By Dave Stroup
‘Pride Parade’
courtesy of ‘erin m’
There are 74 days left until the primary.
As we approach the holiday weekend, the mayoral campaign continues to ratchet up a bit. Education was the big topic this week, a subject that most certainly matters and most certainly will not fade. There’s been some developments in the Ward 1 race, and Vincent Orange is becoming a bit more visible. There’s been a good deal of news, so let’s get to it. Continue reading
By shannon
‘Crystal City – Lightning Ball’
courtesy of ‘Mo Kaiwen è�«æ¥·æ��’
Welcome to another edition of Where We Live. This week we’re hopping on the yellow line, crossing the river, and checking out Crystal City. When I started looking into Crystal City for this feature, I wasn’t too sure what I would find– a neighborhood named after a chandelier that claims to be Arlington’s largest downtown? All I knew of it was that there were lots of hotels and office buildings. But what I found was a lot of people who absolutely love living in Crystal City. Read on to hear what’s great about Crystal City, as well as some recommendations about what to check out next time you’re in the area!
By Jenn Larsen
"The Books" by Dana Ellyn. Courtesy of the artist.
There was a time when banning a book meant silencing a voice. Flush with the power of our digital age, we may forget that information so readily available to us – both truth and lies – was once so easily stopped. That is, until we read about governmental attempts to control knowledge through digital means and realize it’s all still very prevalent.
I distinctly remember being very frightened as a child by the idea of books being banned – or worse, burned. The clandestine copy of Forever passed around my grammar school, eagerly highlighted, was the best instructor of sex education we had (we have it so easy now, seriously) and when it was confiscated by a puritanical teacher the sense of shame and then rebellion that resulted was a defining moment. Later on, books like Brave New World and A Clockwork Orange spoke deeply to my developing beliefs about personal freedom and responsibility. There’s a natural outrage in me against those who would try to censor artists from holding the mirror up to our not-so civil society.
Artist Dana Ellyn continues her examination of controversial subjects with Banned, a solo exhibit showing now through July 31 at MLK Library. Last December she applied her laser eye for hypocrisy to a wide range of untouchable subjects such as religion, politics, and feminine identity in Divinely Irreverent, a show I unabashedly loved as “an audacious exhibit delivering hard slaps to myths of many kinds.” Here, the examination comes from books banned or otherwise considered subversive – perfect for Dana’s love of metaphor – and the slaps are delivered to those who would ban information and keep us in the dark.
The exhibit opened to coincide with the American Library Association’s annual conference, and it’s worth taking a look at their list of the frequently challenged books – you may be surprised by what you see. Banned features seventeen paintings inspired by controversial books; here are three that I found resonated particularly with me. Continue reading
‘Big Blue Fireball’
courtesy of ‘M.V. Jantzen’
John: Friday night I’ll be playing a show at Whitlow’s with my cover band, “Hang the DJ” and then heading down to Yorktown, Virginia for a Norman-Rockwell-painting-esque Fourth of July weekend with my girlfriend and family. If I were staying in town, I’d head down to the Capitol and watch A Capitol Fourth, which is also broadcast on PBS. With the NSO, The Old Guard Howitzer Salute Battery (what makes fireworks better? ARTILLERY!) and a string of great performers, it’s always a fun, patriotic show. I worked the show for about 6 years and you can see my photos from 2007 and 2006.
Rachel: What’s more American than spending 4th of July weekend centered around a ball park? I can think of no better way to celebrate our Nation’s birthday than that! Friday I’ll be at Nationals Park watching game two of the Mets series. Then Saturday is the big day! I’m debuting my new EP with a live set starting at 1 p.m. at the Columbia Heights Market Place. Proceeds from the new EP’s sales will be donated in honor of my late father to the National Kidney Foundation and Donate Life campaign. Of course, Sunday’s the big kahuna — Nationals baseball in the Nation’s capital on the Nation’s birthday (you have no idea how long I’ve been waiting to write that sentiment down for others to see. It brings joy to my eyes!) This will be my third 4th of July Nationals game, they always make for a good time. The game will be followed by the Uncle Sam Jam on the South West waterfront. Party on, America! Continue reading
By Dave Levy
Photo by Chris Skillman
Last week, MSNBC posted a list of the best college towns in America, and, while there are some great college scenes here in D.C., we didn’t make the cut alongside places like Lawrenceville, Boston, Boulder and Athens. But, if someone out there were to look at the best alumni cities, where chapters from dozens of schools intermingle and join together for service and fun, well, D.C. probably can’t be beat. Maybe it’s because of its location close to many of the southern universities and major northern college towns. Maybe it’s just the age of the citizens includes many just out of – and therefore, still attached – to their alma maters. Regardless of why, the fact is, there are many active, engaging chapters helping keep recent grads in touch with their schools.
With so many diverse alumni chapters from across the country, it’s great to see that there’s an organization to help bring them all together – the Capital Alumni Network (CAN). I got a chance to talk with B. Lamont Rooker, the president of CAN, about what the organization does and how it helps more and more groups love D.C. Continue reading
‘oldmic’
courtesy of ‘miss_rogue’
A woman by the name of Barbara Parker was honored this spring by N Street Village, a group empowering homeless and low-income women to claim their highest quality of life through service and advocacy. Parker was among three strong-willed honorees in April by N Street for their moving and motivational life stories.
N Street Village Assistant Director of Development Carline Meehan, who spoke to Parker last Friday after she performed live at the Rock ‘N Roll hotel alongside her friends from the N Street’s in-house choir Bethany’s Women of Praise for the first N Street Village Night Session Thursday, illuminated the night’s story.
“She was really glowing [about the performance]. I mean I could just tell that she had really enjoyed being on stage and felt a good energy in the room and good connection with the people.”
Parker is one voice amongst a company of female vocalists making up Bethany’s Women of Praise. This particular assembly of music lovers and melody chanters came together at the same place. N Street Village is what they have in common and The Holster Project is what made their “live on stage” moment become a reality. Continue reading
This month seems to be the month of late comedy promotion. In theory, there’s a showcase at the Eleventh Street Lounge in Clarendon on the 8th, but all the usual suspects there are quiet. There’s comedy tomorrow night at Mr. Smith’s in Georgetown, but you know, Georgetown after work.
The fun thing coming up on the calendar is actually 3 Chord Comedy at the Velvet Lounge on Friday the 9th. Again. Because I’m consistently impressed with the headliners Eli books for this show. July’s 3 Chord show features: Jimmy Meritt, Jake Young , Tyler Sonnichsen, and Eli Sairs, which already makes it pretty much Tiff’s Dream Lineup of Locals Who Don’t Perform Much Locally Anymore, but the headliner is Joe Mande, who has been on VH1 and Comedy Central and HuffingtonPost comedy, but is probably most famous to you, dear reader, as the Look At This Fucking Hipster Guy. I understand Mande is pretty excited about bringing the funny to DC, and that it’s a pretty different experience from the blog/book, so I recommend that you check it out. Continue reading
courtesy of She & Him.
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!
This week we have a hot pair of tickets up for grabs! We are giving away a pair of tickets to the sold out She & Him show at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday, July 7th.
She & Him is one of those acts whose charm is impossible to resist. Between Zooey Deschanel’s 60’s pixie, throw-back voice and M. Ward’s magical guitar playing and classic pop arrangements, their music melts even the most jaded listener’s heart. It also doesn’t hurt that Deschanel makes for an incredibly cute front-woman. She & Him’s videos are ridiculously good-humored and adorable. Their albums are the musical equivalent of laying in the grass and watching the breeze tickle dandelions. It is no surprise that this show is sold out, as people everywhere fall in love with She & Him’s simple, effective pop approach. The music of She & Him is a refreshing treat and their show at the 9:30 Club next week will provide the perfect pop escape from a hot, July evening in DC.
For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.
For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading
By Patrick Pho
‘Yi JianLian Juice Box’
courtesy of ‘Wootang01’
The Wizards have another new face to welcome to Chinatown.
Days after the Wizards drafted John Wall, the Wizards continue their rebuilding by acquiring Nets forward Yi Jianlian from the New Jersey Nets for Quinton Ross and cash- lots of cash.
By dealing the sixth pick of the 2007 NBA draft, the Nets clear up cap room as they work to make room for two max contracts. Sounds like somebody wants to be a big suitor for LeBron and company. Jianlian is due to make $4 million this year but the Wizards should only have to pay about $1 million since the Nets are also giving Washington $3 million to complete the deal.
By Jenn Larsen
Chris Dinolfo and Rex Daugherty in Solas Nua's production of "Johnny Meister and The Stitch" Photo credit: Aoife Mckenna
The “black box” theater is a tricky environment. Actors and audience, being so close to one another in a tight setting, enter into a kind of silent agreement – we see them sweat, they hear us breathe. Actually, it’s a bit like a date. We start out eager for it all to go well, maybe laughing a little too hard, being charmed. But it can end awkwardly. Or go brilliantly.
Solas Nua has the black box date down. In a tiny square nestled in the Flashpoint Gallery (properly known as the Flashpoint Mead Theatre Lab), they keep things sparse and simple, focusing on brutally provocative plays featuring actors who relish the meat of contemporary Irish drama. It works. I’ve yet to see a lazy or self-indulgent piece performed here (last year’s startling Disco Pigs was the first play in a long time to punch me in the gut so hard I cried).
On a given performance of Johnny Meister + The Stitch, the immediacy of live theater is strongly evident as you watch the beads of sweat slowly trickle down Chris Dinolfo’s face as he stands (briefly, it’s a fast clip) lit by long flourescent bulbs. Or the dangerous crackle of Rex Daugherty’s eyes as he makes momentary eye contact with an audience member. This is the thrill of the black box theater, and it’s highlighted by this American premiere of Rosemary Jenkinson’s play about two rough Belfast boys and one wild night.
courtesy of Wavves.
While the early-week, DC-music, blogosphere is atwitter with tales of Courtney Love’s awful on-stage antics at the 9:30 Club on Sunday night, Friday night’s Wavves show seems to be completely off radar. This is interesting to me, because Wavves mastermind, Nathan Williams, is an equally volatile personality known for on-stage meltdowns and fisticuffs of his own. In fact, before the weekend began, the quality of the Friday night Waaves’ concert at Rock & Roll Hotel was as much in question as was which Courtney Love would appear at the 9:30 Club on Sunday. When faced with the decision of which concert to attend (there was no way I was going to sandwich my weekend with potential cluster-f*cks) I used a simple calculus to aid my decision making: Courtney Love is a miserable, over-the-hill, waste of space who only ever put out one good album; while Nathan Williams of Wavves is an unpredictable, indie-genius on the rise, who cranks out infectious tunes as frequently as normal people draw breath. For me the decision was easy; both shows had the potential to be spectacular personality-based failures, but only Wavves had the possible upside of also delivering brilliant music.
Nathan Williams did not have a nervous break-down on-stage, nor did he indulge himself as the star of his own iPhone-shot reality-show on Friday night. He did talk quite a bit between songs, but then so did his rhythm section. Their collective antics were less delusional rants and more about bratty fun. Wavves did more than hold it together on Friday night. They showed up with their snotty, punk attitude and tore through an hour of great, noise-wrapped pop-music. They were preceded by another blog buzz-band in Cloud Nothings from Cleveland, who also put on an excellent set of bedroom-recording inspired tunes. Both bands combined to put on an fantastic new music showcase for the nearly sold-out crowd at Rock & Roll Hotel on Friday.
Gradually, over the last decade, Washington DC has evolved into one of the foremost cities in the world when it comes to experimental, avant-garde, noise, and improvisational music. There is a thriving underground of DC-based noise and improv acts boiling just under the surface of our fair city. Every year this scene is in the spotlight for one week when they invite fellow noise-mongers and sound-scape artists from around the world to come to DC and jam with them. This wonderfully creative week of far-out sounds is called the Sonic Circuits Festival. This year marks the 10th anniversary for the Sonic Circuits Festival and they need some financial support to finalize their plans for this year’s ambitious schedule. With a little help they will be bringing in musicians from as far away as Ukraine, Japan, and France. If you can spare a few (tax-deductible) dollars to help this unique, home-grown scene plan their festival, please pledge. Continue reading
‘The Phillips Collection 2523’
courtesy of ‘yospyn’
Looks like the Phillips Collection took my light criticism to heart last Friday because they have decided to hold a contest to see who can come up with the best alternative name for the Pousette-Dart exhibit – which is currently titled, Predominantly White Paintings.
All you have to do is go to their Facebook Page and submit something exciting, alluring, or at least, improved.
Two tickets to Phillips After 5 this Thursday will be awarded to the winner.
By Max
TWEE 4571 by Yospyn
A few weeks ago I asked our readers if they could help me name this mysterious new street artist, but in reality I knew the answer all along. These wheatpastings that went up overnight along 14th street were deliberately placed as part of Jeffry Cudlin’s show at Flashpoint, BY REQUEST. The idea behind his show was to challenge local artists to create the ideal work of art, at least as determined by some of DC’s most influential art minds. The catch? He had to be a part of every piece. In some cases his involvement was completely obvious, say for example, the 23′ long nude photo of him that you’ll either love or be terrified of. However to please the tastes of Pink Line Project’s Philippa Hughes, local artist Cory Oberndorfer transformed Cudlin into a fictional street artist from Nova Scotia named TWEE.
I had the honor of accompanying Oberndorfer and TWEE one late night to witness and document the evolution of DC’s newest street artist as he pasted his bittersweet characters along 14th street. The mission was simple. Scatter some art that Hughes was sure to love along a street that she travels every day. It would only be a matter of time before she became curious, and the gamble paid off when she posted a picture on Facebook the very next day asking, “Been seeing these along 14th Street. Who is it?” ObernTWEEfer had nailed it.
At the show’s opening at Flashpoint, Hughes was completely shocked to learn that the pieces she’d been seeing were made specifically for her, and that the queen of art gossip had just been played. It was a great social experiment that went off without a hitch thanks to the deviously creative minds of Cory and Cudlin. BY REQUEST will go down in history books as one of the most outlandish, well-marketed, and beautifully executed shows in DC. Well done, Mr. Cudlin. I mean, TWEE.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Mighty Mites!’
courtesy of ‘bhrome’
The NHL 2010 Entry Draft occurred in Los Angeles over the last three days and after seven rounds, the Caps exited this year’s draft with five new prospects. Selected by the team are Evgeny Kuznetsov (Russia), Stanislav Galiev (Russia), Philipp Grubauer (Germany), Caleb Herbert (U.S.), and Samuel Carrier (Canada). The five selected picks cover the range of ice positions, from center to goalie, and will be entering an already well-stocked prospect larder. GM George McPhee has gotten a great handle on building the team’s future depth, in large part due to the experienced Capitals’ scouting squads.
Let’s take a look at the new blood, shall we? Continue reading
‘Silversin Pickups’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’
This was one of those concerts that make me love my job.
Silversun Pickups played at DAR Constitution Hall last Wednesday night. They delivered an exuberant display of musical joy that put a big ol’ smile on my face that lasted the entire show. Silversun Pickups are a band with a great sound and a growing fan-base, and yet every time I see them perform they seem completely amazed that people like their music. It’s this “they like us, they really, really like us!” attitude and their genuine appreciation for their fans, that keeps this huge-sounding band grounded and endears them to the listener. When watching Silversun Pickups perform you find yourself rooting for them to succeed while they proceed to melt your face off with their massive, alt-rock attack.
Wednesday’s concert was the best of the three times I have seen Silversun Pickups perform, mainly because it was the first time I have seen them as headliners. The headliner spot gave them time to stretch their legs musically which really added another level to their performance on just about every song they played. Add to this the fact that the longer set gave them the opportunity to throw some slower songs into the mix and Silversun Pickups were able to create an atmosphere that was all their own and not merely shared space with other, larger acts. Silversun Pickups were the main event on Wednesday night and they used their moment in the spotlight to truly shine.
By Ben H. Rome
‘Mexican Beaded Bird’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
It was gross this weekend, wasn’t it? That didn’t stop our intrepid Flickr contributors from taking great shots. Hang on to the weekend a little longer with these photos… Continue reading
Morso Interior courtesy of Pepe Gomez
Since opening in May, Morso has already seen more drama than an entire season of Top Chef. Less than a month after this contemporary Turkish restaurant launched, Executive Chef Ed Witt abruptly left due to a “difference in creative philosophies.” The restaurant closed for almost two weeks to regroup, leaving its more casual sister, Morso Express, to satisfy Georgetown’s culinary cravings. Morso finally reopened last Friday with new chef Michael Steinberg at the helm. By his own admission, the self-taught Steinberg’s previous experience has largely been limited to the front of the house, making him an unusual choice to serve as top banana. Continue reading
By Dave Stroup
‘on the campaign trail’
courtesy of ‘mofo’
Primary Day in the District may be 81 days away, but there’s plenty of news to be covered. In fact, there’s a ton of campaign news to cover. There’s so much, that we’ve decided to help readers by distilling it into an easy-to-understand and digestible weekly round-up. From now until September, we’ll be providing a weekly summary of the big news, complete with some analysis. We’ll also be interviewing candidates and delving into the issues that are dominating the campaigns. We certainly applaud the diligent work being done by the Washington Post and the Washington City Paper, but understand that even for the wonkiest of the DC wonks, it’s a heck of a lot of information to sort through.
Let’s get at it, the introduction to the WLDC Campaign Notebook. Continue reading
Richard Pousette-Dart, Cosmos, 1950-51. Oil and graphite on board, 36 x 48 in. Courtesy of Knoedler Gallery. © 2010 Estate of Richard Pousette-Dart / Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York
“I strive to express the spiritual nature of the universe. Painting for me is a dynamic balance and wholeness of life; it is mysterious and transcending, yet solid and real.” – Richard Pousette-Dart
Exhibition titles are supposed to be exciting and alluring. They should make you go, “I have got to see this”, or at least, grab your attention for a second or two. The exhibition title for the current Pousette-Dart showing at The Phillips Collection is anything but that. Nothing about the phrase Predominantly White Paintings gets you jumping out of your chair, heading for the door (unless of course you are familiar with the artist’s work already). However, you may want to reconsider.
Richard Pousette-Dart is among the most celebrated abstract expressionists of the avant-garde New York, sharing the limelight with the likes of Pollock, Gorky, and de Kooning – a circle of artists that only a very few (of the very many) had the artistic merit and vision to join. During the early 1950’s, Pousette-Dart departed from his distinguished colorful paintings and arrived upon white, not a color, but simply a characteristic of light’s reflecting powers. Now, for the first time in over 50 years, twenty-five of Pousette-Dart’s Predominantly White Paintings are on display. And let me tell you, nothing about them is boring.
By 
By 
By 
By 
By