CITY LIGHTS SHINE ON For 41 years, City Lights has been grabbed, annotated, and bookmarked by local residents, then chucked in the recycling when the next issue of City Paper comes out. The back of the book has been a beacon for those looking for interesting, alternative ways to spend their days and nights in this city. And it wouldn’t be anything without the people who pour every ounce of their time and energy into creating those interesting, alternative ways for the rest of us to spend our days and nights. Here at City Lights, we just get to write about them.
So here’s a small sampling platter of D.C.’s arts community for you to feast on. It’s by no means comprehensive—there’s not enough space, nor time, for that. Rather, it’s a full-hearted endorsement of some of the lesser-known people and places who actively dedicate themselves to uplifting local, underrepresented artists in our city. Folks like this existed before City Lights, and they’re not going anywhere. So give them some love, some cash, and a good crowd. They’ll certainly return the favor. —Ella Feldman
Music
the Dupont Circle concert I was attending the day before it took place. On a Friday night in April, I showed up, and was charmed to find myself at a multistory, old-school house on P Street NW. My friend and I sat down on blankets and pillows in a stranger’s living room, sipped from the bottle of white wine we’d been encouraged to bring, and proceeded to receive an intimate, beautiful show from two musicians and one poet. Progressive folker Baerd wooed the small crowd with his airy voice. Howard University junior Nyah Terrilyn, who recited emotional slam-style poems, made us teary with works about heartbreak and police brutality. Sofar may be global, but their events are designed to be hyperlocal—they make a point of hosting local artists, in intimate community spaces like small bars and backyards. I’ve since changed my mind—$20-ish is a small price to pay for that kind of experience. Sofar Sounds concerts take place multiple times every week across D.C. sofarsounds.com. $20–$25.
Courtesy of Frank O. Agbro
Frankojazz Porch Concerts
Courtesy of Pie Shop
Pie Shop
Sandra Basanti always loved going to shows on H Street NE, she tells City Paper. But many of the venues she frequented back in the day—Rock & Roll Hotel, the Red and the Black—no longer exist. Basanti is keeping the street’s indie legacy alive with Pie Shop, where she sells sweet and savory pies, and hosts an eclectic roster of musicians—many of them punk, many of them local. But the quaint shop has got something for everyone, from folk to pop, rock, and punk, to strawberry rhubarb and mushroom Gruyère. Buy some pies, dance to some live music, and help keep H Street alive. Pie Shop has multiple shows per week at 1339 H St. NE. pieshopdc.com. $12–$15.
Sofar Sounds Photo by Cris Franco
Already missing Porchfest? Every Saturday is like a mini-Porchfest at the home of Frank O. Agbro. At the start of the pandemic, the Mount Pleasant resident (who City Paper nicknamed “the Mayor of Mount Pleasant” in our 2020 People Issue) began throwing a weekly “6 ft. Aparty” on his front porch. The event consists of two segments: At 10:30 a.m., there’s a “Children’s Hour,” which features familyfriendly entertainment. At 2 p.m., the microphones open up for musicians. When the porch concerts started, they were crucial for musicmakers and music-enjoyers alike, as traditional music venues were forced to shut their doors to the world. Two years and multiple rounds of vaccines later, venues like the 9:30 Club and Union Stage have sprung back to life. Agbro’s porch concerts, though, haven’t gone anywhere. There’s just something that can’t be beat about lounging in a lawn chair, breathing in a little fresh air, and listening to your neighbors sing you songs. Frankojazz Porch Concerts take place on Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. and 2 p.m. at 17th St. and Kilbourne Pl. NW. @frankojazz on Instagram. $10 suggested donation.
Would you pay $20-ish for a concert ticket, if the only information you had about the show was the neighborhood it would take place in? No lineup. No address. Just “Petworth.” Or “Navy Yard.” I wasn’t sure that I would. Then I received a press invitation from Sofar Sounds, a London-based international music event organizer whose whole thing is secret shows. I got the address to
38 MAY 6, 2022
Books
Duende District
Angela María Spring spent 17 years working in bookstores around the East Coast and Southwest U.S. But the work was always a little frustrating, they tell City Paper. As a nonbinary Puerto Rican Panamanian, María Spring felt firsthand how popular bookstores overlooked booksellers and authors of color. Duende District, the book pop-up she established in 2017, does the exact opposite—their mission is to elevate and celebrate Brown and Black folks in the literary world. Duende does not have a permanent brick-and-mortar location, but for the time being, they’re curating books for sale at Shopkeepers on Florida Avenue NE (and at Red Planet Books and Comics in Albuquerque, New Mexico, if you ever make it over there). Duende District is currently selling books at Shopkeepers, 1231 Florida Ave. NE. duendedistrict.com.
MahoganyBooks
Before it was cool (before the pandemic started), family-owned MahoganyBooks was wielding the powers of the internet to host virtual literary events, with a focus on books written by, for, and about members of the African diaspora. They existed online only from 2007 until 2017, when they opened up their first shop
WASHINGTONCITYPAPER.COM
at Anacostia Arts Center. In a delightful inversion of the typical COVID’s impact on a small business story, MahoganyBooks actually grew during the pandemic, opening a second location at the National Harbor in 2021. Dubbing itself “the place where Black books matter,” the bookstore sells a grand collection of books by Black authors, and regularly hosts those authors for events, both in-person and virtual. Treat yourself to a new read—or a “Black Books Matter” crew-neck. MahoganyBooks is located in Anacostia Arts Center, 1231 Good Hope Rd. SE. mahoganybooks.com.
Comedy
Hotbed
For most of its tenure, local comedy production company Underground Comedy existed exclusively in other people’s spaces—namely, at divey bars like Big Hunt and Wonderland Ballroom. When Big Hunt shut its doors for good in 2020, the company was left without a home base, according to founder Sean Joyce. So he made one. Hotbed lives on 18th Street NW, in the building that Songbyrd Music House occupied before they moved to Union Market. “The big difference between Big Hunt and Hotbed is that Hotbed is set up for comedy, whereas Big Hunt was a bar,” Joyce told City Paper in February. That distinction, he said, lends itself to the best possible environment for hilarity. Local comics are Hotbed’s bread and butter, with occasional visits from touring up-and-comers. Hotbed hosts stand-up Wednesdays through Saturdays at 2477 18th St. NW. hotbedcomedydc.com. Underground Comedy shows are free. DC’s Best Showcase is $20.
Room 808
Following the pandemic closures of comedy venues like Big Hunt and Drafthouse Comedy Theater, local comics were aching for new stages to perform at. Comedian Martin Amini, born and raised in Silver Spring, brought one to Petworth. Room 808 is a cozy comedy and jazz venue that offers stand-up, accentuated with live music, throughout the week. The BYOB shows sometimes include free food, and feature a mix of local comedians and occasional out-of-towners, like Marcella Arguello, who stops by to co-headline a show with Amini on May 19. Room 808 hosts shows throughout the week at 808 Upshur St. NW. room808dc.com. $0–$20.
