Monthly Archives: September 2010

The Daily Feed
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O.J. Simpson’s Suit Comes to the Newseum

O.J. Simpton's suit

Photo by Sarah Mercier/Newseum

Remember when O.J. Simpson used to dominate the news? Now all he gets is a little mention on We Love DC. My how the mighty have fallen. If you’ve missed the man, the Newseum is taking you back to O.J.’s media frenzy days with several new artifacts from the sensational 1995 murder trial. Highlights include the tan suit, white shirt and gold tie that O.J. wore the day he was acquitted, which have been in storage for the past 15 years. The artifacts go on display Oct. 1  in the museum’s News History Gallery.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Atari Teenage Riot @ Sonar 9/24/10

Last Friday, Atari Teenage Riot performed on the Club Stage at SONAR in Baltimore. It was their only DC-area concert and one of their first shows in the United States since 1999. The world has changed quite a bit since this digital-hardcore terror cell was originally active and their reformation and reactivation in 2010 is as random and surprising as their debut was so many years ago. Their Baltimore show was a chance to see what Alec Empire and his crew have in store for audiences in 2010 and an opportunity to answer the obvious question surrounding ATR’s return. Why reactivate now?

The performance Atari Teenage Riot delivered on Friday night was an inspired evening of sonic brutality that was less about breaking new musical ground or politics and more about celebrating ATR’s and Alec Empire’s legacy in music. It was a blistering ear assault that revisited ATR’s original 1990’s noise-campaign and showed that even after eleven years the music world has still not completely caught up to their intensity or creativity.

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Adventures, Business and Money, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed
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Commander Salamander Removes “Closing” Signs

Photo courtesy of
‘Commander Salamander, so it goes..’
courtesy of ‘Photos by Chip Py’

It’s been 8 months since we heard word that Commander Salamander was shuttering. Unlike its sister shop, Up Against The Wall, which closed super fast, the Wisconsin Avenue punk/hipster/preppy/raver shop has chugged on, despite keeping the “Store Closing” signs in its windows. This has left shop fans and area residents confused and perplexed about the store’s future. Was the shop still closing? If so, how could it take 8 months to liquidate the merchandise? Is Commander Salamander just playing tricks and using the signs as a gimmick to increase store traffic?

Then, like it had never happened, a few days ago the signs disappeared. But the questions still remain. Does the removal of the signs mean it’s really the end? Or has a crisis been averted and the shop will remain?

News, The Daily Feed
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Police make arrest in connection with yesterday’s U Street shooting

Photo courtesy of
‘Crime Solvers’
courtesy of ‘Marcellina.’

This morning in a news conference Chief Cathy Lanier announced that MPD have made an arrest in the investigation surrounding yesterday’s shooting at the funeral of Ashley McRae. Police arrested Brandon Miller on a charge of Murder 1 while armed (Video of the press conference available there, too).  Police are looking for people who may have seen a White 2001 Buick near the scene yesterday.  Please call 202 727 9099 or text 50 411 or call anonymously at 1 888 919 CRIME if you have any information about the White 2001 Buick seen near the scene of the crime yesterday.

Jason Cherkis and Bryan Weaver both knew Jamal Coates, and have a very touching profile of Coates, whose life was fairly complicated.  It’s absolutely worth your time.

News, The Daily Feed
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16th Street Fire forces evacuation, street closures

firecolhghts.jpg
Photo by Dave Stroup, We Love DC

An early morning fire in the 3100 block of 16th Street forced the evacuation of an apartment building and required multiple rescues from DC Fire & EMS.  8 people were transported to area hospitals with serious injuries, including smoke inhalation, and one person has died from their injuries related to the fire.  A 38-year-old male, yet to be identified, leapt from the burning building and sustained fatal injuries in doing so.

We Love DC correspondent Dave Stroup reported from the scene via twitter, and compared it to the 2008 Mt. Pleasant Fire.

TBD was on the scene as well this morning, and has comments from the Fire Chief and others.

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Rogue Wave & Midlake

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to catch Midlake and Rogue Wave co-headlining at the 9:30 Club on Friday, October 1st.

I have to be honest here. I don’t have a clue who these bands are or who their fan-base is. So rather than insult your intelligence with some phony write-up (because that’s just not my style, you dig?), I’ll simply direct you to their Myspace pages and let you sample their wares for yourself: Midlake and Rogue Wave. If you like what you hear, take a crack at those tickets! Or if you happen to be a huge fan of one or both of these bands, then say it loud and say it proud in your comment.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.

For the rules of this giveaway…
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The Daily Feed
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HuffPo Will Bus Non-Locals to Rally for Sanity for Free

Photo courtesy of
‘863 DF57OXF OXFORD BUS 060710’
courtesy of ‘eastleighbusman’

So, that little rally that Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert are planning to have in late October? It isn’t going to be just contained to DC residents. In fact, the way its spread online through Facebook groups, Reddit and Twitter has led to an appeal that goes much further than the mid-Atlantic region. There has been such a response for participation outside of the area that last night, Ariana Huffington, while appearing on Stewart’s The Daily Show to promote her newest book, mentioned that the people at The Huffington Post wanted to help by bussing people down to the Oct. 30 Rally to Restore Sanity – for free: Continue reading →

News, The Daily Feed
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Vince Gray announces Town Hall series leading up to November election

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC00608’
courtesy of ‘Arlington Karl’

If you’ve been wondering what Vince Gray’s campaign was up to after they’d won the primary, you weren’t alone.  It turns out, though, that they’re working on a series of Town Hall meetings, one for each ward, starting in early October.  You can sign up to be at one through their website, or you can read about their Build One City plan, which also offers you the chance to be a part of their transition team, or apply to work in a Gray administration (or, rather, you can’t yet, but maybe once he’s Mayor-Elect).

The whole series of Town Hall meetings is behind the break. Sorry, Courtland, Ward 9 isn’t on the list.

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The Daily Feed
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Chuck Brown on NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert

Photo courtesy of
‘8030-32Crop’
courtesy of ‘furcafe’

NPR’s Tiny Desk Concert Series is one of my favorite things, featuring studio concerts with amazing musicians over at the NPR offices.  Most of the time it’s acoustic or indie, but this week, it feature’s DC’s own Go-Go style, with a Chuck Brown concert right at their offices.  On a day that’s been fraught with frustration, with grief, with anger, it’s nice to have something purely and unabashedly awesome about this city to turn to.

Thanks NPR.  Thanks Chuck Brown.

The Daily Feed
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Would Rahm Emanuel Leave DC To Try for Chicago Mayorship?

Photo courtesy of
‘Rahm Emanuel 5’
courtesy of ‘afagen’

It’s the age-old-DC-question: how long do people actually stay residents of this town anyway? Apparently, the query extends from Hill staffers all the way to the President’s immediate advisor, and the rumors have been flying today that Rahm Emanuel will resign from his post at the White House to move back to Chicago and run for mayor of the Windy City.

News organizations from around the Western Hemisphere have been working to read the tea leaves about Emanuel. His future still very much hangs in the “pondering” department, and no one has really nailed down any reports that he will in fact hang up the executive position.  The AP reported he has tried to get back his old apartment in Chitown (no luck), but at least the BBC used the greatest moniker ever to describe the report in its story (calling Rahm “a ‘Profane’ Piledriver).

If this is the end, thanks for making our fair city just a little bit more like Ari Gold’s offices in Entourage (that’s in my head, and yes, that character was based on Rahm’s brother). Think he gets a write-in campaign in Chicago a la Fenty no matter what?

Life in the Capital, Special Events, The District
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Judith and the Wonderful, Remarkable, So Good, Very Great Book

Photo courtesy of
‘Judith Viorst at National Book Festival’
courtesy of ‘tiffany bridge’

Last week was not my best. My car was broken into. I paid the DMV $125, courtesy of a speeding ticket I earned on my way to an ill-fated meeting. I got a fat lip, and the vending machine in my building ran out of frosted Pop-Tarts. It was, by all accounts, a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad week.

But all bad days — and weeks — come to an end. Saturday dawned much brighter, and I set off to the National Book Festival to meet children’s author (and personal hero) Judith Viorst. One of Washington’s leading literary figures, Mrs. Viorst immediately made me forget my recent string of bad luck. Chances are, one of her books has helped brighten one or two of your days as well.

After all, Mrs. Viorst authored the iconic children’s book Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Published in 1972, it has sold over two million copies, and ranks as one of the most famous and best loved picture books of all time. It has taught generations of children that rotten days happen no matter who you are, or where you live. It also suggests that while Lady Luck can be cruel, the tides of fortune change. The gum you woke up with in your hair can be removed with ice or peanut butter. The hated pajamas you must wear to bed will get dirty; you’ll get to wear your favorite pair tomorrow night. Windshields can be fixed, and vending machines are restocked. With the end of every bad day comes the potential for a great one.

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The Daily Feed
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Midday Drive-by shooting at Funeral claims at least one life

The funeral of Ashley McRae at Walker Memorial Baptist at 11th & U was the site of a gruesome drive-by shooting this afternoon.  8 or 9 shots were fired, and claimed the life of at least one victim on the scene, with other injuries reported.  Details are still forthcoming in the next few hours as the scene is controlled by MPD and statements are released.  In addition, the shooting caused a multi-vehicle accident at 13th & U, as well.  The area around the site is currently closed to vehicle traffic.

Update 1:43pm: McRae was a recent murder victim herself. Damon Antonio Sams was arrested and charged last week in her murder. MPD said at the time they were investigating whether an argument was the motive. TBD has photos from the scene and comments from former Ward 1 council candidate Bryan Weaver, who was nearby when the shooting happened.

Update 2:06pm: The Post‘s Mike Debonis spoke to Councilmember Jim Graham, who says MPD had 5 uniformed officers plus additional plainclothes officers attending the funeral.

Update 2:25pm: The Post talked to Chief Cathy Lanier and got her description of the incident, indicating that the vehicle that overturned was trying to flee while being fired upon.

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Bike Lanes Are Just for Bikes

Photo courtesy of
‘Doublemint Runners’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’

DC is home to over 47 miles of bike lanes, and an ever-increasing number of residents are choosing to bike around the city. The Solowheel glide 3 is a new and innovative method to go around our world, equipped with an 800W motor and a premium 3A rapid charger. It’s essentially a powered unicycle with a top speed of 18 miles per hour. It comes in a small package that opens up to reveal a stunning and powerful piece of technology. Discover more amazing things of the solowheel glide 3 only at Scooter Adviser! While not in use, it is best to bring a bike lock with you to avoid theft and secure your bike, just in case.  But ride around the city on any of these bike lanes, and you’ll see more than just cyclists taking advantage of them. Tourists on segways, people riding motorcycles, parked or stopped cars– they all feel at home taking advantage of our city’s bike lanes. But bike lanes are meant for just bikes, right?

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The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Swans @ Black Cat 9/29/10

Swans cvr-BeatricePediconi.UntitledIII,2009

I don’t know if there is a ticket any hotter than this one. A reunited…excuse me…re-activated Swans touring in support of an incredible new album that encapsulates the numerous styles the band tapped into during their long original career is one very exciting prospect. I can imagine the new songs being doled out in segments played alongside their older style-cousins to make for a career spanning set-list; expect industrial blitzkriegs, noise-rock assaults, gothic dirges, and general sonic weirdness. Swans are notorious for their insanely loud, audience assaulting live shows. Band leader and creative force behind the group, Michael Gira seems intent on getting back to the live presence that made his band infamous in the first place.

I have read several interviews with Gira in which he doesn’t seem quite sure what to expect from a Swans concert in 2010. His interim project Angels of Light never really got very noisy, so it has been quite awhile since the master of disaster has instructed a band of musicians to totally unleash on a crowd. Their stop at Black Cat is only the second show in their global campaign of noise and darkness. I will be very curious to see what Gira offers up this early in the tour. Will he play it safe or let Swans fly so hard and fast that they break the sound barrier? I personally know a ton of Swans fans who are dying to find out. If Swans 2010 are only half as good in concert as their new album is when I crank the volume to 10, then this show is going to be hotter than Hades.

Swans
w/ Baby Dee
9/29/10
@ The Black Cat
$20 Adv/ $25 DOS

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Caribou w/ Emeralds @ Black Cat 9/23/10

IMG_4413
All photos by author.

Last Thursday night Canadian indie-dance troupe Caribou made their second stop in DC in six months when they played to a nearly-full Black Cat. This time around they brought Ohio’s psychedelic/electro princes Emeralds along as openers. Combining Emeralds’ intense sonic textures and Caribou’s intricate dance music provided for an interesting evening of music that would have fit right in with last week’s Sonic Circuits Festival.

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capitals hockey, The Daily Feed
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Caps Return Home for Preseason

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_6325’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’

Tonight the Caps return to the Verizon Center for a preseason matchup with the visiting Boston Bruins. The Capitals, fresh off two road games versus Columbus and Nashville (both Washington wins), will be featuring a trimmed-down roster of 33 players. Tonight’s roster will most likely include center Matt Hendricks, who was signed to a one-year two-way contract yesterday. Hendricks scored a hat trick in last week’s game against Columbus.

Line combinations for the new season aren’t fully set as roughly 14 forward slots have yet to be filled. Rookie Marcus Johansson has been solid in his last two preseason starts, as has last year’s draft selection Cody Eakin. Coach Bruce Boudreau is liking the talent depth at center this year, something the Caps weren’t all that strong in last year. “Weve got a lot of capable guys,” he said yesterday. “There are a lot of guys who are capable of playing that position…It’s going to be really tough for us to make a final determination because they’re all good.”

Tickets for tonight’s game are still available and the Caps announced that their Student Rush plan is in effect for this evening – $40 for lower tier and $20 for upper tier seats when students bring their ID to the Verizon Center box office.

The Caps regular season begins October 8 in Atlanta.

News, The Daily Feed
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David Simon picks up only area MacArthur Genius Grant

dsimon.jpg

I’ve been hearing the word “genius” thrown around with David Simon’s name since Homicide: Life on the Street came to NBC in the mid 1990s.  This morning, it’s official, as David Simon was named to be one of this year’s MacArthur Fellows, the recipient of a “genius” grant of $500,000 over 5 years. Simon, born here in DC, and covered the crime beat for the Baltimore Sun through the 1980s and 1990s, is the author of books and teleplays that have won numerous awards.  His TV series, from the aforementioned Homicide to The Wire and Treme have won him critical acclaim. Congratulations, David!

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘top’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

Proving that photography doesn’t have to be about the equipment and that a good eye is at least as important, here’s a fantastic shot taken with a plain old iPhone camera.

Just as in comedy, timing is (almost) everything. Jenn‘s timing is impeccable, catching the escalator rider stepping off, silhouetted against the sky. The timing is especially difficult when using a phone or a point and shoot camera because of shutter lag.

And because timing isn’t everything, the lines, the sky, and the escalator form a nice frame and lead your eye to her reflection.