Category Archives: The Features

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

Comedy in DC
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Podcasts of DC: Oscar Santana Rises Reloaded!

Photo Credit: Mandy Sroka Photography
Big O and Dukes Live Stage Show
From left to right: Oscar Santana, Chad Dukes. Drab T-Shirt. Sven Lloyd

Santana felt that he had a good run with their show and that all was lost. He had no idea what to expect next. His phone rang an hour after he found out he lost his job. It was someone from CBS who told him, “We are going to try to make you a talk show.” Apparantly, Michael Hughes, a general manager of all the stations at the time, believed in Big “O” and Dukes. The duo were offered a day time shift in Baltimore, which is an even better situation to be when you are a DJ, because you have a bigger audience.

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Comedy in DC
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Podcasts of DC: Oscar Santana

Oscar Santana On the Mic
Photo by Tommy Lang.

I had a nice sit down with Oscar Santana over at the Wonderland Ballroom outside on the patio on a cloudy Sunday evening. Santana’s friends dubbed him the “Prince of Podcasting” and it is understandable. He is part of the DC based Big-O and Dukes Show, The Mike O’Meara Show, and Tech 411. All of these podcasts combined have achieved over 10 Million downloads. Please be aware that what you are about to read is a tale so epic that you will never use the word “epic” to describe how good your burrito was. Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: August 19-21

Photo courtesy of
‘yellow zucchini’
courtesy of ‘ekelly80’

Tom: This weekend is all about the glories of summer. I’ve been putting off and putting off a visit to the Bloomingdale Farmers Market, where I’m sure they’re drowning in sweet corn, peaches, and fresh tomatoes, and that sounds an awful lot like salsa to me. While we’re in the hood, a trip to Rustik sounds mighty good, while we dream of a Rustik of our own, maybe at the 901 Monroe development. With the Phillies in town, I’ll likely not be heading for Nationals Park, but it is Ian Desmond Bobblehead day.

Brittany: I am getting back from a week in Maine just in time for the weekend in DC. As much as I love relaxing around trees, sweaters, and sail boats, I am ready to be back to enjoy the last weeks of summer excitement at home. Friday, one of my very best friends will be playing at Subterranean A, which is a great space and I think the turn-out will be really good. Monday brings more friend-band fun when my lovely friend Ian’s label Cricket Cemetery puts on a showcase at Galaxy Hut. His own band Lions&Tigers&Whales is playing and is super good – and he informed me other day that I am going to love his label-mates The Tender Thrill. In between Friday and Monday: Housewarming parties, birthday parties, trying to pack up my apartment to move, and lots of good coffee because they still do not have that in Maine.

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Talkin' Transit, Technology, The Features, We Green DC, WMATA
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Mastering Metrobus, or, S.T.R.E.A.M. (SmarTrip Rules Everything Around Me)

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

I’ve been participating in the Zipcar Low Car Diet challenge this month, and something that I’ve noticed as I’ve gotten more transit-dependent is that a lot of intelligent, resourceful people are completely confounded by any bus that’s not the Circulator. If their destination is not close to a Metrorail stop, they drive to it. I humbly submit that this is completely ridiculous; the bus is just not that hard.

However, it IS true that Metrobus lacks the navigational simplicity that Metrorail has. The Metro map gives you a nice sense of the finite nature of Metrorail: there are only 5 lines, and they’re, well, lines; they go to all the stops in order one way, and they go back along the same stops the other way. That’s it. Have you seen the full Metrobus system map? It’s a freaking mess. It’s not even one map; they had to split it into three.

So with the goal of making it all a little less daunting for the novice Metrobus-rider, here are a few things you need to know: Continue reading →

Sports Fix, The Daily Feed
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Nationals drop heartbreakers to Reds, 2-1

Photo courtesy of
‘DSC_3791’
courtesy of ‘photopete’

The Nationals couldn’t deliver any of their 5 runners in scoring position on Wednesday night against Johnny Cueto and the Reds, and they let Ross Detwiler’s best start in recent memory get written into the books as a loss.  The Nationals got their only run on a 400-foot bomb by Ryan Zimmerman to start the eighth, but couldn’t capitalize any further than that, despite having the bases loaded with one out in the ninth against the Reds’ Cordero.

A few close calls might have been the difference in the game for the Nationals.  First base umpire Ed Rapuano saw things a bit differently than the rest of Nationals Park on a couple occasions, leading us to wonder if the old “tie goes to the runner” adage held true, or even held consistnt between innings.

The Nationals did their best to keep themselves in the game, and the 9th inning rally didn’t disappoint, until Wilson Ramos swung at the first pitch and found himself in a  6-4-3 double play to end the threat and the game.

 

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Sports Fix
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Homestand Preview: August 16 – 25

Photo courtesy of
‘$5 Nats Ticket’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

There are just two long homestands remaining in 2011, and just 26 home games between now and the end of the season. While the Nationals aren’t in the midst of a playoff hunt, there are still a lot of good reasons to head out to the ballpark before the end of the season.

Highlights

This homestand should be interesting for a couple reasons. First has everything to do with the draft last night. The Nationals signed all of their last five draft picks last night in a flurry of late-night activity, and there’s a decent chance some of these guys will come to DC to meet with the team. Last year, we saw Robbie Ray make a surprise visit to the Nationals shortly after the draft. It’s possible we might see Anthony Rendon or Alex Meyer or Kylin Turnbull or Matt Purke here in Washington this home stand.

In addition, we’re coming to the end of Jordan Zimmermann’s season, as he’s hitting his innings limit soon. Recovery from Tommy John surgery is a long process, and with 145 IP already on the books this season, he’s coming rapidly up on the 160 IP total that the club is rumored to have for him. With two starts for him likely on this home stand, if you want to see him this season, you’d better be out at Nats Park on Thursday night or Monday next.

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Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Sunset on the Potomac
‘Sunset on the Potomac’ by specimenlife

It’s difficult to capture the vastness of nature through photography. A track of mountains or an ocean stretching infinitely on the horizon are unquestionably photogenic, but the challenge lays in conveying the scale before you. In the case of specimenlife’s photograph, a wandering cloud finds several points of scale to remind the viewer just how big they actually are. Land, air, and sea are all dwarfed. Clouds are so present in our daily lives that we only think twice about them if they pose a threat to our outdoor activities or commute, but specimenlife turns this ordinary occurrence to the extraordinary. His compelling colors and strong composition keep your eye moving around the photograph. The lines the sun draws through the cloud and along the sky leave one in awe of the majesty of nature.

Food and Drink, We Love Food
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We Love Food: Willard’s BBQ

Willard's

“You just can’t get barbecue up here like you can down there,” I used to tell all my friends back home in North Carolina. That was before I met Willard’s. Way, way the hell out there in the suburbs near Dulles, Willard’s BBQ is what happens when Lexington, North Carolina transports itself right to Virginia. And for a Carolina Girl, that means Willard’s tastes just like home.

Ya’ll, they’ve got the pulled pork. They have the ribs, the brisket, the chicken, the catfish. Everything you’ve been craving, Willard’s has it all. And lord, is it done right. Continue reading →

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 8/13-8/14

Moonrise
‘Moonrise’ by pablo.raw

My blood is too thick for this humidity: my mind boils, I rant and rave, and I’m unable to properly explain myself. And I channel Hunter S. Thompson. I moved to DC before I knew what the summers were like; heatwave or not, I boil like a potato in this climate. But everyone who loves hanging idly around a swamp going to fairs and farmers markets, let’s reminisce. Welcome to yesterday, DC. And the day before. And Friday, when the Redskins started back up and squashed the Steelers in their first preseason game. Busy weekend around town – let’s do this thing!
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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Will Artley of Evening Star Cafe (Part 2)

Photo courtesy of
‘Chopping tomatoes’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

It’s summertime and if you look around, you’ll notice that tomatoes are ripe and abundant. They’re in salads, they’re on sandwiches, they’re in your gazpacho. They’re everywhere! So here’s a recipe for something a little different from Will Artley: a tomato jam. The chef suggests serving it on scallops, on toast, and I think it would even go quite well on some roasted chicken. Plus, if you are a little more advanced, you can can the jam and have it last for months. Click through to find the full recipe.

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Capital Chefs, Food and Drink, The Features
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Capital Chefs: Will Artley of Evening Star Cafe (Part 1)

Photo courtesy of
‘Will Artley of Evening Star Cafe’
courtesy of ‘bonappetitfoodie’

Will Artley greets me with a bear-claw handshake, wearing bright Nantucket red pants and a matching hat that succinctly and accurately states, “No Farms, No Food.” After a quick cup of coffee, the executive chef of the Evening Star Cafe suggests we head out to the restaurant’s small “farm,” a gorgeous and overflowing vegetable patch about a mile away. “I put the doors on my Jeep since I knew you were coming,” he laughs. “I figured you wouldn’t want to ride on the motorcycle!” Will takes the opportunity to educate me on the “Jeep wave,” which has different protocol depending on the varying degrees of Jeep-ness.

I had met Will before at a few food events, but it quickly became clear that Will is a character in the best sense of the word. He’s incredibly friendly, but if you saw his serious face, you probably wouldn’t want to mess with him. “I like the instant gratification of cooking,” he says. “You can change people’s mood with food. They can have sat in traffic and be in a bad mood. But if you give them one taste and it changes their attitude, that’s rewarding.” Will adds that he also volunteers time each Monday at the Alexandria Redevelopment and Housing Authority teaching low-income families how to cook and eat healthy. “Cooking can change lives. If you’re in this business, you should be in it to make people happy,” he says.

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Entertainment, Essential DC, Music, The Features, We Love Music, We Love Weekends
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We Love Music: Girls Rock! DC Camper Showcase @ 930 Club

Girls Rock! DC showcase 2011

For the past week I have had the privilege of volunteering as a band coach for Girls Rock! DC camp. It has been a whirlwind, but Girls Rock! DC camp is coming to a close. The end of camp week is finally upon us. For those of you unfamiliar with GRDC, it is a week-long day camp for Washington, DC area girls, ages 8-18. It teaches girl-empowerment and community building through music. During the week girls receive small-group instruction on instruments,  turntables or digital music, form bands or DJ teams, and collaborate to write a song or DJ set which they perform in a showcase at the end of the week. The camp is completely volunteer-run. Continue reading →

The Features
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Why I Love DC: Brian Mosley

Photo courtesy of
‘Fall Equinox – Aligned – 9-15-08’
courtesy of ‘mosley.brian’

When I was asked to write this piece, my first thought was “well this could be a long article or this could be very short.” If I listed everything I love about my hometown, I’d have a multi-post series; or I could sum it up with a simple “everything.” But neither would do. So I sat down and started thinking. When is it that I say “I love this city” and mean it? I started to realize that I say that almost every time someone says “I hate this city because.” Sounds wrong right? Normally when people start complaining, everyone piles on. Not me…well, not always me. Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends – August 13th through 15th

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘.lissa.’

As if the week didn’t usually feel long enough now we have this beautiful weather to tease us. Nobody but your boss would blame you for playing hooky tomorrow and trading Friday’s mild and sunny for the possibility of significant (but needed) rain on Sunday. If you need other ideas, well, we’ve got some…

Patrick Palafox: This is an eventful weekend of comedy. Evan Valentine and Mike James are throwing their comedy showcase “Everybody Gets Laid” Friday night over at the Velvet Lounge starting at 7:30 PM. Saturday is a great night to get some tasty food as well as tasteful comedy happening over at The Gibson. They are having the comedy showcase “Barbeque and Comedy” that is serving food at 8 and comedy at 9. It costs $22 to be able to eat as much barbeque as your body can hold and see the show. If you want to go I suggest you reserve a seat in advance.

Photo courtesy of
‘A pickle-back’
courtesy of ‘theCSSdiv’

Tom: Saturday is the highlight of my weekend, without question. We’re headed out to Berryville for the wedding of our good friends John and Whitney at a lovely piece of Georgian architecture. Friday night, I think it’s time we finally got out to Toki Underground, but I suspect that given their usual level of busy we may have to have a backup plan. Depending on how late Saturday goes, Sunday may well just be a day of rest, but it could be that I head out to American Ice Company for a tasty pickle back

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Monumental
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DC Residents get first look at new King memorial

Photo courtesy of
‘MLK Memorial’
courtesy of ‘nevermindtheend’

With the newest monument on the Mall slated to open at the end of the month, to crowds of “hundreds of thousands,” District residents are going to get a free sneak preview. Tickets will be available at the MLK library in DC, as well as on the city’s website starting early next week. The memorial will be open to DC residents from 8am to 8pm on August 23rd, five days ahead of its dedication.

Ahead of the dedication on the 28th, the city is urging all city residents to turn out for a DC Full Democracy day on the 27th with a rally at Freedom Plaza, and a march from the Lincoln Memorial to the King Memorial.  We’ll have more on that in the coming days.

Monumental
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Happy 165th, Smithsonian!

Photo courtesy of
‘Lower Invertebrates Exhibit in West Wing, Smithsonian Institution Building’
courtesy of ‘Smithsonian Institution’

You know how you have this awesome friend, but you forgot their birthday this year, and it turns out it was a big one? Yeah. That. [Update, 11:45: As it turns out, We did cover this yesterday. So, I feel a little better, but still, birthday! Yay!]

Yesterday was the Smithsonian Institution’s 165th birthday, having been finally founded on August 10th, 1846, over a decade after Congress agreed to accept the bequest.  The original gift of approximately $500,000 was incredibly controversial when it had been initially granted, and the decade of time necessary to establish the Institution.

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Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: The Ramayana (2011)

Andreu Honeycutt as Lord Rama in Constellation Theatre Company's 2011 remount of The Ramayana. Photo credit: Scott Suchman.

If you were one of the many potential audience members turned away at the doors of Source last summer for The Ramayana‘s sold-out run, you’re in luck. Constellation Theatre Company has remounted its production for a limited three week engagement now through August 21, and in many ways it’s a superior show than before. Subtle changes have tightened the pacing and streamlined the focus, certainly due to director Allison Arkell Stockman, and the cast’s confidence in embodying a multiverse of the sacred and profane is noticeably stronger, with several new faces to rediscover roles.

As with last year, three elements provide the visual, aural and emotional backbone of this production – the gorgeous pageantry of Kendra Rai’s costume design, the expressive sound design of percussionist Tom Teasley, and the journey of Hanuman the monkey god. Returning with the live music performance that won him the 2011 Helen Hayes Award for Outstanding Sound Design, Teasley’s magical beats propel the audience into another world. His continued collaborations with Constellation really help define their particular epic theater style. Rai’s costumes also help dissolve the modern world for the audience – still simply sumptuous (and I want to steal all the accessories).

But you don’t have to be familiar with the first run to enjoy the second. Playwright Peter Oswald’s take on one of India’s most beloved and scared texts weaves essential questions of philosophy and religion through the love story of Rama and Sita as they battle the demon Ravana. Though there’s plenty of humor to be had as they enlist the help of forest creatures like the monkeys and the bears, it’s essentially a serious quest, the interplay between divinity and humanity. Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

Flamingos at the zoo
Flamingos at the zoo by martha_jean

A regular party of flamingos can’t seem to decide which way to go at the National Zoo. The placement of the birds keeps your eyes moving around the photo, while three birds facing both let and right, respectively, provide an interesting balance in the shot. The composition is further strengthened by the triangular shape the birds keep in relation to one another, as well as the focus being on the single bird looking towards the photographer. Heat and humidity can’t keep these birds from being awesome.

Food and Drink, The Features
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We Love Food: August 2011 Restaurant Week

Photo courtesy of
‘Watershed- Washington, DC’
courtesy of ‘Plantains & Kimchi’

It’s that time of year again: restaurant week. For those in need of a quick refresher, restaurant week this summer runs from August 15 to 21, and at restaurants across the city, you get three-course lunches for $20.11 per person and three-course dinners for $35.11 per person. So dial-up that OpenTable app, expand your stomach and click through for some tips on what to do and where to eat for summer 2011’s restaurant week.
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