By 
If you were not at Comet Ping Pong on Friday night, then I am sorry to say that you missed it: the first great set of 2011.
Monthly Archives: February 2011
By shannon
DC Mythbusting: The Washington Monument
‘Washington Monument, Washington, DC’
courtesy of ‘NeonGods’
George Washington was born 279 years ago today, and for the past 126 years our city’s skyline has been dominated by a tribute to him. The Washington Monument is an iconic piece of architecture, but there are so many myths and legends about it that it could be one of the most misunderstood monuments in the city. Here’s a collection of our five favorite myths about the Washington Monument. Continue reading
By Comedy in DC: Don’t Block the Box Comedy Show Fire
Reggie Melbrough and Ahmed Huidobro are hosting the fourth Don’t Block the Box Comedy Show at the Wonderland Ballroom, 1101 Kenyon St. NW, on Friday, Feb. 25, from 7:00 PM to 10 o’clock in the evening. The show costs three dollars and is cash only. I know that cash is very medieval, but get some of change and go to a CoinStar or something. You will be fine.
Anyway, after the show the lights will go down and the dancing will begin. So get ready to laugh your ass off then put it back on and shake it off. That sounds kind of gross, but you know what I mean.
By Tom Bridge
Metro Announces March Work Weekend on Orange/Blue Lines, 5 stations closed
Fresh off a 3-day closure of two stations in the heart of the city, WMATA announced this morning that they’ll be closing five stations at the end of the Orange Line, as well as splitting the Blue Line, to perform NTSB-mandated maintenance over the weekend of March 4th through 6th.
The Orange Line will not operate between Stadium-Armory and New Carrollton, closing the stations at Minnesota Ave, Deanwood, Cheverly, Landover and New Carrolton. In addition, no Blue Line trains will traverse the gap between Stadium-Armory and Benning Road. The closures begin at 10am on Friday March 4th, and will conclude when the system reopens on March 7th.
Metro will be working to repair aerial structures at Cheverly, as well as make upgrades to Stadium-Armory and “install 6,000 feet of cellular communication cables to ultimately improve cell phone coverage, replace 2,000 feet of track, 380 insulators, 1,400 rail ties and 400 track fasteners.”
By Food Truck Tracker
‘Wheres the meat? Meathead Truck’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
Yeah it’s only Tuesday. But on the bright side, it’s a four-day work week! So go on and treat yourself, go get some nosh from the food truck in your neck of the woods.
Click through for our ThestrEATS-powered lunch map to find out where all the food trucks are.
Continue reading
First Look: PORCmobile
‘PORC Mobile’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’
I can’t yet claim to be a BBQ expert. But I do know good food, and I have tried many a food truck. For your next lunch stop at the food trucks, I suggest you briskly head out for some brisket and try the PORC Mobile.
Back in the summer, We Love DC reported on the Purveyors of Rolling Cuisine (aka PORC Mobile) and their gradual start to get rolling in an environmentally friendly manner. At long last, they’re out on the streets purveying what I would call one of the tastiest pulled pork sandwiches I’ve had.
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Hot Ticket: Weedeater @ SONAR, TONIGHT!
If you are a fan of ultra-heavy, sludge guitar; slow-churning, reverb-effected bass; and swampy, primal drum patterns then this show is a must see.
In the late 90’s, stoner doom metal band, Weedeater rose from the ashes that spilled out of “Dixie” Dave Collins’ bowl when his former noise-rock band Buzzov*en called it quits. Active for over a decade now, Collins and his crew have managed to shake off their pot-induced haze to cut four fantastic albums that fall somewhere between Clutch and Sleep. Weedeater don’t put on airs, they don’t play intricate intellectual post-metal, they just blast through some of the heaviest, thickest sludge known to man. On their latest album “Jason…the Dragon”, that sludge sounds oh-so-sweet. Not many metal bands tap Steve Albini to do their production work but Weedeater did and the result is a monolithic slab of reverb-drenched, stoner doom from start to finish.
Underneath the swirling swamp waters of Weedeater’s sound, is “Dixie” Dave Collins; a maniac front man with a viscous howl and a larger-than-life persona. Already a legend for his down-home antics with Buzzov*en, Bongzilla, and Sourvein; the myth of Collins’ grew even larger when the front-man accidentally blew off one of his toes while cleaning “his favorite shotgun” last year! Head up to SONAR tonight to ride those ultra heavy grooves and embrace the insanity that is Weedeater!
Weedeater
w/ ASG and Radical Discharge
@ SONAR (Baltimore)
2/22 – 8pm
$12
By Samer Farha
Featured Photo
‘Prepare for Liftoff’
courtesy of ‘rpmaxwell’
There are many ways to make a great picture. Sometimes, it requires you to look at a familiar subject from an unusual angle. It’s not always possible, but sometimes you get lucky.
Looks like Ryan Maxwell got a little luck and managed to take the time to put his camera on the edge of a Metro escalator. He was lucky not to have others walking up behind him to use it, for one, and luckier that it didn’t self destruct while he was there.
A long exposure from a low angle, and the escalator is transformed into something a bit more … sci-fi? Something bigger? More sinister?
By Ben H. Rome
Caps Finish Road Trip with 1-0 Shutout of Pittsburgh
‘Washington Capitals’
courtesy of ‘a digital cure’
The Caps topped off their latest 5 game road trip with a hard-fought 1-0 victory in Pittsburgh. The game capped off a wild cross-country journey that saw the Caps bring in 6 points out of a possible 10. And for many, it also brought about a rebirth of sorts of Alex Ovechkin. He got the lone tally with a 45 foot blast during a second period power play that proved to be all the Caps needed to hold off a struggling and injured Penguins team. The goal was Ovechkin’s third in the last four games; he’s got 6 points total over the same stretch, and has 9 goals (17 points) over his last 15. Slump? Over.
“That is what he does, and this is what he wasn’t doing in the first 45-50 games,” said coach Bruce Boudreau. “He wasn’t getting his shot off. I didn’t even see it (the goal) in the replay at all. He has been playing like that for the last two weeks and being a real leader.”
The Caps’ win also marked an odd trivia point for the team that won’t likely be repeated by anyone in the NHL any time soon. In the Caps’ last three visits to Pittsburgh, they’ve beat the Pens in three different venues: the Civic (Mellon) Arena with a 6-3 win on April 6; the 3-1 Winter Class victory at Heinz Field on January 1; and last night’s shutout in the new Consol Energy Center. The game was also Michal Neuvirth’s second shutout in 15 days, both against the Penguins.
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By Erin McCann
We Love Music: The Avett Brothers @ DAR Constitution Hall, 2/18/11
All photos by Erin McCann
I didn’t much like the Avett Brothers when I first heard them. The banjo was too much, the vocal harmonies sometimes too off-key, the melodies sometimes just on the other side of pleasant. That changed a little bit for me one day when “Ballad of Love and Hate” from 2007’s “Emotionalism” came on, where the banjo was replaced by an acoustic guitar, and the melody was a simple tale of woe delivered in a clear, mournful voice by Seth Avett. And finally, when “I and Love and You” came out in 2009, and I first heard the chorus to the title track, I was hooked. I got it. I was a convert. I was in love. Continue reading
By Dave Levy
Running For President
‘Dave and his alter ego 3’
courtesy of ‘tbridge’
For about 15 minutes this President’s Day Weekend, I managed to fulfill one of my Kindergarten aspirations – I was one of the Presidents of the United States.
You know, kind of.
Background: it’s become a bit of a President’s Day tradition that the Nationals host their annual mascot auditions at Nationals Park. As Rachel’s awesome recap last year was quick to note, sticking to the holiday weekend that recognizes the same men these mascots represent is so important that the try outs are held shine or snow.
I joined in with a few other members of the media – Lenny Bernstein of the Washington Post and Danny Rouhier from WJFK 106.7 The Fan – and we got a chance to go through the whole process. I will tell you: my respect for the people who don the Presidential Gear for about 35 games every season has shot through the roof after spending a lap inside the costume.
Food & Friends 15th Annual Dining out for Life
Courtesy of Gold Standard PR on behalf of Food & Friends
The 15th Annual Dining out for Life on March 10th is right around the corner. More than 150 restaurants across the DC-area will donate portions of the day’s proceeds to Food & Friends. And all you have to do is eat at one of the restaurants.
For those who don’t know, Food & Friends delivers meals to DC residents who are living with HIV/AIDS, cancer and other debilitating illnesses. Last year, they raised $27o,000 from Dining out for Life. Participating restaurants can donate anywhere from 25 percent to 100 percent of the day’s proceeds. And if you can’t dine out that day, you can always give a donation.
Some of the restaurants donating 100 percent of their proceeds include Ristorante Tosca, Posto, Annie’s Paramount Steakhouse and Freddie’s Beach Bar & Restaurant in Arlington, which is donating 110 percent of the day’s proceeds. For a complete list of participating restaurants, click here.
By David Hintz
We Love Music: The Drive-By Truckers @ 9:30 Club, 2/18/11
all photos by Andrew Markowitz.
Drive-by Truckers, one of the most accurately named bands, have been working the road over a little over a decade. They have worked it hard and have built a huge fan base as a result. However, you have to also give them credit for several outstanding albums showcasing their quality songwriting, blasting guitar work, and Americana/alt-country twang. The result, as far as this weekend in DC shows, is two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club. And on Friday night, the band showed they can still deliver the goods with a quite a bit of variety in their songs.
Food Truck Tracker
‘farragut food court’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’
Happy Presidents’ Day! If you’re lucky and have today off, grab lunch from the food trucks that are out rollin’ today. If the founding fathers had food trucks back in their day, what do you think their favorites would be? Pie? Curry? Empanadas? Lobster? WWGWE – What Would George Washington Eat?
Click on through for our ThestrEATS-powered lunch map!
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By Tom Bridge
A Presidents Day Tribute
In honor of Presidents Day, we present this tribute to our 6’10”, quadriballed, 2000-lb namesake for our city, George Washington. He saved the little children. But not the British children.
By Hot Ticket: Thursday & Underoath @ 9:30 Club, 2/22/11
![Thursday - Full Collapse [2001]](http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5215/5463422258_1840870d0d_m.jpg)
It might be easy to lump the group Thursday, playing tomorrow at the 9:30 Club, in with other aging emo bands such as the Get Up Kids. But Thursday have come a long way since they first cracked the scene in 2001 – their full-length debut “Full Collapse” spawning the hit singles “Cross Out The Eyes” and “Understanding in a Car Crash”. Well, they were hits in my mind, at least. This was always one of my favorite emo bands – they were dramatic and serious, and just a bit heavy. Tomorrow night, they’ll be playing this album in its entirety.
Since then, they’ve consistently revived their style on each album. Lately, frontman Geoff Rickly has been working with a side-project, United Nations, which is sort of a tribute to extremely heavy 90s hardcore bands like Orchid and Pg. 99. Geoff’s instincts have consistently driven Thursday in a heavier direction – even 2003’s “War All the Time” was much darker and angrier than “Full Collapse”. Since splitting ways with Island Records in 2007, Thursday have toured with bands that don’t quite match their emo style – heavy bands like Converge and Envy.
Tuesday night’s pairing with Underoath is a perfect example. Underoath is a metalcore group from Florida, combining the vocal style and attitude of hardcore punk with metal riffs. I personally love this style of metal – it means I can scream along with the lyrics, or just bang my head to the riffs. A Skylit Drive do something similar, with alternating screaming and melodic vocals – but I’m most excited about Animals as Leaders, one of my favorite progressive metal bands. This DC-based group delivers quick bursts of heavy, jazzy, complex riffs without the pretention or epicness of bands like Dream Theater.
I caught Thursday last year at the Black Cat, and it had one of the most energetic crowds I’ve seen in DC. Dozens of kids shove their way to the front of the pit for the chance to shout lyrics in Geoff’s face. Look out for me – I’ll be the guy in the black hoodie in the front row.
Thursday & Underoath
w/ A Skylit Drive, Animals as Leaders
9:30 Club
Tuesday, Feb. 22nd, 2011
$20
By Ben H. Rome
Weekend Flashback: 2/19 – 2/20/11
‘Metro â�� 2.20.11’
courtesy of ‘rpmaxwell’
For those of you on an extended weekend, enjoy! For those not, well, hopefully this week’s selection will soothe the sting of Monday. Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
Kwame Brown’s Navigator, and Vincent Gray’s Deep Pockets
‘BIGGPAPA’
courtesy of ‘lazzarello’
It’s been a bad weekend for Mayor Vince Gray and Council Chairman Kwame Brown. The former, it was revealed by the Post’s Nikita Stewart, has been spending quite a lot of money on senior staff.
Vincent Gray has hired a number of senior advisors at significantly higher dollar values than Adrian Fenty, with several salaries approaching, or meeting, $200,000 per year. Most of the people in these positions are getting paid significantly more than their predecessors. Gerri Mason Hall, the mayor’s chief of staff, is being paid over the bracketed salary for the position at $200,000, which is about what the mayor himself draws from city coffers. For comparison, Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel at the White House made $172,000 per year. While it’s certain that the White House also pays people in prestige and notoriety, it’s a difficult pill to swallow for many city workers facing furlough and layoffs.
And then there’s Kwame Brown’s “fully loaded” Lincoln Navigators. Yes, he has two of them. Mike DeBonis of the Post did some excellent digging into the circumstances around the council chairman’s ride, and boy is this one ugly. The city has now leased a pair of Navigators – yes, that’s plural on purpose – for the Council Chairman, due to the requirement that the vehicle be black-on-black. The city will pay close to $3,600/mo for these two vehicles, which is, with insurance, about double my mortgage payment in Brookland.
Council Chairman Brown was uncharacteristically silent on Twitter yesterday, but that didn’t stop the rise of a new hashtag: #whatshouldkwamedo. Personally? Cancel the contract of the spare unit, and trade the Navigator for the Mayor’s old Smart car. At least that one’s already paid for.
By Dan Rowinski
From hockey to basketball at Verizon: A familiar routine
‘Verizon Center change over’
courtesy of Max Cook
Last Saturday was a busy day for the bull gang at Verizon Center.
Then again, the operations crew working in the hub of Chinatown is always busy.
Yet, last Saturday was a little bit different. Verizon Center makes multiple switches every week from a hockey arena for the Capitals to basketball for the Wizards with modifications for both Georgetown and the Mystics. Normally, it goes from basketball to hockey, a familiar process for the crew. On Saturday it was a quick afternoon turnaround though from hockey to basketball as the Caps played an uncharacteristic early-afternoon matinee at 12:30 p.m. and the Wizards had a later-than-usual start at 8:00 p.m.
Both teams lost. Badly.
It turned out to be a marathon day for this reporter. It came to the point where our fearless leader, Tom, was set to dispatch a St. Bernard to the Verizon Center with one of those little casks tied around its neck as part of a rescue team. Being a working Saturday, I naturally told Tom to have the St. Bernard’s cask (in my mind I called him TimBo) filled with tequila. A working man has a powerful thirst, you know.
By brownpau
National Christmas Tree felled by high winds
Photo by Brownpau
The National Christmas Tree, a 48-foot Colorado blue spruce from York, PA planted during the Carter Administration in 1978, was a casualty to the very high winds in the District today. The tree was split near its base, and felled without injury or structural damage, according to DC Fire EMS and the National Park Police.
No plans are immediately available for the replanting of the tree, or the disposal of the current tree.
An NPS horticulturalist, and National Park Service spokesman Bill Line, are saying that a “successor” tree is ready for planting on the spot as soon as the current tree is disposed of — chipped and mulched, starting today. The tree that fell today was the third tree of its kind on that spot — prior trees had also been blown over in high winds, and the Park Service specifically has advance plans in place for just such an event.
The next tree will be up in time for “next year’s Christmas Tree Lighting ceremony.” Not clear from that if Mr. Line was thinking in 2010 terms and meant to say “in time for the next Christmas Tree Lighting,” or if it’ll take till 2012 to get a new tree into the spot.
More photos after the jump: