Today’s photo comes from Flickr user Pak Gwei, who was front and center for this year’s Rolling Thunder festivities. You can check the Rolling Thunder Flickr pool if you want more biker action, or if you crave more traditional Memorial Day photo fare, there’s always the DCist tag pool. This shot was taken on a Canon EOS Digital Rebel. The EXIF data can be found here. I must confess I have a ulterior motive…

Last night, Cordero alternated between brooding, Latin ballads and alt-country punk for a handful of people backstage at the Black Cat. Cordero’s charismatic, hybrid sound could have converted skeptics into fans, particularly those who gravitate toward the genres that include Calexico and X’s side project, the Knitters. Unfortunately for the band and the audience, walking into the Black Cat backstage was like a psych class experiment. Since there were maybe fifteen people there for the…

Brooklyn’s Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have spent the bulk of 2005 as this year’s model of the Indie Rock Critical Darling. Their self-titled debut album — itself a lean and mean platter of exuberant pop — found its way into the marketplace with backing from several of the more respected MP3 blogs and critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, who put them on their Hot List earlier this year. From there, the raves were amplified…