Category Archives: The Features

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

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nats Complete Sweep of Bucs

Photo courtesy of
‘155/365’
courtesy of ‘brianmka’

The weather on Thursday night was about as perfect as you can find in June in Washington, a great night at the ballpark. The Nats were looking to complete the sweep against the Pirates, hoping for their first of the season. Zach Duke stood in their way, 2009 All-Star, and starting pitcher for the Pirates. No, he’s not Stephen Strasburg, but ¡Livan! Hernandez is the Nats’ current #1, and he was on to devour some innings tonight to finish the homestand. Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Features
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We Love The World Cup: Where To Watch

Photo courtesy of
‘World Cup 2010 Tee Off Tomorrow’
courtesy of ‘Frames-of-Mind’

With the 2010 World Cup kicking off tomorrow as host nation South Africa takes on Mexico at 10am (EST) at Soccer City Stadium in Johannesburg, it’s time we explored local venue standouts for watching this four week long, footie, action packed tournament.

When contemplating your location it’s important to first think about the type of environment and fellow watchers you want to be around. While some people like being boisterous with cheering and audience packed commentary throughout the match, there are also those who prefer to watch the game in relative silence, quietly sipping on their pints and internally banging their heads on the wall when mistakes are made.

Whatever environment you chose, you’re sure to have a good time watching the game with fellow soccer lovers who share your enthusiasm (however that may be expressed) for the sport. Just be sure that however your team makes out, you’re a graceful winner or loser. Now on to prime viewing spots. Continue reading →

Adventures, The Features, We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: June 12-13

Photo courtesy of
‘Dandies & Quaintrelles 0863’
courtesy of ‘yospyn’

Max: Friday night I’ll be nerding it up with the best of them at the DC Digital Capital Week kickoff party.  From 9PM to 3AM, Blagden Alley will be the place to be in DC for networking, art viewing, music listening, and beer drinking ($20).  On Saturday I will shed my usual attire and pretend that I have class by donning a costume for the Seersucker Social (fingers crossed for cooperative weather).  Assuming I’m not run over by a fellow seersuckerer or bonked on the noggin by a croquet mallet, I might snap a few pictures of the pride parade and then help a friend celebrate the big 3-0.  Sunday will (as usual) be filled with photo editing and napping.

Dave: You know, a week of Strasburg-mania has me completely in the mood to get out there and find my own Field of Dreams. So, for a great sports weekends I’ll kick it off Friday morning, watching the opening matches of the World Cup at Public Bar ($3 Peronis ain’t a bad way to start the day, and it is, after all, noon somewhere). Friday evening, I’ll be out at Upton Hill Regional Park, shaking off the cobwebs of a few rainouts and back in the cages before a Saturday tripleheader of softball against a few of our rivals out at Cabin John. (Also, please note, regardless of the St. George’s Cross hanging by my desk, please note, I will also be cheering for the Yanks when they face the Three Lions).

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Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed, We Love Music
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Hot Ticket: This Will Destroy You @ DC9 6/10/10

This Will Destroy You
courtesy of This Will Destroy You.

Look at the friggin’ graphic. When I came across the above image while researching the post-rock quartet, This Will Destroy You, I knew that I had found just about everything I would need to convince you to go to this concert. Not only are This Will Destroy You a post-rock band on the rise; they also have awesome taste in artwork. I am as stunned by the hilarious genius of that graphic as I am by TWDY’s soul-stirring, earth-shaking instrumental music.

This Will Destroy You are a band that beautifully harness subtlety in their music while obviously discarding it completely to market themselves. Just look at their name: THIS WILL DESTROY YOU. Now look at that awe-inspiring graphic again. It tells you everything you need to know about the band and what they will bring to their live performance at DC9 tonight. TWDY’s guitars will sound like the howl of a wolf, the roar of a mountain lion, and the scream of an American eagle combined! This show will be mighty and the audience will quake under the sonic assault of This Will Destroy You. Come to DC9 tonight and watch as they unleash material from their forth-coming album “Tunnel Blanket”.

This Will Destroy You are joined by Chicago psych-rockers, Light Pollution and Brooklyn atmospheric strings act, Slow Six. These three bands playing together should make for one crazed evening of majestic guitar and sonic bliss.

This Will Destroy You
w/ Light Pollution & Slow Six
$12 @ DC9
Doors at 8:30 / Show at 9:00

Entertainment, Music, People, Special Events, We Love Music
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We Love Music & Comedy: Conan O’Brien – The Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour

Conan O'Brien Legally Prohibited Tour

Tuesday night had me back at DAR Constitution Hall to witness the madcap hilarity of the Conan O’Brien Legally Prohibited From Being Funny On Television Tour. I don’t think I need to recap how Conan lost his Tonight Show gig to its former host, other than to mention how that extremely public NBC scheduling conflict resulted in one of the oddest forms of comedic revenge I have ever witnessed. The whole point of Conan O’Brien taking his variety show on the road is to keep America laughing while exacting sweet revenge on the ratings dead-weight that replaced him on air. For two months now, Conan O’Brien, his writers, and his band have been criss-crossing America delivering knock-out evenings of comedy and music. Tuesday night’s stop in DC was no different and provided the sold-out Team CoCo crowd with a non-stop night of comedic genius.

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Entertainment, Music, The Features
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We Love Music: Five Reasons To Check Out The Columbia Pike Blues Festival

Photo courtesy of
‘Guitar being played by Tom Walton: White Springs, Florida’
courtesy of ‘State Library and Archives of Florida’

The Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization is celebrating the Columbia Pike Blues Festival‘s 15th year on June 19. Jazz and music lovers alike are in for a hands-on, interactive, outdoor musical experience should they chose to embark upon the event. Here are a few reasons to not miss the 15th anniversary of Arlington’s famed CPBF.

1. There’s an instrument petting zoo

Sounds fun, no? Ever wanted to try and be big a rock superstar. Live large? Have a big house? Five cars? Well, whether or not you’ve ever wanted to shine bright in the limelight is of no consequence. Try something new or revisit the glory days of your musical youth by partaking in the instrument petting zoo. If anything else, how awesome would be to go into the office on Monday and say “What did I do this weekend? Oh nothing really, except rock out at an instrument petting zoo!” For those about to rock, We Love DC salutes your efforts should you choose to partake.

2. These folks are serious about music education

This year, the Columbia Pike Revitalization Organization is trying something new – a partnership with Guitars Not Guns. GNG is a non-profit specializing in guitar education. Their mission is to ensure that all children, no matter the circumstances, receive the opportunity to learn and play guitar. Which leads directly into reason #3. Continue reading →

Talkin' Transit
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Talkin’ Transit: Drive

Photo courtesy of
‘twilight drive’
courtesy of ‘philliefan99’

Through a very lucky break I’ve had a free parking pass for my office building over the last month. It’s given me a chance to drive into the office on a regular basis, and to compare that commute to my regular Metro commute. The things I do for you fine readers!

First, let me make it clear: I think that a viable public transit system has to be at the heart of any reasonably sized community. We just cannot afford another half-a-million cars on the road.

Having said that, from time to time (at least once a week) when I ride Metro, I get the urge to drive again. Every time I look at Metro’s site and see “delayed” (as I write this, the Orange and Blue lines are delayed) I want to get in the car and go.
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Sports Fix
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DC Sports Fans Rejoice: Strasburg is Real

 IMG_0058 Strasburg.jpg
Photo by Cheryl Nichols/Nationals News Network

Joe Posnanski of SI wrote in his column yesterday that today was a lot like Christmas morning, in that the hopes and aspirations of the franchise lay in the wrapped present of Stephen Strasburg.  He also wrote that “you never really hear them talk about Christmas AFTERNOON, when the presents are out of their boxes and wrapping paper is scattered on the living room floor.”

For many other debuts, I’d say he’s right. For Stephen Strasburg’s debut, though, the reality of the present is absolutely matching its expectations. The Nationals tonight delivered Christmas afternoon before the capacity crowd, which at times was so loud as to be deafening, and whose enthusiasm I have seen just once at Nationals Park. That game? The first victory at Nationals Park in April of 2008. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Fun & Games, Music, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: Blitzen Trapper

Blitzen Trapper

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!

For our first giveaway, we have a pair of tickets to Blitzen Trapper at the 9:30 Club. These experimental folk rockers will be playing the 9:30 Club on Monday, June 14th.

Blitzen Trapper are touring in support of their latest album “Destroyer of the Void”; a sprawling, electric-folk album that plays like the perfect soundtrack to an imagined Super-8, vacation film shot by a bored, sixteen year-old on a family road-trip across Kansas. It is an album that sonically hearkens back to late 60’s folk-rock while evoking classic mid-western imagery with an undercurrent of uneasy tension. It makes me think of grainy film images shot from the backseat of a moving station-wagon: leaning barns, tilted telephone poles, rows of corn, gravel roads, and weather-worn faces. Blitzen Trapper are currently a sextet of very serious looking men who I am sure will employ all manner of inventive instrumentation to recreate their imagination-inspiring music when they play the best sounding club in town next week.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. 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 →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Othello

Roger Payano as Othello in Synetic Theater's production of "Othello." Photo credit: Graeme B. Shaw

Ambition. Envy. Lust.

This is the triple-headed monster that drives one of Shakespeare’s most explored villians, the manipulative yet seductive Iago whose knowledge of his rivals’ secrets and fears are the keys to a devious plot. His motivation being so multi-faceted and open to different interpretations, he tends to grasp control of a play that is, after all, named for another character. It’s an issue every production has to face – do you focus on the monster or the hero?

Now through July 3 you can witness how effectively Synetic Theater tackles this issue with their take on Othello. It’s their sixth wordless Shakespeare production – I thought they had reached the pinnacle with their last outing, Antony and Cleopatra, but clearly there’s no end to the brilliance of this company when it applies its physical theater style to the Bard. Hyperbole? Head to the Kennedy Center’s Family Theater and judge for yourself.

Here Othello’s polished veneer of self-control masks a deep wound into which Iago writhes like a parasite, whereas Iago’s wound is shown to us right from the start. As they are so entwined, they are equally the focus. This is a production marked by psychic pain so palpable it made me shake. It’s also fast, frenzied and exquisite. Continue reading →

Mythbusting DC, The Features
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DC Mythbusting: Danger!

Photo courtesy of
‘Nacho #19’
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

I was born and raised in the suburbs, and when I decided to become a city planner and move to a major city, I heard from many people in my parents’ generation about how dangerous Washington DC was.  “It’s the murder capital of the country!” But is it really?  How does DC’s crime rate compare to that of other cities?  These sound like some good myths to bust.  Let’s get to it!

So is DC the murder capital of the country?  This claim may have been true at one point, but that was about twenty years ago.  The District went through a trying time in the early 90s, when crack cocaine took over the city and murders peaked at 479 in 1991 (an astounding 78.92 murders per 100,000 residents, Borderstan points out).  But last year, there were 143 homicides in the city, continuing a decades-long downward trend.  So yes, at one point the District may have had the highest murder rate in the country, but that’s definitely not the case now.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The National @ DAR Constitution Hall 6/6/10

The National @ DAR Hall #2 6/6/10
“The National at DAR” courtesy of Samer Farha.

The National are blowing up huge in 2010. Of that there is no question. Their latest album “High Violet” debuted at number three on the Billboard Top 200 when it dropped last month. It has been nearly impossible to avoid their massive campaign of television and festival appearances, rave album reviews in print and online, and their inventive use of web-isodes and internet video exclusives. When a band gets pushed this hard it gives one pause. Do they have the chops to back it up or is this all a smoke screen to sell shoddy product? In the case of The National it is readily apparent to the listener of “High Violet” or the attendee at one of their concerts that this is a very talented band that has hit their stride.

“High Violet” is the fifth album by The National. Their style has evolved over the years from alt-country inflected pop albums to a darker and emotionally huge sound (that frankly suits the band better). “High Violet” rounds out a trilogy of excellently written and performed albums. It is preceded by “Boxer” and “Alligator“. Vocally all three albums have just the right balance of melancholy, introspection, and frustration to provide a wealth of emotion to the listener. Musically The National have become more and more interesting with each of these three albums. “Boxer” may represent a lush musical peak for the band, but it is on “High Violet” that they employ just the right measure of restraint to their large sound, lending real gravity to their lyrics.

The National performed to a sold out crowd at DAR Constitution Hall on Sunday night. Like their last three albums, their live show proved that The National are seriously talented and exciting performers. The show heavily mined “High Violet”, “Boxer”, and “Alligator”; perfectly blending great songs from all three to balance moments of emotional honesty, musical cacophony, and pop brilliance. For a band that features lyrics of such introspection and woe, The National provide a surprisingly powerful and energetic concert that more than once had me thinking of The Cure and U2. After experiencing The National live on Sunday night, I imagine, that much like those two long-running and massively successful bands, The National could have a long and successful future crafting ever-evolving emotional pop music.
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Featured Photo, The Features
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Featured Photo

Photo courtesy of
‘Pentagon, etc’
courtesy of ‘volcanojw’

Art is a bit subjective. Modern art, doubly so. Some people look to art to make them think, others to give them a sense of peace and tranquility. When making art, it is often the things we obsess about which become our best or, at least, our most favorite.

Flickr contributor volcanojw has been obsessing about blur. Bokeh, it’s called. The term describes the quality of the out of focus areas of a picture. For many, taking bokeh to the logical conclusion and producing shots of blur like this one is frowned upon. But from where I sit, it looks pretty, peaceful, and gives a new look on our old city (click through for notes pointing out what’s what).

News, Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Two More Serious Injuries for D.C. United

Photo courtesy of
‘DC United vs Chicago Fire 06’
courtesy of ‘maxedaperture’

The blows are coming today for D.C. United.  Two major players for DCU are spending a sizable amount of time out of commission, the team announced today.  Brandon Barklage, midfielder, had season-ending ACL Reconstruction surgery this afternoon, which also fixed a meniscus tear in the same knee.  Barklage spent the majority of last season on the disabled list with a similar injury.  Barklage will likely need six months or more to return to the pitch.

In addition, Rodney Wallace has been diagnosed with a fracture of the left fibula, an injury he sustained during Saturday’s match with Real Salt Lake.  Wallace’s diagnosis is a bit better than Barklage’s, with a return to the team suspected within six weeks.

We hope that both gentlemen recover quickly, and we look forward to seeing them in red and black before long.  Get Well Cards can be sent care of the franchise at:

D.C. United
2400 East Capitol Street, SE
Washington, DC 20003

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Fear Factory & Prong @ Jaxx 6/3/10

Fear Factory @ Jaxx 6/3/10
courtesy of Fear Factory.

Last week I took the trip out to Jaxx in Springfield to catch the industrial-metal, throw-back, double-bill of Prong and Fear Factory. Motivated mostly by nostalgia for two bands that I was a fan of in the 1990’s, I trekked out to suburban VA’s, heavy metal, bunker, Jaxx to head-bang and mosh with one of the most aggressive and devout crowds I have seen in a decade. The entire experience felt like I had tripped into a space-time continuum hiccup and teleported back to 1995.

In 2010, Heavy Metal is still a hugely popular genre but inside the beltway its fans trend toward a more intellectual appreciation of the heavy stuff. I would say that I fall into this camp as I greatly enjoy post-metal bands and the more experimental and envelope-pushing a Metal band gets the more interested I become. Unfortunately, DC is also home to an enclave of hipster Metal “fans” who listen to the older stuff with sly ironic grins; a position I loathe because it seems to be more about mocking the music than appreciating it. While I have been enjoying the Metal experimental frontier for years, I believe a true Metal fan’s love of the genre must be founded in the classics of the genre; loud as an air raid, heavy as a ton of bricks, and finger-bleeding fast.
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Sports Fix
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Sports Fix: Strasmas Eve Edition

Clippard.jpg
Photo by Ian Koski, Special to We Love DC

Twas the night before Strasmas, when all through the park
not a creature was stirring, not even Lerner, Mark.
The bunting was hung from the railings with care,
In hopes that St. Strasburg soon would be there.

The kids were nestled all snug between rows,
while visions of perfect games danced near their brows.
And mamma in her jersey, and I in my cap,
Lied down between rows for a summertime nap.
Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 6/4 – 6/6/10

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’

One of the best times of my Monday is when I get to scan our Flickr pool for shots taken over the weekend. I never, ever know what’s going to turn up or what great things our contributors drop into the mix. Even though many times there are photos from the “well-known” events (like this past weekend’s Susan G. Komen Global Race for the Cure), it’s always a treat to find photos of other events, scenes, and discoveries our readers find across the weekend.

So enjoy this extra-big Flashback today, as our contributors were out in force and made it really hard for me to decide what to put into today’s roundup. Thanks to all our local photographers! And being a WeLoveDC photo contributor is really quite easy: join Flickr and start dropping local photos into our group! Maybe you’ll see one of your shots here one day…

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Life in the Capital, People, The Features
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Why I Love DC: Dave Stroup

Photo caourtesy of
‘The District’
courtesy of ‘william couch’

I could write this as a “how I learned to stop hating and love DC” post, but that would be too easy. It’s too easy to simply say you love or hate this city. Some of you may know me from my time over at Why I Hate DC. I never hated DC the way the previous writers had, so it was often a difficult gig. I tried to look at things a different way, focus on how to make those things we hate a little bit better. Eventually, though, the moniker and attitude that came with the site wore me down. I didn’t so much wake up one day and realize I loved DC–rather, I decided to come home to the city I love.

I came to DC eight years ago for school. I went home for the first two summers, but after that I stayed. Compared to some this is a short time, compared to others it’s an eternity. For me, it’s been long enough to realize why I love this city. I don’t love the city for it’s monuments or museums. I don’t love it for the trendy bars and restaurants, or the numerous festivals and events. All of those things are wonderful and add to the city’s charm, but I love DC because it’s where I grew up. I don’t mean in the sense of my childhood, but where I literally grew up.

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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Mono @ 9:30 Club 6/2/10

Copyright 2010 Randolph A. Smith

I have been tossing around the word “epic” an awful lot in conversation lately when describing concerts that I have attended. I do that on occasion; get stuck on a word or phrase that is an easy descriptor. A verbal short-cut to get to the gist of what the listener missed by not attending a particularly good show. For a long time it was “rules!” and “kicked ass!”. I still fall back on those now and again. It annoys me when I catch myself repeating these things over and over again. It annoys me because it slightly devalues these phrases and robs them of their power when they are truly applicable in writing. Lately my word has been “epic” because I truly feel that I have been lucky enough to recently attend some epic events. Epic in either sound, significance, or both.

Wednesday night’s visit to the 9:30 Club by Japanese post-rockers Mono was EPIC. Note the use of all-capital letters. I use them because there is no other word to describe Mono’s first-ever concert at the 9:30 Club and I want you to really appreciate the magnitude of EPIC-ness I am talking about here. I use all-caps in an attempt to jump-start this word that I have been over-using of late, because I have no other word to describe how huge and impressive it was when Mono performed on Wednesday night.

In 2005, I saw Mono perform in a space no bigger than a living room on a patch of worn carpet as a stage. That show was my pick for best set in-and-around DC in 2005. It was an evening of true music nirvana. The intangible thing that I spend my life in search of. I was so shocked, enlightened, and blown away by that show I couldn’t even bring myself to write about it for months. I was speechless. I have seen Mono perform many times since and they have become one of my favorite bands of all time to watch in concert. However, none of their shows quite matched the greatness of that 2005 set – until now.
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The Features, Where We Live
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Where We Live: Shirlington

Photo courtesy of
‘Village at Shirlington’
courtesy of ‘Arlington County’

Welcome back to Where We Live, your bi-weekly tour through neighborhoods in and around the District. This week: Shirlington and Fairlington! For those of you whose understanding of the DC area relies on a Metro map, you might not be too familiar with this area. But you’re missing out!  While there’s no Metro station nearby, this is a very cool area filled with plenty to do.

Continue reading →