Category Archives: The Features

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

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

I Under the landing path I streetamatic

While we’ve been dealing with snow, way too much, we have been having a few of those Spring days that make living in DC oh so worth it. They have been too few and far between, but we have had them. And Streetamatic got one of those great sights of DC in Springtime. Why did these women bring lawn chairs out to Gravelly Point? Are they aviation enthusiasts? Given the fact that it’s DC, they might work for the FAA and enjoy plane watching in their free time (tell me that’s not possible in this town!). Certainly, the plane landing gives location and uniqueness to the photo; without it, this sight could be anywhere. All around, a great shot!

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Blouse and Dum Dum Girls @ Black Cat — 3/22/14

Dee Dee Penny of the Dum Dum Girls (Courtesy of Sub Pop Records)

Dee Dee Penny of the Dum Dum Girls (Courtesy of Sub Pop Records)

The Black Cat hosted two female-fronted bands well worth an evening of listening on a sold-out Saturday night.

Blouse, a synthpop trio from Portland, Ore., recently traded their keyboards for guitars on their second album, Imperium. They opened for the Dum Dum Girls, the increasingly popular quartet from Los Angeles celebrating a third full-length release with Too True. This music reporter was pretty happy with both bands overall thanks to the shades of 80s post-punk that shown through in the music of their two sets.

Given my predilections, you’ll have to excuse me — when I first heard Blouse, I absolutely was hooked by their first album, and it’s been difficult for me to fairly judge their second by the standard that it set. I took notes during the show only to find myself scribbling praise for the songs from the band’s first self-titled album from 2011.

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Entertainment, Life in the Capital, Music, Night Life, The District, We Love Music
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We Love Music: NO. @ DC9 – 03/20/14

NO

Try to Google “NO.” and you’ll have a hard time finding this LA – Echo Park specifically – based rock group. But keep looking (hint: add “Echo Park”,) the extra 5 seconds of typing/navigation will land you with a band that, after their performance at DC9 last Thursday night, is a strong contender for my artist of the year.

I stumbled across this relatively unknown indie rock group after returning home from another concert and mindlessly turning on my basic cable TV while I fixed myself some noms. Unfortunately, Carson Daly was on. Fortunately, NO. had just begun their set.

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Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Cut Copy @ Echostage — 3/20/14

Cut Copy (by Michael Muller)

Cut Copy (by Michael Muller)

The first time I saw Cut Copy, the band performed with The Presets at the 9:30 Club in a September 2008 show that people universally remember as being really damn good.

Part of the reason for the success of that show was some pretty strong material the band released earlier that year in its sophomore album, In Ghost Colors, which was all around a great album. Indeed, I’ll go so far as to hail it as one of the Very Important Albums of the past 10 years—a definitive moment in the full embrace of New Wave-inspired dance music as indie kids again were deciding that dominant synths were not only socially acceptable but completely desirable. At Echostage on Thursday, March 20, the audience still gave its biggest reaction to “Hearts on Fire” and “Lights and Music” in the Cut Copy setlist, underscoring how those songs have managed to stick in the collective consciousness of the dancehall masses.

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We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: Mar 21-23

Let's Dance! Dan Dan The Binary Man

Don: In my mind I’m dancing through green fields, even if Capital Weather Gang’s projections are kind of reserved. But who cares, it’s not snowing and after so long with near-freezing temps I’ll feel like I’m in the sub-tropics when it’s in the 50s. So the name of my game is going to be finding some outdoorsy stuff to do, though the spring uncertainty will mean a lot of playing it by ear. Our one concrete activity is a Sunday pickup of our third foster dog for PetConnect Rescue. We worried that we’d have an issue getting attached but it’s been fun being a part of getting dogs out of high-kill shelters and connecting them with homes.

038134-36Crop furcafe

Fedward: Like last weekend, the Social Chair and I are double-booked.  Friday night we have a friend’s birthday party, and Saturday night another friend’s going away party.  Without those plans we’d be moving into the Kennedy Center temporarily for the World Stages Festival and the opera I know as L’elisir d’amore (note to WNO: stop it with the English titles already – you’re never going to make fetch happen). We would also be making time for the Cherry Blossom Festival. Sunday’s brunch at the Passenger will round out our weekend as usual, double-booking or no.

Rock Creek Park Nikoo's Photos

Rebecca: Saturday looks to be BEAUTIFUL so I’ll spend my day outside soaking up the rays. First I’m in need of a bike to ride around the city, so I’m checking out the Used Bike Sale at Big Bear Cafe from 10-2pm. After it’s out to the town of Sharpsburg, MD for some fresh air and history.

BBQ @ Mom and Dad's MudflapDC

Tiff: I’ve got friends in town for the annual Scope It Out walk benefiting colon cancer research, and they’ve got little kids, and we’ve got a little kid, and anyway, there will be a passel o’ strollers, probably playing tourist on the Mall if the weather holds out. (Please? PLEASE?) And then grilling, because nothing says “Winter, go away” like cooking outside with fire. Sunday finds us getting our local politics on at a neighbor’s meet and greet for Phil Mendelson‘s campaign for Council Chair.

Featured Photo
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Featured Photo

DC Rollergirls pablo.raw

Did you know DC has a roller derby? Have you ever gone? Maybe you should so you can try your hand at some panning like pablo.raw. Panning is one of the more challenging techniques in photography. The goal is to clearly capture the subject while blurring the background to give you a sense of movement. We’ve posted other photos that give an example of this but Pablo’s photo really demonstrates how much movement you can get. It’s more challenging to pan indoors or in low light conditions so photogs will use a flash to help freeze the moment. This is called slow sync flash and it allows for a slower shutter speed with more light coming into the camera. From there it’s up to the photog to decide if they want to sync the flash with the front or rear curtain as both give different results in the final image. Some sleuthing on Flickr will give you some great ideas about how this feature can be used. After trying your hand at it make sure you post your best shots to the photo group!

P.S. Tonight is the opening of Exposed DC at Longview Gallery. As someone who has previously had photographs in the show and attended many of the opening night festivities I can tell you that it’s a super fun awesome good time. That’s not even including all the yummy noms that will be offered. The show runs until April 6 so if you can’t make it tonight you’ll have ample time to check it out later. The photographs are for sale as well so it’s a great, and relatively inexpensive, way to begin your private art collection. Tickets are $15 ahead with a limited number for $20 at the door.

We Love Arts
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We Love Arts: Exposed DC Opens Tonight!

DCist Exposed 2010 Pianoman75

There’s no question that the District has its photogenic side, from the federal-style buildings, to the landmarks that dot the landscape, to the incredible urban environment that we all know and love. DC is a city that shows its good side more than most I’ve known, and tonight the photographic community celebrates its best at Exposed DC, a show that runs from tonight through until April 6th at Longview Gallery.

Tickets to the opening are $15 until 1pm today, so act quickly before they’re all sold out, it will be $20 at the door. There will be food and drink starting at 6pm from Bluejacket Brewery, Tel’Veh Wine Bar, Boxwood Winery, Founding Farmers and Farmers Fishers Bakers, Everlasting Life Vegan Restaurant, and Cavanagh Family Imports. There’s even an After Party at The Passenger with specials from El Buho Mezcal and Rhum Clément. The opening runs until 10pm, and the After Party starts at 8, so plan your attendance appropriately.

Many of the photos you see on We Love DC are by DC Photographers who will likely have spots on the wall at Longview, so be supportive of the amazing photographers that power the visual aesthetic of this and so many other DC websites that you know and love.

The exhibit runs until April 6th, but don’t dally and miss it.

Congratulations to Exposed DC for all their hard work, and make sure to get out to the exhibit!

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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Hot Ticket: Little Daylight @ Sixth and I Historic Synagogue, 3/25/14

littledaylightFresh from SXSW, Brooklyn trio Little Daylight are set to join fellow bands Terraplane Sun and Flagship in what’s being billed as the “Three of Clubs” tour, hitting the Sixth and I Historic Synagogue in DC on Tuesday, March 25.

I single out Little Daylight, soon to release their first full-length album, Hello Memory, because they represent a kind of music I always adore — great electronic dance music with cool female vocals, as showcased by their latest single, “Siren Call.”

Nikki Taylor, Matt Lewkowicz and Eric Zeiler got their start remixing singles for the likes of Passion Pit and Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeroes but now they have broken out as a full-fledged dreampop band with some catchy tunes that somehow bear ambient atmospherics over strong rhythms. Check out their video for “Overdose” and see for yourself.

The Three of Clubs tour also includes Flagship, from Charlotte, NC, (some of us may have seen them open for The Wombats at the 9:30 Club) and Terraplane Sun, from Venice Beach, CA.

Three of Clubs Tour
Terraplane Sun, Flagship and Little Daylight
Sixth and I Historic Synagogue
Tuesday, March 25
Doors @7pm, show @8pm
$15.00
All ages

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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Q&A with Steve Hackett (performing @Lincoln Theatre, 3/26/14)

Steve Hackett live color publicity photo credit www.iconphoto.chSteve Hackett, formerly of Genesis, is one of the world’s greatest guitar players. And he’s bringing the classic Genesis catalog to a tour of the United States starting with a show in DC at the Lincoln Theatre in a little over a week on Wednesday, March 26. We Love DC had the remarkable opportunity to chat with Hackett about the show, what else the future may hold for him and his advice for young guitarists! We also couldn’t resist asking a bit about Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins, his old bandmates in Genesis (with whom he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2010).

Mickey McCarter: I’m excited to see you’re coming to DC next week. Can you tell us a little bit about the show? What can we expect?

Steve Hackett: It’s a show of Genesis music that was written between ’71 and ’77. It’s classic Genesis. I’m doing exclusively Genesis music on that show. We have a six-piece band.

It hails from the era when we worked as a five-piece and we had five different writers — Peter Gabriel, myself, Tony Banks, Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins. I’m highlighting the era when the band was at its most creative, I think.

I took this show last year on the road and it took off in such a big way. We ended up doing a show in London and we have a DVD from that which is just finished.

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Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 3/14-3/16

st patrick day snow 01 Nikoo's Photos

I guess we’re just having the luck of the Irish this year, as weather goes. Oh well, at least we got an enjoyable weekend at least. And though there were quiet a lot of quick snow pics in our pool, there were photos of other things in there too. So, while you’re still in bed, on this snow day (please be the last one!), enjoy this collection of fine photos. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, The Daily Feed, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: Top Drink Picks for Spring

Núria

Pay no attention to forecast of snow, spring is upon us. Now is the time to start thinking about what you’re going to be drinking. I get excited about a few very specific things once the weather warms up, mainly wine and spritzes. Weird, I know, but don’t knock it until you try it.

Winter is the time for brown spirits and red wine. Come spring and summer I do a total 180 and switch almost exclusively to white wine. This season I’m most excited about the whites coming out of Greece. Last month I was raving about a crisp assyritko from Santorini, since then I’ve been exploring whites from all over Greece and the eastern Mediterranean. Turns out they’re damned good and easy to find in DC. My favorite spots have been Iron Gate in Dupont and Dunya in Shaw, which has one of the best roof decks in the city.

The rocky soil and salty sea breeze make for great wines to pair with light springtime fare. Look for a wine with light citrus notes and a great minerality to pair with a golden beet and goat cheese salad. Or that salty assyritko with any seafood. My favorite is fried oysters. Totally non traditional, but it’s the best fried oysters and white wine you’ll ever have. And albeit the first fried oysters and white wine you’ve ever had.

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Music, Special Events, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Krist Novoselic Plays ‘Royals’ with The Cowards Choir & The Beanstalk Library

Photo Credit: Roxplotion

Photo Credit: roXplotion /// Pictured: Krist Novoselic (left) and Andy Zipf of The Cowards Choir (right).

DC rockers The Cowards Choir and The Beanstalk Library got to add another rock and roll story to their journals this week: performing with Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic.

The instrumental cover collaboration of Lorde’s Grammy-winning song ‘Royals’ happened on Sunday, March 9 at a FairVote event hosted by Republic in Takoma Park. The performance – which featured Novoselic on accordion – has since been mentioned by several musical outlets online including Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Rolling Stone.

But how did these two DC-based bands land one of the most unique gigs of their professional lives thus far? Continue reading →

We Love Weekends
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We Love Weekends: Mar 14-16

Six Wild Irish Women tedeytan

Rebecca: F that to Thursday’s craptastic weather- I’m calling that day a mulligan. Moving on to Friday, I’ve got a sick sick game of racquetball -yes we wear eye protection dad – planned with a worthy foe for Friday afternoon at the Arlington YMCA after which I’ll celebrate a much earned victory at Ireland’s Four Courts where I’ll grab a Guinness before avoiding St. Paddy’s Day shenanigans all weekend long. Saturday I’ll catch up with a good friend while walking her pooch along the C&O Canal. Saturday afternoon I’ll hit the road with some fellow women cyclist to prep them for the Black Hills Circuit Race which is next Saturday. Sunday it’s a chill out fest until fellow WLDC writer Paul and I hit up Tea Time DC’s event at the Ulysees room. I’m uber pumped to check out this merging of culinary endeavors, artistic expression and community growth.

(091/365) kimberlyfaye

Tiff: There are not one but TWO new playgrounds in my neighborhood, and they’ve both got baby swings. So you know where I’ll be if the weather is anything even close to hospitable. The kid was a champ last weekend while the grownups sat on the patio at American Ice Company, so I’m inclined to push my luck this week. I’ve got to get my bike down to BicycleSpace for a tune up before prime bike commuting weather starts, so that may happen this weekend. If the weather’s not so great? Look for me huddling on my couch under a blanket, tearfully begging Mother Nature for mercy.

Winter's Eve at Lincoln Square kowarski

Fedward:  This is a weekend I’m sad I can’t be in multiple places at once.  Our weekend starts early Friday afternoon with a surprise wedding – not ours, that was a year and a half ago – followed by a reception, but if we weren’t doing that we’d be heading up to Blob’s Park for one last polka with Brave Combo. Saturday we’ve got a friend’s 40th birthday celebration, but if we didn’t have that we’d celebrate the upcoming St. Patrick’s Day with some Irish whiskey. Sunday we’ll head to the AFI Silver for Drive (part of their co-presentation on L.A. Modern with the National Building Museum) and then it’ll be time for our usual brunch at the Passenger.

61/365 ekelly80

Paul: I know this is functionally Saint Patrick’s Day weekend and as a half-blooded mongrel son of Irish immigrants I should dutifully be spending it drinks lots and lots of Irish whiskey, Guinness extra stout, and eating plenty of blood pudding. But that’s not going to happen. Since you can almost always guarantee to find Irish whiskey stashed on my person at any given time, I don’t feel as inclined to celebrate Senior Paddy as you would expect. Who knows? I may feel a wave of guilt come Monday and finally get that Ulysses tattoo I’ve always wanted. Until then, you can “kiss my royal Irish arse.” But as your humble drinks writer, it is my duty to let you in on where and what to drink this weekend. Regardless of specials, campy theme nights, etc, the one place to drink this weekend if you’re in the mood for some good, debaucherous St. Paddy’s Day fun is the Pug. I will stake my reputation on this, get there for brunch on Saturday and stay until last call. You will have celebrated a St. Patrick’s Day like no other. The Powers will flow like water and that honeyed, golden liquid will transport you all the way back to the green, green fields of Éire. Myself, this weekend I will be working, working, working. Hopefully I’ll get to duck out early enough to check out Doctor Dog’s show at the 9:30 club. Sunday means more work and finally getting to check out Tea Time DC with fellow writer Rebecca. Music, beer, lo-fi abstract expressionism, and chef Cizuka Seki’s (of the phenomenally amazing Izakaya Seki) Japanese-inspired food? Hell.Yes.Please. It’s going to be a great weekend. Just don’t get carried away drinking Jameson.

Thomond College of Physical Education students - Basketball UL Digital Library

Don: We’re going to start our weekend with a bit of masochistic driving – out to Fredericksburg to see my Darling Wife’s alma mater Virginia Wesleyan face off against Mary Washington in a Division 3 sweet 16 game. Surely that’ll be a delight of a drive on a Friday afternoon! Saturday and Sunday are largely up for grabs, though our thoughts mostly mirror Tiff’s about outdoors, kids, and weather-cowering.

Interviews, Special Events, The Features
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Vincent Musi and Exotic Pets, By Way of National Geographic

Vincent J. Musi, courtesy National Geographic

Vincent J. Musi, courtesy National Geographic

Tomorrow night, veteran photographer Vincent J. Musi will take the stage at the National Geographic Museum. He’ll be discussing his latest story in the April 2014 magazine, “Exotic Pets,” where he explored the deep connections some people have with creatures not found in the corner pet store. He’ll be sharing images and stories from this assignment and other forays into the world of animals. Speaking of animals, if you’re a dog lover or a cat lover, check out the latestpaws.com. They always have informative articles for your favorite pets.

We’ll be giving away a pair of tickets to the show, so leave a comment below, using your first name and a valid email address; we’ll draw the winner before noon tomorrow. The event starts at 7:30 p.m. and parking is free at the museum’s garage after 6 p.m. for those attending the program.

Musi took a moment to answer some of our questions about his work and the project.

How did you approach the Exotic Pets project?

My goal was to offer a voice to people who had experience with exotic animals in a straightforward and non-judgmental way. These are folks who tend to get marginalized in what can be very sensational coverage by the press. I was looking for diversity in experience, animals, and opinions. Anyone who had a direct relationship with an exotic animal.

What was the most unusual pairing or situation you came across?

A breeder of jungle cat hybrids in Florida had a huge Tortoise, Canada Goose and a Pot Bellied Pig as her personal pets. Nothing can prepare you for the site of a Mountain Lion lounging pool-side at a brick ranch house or a white-tailed deer with her own bedroom.

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Music, The Features, We Love Music
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Hot Ticket: Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited @ Lincoln Theatre, 3/26/14

SteveHackettF (1)
Steve Hackett first revisited material by the prog-rock band Genesis in a 1996 album of reworked songs by the band. And in 2012, he did it again, recording lush guitar solos with various guest singers who reinterpreted selections from the six classic studio albums Hackett made with the band.

Hackett is taking Genesis Revisited II on the road starting with a date in D.C. on Wednesday, March 26 at the Lincoln Theatre.

It’s a rare stateside opportunity to see a guitar master in his element, playing the songs that put him on the map. After all, he’s likely to revisit guitar classics like “Horizons” (from Foxtrot) and “Dancing with the Moonlit Knight” (from Selling England by the Pound).

According to his Wikipedia entry, Hackett refined several guitar techniques for the age of classic rock, introducing tapping and sweep picking to a new genre of songs. The end result sounds great on the recordings, which manage to capture a bold mystic and occasionally romantic sound. But let’s not put our stock in critics and recordings. Let’s go see the man himself and hear him live.

Steve Hackett: Genesis Revisited
The Lincoln Theatre
Wednesday, March 26
doors @7pm
$45-$65
All ages

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: U.S. Royalty @ P.O.V. Live, the W Hotel — 3/6/14

U.S. Royalty (Photo by Guy Aroch)

U.S. Royalty (Photo by Guy Aroch)

The W Hotel hosted U.S. Royalty for a vinyl turntable release party for the band’s second album, Blue Sunshine, Thursday as part of its P.O.V. Live series in its rooftop lounge. People packed the venue to listen to a free show and drink a new beer from DC Brau, aged in Buffalo Trace barrels.

Fans of the D.C.-based band were in high spirits, and there were many singalongs and impromptu danceaways when the band took to the stage for a healthy set. Blue Sunshine was initially released in January, so it seems like a lot of folks had time to learn the words to recite along with singer John Thornley and company.

Prior to the concert, the band sat down with an interview conducted by Svetlana Legetic of Brightest Young Things. For U.S. Royalty, it proved to be a good opportunity to launch a charm offensive, where they spoke plainly about their love of D.C. and their desire to land a record contract with a major label.

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Weekend Flashback
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Weekend Flashback: 3/7-3/9

Confidant-BW Miki J.

How about that Daylight Saving Time, huh? Don’t you just love losing an hour of sleep? Granted if we all went to bed an hour earlier the night before we wouldn’t actually lose any sleep at all but who wants to do that? That would be like giving in and admitting that we all knew DST was coming and had prepared for it or, at the very least, realized that trying to fight it is a waste of time. As a species we have a very hard time seeing things in the long term and as a part of a bigger picture; we don’t care that moving the clock ahead an hour now means daylight until almost 10p.m. this summer. “They’ve made me sleep less! Must rage! Aargh!” I’m sure if we asked all the new parents in town whether they’re upset about losing an hour of sleep we’d get laughed at. Maybe even punched in the face. What does any of this have to do with photos? Not much, but looking at the pretty pictures should take your mind off sleep if only for a few minutes. Continue reading →

Food and Drink, We Love Drinks
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Friday Happy Hour: Ivy and Coney

Hey, I like Daiquiris! Paul Allen

Just as that bitter taste lingers in your mouth for what feels like forever, malört has managed to linger in the DC drinks scene since it broke out in late last December. This is due in no small part to the massive hype it’s been generating, getting continuous press and even a bar dedicated to it.

The malört craze started with Boundary Road, which was the first time I saw malört on a DC menu, and Bar Pilar who featured Malört Bombs on their Anti-Valentine’s Day Menu. But the real stuff, Jeppson’s Malört, as of now, is only behind one bar in the city, Ivy and Coney.

Ivy and Coney is DC’s shrine to this bitter Chicago spirit. Opened in late December, Ivy and Coney has been making waves for it’s no frills, divey neighborhood bar take on midwest taverns. Come to drink the inexpensive beers, eat cracker jacks and the Chicago-style hot dogs and coneys. And, of course, shoot malört. This isn’t a place to get fancy, it’s a place to have an unpretentious beer and a snack after work, and see your friends’ malört face. Continue reading →

Music, The Features, We Love Music
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We Love Music: Ex Hex @ Black Cat — 3/5/14

exhexMary Timony’s new band is a breath of fresh air.

The three ladies of Ex Hex played a catchy and relaxed 10-song set of fuzzy glam-pop and even added a few songs in an encore in the first performance of their first major tour at the Black Cat Wednesday. They were extremely polished, their workmanship honed in other bands clearly on display, producing a concert experience quite unlike seeing many other new bands.

And Ex Hex is sure to pick up some of that “new band buzz” in the coming month, as they are going to sneak in at least one performance at SXSW in Austin on March 12 (playing for Pitchfork at the French Legation Museum at 4pm). Meanwhile, they sold out the Black Cat’s backstage with an enthusiastic if diverse mix of alt-rockers, cuddling couples and bona-fide D.C. notables (yes, Ian MacKaye was there). It’s an impressive start out of the gate for a band that only played its first show back in October.

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