Washington City Paper (January 2, 2015) by Washington City Paper

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What to expect in 2015 in D.C. music, politics, theater, housing, food, and more washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 3

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INSIDE Photographs by Darrow Montgomery

Arts

20 Arts Desk: The best shows of 2014 if you had to see them all 25 Theater: Klimek on the year to come on D.C. stages 26 Galleries: D.C. vs. New York—again? 27 Sketches: Capps on “Oil, Then Acrylic” 28 Music: How D.C. music gets out of town

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DISTRICTLINE Loose Lips

Tommy Wells will stay in government: washingtoncitypaper.com/go/green

taking over after an indictment. Machen’s reputation hangs in limbo until the investigation is resolved; so do whatever cushy job offers await Gray. What university or nonprofit wants to hire a guy who could get indicted? Also in a Machen-imposed freeze: the lives of Jeff Thompson and Gray cronies like Jeanne Clarke Harris, Vernon Hawkins, and Mark Long, all of whom have seen their sentencing dates pushed back as the Gray investigation continues. They could finally get their sentences this year. LL’s prediction: Thompson gets his promised six months of house arrest, to the dismay of everyone who doesn’t work in the U.S. Attorney’s Office. 2015 will also be notable for who doesn’t appear in court. At-Large Councilmember Vincent Orange and former Council Chairwoman Linda Cropp are named pseudonymously as shadow campaign beneficiaries in Thompson’s plea deal (they both say they didn’t do anything wrong). 2015 should finally settle this, one of the final questions of the years-long investigation.

New Mayor, New Council, New Year What will D.C. politics have in store in 2015?

Marion Barry has something big named after him—although whether the memorial commission Gray appointed on his way out the door has anything to do with it remains to be seen.

Darrow Montgomery

The plan to shore up United Medical Center by teaming it with Howard University Hospital will start looking like the last-minute work of a lame-duck mayor, which is exactly what it is. LL’s prediction on this isn’t so much a prediction as a statement of fact: teaming the city’s most struggling hospital with its secondmost struggling won’t end well for either of them. Already, incoming Mayor Muriel Bowser sounds noncommittal.

Green Means Go: Muriel Bowser’s team will try to pick her successor in Ward 4. By Will Sommer 2014 set the table; 2015 is when we get to eat the feast. There’s a new mayor, five incoming freshmen councilmembers, and a complicated soccer stadium deal that still isn’t

settled. And the District now has out-of-town congressmen interested in keeping pot illegal in the city limits. Read on for what to watch for in the coming year, with a couple of LL predictions thrown in.

Will 2015 finally be the year the federal investigation into Vince Gray wraps up? U.S. Attorney Ron Machen can’t lean on any more excuses now. Waiting until Gray left office made (some) sense, but now there’s no risk of an interim Mayor Phil Mendelson

Gray, Mendelson, and Bowser pulled off a stoppage-time goal of their own and hammered out a soccer stadium deal before the end of the year. The package has a cap of $150 million for the District’s contribution. That cap, though, is about as hard as cotton candy. The District still hasn’t struck a deal with landowner Akridge on how much to pay for its two acres in the stadium footprint. Even the deal’s supporters agree that Akridge isn’t thrilled that its rainmaking opportunity to grab U Street NW land has evaporated along with Gray’s version of the soccer deal. Expect eminent domain, then a big payout to

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 5

DISTRICTLINE Akridge after that. The District will get the Olympics, and it’ll be terrible news for anyone who doesn’t make their living reporting on how the District government screws up. Homelessness will be a 2015 issue, just like it was a 2014 issue and a 2013 issue and on and on. Already, the city is looking at a double-digit jump in family homelessness. But with even Gray’s plan to replace D.C. General still vague, the city will continue to spend big on Maryland hotel rooms. 2015 is set for a showdown between the District and Congress over whether the December federal budget deal really did outlaw marijuana legalization. Mendelson says he’s going to go ahead and transmit the legalization initiative to Congress for review anyway, breaking the supposed

prohibition on spending any money putting the measure into law. (Mendo’s time isn’t free, after all!) The next year will also settle whether Congress botched its legislative language in a way that means it didn’t actually stop the city from legalizing it. With that in mind, 2015 ends with either legalized personal grows or as the first of many years that a Republican Congress keeps the District sober. LL’s prediction: Pot-hating Rep. Andy Harris (R-Md.) will continue to be unbearably smug. New Attorney General Karl Racine keeps it low-pro, emerging only to issue a positive opinion on marijuana legalization. There isn’t a mayoral election for a few more years, after all. The streetcar won’t start until the spring. It will be much longer after that until drivers

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stop parking over the tracks. Popular police chief Cathy Lanier finally gets some heat, as the ball first kicked by 2014 Council hearings on “jumpout squads” and racial profiling keeps rolling. The races for the Ward 4 and Ward 8 seats are ready to make the crowded atlarge field look manageable. Alas, in Ward 4, Bowser is sticking with her succession plan and backing heir Brandon Todd. All the Ward 4 aspirants and Advisory Neighborhood Commission time-servers can’t beat Todd’s treasury in what should be a very low-turnout election in April—in three days in December, he pulled in more than $50,000. LL’s bet: Bowser’s plan works, and she gets at least one councilmember who owes her big. More exciting: the race to succeed Barry in Ward 8. Son Christopher Barry, now toy-

ing with running, would be the favorite if he didn’t have to face more than a dozen people hungry for the same spot. In a ward as starved for political action as Ward 8, too many oldguarders have been waiting for their shot to let the younger Barry (currently on probation for a DUI charge) walk into the job. If anyone made book on municipal elections, LL’s bets would be on Bowser-allied candidate LaRuby May or Ward 8 Democrats president Natalie Williams. Bowser likely won’t endorse May, but that won’t stop her from scoring the same donations from developers looking to get in good with the mayor-elect. Williams, meanwhile, looks to be the most agile of the ward’s veteran political brawlers. Then again, Ward 8 is the hardest part of town to predict, and LL could be CP all wrong. Got a tip for LL? Send suggestions to lips@washingtoncitypaper.com. Or call (202) 650-6925.

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DISTRICTLINE

D.C. United strikes a deal with its new neighbors: washingtoncitypaper.com/go/buzzard

Housing Complex

quarters and mixed traffic, to judge whether future lines can be justified. And second: What kind of money are we going to put toward those future lines? Last spring, the Council stripped much of the streetcar’s funding; as a result, the Gray administration scaled back its ambitions, selecting a shortlist of teams to operate just an 8.2-mile network, rather than the planned 22-mile priority system and 37-mile final one. Bowser has promised to “lead a comprehensive assessment” of the streetcar project, but again, she’s given few hints as to what will result. On the one hand, the challenges of the H Street line have dulled the city’s enthusiasm for a big expansion; on the other, the city should be able to learn from its mistakes, and a single line won’t do much good for D.C.’s transportation network.

In Development

What to look for on schools, housing, transit, and more this year By Aaron Wiener

Look, Ma, a Streetcar: This should finally be the year for the H Street NE line.

A new year, a new mayor, a fresh start. At least that’s the sense Mayor-elect Muriel Bowser tries to convey with the #freshstart hashtag she appends to nearly every tweet. But really, Bowser is inheriting a large number of ongoing development projects, some of which she’s promised to tweak, but none of which she’s likely to upend altogether. As chair of the D.C. Council’s Committee on Economic Development, Bowser has drawn criticism for the paucity of housing and development legislation she’s introduced. With her thin track record and the momentum of initiatives that are already underway, most of what we can predict about the projects Bowser will pursue in 2015 comes from the groundwork laid by her predecessors. Here’s what we can expect.

affordable houSing

Last year, Mayor Vince Gray adopted the first comprehensive overhaul of the city’s school-assignment policies in 40 years. Then Bowser got elected. She’s said she wants to change the redrawing of the school boundaries to ensure greater school-access equity across the city, but she hasn’t said how. “I am willing to have a team of experts taking a fresh look at it on Jan. 2 and coming back to me with some recommendations, and they will know what my priorities are,” she told me this fall. “I don’t know that I have anything else to say about it.” Her team will have to move quickly on those recommendations. The lottery for outof-boundary placements opened in December, meaning that parents have already begun requesting access to schools whose boundaries could very well shift after Bowser puts her stamp on the plan. She’s unlikely to draw entirely new boundaries; instead, if she tinkers with Gray’s lines, it’ll likely be to appease residents of the neighborhoods that lost the right to attend well-regarded schools, like Crest-

Darrow Montgomery

SchoolS

wood (which got zoned out of Wilson High School) and parts of Ward 7 (which lost access to Eastern High School). Or, if it proves too difficult to amend the plan without upsetting groups of her constituents, we may have to wait another few decades before we get meaningful school reform.

Streetcar

This one was in my 2014 forecast, when I cast doubt on Gray’s promise that the streetcar would be running “not later than early Febru-

8 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

ary.” Instead, I wrote it would “more realistically” be operational by spring. Yes, I’m eating my words, if not quite as voraciously as Gray. But it would take a true calamity to keep the streetcar from opening its doors in 2015 (which would still be six years later than the initial forecast). Still, passenger service is just the first step. Two big questions will follow. First: Was it all worth it? After all the delays and hiccups, does the streetcar bring something valuable— speedier access, or new development, or tourists—to H Street NE? All eyes will be on the streetcar’s inaugural line, operating in tight

The city’s signature program to revitalize its deteriorating low-income-housing stock has been a disaster. Mayor Anthony Williams launched the New Communities Initiative a decade ago to replace troubled, mostly public housing with mixed-income communities. Since then, little has gone right. A city-commissioned report found in September that only 355 affordable units had been built or were under construction to replace the 1,542 units that had been or soon would be demolished under New Communities. The report suggested revisiting some of New Communities’ key principles, such as the requirements to build new housing before displacing current residents and to create a mix of income levels at each of the four sites. In a parting move, Gray introduced a resolution that would scrap New Communities’ timeline and require the city to select master developers for the four component sites within a year, although the Council never voted on it. Bowser has called New Communities “a series of broken promises” and pledged to “recommit” to the program, although she hasn’t specified how she’ll change its structure. The success or failure of New Communities doesn’t substantially change the number of affordable-housing units in the city, given the commitment to one-to-one replacement, but it has an enormous impact on residents’ quality of life, for better or worse, and on the future of the neighborhoods in which the communities are located. Elsewhere on the housing front, Bowser’s

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DISTRICTLINE committee held a hearing in October on a package of bills to strengthen the city’s rentcontrol laws, which have helped keep housing affordable but contain built-in exceptions that have allowed landlords to raise rents, sometimes by huge amounts. Ultimately, Bowser opted not to bring the bills to a vote in 2014, instead holding them for further consideration. She plans to introduce some version of them in 2015. The D.C. law that’s supposed to create new affordable housing has been very slow to get off the ground. Inclusionary zoning, which requires developers of residential buildings to set a portion of the units aside for low and moderate earners, took effect in 2009 but produced just 30 units through the end of 2013. Only two of those units were for households making less than half of area median income. The city has tried to shore up the program, and it foresees significant growth in the coming years: 95 IZ units began above-grade construction in 2013, and the pre-development pipeline should produce 1,124 IZ units. In other words, 2015 might be the year we finally start to see IZ making a substantial contribution to the city’s affordable-housing stock.

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Bowser is inheriting a homelessness crisis that exploded last winter and continues to overwhelm the city’s ability to accommodate every homeless family in need of shelter. The city expects 16 percent more homeless families this winter than the last one and is already putting some up in motels due to lack of space at the D.C. General shelter. During the mayoral campaign, Bowser set a goal of ending homelessness by 2025—likely long after her mayoralty (she’d be midway through her third term by then), in a move typical of goal-setting politicians—partly by boosting funding to affordable-housing programs intended to keep people from needing shelter. Meanwhile, the Gray administration announced a plan in October to close D.C. General, which came under increased scrutiny after an 8-year-old resident disappeared in March, and replace it with a series of smaller shelters. The trouble is finding sites for those shelters. The District’s aiming for a combination of leased private spaces and city-owned properties spread throughout the city—not an easy proposition given the dearth of suitable city buildings, the likely lack of interest among property owners in central neighborhoods, and inevitable opposition from neighbors. This year is likely to show us whether the

goal is achievable, or if D.C.’s homeless families will be at D.C. General for years to come.

the MegaProjectS

The biggest developments underway in the District won’t be completed in 2015, but we’ll have a better sense of their direction. Even if the D.C. United stadium at Buzzard Point won’t see any soccer until 2017 at the earliest, the coming year will determine how the project will proceed. The Council has approved the plan to fund a portion of the project, but the city still has to negotiate a deal to acquire some land from developer Akridge. Meanwhile, with the swap of the Frank D. Reeves Municipal Center at 14th and U streets NW removed from the deal, Bowser and the Council need to decide if and how to dispose of that property and build a replacement government building in Anacostia. Also on the stadium front, the U.S. Olympic Committee is expected to select a city soon as its candidate to host the 2024 Summer Olympics. If it’s the D.C. region, expect an anxious wait until the International Olympic Committee makes its final pick in 2017—and a delay in development at the sites, particularly around Hill East, that could host venues. Finally, the biggest planned mixed-use developments will continue to move toward commencement, even if completion is years off. In one of his final moves as mayor, Gray selected a development team this week to undertake the first phase of the St. Elizabeths project near Congress Heights, a long-stalled but potentially transformational endeavor in one of the city’s poorest corners that could finally see some actual construction in 2015. The formal process of transferring federal land to the District at Walter Reed (along northern Georgia Avenue NW) should continue in 2015, allowing a transformative development project there to move forward, although after some confusion about State Department needs this fall, it’s still not entirely clear how much land the city will get. And with the controversial McMillan Sand Filtration Site redevelopment along North Capitol Street having gotten green lights from the Zoning Commission and a Council committee this fall, 2015 could be the year it finally clears its last hurdles cP after decades of vacancy. Got a real-estate tip? Send suggestions to housingcomplex@washingtoncitypaper.com. Or call (202) 650-6928.

The beginning of 2015 marks the transition from the unexpectedly stalwart friend of bicyclists Vince Gray as mayor to Muriel Bowser. Unlike 2010, “bike lanes and dog parks” no longer served as rhetorical stand-ins for gentrification in the mayor’s race. Bowser and her opponent David Catania had similar stances on bicycles during the campaign: We should put in more bike lanes where we can, and D.C. should commit to a Vision Zero policy that strives for the elimination of transportation deaths. But both were pretty thin on details. Much will depend on who Bowser appoints to run the District Department of Transportation and how intently the director pushes to increase and improve bike accommodation. Bowser, though she was closely allied with ex-Mayor Adrian Fenty, has proven herself more cautious and consultative than the triathlete who jumpstarted D.C,.’s growth into a bike town nearly a decade ago. Her administration is much more likely to deliberate and study, and then seek collaboration and compromise. That said, don’t expect hesitancy: She campaigned on the idea of ensuring that all parts of city see a more equitable growth. Bowser and her team won’t need to start from scratch. The MoveDC plan, completed in 2014, provides a blueprint for transportation improvements in the District. Among other things, it calls for a whopping 72 miles of protected cycletracks. Expect the first of these improvements to start in 2015. In the near-term, there are two notable projects: adding more protection to Pennsylvania Avenue to prevent U-turns (supplementing the existing “zebras”—those mostly ineffective striped plastic humps) and extending the First Street NE cycletrack another block to reach Union Station. Expect continued trail improvements in 2015. DDOT begins work on the long-stalled Metropolitan Branch Trail from Brookland to Maryland in 2015. The bike-pedestrian bridge from the MBT to the Rhode Island Avenue Metro station will open, connecting neighborhoods separated by train tracks. Work continues on the Kenilworth section of the Anacostia Riverwalk Trail, which will eventually connect the D.C. bike network to trails in Maryland. Also, look forward to progress on a trail along New York Avenue NE through Ivy City and on an improved Oxon Run trail in Ward 8, both in underserved areas for cyclists. Also, expect the D.C. Council to take another crack at reforming contributory negligence laws for cyclists. Currently, even if a cyclist is only 1 percent at fault in any crash, he or she is disqualified from collecting any damages. Whether a fairer comparative negligence standard is adopted just for bicyclists and pedestrians or for all road users could make this is a substantial political battle. But enough prognostication: Next week, back to advice! —GP Gear Prudence is Brian McEntee, who blogs at talesfromthesharrows.blogspot.com. Got a question about bicycling? Email gearprudence@ washingtoncitypaper.com. washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 11

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What is your stance on maintenance sex? I’d never thought about the issue until reading Amy Poehler’s new memoir. I didn’t find anything she said controversial, and was surprised when this quote blew up in the feminist blogosphere: “You have to have sex with your husband occasionally, even though you’re exhausted. Sorry.” I’d never realized many people firmly believe one should have sex with their partner only when they are in the mood! Some articles even made it sound like maintenance sex is a form of nonconsensual sex. I have sex with my husband pretty often when I’m not in the mood. He would prefer sex every day, and I’m more of an everyother-day or twice-a-week girl. I’d say about 25 percent of the time we are having sex, I am doing it for maintenance purposes. I always enjoy it and I get off the majority of the time, but I don’t always go in wanting it or needing it. Is this wrong? Am I not the feminist I thought I was? —Maintenance Sex Supporter

ing slobs, and they’re always leaving their underwear and socks on the floor of the company’s gym in our office. The janitor picks them up and puts them in a lost-and-found bin. I started checking the bin, and nothing was being removed. No one ever claimed their shorts. So I started taking a pair every now and then. At home, I fantasize about who they belong to, and when I’m done with them, I just toss them. First question: Am I stealing? I assume the guys aren’t missing them, since they’ve been in the bin for a week or more and I haven’t seen notes or anything in the locker room about lost underwear. Second (and more important) question: Have I become one of those perverted panty sniffers from those old Chester the Molester comics? —Singleton Now Inhaling Funky Funk

I’m pro maintenance sex, MSS. Sometimes I sex my husband when I’m not feeling it; sometimes he sexes me when he’s not feeling it. We take care of each other. But maintenance sex is not the same thing as enthusiastic sex. The person asking for maintenance sex—the horny partner who’s being indulged/milked/sexed by the non-horny partner—shouldn’t expect mind-blowing, toecurling, sheet-shredding sex. Maintenance sex is mellow sex, it’s low-impact and low-stress, it’s sex that requires minimal effort, and it’s likely to be non-penetrative sex—and gratitude is the only appropriate response. Another important note: Being pro maintenance sex doesn’t obligate a person to have sex whenever their partner wants it. Proponents and practitioners of maintenance sex still get to say no. There’s a difference between indulging your partner when you’re not feeling it—when you could take it or leave it—and forcing yourself to have sex (or being guilted/pressured/forced) when you’re too exhausted, too sick, or too angry for sex. And as you’ve discovered, MSS, and I can also attest, sometimes you go into sex “not wanting or needing it” and then you start to enjoy it, too, i.e., not in the mood when you started but definitely in the mood before you finished. Those are the times when mellow, low-impact, lowstress maintenance sex turns into mind-blowing, toe-curling, sheet-shredding sex. I would hate to think of how much great sex I would’ve missed if my feminist principles didn’t allow —Dan for maintenance sex.

Maintenance sex is mellow sex, it’s low-impact and low-stress, it’s sex that requires minimal effort, and it’s likely to be nonpenetrative sex— and gratitude is the only appropriate response.

I’ve recently discovered that I am a panty sniffer. Though since I’m a gay man, maybe I’m a briefs breather? Whatever. The smell gets me hard and gets me off. I discovered this when a fuck buddy left his shorts behind, and for the next few days I jerked off sniffing his shorts. That brings me to the young millennial techie guys at my work. They are fuck-

12 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

First answer: technically, yes. But a case could be made that you’re reusing and recycling. If there were a Green Building Certification program for kinks, SNIFF, yours would qualify.

Second answer: Chester the Molester was a comic strip about a guy, Chester, “who was interested in sexually molesting women and prepubescent girls,” says my old friend Wikipedia. This vile comic strip, which ran in Hustler (of course), made child rape look like harmless and hilarious fun. Dwaine Tinsley, the creator of the strip, wound up going to prison for molesting his daughter—I’m guessing she would argue that child rape was neither harmless nor hilarious. Since you are not interested in prepubescent boys, SNIFF, I don’t think you’re a pervert in the Chester the Molester mold. But a case could be made that your actions have a whiff of the nonconsensual about them— your coworkers would most likely object to how you’re reusing and recycling their abandoned underpants—and you should probably knock it off. There are plenty of guys selling their used underwear and jocks online, from

college athletes to porn stars, and if you work at a place with a private gym, SNIFF, you can presumably afford to buy a few pairs. —Dan Vanilla straight guy here. As a fellow Washingtonian, I feel proud to live in a state that was among the first to legalize marriage equality by a popular majority vote of the people. I avidly follow the NFL and eat fried bologna sandwiches and do lots of other manly things. However, I have always loved musical theater. Whenever I go to New York, I have to see at least two or three big shows. My question: Is it socially acceptable for me to good-naturedly say, “I’m totally gay for musical theater”? Or is it a slur that I shouldn’t say, no matter how playful or well-intended? —The Cautious Joker When someone says, “That’s so gay,” but means, “That’s so stupid,” they’re being homophobic. Obviously. But a straight guy who says he’s gay for musicals isn’t saying he’s stupid for them, TCJ, he’s saying, “I love something that many gay men are passionate about—and I’m not talking about cock.” Not all gay men are passionate about musical theater, of course, just as not all straight men are into football. But a man with a passion for musical theater is likelier to be gay; if not, he’ll at least be comfortable around gay people. I’ve heard gay guys who avidly follow the NFL describe themselves as straight for football. Likewise, a man with a passion for football is likelier to be straight. You saying, “I’m gay for musical theater,” or a gay guy saying, “I’m straight for football,” amounts to a humorous acknowledgment that the majority of people interested in musicals or football are gay or straight, respectively. In neither case is it an insult or a put-down. But while I think you can continue to say that you’re gay for musicals, TCJ, some gay men (or some of our more annoying “allies”) may take offense. You don’t have to pay attention to those people— —Dan they’re just gay for taking offense. I’m a vegetarian who’s married to a meat eater, and I thought the compromise you suggested to a vegetarian wondering how to make it work with a meat eater—“The meat eater agrees to keep a meat-free home; the vegetarian agrees to keep a Morrissey-free home”—wasn’t that helpful. But you were probably kidding, right? Here’s the correct answer: The meat eater agrees to allow the vegetarian to be vegetarian (no pressure to eat meat, using vegetable stock when cooking at home); the vegetarian agrees to allow the meat eater to eat meat (no bitching about meat in the fridge or on their plate). Thanks for the otherwise great column! —Very Enthusiastically GGG Thanks for sharing, VEGGG.

—Dan

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DID YOU DidKNOW? you know? You may qualify for assistance in paying your home phone bill. Discounts You may qualify forare assistance paying yourofhome phone for basic telephone service available toineligible District Columbia Slug Signorino bill. Discounts low-income residents. for basic telephone service are available to

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Economy II Service*: $3.00 per month unlimited local calling. Value-added services not included Verizon Washington, D.C.’sforLifeline service, known as “Economy II,”are offers reduced(e.g., Call Waiting, Caller ID). No connection charges apply. Also, customers will not be charged for the federal rates on Verizon’s monthly telephone bill and one-time discounts on the cost of subscriber line charge. Economy II customers who are 65 years of age or older can have this service at a further phone service. Additionally, toll blocking is available to Economy II customers reducedinstalling rate of $1.00 per month.

at no charge.

* Full terms and rates for these services, including terms of eligibility, are as set forth in federal and in Verizon’s tariffs on file with the Public Service Commission of the District of Columbia. All rates, terms and conditions included in this notice are subject to change and are current at the time of printing.

Economy II Service*: $3.00 per month for unlimited local calling. Value-added services are not included (e.g., Call Waiting, Caller ID). No connection charges apply. Also, customers will not be charged for the federal subscriber line charge. Economy II Eligibility: whobeen arecertified 65 years District customers residents who have by theof age or older can have this service at a further reduced Washington, as eligible may apply rate DC of Lifeline $1.00Program per month. Restrictions:

for the Economy II program. To apply, schedule an ✓ No other working telephone service at the same location appointment with and the rates Washington, DC Lifeline Program byeligibility, are as set forth in federal and in Verizon’s tariffs on file with the Public * Full terms for these services, including terms of ✓ No additional phone lines calling 1-800-253-0846. Households which one or more Rates as stated here are effective as of September 1, 2011. But, the rates and other terms are Service Commission of the District ofinColumbia. ✓ No Foreign Exchange or Foreign Zone service individuals aretoreceiving subject change in benefits the future.from one of the following ✓ No bundles or packages public assistance programs or have an annual income that is 150% or below the Federal Poverty Guideline may ✓ No outstanding unpaid final bills be eligible. ✓ Bill name must match eligible participant Restrictions: ✓ Food stamps Eligibility: ✓ No separate Lifeline discount on cellular or wireless  No other working telephone service at ✓ Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) phone service DistrictSecurity residents who have been certified by the the same ✓ Supplemental Income ✓ Business lines are notlocation eligible District Department of the Environment’s Energy ✓ Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)  No additional phone lines must match eligible participant as income(Section eligible8)may apply for the ✓ Phonenumber ✓ FederalOffice Public(DDOE) Housing Assistance No Foreign Exchange or Foreign Zone ✓ Must be a current Verizon customer or establish new Economy II program this program. To apply, ✓ Medicaid service service with Verizon schedule an appointment with DDOE by calling 311. ✓ National School Lunch Programs (Free Lunch Program)  No bundles or packages Households in which one or more individuals are  No outstanding unpaid final bills receiving benefits from one of the following public  Bill name must match eligible participant assistance programs may be income eligible.  No separate Lifeline discount on cellular

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or wireless phone service Food Stamps To learn more about the Lifeline program, visit www.lifelinesupport.org.  Business lines are not eligible Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC)  Phone number must match eligible Supplemental Security Income participant Public Assistance to Adults  Must be a current customer or establish Temporary Disability Assistance Program new service with Verizon

Contact DDOE at 311 to apply To learn more about the Lifeline program, visit www.lifelinesupport.org.

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THESTRAIGHTDOPE In light of a recent Daily Mail article, “Why Sleeping Naked Could Cut Your Risk of Diabetes...Not to Mention Ward Off Infections, Trim Your Waistline and Make You Less Exhausted” [11/24/14], I was wondering whether you think the government —Sarah Chekroud should ban pyjamas? A pajama ban might be slightly overstepping things—firstly, because I, for one, don’t want to be the person going around policing it. Secondly, at the risk of sounding puritanical, getting naked might be overrated. The claim, while it does follow a pattern distantly related to logic, is nowhere near scientifically proven. And while there’s no denying that regular nudity will very likely improve certain aspects of your life, unfortunately there are no reported links thus far between orgasms and insulin sensitivity. We’ll be the first to let you know when anything turns up. Let’s acknowledge that the Daily Mail—a British tabloid not best known for its science reportage—has it essentially right on at least one point: sleep is good. When you don’t get enough of it, scary things tend to happen. Microsleeps, for instance—without sufficient sleep the brain forces us to take tiny involuntary naps, more or less pulling the plug on our consciousness every so often. Add in the fact that the cognitive effects of a week of reduced sleep have been found equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.089, and you see why sleep deprivation is a serious menace to car, air, and space shuttle traffic alike. The immune system and reaction times fall victim to drowsiness too, as do fine-motor function, working memory, and (need we even mention it?) mood. Lack of sleep can also make you fat. For one thing, sleepy people tend to eat more. Brains need stimulants to keep from crashing, and sugar is an easy (if poor) substitute. Also, fewer hours asleep = more hours awake to eat donuts. The more people are exposed to food, the more likely they are to eat it. And leptin and ghrelin, hormones that play a major role in appetite regulation, are dependent on sleep quantity and quality—as is glucose regulation. This means that not only can reduced sleep cause increased hunger and appetite throughout the day, it makes binge-eating ice cream even worse for you than usual. Maybe unsurprisingly, a long-term study of 68,000 women found that compared to those who slept seven hours a night, women who slept five hours or less were 15 percent more likely to become obese. And being overweight can, of course, increase your risk of diabetes. There’s evidence, too, that the body’s sensitivity to insulin is much worse after less sleep, or interrupted sleep. So the idea of a connection between sleep and diabetes risk certainly isn’t crazy. All this established, we’ll move on to the central question: to strip or not to strip? This is where things get a little iffy. To support the

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big claim made in their headline, the Daily Mail cites a study published last summer in the journal Diabetes reporting that five men who slept in colder temperatures for a month showed significantly better insulin sensitivity and developed more brown fat. Brown fat is metabolically active (as opposed to the Crisco that coats the rest of our bodies), and is considered good because it takes sugar out of your bloodstream to maintain body temperature. So, OK: sleeping in the cold is better for you. But the Mail’s crack reporting team leaves out a key detail: these men weren’t naked—they were all thoroughly pajama-ed. So far, Cecil 1, Daily Mail 0 (not that we keep track of these things). But we’re not done here: the Mail also claims more basically that “going naked means a good night’s sleep.” Admittedly, getting quality sleep is a surprisingly tricky process. Your core body temperature needs to drop almost a degree Fahrenheit for you to fall and stay asleep, meaning the ideal bedroom should be fairly cool, and bundling up too much is counterproductive. But in the process your skin temperature needs to increase, thus allowing blood vessels to expand enough to release that excess core heat. The Mail insists that being naked helps make this complex thermoregulation happen, but to defend the point it winds up relying on a 2008 Dutch study that found subjects slept more deeply and soundly with their skin warmed by water-filled thermosuits. Again— and I hate to have to mention it—these subjects obviously weren’t naked. It’s not hard to see how a paper that specializes in celebrities’ beach bodies and baby bumps might oversell the nudity concept for clickbait purposes. Some optimized combination of room temperature and skin coverage could well improve your sleep and/or even help build brown fat, either of which may in turn ultimately lower your diabetes risk, and nakedness could conceivably play a role in such a scenario. But since (a) no one has yet gone full monty in a clinical setting and (b) overthinking all this provokes more insomnia-inducing anxiety than not, I hereby pardon all pajama-wearers. Thermosuits, birthday suits—wear whatever helps you sleep at night. —Cecil Adams Have something you need to get straight? Take it up with Cecil at straightdope.com.

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 15

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YOUNG & HUNGRY

Eat Here Soon

Ten restaurants and bars to get hungry for in 2015 By Jessica Sidman After the unrelenting march of restaurant and bar openings over the last couple years, it’s hard to believe there could still be more coming. But things won’t be slowing down in 2015. Several long-respected local chefs are finally opening places of their own, while one big name is venturing into the fast casual world. There will be Filipino, Korean-Japanese, Peruvian-Chinese, FrenchAmerican, and some damn good cocktails. It’s also shaping up to be a banner year for people who love vegetables; chefs are making them a prominent part, if not the selling point, of their menus. And yeah, yeah, Momofuku’s David Chang is actually coming. Here are some places worth getting excited for in the new year.

The Dabney

1222 9th St. NW (Blagden Alley) ETA: Summer Jeremiah Langhorne comes to D.C . from nationally renowned McCrady’s Restaurant in Charleston, S.C., where he was chef de cuisine. (Rose’s Luxury chef Aaron Silverman is also an alum.) But Langhorne is also a Virginia native whose new modern American restaurant, the Dabney, aims to pay tribute to the reHome Is Where the Hearth gion’s local ingredients and history. InIs: Jeremiah Langhorne’s spired by Monticello and other kitchens The Dabney will focus on of the early 19th century, the 70-seat esthe region’s culinary past. tablishment will center around a woodfire hearth (albeit one that’s more up to code than those of yesteryear). “There’s fresh things that really represent the region that you’re in certain flavor profiles that you just can’t get any other than foraging for foraging’s sake.” way,” Langhorne says. “And also just the ability to be able to cook a whole suckling pig or do things like that.” The Columbia Room menu will highlight ingredients from the Chesapeake Bay Blagden Alley and its watershed, including plants and herbs that Lang- ETA: End of 2015 horne grows from trellises in the restaurant’s semi-en- The bad news: Cocktail haven Columbia Room and its home, closed courtyard or forages. “We want to use as many in- the Passenger, closed at the end of the year. The good news: digenous local products as possible,” Langhorne says. “For Owner Derek Brown plans to relocate the bar into a space me, foraging has a lot more to do with being able to get of its own in Blagden Alley (above the Dabney). Brown isn’t

ready to comment on his plans for Columbia Room 2.0 just yet, but he tells the Washington Post the new place will be about five times as big as its intimate 10-seat predecessor. As far as I’m concerned, that just means more room to enjoy some of what will surely be among the best cocktails in the city.

Momofuku

11th and I streets NW ETA: Summer After rumors that circulated for months, David Chang made it official: Momofuku is coming to D.C. The northern Virginia native-turned-global restaurateur hasn’t yet shared exactly what’s in store for his 4,500-square-foot CityCenterDC establishment, but a rep for the restaurant says it will be a new concept featuring favorite dishes from across Chang’s menus in New York, Sydney, and Toronto. An added bonus: Momofuku Milk Bar, headed by pastry chef and fellow northern Virginia native Christina Tosi, will join the restaurant at CityCenterDC. Get excited for crack pie.

Convivial

801 O St. NW ETA: Late spring/early summer Mintwood Place is getting an even larger sister restaurant in Shaw that diners will be able to enjoy all day long. Located at City Market at O, Convivial from chef Cedric Maupillier and co-owner Saied Azali plans to open from breakfast through dinner. By day, Maupillier hopes the 150-seat restaurant (with 70-seat patio) will be a more casual hangout where neighbors can read a newspaper or bring their computer while enjoying homemade pastries, egg dishes, sandwiches, soups, salads, and more. By night, Convivial will serve a French-American menu with a touch of Italian—like Mintwood Place—but with a greater emphasis on vegetables and smaller plates rather than the traditional appetizer and entree format. “I want people to be able to design the menu they want,” Maupillier says. But most of all, he wants Convivial to live up to its name: “It means everything that the restaurant should be.” Darrow Montgomery

DCFEED

Beefsteak

22nd and I streets NW ETA: February As much as José Andrés loves his jamón, “vegetables are sexy” has become one of his top catchphrases. And so his first washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 17

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DCFEED(cont.) foray into fast casual will center on sexy. Beefsteak, named after the tomato, will offer simple preparations of vegetables served bowlstyle. Guests will be able to customize their meals with a selection of sauces and grains, or choose from one of a few staple menu options. Meat will be relegated to an optional add-on. Also worth getting excited about this year is Andrés’ China Chilcano, which will open in Penn Quarter in January. (It’s been delayed long enough that it made this list last year.) The contemporary Peruvian restaurant will highlight the country’s Criollo, Chinese, and Japanese cuisines.

Bad Saint

3226 11th St. NW ETA: Early 2015 D.C. is severely lacking in Filipino restaurants. You’ll have to head to the suburbs if you want to try some real lumpia (fried spring rolls) or karekare (oxtail stew). But this winter, Nick Pimentel of Room 11 and Genevieve Villamora will open Bad Saint in Columbia Heights with a mix of iconic Filipino dishes as well as lesserknown regional and seasonal specialities. Chef Tom Cunanan previously worked at Ardeo + Bardeo and operated Tarsier Catering, where he cooked “post-modern Filipino and American cuisine.” The restaurant gets its name from St. Malo, La., a long-destroyed coastal fishing village which was the first permanent Filipino settlement in what is now the U.S.

Masseria

1344 4th St. NE ETA: Spring Former Bibiana chef Nicholas Stefanelli is breaking out on his own to open an Italian restaurant with influences from southern regions like Puglia and Sicily, where his family comes from. But that doesn’t mean the place will be seafood-centric: “Burrata is from Puglia. There’s a lot of salumi that’s from down south that most people don’t usually see here because they’re not the big famous ones,” Stefanelli says. The menu will have three-, five-, and eight-course options where diners can mix and match which appetizers, pastas, or fish and meat they want to include in their prix-fixe meal. “If you want three courses of pasta, you can have three courses of pasta,” he says. The bar will offer dishes a la carte. Located in an old produce market near Union Market, Masseria will have a large garden, a covered atrium, and an indooroutdoor bar serving Italian aperitifs and wine. Stefanelli is heading to Italy in January for a research trip that will help guide the menu. Stay tuned for pop-ups when he gets back.

Yona realdeal.washingtoncitypaper.com 18 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

4000 Wilson Blvd., Arlington ETA: Spring Chef Jonah Kim (formerly chef at now-

closed Baltimore izakaya Pabu) has collaborated with chefs throughout the city as one of the hosts of Mandu’s monthly guest chef series, Anju. Now, he’s teaming up with Mike Isabella to open a noodle bar and small-plates eatery called Yona—located right next to Isabella’s other forthcoming Ballston eateries, Kapnos Taverna and Pepita. While Isabella is a partner in the restaurant, Kim is behind the menu. Expect dishes that blend Kim’s Korean heritage and Japanese culinary training, including ramen, steamed duck buns, crispy Brussels sprouts with fermented chili mayo, and double-fried Korean-style chicken wings. Quick-serve dishes like donburi rice bowls and ramen will be the focus for lunch. Taha Ismail, who oversees the drink menus at all of Isabella’s restaurants, will put together a selection of beer, sake, and cocktails.

Kinship

1015 7th St. NW ETA: September After 10 years at CityZen, chef Eric Ziebold said goodbye to the fine dining establishment, which closed earlier this month. But he’ll be back with his wife, Celia Laurent Ziebold, to open two places of their own in Mount Vernon Square this fall. Ziebold told the Post he’ll open an 80-seat restaurant called Kinship and a yet-unnamed, but more intimate tasting menu restaurant below it. The more casual Kinship, the newspaper reports, will have the air of a dinner party and menu divided by “what’s in season, technique, classic dishes, and treats such as foie gras and truffles.” Those ingredients don’t necessarily sound more casual, but they do sound delicious.

Chaia

3207 Grace St. NW ETA: June Vegetarian taco purveyor Chaia sells some of the best eats at local farmers markets. And soon, you won’t have to wait until market day to find them. Founders Bettina Stern and Suzanne Simon recently signed a lease for a two-story shop in Georgetown. The Chaia storefront will sell five types of tacos daily—all made with local, seasonal produce inside homemade corn tortillas. Among the taco combos in the repertoire: braised chard, potato, and green sauce, as well as market mushrooms with feta and red sauce. The place will also serve variety of sides and natural drinks, like honeycrisp apple shrub or hibiscus tea. Best of all: Weekend brunch CP means breakfast tacos.

Eatery tips? Food pursuits? Send suggestions to hungry@washingtoncitypaper.com.

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CPARTS arTs desk

The 10 besT phoTography shows of 2014 washingtoncitypaper.com/go/photo10

Best in show

One Track Mind

It’s easy to spot the most experienced concertgoer at a show. The true veterans aren’t leaning up against the rail in the first row or posed coolly toward the back with a set of expensive ear plugs; they’re manning the sound booth, cleaning up beer cans or checking to see if that

“Talk Me Down”

opener they booked was any good. And while there’s work to be done during a show, it’s hard for even the most jaded venue staff to ignore an act that’s jaw-droppingly talented (or, at least, jaw-droppingly loud). Here are the best, loudest, and strangest artists that played D.C. in 2014, according to some staffers who know shit from showgoing gold. —Maxwell Tani

Phantomweight

Howard THeaTre

Standout Track: “Talk Me Down,” a new percussion-rich groove of reggae-kissed brass and funky guitar from D.C.-based Phantomweight, whose latest EP, Value, dropped in August. With influences that range from Middle Eastern music to Gang of Four, the band’s current roster—guitarist-vocalist Ben Lucas, drummer Brian Lafleur, trombonist Matt Hotez, bassist Tyler Sari, and saxophonist Steve Sax—found one another via an ad that Lucas posted on Craigslist calling for musicians with an interest in punk, funk, and world music. “We love both traditional and pop music from all over,” Lucas says. “We’ve been a solid fivepiece for almost a year now.”

Best Show: Beres Hammond Loudest Show: Rata Blanca and Ángeles Del Infierno Sleepiest Show: Hiromi Best Outfit: Shi-Queeta Lee Best Onstage Dancing: Big Freedia

Musical Motivation: With its bouncy bassline and relaxed beat, “Talk Me Down” exudes the effortless energy of an impromptu jam session. “The verses started with a samba-inspired drumbeat and a syncopated bass/guitar riff,” Lucas says. “The chorus was inspired by Afropop rhythms and textures.” The band’s affinity for Afropop shines on Lafleur’s dynamic use of percussion, too. “The congas add the main rhythmic heft,” Lucas says. “We also added woodblock, shaker, and tambourine.” Creative Chaos: According to Lucas, the recording process for “Talk Me Down” wasn’t quite as carefree as the song itself. “The process was chaotic,” he says. “We started recording a set of songs in February 2014 and I just finished the vocal tracking this past week. Meanwhile, in that time, I had a kid, our bass player got married, our drummer left to pursue another project and then returned, our trombonist started grad school, and we added a sax player.” But the band found ways to push through, opting for unconventional studio space when necessary. “We recorded all over the place,” Lucas says. “Even in my car when I couldn’t find another place to be —Carey Hodges loud.” Listen to “Talk Me Down” at washingtoncitypaper.com/go/talkmedown. 20 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Ashley Barronette (bartender)

U STreeT MUSic Hall

Zach Eser (writer and social media manager for Blisspop, the blog of U Hall’s Will Eastman) Best Show: Tie between Annie Mac and Cajmere; New Build and Museum of Love Loudest Show: Rusko

rock & roll HoTel

Molly Majorack (marketing manager and assistant to talent buyer) Best Show: Antemasque Loudest Show: Black Clouds Best Outfit: Betty Who Best Onstage Dancing: Reignwolf

Black caT

Justin Gellerson (band liaison, band hospitality, barback) Best Show: Stephen Malkmus and the Jicks Loudest Show: The Orwells Weirdest Show: The Polyphonic Spree Best Onstage Dancing: Ex Hex Best Crowd: King Tuff

PaPerHaUS 9:30 clUB

Maggie Cannon (I.M.P. director of marketing) Best Show: Ryan Adams Loudest Show: Death from Above 1979 Weirdest Show: Mac DeMarco Best Outfits: The War on Drugs, pranking opener White Laces Best Dancing: Future Islands Best Crowd: Ty Segall

Alex Tebeleff (house resident, booker) Best Show: Pree with Krill, Star Rover, and Witch Coast Loudest Show: Joy Buttons with Loud Boyz Weirdest Show: The Three Brained Robot Best Outfits: Young Rapids (Halloween show)

TheaTer

In This Day and Stage The best theatre of 2014 wasn’t new. But a few premieres set for 2015 hold promise. I’m always reluctant to go back at the end of each year and attempt to contrive some Unified Theory of Everything We Saw on Stage. 2014 was an outlier in recent D.C. theater: Although choosing a favorite show isn’t difficult—Signature Theatre’s Aaron Posner– directed production of Laura Eason’s Sex with Strangers, a clear-eyed romance between two writers, was the only one to lure me back a second time—there was no single new play that seemed to deservingly dominate the conversation the way Anne Washburn’s Mr. Burns, A Post-Electric Play did in 2012 or Posner’s Stupid Fucking Bird, both at Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, did last year. Woolly, our standout company of the last halfdecade, started the year on shaky footing with Jackie Sibblies Drury’s wrongheaded, fake-improvised play-about-playmaking We Are Proud to Present…, which 10 months later still stands as the most self-absorbed and offensive thing I’ve ever seen from a professional company. That’s a sort of accomplishment, anyway. Instead of one knockout new play, we got some surprisingly robust adaptations and revivals and regional premieres, clustered in the spring and early summer: In April, Studio Theatre did Water by the Spoonful, Quiara Alegría Hudes’ Pulitzer-winning 2012 drama set in part in a digital chatroom for addicts in recovery who try to help one another stay clean. Though it sounds gimmicky, seeing their messages and texts projected behind the seven actors acknowledged the creation of a new (and highly vulnerable) intimate space— now that our devices have come to feel fused with our minds and bodies—and made the show a richer, more immersive experience. In May, Forum Theatre’s remount of Stephen Adly Guirgis’ The Last Days of Judas Iscariot, which the company had previously staged in 2008, made news when its Pontius Pilate, Frank Britton, was mugged and assaulted in Silver Spring after the show’s opening-night party. Though hospitalized (and the beneficiary of a public giving campaign that raised more than $55,000 to cov-

er the uninsured Britton’s medical expenses), Britton was able to return to his role before the show’s run ended. All that tended to overshadow how well-performed Guirgis’ metaphysical courtroom-drama-in-purgatory was, featuring a career-best performance from Julie Garner as Judas’ public defender. Spooky Action Theater surprised me with Kwaidan, Izumi Ashizawa’s adaptation of a collection of Japanese ghost stories. Performed processional-style throughout the

Rapture, Blister, Burn Round House Theatre, Jan. 28-Feb. 22 Round House’s production of Becky Shaw last year was my late introduction to the work of Gina Gionfriddo, a playwright whose intimate understanding of sensitive-guy hypocrisy and the many flavors of rage quickly made her one of my favorites. (Lately she’s

how director Richard Clifford could do better than to cast Holly Twyford and Kate Eastwood Norris as the dueling monarchs. Cody Nickell and Nancy Robinette are in it, too. If you’re choosing based on the strength of the cast, this one has to make your list. The Originalist Arena Stage, March 6-April 26 This world premiere by John Strand and directed by Molly Smith has had playgoing politicos curious since it was announced early in 2014. Ed Gero, the venerable star of Shakespeare Theatre Company’s two-part Henry IV this year among many, many other august roles, will don the robes of Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia in this piece derived from the firebrand jurist’s published opinions. Scalia’s dissent in the high court’s 5-4 decision to strike down part of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2013 will be one the play’s key subjects. Vanya and Sonya and Masha and Spike Arena Stage, April 3-May 3 Posner continues his exploration of Chekhovian themes with this D.C. premiere of cranky absurdist Christopher Durang’s 2012 comedy, which has had a number of region-

Text in Line: Water by the Spoonful’s digital projections were more than a gimmick.

Photo byTeddy Wolff

By Chris Klimek

mashup written and directed by Aaron Posner, whose Stupid Fucking Bird (as directed by Howard Shalwitz) at Woolly Mammoth was an eloquent remix of/rebuttal to The Seagull. This time, it’s Chekhov’s Uncle Vanya that’s getting revised and perhaps refuted. Why has Posner, whose oeuvre as a dramatist has thus far consisted entirely of adapted works—he’s translated for the stage stories by Mark Twain, Ken Kesey, and David Foster Wallace—chosen to return to Chekhov? Well, aside from being the best play on a D.C. stage in 2013, Stupid Fucking Bird was also a massive hit that earned an original-cast remount last summer. Posner directs this time, and SFB’s Kimberly Gilbert and Naomi Gibson are both taking a hall pass from Woolly Mammoth to join the cast, which also includes the great Eric Hissom, a frequent Posner collaborator.

Universalist National Memorial Church— where Spooky Action Theater usually confines itself to the basement—the show felt appropriately haunting and otherworldly. The shows I’m most anticipating for the first half of next year all appear to be more grounded in corporeal reality than that. My five for 2015 includes two world premieres, one local premiere, and one I want to see just for the cast: Life Sucks (Or the Present Ridiculous) Theatre J, Jan. 14-Feb. 15 This world premiere is another Chekhov

been putting these gifts to use for the Netflix series House of Cards.) This 2012 play contrasts two women, a sought-after academic and a homemaker, examining how each one yearns for a piece of what the other has. Mary Stuart Folger Theatre, Jan. 27-March 8 As adapted by Peter Oswald, Friedrich Schiller’s 19th-century tale of the 16th-century power struggle between Queen Elizabeth I and Mary, Queen of Sc\ots is a showcase for two powerhouse performers. It’s hard to see

al productions since it won the Tony Award for Best Play last year. The piece interpolates characters and situations from The Seagull, Uncle Vanya, and The Cherry Orchard. Twofisted Washington City Paper theater critic Rebecca J. Ritzel was unmoved by the production Baltimore’s Center Stage offered last spring—which starred Theatre J regular Susan Rome—calling it “a play that tries very hard to pander the theater people. Too hard.” Posner has proven again and again his gift for making heady material feel accessible and raw, so maybe he’ll have better results. CP

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 21

Galleries

Room for Desert

seum awarded the second annual Phillips Collection Emerging Artist Prize, a best-inshow selection from the (e)merge Art Fair. By late 2015, the city’s biggest advocate for visual art will have a permanent presence. That’s the tentative opening set for a new space for the Washington Project for the Arts at 8th and V Streets NW. This is an institution that’s been wandering the desert (so to speak) for decades; the new location, which director Lisa Gold has secured through at least 2022, includes a dedicated gallery, offices, and a mixed-use space— even some room for retail artist books or art editions. Sure, one organization landing a fixed address isn’t exactly a sea change. But Gold (and her predecessors, Kim Ward and Annie Adjchavanich) righted the ship at the WPA after it sank in 1995. Alice Denney’s original vision for a service center for artists is still viable. Local artists found an unexpected friend this year in D.C. At-Large Councilmember David Grosso, who announced at the (e)merge Art Fair in October the launch of Arts Action D.C.: part coalition, part lobbying platform, part seat at the table. Right now, the visual arts are terribly underrepresented among the list of Arts Action partners: Hamiltonian Gallery’s Angie Goerner and the Phillips Collection’s Dorothy Kosinski and Vesela Sretenovic stand alone among a roster weighted toward theater. D.C.’s got loads of self-deMall’s Well: The Hirshhorn starts new this year. clared arts administrators, and credit in the Hirshhorn’s ledger. The museum here’s a genuine way for them to get involved hasn’t had steady leadership since way back in in arts administration in 2015. (Maybe it will 2003. In 2015, it starts with a clean slate. come to nothing. But even back in 2012, when True, with her first major hire, Chiu snubbed Grosso seemed like an outside shot, he was D.C.: As Dawson notes, she brought on the Swiss talking about how poorly the Council served Institute’s Gianni Jetzer as a curator-at-large who artists. Now, he’s backing up his words.) will be based in New York. (Though, to be fair, When Dawson writes about the Washingevery curator works “at large”: They live at fes- ton Color School (a nationally relevant style tivals, fairs, and biennials.) Earlier in December, some 60 years ago), she’s talking about powChiu announced her selection for chief curator, erful forces that shaped D.C.’s past. When she Stéphane Aquin, who has served as curator of writes about Mera Rubell (a Miami art colleccontemporary art for the Montreal Museum of tor who has invested recently in property here Fine Art since 1998. Presumably, he’ll be put- and in Baltimore), she’s talking about the city’s ting down roots in the District. future (maybe). Same for when Dawson writes No one knows yet what a new Hirshhorn about yesterday’s plans for a temporary Bubble will mean for locals. They may never see an- pavilion at the Hirshhorn, or tomorrow’s plans other National Mall liaison as devoted to for an Institute for Contemporary Expression D.C. as former Hirshhorn curator Kristen kunsthalle in the Franklin School downtown. Hileman or former National Portrait GalBut right now—today—what’s shaping art lery curator Anne Collins Goodyear, both is real estate, here and everywhere. In D.C., at of whom were visible fixtures on the local art least, that stands to shift in 2015. The crushing scene. It’s a good thing, then, that the Phillips growth that has transformed the city over the Collection has stepped up locally. Since 2010, past 15 years, for good and bad, has started to the museum has spotlighted a number of Dis- slow. The heady market for condos and contrict artists or artists with D.C. ties with solo versions is cooling. That doesn’t mean housing shows (Barbara Liotta, Jae Ko, Jean Mei- will be any more affordable soon (sorry, everysel, Nicholas and Sheila Pye, Vesna Pav- one), but slightly slower growth opens the way lovic´ and Linn Meyers). This year, the mu- for some settling and filtering in the market.

By Kriston Capps You can’t go home again, the saying goes, and for Jessica Dawson, that might be true. Earlier this month, the former Washington Post art critic penned a letter to her hometown for Vulture, New York magazine’s culture site, that ran under the headline, “Why Is Washington, D.C., an Art Desert?” Dawson’s a lifelong Wizards fan, but it’s time for her to pick the Knicks or the Nets. She has planted her flag in New York. By this point, D.C. residents have had about enough of Christopher Columbus– ing journalists from New York who write as if they’d just discovered the place. (“In a Changing Washington, Lots of Stuff,” deadpanned a Washington City Paper headline two months back, after the last time the New York Times found restaurants in D.C. neighborhoods.) It’s either that, or New Yorkers write about the District as if the city extends no further than federal #ThisTown. Dawson, who wrote for City Paper between 1998 and 2000 and for the Post for 10 years after that, ought to know better. Still, she does get some things right, despite the provincial posture. This year was harder than most for D.C., given the collapse of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the uncertainty that surrounds the newly minted Corcoran School of the Arts and Design going forward under George Washington University. Some of her points are rooted in old prejudices, however, based on trends that don’t hold true any more. “You’ll hear it today, just as you heard it 10, 15, or even 20 years ago: The scene is changing, things are happening,” Dawson writes. Only this time, it’s finally true. The scene is changing; things are happening. For lots of reasons Dawson overlooks, one way or another, 2015 marks a turning point for the D.C. art scene. First and foremost, the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden may have finally put its house in order. New director Melissa Chiu debuts her first exhibition this spring. Assuming that Iranian cyberterrorists don’t shut it down before it opens, “Shirin Neshat: Facing History,” a survey of the Iranian-born artist’s photography and video art, will be a

22 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Darrow Montgomery

Why the D.C. gallery landscape isn’t as barren as outsiders claim

Translation: D.C. galleries that have shuffled through three or four locations over the last decade might find permanent addresses. If 2015 really does mark the turning of the tide for D.C., it will come too late for some artists who lost their patience with the city. I wonder about those artists who left for New York. Are they all better off than they were, or might have been? It’s basic for New Yorkers to crow about how much more art there is in New York, the largest city in the country, by far. Of course there is—and any serious comparison is a bama move. But is the gulf between D.C.’s local art scene and the National Mall really larger than the chasm separating Bushwick artists and the Big Four mega-galleries in Chelsea (Pace, David Zwirner, Gagosian, Hauser & Wirth)? There are some data that help tease out the comparison. According to the most recent report from the National Endowment for the Arts, employment in the District’s independent art industry, relative to all D.C. employment, is 30 percent below the national average. That means there might be a problem, or an opportunity. (The research compiles data from the 2005–2009 American Community Survey and the 2010 Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages.) Unfortunately, the same data for independent artists working in New York don’t exist. But in Los Angeles—which mirrors New York for most every category outside of film and publishing—the concentration of employment for independent artists is more than five times the national average. New York’s concentration of artists is probably even higher: The city’s concentration of art dealers, for example, is almost three times the national average, while L.A.’s gallery concentration is just 20 percent over the national line. (There’s no concentration data for art dealers in D.C.) No shocker here: New York is chock-a-block with artists. That makes it the glorious art capital of the world—and a tough place to hack it. In 2015, I’d tell young, aspiring artists to try their hands somewhere else first. Detroit, or Dallas, or maybe even the Desert of Columbia. Here, and in other major metro areas that aren’t New York, good artists stand to gain as much from curators, critics, and collectors as they would in the Big Apple. Maybe even a lot more. Dawson’s story isn’t really a comparison between New York and D.C. (I think she’d find that laughable.) The District is not without its problems, but c’mon, it’s hardly the Island of Misfit Toys. (That’s Dawson’s favorite quip about D.C.: you know, from that claymation Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer holiday special? Ho ho ho.) New York critics who ask too much of smaller cities, or just sneer at them, risk getting caught up in a kind of North Pole provincialism. There isn’t a present waiting in New York for every good boy and girl who wants one. Outcomes matter, and in 2015, D.C.’s emerging artists have reason for optiCP mism.

GalleriesSketcheS this case is presented like a closed book, a painted case or box that invites closer scrutiny. It would make sense if Magrogan were referencing the artist Jack Goldstein, a conceptualist who once buried himself alive before adopting a buyer-friendly “salon” painting style in the heady 1980s art market. “My Definite Chief Aim” might reference the worlds of architecture and high design (another field where value is a fraught question). The initials “S, M, L, XL,” which are scrawled on the painting, correspond with the title of the seminal 1995 book by Rem Koolhaas, and the primary object depicted in the painting might be some kind of angular building. Part of the work of investigat“My Definite Chief Aim” by Jameson Magrogan (2014) ing Magrogan’s paintings is tracing his references, discovering what he’s objecting to and what he’s adopting, which is often the case with recent painting graduates who make paintings about paintings. I like “Green & Blue,” a sweeping hieroglyph of color, for being less stiff in this regard. For “Telestrator,” Magrogan paints “1st” “Oil, Then Acrylic” over an interior scene: the painting is placed At Transformer to Jan. 31, 2015 nearly on the ground, propped up only by a “Oil, Then Acrylic,” the title for Jameson few plastic trophies. “How to Build a TroMagrogan’s solo show at Transformer, vio- phy Horse; A Painting” is a small square oil lates one of the prime directives in painting. painting of an outline of a horse applied diAcrylic does not bond to oil, so the order for rectly to linen, a staining strategy favored by mixed-media painting is in fact the reverse: the Washington Color School artists (this is Acrylic goes first. Unless Magrogan is refer- nothing like a Color School painting, though). ring here to a hierarchy in art, an older code There’s a medal ribbon affixed to the piece, among the gentry that dictates that oil comes and there was also a straw handle of some sort before acrylic, categorically. that could be used to ride this pony (it came Those were a few of the themes that came apart during the opening, apparently). up in conversation during a boisterous openWhat’s surprising is that there isn’t more ing for Magrogan’s show, a party atmosphere subversive activity in the show. For all his that featured beer by the can in place of white provocations, Magrogan’s solo show is au wine and punk rock in lieu of air kisses. This courant. Works in “Oil, Then Acrylic” would is a show about breaking the rules, it’s plain. fit reasonably well in any painting survey of And yet his paintings tease out another ques- the last few years that critics might describe as tion that has lingered over painting for a cen- casualist. This broad trend rejects the austertury: Can an artist defy the rules if he hasn’t ity of formalism and minimalism, favors tramastered them? ditional subjects and themes, and takes an agMagrogan, a recent graduate of the Mary- nostic approach to process and materials. And land Institute College of Art, takes issue with isn’t that Magrogan, insisting on traditional the forms and factors that give rise to value in painting while disregarding tradition? —Kriston Capps art. For “My Buddy, Mr. Goldenstein,” the painting is a sculpture, of sorts, placed on a makeshift pedestal. That way you know it’s art, 1404 P St. NW. Free. (202) 483-1102. transthe artist seems to be saying. The objet d’art in formerdc.org

Use YoUr AllUsion

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 23

MusicDiscography

Do You Hear What I Hear? How D.C. artists are finding faraway fans

By Ryan Little Who cares about D.C. music? The way some locals talk, you’d think no one outside the DMV pays attention to the region’s musical gifts, but 2014 smashed that myth. Rolling Stone can’t stop gushing over Priests; Wale’s forthcoming collaboration with Jerry Seinfeld got attention from MTV and USA Today; Magnet dubbed Ex Hex’s debut “2014’s Best Album”; Pitchfork laid out a whole primer on D.C. hip-hop in the wake of Shy Glizzy’s recent ascent. And those are just the obvious examples. The truth is that people have always paid attention. The most-repeated stories about Duke Ellington, Chuck Brown, or Ian MacKaye—the tales that crop up in docs like Dave Grohl’s Sonic Highways—often omit folkier heroes like John Fahey and Seldom Scene. The genre-crossing talent of Eva Cassidy, whose fame didn’t blossom until after her untimely death, doesn’t fit

Shervin Lainez

Web Rouser: Cuneiform brought its artists, like local avant-jazz trailbrazer Anthony Pirog, to Bandcamp this year. squarely into most D.C. narratives either, despite her duets with Brown and Blues Alley recording sessions. Even the chilled-out, political trip-hop of Thievery Corporation, whose following spans the globe, sometimes gets forgotten in local-centric discussions. The more interesting question is how, not if, anyone outside the area finds out about D.C. artists. There’s no singular style or narrative inside D.C. music, and the path to broader recognition varies wildly, too. Priests went the time-honored, punk-rock way: They toured their asses off, booked their own shows, recorded and (co-)released their own music, and in the process, managed to capture the attention of both grassroots fans and major critics. Hell, even Weezer’s Rivers Cuomo digs them. Ex Hex scored a deal with Merge early on (frontwoman Mary Timony’s time with Wild Flag and Helium probably didn’t hurt), and the band hit the ground running. By the time

24 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

its debut LP came out, the group had already had successful showcases at SXSW and was on the road with the much-buzzed-about Speedy Ortiz. With so much momentum built up, it was no surprise when Ex Hex broke into the national spotlight, performing on Late Night with Seth Meyers in November. At first, Shy Glizzy garnered local attention by regularly dropping decent mixtapes and hashing out more than a few beefs with other rappers on Twitter, but a 2013 spot on a Future mixtape opened the door for his increasingly hook-laden singles to make rounds on hip-hop radio. His two mixtapes this year have gotten even more attention, leaving plenty of room for the 22-yearold rapper to branch out in the year to come. But Glizzy’s not the only one prepping for 2015. With the ever-rising price of rent, a precipitous decline in record sales, and an increasingly confusing, cluttered digital landscape, any area musician looking to make a big impact has to make plans. Yesterday’s strategies aren’t reli-

able in a constantly changing field, so perhaps the most important question is about what’s next: How will anyone hear about D.C. artists? Devin Ocampo (Faraquet, Beauty Pill) has been releasing two-song cassette tapes with his new band, the Effects; they stream only one song at a time on their Bandcamp page, with a new one up every month. They aren’t the only locals to churn out cassettes—labels like Sister Polygon (Priests, Pinkwash) and Cricket Cemetery have been at it for a few years—but their singles (with intentional A and B sides, harkening back to vinyl 45s of the ’50s and ’60s) apply an oldschool model to a contemporary situation: Low overhead, limited streams, and frequent physical releases might be the key to breaking into an otherwise noisy, digital world. Earlier last year, Cuneiform Records jumped onto Bandcamp, too. In a massive undertaking, the label moved its enormous, adventurous catalog onto the DIY-friendly service, where it’s all immediately audible. Among Cuneiform’s many 2014 releases, Anthony Pirog’s brilliant Palo Colorado Dream cracked jazz year-end lists across the country. Both Pirog and Cuneiform’s other artists seem set to face 2015 with both quality and quantity, filling out extensive tour schedules and offering up wildly ambitious performances. On a much larger scale, D.C.’s biggest hiphop star, Wale, caught headlines last year as he developed an unlikely friendship and collaboration with Seinfeld, who the rapper has long admired. Working with one of the biggest names in the entertainment industry isn’t exactly a replicable formula, but that’s partly what makes the improbable pair so fascinating to watch. After years of delays, avant-pop band Beauty Pill is finally gearing up to release its first record in 11 years, Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are. The group recently signed with Butterscotch Records, run by producer Allen Farmelo (the Cinematic Orchestra), where other high-minded, unconventional artists, like Mikael Jorgensen of Wilco, have entrusted their work. The label prides itself on ultra-high-quality vinyl and digital products, which should highlight bandleader Chad Clark’s obsessive attention to detail—perhaps the vital element that sets the group’s new LP apart. Taking a more community-based approach, the eccentric artist Marian McLaughlin recently ran a successful Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund her forthcoming chamber-folk record, Spirit House. The attention her debut caught earlier this year from critics like NPR’s Bob Boilen should only add fuel to her now-viable future endeavors. With so many different plans mapped out for 2015, there is no guaranteed or authoritative strategy for success. D.C. continues to benefit from new ideas in both music and commerce—its many musicians work with different forms and changing formats and, now as much as ever, a gifted few resonate with audicP ences well beyond the city limits.

CITYLIST

New Year’s Eve . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .25 Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .28 Galleries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30 Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 0 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .32

SearCh LISTIngS aT waShIngTonCITYpaper.Com

CITY LIGHTS: FRIDAY

THE T PARTY This homegrown theatrical experience, from D.C. playwright phenom Natsu Onoda Power (also of Synetic’s Trip to the Moon and Studio Theatre’s Astro Boy and the God of Comics), is making a welldeserved and timely comeback. It isn’t a tea party with crumpets and cream; this D.C.-centric compilation of scenes, songs, and audience participation examines gender norms, sexuality, and stories from the trans community. The play was prescient when Forum premiered it almost two years ago, and its return couldn’t have come at a better time: With the popularity of TV shows like Transparent and Laverne Cox’s Time magazine cover, larger audiences than ever are opening their eyes and ears to conversations on gender. An interactive theatrical production is the perfect antidote to the post-holiday blues, and if your New Year’s resolution is to be more active, this energetic ensemble production will literally get you out of your seat and thinking about the people who live in the city around you. The play runs Jan. 2 to Jan. 17 at the Silver Spring Black Box Theatre, 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. $30– $35. (301) 588-8279. forum-theatre.com. —Diana Metzger

New Year's eve

2014 Prohibition Party Kiss 2014 goodbye at this New Year’s Eve party presented by Bulliet Bourbon and BV Wines. Front Page. 4201 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $50-$70. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (703) 248-9990. 2nd annual Puttin’ on the ritz Art Soiree presents this swanky party that features a live jazz band as well as music from DJ Moosic. Tickets include a midnight toast and complimentary passed hors d’ouevres. Ritz-Carlton, Washington, D.C. 1150 22nd St. NW. $55. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 974-5566. black cat new year’s eve ball Join jazz vocalist Peaches O’Dell and lounge act Tony and his Malvivants on the mainstage or head downstairs to dance to DJ Dredd and Grap Luva at this annual celebration. Black Cat. 1811 14th St. NW. $30. Dec. 31, 8 p.m. (202) 667-4490.

Latin and Asian-inspired hors d’oeuvres, and party favors. Zengo. 781 7th St. NW. $30. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 393-2929. downtown countdown new year’s eve Party ‘90s rock stars Third Eye Blind headline the 18th annual Downtown Countdown party at the Washington Hilton. Tickets include 5 hours of access to the open bar, a dinner buffet, party favors, and D.C.’s biggest balloon drop at midnight. Washington Hilton. 1919 Connecticut Ave. NW. $89-$225. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 483-3000. the Johnny artis band and dJ india Johnny Artis performs with his band on the first floor and DJ India spins on the second floor at this Adams Morgan spot. Guests can choose from a variety of food and drink options; all tickets include a midnight Champagne toast. Madam’s Organ. 2461 18th St. NW. $30-$99. Dec. 31, 10:00 p.m. (202) 667-5370.

d.c. blues society new year’s eve dinner dance Dance to the music of the “Queen of Baltimore Blues,” Ursula Ricks, at this annual New Year’s Eve celebration presented by the D.C. Blues Society. American Legion Post 268. 11225 Fern St., Wheaton. $30-$40. Dec. 31, 7:00 p.m. (301) 946-3268.

Madhatter new year’s eve ball Guests can access the open bar until 2 a.m. and groove on one of D.C.’s largest dance floors at the Madhatter’s annual New Year’s Eve blowout. Madhatter. 1319 Connecticut Ave. NW. $100. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 833-1495.

destination tokyo Zengo celebrates the spirit of Japan at this Asian-themed party featuring live music,

Masquerade ball Ring in the new year at the Howard with burlesque performances and live music.

Howard Theatre. 620 T St. NW. $45-$80. Dec. 31, 10:00 p.m. (202) 803-2899. Masquerade ball Ego Likeness and Bella Morte perform at this masquerade-themed New Year’s Eve celebration. Empire. 6355 Rolling Road, Springfield. $20. Dec. 31, 8:00 p.m. (703) 569-5940. nadastroM, Gent & Jawns, Jen lasher Welcome 2015 at this dance party featuring local DJs Nadastrom, Gent & Jawns, and Jen Lasher. All tickets will be sold at the door. U Street Music Hall. 1115 U St. NW. $10. Dec. 31, 10:00 p.m. (202) 588-1880. a new day at soho Party until 4 a.m. at this Adams Morgan spot. Enjoy two floors of dancing, an hour of access to the open bar, and party favors. Southern Hospitality. 1815 Adams Mill Road NW. $45-$50. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 588-0411. new year’s eve at the GryPhon Get dressed up and head to the Gryphon for this swanky celebration. 2 drinks and a midnight toast are included with your admission. The Gryphon. 1337 Connecticut Ave. NW. $60. Dec. 31, 9:30 p.m. (202) 827-8980. new year’s eve at the kennedy center Steven Reineke conducts members of the National Symphony Orchestra and members of the rock band Ozomatli

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 25

I.M.P. PRESENTS Meyerhoff Symphony Hall • Baltimore, MD

Sarah McLachLan

AN EVENING WITH

THIS WEEK’S SHOWS SPEND NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH

...................................MARCH 15

Ticketmaster

CLUTCH

with guests: Torche & Lionize............DECEMBER 31 Complimentary Champagne Toast at Midnight! ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Dark Star Orchestra: Continuing the Grateful Dead Experience...F 2 & Sa 3

JANUARY The 9 Songwriter Series feat. Justin Trawick, The Sweater Set, Margot MacDonald, Lauren Calve, Shane Gamble, Jason Masi and more!. Th 8

Merriweather Post Pavilion • Columbia, MD

F lorida G eorGia l ine

w/ Thomas Rhett & Frankie Ballard .........................................................MAY 9

KENNY CHESNEY The Big Revival Tour 2015

w/ Jake Owen & Chase Rice .................................................................. MAY 27 • merriweathermusic.com • 930.com

Kap Slap w/ Breathe Carolina & Jai Wolf ....................................................................F 9 The Pietasters w/ Askultura & Black Masala ..................................................... Sa 10 Cracker & Camper Van Beethoven Early Show! 6pm Doors ...................... W 14

RFK Stadium • Washington, D.C.

STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS

Alvin Risk

w/ Kodak to Graph • Strike Stone • Rucca Late Show! 10:30pm Doors ....................W 14 Wild Child w/ Pearl and the Beard & James Tillman ........................................ Th 15 Cowboy Mouth Early Show! 6:30pm Doors ............................................................ F 16 STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS TEAMSUPREME TOUR FEATURING

Mr. Carmack • Djemba Djemba • Great Dane • Penthouse Penthouse and more! Late Show! 11:30pm Doors ...................... F 16 Super Diamond ....................................................................................................... Sa 17 FIRST SHOW SOLD OUT! SECOND

20th Anniversary Blowout! Buddy Guy • Gary Clark Jr. • Heart • Joan Jett and the Blackhearts • LL Cool J feat. DJ Z-Trip • Trouble Funk • Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue .................................................... JULY 4, 2015 Ticketmaster

SHOW ADDED!

G-Eazy w/ Kehlani • Kool John • Jay Ant .............................................................. Tu 20 SECOND NIGHT ADDED!

Dr. Dog (Th 22 - w/ U.S. Royalty • F 23 - w/ Spirit Family Reunion) .... Th 22 & F 23 Hot in Herre: 2000s Dance Party with DJs Will Eastman and Brian Billion .. Sa 24 STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS THE BUYGORE SHOW FEATURING

Borgore w/ Ookay • Jauz • DOTCOM ........................................................................ Th 29

ALL GOOD PRESENTS

Greensky Bluegrass (F 30 - w/ The Last Bison) ................................ F 30 & Sa 31 FEBRUARY

Asaf Avidan ...................................................................................................................... Su 1 Justin Jones and The B-Sides .............................................................................. W 4 U STREET MUSIC HALL PRESENTS

Viceroy ............................................................................................................................... Th 5

DOCTOR DREAD PRESENTS

Bob Marley’s 70th Birthday Celebration featuring

Third World • Jesse Royal • Roger Steffens • DJ Dub Architect ..................F 6

1215 U Street NW, Washington, D.C. AN EVENING WITH

H Jerry Lewis

JAMIE CULLUM ................................................FEBRUARY 6

ADAM DEVINE DEMETRI MARTIN : The Persistence of Jokes

.......................................................................FEBRUARY 21

AL!

TAPING HIS NEW COMEDY SPECI

Two Shows! 6pm & 9pm Doors ................................................................................ MARCH 7

AN INTIMATE SOLO/ACOUSTIC PERFORMANCE BY

STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS

LISA LAMPANELLI

Borgeous w/ LooKas • LJ MTX • BORTZ Late Show! 11pm Doors ...................... Sa 7 Spandau Ballet: Soul Boys of the Western World Tour ................................ M 9 KONGOS w/ Colony House ........................................................................................... Tu 10

SpeakeaSy DC’S T op Shelf STorieS ....................JANUARY 10

DC MUSIC DOWNLOAD’S THREE YEAR ANNIVERSARY SHOW FEATURING

Paperhaus (Album release show) • Loud Boyz • Baby Bry Bry and The Apologists • DJ AYESCOLD Early Show! 7pm Doors ................... Sa 7

JANUARY 9

Citizen Cope ................................................................. APRIL 9 ............................................................................. MAY 29

• thelincolndc.com •

U Street (Green/Yellow) stop across the street!

AN EVENING WITH

Chris Robinson Brotherhood.............................................................................. W11 Phox .................................................................................................................................... Th 12 SpeakeasyDC’s Sucker for Love This is a seated show ............................ Sa 14 ALL GOOD PRESENTS

JJ Grey and MOFRO w/ The London Souls ........................................................ W 18

MANY MORE SHOWS ON SALE!

9:30 CUPCAKES

930.com

The best thing you could possibly put in your mouth Cupcakes by BUZZ... your neighborhood bakery in Alexandria, VA. | www.buzzonslaters.com

9:30 CLUB PRESENTS AT U STREET MUSIC HALL Anamanaguchi w/ Maxo ..... W JAN 14 Kawehi ......................................... Th 15 Hamilton Leithauser w/ Bully.... F 23 Nick Hakim ................................. Sa 24 Baby Bry Bry and The Apologists

JMSN w/ Rochelle Jordan & BÉRE .. F FEB 13

Doomtree .................................... Sa 14 Theophilus London

w/ FATHER & Doja Cat ................. Su 15 w/ BRNDA • What Moon Things • Hundred Waters ................... F MAR 6 The Sea Life.................................. Su 25

• Buy advance tickets at the 9:30 Club box ofﬁce

Tickets for 9:30 Club shows are available through TicketFly.com, by phone at 1-877-4FLY-TIX, and at the 9:30 Club box office. 9:30 CLUB BOX OFFICE HOURS are 12-7PM Weekdays & Until 11PM on show nights. 6-11PM on Sat & 6-10:30PM on Sun on show nights. 9:30 CUPCAKES The best thing you could possibly put in your mouth. Cupcakes by BUZZ... your neighborhood bakery in Alexandria, VA. www.buzzbakery.com

26 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

PARKING: THE OFFICIAL 9:30 parking lot entrance is on 9th Street, directly behind the 9:30 club. Buy your advance parking tickets at the same time as your concert tickets!

HAPPY HOUR DRINK PRICES

AFTER THE SHOW AT THE BACK BAR!

930.com

perform their greatest hits. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. 2700 F St. NW. $55-$120. Dec. 31, 8:30 p.m. (202) 467-4600. new year’s eve at troPicalia Join the Fort Knox Five, DJ Congo Sanchez, and QDup for a New Year’s celebration full of live music and dancing. Tropicalia. 2001 14th St. NW. $10. Dec. 31, 7:00 p.m. (202) 629-4535. new year’s eve blowout Welcome the new year at this celebration at Rock & Roll Hotel featuring 10 DJs playing on both floors, an open bar, and snacks. Rock & Roll Hotel. 1353 H St. NE. $80-$100. Dec. 31, 8:00 p.m. (202) 388-ROCK. new year’s eve Masquerade ball Join DJ Phlipz for this masquerade themed New Year’s Eve celebration. Tickets include one drink ticket and a toast at midnight. Lost Society. 2001 14th St Northwest. $35. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 618-8868. nye chocolate Factory with dJ steve leMMerMan and dJ bill sPieler Enjoy a premium open bar until 2 a.m. and keep the party going until 4 a.m. at DC9. DJs Steve Lemmerman and Bill Spieler will spin tunes all night long. DC9. 1940 9th St. NW. $55-$70. Dec. 31, 10:00 p.m. (202) 483-5000. Park & liMa nye celebration Ring in 2015 at this party presented by two of D.C.’s hottest clubs. The celebration features DJs, sparkling, and party favors. The Park at Fourteenth. 920 14th St. NW. $30-$80. Dec. 31, 8:00 p.m. (202) 262-3939. redline new year’s eve Party Enjoy passed hors d’oeuvres, an open bar with a midnight toast, and plenty of dancing at this Penn Quarter bar’s year end celebration. Redline. 707 G St. NW. $60. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 347-8683. reMiX oF the nerds Sneak a peek at the newest Busboys and Poets location in Brookland at this New Year’s Eve celebration that supports the Capital Area Food Bank. Enjoy performances by indie rockers Lethal

Bark, local soul band the Coolots, Chocolate City Burlesque Troupe, and DJ Ayescold as well as drinks and appetizers from the restaurant. Busboys and Poets Brookland. 625 Monroe St. NE. $50. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. riverbash 2015 Join Nick’s Riverside Grill and Tony and Joe’s for this annual New Year’s Eve party in Georgetown. Entertainment comes from the Josh Burgess Band and DJs Myra and Delmont. Nick’s Riverside Grill. 3050 K St. NW. $90. Dec. 31, 9:00 p.m. (202) 342-3535. a taste oF Peru Chef Carlos Delgado welcomes the new year by serving a special 5-course menu paired with Pisco cocktails at this popular new Peruvian spot on H St. NE. Ocopa. 1324 H St. NE. $95. Dec. 31, 5:30 p.m. (202) 396-1814. williaMsburG salsa orchestra, craiG Gildner biG band Patrons with any Dec. 31 evening performance tickets at the Kennedy Center are welcome at this celebration that includes music by 13-piece swing group the Craig Gildner Big Band and Brooklyn, N.Y.’s Williamsburg Salsa Orchestra. A free photo booth will be accessible in the Grand Foyer to commemorate the event. Kennedy Center Grand Foyer. 2700 F St. NW. Free. Dec. 31, 10:30 p.m. (202) 467-4600. zoo bar’s new year’s eve eXtravaGanza Enjoy a three-course meal or just show up to hear live music from the Big Boy Little Blues Band and welcome the new year. All tickets include a complimentary midnight toast. Zoo Bar. 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. $14-$64.95. Dec. 31, 7:30 p.m.; Dec. 31, 9:30 p.m. (202) 232-4225.

CITY LIGHTS: SATURDAY

NEW INTERNATIONAL SHORTS

For short-film makers, presenting a film at the international short film festival in Oberhausen, Germany is the pinnacle of success. The 60-year-old festival highlights first-timers and seasoned pros alike, featuring works both experimental and traditional. Unfortunately, traveling to Europe for the sake of seeing a bunch of short films will cost you a pretty penny, and it’s hard to select which films to view among the long, dizzying show listings. The National Gallery of Art does your dirty work by presenting a dozen highlights from the 2014 festival at two programs this afternoon. The selection skews in favor of American and English-language shorts, but Italian, Argentine, and German filmmakers are also represented. Prepare to be sufficiently empowered by the first program’s highlight, Michael Robinson’s The Dark, Krystle (pictured), described as both a fashion show and feminist morality parade. The films show at 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, 6th St. —Caroline Jones and Constitution Ave. NW. Free. (202) 737-4215. nga.gov.

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 27

BluEs zoo bar 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. (202) 232-4225. Over the Limit: Lisa Lim, Tom Maxwell, Wolf Crescenze, Bart Baldereson. 10 p.m. Free. zoobardc.com.

Hip-Hop rock & roll hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Cane. 9 p.m. $12. rockandrollhoteldc.com. u street Music hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Sam Burns, Keenan Orr, Charles Martin. 10 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.

saturday Rock

9:30 club 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Dark Star Orchestra. 8 p.m. $29. 930.com. eMPire 6355 Rolling Road, Springfield. (703) 5695940. Picture Perfect, Burn the Ballroom. 5 p.m. $10–$15. empire-nova.com.

JAN 8

DOBET GNAHORÉ

the haMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Lloyd Dobler Effect. 10:30 p.m. Free. thehamiltondc.com.

Contemporary African grooves and gorgeous ballads

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. My Vanity Project, No Response. 1:30 p.m. $10–$13. jamminjava.com. rock & roll hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Hatfield McCoy. 8 p.m. $12. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

JAN 9

THE YING QUARTET

CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE BARNS

JAN 15

KEVIN GRIFFIN

OF BETTER THAN EZRA

JAN 16

THE IGUANAS

CITY LIGHTS: SUNDAY

PHOTO CAMP: A DECADE OF STORYTELLING Through a project known as “Photo Camp,” the National Geographic Society sends its world-class photographers into some of the most troubled areas of the world, from South Sudan to the Pine Ridge Indian reservation, with the mission of teaching young people aged 13 to 25—2,500 in all since 2003—how to express themselves through photography. The students, whose work is now on display at the National Geographic Museum, aren’t yet the equals of their teachers, but their work is impressive nonetheless. Not surprisingly, many of the students’ images echo established Nat Geo tropes, including ethnographic, natural, and humanitarian themes. Some, like an image of a hanging row of multicolored brushes, are elegant in their simplicity; others, like the photograph that zeroes in on a mother’s hand cradling her baby’s foot or the one that focuses on the hands of a boat captain steering his vessel, make sophisticated use of cropping techniques. These younger perspectives add some brightness to the traditional National Geographic methods. The exhibition is on view daily 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at the National Geographic Museum, 1600 M St. NW. —Louis Jacobson $7–$11. (202) 857-7700. nationalgeographic.com.

GENERAL ADMISSION DANCE

Bourbon Street party-starters mix rock, R&B, and Mexican melodies

Music

Friday CANELLAKIS�BROWN DUO CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE BARNS

JAN 24

ARI HEST SEE FULL SCHEDULE AT

WOLFTRAP.ORG

blues alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Yahzarah. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $30. bluesalley.com.

ElEctRonic u street Music hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Star Slinger, Trippy Turtle, Infuze. 10 p.m. $15. ustreetmusichall.com.

Jazz bethesda blues and Jazz 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. (240) 330-4500. 76Degrees West Band. 8 p.m. $20. bethesdabluesjazz.com.

BluEs zoo bar 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. (202) 2324225. Big Boy Little Band featuring Bret Littlehales. 10 p.m. Free. zoobardc.com.

countRy birchMere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. (703) 549-7500. Hal Ketchum. 7:30 p.m. $35. birchmere.com.

Folk

Funk & R&B

GyPsy sally’s 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Jeff Severson, Margot MacDonald, Westmain, Ben Mason with Jim Mason, The Patty Reese Band. 8 p.m. $15. gypsysallys.com.

bethesda blues and Jazz 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda. (240) 330-4500. Jamison and Double O Soul, Cris Jacobs. 8 p.m. $15. bethesdabluesjazz.com.

birchMere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. (703) 549-7500. In Gratitude. 7:30 p.m. $35. birchmere.com.

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. The Michael Clem Trio, Jason Burk. 6 p.m. $15. jamminjava.com.

blues alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Aziza Miller. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $25. bluesalley.com.

classical

FillMore silver sPrinG 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. Badfish, Ballyhoo!, Bumpin’ Uglies, Dale and the Zdubs. 8 p.m. $23. fillmoresilverspring.com.

howard theatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. Chante Moore, DJ Zu. 8 p.m. $37.50–$55. thehowardtheatre.com.

GyPsy sally’s 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Dub City Renegades, Higher Hands, Higher Education. 9 p.m. $12–$15. gypsysallys.com.

ElEctRonic

Rock JAN 23

velvet lounGe 915 U St. NW. (202) 462-3213. The Sharp Lads, The Mostly Dead,. 9:30 p.m. $8. velvetloungedc.com.

Funk & R&B

9:30 club 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. Dark Star Orchestra. 8 p.m. $29. 930.com.

the haMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Brent & Co. 10:30 p.m. Free. thehamiltondc.com. JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. Wrestle with Jimmy, Good Time Boys, Lithium. 6:30 p.m. $10–$15. jamminjava.com.

28 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

eMPire 6355 Rolling Road, Springfield. (703) 5695940. Angerfist. 8 p.m. $20. empire-nova.com. Flash 645 Florida Ave. NW. (202) 827-8791. Derek Plaslaiko, Thor, A. Arias, Coby Jones. 8 p.m. $8–$12. flashdc.com.

Music center at strathMore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Baltimore Symphony Orchestra: Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. 8 p.m. $35–$100. strathmore.org.

DJ nigHts FillMore silver sPrinG 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. 80s vs 90s Dance Party with DJ Biz Markie, Here’s To the Night, The New Romance. 8 p.m. $15.50. fillmoresilverspring.com. rock & roll hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. DJs Rex Riot, Basscamp. 11:30 p.m. Free. rockandrollhoteldc.com.

Comedy Club & Restaurant

star slinger at u street Music hall, Jan. 3

ALL SHOWS 18 & OVER

1140 Connecticut Ave. NW, Washington, DC 202.296.7008 dcimprov.com SEATON SHERYL ADAM HUGGY LOWDOWN UPCOMING SMITH UNDERWOOD FERRARA & CHRIS PAUL

EVENTS SPECIAL EVENT

PETE HOLMES Special Event

Special Event

TWO SHOWS! 8 & 10:15 countdown FOX’s “Mulaney”

BET’s “Comic View,” newest member of CBS’s “The Talk”

BIG JAY OAKERSON

JAN 22-25

“Underground Comedy w/ Dave Attell,”“Louie,” “Inside Amy Schumer”

Special Event

JAN 2-3

NEW YEAR’S EVE

JAN 8-11

“Top Gear,”“Rescue Me,” “The Tonight Show,” “Nurse Jackie”

JAN 15-18

“The Tom Joyner Morning Show”on Magic 102.3, HBO

TOM PAPA

JOHN HEFFRON

TOM RHODES

JAN 29-31

FEB 5-8

FEB 12-15

Special Event

“The Marriage Ref,” HBO , “The Informant,” “Bee Movie,” “Analyze That”

“The Tonight Show,” Winner of “Last Comic Standing”

February 20-22

SPECIAL EVENT

BILL BELLAMY

February 26- March 1

CHRISTINA PAZSITZKY March 5-8

Give the gift of laughter!

Gift certificates & CDs “Underground Comedy w/ Dave Attell,” Huffington Post

Private event?

Hire a comic or host it here!

LIVE

UPCOMING PERFORMANCES

YELLOW DUBMARINE W/ JAMISON AND DOUBLE O SOUL FRIDAY

DEC 26

A BOB MARLEY

TRIBUTE WITH JUNIOR MARVIN’S

WAILERS

W/ PRESSING STRINGS SATURDAY DEC 27 SUN, DEC 28

START MAKING SENSE: TALKING HEADS TRIBUTE tijuana Panthers at dc9, Jan. 5

sunday Rock

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. Fred Eaglesmith, Tif Ginn. 7 p.m. $20. jamminjava.com.

Jazz zoo bar 3000 Connecticut Ave. NW. (202) 2324225. Mike Flaherty’s Dixieland Direct Jazz Band. 7:30 p.m. Free. zoobardc.com.

classical Music center at strathMore 5301 Tuckerman Lane, Bethesda. (301) 581-5100. Salute to Vienna

TUES, DEC 30

OLD 97’s W/ VANDAVEER WED, DEC 31

New Year’s Concert featuring the Strauss Symphony of America. 3 p.m. $49–$95. strathmore.org. PhilliPs collection 1600 21st St. NW. (202) 3872151. Abigail Mitchell. 4 p.m. $15–$30. phillipscollection.org.

gospEl howard theatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. Howard Gospel Brunch. 1 p.m. $35–$45. thehowardtheatre.com.

NEW YEAR’S EVE WITH OLD 97’s W/ VANDAVEER THURS, JAN 8

WILLIE WATSON W/ ELLE KING FRI, JAN 9

PAUL BARRERE & FRED TACKETT OF LITTLE FEAT W/ THE NEW ORLEANS SUSPECTS

Monday Rock

dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Tijuana Panthers, The Garden, Sneaks. 8 p.m. $10. dcnine.com.

THEHAMILTONDC.COM washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 29

thursday

eMPire 6355 Rolling Road, Springfield. (703) 5695940. Dark Tranquillity, Insomnium, Tortile, Aurelian. 6 p.m. $20–$25. empire-nova.com.

Rock

Funk & R&B

black cat backstaGe 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Lazyeyes. 8 p.m. $10. blackcatdc.com.

MadaM’s orGan 2461 18th St. NW. (202) 667-5370. One Nite Stand. 9 p.m. $3–$7. madamsorgan.com.

Jazz

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. Mid-Atlantic Band Battle #12 - Prelims. 7:30 p.m. $10–$15. jamminjava.com.

blues alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Geoff Gallante. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $20. bluesalley.com.

rock & roll hotel 1353 H St. NE. (202) 388-ROCK. Mother Falcon, And the Kids. 8 p.m. $15. rockandrollhoteldc.com. velvet lounGe 915 U St. NW. (202) 462-3213. Cannonball Cole, the Stick Mob, the Powerful House Ways and Means Committee. 9 p.m. $5. velvetloungedc.com.

boheMian caverns 2001 11th St. NW. (202) 2990800. Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra. $10. bohemiancaverns.com.

ElEctRonic

Folk

u street Music hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 588-1880. Alex Metric. 9 p.m. $15–$18. ustreetmusichall.com.

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. Robbie Schaefer. 7:30 p.m. $10. jamminjava.com.

Jazz

tuesday

artisPhere 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 8751100. Steve Riley and the Mamou Playboys. 8:30 p.m. $15. artisphere.com.

Rock

CITY LIGHTS: MONDAY

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. Mid-Atlantic Band Battle #12 - Prelims. 7:30 p.m. $10–$15. jamminjava.com.

SKYLIGHT

MadaM’s orGan 2461 18th St. NW. (202) 6675370. The Johnny Artis Band. 9 p.m. $3–$7. madamsorgan.com.

Jazz twins Jazz 1344 U St. NW. (202) 234-0072. Marty Nau. 8 p.m. $10. twinsjazz.com.

Wednesday Rock

JaMMin Java 227 Maple Ave. East, Vienna. (703) 255-1566. Mid-Atlantic Band Battle #12 - Prelims. 7:30 p.m. $10–$15. jamminjava.com.

Jazz blues alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Johnny Britt. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $20. bluesalley.com.

Folk black cat backstaGe 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. The End of America. 8 p.m. $10. blackcatdc.com.

boheMian caverns 2001 11th St. NW. (202) 2990800. Vinx Quartet. 9:30 p.m. $18–$23. bohemiancaverns.com.

Would Carey Mulligan really have a May-December affair with Bill Nighy? Maybe, but that’s the wrong question. Can the two acclaimed British actors play a couple who do? Absolutely—beautifully and splendidly and to very broad acclaim. Skylight, the David Hare play that currently stars Nighy and Mulligan, is the next installment in Shakespeare Theatre Company’s series of National Theatre Live broadcasts from London. Grab a comfy seat in Sidney Harman Hall, and listen as Mulligan, a stridently liberal math teacher, and Nighy, a capitalist restaurateur, spar as ex-lovers with conflicting social values. It’s an “extraordinarily springy combination,” according to one Guardian critic. The production and its stars will come to Broadway in March for a limited run, but a Jackson buys you a sneak peek tonight. What’s 20 bucks compared to $203 plus Amtrak tickets? The film shows at 7:30 p.m. at Sidney Harman —Rebecca J. Ritzel Hall, 610 F St. NW. $20. (202) 547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org. artisPhere 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 8751100. artisphere.com. OngOing: “Target Ephemera.” Thibault’s exhibition links the environment to one’s body and features a restricted color palette and images of body fragmentation. Nov. 19–Jan. 31. athenaeuM 201 Prince St., Alexandria. (703) 548-0035. nvfaa.org. ClOsing: “Botanic Illustration: Heirloom Plants.” This juried show features works by members of the Botanic Arts Society of the National Capital Region. Nov. 13–Jan. 4. cross Mackenzie Gallery 2026 R St. NW. (202) 333-7970. crossmackenzie.com. ClOsing: “Rafael Torres Correa.” The Cuban-born French artist presents new abstract paintings. Dec. 4–Jan. 8.

Morton Fine art 1781 Florida Ave. NW. (202) 6282787. mortonfineart.com. ClOsing: “Kesha Bruce.” Paintings and portraits by the American-born, Francebased artist. Dec. 13–Jan. 6. transForMer Gallery 1404 P St. NW. (202) 4831102. transformergallery.org. OngOing: “12th Annual DC Artist Solo Exhibition.” Paintings by recent MICA graduate Jameson Magrogan. Dec. 13–Jan. 24.

theater

beauty and the beast Synetic company member Ben Cunis directs his new adaptation of this classic fairy tale based on the original French version, not the

BluEs blues alley 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. (202) 3374141. Chris Thomas King. 8 p.m. & 10 p.m. $24. bluesalley.com.

Folk 9:30 club 815 V St. NW. (202) 265-0930. The 9 Songwriters Series. 7 p.m. $15. 930.com. birchMere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. (703) 549-7500. Jeff Daniels and the Ben Daniels Band. 7:30 p.m. $35. birchmere.com. GyPsy sally’s 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Scott Miller, Doug Seegers. 8:30 p.m. $12–$15. gypsysallys.com. the haMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Willie Watson. 6:30 p.m. $15–$20. thehamiltondc.com.

WoRlD barns at wolF traP 1645 Trap Road, Vienna. (703) 255-1900. Dobet Gnahoré. 8 p.m. $25–$30. wolftrap.org.

Galleries

artisPhere 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. (703) 8751100. artisphere.com. OngOing: “Live/Life.” South African artist Elsabe Dixon draws inspiration from the life cycle of insects for this interactive exhibition that explores sensory memory and biology. Oct. 1–Feb. 22.

THIS JANUARY AT BLUES ALLEY! CELEBRATING 50 YEARS IN OUR NATION’S CAPITAL January 8-11 January 22-25

Chris Thomas King January 4

Mike Stern - Dennis Chambers - Tom Kennedy Bob Franceschini (Fusion)

BLUES ALLEY

Gerald Albright

(Blues)

(Sax Legend)

January 15-18

Cyrus Chestnut Trio (Piano)

January 29-31

Corey Harris (Blues/Reggae)

1073 Wisconsin Ave. (in the alley) • (202) 337-4141 • www.bluesalley.com

30 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

---------3701 Mount Vernon Ave. Alexandria, VA • 703-549-7500

For entire schedule go to Birchmere.com Find us on Facebook/Twitter! Tix @ Ticketmaster.com 800-745-3000

IN GRATITUDE and MOTOWN & MORE A Tribute to Motown and Soul Legends

Jan 2

A Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire

HAL KETCHUM

4 An Evening of Political & Musical Comedy

MARK RUSSELL

JEFF DANIELS

and the BEN

DANIELS BAND

9& 10

RICKY SKAGGS & KENTUCKY THUNDER 11 DAVID CASSIDY 14 In the Jan 16, 17,18

EDDIE FROM OHIO Pat McGee (solo) 18 Jake Armerding 16,17

In the

Leroy KATE VOEGELE Sanchez 23 JUNIOR BROWN 24 FOUR BITCHIN’ BABES ‘Best of The Babes 25th Anniversary Show’

CITY LIGHTS: TUESDAY

KESHA BRUCE Artist Kesha Bruce’s work regularly features abstract portraits of unknown figures. Sometimes they’re called angels, sometimes totems. In her latest series, “The Guardians,” now on view at Morton Fine Art, she paints “spirits who act as watchers, keepers, and protectors.” The element of watching comes across most vividly in “Birbal” (pictured), a head in shades of red and black with two white eyes that appear to penetrate the linen on which it’s painted. Other works in the series are less representative, prompting the viewer to ponder how these figures act as protectors. Bruce’s combination of materials gives the pieces a tactile quality, pulling the guardians off the canvas and towards those they keep safe. The exhibition is on view Tuesdays through Saturdays 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Sundays noon to 5 p.m., to Jan. 6 at Morton Fine —Caroline Jones Art, 1781 Florida Ave. NW. Free. (202) 628-2787. mortonfineart.com. saccharine Disney take on the story. Synetic Theater at Crystal City. 1800 South Bell St., Arlington. To Jan. 4. $15-$95. (800) 494-8497. synetictheater.org. black nativity Theatre Alliance again presents their production of this Langston Hughes play that retells the Christmas story from an African-American perspective and features a lively gospel soundtrack. Anacostia Playhouse. 2020 Shannon Place SE. To Jan. 4. $20-$35. (202) 544-0703. anacostiaplayhouse.com. choir boy When a prestigious boarding school for young African-American men falls on hard financial times, its acclaimed gospel choir feels the pressure. The young man chosen to lead the group must decide whether that responsibility is worth ignoring his sexual orientation in this new musical story by playwright Tarell Alvin McCraney. Studio Theatre. 1501 14th St. NW. To February 22. $20-$78. (202) 332-3300. studiotheatre.org. diner Signature presents the world premiere of this new music based on Barry Levinson’s coming of age tale set in a Baltimore restaurant. Levinson adapted his screenplay into the show’s book and Sheryl Crow crafted the music and lyrics; Tony Award-winner Kathleen Marshall choreographs and directs. Signature Theatre. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. To Jan. 25. $29-$70. (703) 820-9771. signature-theatre.org.

FaMous PuPPet death scenes Old Trout Puppet Workshop promises to cure your fear of death with this collection of twenty or so death scenes pulled from history, literature, and popular culture. Because death isn’t so scary when it happens to felt-covered puppets, right? Woolly Mammoth Theatre. 641 D St. NW. To Jan. 4. $40-$68. (202) 393-3939. woollymammoth. net. Fiddler on the rooF Molly Smith directs this classic musical about arranged marriages, Judaism, and immigration that includes popular songs like “Tradition” and “Sunrise, Sunset.” Arena Stage. 1101 6th St. SW. To Jan. 4. $45-$99. (202) 488-3300. arenastage.org. the Great divorce A man finds himself torn between Heaven and Hell in this spiritual allegory based on the novel by C.S. Lewis. Lansburgh Theatre. 450 7th St. NW. To Jan. 4. $36-$96. (202) 547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org. GutenberG! the Musical This musical, developed at New York’s Upright Citizens Brigade, chronicles the development of the printing press and provides a fictional take on the life of Johann Gutenberg. Next Stop Theatre. 269 Sunset Park Drive, Herndon. To February 1. $28. (703) 481-5930. nextstoptheatre.org. JosePh and the aMazinG technicolor dreaMcoat Ring in the holiday season with this musical adaptation of the biblical story of Jacob, his

JEFFREY OSBORNE 30 MARSHALL CRENSHAW 25

and The Bottle Rockets

Charles Ross’

MINNIE DRIVER 5 THE ROBERT CRAY BAND Feb 4 6 8

Reunion Show!

PAT McGEE BAND ARLO GUTHRIE Alice’s Restaurant 50th Anniversary Tour

CHRISETTE MICHELE 11 TRAVIS TRITT 13 ERIC BENET 14 BURLESQUE-A-PADES in Loveland! 9&10

feat. Angie Pontani, The World Famous Pontani Sisters & more

15 17

RIDERS IN THE SKY “Salute to Roy Rogers!”

ROBERT EARL KEEN

‘Happy Prisoner: The Bluegrass Tour’

TAB BENOIT 20 KELLER WILLIAMS 19

LEDISI With Special Guests

THE

Intimate

TRUTH TOUR RAHEEM DEVAUGHN LEELA JAMES

Saturday, March 21, 8pm DAR Constitution Hall

Tickets On Sale Now through Ticketmaster.com/800-735-3000

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 31

UPTOWN BLUES

Open Mic Blues JaM Big Boy LittLe every Thursday

Wed. Dec. 31 New year’s eve Fri. Jan. 2 over the Limit Sat. Jan. 3 Big Boy LittLe BaNd Fri. Jan. 9 sookey Jump BLues BaNd Sat. Jan. 10 smokiN’ poLecats Fri. Jan. 16 mooNshiNe society Sat. Jan. 17 stacy Brooks BLues BaNd

D.C.’s awesomest events calendar. washingtoncitypaper.com/ calendar

Sundays mike FLaherty’s

dixieLaNd direct Jazz BaNd

3000 Connecticut Avenue, NW (across from the National Zoo)

202-232-4225 zoobardc.com

washingtoncitypaper.com

CITY LIGHTS: THURSDAY

CHOIR BOY

Studio Theatre creates a feeling of intimacy with its small-scale, realist plays and teeny stages. The audience’s proximity to the actors builds a sense of involvement in even the most uncomfortable moments. For Choir Boy, that means you’re front row for playwright and MacArthur “genius” grantee Tarell Alvin McCraney’s (pictured) tale set at a prestigious black prep school that’s fallen on tough times. The protagonist is a young man in line to be the next leader of the award-winning gospel choir, who must decide whether to go along to get along or advocate for his own beliefs about equality. As the play’s title implies, gospel music features prominently in the show. Director Kent Gash makes his Studio directing debut and comes based on a recommendation from McCraney himself, whose previous works have been produced at Studio to critical acclaim. If their response to McCraney’s other plays is any indication, audiences will find themselves thoroughly immersed in his nuanced personal stories. The play runs Jan. 7 to Feb. 22 at Studio Theatre, —Rachel Kurzius 1501 14th St. NW. $20–$88. (202) 332-3300. studiotheatre.org. brothers, and one very flashy coat. American Idol alums Ace Young and Diana DeGarmo star as Jacob and the Narrator. Kennedy Center Opera House. 2700 F St. NW. To Jan. 4. $25-$155. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org.

movie tracks their marriage and the legal battles that followed their fallout. Starring Amy Adams and Christoph Waltz. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

PiPPin The touring production of this acclaimed Broadway production of this play about the son of Charlemagne features acrobats, contortionists, and other carnival performers, and stops at the National for the holidays. National Theatre. 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. To Jan. 4. $48-$108. (202) 628-6161. nationaltheatre.org.

the GaMbler A college literature professor (Mark Wahlberg) accrues plenty of debt and a few enemies as a gambling addict. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

shear Madness Enjoy the record-breaking comedy whodunit that lets the audience spot the clues, question the suspects and solve the funniest murder mystery in the annals of crime, now celebrating 25 years at the Kennedy Center. Kennedy Center Theater Lab. 2700 F St. NW. To December 31. $48. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org. the t Party Local playwright Natsu Onoda Powers explores the transformation and transgression of gender norms through scenes, songs, and dances in this production based on real stories. Forum Theatre at Silver Spring Black Box Theatre. 8641 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. To Jan. 17. $20-$25. (240) 644-1390. forum-theatre.org. the teMPest Shakespeare’s magical tale of sorcerers, monsters, and trapped daughters comes to life in a new presentation helmed by former STC Associate Director Ethan McSweeny. Sidney Harman Hall. 610 F St. NW. To Jan. 11. $55-$110. (202) 547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org.

FilM

biG eyes Artist Margaret Keane’s husband took credit for her work for years. Director Tim Burton’s

32 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

the interview A TV show host (James Franco) and his producer (Seth Rogen) secure an interview with North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un. Before their trip, the CIA recruits the two wannabe-journalists to assassinate the dictator. (See washingtoncitypaper. com for venue information) into the woods Classic fairy tales tangle in this story of a modest couple who do the bidding of a witch in order to reverse a curse. A Disney adaptation of Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine’s musical. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) Mr. turner A film following the later years of British painter J.M.W. Turner (Timothy Spall) in the 19th century. Written and directed by Mike Leigh (HappyGo-Lucky). (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) unbroken An account of the true story of Olympic athlete and World War II soldier Louis Zamperini’s time in a Japanese prison camp. Directed by Angelina Jolie. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)

Film clips are written by Reese Higgins.

$10 BURGER & BEER MON-FRI 4 P M -7 P M

TRIVIA EVERY W E D N E S D AY

$3 PBR &NATTY BOH ALL DAY EVERY DAY

www.bethesdabluesjazz.com

STARTING AT 730PM

T H U R S D AY, J A N 1 S T

UNDERGROUND COMEDY SHOW STARTING AT 830PM F R I D AY, J A N 2 N D

SQUIDLING BROTHERS

DOORS AT 8PM SHOW AT 10PM $20 AT THE DOOR M O N D AY, J A N 5 T H

DISTRICT TRIVIA

STARTS AT 730PM NO COVER T U E S D AY, J A N 6 T H

LAST RESORT COMEDY

SHOW STARTS 830PM NO COVER

W E D N E S D AY,

JAN 7TH

DOORS AT 6PM SHOW AT 730PM $15 AT THE DOOR

TRIVIA WITH EARTH T H U R S D AY,

JAN 8TH

A TRIBUTE TO FREDDIE KING FT. JAMISON & DOUBLE SOUL W/ CRIS JACOBS

SA 3

76 DEGREES WEST BAND

SHOW STARTS AT 830PM NO COVER JAN 9TH

UNDERGROUND COMEDY F R I D AY,

CHOPTEETH AFROFUNK BIG BAND PLUS JUNKYARD SAINTS

PERFECT LIARS CLUB

TRIVIA STARTS AT 730PM NO COVER

NEW YEAR’S EVE CELEBRATION

*all shows 21+

W E D N E S D AY, D E C 3 1 S T

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 31

600 beers from around the world Downstairs: good food, great beer,$3 PBR & Natty Boh’s all day every day

TRIVIA WITH DAMION WOLFE

FRIDAY, JANUARY 9

LANDAU MURPHY, JR.

DEVIL’S BACKBONE DARK ABBEY RELEASE AND INGREDIENT TASTING

WITH SPECIAL GUEST TEMPTATIONS LEAD SINGER, GLENN LEONARD

M O N D AY, J A N 1 2 T H

DISTRICT TRIVIA

Tues, 1/6 at 6:30pm The Bishop’s Wife Mette Ivie Harrison Mon, 1/12 at 8:00pm An Evening of Humorous Readings

ELLIE QUINN BURLESQUE

DOORS OPEN AT 8PM SHOW AT 10PM $20 AT THE DOOR

UPCOMING EVENTS

Tues, 1/13 at 6:30pm How to Travel the World on $50 a Day Matt Kepnes Wed, 1/14 at 6:30pm Empire of Mud J.D. Dickey

STARTS AT 730PM NO COVER

SA 10 THE VI-KINGS 1523 22nd St NW – Washington, DC 20037 (202) 293-1887 - www.bierbarondc.com @bierbarondc.com for news and events

FRIDAY, JANUARY 16

CAMEO

(7P & 10P SHOWS)

Sun, 1/18 at 7:00pm Washington City Paper Fiction Issue Celebration &Reading

SATURDAY, JANUARY 17

REDMOND, LANGOSCH & COOLEY SU 18

THE SOUL SERENADERS PLUS MARK WENNER’S BLUES WARRIORS FRIDAY, JANUARY 30

THREE-TIME GRAMMY AWARD WINNER

DR. RALPH STANLEY & FRIENDS FEAT. THE CLINCH MOUNTAIN BOYS

SA 31 NEWMYER FLYER PRESENTS: A DREAM DISCS TRIPLE HEADER

F F6

JUST ANNOUNCED: BUDDY HOLLY TRIBUTE 7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD (240) 330-4500

Two Blocks from Bethesda Metro/Red Line Free Parking on Weekends

1517 CONNECTICUT AVE. NW 202.387.1400 // KRAMERS.COM

washingtoncitypaper.com JANUARY 2, 2015 33

“CAPALDI AT HIS INTENSE BEST.”

charlesSteck Photography

-SUNDAY TIMES

SHOWTIMES jan. 2–jan. 8, 2015 Times currenT as of 4 p.m. Wednesday

INSIDE THE MIND OF

LEONARDO DA VINCI 3D STARRING

PETER CAPALDI

insidethemindoﬂeonardo.com ANGELIKA POP-UP UNION MARKET 550 Penn St NE (Bet. 5th & 6th next to Gallaudet University) 571/512-3313

STARTS FRIDAY, JANUARY 2

3 0 1 - 6 3 3 - 5 6 0 1 charles@steckphotography.com www.steckphotography.com

“THE BEST FILM OF THE YEAR!” -Kenneth Turan, LOS ANGELES TIMES

DISTRICT

AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center

AMC Loews Theatres Georgetown

8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring (301) 495-6700

3111 K St. NW (202) 342-6441

Birdman (R) 119 mins.

Selma (PG-13)

Elvis: That’s the Way It Is (PG) 97 mins.

Taken 3 (PG-13)

The Imitation Game (PG-13) 114 mins.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (PG-13) 90 mins.

Fri.-Thu. 11:40, 2:05, 4:30, 7:05, 9:30 Thu. 7:15

Fri.-Thu. 11:55, 2:20, 4:45, 7:15, 9:45

The Theory of Everything (PG-13) 123 mins.

Fri.-Sat. 11:15, 1:45, 4:15, 6:55, 9:20; Sun. 1:45, 4:15, 6:55, 9:20; Mon.-Wed. 11:15, 1:45, 4:15, 6:55, 9:20; Thu. 11:15, 1:45, 4:15, 9:20

WINNER BEST ACTOR TIMOTHY SPALL

CANNES FILM FESTIVAL NEW YORK FILM CRITICS CIRCLE

A film by

REPERTORY

National Air and Space Museum Lockheed Martin IMAX Theatre 7th St & Independance Ave. SW (202) 633-4629

MIKE LEIGH

D-Day: Normandy 1944 3D (NR) 40 mins.

TIMOTHY SPALL

Fri.-Thu. 11:40, 3:00

WASHINGTON, DC Landmark’s E Street Cinema (202) 783-9494

ARLINGTON AMC Loews Shirlington 7 (888) AMC-4FUN

BETHESDA Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema (301) 652-7273

FAIRFAX Angelika Film Center & Café (800) FANDANGO #2726

VIEW THE TRAILER AT WWW.MRTURNERMOVIE.COM

707 7th St. NW (202) 393-2121

Selma (PG-13)

Fri.-Thu. 1:00, 4:15, 7:30, 10:40

MARYLAND Majestic 20 & IMAX Annie (PG) 118 mins.

Interstellar: The IMAX Experience in 70mm Film (PG-13) 169 mins.

Rockville Town Center

To Fly! (1976) (NR) 27 mins.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (PG-13) 90 mins.

Fri.-Thu. 10:40, 2:00

Fri.-Sat. 4:05, 7:10; Sun.-Thu. 4:05 Fri.-Thu. 1:25

Sun. 2:00

199 E. Montgomery Ave., Rockville (301) 340-9390

Fri.-Thu. noon, 2:30, 5:10, 7:40, 10:10

Johnson IMAX Theatre 10th St. & Constitution Ave. NW (202) 633-4269

VIRGINIA

Island of Lemurs: Madagascar: An IMAX 3D Experience (G) 40 mins.

AMC Hoffman Center

Jerusalem 3D (NR) 45 mins.

Selma (PG-13)

Fri.-Sun. 11:25, 2:15, 4:50; Mon.-Thu. 12:20, 3:00

Mysteries of the Unseen World 3D (NR)

Fri.-Sun. 10:30, 1:20, 4:00; Mon.-Thu. 10:30, 1:15, 3:55

Titans of the Ice Age 3D (NR) 45 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 3:10; Mon.-Thu. 11:25, 2:10, 4:50

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center Washington Dulles International Airport 14390 Air & Space Museum Parkway, Chantilly (202) 357-2700

34 JANUARY 2, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com

Regal Gallery Place

IMAX: Hubble 3D (NR) 45 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 12:25; Mon.-Thu.

Call 202-650-6926 to discuss your options or submit your ad online today at http://classifieds.southcommmedia.com/AdHunter/CityPaper/Home

Fri.-Sun. 4:30, 7:00

900 Ellsworth Drive, Silver Spring (301) 565-8884

National Museum of Natural History

Get More Ad For Your Dollar With Washington City Paper Classifieds

Thu. 8:00, 10:30

Hidden Universe 3D (NR) 40 mins. Fri.-Thu. 12:35

EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS NOW PLAYING

Thu. 7:00, 10:00

D-Day: Normandy 1944 (NR) 40 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:30, 1:05; Mon.-Thu. 10:30, 1:05, 3:45

Fighter Pilot: Operation Red Flag (G) 49 mins. Fri.-Sun. 2:00; Mon.-Thu. 2:00, 4:40

Hidden Universe IMAX (NR) 40 mins. Fri.-Thu. 12:20, 3:00

2500 Eisenhower Ave., Alexandria (703) 998-4262

Thu. 7:00

Taken 3 (PG-13) Thu. 8:00

UFC 182: Jones vs. Cormier (NR) 180 mins. Sat. 10:00

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (PG-13) 90 mins.

Fri.-Sun. 10:00, 12:30, 3:00, 5:30, 8:00, 10:30

AMC Tysons Corner 16 7850 Tysons Corner Center, McLean (703) 998-4262

Selma (PG-13)

Thu. 7:00, 10:00, 12:01

Taken 3 (PG-13)

Thu. 8:00, 10:30, 12:01

Ballston Common

Hubble (G) 45 mins.

671 N. Glebe Road, Arlington (703) 527-9466

Interstellar: The IMAX Experience in 70mm Film (PG-13) 169 mins.

The Woman in Black 2: Angel of Death (PG-13) 90 mins.

Fri.-Thu. 11:25

Fri.-Sat. 4:15, 7:30; Sun. 4:15; Mon.-Thu.

Fri.-Sat. 2:00, 4:30, 7:00, 9:30; Sun. 2:00, 4:30, 7:00