Monthly Archives: July 2011

The Daily Feed
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Tomorrow is Code Red

Photo courtesy of
‘Mtn Dew Reach (5)’
courtesy of ‘Robby Green’

No, no the soda.

If you’ve never been in DC when a code red was declared before, here’s the long and short of it: it means air quality will be poor and you should limit your outdoor activities.

If you have been in DC before you might have remembered getting to ride Metrobus routes for free on code red days. That program has been discontinued, as confirmed to me by phone by a WMATA spokesperson. A number of cynical twitter users have commented that you’re likely to get a free ride based on a non-functional fare box anyway. Free or not, get out of the heat and stay safe.

If you want more detail about how a day gets called Code Red, read on.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Happy Birthday, Hemingway!

Photo courtesy of Cuba Libre.

Ok, he never lived in DC, but Papa Hemingway is still a favorite of mine, so we’re wishing him a happy birthday! Not for his writing really (though I did have to mimic his style several times at nerd camp, but that’s another story), but for his passionate love of the cocktail.

Today at Cuba Libre there will be a special happy hour to celebrate his 112th birthday, held from 4:30-6:30pm with $5 Papa Doble daiquiris and $4 small-bites like salted cod fritters with lemon mayonnaise. Cuba Libre has been celebrating National Daiquiri Month at all their locations with a special $10 daiquiri menu in honor of Hemingway, in a promotion called “Do It Like Ernest.” Does that mean brawling and bull-fighting? Continue reading →

Adams Morgan, The Features, We Love Arts
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A True Adams Morgan Original

All photos by the author.

From a lofty brick throne, a voluptuous redhead rules over Adams Morgan, watching and goading all manner of revelry like a contemporary Doctor T.J. Eckleburg. Her territory spans the 18th Street strip; her image an iconic symbol of throbbing crowds, vodka cranberries, and Jumbo Slice pizza.

But just two blocks away from her Madam’s Organ palace stands evidence of a rich heritage that long precedes her reign. Near the corner of 18th and Adams Mill (and now overlooking a Zipcar parking lot), a community has danced, sung, painted and played in the faces of danger and greed for over thirty years, their history preserved in a three-story mural titled “A People without Murals is a Demuralized People.”

Originally painted in 1977 by Chilean brothers and artists “Caco” (Carlos) and Renato Salazar (the first of whom studied at the Corcoran and founded the now-defunct Centro de Arte organization), the work is touted as one of the oldest and largest of DC’s few remaining Latino murals, the last beacon of a wider Latino artistic movement in the city, according to Quique Aviles.

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Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: POP!

Tom Story in Pop! by Maggie-Kate Coleman and Anna K. Jacobs. Directed by Keith Alan Baker, with Hunter Styles and Jennifer Harris. The Studio 2ndStage. Photo: Scott Suchman

What to expect from a musical about Andy Warhol, the late 20th century pop art genius who smashed convention and provided a nest for self-proclaimed misfits to help him create wild non-conformist art? His shooting by self-proclaimed revolutionary feminist Valerie Solanas seems like it would make excellent fodder – after all, when Warhol Superstar Viva heard the first shot fired from over the phone, she “thinks it is somebody cracking a whip left over from the Velvet Underground days.”

Possibly the best way to enjoy POP! is to get bombed on your poison of choice, doll up in some outrageous outfits, and loll on the front row cushions like denizens of Warhol’s famous Factory. Everything is a little too clean in this staging at The Studio 2nd Stage, and it needs some chaos. Perhaps it’s up to the audience to provide it, because the book and lyrics by Maggie-Kate Coleman get too lost in its construct of a “murder mystery” party. Though there are key moments that speak to Warhol’s power over his Superstars, his feeding off their craving for attention and love while maintaining his voyeurism, this musical could’ve used a hell of a lot more anarchy.

That’s not to say that there isn’t a lot of talent on display. The cast’s singing is spectacular, so strong they blow out their mikes occasionally. They’re effectively competing for your sympathy just as the real Warhol Superstars might have done had you wondered into their lair. It’s especially fitting that in a musical about a man who preferred to put others in the spotlight, it’s Candy Darling (Matthew Delorenzo) who reigns supreme here in a striking performance of glitter and pathos. As the emcee of the evening, guiding us through the “mystery” of who shot Warhol on June 3, 1968, Delorenzo is simply incandescent.

But Anna K. Jacobs’ score struck me as all wrong – don’t expect any nods to Warhol cohorts Nico or Lou Reed. Velvet Underground this isn’t. Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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We’ve got your Keith Urban tickets…

Photo courtesy of
‘Keith Urban with Lady Antebellum’
courtesy of ‘jeaneeem’

We’re just a week out from the Keith Urban show at Verizon Center, and boy do we have a surprise for a lucky reader. We’ve got a pair of tickets for the Keith Urban/Jake Owen show next Thursday! So get your commenter fingers ready, and click through for the details.  You MUST enter by 4pm tomorrow, and we’ll contact the winner by email, so make sure you use the right email address in the comments.

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Adventures, Entertainment, Essential DC, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, Media, Music, People, Technology, The District
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Sick DC Time-Lapse

If the above doesn’t work for you here’s a direct link to the District 1.5 : HDR Time-lapse from Drew Geraci.

Via the power of the interwebs, I stumbled across this awesome HDR time-lapse by Drew Geraci. The shots were taken over a 3 day period, during which Geraci was stopped 9 times by the National Parks Service and 3 times by DC Metro police;  post-production (rendering, editing, etc.) took Geraci only 1 day. This is the photogs first full scale production time-lapse using the new HDR technique that he’s developed from his own personal photography experience.

Personally, I’m loving the locations selected; they really capture the heart of this city. Whoever said that DC is a sleepy town clearly needs to see this as the locations selected, be they thoroughfares, monuments or sites, are packed with pedestrian and vehicular activity. In the 3 plus minute long video, we’re taken on a whirlwind trip around DC through saturated hi-def quality of the shots and kickass crescendoing musical accompaniment. Tre cool.

Food and Drink
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Cocktail Competitions at Quill


Twice a year, Quill lounge at The Jefferson invites in a a handful of DC’s most acclaimed mixologists for a little friendly competition. It offers the rare opportunity to see individuals from across the city behind one bar together – and to sample the wide variety of creations all featuring a single highlighted spirit.

Up for the judges’ consideration this summer were Joe Cleveland of Oyamel, Clinton Terry of PX, Patrick Owens of American Ice Co., JP Caceres of Bourbon Steak, and Dean Feddaoui of Beacon Bar & Grill, each making a cocktail that included Tequila Ocho.
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Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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Fringe 2011: Patrick and Me

Part of our continuing coverage of the 2011 Capital Fringe Festival, in collaboration with DC Theatre Scene.

Avenue Q asked the question, “What Do You Do With A B.A. In English?”

Historian Anthony Cohen asks the audience a similar question, “What do you do with a history degree?” In his one-man Fringe show Patrick and Me he attempts to answer the question. Lost and unsure of what he should do after college, Cohen went on a cross-country journey to not only uncover a hidden part of history, but to perhaps uncover his own identity  in the process.

Unfortunately we are left as lost as he is in this “monologue.” Cohen doesn’t have the drama and the passion of a Mike Daisey, in the end Cohen is an academic and his one-man show feels like an hour plus long lecture- complete with power point slides.

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Monumental, The Daily Feed
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Is the District of Columbia World War I Memorial in jeopardy?

Photo courtesy of
‘World War I Memorial BW’
courtesy of ‘christaki’

There is a monument on the mall that is dedicated not to a nation’s cause, nor to a great leader, nor to a private citizen.  It is dedicated to the 499 men who gave their lives in support of their country in the Great War, from 1917 to 1918, in the European theater.  The Noyes family helped spur legislation in 1924 to authorize this monument, and it was paid for through fundraising efforts amongst businesses and prominent families in the District, to the tune of $200,000 1924 dollars ($2.5M in 2011 dollars).

The District of Columbia War Memorial, recently refurbished with a grant from the stimulus program, is in jeopardy of being scooped up by the Congress and transformed into a national memorial that may strip the local character away from the District’s fallen from the memorial altogether.

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Entertainment, We Love Music
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We Love Music: A Perfect Circle @ DAR Constitution Hall, 7/17/11

A Perfect Circle 1
All photos courtesy of A Perfect Circle

When I heard that A Perfect Circle was coming to DAR Constitution Hall, I had a ton of questions. The band has been on hiatus for seven years; Maynard’s been working with Tool, Billy Howerdel formed Ashes Divide, and the other members ran off with Smashing Pumpkins, Marilyn Manson and Nine Inch Nails. Why reform the band? Do they still have ‘it’? Are they going to ruin my positive memories of the group? I’m pretty much required to go to this, having seen them and Tool every chance I’ve ever gotten, right?

When the songs were right, the show was fantastic. These guys are actually capable of writing beautiful songs, with rich harmonies and epic crescendos that moved the entire audience. But their setlist was tragic. Out of their three studio albums, the setlist was weighted heavily towards 2004’s Emotive, a political album about the Iraq war that they rushed to release in time for the 2004 election. This isn’t just my opinion; it is objectively true that Emotive is no fan’s favorite album. It’s an album of cover songs! That means almost half of the show wasn’t even original A Perfect Circle material! That might be okay for a bar band, but not for a major group that’s selling out DAR. I can’t think of a show I’ve seen that defied fan’s hopes and expectations more than this one.

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Entertainment, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Fringe 2011: A Piece of Pi

I’m reviewing seven plays over the course of the 2011 Capital Fringe Festival, in collaboration with DC Theatre Scene. Get your Fringe button and join me!

There is no pie in A Piece of Pi.

I feel it’s necessary to point this out, because after all, there are clowns. So one might expect some pie-throwing with a show title like that. Or some mathematical musings on the nature of pi. But, there are neither. What you will find are three clowns having a hell of a time, and you will too. No really, you may actually be pulled up on stage for a contest of iron… will. Be brave!

Members of the Bay Area’s Pi: The Physical Comedy Troupe launch themselves across stage in leaping acrobatic feats of hilarious daring worthy of their clown college degrees. There’s “MONSTER STRONG” Jon Deline, whose fuzzy muscles are impressive but perhaps best appreciated when shimmying his coin belt, Continue reading →

Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Eels

Eels

This week we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Eels and The Submarines perform at the 9:30 Club on July 27th at 7pm. This show will be the night following the appearance of Eels on the Late Show with David Letterman. The band has released 11 albums since the early ’90s, in addition to a hand full of live albums and a pile of singles and EPs dealing with mental illness and personal loss, among other subjects.

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. 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. Tickets for this concert are available on Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the 9:30 Club Guest List window one hour before doors open on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

History, The Daily Feed
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Smithsonian Snapshot: Lunar Command Module

Apollo 11 Command Module "Columbia"; photo courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Forty-two years ago today, Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the Earth’s moon. Today’s Smithsonian Snapshot takes a look at the Columbia, the lunar command module for the first manned lunar landing mission. (The first Space Shuttle was named after this module.)

On July 16, 1969, Neil Armstrong, Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin and Michael Collins were launched from Cape Kennedy atop a Saturn V rocket. The Columbia was the living quarters for the three-person crew during most of the mission in July 1969. This Command Module, no. 107, manufactured by North American Rockwell, was one of three parts of the complete Apollo spacecraft. The other two parts were the Service Module and the Lunar Module, nicknamed “Eagle.” The Service Module contained the main spacecraft propulsion system and consumables while the Lunar Module was the two-person craft used by Armstrong and Aldrin to descend to the Moon’s surface on July 20.

The Columbia is the only portion of the spacecraft to return to Earth. It was transferred to the Smithsonian in 1970 following a NASA-sponsored tour of American cities and can be found as one of the primary exhibits at the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum.

Interviews, We Love Music
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Live Band Karaoke in DC: The Harikaraoke Band Gong Show!

Harikaraoke Band

I got the opportunity to sit down and chat with Kenny Lewis over at the Wonderland Ballroom’s lovely patio before he stepped onto the stage to play drums for the Harikaraoke Live Band Gong Show! We somehow started talking about Twitter before we got to the interview. We both shared the fact that we do not have accounts; however, after our discussion I’m sure that his band will have one, because they are so awesome! I may activate an account so that I can follow where these guys are playing. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘052211_px600pp_08’
courtesy of ‘. . . every.seven . . .’

Two years ago, Polaroid announced that they were discontinuing their trademark instant film. Many a Polaroid photographer was disappointed. In the age of digital photography, such a move is a regular event with all types of color films (you might have heard the news reports about Kodachrome’s demise). It’s simply not cost effective for color films to compete with digital. But Polaroid photographers were not going to a leave their cherished film quietly. And the Impossible Project, an attempt to reinvent the instant film, was born.

The reinvented film went on sale late last year. It’s not quite the same as the original film and that can produce some interesting results (the wonders of chemistry). Take . . . every.seven . . .’s shot above. If you didn’t have her tags and time stamp on the Flickr page, it would be understandable to say this picture was taken 20 years ago. The coloring appears aged and I wouldn’t be surprised to know that a 1970s Dodge Charger was tailgating the car in the picture. Ah, the fun of experimental film! Continue reading →

The Daily Feed
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Remember DC, it could be so much worse

Photo courtesy of
‘Blizzard 2010-Round 2’
courtesy of ‘R2DC’

As the mercury is set to be in the mid 90s and the hygrometer is headed straight for the “Just Plain Mean” side of the dial, it is important to remember some things:

Hydrate. Drink more water than you think is necessary. Dehydration is pretty freaking awful, so get on your game with regard to water.

Sunscreen. It’s sorta cloudy today, but you can still find yourself scorched in the indirect sunlight, so some solid SPF 30 or so will help if you’re going to be

Go Lightweight. Fellas, ditch the ties. Seriously, nothing worse than a tie in this terrible heat. Stay be-suited if you must, but let the neckline breath just a bit?

Check on your Neighbors. Not everyone has someone to help them out, so check on your neighbors in this hot weather? Besides, it’s been too long since you’ve seen them anyway.