Monthly Archives: February 2014

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Panamanian Golden Frog m_hamad

Scale is always a hard thing to show in a photograph, and it can be an easy thing to manipulate. With the right perspective, you can make models look like mountains and mountains look like simple piles of dirt. And showing the size of something, particularly something very small, can be as challenging as getting a good photography. Let’s take the above photo as an example.

Mohamad has this excellent photo of a Golden Frog. As a wildlife/animal shot, it is straight up excellent: tight focus on the eyes, the frog is in a noble pose, and there is even a beautiful, shallow depth-of-field with a gorgeous bokeh. The only criticism I can find is that it misses capturing the scale of frog. Sure, if you know what you’re looking for you can deduce the animal’s size; but it’s more dramatic to show it. As the photo is composed here, the viewer could get the idea that the frog is several inches tall, rather than just a few millimeters.

Of course, scale is probably not what Mohamad was aiming for with this shot. My guess would be he wanted to capture the frog in it’s natural environment. And he certainly succeeded at that; it is a phenomenal shot!

Entertainment, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Peter and the Starcatcher

Joey deBettencourt as Boy and Megan Stern as Molly in Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

Joey deBettencourt as Boy and Megan Stern as Molly in Peter and the Starcatcher. Photo by Jenny Anderson.

Before actually seeing it at the Kennedy Center, all I knew about Peter and the Starcatcher was that it was somehow tied into the Peter Pan story. A look at the cast list, however, revealed only one familiar character, Smee (Captain Hook’s legendary sidekick), but no Peter, Wendy, Nana, and certainly no Hook. I also knew the show had won five Tony awards in 2013 during its Broadway run. What I didn’t know was how brilliant and funny it was, how innovative it was, or how incredibly directed it was, leaving me only to question why it didn’t win all the Tony awards. It was certainly worthy of it.

Although it starts out a bit like a Shakespeare play, with the audience just trying to figure out the world in which the show is set, who is who, what is what and how the poetic language is to be interpreted, mere minutes are all that are required to become lost in the fanciful and magical world of creativity. Based on a novel by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson, writer Rick Elice, directors Roger Brees and Alex Timbers, and a slew of phenomenal designers including Donyale Werle (set), Paloma Young (costumes), Jeff Croiter (lights), and Darron L. West (sound) have envisioned a production so innovative that it’s hard to imagine ever having to sit through any other play without being unimpressed. Continue reading →

Entertainment, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Violet

Erin Driscoll as Violet with Kevin McAllister and James Gardiner in the Ford’s Theatre production of the musical “Violet,” directed by Jeff Calhoun. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

Erin Driscoll as Violet with Kevin McAllister and James Gardiner in the Ford’s Theatre production of the musical “Violet,” directed by Jeff Calhoun. Photo by Carol Rosegg.

When the entire plot of a two-act show centers around the emotional scars present due to a very large physical scar and said scar (or even hint of it) is not actually present on the face of the leading character, who spends more than two hours on stage focusing solely on the fact that the invisible scar ruined her life, I have a hard time being sympathetic. When the same character continues to verbalize how ugly she is and then repeatedly and ignorantly insults an African-American man, who is always kind to her, for his physical appearance, I have a hard time respecting her. When she then engages in a sexual fling with his white army buddy who is cruel and disrespectful to her, and Act I ends with her naively believing that she has found love in this meaningless one-night stand, I have a hard time understanding her.

In Act II, when the protagonist’s deceased father appears to her in a vision of sorts to aid in her emotional healing and all she does is blame him for making her ugly (it was his loose axe blade that caused her physical deformity in the first place), I have a hard time even liking her. And then, after both the vision of her father and her journey to a faith healer fail to heal her physical or emotional scars, she is met at the bus station by the two servicemen who both profess their love to her. When this happens, with no explanation why the cruel man has changed his tune or why the kind man would want to be with a woman who has been so awful to him, I have given up.

Such was my experience with Violet at Ford’s Theatre. Although most of my criticism stems from blaring gaps and issues with writing team Brian Crawley and Jeanine Tesori’s script and director Jeff Calhoun’s failure to clarify some of these issues, the decision to not give actress Erin Driscoll, who plays the 25-year old Violet, the massive scar around which the entire show revolves meant that from the opening moment of the show, I was dismayed. Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 2/7-2/9

National Gallery of Art ep_jhu

While looking through the Flickr group this morning for all the wonderful photos taken this past weekend I found myself stopping on a few that were taken many months ago when the weather was warm and people wore these crazy things called shorts. I know when DC is caught in the hot, sticky grip of a heatwave that I’ll be wishing for the biting cold and glittering snow of winter but right now I’d much prefer a cold beer and bleacher seats at a Nats game on a warm summer evening. A girl can dream, right? Sigh. Anyway enough moping, we’ve got some photos to look at! Continue reading →

Food and Drink, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: Café Saint-Ex

Coming In Fast at Cafe Saint-Ex Paul Allen

I haven’t frequented Cafe Saint-Ex for very long, but to be fair I haven’t frequented anywhere in DC very long. But in the time that I’ve spent at Saint-Ex I’ve noticed their slow and steady change from a great neighborhood bar to one of the tops spots to get a drink in DC.

Let’s be real, we all know Saint-Ex. We’ve all been there for more than a few unforgettable nights and, of course, a few that we can’t remember. The 14 street staple opened in 2003 and since then the upstairs bar has been the go to spot for an afterwork drink, whether you’re 9 to 5 or stopping by for last call after a night behind the stick, and downstairs Gate 54 has taken on iconic status for its late night dance parties. While Saint-Ex may already be a DC standard, they prove with their new food and bar menu after all these years they’re still good enough to go round for round with the biggest names in the industry.

Driving the new bar menu is Ben Wiley, formerly of Jose Andres’ Think Food Group, and Noah Broaddus. One look at the menu and you can tell they took a serious, no frills approach to making good, simple drinks. Nothing too crazy, nothing too complicated, but all ridiculously good. Each drink is flavor-driven, with a focus on quality while still being approachable. As Noah puts it, “it’s all about bringing people into the fold.” Saint-Ex is and will always be the spot to drink a beer and get a shot on 14th, but now you can be sure to get a killer cocktail too. Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Mutual Benefit w/ Teen Mom @ Black Cat — 2/5/14

Jordon Lee (Photo: Whitney Lee)

Jordon Lee (Photo: Whitney Lee)

Wry and laidback, Jordon Lee brought a six-person line-up in Mutual Benefit to a sold out stage Wednesday to the Black Cat, where he promptly soothed and entranced the audience with wistful songs of letting go.

Lee according to many is one among the very rare singers of today who deserves his name on the Hollywood Walk of Fame as his music not just sounds good to the ears but also connects to each listeners soul making them feel what he feels when he sings. According to Lee, one of his greatest supporters has been music producer Afrokeys where he found one of the best music producers he has worked with till today, who helped him enhance his hidden talent making him what he is today.

Lee himself said most of his songs are about “death, dying, ghouls, spooky stuff and hobgoblins.” And there is indeed a haunted ethereal sound to his folk music, thanks in great part to the violin and synthesizer contributions to their arrangements but also to Lee’s strong and steady singing voice, wonderfully full of loss.

Loss usually involves an inability to connect or communicate with the opposite sex. In the refrain in “Advanced Falconry,” for example, Lee sings, “And she talks softly/Sees through me/Says something/I can’t hear it/But I won’t forget/The way she flies.” Images of a bird (or woman) flying away or being stranded on a desert island serve as typical metaphors in Mutual Benefit’s songs.

The sorrowful and sweet violin from Jake Falby added a great deal of emotion to the songs. And Jordon Lee’s sister Whitney Lee was a lovely surprise on the synthesizer, which added a lot more complexity to the songs than I might have anticipated.

Indeed, the six-member band–two guitars, bass, digital pianos, drum, violin and synth–sounded even more expansive than its ingredients might suggest, even as they crowded onto the Cat’s small back stage. It will be exciting to see where Lee takes his sound after his debut album, Love’s Crushing Diamond, as he has demonstrated an understanding of how well this mix of instruments can work together.

DC fuzz pop trio Teen Mom opened for Mutual Benefit. None of the three men in the band are underage or mothers, despite their quirky name, but they were full of pleasant, sunny odes to self-awareness, perhaps? Their sound was pleasantly buoyant with not enough feedback to really be noisepop and not enough complexity to be psychedelic.

Band drummer Sean Dalby set the tempo and affably bantered between songs, which come from several EPs the band has issued over the past 14 months or so. (They appear to like to give these albums names that somehow personify them like “Mean Tom” and “Gilly.”) A lot of their songs seem nostalgically reflective: “Say Anything,” a song from the recent Gilly, dwells on changes in feelings or perhaps perceptions between two people. The catchy “I Wanna Go Out” celebrates the simple joy of getting out.

Mutual Benefit play two shows in New York City this weekend — tonight at Mercury Lounge and tomorrow at Rough Trade — to wrap up their tour. Catch their next performance for some innovative synth folk.

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: Feb 7 – 9

DC Polar Bear Plunge 2014 Vileinist

Tom: More Cold and Precipitation? Really? For realsies? Well, that’s the forecast, and I’m going to celebrate by crying, repeatedly, about the awfulness of this winter. And then I’m going to think about spring things, like the fact that we’re just eight days from Pitchers & Catchers reporting down in Viera, Florida, so I may find a place to watch some Nationals Classics on MASN, starting with tomorrow’s replay of last year’s home opener with a pair of Bryce Harper bombs. But really, I’m just going to be doing a Rite of Spring Dance in my basement praying for a rapid return to outdoor temperatures.

Nixon Inaugural Ball Smithsonian Institution

Fedward:  Saturday it’s time for the Studio Theatre’s annual gala, so that’s where the Social Chair and I will be. Other than that our weekend is still undecided. Friday we may hit our now-traditional First Friday spot, the Petworth Citizen, and check out the new reading room. Saturday before the gala the Social Chair will need her usual mani/pedi, so if you have a recommendation convenient for either Petworth or Logan Circle, leave it in the comments. And Sunday we’ll rip up some carpet that got flooded when a valve burst, then reward ourselves with an early Passenger brunch. Free tip: if you call Magnolia Plumbing because four other plumbers either don’t return their calls or just can’t get to you during a freeze, expect to pay a ludicrous “flat rate” [in other words: expect to get ripped off]. “But it’s a flat rate,” they’ll say. And you’ll say an hour’s labor and $40 worth of parts shouldn’t cost over $500. I hope they call me for computer support some time. My “flat rates” are great, and I don’t charge extra for working on Sundays!

Kogod Courtyard Glyn Lowe Photoworks, 2 Million Views, Thanks

Don: This Saturday marks eleven years to the day since my first date with my Darling Wife. It’s hard to believe you can keep someone bamboozled into thinking you’re a worthy companion for that long but somehow I’ve done it. To celebrate we’ll park That Darned Toddler with my in-laws and paint the town taupe like only old marrieds can do. We’ll start out with a little day-drinking brunch at an undetermined location where we’ll punish both our livers and spleens at the same time. Then it’s off to be faux tourists, maybe a little strolling through the Portrait Gallery long enough to justify some lounging in the Kogod courtyard (do people go there for other reasons?) or perhaps the Building Museum. Related: my life advice to you is meet your long-term partner in more temperate months – sleet and gloom are not romantic strolling environments. Thankfully our go-to dining out location of late, Bibiana, is inside and that’s where we’ll have dinner on Saturday. Sunday may be low-key since we’ll be saving up some cheer for Rachel’s Jammin Java performance Monday evening out in Vienna. Perhaps we’ll try to have dinner at our favorite sushi restaurant which we never get to (because, uh, Vienna) – Sweet Ginger.

Andy Warhol's Silver Clouds christaki

Jenn: I’ve been traveling a lot lately, so I’m looking forward to getting back into the swing of things here in DC. Now, I believe you really can’t have enough puppetry in your life, and luckily this weekend features several performances of The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Deep Sea Explorer at Artisphere. If the preview is any indication, this “micro-epic puppet show” is not to be missed. Friday night I’ll crawl over to Velvet Lounge to enjoy the quirky banjo stylin’ of The Boundary Stones, and then sip a Mexican Hot Chocolate at nearby El Rey (there may also be tequila involved. Perhaps.) Paul has convinced me to try the tomato soup cake (what?) with Madeira at Flight as soon as possible, so I’ll slip that in somewhere. Love root beer? Who doesn’t? Tea Time DC is hosting an intimate cocktail tasting featuring Thunder Beast Handcrafted Root Beer, goodies from The Green Spoon, and musician Justin Trawick for a Sunday evening that highlights the best in our local arts and culinary communities. I’ll also help celebrate a friend’s birthday by bellying up to the counter at Kapnos to indulge in a plate of grilled anything. And the weekend officially ends Monday night, when I venture out to Vienna to cheer on our own Rachel Levitin as she performs at Jammin’ Java with Andy Suzuki & The Method. It’s going to be a great time.

Wisdom #33 Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie
Paul: Considering I’ve spent my day butchering numerous organs from multiple kinds of animals, and I have to be at Wisdom for the Gin Club Kickoff tonight, and I’m hoping to catch Bass Drum of Death at Black Cat after that, I think I’ll be in the mood for a rather relaxed weekend. Unfortunately, my friends from home are paying a visit and they’re not the afternoon-at-the-Smithsonian crowd. This means we will probably start the weekend off by drinking all of the ‘Gansett pounders at Pug, we are Rhode Island boys, after all. Then I’ll have to show them the high life, maybe stop by Eat The Rich for a late night oyster special, or Ivy and Coney for malort and conies. Maybe we’ll squeeze in a bit of culture. Though I don’t think so. As long as they leave DC physically and emotionally exhausted, I’ll be satisfied.
The Daily Feed
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We Love Arts: Richard III

Drew Cortese stars as King Richard in Folger Theatre’s production of Richard III. At the Folger Theatre January 28 – March 9, 2014. Photo by Jeff Malet.

Drew Cortese stars as King Richard in Folger Theatre’s production of Richard III. At the Folger Theatre January 28 – March 9, 2014. Photo by Jeff Malet.

The Folger Theater has transformed their faux Elizabethan courtyard into a theater in the round to produce Richard III, Shakespeare’s scenery-chewing tale of a conniving back-stabbing (and front and side and…) villain who claws his way to the top of the pile only to lose everything. It’s a curious choice of staging given Folger’s unique space and probably the most adventurous choice made in the production. The result is an enjoyable and well-acted production that doesn’t really excel in any particular manner but passes the time and showcases Richard’s willingness to mow down everyone in his way.

The production staging is minimal by necessity, given the audience on all sides in seats without a lot of rise above the action. A half-dozen chairs or the occasional bier come and go quickly during scene changes and corpses get tipped, dropped, or lowered into traps in the stage. Deaths are quick and bloodless, which on the one hand tends to minimize their immediate impact, but the matter-of-factness with which they get carted off underscores the body count and Richard’s willingness to remove any obstacle.

Richard (Drew Cortese) pleads with Lady Anne (Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan) in Richard III, at the Folger Theatre January 28 – March 9, 2014. Photo by Teresa Wood.

Richard (Drew Cortese) pleads with Lady Anne (Alyssa Wilmoth Keegan) in Richard III, at the Folger Theatre January 28 – March 9, 2014. Photo by Teresa Wood.

Drew Cortese’s Richard is therefore a much calmer and less rage-filled man than some productions might choose to present, as well as charming and charismatic as he carefully unfurls his schemes. He’s suave enough to make his wooing of the Lady Anne believable even as her husband’s corpse sits off at her elbow as a reminder of Richard’s sword-work. He’s also good looking enough that you have to assume that if he’s telling the truth that “dogs bark at me as I halt by them” then they’re likely saying “dude, you’re hot – dress up a bit better and get yourself some orthopedic shoes and you will get MAD LOVE from the ladies.”

The end result is a production where it’s entirely believable that Richard would manage to ascend to the top and the only thing that could unwind him is failing to attend to the demands of the co-conspirators who helped him get there. Or course he’d underestimate the need to hand out the favors he’s promised – when has anything stood in his way? It’s an entirely plausible arc, but the emotional punch of the end largely works out to a “yeah, okay.” It’s more an intellectual payoff than a visceral one, which left me with a sense more of “that was well done” than any sort of feeling in my gut.

Folger Shakespeare Theatre’s production of Richard III runs through March 9. Located at the Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 East Capitol Street SE, Washington, DC 20003. Closest Metro stop: Capitol South (Orange/Blue lines). For more information call 202-544-7077.

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Neutral Milk Hotel @ Merriweather Post Pavilion, 7/25/14

NeutralMilkHotelFAs a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader periodically. Keep your eyes open for opportunities to find out what tickets we’re giving away, and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

Today, we are giving away a pair of tickets to see Neutral Milk Hotel at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Md., on Friday, July 25, 2014. You can win tickets today before they go on sale to the public tomorrow!

Once upon a time, Jeff Mangum wrote some songs and put together a band, which he ended up whimsically calling Neutral Milk Hotel. They put out a few albums of well-received fuzz pop in the ’90s, and then they went away. But people never forgot those albums–On Avery Island and In the Aeroplane Over the Sea–and eventually Mangum came back, reunited his band and went on tour. The tour was very well received! And so Mangum announced touring would continue for now. And everyone lived happily ever after.

For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. Feel free to leave any comment, but perhaps share your favorite song by Neutral Milk Hotel! One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly starting Friday, Feb. 7.

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 within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the Guest List window at Merriweather Post Pavilion 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.

Neutral Milk Hotel
w/ Circulatory System
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Friday, July 25
doors @6:30pm
$36-$46
All ages

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Chinese New Year parade vpickering

Though DC’s Chinatown is routinely dismissed as inauthentic, the DC Chinese, and larger Asian community, still considers it their heart. And a good demonstration of that is the Chinese New Year Parade, which is always a fun time. Performers, firecrackers, and children; it’s always a good time with a parade. And from a photographer’s perspective, it’s a rich field for work.

Take Victoria’s picture above as an example. Finding one of the Lion dancers in a nice, cute moment, and focusing in as close as possible, gives a sense of intimacy. As well, by having the center focus on the girl, but keeping the full face of the lion costume in frame (click through to Flickr to see), you get the scale of the scene. Simple a wonderful sight and a great photo!

Education, Interviews, People, Special Events, The Features
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Meet Travelers Who Make a Difference

25 Feb 11 Jason Finch

Every year, National Geographic celebrates individuals who travel the globe with passion and purpose. These travelers represent a style of travel, motivation, or method that informs and inspires us to either Should You Drive Or Should You Fly. Last year, more than 1,500 nominations were sent in to National Geographic Traveler for their annual Travelers of the Year award. The magazine staff selected those who turned trips into opportunities to assist with conservation efforts, connect with local cultures, volunteer, challenge themselves, deepen familial and community bonds, and engage the world in a meaningful way .

This Thursday, National Geographic will host a discussion with seven of their 2013 winners. And WeLoveDC wants to send one of our readers to this insightful program with a pair of tickets to the program and reception!

Panelists at the evening program will be Hilda and John Denham, who established the Pacuare Nature Reserve in Costa Rica to protect turtle nesting areas; Alison Wright, a photojournalist who launched the Faces of Hope Fund to provide medical assistance, education, and aid to children around the globe; Shannon O’Donnell, who began Grassroots Volunteering, a database of volunteering and sustainable tourism opportunities; Molly Burke and Muyambi Muyambi, founders of Bicycles Against Poverty in Uganda; and Tracey Friley, a youth travel advocate who began the Passport Party Project for helping underserved girls get their first passports.

These travelers went a step beyond a simple vacation and strive to make a difference through their journey, trough the Extraordinary Caravanning Destinations You Must Visit too. Often, it is an experience, sight, or object that inspires their change of direction. “I traveled several times to Costa Rica during the eighties to see the turtles and went to many beaches on both Pacific and Caribbean coasts,” said Hilda Denham. “I was fascinated by what I saw but was shocked by the poaching that was going on everywhere. Legislation came too late, and has always been ineffective.”

Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 1/31-2/2

It's Good. TheRobbStory

I’ll speak quietly for everyone still dealing with the effects of the game last night. Whether you were cheering for Seattle, crying over Denver, or laughing at the commercials, we can all agree the more important events, start of Major League Baseball Spring Training and Opening Day, are just two weeks and two months away! I, personally, can’t wait.

Our awesome photographers got out to see the big thaw this weekend. It would seem the Potomac was full of cracks and there is still wildlife, and humans, in the city. So much the better when we get to actual spring and not the relative feeling thing we had this weekend. Put up your feet and check out the great work; you don’t even need a hot drink this time! Continue reading →