By Rebecca
‘DSC06201’
courtesy of ‘rebeccaejohnson’
This past Sunday at the Maryland State Fair in Timonium, fair goers witnessed the miracle of birth, when a cow gave birth to a calf. The little fella was named “Justin” in honor of Justin Bieber, who was performing at the fair later on that day. Not surprisingly, the audience (consisting of screaming 11 year olds) chose the name.
‘DC Blues Festival 2010’
courtesy of ‘Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com’
It’s a holiday weekend and while I’m sure many of you have chosen the out of town vacation route, there’s still plenty of opportunities for fun times in the District if you’re sticking around. One of which is the 22nd annual DC Blues Festival.
The festival opens at noon this Saturday with the Big Boy Little Band and a slew of talented blues crooners who’ll be sticking around until 7:30 p.m.
Festival gates located at the Carter Barron Amphitheater located at 4850 Colorado Avenue NW (near 16th street and Colorado Avenue) open at 11:30 a.m.
For a complete listing of all the live acts scheduled to perform visit the DC Blues Festival website.
Admission is free.
By Patrick Pho
Photo from Bravo TV
As Top Chef DC winds down, dedicated viewers and fans continue to watch as Top Chef DC will eventually turn into Top Chef Singapore. Will DC continue to watch once Padma and crew fly on out of the Nation’s capital?
We’ll find out, but first we will see if Bravo can pull out an episode that does Washington DC justice after a series of mediocre hits and complete misses.
This week: a trip to NASA but first we start back at the apartment…
10:02: Kevin tries not to knick himself shaving while Kelly misses her husband. We learn that Angelo not only has a kid but is freshly divorced. Good to see he’s rebounding with that Russian Mail Order Bride.
10:03: Dana Cowin from Food & Wine Magazine is a guest judge and Ed feels that he has an edge since he’s Facebook friends with her. Do you follow her on Twitter as well? The quickfire challenge: create a meal that pairs with a chosen wine. The prize? A trip to London.
Justin Jones live at the 9:30 Club's 30th Anniversary Show / Photo by Rachel Levitin
Fall has a distinct smell. It’s crisp and brisk, bitter but gentle, and refreshing. It’s not here yet, but sweater weather will be in full-swing in a matter of weeks. Sandals and shades go back in the closet while boots and cute little penny-loafers make their triumphant return.
No matter your personal preferences, fall is the end of care-free summer days, which leaves quite a few folks down in the dumps. Don’t fret! Fall isn’t that bad.
Pretty soon, you’ll be able to cozy up with your favorite blanket, rent a movie, make some hot apple cider (with hint of caramel), and relax. The steam from your mug will cling to each pore on your face while you catch a whiff of apple and cinnamon. That’s fall at its finest.
If you’re not the indoorsy type, I urge you to make the best of this season transition by taking advantage of the wonderfully talented local singer-songwriter and acoustic acts in town. There’s a nice spread of home-grown performers who are slated at spots all around the District in September. Here are some of the top pickin’s: Continue reading
As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!
This week we’re raffling off two tickets to catch rising star Marina and the Diamonds at the 9:30 Club on Monday, September 6th.
Marina and the Diamonds is for the most part the pop vocalist persona of singer-songwriter Marina Diamandis. Or as her Myspace page suggests, “I am Marina. You are the Diamonds.” Under this guise, Marina covers a inventive range of dance-pop that solicits comparisons to an equally wide-range of peers. Marina takes on the comparisons to big girls like Christina and Britney by frequently singing cover versions of their tunes in concert. It’s this kind of gutsy move combined with her musical inventiveness (she writes all of her own lyrics and music) that gets her compared to the more inventive, indie-friendly, pop-divas like Robyn or Dragonette. Marina and the Diamonds have been around for awhile, but 2010 seems poised to be her break-out year as her long-anticipated debut album receives rave reviews and her recent tour dates have been raising eyebrows and quickening pulses here and in the UK. This show is going to be a really good time and probably your best chance to see Marina and the Diamonds before her name is on the tip of everyone’s tongues.
For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.
For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading
By Jenn Larsen
Eric Hissom and Katie deBuys in “In the Next Room or the vibrator play.” Photo credit: Stan Barouh.
Ah, the Victorians! Always keeping the naughty bits tightly corseted. Such control freaks. At least, that’s our view of them now. It might come as a shock to learn about such inventions as the “electric massager,” on the scene in the 1870’s to relieve the frayed nerves of delicate housewives suffering from mysterious bouts of anxiety. Even more of a shock to learn before the dawn of the electrical age, physicians alleviated such symptoms of their patients the um, old-fashioned way, through manual manipulation. Yet somehow the resulting “paroxysms” and the accompanying relief were seen as strictly therapeutic and not erotic. Masters of keeping the physical and the sexual realms separate, those Victorians. One side Health, the other Damnation.
MORE: The history of humans sexual fantasies and exploration is a rich subject. The use of sex toys has been recorded hundreds of years ago, which makes dildos and vibrators available today on local stores and even online from sex shops like Plug Lust is not surprising. Read more on the topic with articles published by Fiona Petree.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company‘s 2010-2011 season is titled “A Striptease for Your Subconscious” – and if the first play out of the gate is any indication, this is going to be one wild ride. In the Next Room, or the vibrator play explores this acutely private dance between the physical and the sexual, between control and release. Yes, it’s a play about a male scientist/physician using a primitive vibrator on his female patients (and one male) to bring them to orgasm in order to restore the bloom in their cheeks, and yes there are several scenes depicting this, but there’s a lot more going on. Playwright Sarah Ruhl dances on the edge of fairy tale, weaving the mythology of feminine awakening with just enough sweetness to win over any prudish audience member. The final moment of reveal and revelation might still shock some, but its daringness is rather beautiful.
In the Next Room or the vibrator play presents us with a seemingly ill-matched couple – the practical man of science Dr. Givings (a briskly authoritative Eric Hissom) and his wife, the charmingly impulsive Catherine (a radiant Katie deBuys). Sense and sensibility, these two. The doctor plies his trade in the next room, protecting his wife from his work and denying her the deeper affection she craves. The love they share is blocked, just as the unseen walls separate the doctor’s operating room from the drawing room, as the society separates the physical from the erotic. Into their circle weave other blocked lives, some comical, others heart-wrenching. Continue reading
all photos by author.
I think it is obvious, from all of my writing about it, that I love music. As you probably know, I try to share write-ups of all the great concerts that I go to in the DC area with you here at We Love DC. The shows that I share here represent about half of the shows that I see annually. I also spend a lot of time traveling the country and sometimes the world attending special concert events like Spiritualized at Radio City Music Hall, or Hallo Gallo (Michael Rother + Friends of Neu!). These shows don’t always get written about because I consider them my vacations. Some shows though are just so rare and unique that I feel compelled to share them here, even if they have nothing to do with DC. Such is the case with my trip to Minneapolis last weekend to attend the Amphetamine Reptile Records’ 25th Anniversary Bash.
Amphetamine Reptile Records is an indie record label that specializes in a particular brand of aggressive, depraved, barrier-busting rock and roll known as noise-rock. The bands on Am Rep pushed the noisier tendencies of hardcore and metal into a thousand different directions at once, producing some of the most creative, exciting, and challenging music known to man. Infamous for their crazed personalities and stage antics and famous for their musical innovation, the artist stable at Am Rep contains some of the most influential rockers you’ve never heard of. Grunge, alternative metal, and math-rock (just to name a few) would not be the same (or possibly have even existed) without Am Rep path-finders like The Thrown-ups, Hammerhead, Helmet, and Today Is The Day. Am Rep consistently put out amazing records that defined the noise-rock genre during their 15-year golden age. Since 2000, the label has been semi-retired, returning to the deep underground, releasing the occasional 7″, 12″ or album. Noise-rock is a genre near and dear to my heart, and Amphetamine Reptile Records is without question my favorite record label of all time. So when they announced that a slew of defunct Am Rep bands were reuniting in Minneapolis to celebrate the label’s 25th anniversary, I had the trip booked before my wife even had a chance to return my call to discuss it. If there is one concert worth being in doghouse for, it was this one.
Continue reading
By Patrick Pho
Photo from Bravo TV
Sure it’s a tad late for a recap of last week’s Top Chef DC, but this feature-length article also includes some interesting tidbits from Karen Lange, one of the lucky tasters that was at Nationals Park during taping.
The Never Ending Cycle of Craziness Amongst Cheftestants
We knew Angelo would be a headcase from day one but at the beginning of the episode Amanda reveals more details about Angelo’s strange quirks: daily affirmations, talking to himself, and creating altars of his idols that he prays to:
“When I was young, I used to cut out pictures of all the famous four-star chefs. I’d light candles, and every single day I’d like kneel and go pray before them.”
Angelo you have taken the weird on the show to a whole new level: matras while you cook, daily affirmations, maybe you should stop giving advice to the other contestants and try helping yourself.
It almost makes you wish Alex was still on the show.
By Rebecca
‘Flip-Mo’
courtesy of ‘agent_shir’
The Liasion, an Affinia Hotel located on Capitol Hill, currently has a very intriguing and knowing DC hotels, potentially scandalous, end of summer offer. Book a minimum two night stay for $229/night and they’ll gift you a Flip Video Camcorder. Hmmm…I wonder what possible uses, aside from capturing our beautiful city, this video recorder could have at a hotel called The Liaison. Marion Barry better watch out.
By Rebecca
‘Ft Slocum Soccer Ball’
courtesy of ‘Wayan Vota’
As the summer months draw to a close, so begins the Fall soccer season. And for those of us who have played practically all our lives, soccer is in the air. We’re hypersensitive to the lowering of sun’s trajectory, the crisper air, and the smell of freshly cut grass. It all evokes memories of the morning practices and games, when the dawn’s mist slowly lifted from the field.
Fortunately the DC area offers plenty of soccer playing opportunities for any and all levels, and for those who wish to play on coed, men’s or women’s teams. Should your preference be a single sex team, there are two leagues in particular that I believe offer the best soccer playing experiences in the DC area, and they’re recruiting players of all levels for the fall season.
Next November 2022 do not miss out all the details of the Qatar World Cup at ESPN that will have all the details of the matches.
Continue reading By Patrick Pho
‘Nationals Park in HDR’
courtesy of ‘Mr. T in DC’
It’s Wednesday and you know what that means- Top Chef DC!
Ya ya I know. The season hasn’t lived up to previous seasons and it probably rivals Real Housewives of DC when it comes to local watchability. However we can expect some DC flavor in tonight’s episode.
The elimination challenge takes place at Nationals Park where teams will run two concession stands and try and serve up fare that exceeds the Five Guys and Half Smokes you would expect on Gameday.
Nats players Adam Dunn, and John Lannan make appearances as well as former closer Matt Capps. Seafood chef Rick Moonen will appear as a guest judge as well.
What else can you expect? Well with Alex gone Ed will set his sights on another annoying contestant and Angelo will continue to baffle me with his eccentricity.
Expect a recap tomorrow complete with some insider views on the Nationals Park tasting.
Video after the jump!
As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!
This week we’re giving away a pair of tickets to see Kele on Thursday, September 2nd at the 9:30 Club. (Note: Doors are 6:30pm)
Formerly known as Kele Okereke, the Bloc Party front man is touring to support his first solo album, “The Boxer”. On “The Boxer” Kele offers up a little more emotion and a lot more electronics than his mainline gig usually does. Listening to his album a few times, I’m having a difficult time imagining what this concert experience is going to be like. Judging from Kele’s choice in tour-mate, Does It Offend You Yeah?, it is probably safe to assume there will be a healthy does of danceable beats. This show is worth attending just to hear “We Are Rockstars“. No matter how over-played that song was a few summers ago, it still destroys.
For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.
For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading
By Patrick Pho
Photo from Bravo TV
So how’s everybody’s Top Chef DC fantasy team? With Kenny’s departure I bet a lot of fans are missing one of the stronger chefs of the season. Of course I know nobody is out there playing Fantasy Top Chef but it’s almost Football season. I can’t help thinking about fantasy sports!
But I will say this- so far into the season it’s looking like that it’s not just not Angelo who has a chance to win it all. Tiffany, Ed, Amanda, and even Kevin have shown that they could stick around long enough to make it to the end.
Of course the one name I didn’t mention was Alex. Nobody likes Alex. The chefs think he’s sloppy, inexperienced, and unrefined; the audience thinks he’s a cheating thief; and he’s lucky that his team won restaurant wars last week or else he’d be gone by now.
Will this be the week Alex finally gets the boot? Here’s my running diary.
By Jenn Larsen
Image courtesy of Theater J.
If you enjoyed my theater profile of director Eleanor Holdridge and are intrigued to see a play exploring the fine line between ardent activism and violent radicalism, Theater J is making it easier with $15 tickets to six select performances of Willy Holtzman’s Something You Did.
Just use the special discount code DCBLOGGER when you purchase tickets to the following shows on their website: 8/28, 9/2, 9/4, 9/5 (both matinee and evening performances) and 9/6.
Something You Did looks at what happens when a former anti-war activist attempts to mend the consequences of her radical actions, and based on my interview with the director I think it’s bound to be highly impassioned and thought-provoking. Watch for Don’s review following the official opening on August 31.
The Ska fans here at We Love DC are so stoked about this weekend’s plethora of Ska concert options that we decided one giveaway to celebrate this good-time genre just wasn’t enough! So I got on the horn with my good buddies The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and finagled a pair of tickets to give away to one lucky reader for their concert at the 9:30 Club on Saturday, August 21! (Well, actually I had to trade Dicky my lucky pair of braces for ’em – but the less said about that the better!)
The Mighty Mighty Bosstones are without a doubt one of (if not THE) most important American Ska / Ska-Punk bands. Coming out of the Boston hardcore punk scene in the mid-80’s The Bosstones introduced Trad and 2-Tone Ska sensibilities to that harder-edge sound. They slugged away in the trenches for years, gaining respect in both punk and ska circles, until the 90’s when their moment had finally come. Their popularity exploded as the 3rd-Wave Ska revival took hold in the US. A movement of ska and ska-tinged punk bands that the Bosstones were largely responsible for inspiring with all those years of hard touring and legendary concerts. On Saturday night The Mighty Mighty Bosstones make their return to DC and to the 9:30 Club. Between this show and Sunday’s Bad Manners/English Beat double bill this weekend is ska heaven.
Since this is bonus giveaway, let’s make this one a little more interesting.
For your chance to win these tickets leave a comment on this post with the most ridiculous, outrageous Ska performer name or band name you can imagine. Make sure you use a valid email address, so we can find you if you win. This contest will run between Noon and 4pm today; at which time the winner will be selected at random. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.
For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading
By Rebecca
”
courtesy of ‘Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie’
Tonight at 6:30pm, The Georgetown North Face’s weekly run features ultra-marathoner Michael Wardian. Wardian has competed a races all over the world, including four wins in DC’s National Marathon, and is a fantastic resource for those interested in marathon running. So despite this dreary wet weather, get your running shoes on and enjoy a run in today’s slightly less humid and hot summer evening.
As a way to say thanks to our loyal readers, We Love DC will be giving away a pair of tickets to a 9:30 Club concert to one lucky reader each week. Check back here every Wednesday morning at 9am to find out what tickets we’re giving away and leave a comment for your chance to be the lucky winner!
This weekend DC has a boatload of Ska bands coming to town, so we thought it would be fun to make today Ska Day on We Love DC. To that end our 9:30 Club ticket giveaway this week is for a pair of tickets to see The English Beat and Bad Manners perform at the club this Sunday, August 22nd.
These titans of 2-Tone Ska have been providing rude boys and rude girls with skanking good times for over 30 years in the UK and the US. Bad Manners led by their infamous front-man Buster Bloodvessel are legends in the ska world known for their manic live energy and Buster’s larger than life stage presence. The English Beat (or The Beat) make up one-third of the 2-Tone Ska holy trinity and really should require no introduction to all the proper gangsters out there. Along with The Specials and Madness, The English Beat was one of the biggest Ska bands of the 1980’s. They were hugely successful in the UK and along with Madness and The Specials were responsible for breaking 2-Tone’s sound and style in the US. These days The Beat operate on both sides of “the pond”, but are much more active in the US thanks to the seemingly endless energy of band-leader Dave Wakeling. If you’re sitting there reading this trying to think of a song by The English Beat, allow me to help you: ‘Mirror in the Bathroom’, ‘Hands off, She’s Mine’, and ‘Twist & Crawl’ are just some of the essential 2-Tone hits on their seminal album “Just Can’t Stop It”. Together these two bands are going to put on one hell of a party. So dust off your pork-pie, don your finest threads, strap on those boots, and enter for your chance to be there. I was originally thinking of making this giveaway for Rudies only, but you civilians reading should feel free to take a shot too! (PS- Tune in here at Noon for a Ska bonus giveaway!)
For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address between 9am and 4pm today. One entry per email address, please. Tickets for this show are also available through Ticketfly If today doesn’t turn out to be your lucky day, check back here each Wednesday for a chance to win tickets to other great concerts.
For the rules of this giveaway…
Continue reading
photo by author.
Electro good time gal Martina Sorbara and her synth-savvy husband Dan Kurtz brought their attitude drenched, dance-pop band Dragonette to Rock & Roll Hotel on Sunday night to keep a party-packed weekend rocking into Monday morning. Joined by beat-maker and human time-piece, drummer Joel Stouffer, the husband and wife team wowed the small but dedicated crowd full of electro fanatics, pretty boys, and dancing queens. Their late-start set covered the deepest cuts from their albums, “Galore” and “Fixin’ to Thrill”, and blew the roof off when they launched into the three excellent new songs from their latest EP, “Mixin’ to Thrill”.
photo by author.
Public Enemy returned to DC at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night bringing a show billed as a live performance of their album “Fear of a Black Planet” that turned out to be a two and a half hour performance of most of “Fear…”, most of “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back”, and select tunes from other albums. It was a sneak attack, classics-spanning set of high-energy, politically-driven, old school hip-hop by arguably the greatest hip-hop group of all time. This was one of the very best sets in DC of 2010, of that their is no question; what is slightly confusing though, is where were all the people? Playing to a less than sold-out club, with a crowd that thinned as their awesome set progressed, Public Enemy performed with enough passion, conviction, and energy to entertain thousands.
By Patrick Pho
Hey remember last year when that romantic comedy was filming around Adams Morgan and everybody was trying to get a look at Paul Rudd & Reese Witherspoon?
Well that film, How Do You Know, is slated to be released the day after my birthday (December 17th, 2010) and the first trailer has been released.
The film stars Paul Rudd, Reese Witherspoon, Owen Wilson, and Jack Nicholson. According to IMDB the film is described as, “a romantic comedy centered on the love triangle between professional softball player Lisa Jorgenson (Witherspoon), a corporate executive (Rudd), and a major-league pitcher (Wilson.)”
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