Category Archives: The Features

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

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: 4000 Miles

Grant Harrison and Tana Hicken in Studio Theatre's production of 4000 Miles. Photo credit: Scott Suchman.

Grant Harrison and Tana Hicken in Studio Theatre’s production of 4000 Miles. Photo credit: Scott Suchman.

Some generational theorists say that you can be closer to your grandparents’ world views than to those of your parents. Perhaps that’s true (my grandmother was a cocktail drinker), perhaps it isn’t (those arguments about religion!). I suspect that the kind of relationship you had with your grandparents will strongly inform your reaction to Amy Herzog’s generational drama, 4000 Miles, now playing at Studio Theatre under the direction of its former founding artistic director Joy Zinoman.

Twentysomething Leo (Grant Harrison) turns up at his ninetysomething grandmother Vera’s Greenwich Village apartment in the middle of the night, fresh (or rather, rank) off a cross-country cycling trip that’s ended in tragedy. He’s lost, existentially, but like a homing pigeon has ended up at a haven he considers safe. Vera (Tana Hicken) may still cling to independence, but her speech is peppered with “what do you call it?” forgetfulness, and she’s in just as much need.

The simple moments when they embrace are the most true. Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Garbage @ The Fillmore — 3/24/13

Garbage @ The Phoenix jareed

Love them or hate them, you never really know a band unless you’ve seen them live. I’m reminded of this time and time again, most recently when I caught the sold-out performance of Garbage at the Fillmore Silver Spring Sunday evening.

Once upon a time, I associated Garbage with a period of music for which I have little affection overall, consigning them to the bottom of a bin of post-grunge noise, most of which demonstrated little originality or imagination. I heard of their new album, Not Your Kind of People, and following tour last year with a bit of curiosity because I had not expected them to tour, much less chart again.

To her credit, singer Shirley Manson addressed this idea head-on in an often self-confessional dialogue with the audience. I say dialogue because the audience truly reacted to her and she to them. She created an unmistakable bond between performer and audience when she spoke, which she did more as the show continued, charming listeners with her Scottish accent. Manson said she had doubts if she could bring her band together again, if they would work well together after their time apart, and if anyone would want to listen to them. She looked at the charts and didn’t see anything that resembled her band.

But that process appears to have given her confidence. The introspection inspired the lyrics to the new song “Man on a Wire.” And she was irrevocably committed to making a new record.

Continue reading →

We Love Food
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We Love Food: Daikaya

daikaya collage

Let’s be real – the first thing you want to know about Daikaya is “is it as good as Toki Underground?” and so let’s just go ahead and cut to the chase.

YES. It is as good as Toki. But it’s different, so shake loose the picture of ramen you’re carrying around from my favorite H Street eatery. Led by ramen expert Sakae Ishida, Daikaya serves up a different style of ramen than our old friend, so go in without expectation.

I’m a huge fan. In fact, just writing this makes me crave a round of dumplings and a bowl of the miso or shoyu ramen. But out of all of the bowls we ordered, the shio ramen made me the happiest. The very definition of umami.

Located next door to Graffiato, Daikaya’s exterior looks like it’s covered in wifi symbols. It’s walk-in only, and for three on a Friday night we waited a little more than 30 minutes. They’ll text you when your table is ready, so you can grab a drink elsewhere while you wait.

Daikaya is located at 705 6th St NW, accessible from the Chinatown and Judiciary Square metro stations.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 3/22-3/24

down it goes philliefan99

I was prepared to write something snarky about how spring has not arrived and that those wanted posters for Punksatony Phil are spot on. But then I tried to pick the ten photos for this Flashback, and I had to increase the number to 15. There was simply an overabundance of great shots! Everyone really took advantage of Saturday and got outside to take pictures; thank you and good work. Now, everyone enjoy this first Weekend Flashback of Spring! Continue reading →

Arlington, We Love Arts
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Interview with Playwright Beau Hopkins

Original Ugandan production of The River & The Mountain / Courtesy of Artisphere

Original Ugandan production of The River & The Mountain / Courtesy of Artisphere

British playwright Beau Hopkins wrote The River and the Mountain – the first Ugandan-produced play to deal with the theme of homosexuality. The controversial show, which premiered in Kampala in 2012, led to charges against and eventual deportation of producer David Cecil.

The River and the Mountain will make its US debut – and its first showing outside of Uganda – in a series of staged readings in the DC/Baltimore area, including a free staged reading this Saturday night at Artisphere. I recently spoke with Hopkins about the project and the current political climate in Uganda.

Joanna Castle Miller: Tell me a little about what led you to write this piece.

Beau Hopkins: I met (producer) David Cecil shortly after I arrived in Uganda in April of last year. And he introduced me to a theater company that suggested an interesting topic: the issue of homosexuality. It was something over which a blanket silence had descended that was politically motivated. And in their view, it was important to rupture that silence.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends – Mar 22 to 24

Black-Eyed Susan Field 2 dcscorpio

Joanna: It’s spring, y’all. SPRING! The sun is high in the sky these days, so most of my weekend will be spent out in that. On Saturday I’m trekking to Georgetown and its Baked and Wired cupcakes before heading over the bridge to Artisphere for a staged reading of The River and the Mountain – a controversial Ugandan play related to homosexual policies that are still in affect. On Sunday the husband and I will introduce our dog to his arch-nemesis: a little cocker spaniel who hates him and wants him dead. We like the other dog’s owners, and they like us, so we really need a Kumbaya moment here. And since technically the Cherry Blossom Festival started yesterday, at some point I may also stop by Family Days at the National Building Museum to get in the spirit.

Mosley: Beer is in my weekend plans.  Sunday I’m going to the DC Beer Festival at Nats Park.  Mainly because I love beer and love Nat’s Park.  And this will get me over the hump until baseball season starts up and I can go to a Nats game.  Hoping against hope that the weather stays nice on Sunday.  Friday and Saturday plans are up in the air, but if the weather is as nice as predicted, I may go for a nice long photo walk along the Mount Vernon Trail; haven’t done that in a couple of years.

A Mediterranean Delight LaTur

Katie: Friday, I’m hanging out with a friend in Old Town, and we’re hitting up The Pita House for some Mediterranean. Saturday, I’m being a dutiful bridesmaid and playing mannequin while my bestie picks out our bridesmaids dresses. We’re in for a day of shopping at Hitched, J.Crew and Ellie’s to find the perfect frock for her five bridesmaids to wear in her August vineyard wedding. Saturday night, I’m touring the monuments at night (GASP, can you believe in all six years I’ve lived here, I’ve never actually done that?) and then I’m rounding in on race day for the Cherry Blossom 10 Mile, so I’ve got my final big long run this weekend. Eek! Wish my hydration and stamina!

Rachel: My weekend starts today. It’s my birthday and I plan on celebrating. I’m kicking things off with lunch at DGS Delicatessen followed by happy hour, dinner, and a show at IOTA while some of my friends tackle some of 1979’s most classic albums. Word is the Cherry Blossom Festival starts this weekend so I’m going to do my best to avoid the Metro Rail at all costs because large crowds tend to stress me out. I’m also planning on joining a couple of the biggest Nats fans in town for some greasy food and drinks at Duffy’s in celebration of the swiftly approaching baseball season. Party on.

Macbeth drinking scene OSU Special Collections & Archives : Commons

Patrick: Saturday I’m running the 2nd 5K ever in my entire life. The Run for Haiti 5K. I’d feel better about this if I actually trained this week instead of getting over my #SXSW Flu. I know all the hard core runners reading this are making fun of me. After my death run I’m reviewing Voodoo Macbeth over at American Century Theatre. As a theatre person I’m nervous I just typed the M word- I’m sure I won’t be cursed, right? After the show I hope to break my liver back in with my favorite Radio personality. Sunday I’ll be brunching at everybody’s favorite hip coffee place: Busboys & Poets.

Jenn: Tonight I’m heading over to The Dunes for Stand for Art’s Life is The Artistic Celebration party. Face painting, bellydancing, extremely cool music, what’s not to love? Friday night you could head over to the Corcoran’s annual ARTINI gala, where the beautiful people sip talented bartenders’ artistic cocktails under the columns. Tickets are still available. I’m very excited to see the the extension at Studio Theatre of The Motherfucker with the Hat, and the opening of 4000 Miles. Sunday I’ll hit an evening performance of the Lost Civilizations experimental music project at DC9. At some point a nice long walk to do some serious thinking about life will be involved. Plus Swedish meatballs at Hogo, several days in a row.

Fedward: Friday night the Social Chair, myself, and our collection of IKEA catalogs will make our way to Hogo for chef Ed Hardy’s new menu. Saturday, sans catalogs, we’re headed out to Seven Corners with our friend Sylvie for a guided tour of the Eden Center (I’ve been, but I always go to the same three places). If we didn’t have plans, we’d head to the Danny Kaye film festival (the flagon with the dragon holds the brew that is true. I think). Once we do get home Saturday night, we’ll celebrate Don Lockwood’s lucky day (1:30 AM, March 24) by watching Singin’ in the Rain. Sunday we’ll be early for our usual Passenger brunch, because it’s opening night for Studio Theatre’s 4,000 Miles (featuring the directorial return of founder Joy Zinoman).

National Harbor 2011.11.26 5.jpg JasonianPhotography

Tom: This Friday night I’m doing what I’ve resisted for so long: visiting National Harbor. A friend from out of town is staying down there for work, so we’ll be popping down to enjoy the sights and tastes. Saturday will have some community meetings, which means learning and listening and collaborating on new ideas, and that’s the key part. Sunday, I will be getting out and riding, weather be damned.

Rebecca: Friday I’m finally getting to check out the ramen, dumplings and sake at Toki Underground. Afterwards, I’ll stick around H Street and sip some pints at the Star and Shamrock. Saturday I hope it’s warm enough to play for footie outside before I head to three different birthday parties at Bedrock Billiards, The Brixton and The Big Hunt. Think I’m going to be tired Sunday.

Sports Fix
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Fan Spring Training: Visiting the Affiliates

April first draws closer everyday, and with it the start of a new baseball season. The Washington Nationals baseball franchise is expected to be one of the best in the majors this season, but they wouldn’t have that distinction if it weren’t for their farm system. There are the obvious top-top prospects that they drafted in Zimmerman, Strasburg, and Harper, but there are also the later round and less heralded prospects that they drafted and developed like Desmond, Zimmermann, Stammen, Moore, Lombardozzi, and Espinosa. If the Nationals hope to remain good for a long time they are eventually going to need another wave of talent to refresh what they will lose to free agency. That is a few years off for now, but visiting the minor leagues isn’t just a great way to see the future of your favorite team, but also a great way to visit parts of our country you may not otherwise.

Hagerstown

The Hagerstown Suns are the low A SAL affiliate of the Washington Nationals. In recent years Harper and Strasburg both made stops there. The current crop of talent is a bit of a mystery. The top Nationals prospects are going to start the season at either AA Harrisburg or AAA Syracuse, but part of the fun of the lower minor leagues is seeing players you may never see again. In some ways it makes the outcome less important and the baseball more of the focus, and there is a lot of enjoyment that can be had in watching baseball for the sake of baseball.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

074 kimberlyfaye

With each passing day the scaffolding around the Washington Monument moves higher and higher. If you will recall, the world’s biggest obelisk is getting the treatment to fix a number of cracks that occurred during (or were found after) the 2011 Earthquake. Even though we’ve lost being able to go into the monument until some time next year, the small benefit is that we get to see it wrapped up in the scaffolding again (look here for an idea on what it will look like completed).

Kim’s picture does a great job of capturing this time in the life of the monument. First, we have the crisscrossing lines of the scaffolding to draw the eye. Then the black of the night sky and the metal scaffolding, combined with the brighter white of the illuminated monument, create a great contrast. The flags provides a nice splash of color to the whole photo; as well as providing an interesting tell that this is a long exposure shot. All around, an excellent shot.

Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 3/15-3/18

Washington D.C. Fire Department Pipes&Drums vpickering

Let’s get this week moving. We got a Elephant Parade tomorrow; March Madness to kick off; and we still need to get this Spring thing started (whenever that will happen is anyone’s guess). So let’s get started and the week will just fly by!

Friendly reminder to all our photo contributors: we are starting up our “Week In Review” posts this Friday, so please contribute photos throughout the week. Everyone at WLDC is looking forward to the seeing the contributions. Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends – March 15 to 17

Sights at Nationals Stadium frederickking1979

Tom: This weekend starts out Friday night at Wonderland Ballroom to tape You, Me, Them, Everybody where I’ll be talking about Nationals Baseball in 2013 and the prospects of a season to remember. Saturday, I’m riding Big Stinky to raise awareness for the completion of the Met Branch Trail, and Sunday I’m doing the VASA ride with WABA assuming the weather’s not a total disaster.  Should be awesome!

Mosley: Since I was in parts of the world that don’t speak English when some of last year’s better movies came out, I’m taking advantage of two showings at the AFI in Silver Spring. Specifically, I’m going to see Lincoln and Argo. Also thinking of having dinner at my family’s favorite seafood place: Crisfield’s. Been going there since I was in the womb, and, mmmmm, I can already taste the clam chowdah! Saturday and Sunday are looking weird, weather-wise; I guess I will worry about those when I come to them. I’ve been wanting to hitting see the Phillips Collection and the Corcoran since I got back, but haven’t found the time; maybe this is the weekend to do it.

Continue reading →

Sports Fix
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Fan Spring Training: Sample Sizes

Photo courtesy of MissChatter
1ST_1280
courtesy of MissChatter

One of the most important details about stats is that on a long enough time line any stat will give you an indication of if a player is good or not. The effort put into advanced stats is to shorten the timeline. Think about pitching stats. You could wait through a players career to see how many wins they end up and how many seasons they have with 15+ wins, but sports fans are an impatient lot and waiting until someone’s career is almost over isn’t a good way to know if they are really good right then.

ERA does a slightly better job of this but it doesn’t measure exactly what a pitcher does. Three years of ERA should be enough to tell what a players true talent level is, but front offices have to make decisions on less than three years of data and averages of that long of a time period can vary dramatically year to year. FIP is thought of as a more predictive stat because it doesn’t fluctuate as much from year to year as ERA meaning a smaller sample size is needed to judge a players true talent level.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, Music, Night Life, The Features, We Love Music
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The Winning Ticket: DC Music Download Anniversary show @ Rock & Roll Hotel

Paperhausshow

Today We Love DC is giving away a pair of tickets to DC Music Download‘s 1 year anniversary show at Rock & Roll Hotel this Friday, March 15th! Playing on Friday will be alt-psych-rockers Paperhaus, who are celebrating the release of their EP before they leave DC for a two-month US tour. Also on the bill are Drop Electric, The Silver Liners and The North Country. Advanced tickets are available for $10 through ticket alternative. Tickets will be $12 at the door on the night of the show.

For your chance to win these tickets simply leave a comment on this post using a valid email address until 4pm today. One entry per email address, please.

For the rules of this giveaway…

Comments will be closed at 4pm and a winner will be randomly selected. The winner will be notified by email. The winner must respond to our email in 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the ticket window of the Rock & Roll Hotel 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.

Comment away!

The Features
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Toward Better Communication

Morning in Eckington 8117 tedeytan

After ten years of living in the greater DC area, I became a District resident in 2010. In those three years, I’ve grown to see more complexity in many different subjects, but most clear to me is how this city eyes the politics of race and of affluence. The front lines of DC’s gentrification are not a comfortable place, for the new or the old. And yet, they’re inescapable for a city in the midst of change and growth.

Tiffany and I moved to Monroe Street NE in the Brookland neighborhood, a part of DC that is both old and new all at once. Brookland is one of DC’s most diverse neighborhoods. There are new residents (white, black, hispanic), old residents (white, black, hispanic), poor residents, rich residents, the childless and families, and all are well represented in Brookland. I won’t call that coexistence easy or flawless, but I will say that this is a neighborhood that, for the most part, gets along despite their differences. The meetings can be contentious – see the 901 Monroe development for a good example – but this isn’t a place where all decorum is thrown out the window, making it an exception in Ward 5, known for its online drama.

On Sunday night, thirteen people were shot in front of their homes at Tyler House on North Capitol Street. The 284 units of Section 8 public housing at Tyler House are the site of a $25M renovation planned for the near term, separate from a necessary $100M commitment from Mayor Vincent Gray for the expansion of affordable housing for the District. Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Cold Showers, Veronica Falls @ Black Cat — 3/6/13

Veronica Falls alterna2

So last week, I ventured to the Black Cat to catch Veronica Falls, a band that a lot of my indie-minded friends have praised at one point or another. They have released their second album, Waiting for Something to Happen, which offers up more of the bright speedy pop found on their debut album.

Songs like “Broken Toy,” “Waiting for Something to Happen” and “If You Still Want Me” — which were played to good effect in the middle to latter half of the set — all come urgently while showcasing sweet harmonies between Roxanne Clifford and James Hoare, who share vocal duties while playing their guitars. Those guitars got louder as the show progressed, as the band seemed to arrange their set list to build up the sound and the layers as the show progressed.

While it’s a given that Veronica Falls are labeled shoegaze by many critics, they don’t exactly play like shoegazers. The guitar players notably keep their heads up and their instruments are rather quite free of the fuzzy guitar feedback that serves as a hallmark of the classic shoegaze sound. Their playing is muscular yet jangly, however, defying easy classification.

Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Django Django @ 9:30 Club — 3/9/13

Django Django blikeng

Django Django got moves like Devo.

And I say that in the most sincerely flattering way. The young London-based quartet is by no means copying anything from their Ohio-born predecessors. Django Django have their own neo-psychedelic sound that comes off as a breath of fresh air — something somewhat unique in a time when a lot of people are embracing a lot of electro-pop tunes that recycle a lot of the same sounds. Django Django makes music that soars yet soothes and they don’t really retread any ground covered by Devo.

However, there is something in their presentation — the way they play with careless abandon, the way they sometime move in unison like robots and the way they sometimes look like geeky young fathers instead of rock stars — unmistakably smacks of the off-kilter, art-punk Devo. In the same way Devo approached new wave and shook it up with new approaches and occasionally different notes, so too does Django Django approaches its neo-psych with a fresh perspective, borrowing from surf rock and African melodies when it suits them.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

stetsons ekelly80

A constant request I get from my friends is to “teach me to take photos like you do.” I find I have to stop myself from responding like George Costanza: “That’s like asking Picasso to teach me to paint like you paint.” The arrogance of the statement is only half of the issue; the other half is that it’s very hard to explain how someone visualizes a photograph. Many times I don’t even know what has drawn my eye to take the picture until I sort through my photos later.

Abstract photos are particularly difficult to explain. Take Erin’s photo above, a great abstract photo. What drew her eye to take this photo? If it was the peeling paint, she could have cropped it more like this. Was it the contrasting colors in the scene; the dull tones of the paint, with the muted reflected colors? It’s easy to say it was all of the above, but it could have been the shape of the window. Or perhaps even something I am missing. How does what explain finding and taking this picture?

And if the aim was to get something abstract, there are many types that could work; ceilings, portions of railings, shadows on sidewalks, even reflections of signs.

The ultimate answer is you shoot what catches your eye. It’s a carefully cultivated talent, that is unique to each person. I, or any photographer, could no more teach this skill than Picasso teach us to paint like he does. Each person just has to go out there and take photos the way they take photos.

The Features, We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Manon Lescaut

(l-r) Patricia Racette as Manon Lescaut and Kamen Chanev as Chevalier des Grieux. Photo by Scott Suchman for WNO.

(l-r) Patricia Racette as Manon Lescaut and Kamen Chanev as Chevalier des Grieux. Photo by Scott Suchman for WNO.

If you’ve been wanting to try the opera, start with Washington National Opera’s Manon Lescaut this month at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Puccini’s first real hit runs a mere two hours, 45 minutes including two intermissions. Within this tight time constraint, the epic love story comes nearly bite-sized.

Soprano Patricia Racette makes her role debut as the tragic heroine Manon Lescaut – a woman torn between her love for the finer things and her love for impoverished student Chevalier des Grieux. After she leaves des Grieux for the wealth of “that ancient dandy” Geronte de Ravoir, her conflicting loves torment her and lead to devastation.

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, March 8-10

Atlas yostinator

Jenn: So much to catch! This is the last weekend of the DC Intersections festival at the Atlas Performing Arts Center over on H Street NE, with exciting selections such as Vijar Iyer’s documentary concert Holding It Down: The Veterans Dreams Project, theOur City Film Festival, and a musical mash-up with North Indian classical violinist Nistha Raj, jazz saxophonist Aakash Mittal, tabliya Debu Nayak, and beatboxer Christylez Bacon. It’s also the last weekend for the opulent exhibit of Turkish design, The Sultan’s Garden: The Blossoming of Ottoman Art, at the Textile Museum. Plus the last weekend for Folger Theatre’s riveting production of Henry V. And I definitely want to hit Hogo for the next installment of their rotating chef series, with Aaron Silverman of the upcoming Capitol Hill spot Rose’s Luxury previewing some dishes like popcorn soup and spicy pork and lychee — yum. Can I say yum and still be taken seriously?

Tom: After the failed snowstorm this week, I’m thinking Spring might really be upon us. Have you looked at the weather? 51 on Saturday, 58 on Sunday, and full of sunshine. I’ve been dying to check out the Corcoran’s Pump Me Up exhibit, so it’s possible I’ll put on a go-go/native punk playlist and bike down to check it out. There’s also still baseball and hockey to watch to watch this weekend, and civic association work to be done, so look for me at Turkey Thicket getting a count on activity.

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends, normally

icing over philliefan99

But we’re all buried deep beneath the snow from this monster storm and will be doing nothing more than digging ourselves out.

(Editor note to Don, remove before publication: Hey, you really think it’s smart to write this so far in advance? I know we’re all concerned about the storm projections but I think we might want to wait to put up a placeholder even if the expectation is it’s gonna be so rough. It’s your call, but I’d advise against it; you never know how you might get caught out on this stuff.)

Continue reading →