Written by DCist contributor Maria Flores Sometime in the early 1970s, when the photographs in Melody Maker, NME, and Rolling Stone were no longer enough to satiate his appetite, Claude Gassian swapped his guitar for a 35mm camera and took to the road with his finger on the shutter button. So began his photographic conquest to document the lives of some of his favorite musical artists. Over three decades later, his photographs stand alone as…

FRIDAY: >> This weekend is filled to the brim with events surrounding the 2007 Urban Film Series tour just in time for Black History Month. Dozens of short and feature-length films addressing the black experience are being screened at Regal Cinema Gallery Place, many with panel discussions following. There’s a bevy of established and rising talent to see, but our pick for Friday has to be a conversation and book-signing with the Wizard’s own center…

(From DCist’s Cyndi Spain) >> New at the Govinda Gallery in Georgetown is “Kate Simons. Photographs” which celebrates the intimate portraits that Simons took of Bob Marley (one example, above) until his death in 1981. The exhibition commemorates Marley’s upcoming 60th anniversary and includes the new, limited edition publication “Rebel Music: Bob Marley & Roots Reggae.” Each copy (available through the gallery) is signed by the photographer and weighs in at a hefty $395….