Category Archives: The Features

These are our features. They come back either weekly, bi-weekly or monthly.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Charlatans UK @ Black Cat 9/9/10

IMG_4236
all photos by author.

It has been too long since The Charlatans UK have played in DC. Too long since I have seen one of my all-time favorite bands. That is what I was thinking as I made my way up the stairs at the Black Cat on Thursday night. When I got upstairs, the Black Cat was seriously empty, so empty in fact that I was beginning to worry that The Charlatans’ forthcoming performance might suffer from the lack of energy in the room. As I easily took position right in front of the stage, I began to wonder, has it been so long since The Charlatans played DC that people have forgotten them? Slowly but surely dedicated fans of The Charlatans and Brit-pop enthusiasts began to fill in around me, but every time I glanced toward the back of the room, all I could see was emptiness. Where are all the people?

Thankfully, by the time Tim Burgess and company took the stage, the crowd had swelled to at least give the illusion that the room was as full as these Mancunian candidates for longest-running Brit-pop band deserve. The Charlatans may be at a point in their career where they don’t really care who shows up anymore though. Thursday’s wonderful show proved that be the turn-out large or small, they are putting on a great show either way.

At home in the UK, The Charlatans are still stadium-filling, festival favorites. In the US, where they never really ‘broke through’ like genre colleagues Blur or Oasis, The Charlatans have always been a specialty club act. I’ve seen them rock the 9:30 Club to adoring crowds several times. Their current tour comes after back-to-back canceled tours, and two albums that did not receive major release in the United States; in other words a 4-year absence from U.S. pop-consciousness that judging from Thursday’s turn-out may have finally marginalized them to being purely a nostalgia act.

Of course, any fan of The Charlatans that is reading this is probably cursing at the computer screen right now. I know I would be, because the case for The Charlatans’ originality and vitality as a group is especially strong when considering their new album “Who We Touch”, which drops in the US today. The new album ushers in yet another series of slight stylistic shifts that show off the versatility and enduring-nature of The Charlatans as a group. The new album is thankfully receiving major distribution in the U.S. and the band has finally physically made it to our shores to play some shows in support of it. Whether people show up for them or not remains to be seen. In DC on Thursday, a medium-sized crowd showed for what I am calling “the best show of 2010 that almost nobody went to”.

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Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Water, Water Everywhere

Photo courtesy of
‘Potomac River – Traffic on the Key Bridge – 04-20-10’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

I went for a swim in the Potomac River this weekend, and right before I jumped in the water I heard two fellow triathletes have the following conversation:
Triathlete 1: I have a friend who signed up for this race, but he dropped out because he has an Ironman tri coming up, and he wanted to be healthy for it.
Triathlete 2: (confused look)
Triathlete 1: Oh, you didn’t know?  The Potomac River is one of the dirtiest rivers in the country, and people have caught hepatitis from it.  He wanted to make sure he didn’t catch anything during today’s swim.
Triathlete 2: Oh my God.

The triathletes then continued to discuss the poor quality of the river they were about to jump into.  I doubted that anyone could catch hepatitis from a body of water (but apparently I was wrong), but I started to wonder whether it was true that the Potomac River was one of the worst in the country.  So after swimming, biking, and running around the District, I decided to sit down and put this myth to the test.  Is DC home to the most polluted rivers in America?

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Sports Fix
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Week 1 Recap: Skins vs. Cowboys

Photo courtesy of
‘WE WANT DALLAS!’
courtesy of ‘Tony DeFilippo’

If there’s one thing NFL fans are guaranteed it’s that when ever the Skins meet the Cowboys in primetime, the game is sure to be filled with unusual plays and often a thrilling finish. Last night was no exception. While the first half was mostly a dull affair (the Skins had only 104 yards in the half), the stadium woke up when DeAngelo Hall stripped the ball from Tashard Choice, recovered the fumble, and then ran 32 yards for the TD to give the Skins a 10-0 lead at halftime. Both offenses faired better in the second half. The Skins ran the ball more effectively and were able to get into the redzone on the opening drive of the half. However, after missing two good opportunities to get the TD, they botched the snap on the field goal attempt and Dallas was able to stay in the game. Both teams traded scores and when the Cowboys gained possession of the ball with 1:50 left in the game, the stage was set for a classic finish. Carlos Rogers and Laron Landry dropped two sure interceptions, and Miles Austin had a huge 4th down catch to put Dallas in the redzone with 12 seconds remaining. On the very last play, Tony Romo was pressured out of the pocket and delivered a pass to Roy Williams for the game-winning TD…except it was called back by a holding penalty on Alex Barron. Game over. The Skins beat the Cowboys 13-7 as the fog rolled through FedEx Field.

Positives – Offensively, the Skins O-line did a good job handling the Cowboys pass rush and Trent Williams looked impressive in his debut. He only gave up one sack to DeMarcus Ware but had few mistakes in general. Clinton Portis played solid as well. He found some good cut-back lanes and showed a burst we haven’t seen in a couple of years. Donovan McNabb was on target for the most part and could have had more completions if not for some drops by the receivers. He had good protection particularly in the second half and the physical blocking wore out the Cowboys D-lineman. Defensively, the Skins were bend-don’t-break but made key stops while keeping the Cowboys out of the redzone for most of the game. The new 3-4 defense that Jim Haslett has installed showed very few hiccups. At times, the Skins had only two down lineman or none at all. They would blitz corners, safeties, and linebackers from different angles, either in bunches or individually. It was a well-executed game plan by Haslett. Also, credit Mike Shanahan for his decision to kick the 49-yard field goal late in the game rather than punt. It was a gutsy call but the right one.

Negatives – Most people think a long snapper has little impact on a game but they are an important part of the special teams. Last night proved why. Nick Sundberg was brought in this year to replace long-time Pro Bowl long snapper Ethan Albright and he had a terrible night. The botched field goal was a result of his high snap and he even had a low snap on the last made field goal. He struggled throughout training camp and may get the boot if his troubles continue. While the Skins were able to move the ball on offense, this area is still a work in progress. McNabb needs to improve his timing with the receivers and they need to do a better job concentrating on the catch. It was also unusual to see Fred Davis and Joey Galloway not targeted through most of the game. This offense will need a few games to gel.

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘255/365’
courtesy of ‘dracisk’

Summer is still there, still hanging on, but fall is coming. This leaf, heavy with rain water, is the height of summer.

This photo by dracisk is a good example of why I love black and white photography. The color in this might be great. Bright greens, I’m sure, and the water magnifying that, too. But the photographer chose to make this a black and white. And it stands out.

The details are sharp, the lens fading off toward the bottom. The curve of the leaf takes your eye to the corner, and the leaf’s arrow like structure bring you back to the area of focus. I could look at that leaf for a long time.

All Politics is Local, The District, The Features
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Campaign Notebook: September 13, 2010 – This is it

Photo courtesy of
‘H Street NE DC Flag’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’

OK folks, we’re here. Primary Day is tomorrow, and soon the votes will be counted and this will all be over. It has been a pleasure covering these races, and trying to give readers the best information possible about the candidates. This final Campaign Notebook will serve as a basic assessment of each race and what to expect tomorrow. As always, we urge all our readers who live in the District to go to the polls and vote. There’s a lot of predictions and analysis in here, so let’s get to it. Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Fall’s Arrival Edition

Photo courtesy of
‘Cowboys versus Redskins’
courtesy of ‘Anthroscribe’

Redskins
Record: 1-0
Last Two Weeks: 1-0

It wasn’t the offensive explosion that everyone was hoping for, but the Redskins dispatched the hated Cowboys last night at FedEx field before a crowd of over 90,000 fans. The highlights will be covered by new columnist Arjun Murthy tomorrow, but the euphoria of another football season in Washington was palpable this afternoon, as Redskins and Cowboy jerseys and other team logo gear outnumbered pretty much every other article of clothing.

Donovan McNabb, slim and fit, worked well behind center, and showed some serious hustle. He picked up 173 passing yards, and ran for another 17. Sadly, he wasn’t able to connect with any of his receivers in the end zone. Chris Cooley and Santana Mass each had 6 receptions.

Defensive highlight of the day came from DeAngelo Hall, who returned a fumble for a touchdown right at the end of the first half, to send the Skins to the locker room up 10-0 on the Cowboys at the half. The 3-4 defense worked well tonight, largely keeping Dallas from putting together serious momentum. It’s tough, though, to see what role Albert Haynesworth will have in the 3-4. At times last night, he separated himself from the rest of the defensive huddle on the sidelines, and largely kept out of team affairs. Not exactly the sort of encouraging behavior you’d want to see.

Next week? Houston. 4:35pm start here at FedEx. Continue reading →

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: All’s Well That Ends Well


Miriam Silverman as Helena and Tony Roach as Bertram in the Shakespeare Theatre Company’s production of All’s Well That Ends Well, directed by Michael Kahn. Photo by Scott Suchman.

With only a few minor exceptions, The Shakespeare Theater Company’s production of All’s Well That Ends Well hits every note and does so with beauty and style. The question is, is that going to be enough to make it work for a modern audience?

If you’re not familiar with the work – which, to borrow a joke from the hosts at Filmspotting, is “Minor Shakespeare” – All’s Well tells the story of a woman of common birth who loves a nobleman. Through plucky resolve she gets the King to grant her a boon – her choice of husbands. When she picks the object of her affection he rejects her, fleeing France to fight in a foreign war and vowing not to return so long as he has a wife to return to. There’s a very Shakespearean bit of shenanigans along the way and in the end he sees the error of his ways and he accepts her.

So we’ve got a stalker, forced nuptials, class divisions, a sleazy hymen-chaser, a sort of rape by substitution, and, as such things usually lead to, eventual love and happy marriage. How’s that working for you?

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Interviews, People, The Features
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Nats Fans Are People Too: Laura Murphy

Photo Compliments of Laura Murphy

There’s one thought that never crossed Jennifer Coffey’s mind as a mother raising her family in West Chester, Pa. — that her daughter would grow up to be a Nats fan.

“The whole family is perplexed because we’re a family that enjoys sports but especially enjoys the local sports teams,” Jennifer said of her daughter Laura Murphy.

Murphy grew up in West Chester, about 45 minutes outside of Philadelphia, and fondly remembers her family attending Phillies games during the ’93 season when “the team was awesome.”

Then Major League Baseball went on strike. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks
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Imbibe Loves DC Too

Photo courtesy of
‘The Tabard Cocktail’
courtesy of ‘Samer Farha’

The September/October 2010 edition of Imbibe magazine is out and features a sampling of the DC cocktail and beer scenes. With cocktail recipes from Gina Chersevani of PS7, Alex Bookless of The Passenger (recent winner of the Rickey Contest), and Chantal Tseng of Tabard Inn, the ladies represent!

Try your hand at mixing up Gina’s “Beetiful Bubbles” with, yes, beet syrup, or Alex’s “That Cucumber Drink” muddling cucumber and mint, or my personal long-term favorite, Chantal’s “Tabard Cocktail” combining sherry and tequila. Fantastic.

The current issue also breaks down 20 beer spots both inside and outside the city highlighting both the usual suspects like Greg Engert’s program at Birch & Barley/Churchkey and a few surprises.

The best part about DC being featured in Imbibe this month? The tone is congratulatory, not condescending in that way we sometimes see other national publications yap about DC’s food/drink offerings (Grey Lady, I am looking at you). I love it when our local talent gets recognized!

Downtown, Entertainment, Media, Penn Quarter, Special Events, The District, We Love Arts
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September at SAAM

Photo courtesy of
‘Kogod Courtyard’
courtesy of ‘BrianMKA’

So now that the tourists are (mostly) gone, time to get out and hit our various museums and their great programs and exhibitions! There’s a lot going on this month at the Smithsonian American Art Museum (SAAM) and we’re going to run down the list for you. Programs are free and open to the public unless otherwise indicated; the SAAM is located in Penn Quarter at 8th and G Streets, NW. Note that some programs are at the Renwick Gallery at 17th and Pennsylvania and are noted accordingly.

Intersections/Intersecciones (Sept. 10, 6:30 p.m.)
Artists Kathy Vargas, María Martínez-Cañas, and Martina López discuss the intersection of Latino culture and gender identity in their work. Moderated by Muriel Hasbun, associate professor of fine art photography at the Corcoran College of Art + Design. No tickets required; seating available in McEvoy Auditorium on a first-come, first-served basis.

Art à la Cart (Sept. 12, Noon – 3 p.m.)
Travel throughout the galleries to find interactive carts where kids can handle brushes, palettes, bison hide, bottle caps, and quilt squares. Ages 7-12. Pick up your Art à la Cart map and passport at information desks located in the F Street and G Street lobbies.

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The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Tenleytown/AU Park

Photo courtesy of
‘Reservoir Watchtower’
courtesy of ‘Kevin H.’

Welcome to another edition of Where We Live!  This week we’ll be taking a closer look at Tenleytown/AU Park.  Even though this neighborhood surrounds American University, it’s not just college students who live there– the beautiful tree-lined streets and great transit access attract people from all walks of life.

History: This part of town has a pretty cool history.  Tenleytown originally got its name back in 1790, when residents took to calling the neighborhood “Tenally’s Town” after tavern owner John Tenally.  Fort Reno, as the highest natural point in the District, was part of the Civil War Defenses of Washington.  After the Civil War, Fort Reno was a free black community, but you wouldn’t know it today– the remnants of this neighborhood were wiped out when several schools were built in the name of urban renewal.  The area became a commercial center in 1941, when Sears opened a huge store there (the site of the Sears was redevelopment and now houses the Best Buy and Container Store).  The area developed throughout the twentieth century with the help of the streetcar and its proximity to American University (which admitted its first class in 1914).

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Sports Fix, The Daily Feed, The District, WTF?!
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Doing Burnouts on Vermont Avenue with Landon Cassill

NASCAR driver Landon Cassill does a burnout in front of the VA Department

It’s not every day you catch a NASCAR driver burning rubber on Vermont Avenue just a block from the White House. Today, as part of an event to promote the Post-9/11 GI Bill, 71-car driver Landon Cassill got to do a burnout in front of the Veterans’ Administration building on Vermont Ave. The 71-car will feature ads for the Post-9/11 GI Bill’s My Story campaign, focused on demonstrating the benefits of the Post-9/11 GI Bill.

Personally, I love that they added this to the road-tattoo block of Vermont, almost as a “signature” to the previous “art” that was put there.

Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: All Tomorrow’s Parties NY 2010 (Day Three)

IMG_3616
All photos by author.

Coverage of Day One
Coverage of Day Two

The All Tomorrow’s Parties music marathon continued into day three on Sunday. The line-up for the third day of ATP NY is always hand-picked by an invited curator. In years past the curators of ATP NY have been My Bloody Valentine and The Flaming Lips. Being a DJ, I think this is one of the most unique and cool festival traditions ever; the curator basically gets to program their own music festival, sharing and sometimes inflicting their eclectic tastes with/on the world. This year ATP invited Jim Jarmusch to curate day three of ATP NY. Jarmusch is known as an guiding light in indie film making with films like “Mystery Train” and “Dead Man”, but he also has strong musical connections that make him an inspired choice to curate. Jarmusch’s films are chock full of great music and he has employed a host of great musicians as actors over the years ranging from Joe Strummer to GZA. Perhaps the most interesting and little known Jim Jarmusch music factoid is that the man himself was in a No Wave band in the early 80’s called The Del-Byzanteens. He even did a secret jam with No Age in a hotel room at ATP NY 2009.

Jarmusch did not disappoint as curator. His hand-picked programming featured a wide-range of styles including hip-hop, lo-fi, heavy psych, hardcore punk, blues, and doom metal. Attending ATP on Sunday was like living inside Jim Jarmusch’s iPod for a day. I spent most of the day hanging out at the second stage, which is set up in a large dining hall where one could imagine wedding receptions and bar mitzvah parties taking place for the last 50 years. ATP transforms this room into a bunker nightclub by blocking all outside light with blackout curtains which adds a weird London Blitz vibe to the place too. Second stage makes for a very odd setting to see live music performed and watching a day full of guitar freak-outs and psychedelic melt-downs there seemed like a perfect fit. Adding to the surreal nature of my second stage day, I kept seeing Jim Jarmusch everywhere!*

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, September 11-12

Photo courtesy of
‘stars & lamp’
courtesy of ‘ekelly80’

Rebecca J.: I can’t believe it’s the weekend already! I’m not complaining. It’s A-mazing. Friday I’m off to the freshly opened Carmine’s with the WeLoveDC gang to mow on some veal picata, stuffed artichokes and rigatoni country style. Having been to the Carmine’s in NYC, I’ll be ready to roll myself out of there, as their family style servings are of epic proportions. Fortunately, on Saturday I’ll be working off the previous night’s carbo-fest with a WAWSL soccer game and then a stop for some fresh produce at the Georgetown Farmers Market. As College Football kicked off last weekend, with stellar wins by both Missouri and Notre Dame, I’ll be tuned to the second week of match ups. Sunday, a solid sleep in will be in order, after which an egg, cheese and bacon croissan’wich from Breadsoda suits my fancy. No worries heart, I’ll be working that off during my evening footie match.

Kirkles: On Friday, I’ll be hitting up Carmine’s for dinner with some of the WLDC crew followed by a nerdy laser tag night with friends at Ultrazone Laser Tag (I haven’t played laser tag since I was 11.  I hope it’s still awesome). Saturday, I’m going to Mi Tierra Market for some Latin American brunch and then I will spend the entire afternoon watching football.  On Sunday, I’ll go to church and then spend that entire afternoon watching football, as well.  I’m happy football is back. Continue reading →

The Features
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TSA warns you to report photographers

I like to take pictures. A lot of my friends like to take pictures. Sometimes, we even like to take pictures of things like airplanes. You might call us hobbyists, photo enthusiasts, or just photographers. But now, thanks to a new campaign from the Transportation Security Administration, there’s something else you can call us: terrorists. Yep, that’s right, gang, it’s time for another round of Security Theater Will Not Actually Make You Safer, starring the TSA and a bunch of scary, scary people armed with cameras.

Via Carlos Miller’s Photography Is Not A Crime site and Reason Magazine comes word of a TSA poster apparently designed to encourage passers-by to report suspicious photographers–helpfully shown wearing dark pants and hooded sweatshirts–to the police. Sigh. Really, TSA?

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Fashionable DC
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Fashion’s Night Out DC (And The Men That Love It)

image courtesy of Fashion's Night Out Georgetown

One cannot shake a blog, magazine, or twitter this week without hitting some kind of coverage of Fashion’s Night Out. The event, now in its second year, was launched by the Council of Fashion Designers of America and Vogue Magazine occurs this year on Friday, September 10th, from 6 to 11 pm. The well-intentioned – if just a bit self-serving – folks behind FNO imagine it as a response to the recession which supports independent fashion designers, boutique owners, and downtown commercial districts, while making the average person feel good about shopping and stimulating the economy.

Originally focused in New York City, this year the events have spread out – and include festivities here in DC. The principal neighborhoods organizing to participate are MidCity and Georgetown. While there is certainly plenty for the lady, it should not be overlooked that many participating businesses do cater to those in the male way. Therefore, to make this an inclusive event, I present to you…

DC Men I Know and Where They Should Go for FNO:
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Adventures, Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: All Tomorrow’s Parties NY 2010 (Day Two)

Sonic Youth @ ATP NY 2010
all photos by author.

Coverage of Day One
Coverage of Day Three

Saturday in the Catskills ushered in a chilly preview of fall weather along with Day Two of All Tomorrow’s Parties. On deck were two stages full of bands hand-picked by the All Tomorrow’s Parties staff to celebrate the 10th Anniversary of their festival series (which began in the UK with the Bowlie Weekender curated by Belle & Sebastian in 1999). In addition to the two stages full of premium indie rock, there were also trivia games, a cinema organized by the Criterion Collection, a book club, a film discussion with Thurston Moore and Jim Jarmusch, and various other fun distractions peppered through-out the Kutshers Resort.

Kutshers is an aged relic of the Borscht Belt and serves as the perfect spot for ATP NY every year. Imagine the hotel from Dirty Dancing gone the way of The Shining and you get a good idea of what this sprawling complex looks and feels like. The years of wear and tear show on every surface in the place, including in the Starlight Ballroom (main stage) and the Dining Room (second stage). The whole place feels like ATP found this former Class-A resort in a thrift shop somewhere. It has got the perfect level of funkiness and seclusion to make the whole ATP weekend feel like you are one of the castaways in an indie-music version of LOST. I staked my camp in the Starlight Ballroom all-day on Saturday to take in an unbelievably cool array of quality acts.

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Featured Photo
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Featured photo

Photo courtesy of
‘Katy in the surf’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

Labor Day weekend is traditionally recognized as the End Of Summertime. School starts again, the weather (reportedly) begins to cool, and collectively we put away the swimsuits and get down to the business of life. In their quest to document summer’s last grasp, our pool of photographers did not disappoint: Many went to the beach and found some great ways to capture the atmosphere. Continue reading →

We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Surfer Blood

As 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 each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!

The ticket giveaways continue with the very now sounds of Surfer Blood at the 9:30 Club on Sunday September 12th.

What a difference a year makes. One year ago Surfer Blood were just another anonymous Myspace band from Florida. Like many bands before them they made the big gamble, packed their gear, and took the trek north to try their luck at the CMJ Music Showcase. At last year’s showcase, the mostly unknown, Surfer Blood played a whirlwind of 12 concerts and left the fest wearing a championship belt of buzz. They followed their CMJ win with a tour that hit DC9 late last year (or early this year?) and have since released their debut album “Astro Coast”. Now as their indie-notice year winds to a close, Surfer Blood are returning to CMJ in October as the festival’s headliner. They are a textbook indie success story and are poised to break-out huge if they can keep the music tight and the band drama to a minimum. Before Surfer Blood hit CMJ next month, this band of Florida rockers are making a victory lap of shows; one of which is the show this Sunday at 9:30 Club. If their success continues to compound as it has in their debut year, this show will be the last chance anyone has to catch Surfer Blood in a club for a long time.

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. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly 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.

For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading →