Monthly Archives: November 2012

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Justin Jones @ Rock & Roll Hotel, 11/10/2012

photo courtesy of Justin Jones

Today We Love DC is giving away a pair of tickets to see Justin Jones at Rock & Roll Hotel this Saturday, November 10th! Also on the bill Saturday are Luray and The Vagabond Union.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address until 4pm today. One entry per email address, please.

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 ticket window of the Rock and Roll Hotel 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.

Comment away!

 

Justin Jones

w/Luray

The Vagabond Union

at Rock & Roll Hotel

This Saturday, November 10th

Doors 8pm/Show 9pm

$12 adv/$15 door

tickets available here!

 

 

Entertainment, Music, The Features, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Little Big Town @930 Club, 2/14/2013: Win before you can buy!

photo courtesy of Little Big Town

Today We Love DC is giving away a pair of tickets to see Little Big Town at the legendary 930 Club before you can buy them! 930 club just announced the show, which will be on February 14th, 2013. Get a head-start on your Valentine’s day plans! If you missed them in September when they played at Merriweather, supporting Rascal Flatts, don’t pass up this opportunity to see them in one of the best venues in the country, the 930 Club.

Tickets go on sale Thursday, November 8th at 10am, on Ticketfly.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address until 4pm today. One entry per email address, please.

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 will-call window of the 930 Club 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.

Comment away!

The Daily Feed
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Election 2012

Election 1 logan.brown

The city voted yesterday for more than just the President, there were three charter amendments related to ethics, six seats on the city council and its chairman’s job up for grabs, and the more than 250 ANC seats up for grabs across all eight wards.  Lines were long yesterday, and stories concerning the difficulty of the electoral process are likely to come out in the days to come, but the increasingly-frequent paperwork revolution through election is mostly complete.

The Big Story: David Grosso (City Council)

Financial difficulties of incumbent council member Michael A. Brown were enough to undo him on Tuesday night, as David Grosso was successful enough in his messaging to unseat the listing Brown, who was unable to get his campaign’s financial house in order after more than a hundred thousand dollars went missing from his campaign.

Grosso won 68,000+ votes across the city to claim his At-Large seat, some 18,000+ more than Brown. Grosso’s campaign – focused on ethics issues – struck a nerve with the scandal-weary voters of the District, who also voted in by large margins ethics reforms that the city council requested be placed on the ballot.  Each of the three ethics provisions passed the vote, and all earned more than 75% support in the process, disallowing felons to serve on the council or as mayor, and allowing the council to expel a member on a 5/6ths majority.

Grosso will join Vincent Orange, who was re-elected in the #1 position with more than 122,000 votes, and David Catania as the current At-Large members of the council.  Phil Mendelson, currently the acting chair of the council, will move permanently to that position after his successful run in the special election that was held in conjunction with the general election. His seat, soon to be certified vacant, will be replaced in another special election this Spring.

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All Politics is Local, Featured Photo, Life in the Capital, News, People, Special Events, The Features
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Election Flashback: Party At The White House

Whenever something big happens politically, locals always have an urge to flock to The White House. Even though President Obama was in Chicago to celebrate his victory over Mitt Romney in last night’s Presidential Election, people from all over decided that the best place for them to celebrate was at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Sure other neighborhoods celebrated with dancing and fireworks, but there’s nothing like reveling in front of the home of the President. When Obama clinched the Electoral College I grabbed my camera and drove down to see the crowds and they did not disappoint. Most of them were young, probably intoxicated college students who held up signs and climbed trees. Phones were out either for calling loved ones, taking photos, or checking in on Foursquare. Over 200 people were checked-in at The White House when I checked-in.

Here are a few images I took as I swam through the crowds.

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Downtown, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
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National Geographic Live: Nov/Dec 2012

Photo courtesy of Enzofloyd
Emperador courtesy of Enzofloyd

As the year winds down, so does the Fall National Geographic Live programming. This fall has been packed with great programs and showcases, with still more to come. Thanks to National Geographic once again for offering two pairs of tickets to our readers, providing access to any one of the great programs listed below. To enter, simply put what two programs you’d most like to see in the comment section; make sure you use a valid email address and use your first name. Entries will be taken through Friday noon and winners will be chosen at random and contacted Friday afternoon.

Unless otherwise indicated, all programs are at the Grosvenor Auditorium, located in the National Geographic Museum building at 1600 M Street NW. Parking is free after 6 pm for those attending evening programs.

GUERRILLA GEOGRAPHY ($25)
11/13; 7 pm

Think geography is just reading maps and memorizing names of places? Don’t tell that to Daniel Raven-Ellison. A self-described “guerrilla geographer” and Nat Geo Emerging Explorer, Raven-Ellison believes in encouraging people to experience the world around them in a more meaningful, surprising way, such as taking a photo every eight steps as they travel across the urban landscape. His Mission: Explore books challenge kids to take action to improve their worlds. Come along for the adventure, as this innovative, entertaining educator redefines what you think geography is—and shows how “guerrilla” artists, explorers, gardeners, and others use geography to find solutions. Reception follows. Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Shiny Toy Guns @ Rock and Roll Hotel — 11/4/12

Carah Faye and Jeremy Dawson. Copyright and Courtesy, CJ Lucero.

The Shiny Toy Guns rode into DC Sunday night on soaring symphonic sounds and pulsating waves of light that dazzled a sold-out crowd of very enthusiastic admirers at the Rock and Roll Hotel.

Actually, the Shinys literally rode into town in a tour bus dragging a trailer packed full of supplies for victims of Hurricane Sandy in Hoboken, NJ, where they were headed not only to donate those supplies but offer a cadre of fans a lift across the river to a Monday night show in Manhattan. And that’s part of the appeal of this four-member band, which was celebrating the return of original singer Carah Faye Charnow — they are such genuine folks despite their love of glam glitz and big gothy boots.

Carah Faye does more than sing damn well — she trades off on synths and bass with Jeremy Dawson, keyboardist, bassist and all-around mastermind. Carah was away for the band’s second album but now she’s back for their third, III, and the chemistry between her and the rest of the band was superb. Besides jumping onto the keyboards when Dawson rotated off, she meshed very well with her fellow vocalist Chad Petree, who also mesmerizes on the guitar. Drummer Mikey Martin, of course, ably supported all three of his band mates with delightfully glam percussion.

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Business and Money, Special Events, Technology, The Daily Feed
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Your #DCWeek 2012 Primer

Photo courtesy of TechCocktail
Tech Cocktail’s DC Mixer @ DCWeek | 11.10.11
courtesy of TechCocktail

This past weekend the 2012 Digital Capital Week kicked off here in Washington. For those that aren’t familiar with DCWeek, it is the city’s annual festival organized by the folks at iStrategyLabs and Tech Cocktail that focuses on many different sections of the tech scene. Anchored by keynote speeches on Wednesday and a conference Thursday at the Artisphere, the week also includes a multitude of hackathons, presentations, meet-ups, networking events, and parties. Lots of parties.

If you are a badge holder or just someone looking for some cool events to hit up, here are a few items that caught my eye as I combed through the DCWeek schedule:

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Sports Fix
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Panthers defeat Redskins 21-13

Photo courtesy of Homer McFanboy
Panthers1
courtesy of Homer McFanboy

Believe it or not there are positives from yesterday’s Redskins 21-13 loss to the Panthers, and they are the same positives the Redskins have had all season. RGIII wasn’t dynamic and didn’t make much of a difference in this one, but that is hard to do when you are on a team that has so many receivers they trust to catch the ball they have resorted to lining up four in the backfield. It is hard to play quarterback when your number one receiver has spent most of the season injured and was recently joined by pass catching tight end Fred Davis. RGIII had a disappointing game, but look at what that is for RGIII.

No touchdowns and no interceptions with 215 yards on 23 of 39 attempts. That is still a 59% completion percentage, and 60% is considered the benchmark for a good quarterback. A down game for RGIII is a good game for all of the quarterbacks the Redskins have had since Brad Johnson left town. Alfred Morris ran for 76 yards on 13 attempts which is good for an average of 5.8 yards an attempt. That isn’t just good. That is otherworldly. The most pleasant surprise this season for Redskins fans has been Alfred Morris.

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Food and Drink, The Daily Feed
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Urbana Hosts November Lamb Feast

Photo courtesy of bonappetitfoodie
Border Springs leg of lamb
courtesy of bonappetitfoodie

Move over poultry, beef and pork. Lamb is taking over.

Following his victory at the Lamb Jam Finale this past September, chef John Critchley and Urbana are hosting a Lamb Feast. On Sunday, November 11th from 5 to 8 PM, you can get your fill of lamb dishes including Critchley’s 2012 winning dish, a lamb leg pupusa with queso blanco and lamb tongue curtido. Other dishes at the event include leg of lamb nachos with welsh rarebit sauce, slow roasted leg of lamb with white polenta and gypsy peppers, lamb pizzas and bruschettas, meatballs, tartare, as well as various sheep’s milk cheeses. Your ticket also gets you some sips of bourbon, beer and wine.

Tickets are $40 per person and can be purchased here.

The Daily Feed
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Reminder: We Love DC Hates Cancer TONIGHT!

We love this city but we hate cancer! Please join us tonight to raise money to cure neuroendicrine cancer. For background on why we’re rallying around this cause, read the back story about former We Love DC author Cathy Cooling and her determination to find a cure.

Join the We Love DC crew at Pound the Hill (621 Pennsylvania Ave SE) TONIGHT from 5 p.m. – 9 p.m.

If curing cancer isn’t moving you to come (seriously?), well, we’ve got $4 happy hour (beer, wine, appetizers) running all night, and mixologist Erik Holzherr (Wisdom, Church and State) has whipped up a special punch as well.

$10 suggested donation at the door. Let’s show cancer how powerful we are! See you tonight.

Entertainment
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Bin Laden Film “Seal Team Six” Hits TV Screens Just In Time For Election

It was only a matter of time before a film that depicts the operation that resulted in the death of Osama Bin Laden would hit the silver screen. However when production started on a Mark Boal and Kathryn Bigelow Bin Laden film, one that was scheduled for release just before this week’s election, political waves were made. That film, Zero Dark Thirty, has been since moved to a January 2013 release date.

So in comes The Weinsten Company and National Geographic with their own film about the events that occurred on May 2, 2011.

Their film, Seal Team Six, will debut on the National Geographic Channel tonight at 8 PM, two days before the Presidential Election.

I attended a premiere screening of the film at the Newseum where I met director John Stockwell who assured me that politics did not play in the making of this film.

“Honestly nobody was thinking about the politics,” Stockwell told me on the red carpet, “[Producer Nicolas Chartier] is French- he doesn’t vote, doesn’t care- just wanted to make a kick-ass action movie… our screenwriter is a registered Republican.. the political fallout has all been unexpected.”

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Wizards Drop Home Opener To Celtics

Two years ago the Dougie filled the Verizon Center as John Wall danced his way into DC basketball.

Tonight a more somber tone was in the air as the Washington Wizards made their 2012 debut in the Verizon Center. Instead of dancing, the starting five of Trevor Ariza, Trevor Booker, Emeka Okafor, A.J. Price, and Bradley Beal simply got off the bench and jogged towards the huddle. No nonsense, no pizzazz.

Looking for their first win after an opening season loss in Cleveland, the Wizards had their work cut out for them as they went up against another win-less team in the Boston Celtics.

After falling behind 26-12 in the first quarter, the Wizards managed to catch up and kept it close to the final minutes of the game but ultimately couldn’t catch the Celtics who defeated the Wiz 89-86.

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Sports Fix
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Week Nine Preview: Panthers vs. Redskins

Photo courtesy of PDA.PHOTO
IMG_0714
courtesy of PDA.PHOTO

The big showdown between Cam Newton and RGIII happens this weekend in Landover, Md. Newton and Griffin have often been compared to each other because they are both scrambling quarterbacks that won the Heisman, but after those facts they couldn’t be more different. Newton came into the NFL surrounded by questions about his personality and his mentality while RGIII came in in Subway commercials. Newton is the size of a tree and as easy to tackle while RGIII is a slippery, elusive runner. Cam Newton has a powerful arm, but has trouble with accuracy and has eight interceptions to five touchdowns this season while RGIII rarely turns the ball over and is deadly accurate.

Aside from the battle of the last two Heisman winners this is a game the Redskins have to win. The last time they played an opponent they should beat they got embarrassed by the Rams. They cannot afford the same type of letdown against the 1-6 Panthers. The Panthers have earned that record. They have lost close games to good teams, but they have lost them. Newton turns the ball over too much and their offense in general struggles to put points on the board.

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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Rebecca Albright of Ted’s Bulletin (Part 2)


Montgomery Pie
Courtesy of Rebecca Albright/Linda Roth Associates

As that chill in the air grows, there’s one thing I’m always up for baking: pie. It’s comforting, rarely complicated and the smell of spiced fillings permeates my apartment with a delightfully sweet scent.

And what better recipe to have as we near the holidays than a recipe for a gingerbread pie. Pastry chef Rebecca Albright of Ted’s Bulletin shares her recipe for Montgomery Pie. Check out the recipe after the jump.
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Rebecca Albright of Ted’s Bulletin (Part 1)

Rebecca Albright of Ted's Bulletin bonappetitfoodie

Pastry chef Rebecca Albright is swiftly, and perfectly, crimping a pie crust while people pack into Ted’s Bulletin for a post-brunch wave of service on a busy Saturday. While waiting for a table, the pastry station serves as a source of entertainment for patrons who get to peer over the short glass wall at the assembly line of pop tarts, pie crusts being rolled out, and more desserts taking form. For Albright, the bakery window is one of her favorite parts of the job. “You get to interact with guests and get feedback, see their reactions,” she says.

Before she became a pastry whiz, Albright had studied broadcast journalism, though she found herself jumping at the chance to do different catering events and baking wedding cakes for friends during and after college. Towards the end of undergrad, she picked up a minor in food science, knowing that’s where her real passion was. Combine all of that with a natural affinity for baking and memories of growing up baking with her grandmother, it’s no surprise that a career in pastry was on the horizon. For a while, Albright entertained the idea of being a wedding cake designer before ultimately deciding to enroll at L’Academie de Cuisine.
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The Daily Feed
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Mayor Gray: Speed Fines are Dropping

Photo courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

courtesy of Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Effective Monday, some speed camera fees are going down. Mayor Vincent Gray told a press conference this morning that the new rates will start at $50 for 10mph & under infractions, and go to $100 for 11-15mph infractions. Both of those fines are dropping $25.  For those who really like putting the hammer down (25mph over the speed limit or more) the fine is going up from $250 to $300.  The fines for 16-20 and 21-25mph over are remaining at their current level.

According to the Mayor and Chief Cathy Lanier, these changes will allow the city to employ 100 new police officers. 

As someone who lives on a busy thoroughfare, I have found myself dulling the objection to the speed cameras when they slow traffic on my street enough that exiting my car is not an invitation to being flattened by a Maryland-bound commuter. 

Not everyone agrees, and there’s certainly something to be said for the lack of police enforcement of speeding, which can reduce the recurrence of the event better than a ticket that shows up by mail 30-60 days later. But, this is where we’re at. What are your thoughts on speed cameras in DC?

Music, The Daily Feed
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Hot Ticket: Shiny Toy Guns @ Rock and Roll Hotel, 11/4/12

Photo courtesy of manu_el_o_matic!
Shiny Toy Guns
courtesy of manu_el_o_matic!

Shiny Toy Guns, the hard-charging new wave quartet from Los Angeles, return in fine form to DC with a performance at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Sunday, Nov. 4. The show is rescheduled from Oct. 29, when the cusp of Hurricane Sandy smacked the city and shut down everything.

Not only do the Shiny Toy Guns return but they return with Carah Faye Charnow on the heels of a new album, which came out more than a week ago. The new album III is a triumphant return to a good mix of inviting vocals and dramatic synths that marked their first album, We Are Pilots. (This critic found the band’s second album, Season of Poison, a bit of a miss after the hit of the first.)

Shiny Toy Guns are back on the dance floor and they have ambitious plans for the future, as they told We Love DC. Don’t miss out on the opportunity to see them at their best.

Shiny Toy Guns w/ MDNR and Colourmusic
Rock and Roll Hotel
Nov. 4
Doors 7pm; show 8pm
$17
All ages

The Daily Feed
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2 years of P.J. Clarke’s

Photo courtesy of raphaelstrada
PJ Clarke’s. Mmmmmm.courtesy of raphaelstrada

When P.J. Clarke’s opened in D.C. two years ago, I was one happy camper. I have fond memories of the original New York establishment, a place my dad and I would frequent on any trip up to the city. It’s an institution of sorts, not just because of all it’s been through (The Depression, Prohibition, two World Wars… and Sandy) but because of all the people who stop by top bite into a little history, and indulge in one of the city’s best burgers. Now, P.J’S has graced D.C. with that same red checkered tablecloth, fantastic Bloody Mary’s, large trays of oysters, and of course, the Cadillac burger.

To celebrate their 2 year anniversary today, P.J.’S will be offering it’s burger goodness for $2.00, all.day.all.night.  That’s many meals resolved.

Photo courtesy of BrandLinkDC

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: Nov 2 – 4

32/365: Gonzo 2/1/2010 @heylovedc

Joanna: I plan to spend most of this weekend working like a madwoman on a website launch scheduled for Election Day. But I’ll definitely take a break to attend the Million Puppet March on the Mall. I was born for this event! Look for me there donning an animal hat and finger puppets. I’d also recommend taking some time this weekend to figure out your ballot. WAMU has a great voter guide that lets you compare candidates (even for school board!) and print out a sample ballot of your choices. And I made some organic gingerbread hot chocolate mix in preparation for Sandy (powdered milk/sugar/cocoa + gingerbread milk chocolate. Mix in coffee grinder.) so when I’m not working you’ll find me downing that and taking a stroll in Capitol Hill to see the few leaves that remain.

How I spent my afternoon... Kevin H.

Don: Like Joanna, I have various work-ish commitments to deal with. In my case it’s finishing up the photo booth configuration for Monday’s We Love DC Hates Cancer event. But I am going to find a little time to head over to the Arlington Central Library on Saturday and hear my old coworker Andy Wenzel talk about the history of the Tropic/Herald/Post Hunt. Sunday we’re going to meet an old friend over at Eastern Market. No blueberry pancakes on Sunday – we’ll be there too late anyway – but Market Lunch will have other treats for us.

Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Tom: This weekend, I’ll likely be getting election worker training to work as a precinct captain for the city during Tuesday’s general election. In addition, I’ll be joining friends for a home-made meal on Saturday night, as well as jumpstarting my Movember campaign (yes, by the time you read this, I’ll be clean-shaven for the first time in over a decade) to raise money for prostate cancer research. There’s also preparatory work to do related to Monday’s We Love DC Hates Cancer. Should be a great weekend!

Verizon Center BrianMKA

Patrick: Friday marks the beginning of Digital Capital Week, DC’s week-long festival of everything social, digital, and interactive. There’ll be some great parties to kick off the event including the opening bash at Penn Social and a party at Capitale on Saturday night. Saturday I’ll be at the Verizon Center covering the Wizards home opener against the Celtics- tip off is at 7 PM and my prospects on the Wizards aren’t too high. Of course it wouldn’t be a DC weekend without brunch and I’ll be checking out The Pig in Logan circle.

Smucker Farms of Lancaster Co. bonappetitfoodie

Marissa: I had really been embracing my inner-hermit lately, but I’m ready to venture out into the city this weekend. Starting Friday, I’m heading out to Eden Center for the first time, equipped with a list of recommendations from blogger Sylvie Nguyen on the best places to eat at. My friend and I plan on eating our weight in bahn mi, pho and whatever else we can get our hands on. Saturday I plan on checking out the Roy Lichtenstein exhibit down at the National Gallery of Art. And come Sunday maybe I’ll stop by Smucker Farms to pick up some goodies. I early-voted last weekend, but if you haven’t, Saturday’s the last day for early voting in the District, so get your civic duty on.

Marshall Crenshaw at Jammin' Java rpmaxwell

Rachel: Pending my concert buddy gets back from London in time to get me my ticket, I’ll be reuniting with one of my favorite singer-songwriters — Mr. Tony Lucca — at Jammin’ Java on Saturday night. Some of you may know Tony from season two of NBC’s The Voice where he came in third. The man’s a talent and I’m so excited to swoon with the rest of the crowd while he sings. I’d be lying if I didn’t say that will be the highlight of my weekend. Otherwise, I’ll be preparing at the We Love DC Hates Cancer happy hour event that’ll be going down on Monday (11/5). I’ll be performing a few songs along side a pair of fellow D.C. musicians. Let’s make this event a success! Feel free to stop by Pound The Hill between 5 and 9 p.m. We would all love to see you there.

The Passenger 7 maxedaperture

Fedward: Back into the swing of things after our honeymoon in Puerto Rico, the Social Chair and I will be filling our weekend with … theatre and drinking. As usual. Saturday we’re seeing Our Class at Theater J, and Sunday we might squeeze in the matinee of Studio’s Dirt before our standard brunch at the Passenger. This time our weekend extends through Monday, with both the We Love DC Hates Cancer benefit at Pound the Hill and the Passenger’s MurrayAid event. Stenson is a bartender in Seattle, not DC, but his imprint on the global cocktail culture cannot be overstated.

Spiral Karon

Alexia: Tonight I have the honor of playing cello with one of my favorite DC bands, Black Hills at The Phillips Collection for their After 5 party. Tonight’s theme is French Fever, and features artist Xavier Veilhan, who has collaborated with artists such as Air and Sebastien Tellier. At 5:15 I’ll be playing a duo set with Black Hills frontman Aaron Estes, and at 7:15 will be the full Black Hills band along with a string quartet. It is going to be spectacular! Friday night I’m playing with my band The Torches for the Dia de los Muertos party at The Torpedo Factory in Old Town Alexandria. Saturday I will be recovering from the awesomeness, though I may crawl over to the Arlington Civitan Flea Market just to poke around. Sunday morning will find me going full-steam again, in the recording studio for another project! If I have an ounce of energy come Sunday night, I’ll head over to Galaxy Hut for their awesome Karaoke, which happens the first Sunday of every month.

The Soul of Ph�.......... LaTur

Jenn: I’m feeling a cold coming on, which is never a good sign for the weekend. So I’m switching to battle mode and visiting Pho Viet, Pho 14, Sakuramen, and Toki Underground. All of them. If they can’t save me, nothing can, and I better get well, because the post-Halloween lull ends very soon! Tonight I’m heading over to Studio Theatre to see “Dirt,” then hitting Bar Pilar for a cocktail to continue the cure (maybe some pumpkin-infused bourbon Vietnamese coffee). I was supposed to be in NYC this weekend, but thanks to Sandy that isn’t happening. The stories I’m hearing from friends and family up north are insane. We’re truly lucky to have been spared the worst.