“It can be absolutely hilarious, painful, provocative, just plain bad, surprisingly good… I guess, rather like sex itself,” is what Jenn wrote in an e-mail after we got word that the Air Sex World Championships Tour were thrusting its way into H-Street’s Rock & Roll Hotel this past weekend. I’ve heard of the event before, if you think the idea of an Air Guitar Championship is silly, I don’t want to know what you think of the idea of pretending to have sex on a stage. In front of a crowd of people.

What I saw that night was more than petty stage humping or imaginary love-making, honestly I don’t know how to describe what I saw that night. Luckily I took photos, you can judge for yourself.

Well, we’re into summer! Great, warm weather and nice sunny skies…assuming it’s not the afternoon, which can be rainy. But anyways, we hope everyone had a great Flag Day on Friday and a equally great Father’s Day on Sunday; it certainly was a great weekend for celebrating people and things. Looks like the sun will be peeking in and out of clouds all week, so enjoy any great weather you can.

Getting back to the weekend, with great weather comes great photos, as our photo contributors aren’t cooped up inside all the time. And they came through again with another great crop of photos; enjoy them!

The National Geographic Society was founded 125 years ago. Its purpose? To expand and share geographic and scientific knowledge through the spirit of exploration. That mission continues to drive National Geographic amidst more than a century of technological and scientific innovations. And for the next year, visitors to the Society’s Museum here in DC can celebrate and enjoy the most iconic moments in the organization’s history.

The exhibition opens with a colorful celebration of the Society’s iconic magazine. The entry arch is constructed entirely of hundreds of past issues in a variety of languages, a fitting tribute to the simple golden square that symbolizes the publication. As visitors walk down a short hallway, they are greeted with a colorful display that shows off the cover of every issue of National Geographic, including placeholders for the future editions to be published during the exhibition’s year-long run.

After a short look at the Society’s founding members—using an interactive portrait—the exhibition opens up to encompass the three areas of the organization’s focus in exploration: land, sea, and sky. The galleries are covered in colorful images that highlight fascinating stories throughout the Society’s history. Science and exploration are the primary focus, including ancient civilizations and cultures, paleontology, wildlife, oceans, and the environment.

Dominating one of the galleries is the Society’s historic globe, measuring eleven feet in circumference. The globe is entirely hand-painted and used to reside in the museum’s main lobby for more than fifty years. Even as borders change today, a long-time museum employee comes in to hand-paint the new information.

The final gallery looks ahead to the future of exploration, showcasing highlights of today’s emerging explorers. There is also a look at the Society’s additional media efforts, including a brief look at its evolution in the realm of television and continuing efforts of educating children in geography. Visitors can leave their mark by offering keywords of what area they believe should be explored further.

The exhibit does have an admission charge of $11 per adult, $9 per member, military, student, and seniors, and $7 per child ages 5-12. The exhibition is part of an organization-wide celebration of its century-and-a-quarter anniversary, which also includes special issues of National Geographic and National Geographic Traveler magazines, assorted television specials, and other media publications such as an app and special edition book.

Exhibitions such as these highlight the intrinsic value that National Geographic provides to all of us. Through their efforts, we have had a window into worlds within this world and discovered much about the planet, our universe, and ourselves. Those windows, outlined by the National Geographic gold border, deserve such a celebration as this.

The National Geographic Museum is located at the corner of 17th and M Streets NW. The Museum is open daily from 10 am to 6 pm. For more images, visit my photoset of the exhibit.

Nicole and Morena Writing / Courtesy Young Playwrights’ Theater

In their new original play, the Young Playwrights’ Workshop asks the question, “Do people change?” Set on New Year’s Eve, their latest collaborative effort delves into the lives of diverse characters, from a spoiled socialite to a hardworking waiter.

The Young Playwrights’ Workshop is an after-school student theater ensemble and part of the Young Playwrights’ Theater (YPT). The students wrote the play together and will perform it themselves when they premiere Young Playwrights’ Workshop Presents this Monday at the Source Festival.

YPT’s artistic director Nicole Jost leads the after-school workshop. Jost is a local playwright and alumna of YPT’s playwriting program. I talked with her about the show’s evolution and what it means for DC.

Joanna Castle Miller: How did the group come up with the idea for this play?

Nicole Jost: Every workshop member created their own original character, someone that they would ultimately portray onstage. The play developed from the relationships between these nine characters. This approach really allowed the students to dive deep and spend a lot of time thinking through the details of their characters’ lives. It’s been a pleasure to watch them take total ownership of them.

JCM: On a similar note, what was collaboration like? How did you all decide which parts to cut and whose ideas to take?

NJ: We had a lot of open discussions and conversations to make sure that everyone was on the same page. When an important decision needed to be made, like the title of the play, we would have a dialogue leading to a vote.

We also had a very useful in-house reading of the script that was attended by professional artists in the community. That reading helped us see the shape the play was taking, where gaps existed in the story, what scenes were really working.

A lot of material was generated through improvisation, which is a great tool for collaboration.

JCM: Why do you think the show is a good fit for the DC theater audience?

NJ: As a city we’re missing something if we don’t include people of all ages in the conversation. Too often young people are just not—their stories, their perspectives are left out. YPT seeks to share students’ voices with communities in DC to address that gap.

JCM: Will you do anything else with the piece after Source?

NJ: We don’t have any plans to remount the play. It’s very specific to the people who created it, so it’s not something that you could easily map onto a new group of actors. And next year’s workshop will create something entirely different. I think that’s a great thing.

JCM: How does the workshop differ from YPT’s other programs?

NJ: The workshop is very different from YPT’s other programs. The nine members of the workshop are the only students that we serve who both write and perform original work. The program has a heavy focus on writing, like all YPT’s programs, but students also learn to work as an ensemble, and how to use their voices and their bodies to bring their own stories to life.

JCM: How are students selected?

NJ: The application process is open to students in grades 8-12 from all over the region. We hold auditions in the beginning of the year to select members. What we look for during auditions is whether people demonstrate a willingness to learn, an openness to working with others and a strong desire to share something with the community.

It’s not necessarily about who has the most experience with theater already, but rather who’s ready to engage with the process.

JCM: What do you hope students will gain from this experience?

NJ: Most of our Workshop students go on to careers outside of theater, and I think that’s great. Of course we want to support budding playwrights and actors, and we do everything we can to help students who choose that path, but I don’t think you have to be a “theater person” to benefit from being a part of the workshop.

This kind of self-expression builds confidence. It helps you realize your own power. So I hope that this year’s workshop members gain a sense of pride in their own work, and the knowledge that they can do absolutely anything they set their minds to.

Young Playwrights’ Workshop Presents premieres Monday, June 17, at 7pm at the Source Festival. Tickets are free. The Source Festival takes place at Source, 1835 14th St. NW. Nearest Metro: U Street (Green/Yellow lines).

Let’s not do this crazy weather again, ok? On a positive note, it’s looking like we are going to have some nice weather for the weekend. Anyways, please enjoy the photos; as always, they are top notch. And enjoy your weekend!

Marc Maron, a man highly revered and rewarded for his naturally salty disposition, is living the dream for curmudgeons everywhere. The comedian has opened up his personal life to an extensive following of WTF podcast listeners, IFC series viewers, and now, memoir readers.

Truth be told, I am skeptical of stand-up comedians turned writers because their stories tend to read like bits. Marc Maron’s Attempting Normal, his recently published collection of autobiographical mishaps, is no exception; however, Maron’s “bits” have always been his memoirs. His personal life is the driving force of his sarcastically sage voice that beautifully blurs the line between stand up and storytelling.

Earlier this week, a number of Maron fans gathered at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue for his reading of Attempting Normal. Marc Maron arrived on the bema and immediately cut to the chase.

“Alright, do you want me to read or do you want me to talk?”

Maron warned us that he was not a writer. He was merely a stand-up comic who could write well if forced to concentrate. He also admitted to an erratic writing process of “indiscernible blurts such as auto-erotic asphyxiation on numerous napkins” and his love/hate relationship his editor. Sounds like a writer to me.

Maron proceeded to perform the best reading I’ve ever attended (beating out my all-time favorite 2008 David Sedaris reading). He began detailing his initial tumbles through the undeclared hoops of stand-up comedy with “26” — the side splitting tale of opening for a heroin induced comic for 30 minutes every night and not a single minute less.

The laughter amongst both the reader and audience finally settled. “Alright,” he said.  “You want weird?”

It got weird, candid, and downright emotional. Maron took us on a trip down memory lane with stories about his father competing for attention with his grandfather’s corpse at his grandfather’s funeral. We learned that Thanksgiving was a time for him to cook at his mother, a woman allergic to calories. We witnessed him tear up as he read his chapter on babies, which divulged his imminent fear of parenting with his upcoming third wife.

I believe Maron’s brutal honesty balances writer and comic without truly sacrificing either role. Maron doesn’t swap a story for a series of events. He won’t eliminate emotions with jokes. However, his verbal footnotes throughout the reading remind us that he views himself, first and foremost, as a stand-up comedian.

I don’t think Marc Maron could ever really be normal. He’s not meant to be. Fortunately, he is honest, and his innate crankiness, eccentricity, and quirkiness will continue to reverberate through his works.

Don: It’s my birthday and I’ll go tubing if I want to. Down Gunpowder Falls, in fact. And now that it’s our 3rd year of doing this for my birthday we find that you tube free on your birthday. This would have been useful information in the past, but hey, I’ll take it now. After that it’s all “relaxation” of the home prep type to get ready for our annual Flag Day party. Protip: if you really really hate when people bring you presents, name your shindig after a national holiday (even if it’s one that most people are unaware of) – it works better than “no gifts” on the invite. After all that “relaxation” I’m going to need some time to lay on the couch and do nothing, which is my firm plan for my first Father’s day as a father.

Max: A lot of consumption on tap for this weekend, beginning with dinner and beer on Friday night at the recently opened B Too in Logan Circle. The extremely Belgian sounding menu is curated by the apparently (Top-Chef) famous Bart Vandalae, who makes me laugh because I think of Art Vandelay. On Saturday, I’ll be playing the part of escort to a friend’s surprise birthday brunch at Crios. The $13 all you can drink component should make things interesting, and we’ll see where I wind up after the festivities continue outdoors with cornhole and such. Sunday, I’m going to hop on a boat in Annapolis and make my way to the perfect deck at Waterman’s Crab House for some shellfish smashing. Phew, a lot on tap.

Rachel: For the first time in while I have absolutely no plans for my Friday night and this excites me very much. After I catch up on sleep and get other things out of the way, that makes room for Saturday when I’m going to try my absolute hardest to make it to Jammin’ Java to see the 3MTs. Then, a few of my favorite people and I are going to go to our favorite old haunt — the Clyde’s Race Bar in Friendship Heights. And, as always, Sunday is softball day for the GPCSL so that’s where I’ll be. Quality weekend for sure.

Tom: If it’s June, it’s CSA farm season, so catch me out in the country on Saturday. I’ll start with breakfast in Leesburg at South Street Under for their Ciabatta sandwiches, and then it’s out to Great Country Farms to get our box. Lunch will be at Market Salamander in Middleburg, where we’ll pretend we live in small town America for an afternoon. Sunday we’ve got work to do at the house, but we’ll likely hit up the usual spots. Of course Sunday night without Game of Thrones is going to be a bit much to take. For our weekly dose of crazy, though, we might just hit up Rock n Roll Hotel’s Air Sex championship. Yes. You read that right.

Fedward:  Keeping with the “under contract and in escrow” theme of the past couple weekends, the Social Chair and I don’t have much of anything going on.  Friday we’ll check out the lawn games and frozen cocktails of Suburbia. Saturday we’re helping Don celebrate Flag Day. Sunday we’ll binge on Before movies, um, ‘before’ going to the AFI Silver for Before Midnight. We’ll then finish off the weekend in our usual brunch-at-Passenger style, because some things never change. Aside from all that, we’ll be packing.  Anybody have any spare moving boxes?

Joanna: Family’s in town this weekend, so we’ll be making our usual stop at Shelly’s Backroom. Plus it’s Father’s Day, which we’ll celebrate with a nice brunch outside – heck, maybe even a manly airplane picnic at Gravelly Point. Dad also likes farmer’s markets, so I’d like to take him to Arlington’s. I’m ending the weekend at Taqueria el Poblano, with some of the best fish tacos around.

Katie: Friday we’re getting outside (is it safe?) and hitting up Cantina Marina for some waterfront taco love. One of my favorite things about summer is watching the sunset over the harbor, drink in hand. Saturday, my beloved Tash is starting brunch service, and I’ll be the first one in line. Saturday night I’m headed to the Hirshorn and then we’ll hit up 14th street for dinner. Masa? El Centro? I’m in a Richard Sandoval mood. Who knows. Sunday, I want to relax at a pool, so we’re heading over to Georgetown to relax country club style at Volta Park Pool.

Sometimes you just have to flip the camera upside-down in order to get the photo you want. Noe shows the result you can get with her simple, yet elegant, shot of a reflection in a puddle. Some wonderful white clouds, accented with a touch of blue sky, are dirtied with what’s on the bottom of the puddle. All that gives the image a wonderful texture and gives the viewer’s eye some depth to get lost in. The ripples also add a nice element to the shot by distorting the pole just enough to make it look abstract. Such a wonderful photo!

Photo Courtesy of Ben Tufts // Photo by Jason Hornick

She/He Loves DC is a series highlighting the people who love this city just as much as we do.

Whether he’s on the road or back home in the District, Ben Tufts is a perpetual student and dedicated teacher. If you ask just about anyone within the DC music scene if they know or have heard of Ben, it’s more than likely that they’ll say, “Yes.” He’s played over 300 shows in the past two years, with over thirty bands and artists, covering most of the continental U.S. and has become a cornerstone of the current DC scene.

His devotion to his craft is immeasurable. As a percussionist, Ben has spent countless hours over the course of his lifetime playing all styles of music from classical to hard rock and now teaches a  wide array of students throughout the greater DC area. But despite his busy schedule, Ben still finds the time to host an annual fundraiser at Jammin’ Java honoring the memory of his late father Craig Tufts, who served as Chief Naturalist for the National Wildlife Federation for 33 years, with the “Ben Tufts and Friends Concert” benefiting the Craig Tufts Memorial Fund. This year’s fundraiser is scheduled for August 17.

What is it about DC that makes it home to you?

I was born in Falls Church, and lived in Reston for a few years before my family moved to the Claude Moore Farm in Sterling, VA. Until I was eight, I had a 300+ acre backyard with a bunch of lakes, ponds, and old growth Virginia forest in it. My closest neighbor was several miles away, so books and records became my best friends. We moved to the suburbs later, and as soon as my parents would let me, I was going to shows in DC. I still remember the smell in the front hall of the old 9:30 Club on F street, the scary bouncers at the Bayou, etc.

Describe your perfect day in DC. Where would you go and what would you do?

My perfect day in DC would depend on the time of year. In the summer it gets oppressively humid, so even though there are some beautiful outdoor spots in the city, I would probably spend most of it indoors. My life revolves around my ears and my stomach anyway, so on the rare day off, my perfect itinerary would consist of trying to cram as much food and live music as possible.

A few of my favorite places to eat are Tacklebox, Ben’s Chili Bowl, Sticky Rice, the falafel place in Adams Morgan, Nando’s in Chinatown, any pho place, the list goes on… The food at The Hamilton is amazing… which leads me to clubs. For a while in the early 2000s, it seemed I’d hear about another club closing every year or two. I’m really excited about all the new spaces for music that have opened up in and around DC area over the past few years — The Hamilton, Hill Country, The Fillmore, Epicure Cafe in Fairfax, the Howard Theater, the Atlas Performing Arts Center. I’m sure I’m forgetting a few.

It’s especially amazing considering we already have so many great rooms — The State Theatre, Black Cat, Blues Alley, galaxy hut, the legendary 9:30 Club, and my home away from home, IOTA. If I’m not already playing, I’m usually at a show, and sometimes I’ll manage to hop clubs and catch two or even three in one night.

courtesy of art around

What’s your favorite hidden gem of a location in DC? How did you find it and why do you love it?

I don’t know how hidden it is, but it’s a gem . When I want to pretend to know something about art, I love going to the Phillips museum. It’s inside an old house in Dupont, so it doesn’t have that sterile feel that most museums have. Plus, I think I could just sit and stare at the Luncheon of the Boating Party for an hour.

Who’s your favorite DC personality and why?

I wouldn’t be surprised if someone hadn’t already picked him, but my favorite DC personality would have to be Kojo Nnamdi. I spend a lot of time driving to lessons, rehearsals, shows, etc., and if I’m not listening to music I’m learning for a gig, I’m usually listening to WPFW or WAMU. I really respect Kojo because even though he’s a transplant, he knows more about DC than most natives. His programs are balanced and informative, and he manages to keep things light and moving along. I think that must be really difficult to do.

What do you think makes the DC area a special place to be and why?

I guess what makes DC unique is that there’s really hardly any blue-collar, “salt of the earth” population in town. It’s one of the only cities in the country without any significant industrial sector. This is a discussion I’ve had with plenty of my fellow musicians. What makes it particularly challenging to develop a local following here is that the general populous is here for a short time, with an agenda, and that agenda doesn’t usually include settling down, starting a family and investing in the community. It’s an ambitious town, but that ambition tends to be political. I think it’s part of why the cover band scene here is so huge. People all along the political food chain are beating up their brains all day and when they get off and go to happy hour, most of them don’t seem to want music that’s going to make them have to think. Of course there are exceptions to every rule.

The point I’m trying to make is, DC musicians have to work extra hard to get people to listen. I’ve always suspected this was true, but my recent travels really solidified this theory. I think it’s conditioned me to hustle and network harder than if I’d grown up in a town like Nashville or Austin, where you can spit in any direction and hit a dozen musicians. Additionally, it’s this musical climate that’s produced some of my favorite music — hardcore punk rock and go-go. These are “brands” of music that could’ve only happened here, and I’m proud to live in a town where those reverberations affect and infuse everything I do as a drummer and musician.

We have a special, unexpected treat today, as the 9:30 Club is presenting the legendary John Fogerty in concert at DAR Constitution Hall on Friday, Nov. 8.

The famous roots rocker will be playing the classic album, “Cosmo’s Factory,” by his former band Creedance Clearwater Revival, along with other hits. The quadruple platinum “Cosmo’s Factory” put CCR on the map with such songs as “Travelin’ Band” and “Who’ll Stop the Rain.”

As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC is giving away a pair of tickets to this John Fogerty show before you can buy them. (They go on sale to the public on Friday, June 14, at 10am.)

Fogerty–singer, songwriter and guitarist–has sold more than 100 million records, earning 18 gold albums and 10 platinum albums. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, won the Grammy Award for his album Blue Moon Swamp in 1997, and was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005. In addition, Fogerty and his #1 phenomenal recording “Centerfield” were honored during the 2010 National Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremonies–the first time the National Baseball Hall of Fame has immortalized a musician or song as part of the annual ceremonies.

Fogerty released his newest album, “Wrote A Song For Everyone,” on May 28, and it quickly rose to #3 on Billboard, the highest-debuting album of his entire career. Rolling Stone gave the album a rare five-star review. A celebration of his iconic songbook, the album is a collection of 14 songs: 12 classics and deep tracks (CCR and solo material) from his remarkable canon of hits recorded in collaboration with today’s biggest superstars from the country, pop and rock worlds, plus two brand new solo songs, including the new single and video “Mystic Highway.”

For your chance to win these tickets, simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between now and noon on Wednesday. Feel free to leave any comment, but I would like to know your favorite Fogerty solo or CCR song!

One entry per email address please! Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at noon on June 12, and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email within 24 hours, or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the Constitution Hall ticket window an hour before showtime on the night of the concert. The tickets must be claimed with a valid ID. The winner must be old enough to attend the specific concert or must have a parent’s permission to enter if he/she is under 18 years old.

John Fogerty
Constitution Hall
Friday, Nov. 8, 2013
Show @ 7pm
$TBA
All ages

I am now going to unabashedly gush about Metric, who played a sold-out show at Ram’s Head Live in Baltimore Friday night.

The combination of the sweet, breathy vocals of Emily Haines along with the rock guitar of James Shaw and the dependable rhythm section of bassist Joshua Winstead and drummer Joules Scott-Key make for an irresistible concert performance. The band always has been a favorite of mine since I first heard the single “Combat Baby,” and their first album, “Old World Underground, Where Are You Now?” In that song and many others on their first few albums, the band relied on catchy melodies and wordplay to create fun, thoughtful songs.

But in their last two albums, Metric have stepped it up a quite a bit. The fourth album, Fantasies, and the fifth, Synthetica, which came out about a year ago, marked a quantum leap in exhibiting their capabilities in songwriting and crafting infectious dance music. The strengths of the band members and the power of the Synthetica album were on full display Friday as they opened with “Artificial Nocturne,” which starts out in a sweet and fragile vocal and sparse instrumentation before blowing up into a full-blown disco thumper — a favorite Metric tactic. It’s an entrancing, intoxicating song that is readymade to be a concert opener, luring you in and then opening you up to more intricate sounds as the song moves along.

Next up, Metric play “Youth Without Youth,” a sultry glam track that comes alive in performance in a way that it doesn’t in recording. Although it’s an awesome track in its own right, Metric are terrific performers and their ability to bring a physical presence to their music is unmatched by many of their peers today. Their stagecraft is showcased in a performance of “Dreams So Real,” where Haines samples herself on the refrain “I’ll shut up and carry on/A scream becomes a yawn” and plays it back as an echo when she sings. With the atmospheric effect, the song becomes almost spooky but still wonderfully danceable.

Lest you think Metric neglected their earlier albums, the new wave quartet soon played live concert favorite, “Empty,” allowing Haines to shake her head emphatically to the lyrics “Shake your head, it’s empty” and shake her hips to “Shake your hips, move your feet.” It’s a crowd-pleasing, high-energy performance, which again very effectively brings the music to life. It also allows Haines to show off her very underrated synth-playing with a very fun song.

A quieter number, the beautiful and powerful “Breathing Underwater,” gets Haines out from behind the synthesizer to sing plaintively to the mesmerized crowd. Metric brings it back up to dancefloor speed with “Dead Disco,” another wonderfully glam cut and a great selection for showcasing the clever wordplay that served as a hallmark of their earlier works.

The two-song encore brings with it both sides of the band — the glitzy “Gold Gun Girls” from the incomparable album Fantasies and a stripped down rendition of the same album’s “Gimme Sympathy,” which starts out only with Haines and guitarist Shaw on stage, building up a slow start that builds into a thundering chorus as the audience sings along with the entire band.

For my money, you could not formulate a more perfect show — or a more perfect band for that matter. Haines’ sex appeal and the perfect pitch of her singing voice and the precision and focus of her bandmates make for a must-see performance. For me, the Toronto-based band really follows in the footsteps of some of the most unforgettable bands of all time to use their same basic formula — bands like Missing Persons or Berlin, which peaked quickly in the 1980s, leaving a string of new wave dance hits. Metric’s talent, the band’s strong chemistry, and the terrific stage presence surely are all factors that have allowed the band to enjoy a longer run than some of the other bands in their mold.

I personally cannot believe it took me so long to see them live (my first time was only in April for the Coachella Valley Music Festival), and I certainly won’t miss them again the next time they pass through our area. They still have a handful of dates in Michigan, Minnesota and Canada for the rest of this month. I strongly urge you to check them out if they are an old favorite or if you’re looking for a good new concert experience. Metric are at the top of their game.

I’m gathering, from all of the great photos in our Flickr pool, that almost all of our readers went to the Capital Pride Parade in DuPont over the weekend. There are many more excellent photos, so I’d recommend checking out our pool. FYI: if you’re at work, there are a few images that might be considered NSFW, so fair warning. Hopefully your office won’t mind and you can check out the great photos.

Moving right along: sadly, it’s another work week. And we get to start this one off with at least one day of cloudy and rainy. But we have these great photos from the weekend; so let’s relive it to brighten up this dreary Monday!

Having used seven relievers in Saturday’s extra innings loss to the Minnesota Twins the Nats needed Jordan Zimmermann to go deep in game one of Sunday’s doubleheader. As he has done all season long Jordan Zimmermann looked like the Ace he was drafted to be pitching seven innings allowing no runs on a measly two hits with seven strikeouts and two walks. It could be said that this was a great start, but most starts by Jordan Zimmermann have been this season. After this afternoon’s contest he is averaging over seven innings a start and has a 2.00 ERA.

The game didn’t get off to the smoothest of starts for the Nationals, a team that has struggled to score runs all season and has been bleed dry by tiny mistakes. The first of the Nats mistakes came in the top of the third inning when Anthony Rendon, not wearing sunglasses, lost a pop-up in the high sky and dropped it allowing Clete Thomas to reach base with Escobar, the previous, batter having walked. With two outs and having retired the last five by strikeout Jordan Zimmermann picked up his teammate and struck out Ryan Doumit to end the inning.

At the moment the pop-up was dropped Nats fans around the ballpark had that sense of here we go again. Jordan Zimmermann is going to pitch brilliantly and tiny mistakes are going to kill the Nats. This was compounded when in the bottom of the inning with one out Jeff Kobernus got his first major league hit, an infield single. Steve Lombardozzi, a hitter known for his contact, was due up next and with Kobernus running and having second stolen he ripped a ball to center. Kobernus lost sight of the ball and failed to return to first when it was caught. There were two mistakes on this play. The obvious one by Kobernus of not properly reading the fly ball, but the second and less obvious error was on Lombardozzi for swinging at all. Kobernus had second stolen and Lombardozzi was ahead in the count. He didn’t need to swing and the Nats would have had a runner in scoring position with one out and Lombardozzi at the plate and Zimmerman scheduled to bat next.

Speaking of runners being in scoring position in the bottom of the fourth inning Jayson Werth and Adam LaRoche both hit one out singles to give the Nationals runners first and second with Ian Desmond coming up. Desmond would make it three straight singles and with Werth having a good jump off second Trent Jewett sent him home. It looked as if he would score easily as he rounded third just as the ball was reaching the outfield grass but then Clete Thomas came up with it and fired a perfect strike to Ryan Doumit who was waiting for Werth at the plate. Werth dove in hard, attempting to jar the ball loose, but it was of no use and he was out. For the second time in this game a teammate was waiting to pick his team up, and with two outs Anthony Rendon smacked a single to short stop that Florimon made a great play to keep in the infield, but then an ill advised throw that allowed a second run to score.

This wouldn’t be the last the Twins would hear from Anthony Rendon on the afternoon, but more importantly Jordan Zimmermann continued to do work on the mound. In the top of the fifth with the Nats having just taken a two run lead Ryan Zimmerman made his tenth throwing error of the season. With one out and an base runner Jordan Zimmermann was no deterred and got Escobar out on a soft fly out to right and Thomas on a grounder to LaRoche. It was the second error made behind Zimmermann on the day and it was the second time he picked his teammates up.

The bottom of the fifth would begin and end with Jordan Zimmermann making outs. The first time on a ground out to the short stop and the second time on a swinging strike, but none of that is important. What is important is what happened between. The Nats coming into this game have the worst OBP in baseball and have drawn five walks in their last seven game. With one out Jeff Kobernus worked back from a 1-2 count to draw the first Nats walk of the afternoon. That was followed by a Steve Lombardozzi fielder’s choice and as the rally was about to fizzle there Ryan Zimmerman laced a double off the right field wall, the Twins intentionally walked Werth, LaRoche drove in Lombardozzi with an infield single, Desmond drove in Zimmerman and Werth, Rendon smacked a double the other way down the right field line scoring LaRoche and Desmond, and Suzuki walked before Zimmermann returned to the plate to make the final out of the inning.

This was the game the Nationals have been searching for. Great pitching, timely hitting, and domination of a team and a pitcher they should dominate. Unlike the Nats have done against other high ERA pitchers they made Scott Diamond look, not like a Cy Young contender, but like a pitcher worthy of the 4.66 ERA he entered the game with. Tuesday’s walk-off winning was thought to be the start of the Nats turnaround, but perhaps that was a few days too early and this was it. The Nats batters hit well and must be looking forward to another chance to stand in the box, and they only have to wait until 7:05 tonight to do so. Whether this is the start of something or a statistical blip will be proven out quickly.

After two days off due to rain in DC, the Washington Nationals fell 4-3 in the eleventh inning to the Minnesota Twins on Saturday. The Nats failed to rally late in the game and their lackluster, inconsistent offense continued to haunt the team’s lineup.

Saturday’s contest was the first time in team history that the modern-day Washington Nationals faced the original Washington Nationals/Senators (aka the Twins) in DC. It was also the first game played by the Twins in DC since July 19, 1971 at RFK Stadium.

Outfielder Jayson Werth put the Nats on the scoreboard early with a two-out two-run homer in the third inning off Twins starting pitcher Kevin Correia, but Minnesota tied the game up in the top of the fourth. Ex-Nationals outfielder Josh Willingham hit a one-out single to left-center field off Nats left-handed starter Gio Gonazlez to give the Twins a base runner and an opportunity to score.

Twins first baseman Justin Morneau followed suit by reaching first on a fielding error made by Nats first baseman Adam LaRoche giving Minnesota two men on with one out. Gonzalez continued to struggle in the fourth inning which is how and why Minnesota tied the game up. Gonzalez walked outfielder Aaron Hicks and gave up a RBI game-tying single to second baseman Brian Dozier to make it a 2-2 ballgame.

The afternoon’s game was not Gonzalez’s strongest start of the season. He threw six innings and gave up five hits, three runs (two earned), four walks (one intentional), and one home run while striking out seven batters on 114 pitches, 75 for strikes.

Minnesota catcher Joe Mauer crushed a solo home run – the 100th of his career – to left-center field on a 2-2 pitch off Gonzalez to give the Twins a short-lived 3-2 lead in the fifth inning. But Washington answered back in the seventh inning when second baseman Anthony Rendon scored on a double hit by catcher Kurt Suzuki through the hole at short tying the game back up at 3 apiece.

Washington used all but one pitcher, Xavier Cedeno, in their bullpen on Saturday. They collectively gave up six hits in five innings of work and issued three walks (one intentional) while striking out two. Right-handed reliever Craig Stammen was charged with the loss after giving up the Twins’ winning run. Pinch hitter Chris Herrmann scored on a single hit by outfielder Ryan Doumit to center field to beat the Nationals 4-3 in extra innings.

The Nationals are now 3-4 in extra inning games in 2013.

Photo Courtesy of Missing Piece Group

Amid the adversity of life, Americana Rock singer-songwriter Stephen Kellogg found himself at a crossroads. His band, The Sixers, went on hiatus after nine years of playing together at the end of November 2012. And for the first time since 2002, Kellogg was in a place where he could release a solo album.

“Blunderstone Rookery,” which is scheduled for a June 18 release, comes after the loss of Kellogg’s mother-in-law, grandmother, and the roof of his house. The album features a collection of honest songs written with the hope of leaving behind a positive legacy for his family — a feat that Kellogg encourages all people to strive for in their own lives.

Rachel: “Blunderstone Rookery” is being released at a unique time in your life and you’ve drawn inspiration for these songs from personal stories. What would you say are the biggest challenges you’ve faced while writing and releasing this album?

Stephen Kellogg: The amazing thing about life is that it’s always a unique time in one’s life, because it’s the only time you’ll ever be where you are. We can look back with hindsight and kind of understand or make sense of what was going in a given moment, but often it’s tough to fully appreciate where we’re at while it’s happening. While writing and releasing this album I was very aware that I was in a challenging place because I had lost my mother-in-law, my grandmother, the roof of my house, and my band in the course of about five weeks. Not surprisingly I got kinda sick, and found myself knowing that was going to be something I was going to have to “go” through and “grow” through.

 R: How does it feel to put out a solo project with your band, The Sixers, on hiatus and what are the biggest differences you’ve encountered when it comes to executing a solo project versus a full band project?

SK: Well…it feels good because I love writing songs and sharing them. The hiatus was a decision motivated by some of the guys in the band needing to do other things, but it wasn’t my call. I love everyone in the SK6ERS and I wouldn’t want to push them into playing through their instinct to pause, even if I could (which I couldn’t). Because of that, breathing an album like “Blunderstone Rookery” to life feels like a major victory.
The vehicle through which I’ve shared my music for almost a decade was broken and my ability to get these song out was momentarily threatened, so it feels like a real triumph over adversity, to push through and continue making music.

As far as the differences, I think the key there is that it’s no longer a democracy and while that can feel lonely, I like it 90% of the time.

R: “Blunderstone Rookery” is your first solo release since 2002. How would you describe your growth as a songwriter between then and now?

SK: I’m still the same at my core, but I just have so much more experience and that really helps with songs. When you’ve felt what it’s like to sing a song that’s go not chorus in front of an audience, you’re highly motivated to start writing a stronger chorus.

R: What are you most excited about with the impending June 18 release coming so soon?

SK: I can’t wait for people to finally hear it of course. I’m excited for it to find its way into the hands of the people that want and/or need to hear it. It’s always so important I think to manage one’s own expectations. As Eleanor Roosevelt said, “Comparison is the thief of joy,” and so often we make a great deal about the first few weeks of a record and how well it sells, etc. The way I look at it is, this is one piece in a body of work that will span my life, and I’m excited to see it start doing its thing, but I don’t get really excited about numbers on way or another these days.

R: Your hope for this album is to leave a positive legacy for your family. Do you feel you’ve accomplished that with the songs you’ve written for “Blunderstone Rookery?”

SK: Leaving a positive legacy for my family is my hope for life. Imagine if that were everyone’s? It would be a pretty awesome world! Although I’m sure lots of us would have very different versions of what a positive legacy was exactly…but to your question, I do think so yes.

“Ingrid’s Song” was the eulogy given by me at my mother-in-law’s funeral, “Men and Women” is for everyone…yeah, I do. I try not to say things I don’t mean and there is a lot on “Blunderstone Rookery” that I mean from the bottom of my heart.

Stephen Kellogg will be playing a sold out show at Jammin’ Java in Vienna, VA on Monday June 10 in support of his new solo album “Blunderstone Rookery” which will be released on June 18.

Derek Brown was describing the concept behind Mockingbird Hill one lazy, sherry-soaked afternoon. The name came from a line in Spanish Bombs, by The Clash (“The Only Band That Matters”) and the motif was inspired by the casual wine bars of Spain. It would feature some 54 sherries selected by his wife (and famous sherry proponent) Chantal Tseng, who was leaving Tabard Inn to work with him running the bar.

“So basically,” I said, “it’s a love letter to your wife.”

Opening tonight, their new bar is a love letter to a lot of things. To sherry and time spent in Spain. To family and friends. To both self-professed “sherry addicts” and to those who don’t know anything about sherry but are happy to learn. Located on 7th Street NW in a section of Shaw that’s primed to become one of the most exciting areas in the city, Mockingbird Hill feels like a new chapter in bar life for DC. It’s a casual spot to sip and learn, eat ham, listen to punk rock, and talk. It’s, dare I say, adult, in a very sexy way. I’m sure it’ll be packed for a bit, as new places always are in our city starved for more density, but eventually it’ll settle into that perfect third space bar.

It’s simple, really, a long room of white-washed brick walls with a stainless steel bar running its length, ending in a ham carving station where you can watch as a leg of ham gleaming with fat gets sliced up. There’s a smaller bar and a communal table in the rustic wood-walled back room.

Sherry is the focus. If you don’t know anything about it, never fear, the staff of incredible sommeliers are dedicated to helping you explore this spirit that’s more than its sweet reputation. I tried a dry fino on the preview night that would kill anyone’s idea of sherry as dessert only, plus the gorgeous classic cocktail Bamboo, made with fino, vermouth, orange bitters and lemon that is so delicate and aromatically perfect you may want it as perfume. American cured ham is highlighted, most of it local as with DC’s own Red Apron, and the menu will be mainly the snacks you’d expect with sherry: olives, walnuts, manchego, and anchovies.

Besides the sherry, and four sherry-based cocktails, there’s a Green Hat gin and tonic on tap, created by Brown and JP Fetherston, and two taps dedicated to DC Brau and 3 Stars Brewing Co. The rest of the drinks menu will be a small selection of wine and liquor.

Think of Mockingbird Hill as a curated bar, run by passionate people who want to share their love with you. They want you to eat more ham and drink more sherry. I’m happy to oblige.

Mockingbird Hill is located at 1843 7th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001. Closest Metro stop: Shaw/Howard University (Green/Yellow lines).

Well, let’s hope these rains aren’t of the Castamere variety!

**RIM SHOT**

And with that rather lame Game of Thrones reference, I think we are done for the week. Spend the last few drizzly moments of the work week by looking at pretty photos. It should lighten up your day.

Les Miserables in rehearsal / courtesy The Theatre Lab

We stepped into the large theater at Calvary Baptist Church on 8th Street and made our way to a seat. Deb Gottesman was instructing a varied chorus of old and young on the rehearsal process and what to expect from the night. My husband – a seasoned actor himself – turned to me and asked, “Is this a class?”

Yes and no. It’s Theatre Lab – an independent, nonprofit school for the dramatic arts. It’s also home to a new production of Les Misérables – hence my husband’s confusion. This was a rehearsal, a class, and a performance all in one.

Rehearsal:

The cast had gathered for an Act I run-through of the near-immortal musical, but with a twist: This marks DC’s first non-Union production of the Broadway edition. The creative team behind Les Misérables just released the rights to the full adult version with non-professional actors. Theatre Lab was among a short list of US companies to secure those rights.

At this point in the process, the cast still had weeks to prepare for opening night. There was the occasional mistake – the songs share melodies and can be hard to keep straight, and it’s tough to maintain the right tempo throughout when every single line has to be sung.

The cast and crew used every part of the room, which led to some confusion and even injury. Javert hurt his knee in the very first scene, which sent a wave of panic: How can he chase Valjean across the decades if he can’t even walk?

Class:

While Theatre Lab did hold auditions for Les Misérables, this production is both an amateur show and a structured class. The cast members have all taken or are currently taking courses at Theatre Lab and thus span a huge range of ability and experience.

Like many professional actors in the city, some cast members use Theatre Lab to hone their skills and increase their knowledge. Others enter as complete beginners and study performance from the ground up.

Take for example, Monsieur Thénardier, played by a former elephant trainer. Or consider his wife in the show – a veteran actor and empty nester – who returns to the DC stage after leaving years ago to be a stay-at-home mom.

To cover all the elements necessary for a production of Les Misérables, the class teaches music performance, staging, character development, and more.

Performance:

This was a rehearsal, I kept repeating to myself. Just a rehearsal. Actors wore H&M shorts. Valjean sang of 19th century prison in jeans and a t-shirt. And yet we watched them, along with the director and offstage cast. In the broad sense, you could call this performance.

Keeping that in mind, what a performance it was. Going in, I had no intention of mentioning the quality of the show, as it was both amateur and in process. But it’s worth noting how ambitious Les Misérables is for a non-professional team, and how extraordinarily well the cast handled it on the day we sat in with them.

Even if the show had fallen apart – which would have been fine – it’s still Les Misérables. A lone piano playing the opening notes of “Look Down” can make your heart flutter.

But they took it further than familiar melodies. This cast showed a surprising ownership of the piece and sang with power and determination. Before the end of the night, we found ourselves digging for tissues; and it may have been allergies, but I definitely saw director Deb Gottesman wipe her eyes a few times as well . . . cheap t-shirts notwithstanding.

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Right after we arrived, musical director Buzz Mauro explained some changes to the blocking. Young Cosette raised her hand.

“What if you don’t understand anything Buzz just said?”

You’ll learn, child. Theatre Lab will teach you.

Les Misérables performs now through June 15, 2013 at The Theatre Lab, located at 733 8th St NW. Tickets start at $15. Closest Metro stop: Gallery Place/Chinatown (Green/Red/Yellow lines). For more information call (202) 824-0449.

Rebecca: Tons of crazy, amazing, fun stuff going on this weekend. Friday I’m off to the Cut Copy concert at the 930 club where I’m gonna dance myself crazy to their electro-pop, 80s beats. Saturday I’ll be running and getting covered in dye at the Run or Dye 5K taking place at RFK. Will likely need a shower and a cold beer after that saga. Saturday evening, it’s a friend’s birthday party at Jack Rose which will likely end up with crazy group dancing somewhere on U Street or AdMo. Sunday morning footie will detox me from my weekend debauchery and I’ll finish things out by ordering pho from Sprig & Sprout and watching Hemlock Grove.

Rachel: I’ll be spending most of this weekend at Nats Park which I’m looking forward to since I’ve been on vacation for most of the past two weeks and missed hanging out down by the Navy Yard. Then, Sunday will be the usual afternoon of softball with the GPCSL before heading to The Dunes for the Metro Music Source‘s Four Year Anniversary Celebration. We’ll be saying farewell to MMS co-founder Jem Bahaijoub of ImaginePR who is moving on to new opportunities in the coming weeks. It’s an event not to be missed by those looking to network within the greater DC music community, that’s for sure.

Don: Our weekend will be a little low-key, and not just because it looks like the sky is going to spend both days dumping on us. We’re going to a post-wedding celebration and a bon voyage party, confusingly for a Carl and a Karl. We’ve resorted to just calling them Big Daddy and Curls. Beyond that we don’t have much on deck except perhaps seeing if we can buy Ed and Kate a celebratory drink on Sunday, if only they can pick a bar they like.

Maya:  I’m excited to write my first weekend update; however, I apologize for not introducing myself with a more exciting weekend.  On Friday, I will be dining at Brasserie Beck with hopes for oysters and Belgian IPA’s galore.  Saturday, I’ll adhere to my bi-weekly tradition of catching up on some reading at Blind Dog Cafe with one (or three) of their mouth watering chocolate chip cookies.  The evening will remain simple and sweet with some grilling and good friends.  I shamefully admit that Sunday will be my first venture to Union Market, which is hosting the event Israel@65.  It will be a great excuse to catch up with my parents, who live in Tenleytown, and satiate our Mediterranean palates while jamming to some tunes strummed by popular Israeli musicians.

Joanna: This weekend depends – as it always seems these days – on the weather. I’d really like to take the dog to Rock Creek Park, but since it will likely rain I might wind up at the National Portrait Gallery to see this and this, then to the Mall to check out the One Million Bones project, raising awareness for genocide. Approaching Ali is happening Sat/Sun - the first hourlong opera created through the American Opera Initiative. New opera at a decent ticket price, but just for two days. On Sunday I’m cheering on a friend at the Air Force Challenge Ride, then going to a guacamole-themed party (recipes welcome) before planting myself in one spot for the Tony Awards.

Tom: Jazzfest! The craziest weekend of the year at Merriweather Post starts Friday night and runs all weekend, so catch me up in Columbia for this year’s bill. Of course the Nats are home, too, so I’ll be out at Nats Park hoping the Nats can get it together and start to win series, even if I’m suspect that this year is their year, predictions all aside. I had been hoping to get some time to head out to Frager’s to pick up garden supply, but I may have to re-home that trip over to Brookland Hardware, which has started to hold occasional Sunday hours.

Katie: Friday night is all about relaxing, so if it’s not raining, we might picnic in Lincoln Park, or down by Yards Park. Saturday, I’m invited to a Great Gatsby Garden Party, which sounds delightful, then we’re going out on the town. I want to pre-apologize to U street or Columbia Heights for my behavior in advance. Sunday, I’ll keep it low key with a spin class at Biker Barre and dinner at Le Grenier on H Street.

Fedward: having gone from “just looking” to “under contract” in one fast, stressful week, the Social Chair and I now have the challenge of getting the house bought and closed on time.  Our social lives are thus curtailed somewhat until everything is, well, settled.  We’ve already dropped off our earnest money  had our inspection, and locked our rate, but we still need to finalize our loan.  Saturday we’ll stop and smell the flowers, literally, at a lavender farm and then follow that up with some Quaker fun (do Quakers even have fun?) in Sandy Spring (I think we’re mostly going to hang out with friends). And Sunday we’ll graciously allow Don and his Darling Wife to buy us drinks, probably at the Passenger, because of course that’s where.

Jenn: There’s so much to choose from this weekend! First off, festivals. CulturalDC’s 6th annual Source Festival starts Friday. Running for three weeks, it features three new full-length plays, eighteen new ten-minute plays, and three “artistic blind dates” which will give audiences a chance to see the creative process of new play development up close. The DC Jazz Festival is already underway, running until June 16 at multiple venues around town and there’s lots to great music to choose from. Plus, the Supernova Big Bang Dance Party is this Saturday at Artisphere. Or see Russian indie band Pompeya at Tropicalia. Speaking of Russia, I need to get to NGA to see the Ballet Russes exhibit, especially after attending that amazing Stravinsky party last week. But I know I’m not fooling anyone. I’ll probably spend the entire weekend daydreaming. Or at Mockingbird Hill. Yes, Derek Brown and Chantal Tseng’s new sherry and ham bar has its grand opening Friday. It’s already my new happy place.

Photo by @IAFF36, used with permission

The iconic DC Hardware store is all but a ruin, this morning. Firefighters still remain on-scene to make sure the remaining paint products aren’t reigniting, and that the fire they fought most of the night doesn’t spread any further than it did. The south side of Pennsylvania Avenue between 10th and 12th is still blocked off by fire trucks and emergency personnel, and as the photo above shows, what’s left may not be salvageable.

Hill resident and COO of Anacostia Playhouse Julia Christian set up a Give Forward campaign late last night to benefit the owner and staff of Frager’s, with a target of $100,000. There is already more than $2,000 in the donations box across 32 donors. While Frager’s was likely insured, coping with any disaster like this isn’t as straight forward as the insurance commercials lead you to believe.

More than just the shop, there’s a whole staff at Frager’s who lost their place of work last night in the fire. Matchbox owner Fred Herrmann told DCist late yesterday that any Frager’s staffer who needs temporary work should come to their Barracks Row location on 8th St SE today between 2 and 5pm and he’ll do his best to put them right to work. I would suspect that following the lead of The Tune Inn and Capitol Lounge and elsewhere, there will be a fundraiser in the near future to benefit the staff as well.

There’s a big hole in the Capitol Hill community this morning. Though there are promises from Councilmember Tommy Wells and Mayor Vincent Gray to help Frager’s rebuild, it’s going to be a long and arduous process to get back to anything like normal. As a local archaeologist wrote yesterday, “It all changes, and we never seem to record the right things in the right order at the right time. It’s hard to know what to do.”

I can only think of one thing to do today: appreciate your neighborhood and city institutions. By fire or by tragedy, they may leave before we’re ready. This city is full of many beautiful, incredible places like Frager’s, places that can’t easily be replaced or rebuilt, that are unique to our place and our time, special threads that hold together neighborhoods and communities. Our communities need places like Frager’s the same way they need schools and fire stations and hospitals. They’re just not the same without them.

Help Frager’s rebuild if you can, or help make sure your own institutions stay healthy in your community, it’s doing DC a good deed, and that truly matters.