Category Archives: Entertainment

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An Evening with Samurai: No Ninjas Allowed

Photo courtesy of
‘ã��Edo Wonderlandã�� Bad Ass Samurai’
courtesy of ‘-ratamahatta-‘

Tonight, courtesy of the Japanese Embassy, you can catch some Bushi-Do, a mix of traditional swordplay, beautiful choreography, comedy and drama. Simply put it’s sword fighting with a contemporary twist. The event titled “An Evening With Samurai” starts at 6:30pm at the Japan Information & Culture Center, Embassy of Japan 1155 21st Street NW, Lafayette Centre III. Admission is free.

The show is part of  Samurai Week which celebrates the first Japanese diplomatic mission to the U.S. 150 years ago, in which seventy-seven samurai crossed the ocean to secure the ratification of the Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation. During their visit, the samurai captivated the American people with their traditional clothing, top‐knot hairstyle, and prominent samurai swords. Oh yeah, they also developed the beginnings of a strong relationship between Japan and the U.S. No biggie.

The celebration continues through the end of the week with the Samurai Film Fest showing famous Japanese films by Akira Kurosawa, Yoji Yamada and Hatsuki Tsuji. The showings take place at the Japan Information & Culture Center and are free, however reservations are required.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, News, The Daily Feed
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Free Whiskey at Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar

Photo courtesy of
‘Johnnie Walker’
courtesy of ‘Suraj Baadkar’

It’s the last Tuesday of the month. What does that mean? Usually nothing. But today, that changes.

As a whiskey (and scotch … and bourbon) fan, I must admit I’m ashamed I haven’t heard of this before now, but Little Miss Whiskey’s Golden Dollar hosts a free whiskey tasting on the last Tuesday of every month.

Tonight, George Concannon is scheduled to make a presentation about the history of Johnnie Walker and serve up samples of the Black, Green, Gold and Blue label luxuries in a bottle.

The tasting starts at 7:30. Little Miss Whiskey’s is located at 1104 H Street NE.

Entertainment, Music, News, The Daily Feed
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HFStival Tickets On Sale Friday

Photo courtesy of
‘SOUNDWAVE ’10 SYDNEY. Gallows crowd.’
courtesy of ‘SarahB-‘

Senior Vice President and Marketing Manager of CBS Radio Washington Sam Rogers, better known in this case as the former general manager of WHFS admitted a little something to The Washington City Paper recently:

“Nobody wants to admit they’re old and classic.”

In vain of that, it is necessary to announce that tickets for the area’s famed HFStival go on sale this Friday and the line-up is full of a few alt-rock classics in their own right.

Acts on the main stage include 90’s classics like: Third Eye Blind, Billy Idol, Everclear, Ed Kowalczyk from Live, Presidents Of the United States of America, Fuel, Lit, and Marcy Playground.

Ticket prices aren’t out of line and are moderately priced at $25-$40.

Of course, there will also be a local stage featuring the best the DMV has to offer.

HFStival will take place on September 18 at Merriweather Post Pavillion.

I mean come on! A chance to hear Marcy Playground sing “Sex and Candy” is one you really don’t want to miss.

Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, News, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Local Hottie Husbands

Photo courtesy of
‘House O’ Weenies’
courtesy of ‘Karon’

Two local hotties made Redbook’s “America’s Hottest Husbands” contest finals, but unfortunately did not secure the top honor. Michael Kennedy of Frederick, MD and John McGaha of New Market, MD were selected to the 20 finalists and although they didn’t win the coveted title, they did make the top 5 runners up.

More than 15,000 people voted in the online contest with Ray Sorensen of Greenfield, Iowa winning the title of “America’s Hottest Husband.”

I’m not gonna lie, I definitely spent some time ogling the finalists this AM. Personally speaking, McGaha’s picture is smoking. He’s my winner. I know hands off, hands off.

All Politics is Local, Business and Money, Entertainment, Essential DC, Life in the Capital, News, The Daily Feed
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Magic Johnson & Co. Makeover Landmark Hotel

Photo courtesy of
‘Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Inglewood, Calif., 1996’
courtesy of ‘cliff1066â�¢’

On Tuesday, May 25th at 3:30pm,  Earvin “Magic” Johnson, Mayor Fenty and Canyon-Johnson Urban Fund (CJUF) and Lowe Enterprises will unveil their 150 million dollar restoration of the historic Landmark Washington Hotel located at 1919 Connecticut Avenue NW.

The renovation project hoped to return the hotel to its glory days with significant overhauls to the lobby, 1070 guestrooms, outdoor and indoor event/meeting areas, including the 36,000 square-foot, largest column-free International Ballroom complex.

The renovations, which began in 2009, are scheduled for completion on June 1, 2010. Can’t wait to check the place out.

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra @ The Black Cat 5/19/10

Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra at Black Cat 5/19/10 courtesy of Silver Mt. Zion.

The latest name variation and line-up incarnation of Efrim Menuck’s Canadian post-rock outfit, Thee Silver Mt. Zion Memorial Orchestra, played to a sparsely attended show at the Black Cat on Wednesday night in support of their latest album, “Kollaps Tradixionales“. Too easily dismissed by many music fans because of its off-shoot from Godspeed You Black Emperor status, Silver Mt. Zion is in its own right one of the mightiest live post-rock acts going. A fact that they proved again and again during their amazing set on Wednesday night. This show was so damn good that I actually felt bad for the nay-sayers, the second-guessers, and the lazy who missed out on Silver Mt. Zion’s unique and powerful performance.
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Adventures, Entertainment, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, The Daily Feed, The Great Outdoors
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Dueling Birds: A Nats v. Os Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘_MG_4239’
courtesy of ‘dbking’

We’ve got a beautiful weekend, save some scattered t-storms, shaping up for us and we’ve got a “Battle of the Beltways” series kicking off Friday night between the visiting Baltimore Orioles and our hometown Nationals. You’ve got three opportunities to catch the match up this weekend, and it’s sure to be great time with the stadium pack with fans from both sides.

While neither team is at the top of their divisions, both come packed with longtime crowd favorites like Nick Markakis, B-Rob, Zimmer-sapien and Christian Guz-sapien, who are sure to make the game competitive and entertaining.

What I’m really looking forward to is Screech and the Bird strolling around the stadium and taunting each other Phillie Phanatic style. Obviously, sans taser.  I’m assuming both birds will join the Presidents in the 4th inning race, where of course some antics will ensue between the two avians to prevent Teddy from winning. Alas poor Teddy, I wanted him to win.

Entertainment, Special Events, The Daily Feed
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Front Row Fashion

Courtesy of Fingerprint

Bethesda Row is throwing three days of “fashion, food and fabulosity” starting Thursday, May 20 – just in time for this dreary rain to lift and our desire for pretty summer frocks to rise! Participating stores include Bluemercury, Urban Chic, Sassanova, Lou Lou, Ginger Boutique…

It all kicks off Thursday morning at 11am with beauty consultations, designer denim-fittings, jewelry trunk shows and wine tastings (um, I feel a “mental health day” coming on…). That evening sees the launch party of Jill Kargman’s new book Arm Candy at Ginger Boutique, featuring sweets from Georgetown Cupcake and cocktails, natch.

Friday is chock-full of more fashionable frivolities like designer appearances and trunk shows. But the big event is sure to be Friday evening, featuring a fashion show with Project Runway alum Laura Bennett (she of the perfectly impeccable style and impossibly red hair), also reading from her new book and signing copies afterwards.

If you can’t take any fashionista mental health days, Saturday is also full of special store events all day (I recommend stopping into Cork & Fork for a wine tasting, the family really knows their wine and are adorable too).  Check out full details and rsvp requirements, and have fun!

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Spectrum @ Velvet Lounge 5/13/10

spectrum at velvet lounge
courtesy of Spectrum.

It was a psychedelic throw-down at the Velvet Lounge on Thursday night when Spectrum dropped in to kick-off their current U.S. tour. In what is easily the best live set I have personally seen performed at the Velvet Lounge, the equipment heavy 4-man unit turned the tiny stage into their own personal sound laboratory and dazzled the small but dedicated crowd with an explosive evening of controlled feedback and groovy repetition.

For the uninitiated Spectrum is the most traditional of the many music projects led by Peter Kember aka Sonic Boom. Sonic Boom was one of the members of the hypnotically brilliant Spacemen 3, a legendary UK guitar band from the 80’s underground. Since Spacemen 3’s demise in the early 90’s, Sonic Boom has been pushing the envelope with experimental projects like Experimental Audio Research and Spectrum. The material Sonic Boom records as Spectrum began with a sound very similar to his former band but quickly evolved away from guitars and for many years became based around vintage keyboards and organs. His music has always maintained a ‘head’ music atmosphere even with the move away from guitars and feedback into tone drones and synth symphonies. On Spectrum’s latest EP, “War Sucks“, the band’s sound seems to be cycling back into guitar freak-out territory. I first saw Spectum at All Tomorrow’s Parties NY in 2008. The set was an equal mix of keyboard and guitar manipulations that also featured a nice dose of Spacemen 3 songs. The whole 2008 set was a laid-back fuzz-fest. So it was with the new EP and the 2008 show in mind that I went into Thursday night figuring the concert could go either way. In other words I didn’t really know what to expect.
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Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Public Image Ltd. @ 9:30 Club 5/12/10

Public Image Ltd. at 9:30 Club 5/12/10
courtesy of PiL.

“Somoza may be a son of a bitch, but he’s our son of a bitch.” – rumored FDR quote about Nicaraguan dictator Anastasio Somoza García.*

I couldn’t help but think of this quote as John Lydon aka Johnny Rotten aka “Uncle John” took the stage at the 9:30 Club on Wednesday night. Lydon is one of the ultimate love/hate figures in music history. For every brilliant stroke like the Sex Pistol’s ‘Bodies’ or PiL’s ‘Rise’ there is an equally hypocritical public statement or ticket price outrage to offend anew. So I was not very surprised when a lot of professed fans of Public Image Ltd balked at attending Wednesday night’s concert. After all it was over-priced and the quality of a reformed (not reunited) PiL was a huge question mark. Lydon has a lot of audacity expecting sold-out crowds 18 years after the band’s last performance or album, especially after the radically mixed reviews received for the Sex Pistols reunion tours of the late-90’s and mid-00’s. And yet there I stood with a club full of people anxiously waiting for Lydon to challenge us with his noisy, confrontational, anti-pop onslaught. As I stared at the giant PiL banner behind the stage and the growing crowd I thought, John Lydon is a son of a bitch, but (if you love his music) he’s our son of a bitch.

For me, with regard to bands, front-men, legends, and their egos, it boils down to music first, personality second. I worship the Sex Pistols and think that Public Image Ltd. was one of the most inspired and brilliant career/style shifts in music history. Lydon’s ego aside, I was on-board for this show from the get-go. My two-song preview of PiL at the Coachella Music Festival left me confident that Public Image Ltd.’s 9:30 Club show was going to be something special. I had no clue just how special this show would turn out to be.

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Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Night Life, The Features, The Great Outdoors, The Hill, The Mall
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Katie’s Guide to Summer

Photo courtesy of
‘Every Food Fits: Don’t Bother Us, We’re Crabby!’
courtesy of ‘staceyviera’

Summer is my favorite season, I’ve made no secret of that on this here blog over the years. DC comes alive in the summer, with events galore. And if you’re new to DC, or new to We Love DC, or even an old faithful reader (and we love you for that, truly) I just wanted to take some time to point out that we’ve got you covered for summer.

So here is my short list of things I love about summer in DC and links to articles that we’ve written in the past to help you get the most out of it. (We call this unabashedly re-purposing content.)

So without futher ado:   Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Buzzcocks @ The Black Cat 5/11/10

Buzzcocks at The Black Cat 5/11/10
courtesy of Buzzcocks.

Woo-hoo!!!*

Buzzcocks launched the U.S. leg of their “Another…Bites Tour” at the Black Cat on Tuesday night with an exuberant set of their classic, reverb-drenched, pop/punk, sing-a-longs. Since their early-90’s revival, original members Shelley and Diggle have been performing non-stop in the US and UK. Right up there with Stiff Little Fingers, Buzzcocks are one of the longest running and quality-consistent graduates of the original UK Punk class. To mix it up on this tour the band are performing their brilliant first and second albums back-to-back (both released in 1978) along with “other hits”. While album-entirety shows are becoming quite trendy of late (not that I mind), for Buzzcocks I think this dual-album attack is a great move. As their legacy becomes tied more and more to their ability to write amazing singles (as collected on the essential “Singles Going Steady“) this dual album tour is here to remind us that Buzzcocks were also responsible for crafting some brilliant albums; each with an energy flow, sonic imprint, and lyrical themes that deserve their place in rock history as well. Actually Tuesday night’s show did much more than gently remind us of this fact; in typical Buzzcocks pop-roar fashion the show served as a blaring klaxon alarm that made the relevance of “Another Music in a Different Kitchen” and “Love Bites” impossible to ignore.

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Entertainment, Night Life, The Daily Feed
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DREAMGIRLS Come To Washington

Photo courtesy of
‘Dreamgirls’
courtesy of ‘pulguita’

The National Theatre announced that DREAMGIRLS will have a two week only run in the District starting July 28 and ending August 8. Ticket will go on sale Sunday, June 13 and will run between the $55.00 – $95.00 range.

DREAMGIRLS, in case you didn’t see the movie version with Beyonce and Jamie Foxx, is the story of an up-and-coming 1960s girl group equivalent The Supremes.  DREAMGIRLS captures the trials and tribulations of the women in these situations, shedding light on the historical past of the ever-changing American music scene.

Tickets are available through Telecharge online or over the phone at (800) 447-7400. Tickets will also be available at  The National Theatre box office starting July 5.

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

Andreu Honeycutt and Heather Haney in Constellation Theatre Company's "The Ramayana." Photo credit: Daniel Schwartz

Which would you rather be – a god, a demon, or a monkey? In Constellation Theatre Company’s production of Indian epic The Ramayana, the answer is definitely a monkey. I haven’t seen actors having so much fun on stage in ages. At times, maybe too much fun. Mounting a multi-character multi-location multi-verse is daunting, and I admire director Allison Arkell Stockman for attacking something so challenging even larger companies might balk. Constellation’s mission is to produce “epic, ensemble theatre” with “heightened physicality” – and The Ramayana is definitely all that. When it wavers, it’s the fault of being too generous, of allowing too many focal points and not streamlining enough. But it’s still an enjoyable night out, playing now thru June 6 at Source Theater.

The Ramayana is one of two of the most beloved and sacred texts of India (the other, The Mahabharata, was also put to stage in Peter Brook’s famous version some twenty years ago, see the film sometime to get a taste of how fantastic that theatrical experience was). It details the trials of Lord Rama as he endures exile and the kidnapping of his wife Sita by the demon Ravana. Rama is the incarnation of Vishnu and represents the ideal king on earth, his wife Sita is the incarnation of Vishnu’s wife Lakshmi and therefore the ideal queenly wife. Actually, every character in The Ramayana is an archetype of the ideal way to behave – from loyal brother Lakshman to devoted monkey Hanuman.

With so many characters travelling through many worlds, it’s vital to have a backbone and here Stockman has picked the best – live music composed and performed by percussionist Tom Teasley. From playing the doumbek to scat singing, he pulls the audience along as a kind of musical narrator, and it’s easily the second most riveting performance of the evening, grounding time and place far more effectively than any set design.

The actors are clearly envigorated by Teasley’s musical support, and no where is that more obvious than with those delightfully crazy monkeys, highlighted by a stellar standout performance by Joe Brack. If Brack doesn’t get a Helen Hayes nomination for his work as Hanuman, there is no theatrical justice in this town.

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Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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Nohow On Plays The Red and Black Bar May 15

Nohow On photo

A New York City trio of self-proclaimed “garage-folk” rockers are taking the stage at DC’s very own Red and Black Bar on Saturday May 15.

Nohow On were recently named one of L Magazine’s 8 NYC Bands You Need To Hear and are on tour this spring/summer to support their debut record “You and Me and Other Fables”.

Think Bob Dylan goes to West Africa all while getting a lesson from Neutral Milk Hotel.

Zach Deputy and Aunt Martha will open the night.

Show starts at 9.

Entertainment, Music, The Daily Feed
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Rock Out (Acoustically) at Ebenezer’s This Thursday

Photo courtesy of
”
courtesy of ‘eleanor.black’

If you have an itch for a some solid singer-songwriter action, look no further than Ebenezer’s Coffeehouse and their Thursday night line up on May 13.

Ebenezer’s will feature three acts, one local and two New York City acoustic rockers from 7:30 to 10 p.m.

Headliner Mighty Kate dabbles with piano, guitar, and violin on-stage backed by a combination of classic and contemporary styles played by the rest of her band. Kate is known for her vocal command and ability to capture the audience with nothing more than an extraordinarily well-crafted song.

Local boy Rene Moffatt will open the night for Mighty Kate and fellow act Jody Shelton, bringing his DC area Open Mic skills to the table. Moffatt is a constant figure on the open mic scene who is currently working on honing his performances and songwriting skills. Moffatt can most often be found at IOTA (in VA) and the Modern Times Coffeehouse on a weekly basis.

Ebenezer’s is located at 201 F Street NE.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, The Daily Feed
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Betty White SNL Party At Duplex Diner This Weekend

Photo courtesy of
‘Betty White’
courtesy of ‘tgkohn’

Remember how hilarious Betty White was in the Super Bowl Snickers commercial?

The answer should be: of course I do! But in case you don’t, here’s a refresher:

After her funny stint playing football on TV, the former Golden Girls star received an increased interest by American’s possessed by pop culture antics to host Saturday Night Live.

Those hungry for pop culture had their prayers answered and Betty’s scheduled to host this Saturday (aka tomorrow) and DC’s Duplex Diner in Adams Morgan is celebrating the occasion with Betty White-themed drink specials, prizes, a Betty White costume competition, and more.

Party starts at 10.

Entertainment, Food and Drink, Special Events, The Features, We Love Drinks
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Drinks Smackdown! Beer vs. Wine 2

Photo courtesy of
‘Glorious Cheese’
courtesy of ‘Jenn Larsen’

When last we met for an epic drinks smackdown back in March, fellow WLDC author Kirk and I had our preconceived notions of which paired better with food – wine or beer – challenged and in some cases totally overthrown. I left with a heightened appreciation for beer and a fascination with the subject of food pairings. So when I was invited to attend National Geographic Live’s A Come to Cheeses Moment: Wine vs. Beer event, where beer and wine would duke it out over best pairing with cheese, it took little to convince me.

Wouldn’t you know that earlier in the day I was advised to kick the dairy habit for two weeks thanks to suspected lactose intolerance (my reaction? censored!). So my second drinks smackdown fittingly became farewell to my beloved cheese. Forgive me then if this reads more as an ode to cheese than to drinks! Sigh. I inhaled deeply as I entered the Grosvenor Auditorium at the National Geographic headquarters, redolent with the stinky glorious aroma, ready to say good-bye.

It was a packed house, and we were incredibly lucky in our three distinguished (and humorous) presenters – Steven Jenkins, Joshua Wesson and Nick Funnell. Both Jenkins and Wesson are regular on NPR’s The Splendid Table – Jenkins is the first American to win the prestigious title Chevalier du Taste Fromage and Wesson is the author of Red Wine With Fish and a top sommelier, having opened Best Cellars in 1996. Funnell is the brewmaster for the Great American Restaurants chain and a winner at the Great American Beer Festival. They had an amazing depth of knowledge that I can’t hope to replicate, but I’ll try to give you a taste.

All of the cheese served was from raw milk, and Jenkins did point out that he had chosen obscure cheeses which might be difficult for us to get ourselves (you’ve just been challenged!). The price point of the wine was very reasonable, Wesson indicated, around $15 a bottle. Funnell had picked all local beers at roughly $7 a pint.

So let’s dive in! Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: The Constellations

The Constellations

A fan in Santa Fe once called The Constellations a real-life version of The Royal Tannenbaums. That sentiment is true.

This band of Atlanta brothers and sisters agree. The Constellations embody the highly intelligent nature of the disillusioned Tannenbaum family. All they’re trying to do is carve a path and find themselves in the process.

The Constellations have a two and a half year rotating line-up change to blame for their eclectic approach to music making. For frontman Elijah Jones and the rest of the gang, the studio is the playground and the instruments are the toys. Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Echo & The Bunnymen @ The Black Cat 4/30/10

Echo & The Bunnymen, Ian McCulloch, Will Sergeant
courtesy of Echo & The Bunnymen.

Echo & the Bunnymen played to a sold out Black Cat on Friday night. It was a rescheduled date from their canceled Fall 2009 tour.

Ian McCulloch wore sunglasses and a long coat over his sweatshirt. He smoked many cigarettes and told many, many indecipherable anecdotes. His singing voice sounded spot on and mentally he held it together through most of the set (contrary to what I have heard of earlier Bunnymen tours this century). It was during the encore that Ian began to ramble on with medleys and tributes that stretched some of Echo’s best songs to their breaking points. I won’t say that this aging post-punk genius isn’t due his eccentricities though. All told, minus the encore nonsense, he gave us an excellent show chock full of fan favorites. Original member Will Sergeant was there too, killing it on guitar. The backing band was very tight. If you closed your eyes you would think you were listening to the 80’s line-up. Except for the keyboards which seemed to disconnect slightly in the set’s later half.

I last saw Echo & The Bunnymen play in 2003 in Spain in front of a massive crowd (50k?) at the Festival Internacional de Benicassim. That show was totally rock star. It looked and sounded epic. Friday night’s show was intimate and informal. Ian and the band hardly seemed to be putting on a show at all. The feel was very relaxed as if the band were playing for old friends rather than paying customers. Judging from the very warm reception the band received, in a way I guess they were.
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