By 
Pulled Pork from PORC mobile
courtesy of yostinator
Oh right. It’s Monday. But that does mean that the food trucks are out and you can take advantage of them for lunch.
Monthly Archives: June 2012
By Brian Mosley
Weekend Flashback: 6/22-6/24
kayak obstacle course
courtesy of ekelly80
For a weekend that started out with a bang, the rest of the weekend seemed quiet by comparison. Or was that because everyone’s power was out? Joking (and bad joking at that) aside, I hope you all have power now, or at least are in a office whose AC is set to arctic. Here’s the weekend flashback; there’s surprising little on the storm’s damage, so it isn’t going to be a bad one. Continue reading
By Mickey
We Love Music: The Hundred in the Hands @ Rock and Roll Hotel — 6/19/12
courtesy of CHRISTOPHER MACSURAK
Sometimes, it’s easy to look at the lineup of a band, listen to a few tunes, and figure out pretty much everything about them — what sort of music they play, who their influences are, and what sort of people listen to them.
Then there are bands that are tough to pigeonhole. Take The Hundred in the Hands for example. They played a pretty rocking show at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Tuesday, June 19. Listening to their albums, you get a strong dose of icy dreampop, lovely, textured, but generally a little on the slow side. The cool voice of Eleanore Everdell over her own synthesizer chills yet thrills on the albums as the distinguishing feature of the band.
But in concert, guitarist Jason Friedman is a force to be reckoned with. He’s not on stage to play dreamy low-key guitar riffs. (Okay, he is there to do that occasionally, and he does so exceptionally well.) But he really seems like he wants to rock out non-stop at every opportunity and when he does so, The Hundred in the Hands become a full-blown dance project.
By Nicole
espnW Unveils Women in Sports Tribute at Newseum
ESPN’s network for women’s sports, espnW, celebrated the 40th anniversary of Title IX in style Thursday night, welcoming women athletes and their supporters to the Newseum for the unveiling of a photo mosaic project. A video tribute to the largest-ever photo collection of women and girls’ sports images was projected onto the Newseum’s 74-foot high First Amendment tablet, delivering a statement about the opportunity to play as an expression of freedom for women.
“Title IX enabled women to exercise their fundamental rights,” said Newseum CEO Jim Duff prior to the event. “That truth is going to be vividly displayed tonight.”
The mosaic includes photos of more than 3,000 female athletes of all abilities and achievement levels, ranging from small children to honorees from espnW’s Top 40 Athletes of the Past 40 Years. Photos were submitted online, along with quotes from women describing what Title IX has meant to them. Guests described watching the mosaic tribute as extremely moving, particularly for older guests who remember days when women and girls struggled to find support for participating in sports.
“It’s a wonderful expression via social media of the power of sports,” said espnW Vice President Laura Gentile.
The Newseum event marked the culmination of a long day of activity for espnW here in DC. In the morning, the network announced a partnership with the US State Department to launch a global mentorship program enabling young women to come to the US and learn best practices for promoting sports among women in their home countries. In the afternoon, espnW partnered with Women in Cable Television and the Women in Sports Foundation to honor former high school and college athletes who have made a significant impact on society.
Gentile said that DC and the Newseum were a natural fit for espnW’s event. “We wanted to do something in DC, just in terms of the passage of Title IX and how important it was that Congress embraced this and it became law… The Newseum just has a tremendous reputation, and the first amendment wall presented an opportunity for us to really demonstrate the photo mosaic in all its glory.”
Read espnW’s coverage around the anniversary of Title IX at its dedicated microsite, “The Power of IX.”
By Alexia
Q&A with Laura Burhenn of The Mynabirds
all photos courtesy of The Mynabirds
Laura Burhenn was a luminous fixture of the DC music scene for years. She performed as a solo songstress with her piano for years, and was half of the dynamic duo Georgie James, along with John Davis (Q and Not U). A few years back she left DC for Omaha, Nebraska, and since then has collaborated and toured with Bright Eyes, and formed a new band The Mynabirds. She’s on tour now with The Mynabirds in support of their second album, Generals, out now on Saddle Creek records. We Love DC’s Alexia got a chance to chat with her about her new band, her move to Omaha, touring with Bright Eyes, and more!
Alexia: You’ve been playing music a long time- when did you first start writing your own music?
Laura: The first song I ever wrote dates back to about age 7 or 8. There’s a Fisher Price cassette tape recording of it somewhere still around. There were a string of other little songs here and there after that (including a real killer pop jam called “In Your Life” I wrote for my all girl band in fifth grade, Black Leather Red Roses), but nothing really serious until I wrote “Fallen,” a song that I won my tenth grade high school talent show with. Ha. I also recorded it and put it on my first solo record when I was 17. Needless to say, I’ve been at it for awhile.
Alexia: Were there any specific artists or albums that first ignited your passion for rock music?
Laura: My first cassette loves were the Beach Boys, the Monkees and Wilson Phillips. But I’d say the three most influential albums of my teen years were PJ Harvey’s Rid of Me, Tori Amos’s Under the Pink (I caught onto both artists when their second albums came out and later went back to fall in love with their first albums), and a collection of greatest hits from Nina Simone. God, that voice! That swagger!
Alexia: You built a name for yourself in the DC area, with your solo work and Georgie James- what was the catalyst for your move to Omaha?
Laura: After Georgie James broke up, I decided I wanted to try out a whole different scene. I love DC and it’ll always be my home. But sometimes you need distance to get perspective in your life. The move to Omaha surprised some people, I know. (New York, LA or even Portland would’ve been more expected for a musician.) But I chose Omaha for the good friends I’d made through working with Saddle Creek — and the great arts scene that’s going on there.
Continue reading
By Alexia
Fort Reno Monday lineup announced!
The Torches, photo by Tara Welch
Ever secretive with releasing lineup/show information, Fort Reno just announced the lineup for Monday, June 25th on their website.
And it is:
The Torches (featuring yours truly!)
Show starts at 7pm, over by 9:30pm. Free!
Fort Reno Park is at Chesapeake Street and Nebraska Avenue NW. All ages, dogs, and food are welcome. No glass bottles or alcohol!
Food Truck Tracker
Carnivore BBQ Food Truck
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Who’s got two thumbs and is getting a food truck lunch? THIS GUY! And by this guy, I mean you, champ.
And if you haven’t gotten your fill today, perhaps you’d like to head to charm city tomorrow for some more food truck fun. The Maryland Mobile Food Vendors Association is hosting the first “A Taste of Two Cities,” in which 20 food trucks from Baltimore go head to head with 20 food trucks from DC. A Taste of Two Cities runs from 11 AM to 7 PM on Saturday, June 23 in South Baltimore at the Westport Waterfront. According to a press release, local celebrity judges and event goers (that means you, DC) will help determine a winner. So get out there and show your food truck support and tell Baltimore whose food trucks reign supreme.
By Carl Weaver
Homebrew DC: Pants-Optional Pilsner
T-I-N-Y BUBBLES….
courtesy of Tony DeFilippo
I made this homebrew recipe for Don’s birthday party last Saturday. Don is a big fan of lagers, so I thought I would make something in that vein, or at least close to it. This was also my first try at real lagering, which requires some serious temperature control. It turned out wonderfully. Crisp and tasty with mild bitterness and a light malty flavor. It was perfect for the warm Virginia afternoon party.
The name of the beer comes from my constant half-joking desire to institute pants-optional Fridays at almost every job I have had in the last ten years. Don’s darling wife was sure to remind me, though, that I should be sure to say “yes” to pants anytime I visit their home. I consider it an affront, but it’s the price to pay for friendship, I suppose.
By Tom Bridge
Battle of the Beltways: Shots Fired
As you get ready for the weekend series between the Orioles and the Nationals, this might just be what you’re looking for to get your rivalry on. No, it’s not the same as when Alec Baldwin and John Krasinski traded barbs over their Red Sox and Yankees last year, or when Nick Offerman and Craig Robinson did the same with the Cubs/White Sox feud.
No, the Nats and O’s aren’t quite the hated rivals that those teams are, but this was pretty damned funny. Personally, I liked the “you lost the ALCS to a twelve-year-old.”
By Espinosa Comes Up Big, Nats Beat Rays 5-2
Future All-Stars
courtesy of MudflapDC
Left-handed starter Gio Gonzalez had a shaky start to Thursday night’s interleague game between his Washington Nationals and the Tampa Bay Rays. Gonzalez faced seven batters in the second, allowing the Rays to take an early 1-0 lead, but the Nats came back from behind for a 5-2 victory.
Gonzalez had a lot of trouble, according to Manager Davey Johnson, due to “missing the plate” or at least that’s what home plate umpire Cory Blaser thought of his performance. He threw 98 pitches, 58 for strikes, over six innings and gave up seven hits, two runs, and two walks while striking out four and throwing one wild pitch. The minor setback was to no avail for Tampa Bay, though, because the Nats regained a temporary lead in the third inning before taking it all back in the sixth.
Second baseman and switch hitter Danny Espinosa went 2-for-4 and had a hand the two plays that put the Nats ahead to beat the Rays. Rookie left-handed starter Matt Moore gave the Nats some trouble but they still managed three hits and two runs off of him over five innings pitched. Moore’s struggles in the third came directly after Gio’s shaky second inning. That’s when Espinosa and outfielder Bryce Harper scored to take the Nats’ first lead of the night. Continue reading
Food Films at the 10th Annual Silverdocs
Silver Strollers
courtesy of Kevin H.
Want to eat with your eyes? The 10th Annual Silverdocs Festival has seven films about food that might make you think a little more about what you’re eating and the food industry.
While Silverdocs has already been in full swing since June 18th, below are the food-focused films and you’ll find the rest of the list after the jump. You can purchase tickets online or at the AFI Silver Theatre Box Office. General tickets are $13. Films are playing at the AFI Silver Theatre (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring, MD) and Discovery HD Theater (One Discovery Place, Silver Spring, MD), so make sure you end up in the right place.
Betting The Farm by Cecily Pingree and Jason Mann
Showing: Friday, June 22, 6:45 PM and Sunday, June 24, 8:30 PM
Country: USA
What they say: “When a group of Maine dairy farmers are dropped by the national milk company that has been their bread and butter for years, their livelihood is in danger. Refusing to go down without a fight, the farmers take matters into their own hands, banding together to form their own organic milk company, MOO.”
Canned Dreams by Katja Gauriloff
Showing: Friday, June 22, 12:15 PM and Saturday, June 23, 2:30 PM
Country: Finland
What they say: “What all goes into a can of ravioli on the supermarket shelf? The answer is more complicated than one might think. This fascinating film explores the inner workings of food production, as well as the blood, sweat and tears of the human laborers whose personal hardships have often stood in the way of a better future.”
I Kill by David White and Paul Wedel
Showing: Saturday, June 23, 10 AM and Sunday, June 24, 3:45 PM (As part of the Short Programs: Odd Jobs films)
Country: New Zealand
What they say: “Small farms need small solutions, and in rural New Zealand that is a “mobile slaughterman,” traveling from farm to farm, shooting, skinning and gutting cattle. The rich colors of the lush landscape reinforce the slaughterman’s belief that cattle meeting their end in familiar surroundings is more humane than in a factory slaughterhouse.”
Continue reading
By Tom Bridge
We Love Weekends 6/22 – 6/24
Fedward: a short notice work trip means my Friday night will be spent on the Acela Express coming back from NYC. Saturday the Social Chair are being showered with booze, by which I mean both that we are receiving liquor and associated products at a stock-the-bar shower, and that there will be an ample supply of drinks at the party itself. I can’t wait to see what our friends have found with the assistance of Joe Riley at the fabulous Ace Beverage. Provided we can make it out of bed Sunday, we’re seeing “The Animals…” at Studio before heading to the Passenger for hangover brunch (which this week could be more aptly named than usual).
Ben R.: I’ll be immersed in hockey all weekend, as it’s time for the 2012 NHL Draft. I actually scored tickets to the draft up in Pittsburgh, so I’ll be perched in the CONSOL Energy Center analyzing the Washington Capitals’ draft choices. If I was in town, I’d make sure to hit NMAI’s Choctaw Days; every year has been spectacular and there’s no reason to think this year would be any less.
Ogling the Modigliani
courtesy of Kevin H.
Mosley: I feel like a parent, only without any kids: I need a quiet weekend. To that end, I’m planning on catching up with a bunch of things around my apartment. But if I had the time to myself, I’d probably hit the wonderfully AC’d museums. Specifically, the Portrait Gallery has a new exhibit on the War of 1812 (1812: A Nation Emerges), a little remembered war that I really enjoy learning things about. Other than that, I would absolutely LOVE to go see the Nationals destroy the Orioles this weekend! I’ve been wanting to go see a game against the O’s for-ev-er, so that I can boo Peter Angelos and show him the fan he lost (it’s the little things in life). But sadly, getting up to Baltimore is a bridge too far for me. But still: “GO NATS”!
Marissa: Feeding into my burgeoning shopping addiction, some friends and I are driving out to the Leesburg Outlets to spend an afternoon buying things we may or may not need (What’s that, Le Creuset outlet? I need that 7.5 quart pot in cobalt blue? And perhaps a Michael Kors clutch to match? OKAY!). Sunday morning I plan on getting up early and checking out a Farmer’s Market, though I’m not sure which one yet and am prepared for a little driving adventure. Sunday evening I’ll be getting glammed up and heading off to the RAMMY’s Awards Gala, honoring some of the best in the DC restaurant and bar scene. Follow me on Twitter @bonappetitfoodi for some live-tweeting throughout the awards ceremony.
Jazz in the Sculpture Garden
courtesy of available_photons
Natalia: Finally, a weekend in DC for me. I’m going to kick it off by heading to Jazz in the Sculpture Garden on Friday, an ice cold beer and some live music, hello summa summa time. Saturday is scheduled to be beautiful, so headed to Harper’s Ferry for a day of tubing and kayaking. These full day stints require a chill night of good food, good company, and al fresco dining. I’m thinking the rooftop at Masa 14 or Cafe St. Ex patio. Sunday, the We Love DC family is gathering at none other than the Passenger, which means Ill finally get to try their hangover brunch, with a stiff drink in hand. A movie Sunday night at E Street Cinema to distract my thoughts from the imminent work week sounds about right too. All of this weekend activity of course only if I don’t melt along the way.
Huzzard: With the Nationals just up the road in Baltimore I am going to find baseball in a hopeless place as I visit Charm City for two of the three games. On Saturday a friend from out of town will be coming in and we will be making our yearly journey to Pickles Pub where we will drink many $2.50 beers before heading into Camden Yards. Since I got the cheapest possible tickets I could find I will enjoy my view of the warehouse. The fact that the stadium may stand the test of time doesn’t mean the sight lines are any good. Sunday’s game will be much more relaxed, but it may be full of even more excitement as Ross Detwiler will be back on the mound in a starting position for the Nats. All in all it could be a good weekend or a bad weekend, and it all depends on how the hometown nine play in the Old Line State.
Final Week!
courtesy of Karon
Joanna: How much art can one woman see in three days before her brain sizzles and her eyes glue shut? That’s the question I’ll be answering this weekend, starting on Friday night at the Source Festival. As a judge for the 10-minute play category, I’m excited to see which 6 were chosen for the Rites of Passage series. Then I’m off to Artomatic for one last go-around before it closes on Saturday. I’ll also be getting homesick for Madrid at Flamenco Soul, here for one night at The Howard Theatre. It practically requires sangria beforehand on U Street. Sunday I’ll be biking around town, eventually winding up at The Passenger, where food and drink count as art in their own right.
Don: I think it’s home improvement weekend. Which is sort of a bummer since the Capital Weather Gang says the weekend will be less OH GROD OH GROD I’M BURNING PLEASE MAKE IT STOP than yesterday and today has been. But hey, duty calls… duty in this case being prep for hosting a certain couple’s wedding shower. Even if one half of the pair hasn’t written me any more wedding prep stories for the blog lately. *cough* Sunday I’ll spend the hottest part of the day in the dark coolness of the Passenger. We might take the little fuzzy boy to a dog park in-between if we can find one that’s got a good amount of shade.
Ear-Shadow
courtesy of Tony DeFilippo
Food Truck Tracker
CapMac
courtesy of yostinator
Been slaving away all week? Put a little pep in your step with a food truck lunch.
Continue reading
By Strasburg, Nats Break Four Game Skid Beat Rays 3-2
Lots of people will look at this game against the Nats and Rays and say the Nats should have scored more runs against a pitcher who was struggling in the minors, but here is the thing it is hard to give much credence to minor league stats. There are a lot of unknown variables that going into how those stats are compiled. Archer had a 4.81 ERA in the minors but he also had a 10.6 K/9.
Archer who was ranked by Baseball America as the 79th best prospect in the country coming into this season was producing his own outs but his ERA points to his fielders letting him down. He also had a BB/9 of 5.3 so it could be that he also struggled with control and while he didn’t give up too many hits when he did men were on base. That is another one of those deceiving things about looking at stats to judge a player.
Food Truck Tracker
Pickle and B&W Cookie
courtesy of Mr. T in DC
Middle of the week. Not that that’s really any reason to indulge, but go ahead and find a food truck to partake in.
By Nicole
Night at the Park Raises Over $200,000 for ziMS Foundation
Last Thursday marked the third annual ziMS Foundation Night at the Park, an event I like as much for the story behind it as for the cause it supports. This year’s event included plenty of mixing and mingling, silent and live auctions, check presentations, and a musical performance by Guster, with all proceeds from the event benefiting Ryan Zimmerman’s ziMS Foundation.
To say the foundation had humble beginnings would be an understatement. The idea first emerged through casual conversations in the Zimmerman family’s living room in Virginia Beach, though doing something to contribute to Multiple Sclerosis research had been on Zimmerman’s mind for a long time – probably ever since his mother was diagnosed with the disease in 1995, when Zimmerman was a teenager.
“I always knew if I had the chance to do something, I’d want to do something to help with this disease, not just for my mom but for everyone we had met that had been affected by it…” said Zimmerman. “We started talking one night, literally in the living room of the house and that’s where it started.”
That was Zimmerman’s rookie season. The foundation organized a golf tournament in Virginia Beach and began to build relationships with researchers at the University of Virginia, now the foundation’s biggest beneficiaries, having received almost $500,000 since the foundation was created in 2006. Though the original golf tournament still takes place, Night at the Park has become the ziMS Foundation’s largest event.
The event is so important that, in a move I’m not sure I’ve seen replicated anywhere else in the sports world, Zimmerman and his agent worked to include the rights to use Nationals Park for this event in Zimmerman’s contract. The agreement ensures that, like Zimmerman, this event will be here in Washington for a long time, a fact he seems to take genuine pleasure in.
Zimmerman’s agent Brode Van Wagenen said that when they first approached the Nationals with the idea, “It was a bit outside the box. It hadn’t been done before.” But when negotiating Zimmerman’s long-term contract extension earlier this year, the team was extremely receptive to continuing the tradition. “Now that Nats had seen what we did they were happy to include it,” Van Wagenen said. “The fact that Ryan, as the face of the franchise, was looking to do this – it was an easy yes.”
If fans are hoping that Zimmerman’s teammates will be inspired to plan equally elaborate community events, the strong Nats turnout for the event is certainly a good sign. Well over a dozen Nats players attended, chatting with fans and bidding on auction items. Zimmerman was touched that his teammates came out. “We get 13, 14 off days the whole year, and maybe three at home where we get to stay at home for the off day,” Zimmerman said. “So for them to take time out and to come out and bring their families, or be away from their kids for a few hours on the off day – it means a lot to me.”
Zimmerman’s fans and teammates alike were more than happy to share the evening with him. Attendees bid generously on silent auction items ranging from a private South Italy villa vacation to sports memorabilia signed by everyone from Dwayne Wade and LeBron James to Joe Namath and RGIII, then even more generously on live auction items like a trip to the Grammy Awards and a lavish weekend in New York. The hour-long performance by Guster was, for most guests, icing on the cake.
When all was said and done, this year’s event welcomed 750 guests and raised over $200,000, a testament to the DC community’s commitment to Zimmerman and his cause.
By We Love Arts: The Normal Heart
(L to R) Michael Berresse as Mickey Marcus, Patrick Breen as Ned Weeks, Jon Levenson as Hiram Keebler and Nick Mennell as Bruce Niles in The Normal Heart at Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater June 8-July 29, 2012. Photo by Scott Suchman.
The stage is fairly empty, save for some scribbling on the white set – words, shadowy and illegible until the lights come up. Slowly, our eyes adjust and we make out some phrases published by the press in the early 1980s. The first one I can read is damning: “By our silence we have helped murder each other.” Before the first scene of The Normal Heart at Arena Stage comes to a halt, I’ve read the writing on the wall quite literally; and the writing tells me we’re doomed.
The Normal Heart – Arena Stage‘s nearly flawless production of the 2011 Tony-winning revival – moves with a thunderous pace and makes clear its own immediacy from its first scene to its haunting end. Never stopping to take a breath, the show instead devotes every moment to its characters and their dealings with the AIDS epidemic that began, largely unheeded, in 1981.
The Shutouts of the Big Train
2010 Topps Tribute 02 walter johnson
courtesy of jp3sketch
On August 2, 1907, I encountered the most threatening sight I ever saw in the ball field. He was a rookie, and we licked our lips as we warmed up for the first game of a doubleheader in Washington. Evidently, manager Pongo Joe Cantillon of the Nats had picked a rube out of the cornfields of the deepest bushes to pitch against us… He was a tall, shambling galoot of about twenty, with arms so long they hung far out of his sleeves, and with a sidearm delivery that looked unimpressive at first glance… One of the Tigers imitated a cow mooing, and we hollered at Cantillon: ‘Get the pitchfork ready, Joe– your hayseed’s on his way back to the barn.’…The first time I faced him, I watched him take that easy windup. And then something went past me that made me flinch. The thing just hissed with danger. We couldn’t touch him… every one of us knew we’d met the most powerful arm ever turned loose in a ball park. –Ty Cobb
Born November 6, 1887 in Humboldt Kansas Walter “Big Train” Johnson would grow up to become one of the greatest and most unhittable forces ever unleashed on a baseball diamond. With a wind-up that was all flailing body parts and an easy side arm delivery it must have looked to batters as if Johnson’s high 90’s fastball was coming out of his hip pocket, but there were no tricks to Walter Johnson. For most of his career his fastball was the only pitch he used. Shirley Povich of the Washington Post describes Walter Johnson’s pitching mechanics as, “sidearm, almost underhand, with a long sweeping delivery, and no great snap of the wrist.”
How Johnson came to be with the Senators sounds like a story out of a tall tale. A traveling salesman and fan of the Washington Senators would send letters to the manager Joe Cantillon telling him of the pitcher with the fastest fastball he had ever seen. Walter Johnson pitched 75 innings in the Idaho State League before being signed by the Senators and didn’t allow a run in any of them.
Food Truck Tracker
courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
Good things come to those who food truck. You know, like empanadas or kabobs or mac ‘n’ cheese. Go out there to find where the good things from the food trucks are.
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By Mickey
Q&A with Eli Maiman of Walk the Moon
Walk The Moon
courtesy of TIFFANY DAWN NICHOLSON (TDNphoto)
Walk the Moon, a new wave quartet from Cincinnati, Ohio, comes to headline a sold-out show at the Black Cat this Friday, June 22, after passing through DC a couple of times already in the past year. They arrive on the heels of their debut album, Walk the Moon, available today. We Love DC caught up with Eli Maiman, the band’s guitarist, to talk about mostly other awesome bands like the Talking Heads and The Police, as it turns out, but also about appreciating dedicated fans and getting big fast.
Mickey McCarter: The first time I ever heard of you guys, I was here in Washington, DC, and I was hanging out at the Black Cat. And the band played a sold-out show at the backstage room at the Black Cat. All of your fans were going in there and I saw all of these young girls in the warpaint and the feathers. I was like, wow! That visual really left an impression on me and I didn’t even know who you guys were yet.
How did that come about? How did the warpaint get started?
Eli Maiman: The very idea of the facepaint occurred when we were working on the idea for the “Anna Sun” video. Our director, Patrick Meier, wanted to include some reference to The Lost Boys. The facepaint was his idea. And it became the central theme in the “Anna Sun” video. At our video release party, we had a facepaint station and people really took to it. They really enjoyed it, so much so that people started showing up at other shows in facepaint.
It’s evolved from there where people will come in facepaint and we will provide facepaint at shows. We’ll wear the paint ourselves on stage. It has really become this unifying element of the live show. It’s a visual expression of the community that we have and this group experience we all have together.