Category Archives: The Features

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

Entertainment, The Features
By

House of Cards: Today’s Best Show About DC

HOUSE OF CARDS

I don’t watch a lot of TV. It’s hard to keep up when your schedule is packed with shows to review. A lot of my friends often tell I me I need to start watching shows like Homeland or The Walking Dead. The problem is I know that if I start watching a show, I’ll want to watch as many episodes as possible. I’ll start binge watching with a Marco Rubio-like thirst. That’s what happened when I decided to watch The Newsroom and Girls. I pretty much ignored all other priorities in life and watched Jeff Daniels spout Sorkinisms and Lena Dunham prance around New York without clothes on.

Ain’t Nobody got time for that.

Well along came Netflix’s House of Cards and I just had to watch it. When I saw the trailer back in November I knew I would be watching the series when it came out this month. Like 99% of people that live around here, I couldn’t help but get excited about a show all about Washington, DC.

And so when Netflix released all 13 episodes of the first season of House of Cards on February 1st I watched the first three episodes without stopping. Three days later I finished the entire series. Smart move for Netflix to release the series on a Friday. Then again they always knew what they were doing.

After reportedly paying $100 Million to land the show away from other Premium Cable networks, Netflix saw the series as a move towards more original programming. Knowing its customers often catch-up on shows through marathon viewing sessions, the service decided to release the entire first season at once.

The move has paid off, the show is now Netflix’s most-watched program.

It’s been both a blessing and a curse. I was able to consume all of it at once but now I find it hard to talk about it with my friends. The show is available to be watched as fast (or as slow) as one wants. You can’t talk about it on social media in fear of spoiling it for others. You can’t talk about it with your friends since everybody is watching it at different rates- more so than a regular TV series. As a result you struggle to find somebody to dish about the show. I’m not the only one with that problem.

So without giving too much away, indulge me as I get off my chest what I knew after watching those first three episodes: House of Cards is the best show about Washington, DC since The West Wing.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo
By

Featured Photo

Old Friends TheRobbStory

I know it’s difficult, but look beyond the puppy. If you do, you’ll see that Robb has composed a wonderful shot. With a narrow depth of field, he has concentrated the viewer’s attention on the man and the dog, while giving a beautifully smooth backdrop to the scene. And while it would be natural to center focus on the person, instead he’s put the man’s hands at the center, which helps to shift the attention to the interaction between person and animal. The use of black and white film is also an excellent choice, as it helps make the photo about composition and not potentially distracting colors. All around a great shot…and look at the cute puppy!

We Love Weekends
By

Weekend Flashback: 2/15-2/17

A Lincoln Memorial POV different than usual shot wolfkann

I know the weekend is in extra innings for most people, but there are some people who still have to come into the office today. Still, take some time today to remember our beloved first president, George Washington. The man was generally awesome (though not perfect), and as proof of his awesomeness, remember, he has a capitol city named after him. Once you’re done going down History Lane, start your week off with the excellent photos in this Flashback. Enjoy! Continue reading →

Farm Fresh, Shopping
By

Places To Buy Local Food in DC Year-Round

hot chocolate ekelly80

The dregs of winter are upon us. Where does one buy food that aligns with one’s hippie local, organic beliefs in the dead season?

Here are the places I get excited to grocery shop in the winter:

  • Smucker Farms of Lancaster Co. on 14th St. NW: This little grocery store is my idea of heaven. Local everything, including local dried goods, pastas and even some pre-prepped meals for you to grab and go.
  • Union Market on 5th NE: Meat, cheese, veggies, breads, coffee, tea, spices… is there anything you need to whip up a meal you can’t find here?
  • Dupont Circle Farmer’s Market on 20th St. NW on Sundays: Just in case you thought it was summer-only, the city’s best farmer’s market is still kicking in winter. Crab cakes, greens, milk, eggs, you still need these basics.

What did I miss? Leave it in the comments for the greater good!

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Black Comedy

g2zXE-nY_h7IWzFNrxYmgkVGTYX6LV2yAfvcjVxwnZE

Most farces, especially British faces, are essentially the same: frenetic energy, physical humor, and mistaken identity. There’s little you can change besides the names, sets, and costumes… right?

Peter Shaffer finds another way to spice up the genre with lighting. Or should I say without lighting?

When it comes to the characters in Shaffer’s Black Comedy, they are in dark when the stage is lit and vice versa. As the show starts, the lights go out and we hear the entire opening scene done in complete blackout. While it is funny to hear actors speak and move about without being able to see, it is more amazing to realize they are navigating a stage without any light. As someone that’s worked on stage before, it’s quite the task. After a “blown fuse” the lights finally go up, but the characters act as if the opposite has occurred. It results in a zany twist for No Rules Theatre’s first show at the Signature Theatre in Shirlington, where the company will reside for the next three years.

The result is a show packed with non-stop laughs that will have you rolling in the aisles by the night’s end.

Continue reading →

DC Victory Gardens, Food and Drink, Fun & Games, Life in the Capital, We Green DC
By

How Does Your DC Garden Grow? According to Manchester landscape

an organic presidency philliefan99

It’s already that time, you guys! That’s how you know spring is almost here…. it’s seed sowing time. I’m so excited to start in on my vegetable garden, I’ve got my grow light out, I’ve got all my books (this and this) on my coffee table and I’ve been madly perusing the Seed Savers Exchange website. Finally, all those tools that I bought from OccupyTheFarm paid off. It only shows that you don’t really need the expensive machineries and tools to get your garden started. But I got a little overwhelmed with where and when, exactly, to start, so last weekend I sat down  to talk a little bit with Meredith Shepherd of the DC-based organic home gardening service Love & Carrots and get her advice for starting your own small home garden.

Here are a few of her tips according to Manchester landscape you ca read more about at https://didsburydriveways.co.uk/blog/manchester-landscape/.

  • Grow herbs. The landscapers Melbourne crew advises the best way to get started gardening is to design and grow a small herb garden, especially if you’re a renter. Her favorites are lavender, sweet woodruff, lemon verbena and chives.
  • Don’t over water or under water. Read up on what you plant and what kind of soil and water level it needs so you don’t waste your time or drown your plants. (She told me I should be keeping my rosemary separate from the rest of my herbs because it likes it a bit drier.)
  • Salad greens can grow in the shade, especially the “cut and come again” varieties. This is handy if you live on a narrow street and don’t have much sunlight.
  • The District proper is a plant hardiness zone warmer than the rest of the surrounding DMV area. This is handy to know when you’re trying to figure out when and what to plant.
  • Get a hose reel. A hose reel can be a great useful garden tool to keep your garden or lawn looking clean and tidy as well as making hose use more convenient. BestofMachinery’s Bob Robinson made a list of the best hose reels on the market today. Visit his reviews on https://BestOfMachinery.com

Overwhelmed? Love & Carrots can help. Meredith’s service offers everything from consulting (a one-time service where she helps you think it all through) to coaching (you set up regular appointments where they teach you everything you need to know, complete with syllabus and notes emailed to you after), or full plant-and-care service done by her staff.

After confessing the way growing a garden makes me feel like I’m sticking it to big agriculture (Monsanto, I’m looking right at you), Meredith agreed. “I feel like I’m bringing back a part of culture,” she said about Love & Carrots. “All our grandparents had gardens, it just makes sense.” If you are interested in doing the same thing, check out this mini rotatory hoe to start giving shape to yourgarden.

Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
By

We Love Weekends: Feb 15 – 17

love wall christaki

We hope you’re having a good Valentine’s Day, if you celebrate that sort of thing. Or that the pins are sticking well into the doll of the ex who hurt you. Whatever. That’s today, we’re focused here on tomorrow. Specifically the part of tomorrow that involves fleeing our unsatisfying corporate obligations and letting slip the dog of whimsey. Or something.

erin m

Rachel: This weekend should be a doozy. It’ll start with drinks at Bier Baron in Dupont followed by some live music at Iota in Arlington to see fellow WLDC’er John and his band Juniper Lane tear it up on stage. Then I’m not too sure when but I’ll hopefully be able to connect with fellow local musician Don Kim to hash out some new cover songs and get our creativity on at some point this weekend, if we can. The rest of the weekend will be spent in preparation for my next show at Iota with The 9 Songwriter Series on Tuesday 2/19. I’ll be debuting a new song, I’m pretty excited about it.

2012 Valentine's is a Drag 9149 tedeytan

Fedward:  We’re starting our Valentine’s Day weekend tonight, with the new Jewish Soul Food menu at Hogo.  Fancy, I know.  Friday night we’ll be braising some short ribs we picked up last night from Red Apron.  As I said last night, I put my faith in Nathan. Saturday we’ll visit the AFI Silver Theatre for Mr. Blandings Builds His Dream House, part of their collaboration with the National Building Museum, “Reel Estate: The American Home on Film.”  And Sunday we’ll swing by Proof for Sazeracs during Adam Bernbach‘s continuing “remastered editions” series.

Chocolate Tart caroline.angelo

Jenn: My weekend starts early with a visit to Arena Stage to see Mary Zimmerman’s adaptation of Ovid’s Metamorphoses tonight. A pool! On stage! Aphrodite kicking ass! It’s perfect for a Valentine’s Day catch-up with a dear friend. Afterwards there are any number of fun non-couply events to attend, such as comedy night My Shriveled Black Heart at The Dunes, or The Pinch’s Burlesque and Belly Laughs. Friday night Pink Vinyl is spinning their last DJ night at SOVA, and of course it’s a Heartbreak Edition, as SOVA’s changing ownership soon. Saturday night Looking Glass Lounge is hosting their Dark Heart Rises Masquerade Ball. Hmm, I do have a red Venetian mask lying around somewhere. Just not into partying this weekend? I understand. Go see art: this Sunday the National Gallery of Art opens an amazing exhibition of Pre-Raphaelite art and design, the first major survey of its kind in the US. I’ve always loved this art movement and am extremely excited about this gorgeous exhibition. Oh, and get to Hogo for Renee Peres’ Jewish “soul food” menu – so good I had not one but two dinners there last night. Whitefish salad, brisket, sigh.

045 kimberlyfaye

Mosley: Twice a year, the Library of Congress opens the Main Reading Room, one of the most beautiful spaces in the entire city, to photography. One of those days is this Monday (President’s Day). While it can get very busy there, it’s a great experience. The Open House is from 10am to 3pm (the Jefferson Building itself is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm).

Valentines Baking Party InspirationDC

Don: My top weekend activity is getting out to see the newest Die Hard movie, a decidedly non-DC-specific thing. Which, given how poorly they portrayed our area in films 2 and 4 – which were supposedly set here – might just be for the best. What is decidedly DC is this writeup called “A Die-Hard’s Guide To ‘Die Hard’: 25 Years Of Sweat, Dirt And Blowing Stuff Up” by fellow local and Die Hard aficionado, Chris Klimek. He leaves out some interesting tidbits about the source material for the first Die Hard film, but I can’t blame him. It wouldn’t have fit in with his article any more than it fits in here on our DC-area-focused site – which is why I’m leaving it out myself. My other plans this weekend involve writing my piece called “how to annoy your readers and leave them in suspense at the same time.”

Chris Rief aka Spodie Odie

Tom: Man, the weekend? I feel like this week has drug on and on, and it’s hard to think we might actually be there already. I’m ready for some hockey on Sunday, so catch me down at Boundary Stone for wings and Caps, but first I think I’m going to find myself a Carl’s Subs and celebrate Rhode Island Avenue with some good local dollars. I may also throw on my bike tights and do some cold weather to prep for the VASA ride I registered for last week. But mostly, I’ll be dreaming of baseball and getting my AM radio ready for summer.

Education, Entertainment, Special Events, The Features, We Love Arts
By

National Geographic Live Giveaway – Feb/Mar 2013

Photo courtesy of BurnAway
Essick discussing his photo in the special Nat Geo exhibit upstairs
courtesy of BurnAway

The National Geographic Live series began a couple weeks ago, so our apologies for getting this to you a little late. Nonetheless, the good folks over at the NG Museum are giving away two pairs of tickets to our readers for (almost) any one of their great programs over the next few weeks. Entering is easy: in the comment field below, give us your name and two of the programs from the following list you’d like to see. We’ll randomly draw two commenters and provide each with a pair of tickets to one of the programs they selected! The drawing will occur around noon on Tuesday, 2/19 and winners notified that afternoon.

All events are at the Grosvenor Auditorium at the National Geographic Museum, located at the corner of 16th and M Streets, NW. Parking is free for programs starting after 6 pm. If you’d like to attend and don’t win, you can contact the box office to purchase tickets.

Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness ($22)
Feb 20, 7:30 pm
Spend an evening with Alexandra Fuller, an award-winning writer and National Geographic contributor who has converted the experience of growing up amidst war and revolution into a powerful literary voice. Raised in Zimbabwe by English expats, Fuller’s coming-of-age experience during that country’s independence struggle provided material for two compelling memoirs, Don’t Let’s Go to the Dogs Tonight and Cocktail Hour Under the Tree of Forgetfulness. Join us for a moving exploration of Africa—and beyond—in a conversation hosted by National Geographic Traveler editor at large Don George.

Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Good People

Johanna Day as Margie, Francesca Choy-Kee as Kate and Andrew Long as Mike in Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s production of Good People. Photo credit: Margot Schulman.

Johanna Day as Margie, Francesca Choy-Kee as Kate and Andrew Long as Mike in Arena Stage at the Mead Center for American Theater’s production of Good People. Photo credit: Margot Schulman.

A woman struggling as she slides further into poverty meets a former boyfriend whose life has taken the opposite trajectory, and the powder keg of class, gender and race is ignited. If David Lindsay-Abaire’s play Good People were a 1940s film, Barbara Stanwyck would star, martyring herself for her man and her child, and many handkerchiefs would be wrung wet by the end. Corset her up and we’ve got Dickens or Hardy. It’s not intentionally a “weepie,” however, it’s the playwright’s well-meaning attempt to honor the working class neighborhood of his childhood: South Boston. But he can’t escape the conventions other writers have fallen into time again when trying to make sense of the cruelty of chance and circumstance, the razor’s edge that separates rich and poor.

Does that matter? After all, it’s well-awarded, and the most produced play of American theater’s 2012-13 season. The essential story is told repeatedly because, sadly, it’s still relevant.

The success of Arena Stage’s production of Good People hinges on its lead actor, Johanna Day, whose bravura performance as Margie is electrifying, and true. We all know someone who ends badly through a combination of coincidence, choice, and misplaced pride. Lindsay-Abaire chooses to end with a hope-delivering deus ex machina that certainly resonated with the audience the night I saw it – the raucous laughter and standing ovation proves that everyone wants to believe there’s always a way through. No matter how bad things get, a good person always gets bailed out. We can laugh at life’s punches, right?

I couldn’t join in, and I can’t explain why without spoiling a major plot point. Doesn’t that prove the play’s successful, if it affects me so much I can’t be objective? When theater actually makes you angry in a complex way? Given the play’s theme, the economic question about whether it adds anything to the debate that’s worth its ticket expense seems even more valid. Is there anything here you couldn’t get from watching one of those old weepies (or Good Will Hunting, as a friend pointed out afterwards), or reading Hardy? Continue reading →

Sports Fix
By

Fan Spring Training

Photo courtesy of Dru Bloomfield - At Home in Scottsdale
Diamondbacks Spring Training 2011
courtesy of Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale

Pitchers and catchers have reported to Spring Training sites in Arizona and Florida, and soon we will have baseball to talk about, but the big question is will we be speaking the same language. I have had many conversations with many folks about baseball through the years and not all of them have gone well and not every time were we even speaking the same language. Baseball is a spot of numbers. The events end up displayed in columns and rows of numbers in a box score. The single event of a game repeats itself until a season occurs, and the players that played in those games go on to have careers.

It is these stats that make up most of our conversations about baseball. It is hard to even talk about the sport without bringing up a stat. You go to a game, drink some beers and eat some hot dogs, and have a general good time, but sooner or later someone is going to ask you about what you saw, and that is near impossible to talk about without using stats. Understand stats is then important to our conversation about the game. What does it mean if player X got a hit and would it have meant as much if it were player Y, and what type of hit was it, what was the game situation when the hit occurred  All of this is important to our understanding of the game.

Continue reading →

We Love Arts
By

Michelangelo’s David-Apollo at the National Gallery

National Gallery of Art - Face - 01-03-13 mosley.brian

Michelangelo. The name is instantly recognizable. When a person hears it, images of the David, the Sistine Chapel, and the Pieta come to mind; the name itself is associated with the heights of artistic excellence. With this in mind, when it was announced that the government of Italy was lending a Michelangelo statue to the National Gallery of Art, I jumped at the chance to see the master’s unfinished “David-Apollo” statue. Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Hughie

Hughie0408_resized

Photo: Carol Rosegg

We could all use a friend like the Night Clerk in Eugene O’Neill’s Hughie. Played by Randall Newsome, the Clerk is a great listener- the kind that doesn’t interrupt your train of thought or dominate a conversation. He is the perfect person for venting, complaining or revealing your inner most secrets.

He’s also the equivalent of talking to a brick wall. The hotel clerk is pretty much checked out for most of the play’s duration.  O’Neill could have replaced the character with a dead white guy propped up in a chair ala Weekend at Bernie’s and you wouldn’t notice a difference. The Night Clerk is simply trying to get through his graveyard shift with as little effort as possible. An omniscient narrator who continuously commentates on the state of the Clerk’s wandering attention span is received by the audience with many laughs.

That doesn’t matter for “Erie” Smith though. He’s looking for anybody that will listen to him, even if he’s not really listening to him.

And thus you have the makings of a beautiful relationship in the latest production at the Washington Shakespeare Theatre:  a two-man, one-act play that is essentially a one-man monologue and character study.

Continue reading →

We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Shakespeare’s R&J

From left: Alex Mills, Joel David Santner, Jefferson Farber, Rex Daugherty. Photo: Teresa Wood.

From left: Alex Mills, Joel David Santner, Jefferson Farber, Rex Daugherty. Photo: Teresa Wood.

Signature Theatre‘s show titled “Shakespeare’s R&J” is less a take on Romeo and Juliet than is it an alternate presentation of it. We the audience witness four young men, seemingly attendees of a very regimented all-boys private school, perform the play from a hidden copy that they unearth from below the floorboards. The boundary between the play and their own lives blurs and internal conflicts are acted out on top of Shakespeare’s text, with a little Midsummer Night’s Dream and a few sonnet lines tossed in the mix.

That’s how I witnessed it. Here’s how Signature and writer/director Joe Calarco describe it.

A repressive all-male Catholic boarding school bans Romeo and Juliet in favor of Latin conjugations and the Ten Commandments. Four students unearth a secret copy and steal into the night to recite the prohibited tale of adolescent passion. While it begins as a lark, the story gradually draws the boys into a discovery of universal truth that parallels their own coming-of-age. A riveting drama within a drama,Shakespeare’s R&J transcends the boundaries between play and player.

I’m not sure I’d agree with the full extent of that description. The show’s staging and the use of the long red drapery for all the fight scenes are superb. All four actors deliver their lines and emote quite well, with a small caveat I’m not sure I’d lay at their feet. The idea of overlaying the boys’ real lives on the play’s text is interesting, if a little flawed. The biggest problems seem to fall at Calarco’s feet, with a decision to have all four of the young men always acting “up at 11” and a pacing that pretty well removes the divide between the play and the play within the play.

Continue reading →

Featured Photo
By

Featured Photo

Construction on T DoctorJ.Bass

What a wonderful street scene; it almost looks staged. In the foreground there’s the excavator positioned perfectly flush to the photographer’s point-of-view; and the lumber adds a great series of lines that attracts the viewers eye. But the part of the picture that draws everything together is the background. At first, you only notice it only as a black and white background, which helps to focus the viewers attention on the foreground elements. But once you look closer you see what it really is, a Civil Rights Era protest, and it gives the image a new depth. Are the protesters picketing this construction? Are they ghosts, forever picketing this street corner? The answer is no to both, but it certainly is fun to imagine. Excellent work DoctorJ.Bas!

We Love Weekends
By

We Love Weekends: Feb 8 – 10

Forget it, Jake............. LaTur

Mosley: Happy Chinese New Year! And what’s the best way to celebrate? By going to see the Parade in Chinatown. I know DC’s Chinatown is **COUGH** less than authentic, but the annual parade is quite fun: you get to see dancing dragons and lions, some great marching bands, a huge firecracker, and all under the Friendship Arch. I’ve gone the past couple of years and it’s been a great experience every time. It’s all happening Sunday afternoon.

Lincoln Theatre fisheye BrianMKA

Patrick: I’m going to see shows. A lot of shows. Friday night I’m trekking out to Vienna to see a friend in Proposals at the Vienna Theatre Company. Saturday I’m going to be see the only show I cared to mention in our We Love DC Theatre Preview: No Rules’ Black Comedy. Very excited to see them in their new home at Signature Theatre. Don’t be surprise if I trek form Shirlington to 14th Street that night. Rumor has it I might make a cameo at El Centro. Sunday I’ll be at Shakespeare Theatre to see Hughie. Before that I’ll be taking in some Restaurant Week fare at Bibiana. Oh ya. It’s Tết. That probably means I’ll make the needed stops at Eden Center for food and one of the only times all year I’ll step foot into a Buddhist Temple. Gotta start the year of the Snake right!

The Heights Chicken Kabobs Mr. T in DC

Katie: Run, yoga, rinse, repeat. I’m going to buy ALL the running clothes at Lululemon and Pacer’s, I need layers for this ridiculous weather we’re experiencing. But also! Day drinking! Possibly at Ted’s Bulletin, or Masa 14. And maybe if I can convince my friends to go back to Tash House of Kabob on 8th, we will. I tried it for the first time last weekend and absolutely loved it – the chicken, lamb and salmon were all tasty mcgee. I’m also going to make some homemade marshmallows for a party I’m throwing on Valentine’s day using little heart cookie cutters from Hill’s Kitchen.

Union Market Tea Shop Mr. T in DC

Tom: February in DC is when I start dreaming about the summertime again, when the weather is warm and the AM radio blares loud in my back yard. Instead, I’ll be preparing for Springtime with a bit of house cleaning. Before that happens, though, catch me out at Red Apron‘s new Union Market digs for some of their insanely delicious pastrami. I’ll also be monument scouting for the return of an old feature in a few weeks. I’m giving thought to Kingman Island or maybe the Big Chair as the first new entries. Then perhaps it’s out in the cold to prep for WABA’s Vasa Ride in March. Plus, I’m dying to try Satellite Room tonight ahead of the Punch Brothers show at 9:30 Club.

Yoga in Dupont Circle2 starbuck77

Rebecca: Friday my Down Dog Yoga trends continues. It’s really become a staple in starting off the weekend right. Afterwards, I’ll head to the West End Cinema to catch the 2013 Academy Award-Nominated Documentary Shorts. Saturday morning I’m up early to take the GMATs (fingers-crossed) and then it’s off to the Washington Auto Show to drool over the sick rides and cool car gadgets. Saturday night I’m celebrating by hitting up Rock N’ Roll Hotel to dance my arse off with the beats of DJ Dan Biltmore. Sunday I’ll like to be crusted out from Saturday so I’ll chillax on my couch and watch the new, DC-based Netflix show “House of Cards.”

S T . . . fromcaliw/love

Fedward:  Friday night we’re going to a friend’s birthday party at an undisclosed location.  Saturday we’ll be all dressed up (again) at the Studio Theatre’s annual gala.  This one’s hat-themed, motherfuckers.  Also it features entertainment from the awesome Ricky Jay.  No word on if he’ll be wearing a hat or hatless. Sunday we’ll recover from the gala with our usual brunch at the Passenger. I can taste the waffle sandwich now.

IMG_3319 joelogon

Don: Well Friday marks the 10th anniversary of my first date with my darling now-wife (if she’d been my wife then I guess a lot of the will-it-work-out mystery of dating would have been avoided) so we’re going to try to go out and have a little romantic dinner somewhere. Where is uncertain; I apparently am channeling the last-minute nature of that night long ago and have made no official arrangements. If you’d like to surrender your 7p reservation for two at Bibiana, Graffiatio, Willow, hell, let’s shoot the moon – or Minibar, please reach out. We considered repeating that first date with a few drinks at the Four Provinces and then tracking down Gonzo’s Nose again but age has improved the 4Ps less than is has us and really… Herndon? Pass. The rest of the weekend involves a little get-together at our home and perhaps a showing of Signature’s R&J, a romance that (spoilers!) worked out less well than ours.

Business and Money, Downtown, Education, Essential DC, History, Life in the Capital, Opinion, People, The Features
By

A Conversation on Culture and Change Regarding the Washington [blank]s

Photo courtesy of BrianMKA
FedEx seats
courtesy of BrianMKA

By now, local Washington media has covered the internet with their summaries of a timely – yet still largely ignored – issue involving a particular football team located in this area. While Racial Stereotypes and Cultural Appropriation in American Sports spoke to the broader issues regarding Native American culture and peoples and their use as sports logos and traditions, make no mistake: the local NFL team’s moniker was a lynchpin in the discussion. The topic was subject of one-third of the day’s symposium, and itself is well-covered elsewhere. (You can watch the recording online in its entirety.)

I couldn’t attend in person, so I settled for the live webcast. And I’ve spent time re-watching the panels as well, because there was so much information and passion involved I couldn’t catch all of it the first time around. I could probably write several blog posts about the topic, and may yet in the future.

But what I wanted to really comment here and now, since other outlets are more focused on the local team aspect, is some key comments made by Director Kevin Gover at the start of the day. Thanks to NMAI, I received a full copy of his remarks; they provide a context that is important to the background of the overall discussion. While I won’t simply copy them all here – you can listen to Dr. Gover online for that – I did want to point out some relevant comments. Continue reading →

Entertainment, The Features, We Love Arts
By

We Love Arts: Kafka on the Shore

ROS_5189-Web

Michael Wong as Kafka and Dane Figueroa Edidi as Crow in Spooky Action Theater’s production of Kafka on the Shore. Photo credit: Franc Rosario.

“I think I just felt my crown chakra open,” my friend mused at intermission. A fan dancer in a white kimono had hypnotically moved across the stage to background narration of a rather graphic sexual nature. It was a fitting reaction to the crazy surrealism inherent in a Haruki Murakami novel. Entering his world through reading is intense enough, but as an audience member at a theatrical adaptation, prepare not so much to watch as to swim. Talking cats, walking brands, mass hallucinations – Kafka on the Shore is a risky choice for any theater company to tackle. Spooky Action Theater has just debuted the second professional production of Frank Galati’s adaptation of Murakami’s riddle-infused book, and the company’s ambitious choice is certainly to be admired.

Teenager Kafka Temura (Michael Wong) is on the run. Is he just another misfit or is there something more sinister in his past? Mr. Nakata (Al Twanmo) is on the hunt – for the kidnapper and murderer of local cats. Though touched in the head, he’s the perfect detective for the job, as the cats actually talk to him. Caught up in Nakata’s quest is truck driver Hoshino (an engaging Steve Lee), while (overly) helpful Sakura (Jennifer Knight) and enigmatic librarian Oshima (Tuyet Thi Pham) assist Kafka, as his crush on Miss Saeki (MiRan Powell) delves into the more darkly elemental realms of the psyche.

These twisting plot lines operate almost as alternate time waves, and you should be prepared to meander along with them without quite making sense of it all. Our wry spirit animal, Crow (a mesmerizing Dane Figueroa Edidi), bridges the worlds of theater and audience, adding to the breaking of realities. It all might be the melding of an Oedipal hero’s quest and descent into the Underworld, saturated with the gradual stages of initiation into the sexual mysteries – but there’s no need to crack that metaphorical code. Just let it work its quirky spell. Continue reading →

Interviews, Music, People, The Features, We Love Music
By

Q&A with Megan Jean & the Klay Family Band

photo courtesy of Megan Jean & the KFB

photo courtesy of Megan Jean & the KFB

What: A spitfire duo playing a fast and fiery blend of folk-Americana-punk-country-rock. Megan Jean sings, hollers, plays banjo, washboard, guitar & more, and her husband Byrne plays upright bass & banjo.
When: They’re on tour now and will be making a stop in DC this Thursday, February 7th, show starts at 9pm.
Where: Desperados,1342 U Street NW, Washington, DC 20009.
We Love DC’s Alexia got the chance to ask Megan Jean a few questions, and here’s what she had to say.
Alexia: How did you start playing music?
Megan Jean: I started when I was young, both my parents wrote music, sang, and played. I started on violin, sold it, and bought a guitar when I was 11. I didn’t really know I could sing until I was 15, and started doing musical theater. I went to Tisch School of the Arts at NYU for theater and got a lot of vocal training there, which I learned to apply in club settings gigging all over the city. I guess that’s when I knew I’d be a musician, playing original music.
Alexia: How did you and Byrne come to play music together/form MJ&the KFB?
Megan Jean: We actually dated for a year before we started playing music. I played solo shows, and Byrne split his time between a punk band called Dynamite Club, who’s lead singer was a Japanese man in his underpants, and a great original surf-rock trio called This Spy Surfs. We started playing together in 2006, and the name was originally Megan Jean and the Klay Family Band. We kept my name, because I already had good gigs, and our last name is Klay. The idea was that anyone playing music with us was family. When we went on the road it was just the two of us, so we shortened it to KFB, cause club owners would get mad when they were expecting a full band. Continue reading →
Entertainment, Music, Special Events, The Features, We Love Music
By

The Winning Ticket: Win before you can buy: Sweetlife Festival 2013!

sweetlife

The lineup for the 2013 Sweetlife Festival was announced yesterday, and features internationally acclaimed acts Phoenix, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and Passion Pit, as well as up-and-coming artists, including DC’s own Shark Week! Today We Love DC is giving away a pair of GA lawn tickets to the festival, before you can buy them! The festival will be held at Merriweather Post Pavilion on May 11th. (#sweetlife2013)

For your chance to win a pair of tickets to the 2013 Sweetlife Festival, 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 within 24 hours or they will forfeit their tickets and we will pick another winner.

Tickets will be available to the winner at the will-call window of the Merriweather Post Pavilion on the day of the festival. 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!