“…we’ll be playing Rock & Roll.” Those were the words of the lead singer of the Hives tonight at the Verizon Center as they opened for Maroon 5. They are playing a full set at the Black Cat on Wednesday night, and whatever your plans, are change them and go see this Swedish Rock and Roll band and let them woo you. You will be in love by the end of the night - with their energy, their banter, and their music.
If you’ve been near me lately, you’ve been subjected to hearing me talk about the movie Once, the soundtrack, the Frames, how much I miss Dublin, etc. But thanks to the eagle eye of AMK, I just found out that our happy couple from Once are touring under the name The Swell Season and coming to the Lincoln Theatre (U Street, next to Ben’s Chili Bowl) on Sunday, 18th November. Tickets are available as of today at Ticketmaster and are somehow General Admission. I’m not sure how that’s going to work at the Lincoln Theatre, but we’ll see. If you’re going, post a note here or over on iLike at Facebook. We’ll be at Ben’s for dinner before the show.
I was just at the Lincoln Theatre for the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival and it’s beautifully redone and I had just decided I wanted to attend more events there, so if that’s extra incentive (like the soundtrack from the movie shouldn’t be enough) we’ll see you there.
More festivals - this time with authors. And a great place to get started on your Christmas shopping (I know - it’s early, but trust me, personalized autographs from favorite authors make books seems like great presents). And this Saturday you can get them all in one place - on the National Mall. It’s the Library of Congress Book Festival with pavilions for Home, Fiction, Poetry, History & Biography, Children, Teens, and more. Authors include Terry Pratchett, DC’s own Stephen Hunter and Ann Amernick, Ken Burns, and Dr. Sanjay Gupta. There will be readings and book signings. They do have books for sale but they do run out if it’s particularly popular, so if you absolutely have your heart set on getting something signed, it’s not a bad idea to bring it with you instead of relying on buying it there. Be sure to check the signing schedule - sometimes it’s a tough choice about seeing someone speak or getting a good spot in line. And if the lines get long the authors will limit the number of items they’ll sign to get through everyone, so be understanding if that happens - they’re trying to get to everyone.
If you’ve got a craving for fried things - noodles, rice, and funnels - then make a note to chug on out to the Adams Morgan Day Festival on Sunday, September 9 from noon to 7 p.m. Just be sure to put on some sunblock so you don’t fry your face (still waiting for Lisa to write her memoir My Life in the Shade. Hello? Did you not know the sun lurks just waiting for an opportunity to burninate you?)
Right in my beloved ‘hood, Adams Morgan Day features fest food and two (maybe three?) stages with local performers entertaining drunkards all day. You can catch anything from Chinese dragon dancers to African drummers to bluegrass musicians. Belmont Street is usually dedicated to local artists and craftspeople hawking their cool, but sometimes pricey wares. If the weather’s warm, walk the street, grab a lemonade and some doro wat from an Ethiopian vendor, find a shady spot and dig in.
It does seem to be a weekend of Festivals, and if you don’t want to drive to Baltimore (but alas, no sour cream), you can join me at the Rosslyn Jazz Festival at Gateway Park (the corner of North Lynn and Lee Highway - a mere two blocks from the Rosslyn Metro). It starts at 1 p.m. and runs til about 7. The headliner is Regina Carter and there’s a mystery piano guest (I have my theories) and the whole shebang is hosted by WAMU host Kojo Nnamdi. It’s free and fun, and it’s a great lead off for a week of great jazz all around the city for the Duke Ellington Jazz Festival. We’ll be at the Lincoln Theatre on Saturday night for the big concert but if you can’t make that, there are plenty of other opporunities to see both local and national artists.
Everything’s better with sour cream (I actually made this into a bumper sticker). But you know what’s especially good with sour cream? Pierogis. And say what you like, Mrs T’s frozen pierogis will never come close to those pinched by the hands of little old Ukranian ladies (god bless them). This is why you must attend the Baltimore Ukrainian Festival running September 8 and 9th.
Four dance groups, Ukrainian Easter Eggs demonstrations, musicians, pierogi/pyohy eating contest, traditional crafts, Ukrainian beer garden and children’s activities. I’m totally in it for the food.
Saturday noon-10 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.- 9 p.m.
Patterson Park at Linwood and Eastern Avenues
FREE (I’m wagering the food and beer isn’t free)
You know there’s nothing I love more than free concerts. And good concerts in places built for outstanding musical sound - all for free… this is why I love Washington. The Library of Congress has announced their 2007 - 2008 series of concerts, and I’m impressed. The 50th birthday of West Side Story, Allen Toussaint and Henry Butler, the Beaux Arts Trio and the Orion Quartet. If you don’t know the drill, tickets are free, you just have to pay Ticketmaster service fees. You can reserve a maximum of two tickets in advance and they go quickly - sign up for Ticketmaster alerts. If you don’t get there in time and it’s sold out, go anyway. The Library of Congress is right by the Capitol South metro station and they release all unclaimed seats about 15 minutes before the show begins. I’ve seen amazing concerts here and people that I’ve paid much more to see at the Kennedy Center at other times including Jimmy Scott and Joshua Bell. This is a great resource for anyone who likes good music of all kinds (classical, jazz, chamber, etc.) on a budget.
I keep forgetting that the Carter Barron Amphitheatre is in my backyard (well, if my backyard were really, really, really big). But there it is, and with a Schedule of Events no less - a schedule which is culminating with this Labor Day weekend’s 19th Annual DC Blues Festival on September 1 from noonish to 7:30. Man, am I a sucker for fests or what?
So grab a blankie, some snacks, doctor up a bottle of lemonade with a little something-something, and head on over to listen to Clarence “The Bluesman” Turner and Band, Mary Shaver and the Smokin’ Polecats, The Orioles, The Nighthawks, and more.
Can you resist a band called the Smokin’ Polecats?
Over the weekend, AMK called and said, “You’re the only person I know who will go see a movie about a guy who places guitar on the street in Dublin. Will you go tonight?” With nothing better than a night of Law & Order re-runs planned (because it was that or cleaning my apartment), I agreed and we headed off for Landmark Theatre in Bethesda. All I can say is go see this movie. It’s called Once and features the music of The Frames. I came home from the movie and immediately bought the soundtrack on iTunes and have been listening to it every day.
While August is traditionally dead in Washington, we’ve also been traveling. Alycia went off hiking in the west in celebration of her father’s birthday, and I spent 2 weeks in India with Habitat for Humanity. So excuse our break. We’ll be back shortly.