With the hardcore kids all grown up and go-go frequently looking back, it might seem that nothing new is sounding in Washington. But right now, there seem to be more D.C. bands and artists playing challenging, thought-provoking music than ever before. And some of the best, most frequently rewarding ones are collected here [...]
Thinly Veiled: The Phillips Collection yesterday announced the acquisition of Morris Louis' "Seal," donated by the Marcella Brenner Revocable Trust. Brenner was married to Morris Louis until his death in 1962, and the Phillips was one of the first museums in the country to purchase a Louis in 1963. "Seal" work was completed in 1959, and [...]
Bittersweet, this. Authorization, the local instrumental duo of Jeff Barsky (Plums, Insect Factory) and Dan Caldas (Black Eyes, Horses), broke up last year, but it's left behind an album, version 1, which as of yesterday can be downloaded for free.
The band gave me a taste of record last July with "Full Flight," which I described [...]
Sonic Circuits announced part of its 2010 festival lineup today, and the headliners may come as a surprise: French giants Magma (whose drummer and bandleader, Christian Vander, is pictured above) heads up the bill. Magma are legends in prog-rock circles, essentially creating their own indescribable genre of rock music, "zeuhl," in the early 1970s. Zeuhl [...]
Starting tomorrow, some 12 inches of snow are expected to land on the District. The roads will be bad, the streets will be empty, and most D.C. residents will be walled up inside their homes nibbling on whatever snacks they were able to wring through the storm-spooked grocery store lines. In other words, it's gonna [...]
By virtually any measure, Saturday's Avant Fairfax festival was quite the success. With a lineup full of relative obscurities and a location far from the center of metropolitan D.C., success was never a guarantee, but thanks to consistent and wide-ranging publicity efforts on the part of its organizers, Avant Fairfax managed to draw a [...]
Some time ago, Fairfax City Parks & Rec employee Andrew McCarry handed me a glossy flyer with the words "AVANT FAIRFAX" splashed colorfully across the top. I had heard of this event before, but I'm sure he would have forgiven me if I'd done a double-take. As someone who treks into the District several times [...]
