D.C. 2015
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REVIEW:
STAR WARS—THE FORCE IS STRONG WITH THIS ONE 37
2 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
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image: Gabriel Dawe, Plexus A1 (detail), 2015, courtesy of the artist and Conduit Gallery, Photo by Ron Blunt.
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washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 55
INSIDE 10 The
HUGE INVENTORY REDUCTION SALE!
EVERYTHING MUST GO!
encyclopedia of d.c. From pandas to pot to the pope, and everything in between, these were the stories that D.C. talked about in 2015. Photos by Darrow MontgoMery
SAL
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S END
1
2/ 2/2
15!
illustrations by lauren heneghan
4. chaTTer disTricT line
6 8 9 33
Unobstructed View Gear Prudence Savage Love Buy D.C.
d.c. feed
34 Grazer: Avocado toast preparations, ranked 34 Underserved: Grant’s Hour at McClellan’s Retreat
arTs
37 Force of Nature: Great news! Star Wars: The Force Awakens doesn’t suck at all. 40 Sketches: Little on “Some Women” at Foundry Gallery 41 Discography: Younger on Chaz French’s These Things Take Time
ciTy lisT
43 City Lights: Dagger Moon brings their proggy, post-apocalyptic doom-metal to Black Cat. 43 Music 48 Theater 52 Film
53 classifieds diversions 54 Crossword
“”
holy shit, it’s the millenium falcon! —Page 37
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CHATTER Brad to the Bone
In which readers compare Mrs. Bradley to a Renaissance duchess—not in a good way
Darrow MontgoMery
ReadeR Reaction to our cover story on
Katherine Bradley’s influence over District education reform (“Shadow Chancellor,” by Jeffrey Anderson, Dec. 11) was swift, vocal, and contentious. topryder1 responded succinctly but with more than a dash of salt: “Washington’s very own Lucrezia Borgia.” While it seems unfair to describe Bradley as quite that literally Machiavellian, others agreed with the general sentiment. “she’s a rich dogooder, with all the negative and positive baggage it connotes. reform has been practiced for eons. it’s old school,” wrote deign to serve. But some readers, including Ladyhawke, found the writing too dense. “Fuck, this wall of text needs a thesis statement. I’m so lost. So Bradley is one of many nongovernment bigwigs who gets a direct line to the Mayor and her key staff. Is that all this article is saying?” Meade: “Yes, that is what the article is saying Ladyhawke. One day you may care about something. One day you may care about something local and you are unable to figure out who makes the decision or who made the decision. You should only hope that someone in what passes for our media has written about it, because as I say below again - these are the people in the city who are above it all. The sons and daughters, nieces, nephews, wives and husbands of the powerful with direct lines to politicians.” Yep, we’re starting to see where the Borgia family figures in, at least metaphorically. Git ‘er Done at least had something constructive to say. “To Ms. Bradley and the other bigwigs ‘How’s about using those dollars to open 24-hour daycare & preschools?’ Quit piddling around the edges and get to the meat of the matter--providing quality, education-based childcare for cash-strapped low and middle income DC parents/caregivers.” And finally, we heard from Ted Cohen, who is the editor of the NewarkSchoolsForSale blog. “Thank you for carrying on our coverage of Ms. Bradley. We began the heavy lifting some two years ago and are grateful for serving your follow-up work as the mere journalistic germ.” As with many pieces of good reporting, it comes together as part of a community effort to shine light —Emily Q. Hazzard on those in power. Want to see your name in bold on this page? Send letters, gripes, clarifications, or praise to editor@washingtoncitypaper.com.
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UNOBSTRUCTEDVIEW A Blueprint for How to Change By Matt Terl The University of Maryland Board of Regents voted last week to change the name of the school’s football stadium, a decision that concurred with University President Wallace Loh’s recommendations, as well as with the sentiment of a significant portion of the university’s student body, including the editorial board of the student-run campus newspaper. The change, from Byrd Stadium to Maryland Stadium, stems from one reason: because former UMD President Harry Clifton “Curley” Byrd was an ardent segregationist who actively worked during his tenure as president to keep the university “separate but equal”—or, more accurately, free of black students and faculty. It’s a remarkable move, the culmination of years of attempts, and it’s almost impossible to look at it without thinking of the region’s other major “is-it-racist?” name controversy. As someone who believes that the NFL franchise should go ahead and change their name, it would be easy for me to simply point at the UMD decision and say “See? That wasn’t so hard.” But what’s truly impressive about the way this has been handled—particularly by Loh since he took on the issue—is how cleanly and effectively his letter to the campus community and recommendations to the board directly addressed the most common objections to changing the NFL team’s name. It’s pretty clear that Loh’s research and the assessment from his workgroup generated a discussion very similar to the one that Washington NFL fans seem to have every time this topic comes up. Here are those general discussion points: 1) It was OK for years! Why change it now? Byrd died in 1970, so neither his views nor his actions have evolved. The impetus for the change—or, more accurately, the impetus for the most recent and most successful attempt to implement this change— was a confluence of racially-charged events last year. Those events include the unrest in Baltimore and a leaked, racist email that brought all the wrong kinds of national attention to College Park. “The world has changed,” Loh writes in his letter. “The values that prevailed during the first half of the 20th century no longer define our nation and UMD in the 21st century.”
2) It’s meant to honor someone! One of Loh’s recommendations to the board—the first one, in fact—is to create a memorial to Byrd in “a suitable and visible location inside one of our main University libraries.” This ensures that Byrd’s undeniably enormous contributions to creating the modern University of Maryland will continue to be recognized, but with the benefit of added context, detail, and explanation. “As an institution of learning,” Loh writes in his recommendation, “we are duty-bound to memorialize his complete legacy.” 3) It’s a slippery slope of political correctness run amok! What are you going to rename next?!? The second of Loh’s recommendations is to announce a five-year moratorium on other honorific renamings. The argument implicit in this recommendation is that the name of the stadium is important enough to change, even if that means locking down other problematic names. The stadium, Loh writes in his letter, is “the ‘front porch’ of the institution, not the most important part of the educational house, but the most visible one”; this disproportionate visibility (like that enjoyed by, say, an NFL team) is reason enough to motivate a change. 4) It’s just a name! This is one of the more reductive arguments you’ll hear, and Loh dismisses it handily. “Symbols matter,” Loh writes in his recommendation. “Monuments, battle flags, and building names elicit deep emotions, positive and negative. They help us recognize truths about our past and affirm the values by which we live today. The Byrd name has acquired that power.” 5) There are bigger problems to be solved! Changing a stadium name won’t end racism, no more than changing a team name will end the many problems Native Americans confront today. But the issue can be used as a springboard, which leads to Loh’s third recommendation: a campus-wide diversity initiative “to help bridge the divides on our campus (and in the nation at large) and spur meaningful institutional change.” The change was not easy; the board was split 12–5 in favor of the change, a solid majority but certainly not unanimity. But it was necessary, and the university, spurred by activist students and a climate of unrest, was wise to recognize that. Dan Snyder, owner of the local NFL franchise, briefly attended UMD, but left at the age of 20 without completing his course of study. Maybe if he had stuck around he would’ve learned how to handle a muchneeded name change with relative swiftness CP and grace. Follow Matt Terl on Twitter @Matt_Terl.
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New Year’s Eve Dinner Dance Party Thursday, December 31, 2015 • 7 pm – 12:30 am
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washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 7
Adopt a friend today!
FACTS ABOUT LIL JOE Breed: Hound (Unknown Type)/Harrier Mix • Color: White - With Brown Or Chocolate Age: Adult, Approx. 3 years • Size: Med. 50 lbs • Sex: Male
Lil Joe’s Story...
MEET LIL JOE!
Lil Joe came to Rural Dog Rescue in the Spring of 2015 with a big “391” spray painted on his side after being dumped by his hunters. He was adopted in June 2015 and within 12 hours of being in his new home, Lil Joe scaled the backyard fence and took off for a nearby park in Alexandria, where he remained for a long period of time. Dedicated volunteers kept vigil and set up feeding stations for Lil Joe. He was fed every night but never came close enough to any humans to be captured. He seemed content getting his nightly meal and going on his way. However, a life alone in the woods, especially during the winter months, is no life for a sweet dog. Lil Joe was captured on December 5 and is now being fostered and rehabilitated by Rural Dog Rescue’s director. Lil Joe has an indoor and an outdoor personality. Indoors, Lil Joe is just like any family pet. He is very well behaved and has excellent manners. Lil Joe is very quiet indoors; not a barker or a whiner at all and is considered lower energy. He has had no accidents and goes in his crate willingly, sleeping through the night without making a sound. Lil Joe plays with the other dogs in the home and completely ignores the cats. He already comes when called and shows no reservations to being pet or interacting with any humans (slightly more reserved toward males than females). Outdoors, Lil Joe is a different dog and is always looking to run. He absolutely has to be hand walked on a short leash at all times. He does very well on the leash though and does not pull at all. When walked in a fenced backyard, Lil Joe studies the fence and gates constantly. When approaching doors, gates or the perimeter of the fence, Lil Joe will puts his nose through gaps or put his front paws on the top of the fence. He always wants to go in the direction of the woods. Lil Joe will benefit from taking walks with other dogs and following their lead. The most ideal home for Lil Joe is a home with friendly and confident dogs. The home must have a privacy fence; at least 7’ high including the gate. His forever family must understand dogs that are flight risks and the need to do “dog check” anytime before opening a door. Lil Joe cannot visit dog parks and will need to be hand walked, on leash EVEN IN FENCED AREAS, until his flight risk tendencies have subsided. Lil Joe is good with kids but the chance of him getting past a door with a child in the house is very high therefore he should not go to a home with young children. Despite his ® . tendencies to want to run, Lil Joe is a wonderful, loving dog who ,inc 2015 C is very easy to care for and extremely well mannered in the home. D F . O e Since Lil Joe has been back, he has greatly benefited from the hom BEST like pack in his foster home and is quickly learning the routine. He e c a can’t wait to find a forever family that will care for him. o pl ’s n ere h t e aus bec
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Please contact Rural Dog Rescue www.ruraldogrescue.com to complete an application or visit Lil Joe at the adoption event this Saturday from 12 - 3 at Howl To The Chief 733 8th Street SE DC.
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Gear Prudence: I just spent five days riding 350 miles and I’ve lost all love of biking. I’m sure with some time off, I’ll regain my love of it, but for now, I can’t stand even looking at my bike, much less taking it for a ride. I want to take up a new hobby. What do you suggest? —Bicycle User Really Needs Escape, Different Options Using Time Dear BURNEDOUT: Bike burnout is real, and after so many miles in such as short time, it’s unsurprising that you’ve reached your limit (at least for now). GP thinks you’re right to take some time off. Bicycling should be enjoyable, and if you’re looking at your bike with anything other than goo-goo eyes, taking some time away to rekindle your passion while you cultivate other interests isn’t just sensible but necessary. Have you considered artisanal, small-batch winemaking? As a cyclist, you’re likely attitudinally predisposed towards francophilia. You’re probably used to spending hours outside in the hot sun, which will be important during planting, pruning, and harvesting seasons. Your powerful quads and lung capacity ensure that your grape-stomping prowess will be second to none. And your past experiences in sharing the road with local drivers guarantee that you’ll certainly have the appetite and desire to drink your product. It’s another niche subculture with lots of foreign terms and endless debates about picayune details on equipment and approaches. And it’s full of know-it-alls trying to objectively rank the subjective. You’ll feel right at home. If your backyard’s terroir is subpar, try reading more. Read big books. Engage with important ideas. Strive to become a more interesting and knowledgeable person. When you finally get back on the bike, it’ll be worth it. On long solo rides, mentally chewing meaty thoughts will make the miles tick right on by. On group rides, you’ll be able to offer charming insights and regale your companions with keen observations on the human condition revealed through literature, or regurgitate recondite facts from a wide variety of disciplines. Everyone loves a gregarious autodidact. On second thought, that sounds super pretentious. Just catch up on TV instead. That’s like reading, except you can also check Twitter while you’re half-paying attention. Binge watching is a lot like biking—you sit for hours at a time and no matter how much you do, you’ll never run out. Plus, saying “Jessica Jones, huh?” is way more winning than “And another thing about Dostoevsky...” and considerably less likely to result in your cycling compatriots riding away from you. Everyone —GP loves TV. Gear Prudence is Brian McEntee, who tweets @sharrowsDC. Got a question about bicycling? Email gearprudence@washcp.com.
SAVAGELOVE I’m a straight 26-year-old man who wants advice on helping my fiancée realize a particular fantasy. We have been dating for three years and are in a happy monogamous relationship. I was always vanilla, but she enjoys rougher sex and light bondage. We’ve incorporated some of this into our sex lives, and we are both happy with how fun it is. She has expressed interest in a rape fantasy. Both of us want to be safe when we do this, and we trust each other completely. But I cannot think of a way in which she can get the experience she desires while still maintaining a safe dynamic. I am wondering if you have advice on how I can help act out her fantasy in a way that we both have fun. —Seeking Erotic Advice Now You and the fiancée are obviously capable of communicating about varsity-level sex play, SEAN; your track record with bondage and rougher sex demonstrates that. Now you just have to use the same interpersonal skills that made your past kinky fuckfests possible—along with the same respect for limits, boundaries, and each other—to negotiate and realize your girlfriend’s edgy-but-thoroughly-common fantasy. I recommend reading “Rape Fantasy: How to Carry It Out Safely,” a long and thoughtful post at Slut Lessons (slutlessons.wordpress. com), an engaging sex blog that’s sadly no longer being updated. The first recommendation from Educated Slut, the site’s anonymous author: Maybe we shouldn’t call them “rape fantasies” at all. “A rape fantasy is almost invariably more about forced sex and not a desire to actually BE raped by someone,” writes Educated Slut. “Very few people have the desire to be put through the physical and emotional trauma of a real rape. This is the primary reason I refer to this as ‘forced sex fantasy’ rather than rape fantasy; it just gives the wrong impression to some people.” You might to be one of those people, SEAN. You seem to be under the impression that there’s something inherently more dangerous
Is the Glass half full? Is the Glass half empty? how about half off! realdeal.washingtoncitypaper.com
about realizing/role-playing your way through a forced-sex scenario. And it may be more dangerous and/or triggering on an emotional level—talking through any past traumas or fears will be important—but slapping the label “rape fantasy” on rough(er) sex shouldn’t result in you having some sort of out-of-body experience that leads you to go apeshit on your helpless fiancée. Talk things through in advance, just like you have before, agree on a safe word—a word that stops the action cold should either of you utter it—and take it slow the first —Dan Savage few times you go for it. I’m a single straight guy and this is probably going to sound really stupid, but… I basically stumbled over the cuckold fetish and I can’t get it out of my mind. I’ve tried to stay away from it because I’m pretty sure you aren’t supposed to feel like garbage after enjoying porn. But I can’t get it out of my head. It’s worrying, since I fear that one day it might end up spoiling things when I fall in love with someone since I’m a bit of a jealous person. The idea of a cheating woman is really hot in spite of all of that. But there’s this lingering feeling of disgust surrounding the whole thing. Is it possible to have a fetish you hate? —Baffled About Romantic Future Don’t you just hate it when someone leaves a fetish sitting on the steps and then you come along and stumble over it and—bam!—you fall and hit your head and when you come to you’ve got a brand-new fetish? Yeah, no. We don’t know exactly where people’s fetishes and kinks come from—how or why someone’s erotic imagination snaps on an inanimate object (high heels, leather gear, rubber masks) or a particular sexual scenario (cuckolding, role-play, outdoor sex)—but we can safely say that people don’t stumble into their fetishes or kinks. Forgive me for being a pedantic asshole, BARF—I’m sure you didn’t mean you literally stumbled over a cuckold. But misinformed, sex-negative, kink-negative pornophobes rou-
Don’t you just hate it when someone leaves a fetish sitting on the steps and then you come along and stumble over it and— bam!—you fall and hit your head and when you come to you’ve got a brand-new fetish? tinely talk about fetishes and kinks—and fetish/kink porn—like a moment’s exposure can transform an innocent person with purely vanilla tastes into a horned-up, slobbering, gimpoutfit-wearing kink monster. And that’s not the way it happens. So what did happen to you, BARF? You found some cuckold porn online, and your dick said: “DUDE. THIS IS IT. THIS IS WHAT WE’VE BEEN LOOKING FOR. RUN WITH THIS.” Your particular kink was already in there somewhere, already rattling around in your erotic subconscious, but you couldn’t articulate it—it didn’t take shape— until you finally “stumbled over” the images and narratives you were looking for all along. And your kink, like the kinks of so many other people (see SEAN’s fiancée, above), seems to be grounded in insecurity and fear—you’re the jealous type, you fear being cheated on, and your erotic imagination/reptile brain took your fears and spun them into a kink. Congrats. On to your question: Yes, you can have a fetish you hate, i.e., you can have a kink you don’t want to act on because the fantasy can’t be realized for moral or ethical reasons (it involves children, nonconsensual acts, Donald Trump) or because you’re fairly certain doing so would suck for emotional or physical reasons (potentially traumatizing, physically dangerous, Donald Trump). But if your only issue with your kink are those lingering feelings of disgust, BARF, those feelings may diminish the more time you spend
thinking/jacking about your newly revealed kink. Time will determine if your feelings of disgust are merely your run-of-the-mill, beneficial-to-overcome kink negativity or if they’re a sign cuckolding should remain a go-to masturbatory fantasy for you, BARF, without ever —Dan become a cheating-woman reality. I’ve been dating a girl for a while, and I take our relationship seriously. Sometimes sex is a little difficult because of her pubic hair. She shaves it close to the labia, which is right where my cock is going in and out, and it’s very prickly. I don’t mean lightly prickly—it’s like a bunch of wooden chopsticks have been filed down and shaped into a cylinder, and I’ve been asked to let them clench my dick. I brought it up once and tried to gently suggest a waxing or letting the hair grow back. She didn’t want to talk about it. I get it: Nobody likes having their genital area critiqued. But the problem keeps recurring. I understand that I don’t really have the right to dictate her grooming habits. And if waxing is out of the question for her—maybe there are philosophical implications I’m not up to speed on—how can I suggest that maybe there are other solutions? —Seeks Counsel Regarding Agonizing Penile Exfoliation The only solution is your girlfriend letting her pubic hair grow back permanently, SCRAPE, since waxed labia will eventually become stubble-covered labia. Here’s how you suggest letting those pubes grow back: Start by letting your girlfriend know you’re aware that women have had to endure millennia of misogynistic/religious garbage about their genitals—but you shouldn’t have to silently endure painful sex because that garbage has made discussing her choices around genital grooming unnecessarily fraught. This isn’t about appearance or preferences or clashing philosophies about pubic grooming. You’re in pain. Address the —Dan matter directly. Send your Savage Love questions to mail@savagelove.net.
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D.C. 201 From pandas to pot to the pope, and everything in between, these were the stories that D.C. talked about in 2015.
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PhotograPhs by Darrow MontgoMery
Arcing Insulator
In January, an arcing insulator and a series of false steps caused a tunnel near the L’Enfant Plaza Metro station to fill with smoke. By the end of the day, one woman was dead and dozens had been hospitalized. Electrical arcing—when materials including water come into contact with the electrified third rail, producing sparks or smoke—is a common occurrence in Metro’s system, especially on the Red Line. In mid-November, firefighters were called to the Bethesda station for such an incident, which caused a 45-minute shutdown; they were back again on Dec. 16 for the same reason. Arcing insulators are just one of the many issues Metro is now grappling with after years of delayed repairs and
maintenance. And while the majority of incidents don’t end with a fatality, like January’s did, they do cause single-tracking and delays that turn riders away from Metro. With confidence in the system at an all-time low, arcing insulators are just one part of a broken system Metro’s leadership needs to fix to win —Sarah Anne Hughes back the region.
Artisphere
Early in 2015, the Arlington County Board voted to close Artisphere, the multimedia art space it had operated in Rosslyn since 2010. While the center never generated the profits the county hoped it would (because really, who was going to Rosslyn in search of art?), it did welcome some of the region’s most experimental and interactive works, like an installation of Andy Warhol’s “Silver Clouds” in 2013 and a silent performance by Chicago’s Manual Cinema this past February. Artisphere also hosted work by community members, be they filmmakers, musicians, or aspiring curators, an opportunity not afforded emerging artists at the region’s more famous museums. The center officially closed
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IllustratIon by lauren heneghan
in June, leaving the area with one fewer center for artistic expression and Arlington with one more vacant building that it will have to fill. One of the final live programs was a performance by artist Carolina Mayorga called “Our Lady of the Vanishing Arts,” a grim omen for the future of arts programming in —Caroline Jones the D.C. area.
a criminal record filled with DUI and drug charges, Christopher struck political wags as an awkward choice for the new mayor-forlife. The beginning of 2015 proved the whisperers right, as the younger Barry, already a declared candidate to replace his father on the D.C. Council, allegedly threatened a bank teller who wouldn’t let him overdraw his bank account. Barry started playing down his middle name and styling himself as “Marion C. Barry,” but it didn’t help on the ballot, where he came in sixth. Barry promised to run for the Ward 8 seat again next year, only to back off more recently and endorse another hopeful, exercising the kind of electoral restraint that hasn’t normally run in the family. —Will Sommer
Barry, Marion C.
Beach, The
B
Months before Marion Barry died, he brought his son Christopher onstage to help endorse Mayor Vince Gray’s 2014 re-election campaign. Barry’s embrace of his son made a notso-subtle point: Barry, ailing for years, wanted Christopher to replace him. Thanks to his often strained relationship with his father and
Because we live in a landlocked territory, District residents’ interest is piqued by any mention of a beach, even one made out of plastic spheres and artificial turf. The National Building Museum’s summer installation, an adult-sized ball pit designed by Brooklynbased Snarkitecture, drew more than 180,000
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visitors between the Fourth of July and Labor Day. Guests entertained themselves by tossing around beach balls, “floating” in the 3.5feet-deep pit, and taking selfies. Beachgoers had so much fun that they lost items in the exhibit’s depths. Among the things found when the exhibition was emptied: phones, fitness trackers, more than $400 in change, and an engagement ring that has since been reunited with its owner. But even with its sleek white and translucent color scheme, the Beach
couldn’t dispel the notion that all ball pits are breeding grounds for bacteria. Despite the balls being made from an anti-microbial material and the exhibit being regularly sprayed with disinfectant, one visitor claims to have gotten pink eye there, and others were snapping photos of gunk-covered balls. In the coming year, the Beach will exist in a different form in D.C.: 650,000 remaining balls will be used as part of a site-specific installation for the Dupont Underground. —Caroline Jones
Bei Bei, Breakdown Over
On Aug. 22, Mei Xiang, the National Zoo’s resident panda oven, gave birth to two cubs, one of whom survived. That cub would go on to momentarily break me, an unapologetic and unrepentant panda lover. Unlike tenyear-old Tai Shan and two-year-old Bao Bao, Mei’s youngest cub, Bei Bei, was named unilaterally by the first ladies of the U.S. and China. The decision to not hold a public vote on the name of a panda who lives at a taxpayer-funded facility in our nation’s capital was a disgrace. (Just 50 blocks from the White House!) I honestly was not sure that democracy would survive. But survive it did, as did Bei Bei, who has grown into a topnotch ball of fur. He will go on display in —Sarah Anne Hughes January.
Beauty Pill
You could say it took a near-death experience for Beauty Pill to create one of the best al-
bums of the year, but that’s too convenient a narrative. Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are is so much more than Chad Clark’s “comeback album” after a heart infection nearly killed him in 2007. That’s because there’s nothing singular about Beauty Pill Describes Things As They Are. Clark may front the experimental pop group, but each member—Drew Doucette, Basla Andolsun, Jean Cook, and Devin Ocampo—brings a nascent musical element to the table, which adds to the wonderfully dynamic, layered sounds on each song, creating a vibrant ecosystem of sonic soundscapes. It’s the most alive an album has sounded in 2015, with death nowhere to be found. —Matt Cohen
Black Lives Matter
Black Lives Matter DMV, now in its second year, may not be as visible on the national stage as other movements across the country, especially in cities that are grappling with the public deaths of black men and women at the hands of law enforcement. But the D.C. area’s movement did see at least one victory this year: stopping a provision of Mayor Muriel Bowser’s crime bill. Protesters opposed to large parts of the bill including the proposed “warrantless searches” of ex-offenders and their homes disrupted Bowser’s August announcement, shouting “We don’t need more police!” and “We want jobs!” A D.C. Council committee seemed to agree, and the provision appeared to be dead after an October hearing. (The bill is still under Council
consideration.) The victory should serve as a warning sign to the District’s officials: Black Lives Matter DMV isn’t going away. —Sarah Anne Hughes
Body Cameras
Though D.C. launched a pilot program for police body-worn cameras in 2014 as part of an effort to boost government transparency, it hadn’t released a single video captured by the roughly 400 devices currently on the streets until this week when Bowser’s office made footage of the Alonzo Smith incident public this week. Why? Because until recently, the District was still deciding how footage from body cameras ought to be made public—that is, if it should be disclosed at all. In short, some argued that allowing citizens to access the film risks violating individuals’ privacy rights, particularly those of domestic violence survivors. Advocates for the press and open government, however, criticized proposed exceptions to public-records-request laws, such as the D.C. Freedom of Information Act, since these would limit citizens’ ability to review footage and thus hold officials accountable. (What if, the thinking goes, police officers had been wearing cameras during the fatal shooting of Michael Brown, in Ferguson, Mo.?) So after a months-long process involving advocates and the mayor’s office, on Dec. 1., the D.C. Council assented in the first of two votes to a compromise bill governing the footage. On Dec. 15, it approved the legistlation, which forbids D.C. from disclosing video taken inside private residences. —Andrew Giambrone
Marion C. Barry
Bei Bei washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 11
Chad Clark of Beauty Pill
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Baseball players typically dump a bucket of Gatorade on the hero, but this tradition’s durability stems largely from convenience: The bucket is already close by, and its contents become expendable once the game is over. Yet, the beverage’s application is imprecise, and those who are successfully doused often react as if they’ve been hazed, not praised. Thanks to its viscosity, chocolate syrup jolts the recipient less than Gatorade does. And taste-wise, its virtues need little elaboration. “When you have a great win,” Scherzer would proclaim, “let’s top it off with the best topping there is: —Zach Rausnitz chocolate syrup.”
Crumbs & Whiskers’ Kanchan Singh
Cat Cafe
It turns out, being a cat lady is a career. Just ask Kanchan Singh, the 25-year-old owner of D.C.’s first and only cat cafe, Crumbs & Whiskers. Singh got the idea during a “quarter-life crisis” backpacking trip to Thailand where she encountered her first cat cafe. She eventually quit her consulting job and leased a former psychic and astrology center in Georgetown to fill with felines. The health department wasn’t so keen on mixing food preparation with furballs, so Crumbs & Whiskers became less a cafe and more a place to hang out with cats and read books like I Could Pee on This. Some see it as a future model for pet adoption, others as peak ridiculousness. The place hosts yoga with —Jessica Sidman cats, after all.
Chiu, Melissa
The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden stumbled right into its This-Is-Forty moment. Melissa Chiu, the Hirshhorn’s director since October 2014, announced this August that the museum would celebrate its 40th anniversary with a gala in New York. This decision set off a crisis of mid-life proportions in D.C. Would the Hirshhorn rather live in
New York? Does Chiu care about the District at all? The birthday party came and went, and going into its 41st year, the Hirshhorn is $1.5 million richer for having hosted that party. (The ceiling is lower for galas held in D.C., the museum claims, although it’s never tried having a massive 40th birthday party here.) What happens next will show how committed Chiu is to D.C.’s favorite concrete donut. So far, she’s staffed up the institution (hiring local arts administrator Lisa Gold as director of engagement, for example), slotted in some exciting exhibits (most notably Mark Bradford’s 360-degree painting installation), and brought more trustees and cash through the doors than any director in years.
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Now that the party’s behind us, it’s time for Chiu to get to work. —Kriston Capps
Chocolate Syrup
After the Nationals signed pitcher Max Scherzer to a $210 million deal in January, he was going to need to do more than just excel on the mound for the mammoth deal to pay off. Scherzer found a way, tossing two nohitters—and bringing innovation to the realm of postgame celebrating when he squeezed chocolate syrup all over a teammate’s head in April. The experiment proved to be a breakthrough, and chocolate sauce figured into Nats celebrations throughout the season.
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Delays, Metro
Forty-seven thousand, seven hundred and eighty-one minutes: That’s how long Metrorail trains were delayed this year through Dec. 15, according to data pulled from Metro’s daily service reports. It adds up to more than 796 hours—that’s about 33 days. Yes, Metro users, you spent more than an entire month waiting out delays this year. The main culprit, responsible for 11,617 minutes of delays (more than a week), were trains scheduled to run that didn’t. This happens when not enough trains are available in the system. Another lost week
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(10,994 minutes of delays) was attributed to brake problems. Passengers waited for another three whole days due to door problems. Track problems, signal problems, unspecified equipment problems, and what Metro simply calls “operational problems” each claimed at least a day’s worth of delays. Medical emergencies and police activity were to blame for a combined 47 hours of delays. But humans and machines weren’t the only ones at fault: Eight incidents (totaling two hours of delays) involved deer on the tracks. —Zach Rausnitz
Drugs, Synthetic Officials struggled to stem the spread of synthetics.
This summer, discarded packages of “Bizarro,” “Scooby Snax,” “Ice Dragon,” and other synthetic drugs began to pepper certain public spaces in the District, evidence that people had consumed their high-inducing contents. What became clearer as the season went on, though, was that these were no ordinary drugs, much less the “marijuana” (or even “potpourri”) they’d been advertised as. The number of emergency responses related to overdoses and bad trips from synthetics skyrocketed, peaking at 611 cases in September, according to data from D.C.’s Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department. (FEMS averaged 20 synthetic drug-related transports per day that month, rivaling the number of calls it’d received for car crashes and exceeding that for heart attacks by tenfold.) To put that in further context, the District had seen fewer than 30 cases a month until May 2014. “The scariest thing about synthetic drugs is everything that’s unknown,” the Washington Post declared in a headline in mid-July. Officials echoed that sentiment in public remarks, with Mayor Muriel Bowser and police Chief Cathy Lanier speculating that the “influx of synthetic drugs,” in the latter’s words, might have been associated with a concurrent uptick in violent crime. (“I know why it’s happening—it’s not even a hypothesis—it’s exactly what we saw in the late 1980s with the crack cocaine epidemic,” D.C. Councilmember Jack Evans said on the Kojo Nnamdi Show. “You’re seeing a synthetic drug epidemic.”) The District was quick to crack down on the drugs, or at least appear to: On July 10, Bowser signed an act that increased penalties for businesses found selling the stuff, based on a two-strikes-you’re-out regulatory scheme, and authorized the Metropolitan Police Department to close down offending stores. About a month later, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for D.C. launched a series of educational meetings at area homeless shelters to inform residents about the risks of synthetic drugs, which, the office said, were “readily available and can cause unpredictable and deadly reactions.” (The campaign followed several overdoses thought to stem from synthetics at CCNV, the city’s largest shelter.) But all along there was a problem of chemistry: Manufacturers were creating 14 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
Melissa Chiu
drugs whose chemical compositions kept changing. This meant that law enforcement spent a lot of time and money testing samples for an array of controlled substances; prosecutors would have had to employ “analogue” arguments to prove that the products offenders had been making or selling were “substantially similar” in their chemical makeup to banned substances. So in November, the Office of the Attorney General proposed a bill, now under Council review, that would simplify this process by adding synthetic cannabinoids and cathinones (found in bath salts) to D.C.’s controlleddrugs schedule, and by testing for classes of compounds rather than the individual compound in a given substance. Synthetic drug cases, according to hospital executives and medical personnel, have contributed to violence in emergency rooms. They continue to put stress on the city’s already overstretched fleet of ambulances. And for the people who have taken or continue to use synthetic drugs, the long-term effects re—Andrew Giambrone main to be seen.
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Embassy Row Hotel
Have you heard about the Embassy Row Hotel? Have you heard, from any particular New York–based media outlet, that it has a rooftop? Did a publication also tell you D.C. was suffering acutely from a “dearth of rooftop anything”? Did that strike you as odd? It did us. Earlier this year, our arts editor poked around and found that, in fact, the hotel had given a free media junket to a Gothamist reporter, which resulted in a listicle about how great the hotel was. Only later did the piece get an update to reflect the fact that the author got freebies. And then something curious happened: Laudatory statements about the Embassy Row Hotel started popping up in other places. The New York Daily News published a mortifying piece titled “Nation’s capital is not your father’s Washington; it has hipsters,” which claimed that “[young people] are inspiring local chefs and bar owners to break out of the box in a way that would have been unthinkable just 10 years ago, when our nation’s capital felt like the kind of place only a bureaucrat could love.” Curbed, the Washington Post, The Daily Meal, The Globe and Mail… this hotel renovation was getting plenty of attention. There’s nothing to do but salute the hotel for its unstoppable PR game, and to remind our fellow journalists to always disclose when you get a handout. But seriously, if you haven’t seen the view from the rooftop bar... —Emily Q. Hazzard
Family-Style
Graham started organizing male strip shows for women and gay men. Graham might seem like an odd match for Georgia Avenue NW strip club The House. But his male shows come with a Grahamian flair—catch one of his bowties thrown by a dancer, get a drink. —Will Sommer
You know the scene: You’re at dinner with three friends at a small plates restaurant when a dish arrives with just three scallops. How do you divide it among four? How annoying is it going to be to split the check? When will the tyranny of tapas come to an end!?! Relax. A new trend is underway, and while it still involves sharing, nobody leaves hungry. More and more restaurants are adding large-format, family-style platters to their menus for groups of two or more. Rose’s Luxury has become popular for serving a brisket platter with horseradish, slaw, and white bread this way. Other examples include a whole animal rotisserie at Iron Gate, an American Wagyu bao platter at Maketto, and a Filipino-style fried suckling pig’s leg at Provision No. 14. Yes, bigger is better. —Jessica Sidman
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Fauntroy, Walter
For 20 years, Walter Fauntroy was the District’s delegate to Congress. But in 2015, he was cast in a very different role: international man of mystery. Fauntroy’s post-Congress career first earned quizzical looks after he flew to war-torn Libya on a hazily defined peace mission. But the strangest part of Fauntroy’s world tour happened this year, as the District home where his wife still lives headed to foreclosure. For his part, Fauntroy insisted to baffled friends that he was in Dubai working on an undisclosed project. Also mitigating against Fauntroy’s return to the U.S.: a Maryland warrant for Fauntroy’s arrest for allegedly writing a bad check. Fauntroy pals stateside managed to push off the foreclosure, but couldn’t explain why he’d disappeared in the first place. —Will Sommer
Fig & Olive
The award for this year’s biggest public health and PR disaster goes to Fig & Olive. Just months after its splashy opening at CityCenterDC, the New York-based restaurant was shut down for its part in a salmonella outbreak that hit locations on both coasts. The D.C. Department of Health has confirmed at least 41 cases of the potentially fatal bacterial infection and interviewed an additional 226 people who dined at Fig & Olive during the outbreak. Nearly as bad was Fig & Olive’s response. The day before the restaurant was shut down, Fig & Olive’s VP said he wasn’t “aware of any violation or risk found,” despite the fact that an inspector had found a whopping 16 violations (independent of the salmonella reports). Af-
Green Team
2015 was the year #squadgoals went mainstream, but Taylor Swift doesn’t have anything on Mayor Muriel Bowser.
Fig & Olive ter the fact, the company avoided questions from media, and some victims reported indifferent or unsympathetic responses from staff when they called to report their illnesses or ask for refunds. Lawsuits are stacking up against Fig & Olive, although the restaurant blames an unnamed third party in court documents. And yet, somehow, the place remains packed. —Jessica Sidman
FreshPAC
Every mayor helps their favored councilmembers win re-election, but this year freshman Mayor Muriel Bowser super-charged the mayoral money machine. Working in the post–Citizens United frontier of campaign finance, Bowser associates created FreshPAC, a political action committee aimed vaguely at advancing the mayor’s “agenda.” Thanks to permissive campaign finance rules, FreshPAC could raise unlimited individual donations in years where it didn’t support candidates. That meant big fundraising totals for FreshPAC and big bank account hits for the kinds of people who want to stay in Bowser’s good graces. Many FreshPAC donors gave $10,000, and one gave $20,000. FreshPAC aimed to raise $1 million by the end of the year, a wad of cash that would have swamped D.C. Council races next year. Instead, Bowser’s pals closed it down after an outcry from the Council and the Washington Post editorial board. Still, that money, and Bowser’s desire to choose the city’s councilmembers, will be —Will Sommer back in the new year.
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GoldLink
What does the future sound like for the man who invented future bounce? That was the big question looming over the highly anticipated follow-up to GoldLink’s explosive debut, The God Complex. Sure, GoldLink could’ve done more of the same on And After That, We Didn’t Talk, but he didn’t, and it’s a far stronger album because of that. Don’t get me wrong—the future bounce is there, but GoldLink pushed it to the next level, incorporating elements of oozing neo-soul and calculated R&B rhythms into a contemplative record about the dissolution of a relationship. It’s a breakup record, but in many ways, And After That, We Didn’t Talk says more about God and spirituality than The God Complex does. —Matt Cohen
Graham, Jim
As Ward 1’s councilmember, Jim Graham was an old-style wheeler-dealer with an apartment in South America and a taste for outlandish bowties. Against all odds, he’s become even more surprising after leaving office. Instead of bouncing to the usual lobbying or nonprofit jobs available for ex-councilmembers,
Muriel Bowser inherited her political mentor’s Green Team crew this year, then put it on steroids. When Adrian Fenty ran for mayor in 2006, he attracted a crew of political operatives, donors, and technocratic staffers. Some were more controversial than others—remember pitbull Attorney General Peter Nickles?—but they coalesced around the Green Team, named after Fenty’s characteristic campaign color. No crew is complete without some less savory characters. Fenty’s frat pals were caught up in a suspicious contracting scandal, while others helped push a bizarre scheme to send a District fire truck to the Dominican Republic. Still, by 2010, not even go-go concerts organized by members of the Green Team orbit could help Fenty. His comically grouchy attitude helped Vince Gray beat him in the mayor’s race, kicking off the endless factional feuds we still “enjoy” in the District today. Bowser came to prominence in the Green Team’s salad days, winning Fenty’s endorsement to fill his old Ward 4 Council seat. Running against Gray in 2014, Bowser co-opted the Green Team’s winning ways without co-opting the bad apples. When news broke that one of the fire truck scheme’s organizers planned to host a fundraiser for Bowser, she shied away. After becoming mayor, Bowser put the Green Team on two Council races. She made clear who her candidates in the April special elections were, picking one of her former campaign workers to replace her in the Ward 4 Council seat just as Fenty had done for her. Bowser backed another associate to replace the late Marion Barry in the Ward 8 seat. They both succeeded with fundraising help from Bowser—and were called the mayor’s puppets all the way to the ballot box. Going two-for-two in Council seats helped Bowser and the Green Team flex their fundraising powers. “What is it about the Green Team that’s so good?” Green Team patriarch and former Councilmember Bill Lightfoot exulted at one Todd fundraiser. “Everything!” Perhaps everything’s not quite so good for the Green Team, though. While Bowser’s fundraising abilities as mayor have led two councilmembers up for re-election to align themselves with her, some of her picks are
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Green Teamer Brandon Todd the PAC’s enormous financial influence already had councilmembers scared to cross the mayor. As the Green Team threatened to become the Green Regime, Cheh and other councilmembers organized to close the fundraising loophole it exploited. The PAC even earned criticism from the Washington Post editorial board, usually Bowser devotees. In November, Bowser’s supporters shut FreshPAC down and returned the money. The PAC’s end means a setback for Bowser’s political ambitions, but that shouldn’t last long. As FreshPAC’s huge fundraising totals prove, the Green Team doesn’t lack recruits. —Will Sommer
Muriel Bowser addresses the homicide rate.
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Homicides
As D.C.’s homicide rate goes up, a city becomes nervous facing grim prospects in June’s primary. The Green Team’s solution for next year’s primaries was meant to be FreshPAC, the political action committee organized by Bowser supporters that could take unlimited contributions from donors before next year. But
FreshPAC, funded by donors involved with more than $70 million in city contracts, showed the downside of having a mayor surrounded by people who want something out of the city. Ward 3 Councilmember Mary Cheh, a frequent Bowser foe, lamented that
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In August, as the District approached an uncomfortable marker, Metropolitan Police Department Chief Cathy Lanier flooded the streets with cops. Crime had surged in cities across the nation and D.C. had not been immune, with a rise in aggravated assaults and homicides. The District’s response was to have “all hands on deck,” to use the chief’s
words. But on Aug. 28, one day after Mayor Muriel Bowser announced a $15 million “Safer, Stronger D.C.” program, shootings left two dead in Marshall Heights—Omoni Johnson and Shaheed James—and the city topped its 2014 homicide total of 105 with a little over four months left in the year. As of Dec. 16, D.C.’s homicide count totaled 155, a 59 percent increase over the same period in 2014. Bowser and Lanier’s approach to the problem was multifaceted. First, they increased the amount of money given to tipsters for reporting illegal weapons ($2,500 for a gun, $10,000 if it was used in a shooting). Next, the mayor pledged to go after the synthetic drugs she says are fueling the homicides. And third, Bowser pushed a strong anti-crime agenda full of increased security cameras and searches of the homes of “violent criminals” who are on probation. The killings have made D.C. residents jittery. In a November poll by the Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation, crime and violence jumped to No. 1 when residents were asked to rank the city’s biggest problems, nearly double (34 percent to 18 percent) over the second biggest problem, affordable housing. Only one other category rated a percentage above single digits. That perception has its roots in a trend: The District has experienced a historic low in most forms of violent crime over the last five years. This year’s homicide rate pales in comparison to the crack days of the late ’80s and ’90s, when double or triple that rate was common. The city became a much safer place, with homicides dropping as low as 88 people in 2012. Now with the trend in reverse, Lanier and her commanders have had to spend extra time in the community attempting to calm fears that the gains of the last decade are gone. Tensions with activists and rank-and-file police officers haven’t soothed perceptions, either. A straw poll of police union members found “no confidence” in Lanier while Black Lives Matter protesters disrupted a Bowser press conference on crime, shouting down the mayor’s initiative on searching ex-offenders. Bowser believes the city has a gun problem. In a press conference with Lanier on Dec. 9, she said that police have captured 450 illegal weapons since the summer. Lanier said that the disputes have largely been small in nature and that her department had closed a dozen cases in the past month. Will that make a difference? It remains to be seen. But as the year closes, the number hangs out there, with a city anxious to find out whether it was an anomaly or a return to a more violent past. —Steve Cavendish
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one notable loss: Shear Madness, the moneymaking murder mystery that’s played at the Theater Lab since 1987. The play will go on hiatus next summer, and the Kennedy Center board will make more decisions about its future in the coming weeks. However will the tourists entertain themselves now? —Caroline Jones
The roof of the Hecht Warehouse in Ivy City
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Investigative Film Festival
While we’re used to seeing investigative journalism spread across the pages of a newspaper or magazine, this past year has shown us that investigations can unfold through podcasts (Serial), TV series (The Jinx), and, of course, documentary films (Going Clear). So it comes as no surprise that a film festival and symposium celebrating the work of investigative journalists would find a home in D.C., where many of those practitioners live and work. Directed by Diana Jean Schemo, the president of the investigative journalism site 100 Reporters, and Sky Sitney, the former director of AFI Docs, the three-day-long event featured screenings of seven documentaries, plus panel discussions with acclaimed filmmakers and newsmakers like Alex Gibney and Edward Snowden. Its big get, however, wasn’t a work of investigative journalism but a love letter to the craft: Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight, the feature film that examines the Boston Globe’s uncovering of the Catholic church sex abuse scandal. It opened the festival and proved that D.C. is still worthy of a bit of Hollywood attention. —Caroline Jones
Ivy City
When we talk about gentrification (is it bad? a little good? a thing at all?), we tend to talk about how a specific area of the District is changing: U Street NW, Columbia Heights, H Street NE, Trinidad. The latest neighborhood we talk about when we talk about gentrification is Ivy City, a small industrial and residential area tucked between the New York Avenue speedway, Gallaudet University, and Mt. Olivet Cemetery. Douglas Development’s redevelopment of the Hecht Warehouse into 300-plus luxury apartments and the addition of retail like an organic market, as well as the breweries and distilleries that have opened in and near the neighborhood in recent years, have created at least two streams of gentrifreakout. The first can be summed up in a tone-deaf Washington Post headline that called Ivy City “the next cool D.C. neighborhood you have never heard of” (unless, of course, you lived there before the Crossfit studio opened). The other is more incredulous about the neighborhood’s actual potential to become the next 14th Street corridor, considering its lack of a Metro station and limited millennial-baiting amenities. Is it the next Shaw? Is there, as former City Paper writer Aaron Wiener wrote, an Ivy City bubble? I can only provide you one definite: We’ll be talking about Ivy City for years to come. —Sarah Anne Hughes
Landmark Music Festival
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#JusticeforJason
On Oct. 12, 18-year-old Jason Goolsby was standing outside a Citibank in Capitol Hill when police arrived on scene and ultimately detained him and his friend, Michael Brown, for a disputed period of time. Police released the pair between 20 minutes and two hours thereafter, without charging them with any crimes (a woman had called 911 reporting “suspicious” activity related to three black men near the bank). Brown recorded a part of the incident on his phone and later that evening posted the video online. With the use of police force being called into question almost weekly in the U.S., it went viral, getting tens of thousands of shares: Black Lives Matter activists picked up the footage and brought attention to it using the hashtag #JusticeforJason. Fewer than 24 hours later, dozens of protesters gathered outside the Richard Wright Public Charter School, where Goolsby had graduated the year before (he’s now at UDC), and marched along Barracks Row to the Citibank on Pennsylvania Avenue SE. Along the way, they stopped traffic and shouted “Justice for Jason now!” and “No justice, no peace.” In November, the Metropolitan Police Department put out an internal review of the in-
cident, finding that officers’ conduct toward Goolsby and Brown was “necessary and reasonable.” Lawyers representing the pair have since contested aspects of the MPD’s account. However matters proceed, the incident brought allegations of police use of force very —Andrew Giambrone close to home.
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Kennedy Center, The New
Dropping a performance venue into the Potomac River proved too bold an architectural move for the Kennedy Center, which early this year had to scrap its plans for a floating pavilion after citizens who actively use the river complained to the National Capital Planning Commission. The center has broken ground on three land-based structures— the first major renovation in its history—that will expand its administrative and rehearsal spaces, allowing more work to gestate onsite. With the expansion comes more changes in the center’s programming. A grant from Capital One provided funding for more live comedy shows, and the Kennedy Center also hopes to build on its original musical theater program. But with this growth could come
It’s been a long time since D.C. has hosted a big annual music fest (RIP HFStival), mostly because there aren’t a lot of places in the District that can accommodate a Lollapalooza-esque festival. Except the National Mall. This year, the first annual Landmark Music Festival emerged—a two-day event billed as a benefit to raise some of the $750 million or so the Mall needs for backlogged upgrades and repairs. And with it: a controversy over use of the Mall for paid-admission events. Prior to Landmark Fest, all events on Mall grounds were required to be free and open to the public (Landmark Fest took place at West Potomac Park). With ticket prices that ranged from $105 for single-day admission to $2,350 for a platinum VIP pass, some questioned whether Landmark Fest was an appropriate use of the land. At the end of the day, the fest raised a whimpering $570,000 for its benefit. Don’t expect the debate to die down anytime soon—C3 Presents, the promotion company that put it on, has already hired a firm to lobby for more events like Landmark Fest on the —Matt Cohen national park land.
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Marijuana, Semi-Legalized
The District is still constrained by its building height limit, but that doesn’t mean 2015 wasn’t a great year for getting high. In March, as the District prepared to legalize pot, congressional Republicans who attempted to defund legalization fumed that Mayor Muriel Bowser was breaking the law. Alas for the out-of-town prohibitionists, members of Congress aren’t prosecutors. Simpatico activists started giving away marijuana seeds, while entrepreneurs now sell spiked brown-
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ies out of cars with marijuana buds painted on the side. A November Washington Post poll found that most District residents regularly smell pot on the street, but don’t mind it. House Republicans can threaten prosecution all they want, but they can’t do anything about it without the District’s U.S. Attorney’s Office on their side. So for now, the city can toke on—pending the results of the 2016 election. —Will Sommer
Ron Machen
Machen, Ron
For three years, U.S. Attorney Ron Machen played relentless foil to Mayor Vince Gray. While Gray tried to govern the District and keep himself out of prison at the same time, Machen racked up plea deals from people who illicitly helped Gray win office in 2010. First, Machen brought charges against some of Gray’s friends, then he nailed operatives in the so-called “shadow campaign.” Just weeks ahead of Gray’s re-election last year, Machen brought charges against shadow campaign mastermind Jeff Thompson, dooming Gray’s chances. The timing of the Thompson plea suggested that Machen was about to charge Gray, but he apparently didn’t have enough. This March, nearly a year after he kicked Gray out of the mayor’s office, Machen quit to take a job at his old white shoe law firm. Nine months later, Machen’s successor closed the case, citing a lack of strong-enough evidence; that means there won’t be any criminal charges against Gray (and several other people mentioned in court files). Machen’s possible political ambitions won’t amount to much now, but hey—at least he still managed to influence a District election. —Will Sommer
Metro, A Very Bad Year for
2015 turned out to be among the transit agency’s worst years yet. The Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s nightmare this year started on Jan. 12, when an electrical meltdown hundreds of feet south of the L’Enfant Plaza station produced smoke that snaked its way through a tunnel and poured into the station minutes after 3 p.m. The incident, which has become a kind of case study in public-transit mismanagement, resulted in the death of a woman and sickened more than 85 others. In June, the National Transportation Safety Board published documents that revealed details of the day’s events, including interviews with two train operators and various Metro workers who were involved in the incident. “There was plenty of people who were saying that they are on the floor, that they couldn’t breathe and they felt like they were about to pass out,” a train operator said in his debriefing with the NTSB. A staffer at WMATA’s Rail Operations Control Center, in Landover, which monitors the system and communicates with first responders, crystallized the at-
mosphere of the ROCC on Jan. 12 succinctly: “Everyone was literally in a frenzy.” Given that Metro receives millions of dollars each year in government funding, and that it serves hundreds of thousands of passengers daily across the region, it wasn’t long before the feds stepped in. The Federal Transit Administration in June released a 116-page report which found that Metro had “serious safety lapses,” including “organizational deficiencies and operational concerns that continue to limit the agency’s effectiveness in recognizing and resolving safety issues and hazards.” The FTA issued more than 90 required “corrective actions” for Metro, and eventually assumed lead oversight of the agency in October—amounting to the “strictest level of federal safety oversight ever placed on a rail transit agency,” the FTA noted in a memo. The January smoke death may have been Metro’s worst incident this year, but it wasn’t its last. In addition to long delays that have become regular rather than rare, an empty train went off the tracks near the Smithsonian station in August, creating headaches for Silver, Orange, and Blue line commuters throughout that day and into the next. The cause of the derailment, a report later stated, was that fasteners hadn’t securely held the track in place. But the deeper issue was that Metro knew there was problem at that particular rail location almost a month before the incident occurred. “For reasons I will not defend, we frankly did not act quickly enough to make repairs,” then-Metro CEO Jack Requa told reporters in August. “Metro from top to bottom is responsible.” Then in September, a
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fire near the Stadium-Armory station caused delays for weeks. So what’s next? As of November, the transit agency has a new leader in Paul J. Wiedefeld, whom Metro’s board confirmed after its first pick for the top job, Neal Cohen, pulled out of negotiations. (Cohen reportedly couldn’t handle the public scrutiny required of the position. Alas.) Wiedefeld has said he opposes fare hikes and service cuts for riders until the agency is able to boost its reliability and, ultimately, credibility. Metro is currently looking for a chief safety officer to replace the guy who resigned in light of the August derailment The agency is the subject of an efficiency study by consulting firms McKinsey and Ernst & Young which seeks to get Metro’s financial and managerial house in order. Best of luck, Paul. Truly. —Andrew Giambrone
Murals, Death of Historic
In what’s just the latest in a series of death knells for old D.C., many of the District’s historic murals are disappearing. Last year, muralist Byron Peck almost daily passed construction workers tearing down the Ontario Theatre on Columbia Road and 17th Street NW. With it went a gorgeous, towering mural Peck painted in 1991 after riots in Mount Pleasant. Over the years, longstanding murals throughout the District have been knocked down or obfuscated by new developments, rendering their kind nearly extinct. However, while few historic murals in the District
remain, new ones are popping up all the time. Earlier this year, the D.C. Alley Museum opened in Blagden Alley, showcasing nearly ten new murals celebrating the historic alley in the rapidly changing micro-neighborhood. Gentrification might be making D.C. almost unrecognizable to longtime residents, but at least there are some people out there trying —Matt Cohen to keep traditions alive.
Museum Square
What is Chinatown without Chinese residents? It’s a reality we don’t have to face—yet. Museum Square, in the 400 block of K Street NW, stands out among its neighbors—brand new apartment and condo buildings with all the out-of-reach-to-most amenities we’ve come to expect in D.C. But Museum Square is different: It’s home to some of the last Chinese immigrants who can afford to live near Chinatown. Until October of this year, the building was under a Section 8 contract, meaning the tenants paid 30 percent of their income toward rent while the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development paid the rest. That designation made it one of the last affordable buildings near Chinatown, and a building that many elderly, low-income tenants have called home for years. In summer 2014, the building’s owner, the Bush Companies, sent a letter to tenants informing them that they either had to move out or pay $250 million to buy the building. D.C. tenants are given the opportunity to purchase their buildings un-
Museum Square
der the aptly named Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act. But the high price tag—about $828,000 per unit—put on the low-income building struck tenants, advocates, and some local officials as unfair. The D.C. Council tried twice to fix the problem with legislation (Bush Companies sued the District, alleging it had been unfairly targeted; the case was voluntarily dismissed), and earlier this year the tenants sued Bush Companies. A D.C. Superior Court Judge agreed that $250 million was exorbitant, granted the tenants summary judgment, and ordered Bush Companies to pay more than $76,000 in attorney’s fees and costs. That case is under appeal. In April of this year, Bush Companies revealed its intent to raze the site and replace it with an 825-unit condo building by 2018. The building’s Section 8 contract expired in October, and tenants, fearing displacement, rallied to stay put. They had that option, by using their Housing Choice (formerly known as Section 8) vouchers at Museum Square. According to the D.C. Housing Authority, 212 Museum Square families have been given such vouchers; of those families, 190 chose to use them at Museum Square “on a monthto-month basis.” “Some families chose to use their vouchers at other rental properties,” a DCHA spokesperson says. “Several families moved out without assistance from DCHA.” Advocates, meanwhile, allege that tenants are still being pressured to move. Get used to this: As other Section 8 contracts expire around the city, more tenants will likely find themselves fighting the same fight. —Sarah Anne Hughes
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New York Times, Food Fuck-Ups by
Washingtonians may occasionally have an inferiority complex when it comes to New York. But at least the New York Times always gives us plenty to turn our noses up at when they write about D.C. The Times has a long history of slights and shoddy observations when it comes to the District’s food scene in particular, whether it’s insulting our pizza or “discovering” how “Restaurants in D.C. Are Moving Into Residential Neighborhoods.” This spring, D.C. got a visit from the Frugal Traveler, who couldn’t help but lead his column with tired cliches about lobbyists and “steak-loving senators.” His recommendations for cheap eats weren’t much better: a $12 burger from Farmers Fishers Bakers, a pizza and kale salad at Rustik Tavern, and a hummus and tabbouleh sandwich from the DC Ballers food truck, which, of course, he noted was “just a couple blocks from the White House.” —Jessica Sidman
Norton, Eleanor Holmes, Parking Disasters of
As the District’s delegate to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton can’t vote on the floor of the House. What we didn’t know until March, though, is that she also can’t park a car. In an excruciating two-minute video obtained by Roll Call, Norton struggles to park her car and even apparently brushes another car in the attempt. After the fiasco, Norton promised to consider getting a self-parking car, an idea that would be more believable if she hadn’t just a year earlier shut down a self-driving car by hitting its kill button. Forget the GOP—Norton’s true beef is with the automobile. —Will Sommer
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Oliver, John
who sang—impressively in tune—“Let them have gun laws! Let them have weed! Let them decide the things that they need!” The segment still would have been notable in itself (“They are treating more than 600,000 people right now like children,” Oliver explained of Congress’ repeated attempts to quash District autonomy), had D.C. residents not taken matters into their own hands the following week: Parents in Capitol Hill organized a live sing-along of the HBO host’s statehood tune and uploaded a recording of it to Youtube. Advocates for the District have praised Oliver’s segment as an authoritative account of the case for equal treatment; even the likes of Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton have referred to it as a pedagogic tool. —Andrew Giambrone
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Paid Leave
It’s not often that a British person issues a clarion call for a place named after the Yankee who fought against the United Kingdom for independence. But so it happened in early August, when English comedian John Oliver aired a 17-minute segment devoted to D.C. statehood, featuring a chorus of kids
Policymakers and other concerned citizens are debating whether D.C. workers should be entitled to 16 weeks of paid family leave, which could be used to take care of an ailing relative or a newborn child. The first hearing on a proposed bill before the D.C. Council, on Dec. 2, attracted the expected cast of characters: workers’ and parents’ rights ad-
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oppose the deal shouldn’t be a surprise: Exelon has an aging set of nuclear plants that could be shored up with money from Pepco customers in the District. Still, it says something about Pepco’s power in the District that the PSC’s rejection came as a surprise. Less surprising, thanks to the Pepco alums and investors in top spots in District government, was the settlement Mayor Muriel Bowser cut with the companies that lends their PSC appeal more weight. A decision on the merger likely won’t come before the end of the year, but when it does, District residents who use electricity (i.e. everyone) will find out whether the quality of their power service will be influenced by a company halfway across the country. —Will Sommer
Pierce, Paul
Pop-Ups
2015 was supposed to be the year for the Washington Wizards. John Wall and Bradley Beal had matured into aggressive scorers, Marcin Gortat and Nene were healthy, and before the season started, the team acquired the player thought to be the key to a championship: Paul “The Truth” Pierce, a sharp-shooting NBA champion and ten-time All Star with the Boston Celtics. As the only player on the roster with extensive playoff experience, Pierce became a swami-like advisor to his teammates, encouraging them to take care of themselves, something he didn’t do in his early years. Before the playoffs even started, he told ESPN that the team “has all the tools to get to the Eastern Conference finals,’’ while also questioning whether Wall, Beal, and former Georgetown standout Otto Porter possessed the determination to do so. Pierce helped the Wiz sweep Toronto in the first round and stepped up even more in Game 3 of the second round, when a three-pointer at the end of regulation gave the Wizards the win over Atlanta. He’d nearly save them again in a decisive Game 6. A photo taken immediately after the shot shows an ecstatic José Andrés clutching Pierce’s jersey. But further review showed the ball hadn’t left Pierce’s fingertips by the time the clock expired. Despite having another year on his contract (and an offer of monthly dinners from Andrés if he stayed in D.C.), Pierce returned home to Los Angeles and joined the Clippers. Without their wizened master encouraging them to nap in hyperbaric chambers before games, the 2015-16 Wizards are two games below .500 as of this writing and appear listless, recently falling to the abysmal Lakers. Fans are left with the memories of Pierce, his off-balance fadeaway jumpers, and thoughts of what —Caroline Jones could have been.
Pepco
In the end, the wonkiest political fight of 2015 could end up being its most important. Environmentalists scored an unlikely win this August, when the city’s Public Service Commission rejected Chicago-based Exelon’s takeover of power utility Pepco. That so many people
Pop-ups have proliferated so much that the term has almost lost all meaning. Once the territory of up-and-coming chefs in nontraditional locations, the term now applies to any and every event or temporary menu. You can now attend a different “pop-up” or “takeover” or “residency” any day of the year. Kolache pop-ups! Chicago pizza popups! Christmas bar pop-ups! Pop-ups have even spawned “pop-upperies,” spaces designed for the sole purpose of hosting a rotating cast of chefs and concepts. One of the most notable is Prequel, a Penn Quarter space connected to a local crowdfunding platform called EquityEats that can host up to five bar and restaurant pop-ups at one time. Or as they’ve called it, a “pop-up —Jessica Sidman megaplex.”
Pope Francis
He came, he saw, he concurred that Congress had dropped the ball on climate change policy, and his statement saying as much left Republicans seething. But for District residents, pope hysteria peaked on the days leading up to his visit, before he even made it to his Congressional address, when streets were starting to close for his ponderously slow parade around the Ellipse. Local media outlets (including City Paper) rose to the occasion, meeting the panicked needs of pope avoiders and seekers alike with what was effectively a nonstop stream of breathless coverage. Where would he be at what time? Would public transportation grind to a standstill? Would Metrorail seek his blessing so its trains would never malfunction again? It turned out that commutes weren’t as disastrous as expected, since federal workers were told to work remotely. And no, Metrorail did not, to our knowledge, seek a papal reprieve from its apparently doomed fate, so in many ways the District remained unchanged by His Holiness’ historic visit, and the panic was much ado about nothing. —Emily Q. Hazzard
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John Oliver
Screen shot via HBO
vocates on one side, the local business community on the other. The legislation, which a majority of the Council and the public have expressed support for with votes and in polls, would require employers to pay up to one percent of their payroll into a fund that covered the whole city. (Notably, federal employees who live in D.C. would have to foot the bill themselves since jurisdictions cannot constitutionally impose a tax on the U.S. government.) Some business leaders argue that paid family leave would be the straw that breaks the camel’s back, piled on top of other regulations like D.C.’s minimum-wage and paid-sick-leave laws. But if the bill gets passed as introduced (unlikely), it’d be one of the country’s most generous benefits. —Andrew Giambrone
Petworth, The Prince Not of
It’s like they say: You can take the Prince out of Petworth, but you can’t take Petworth out of the Prince! Actually, it turns out, you can do both. In 2012, local blogger Dan Silverman took Petworth out of the name of his popular Prince of Petworth blog, changing it to PoPville. Then in July of this year, Silverman announced he’d moved from Petworth to his new house near the Van Ness Metro station. Silverman, a father of one with another kid on the way, was blunt about his reason: “I moved because of schools.” For all the speculation that this generation’s yuppies will make their lives long-term in neighborhoods that their parents shunned, the old pattern still prevails for many once schools become a consideration. Having kids gives a timeworn saying renewed appeal: Go west of Rock Creek Park, young man; go west. —Zach Rausnitz
#PlayoffRandy
After a lousy string of games in January and February, Wizards coach Randy Wittman ranked fourth on a gambling website’s list of the NBA coaches with the highest odds of getting fired. The three coaches with grimmer odds were all canned in the spring. But Wittman managed to keep his job, after a transformation in the playoffs that had fans hailing #PlayoffRandy. Wittman was long maligned for refusing to adapt as other teams thrived on smaller, “pace and space” offensive schemes. #PlayoffRandy finally shifted small forward Paul Pierce to power forward. Otto Porter, a versatile second-year forward whom Wittman had barely bothered to develop—he was ninth on the team in regular-season minutes per game—was the third-most
used player during the playoffs. The moves paid off: The team won its first five playoff games, before star guard John Wall fractured his wrist. Even after that blow, they came within one Pierce fingertip of a chance to force a seventh game against top-seeded Atlanta. It got fans thinking: Had Wittman been playing the long game the whole time? Most NBA teams make the playoffs—so why not save your best schemes for when it really counts? As the team struggles early in the 2015-16 season, fans are clinging to the hope that #PlayoffRandy is simply biding his time once again. —Zach Rausnitz
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Real Housewives of Potomac
What’s left to say about Bravo’s hugely popular franchise of not-even-a-little-bit-real housewives? Nothing, frankly, except that in 2016, Bravo’s perversely brilliant hatewatch—in which Andy Cohen’s braintrust entices privileged but existentially bored middle-aged women to backbite their friends in front of rolling cameras—is coming back to the D.C. area. Remember The Real Housewives of D.C.? It was a single-season flop, despite the promising inclusion of White House party crasher and litigation magnet Michaele Salahi, because the rest of the cast was so disappointingly well-behaved. This time around, it’s set in Potomac, Md., and the siz-
their assholes and I’m left out, or whether there’s a thrilling new kink on the horizon that I might soon encounter in the wild, or “What Happened When I Stopped Worrying and Started to Leave My Nipple Hair There, For All to See,” or how soon after his genital surgery could one fuck one’s trans partner… I’m not going to find it anywhere near Solo-ish. It captures the chaste generalities of relationship drama but none of the gnarly details that are so satisfying to read about. There are no curtains pulled back or wounds exposed, just the airing of mild neuroses— not even the kind your therapist would break a sweat at hearing. Except for that one time Bonos admitted to crying in the portable toilet at her ex’s wedding. That was gold. Nevertheless, count me among its loyal readers, as well as, apparently, the entire City Paper editorial staff: We have a Slack bot that publishes a link to our office chat every time a new story comes across the Soloish RSS feed. Solo-ish really is that fascinating, and probably the most zeitgeisty column whose zeitgeist hasn’t even come yet, or perhaps never will. It’s familiar yet constantly surprising; charming yet pedantic; cloying, annoying, and staid, and yet endlessly satisfying—all qualities you’ll start to see in your partner when you’re in a committed relationship but aren’t yet convinced to either stay or leave. —Emily Q. Hazzard
Streetcars, Still Waiting for
Pope Francis zle reel looks perfectly crass and bitchy, but it looks like there could be some potentially interesting (or facepalming) moments that touch on race (the show’s core cast is entirely women of color). “You act like it’s a problem to be black!” says one cast member to another, jabbing an accusatory finger. In another scene, a white drag performer onstage asks the cast, in the audience, where they’re from, “because y’all look like you’re from D.C., Southeast.” There could be a lot to pick apart here, but then again, if you’re just looking for the cast to get pilloried for classless behavior in the court of public opinion, or, at the very least, watch a table get overturned into someone’s lap after an argument about... something, you’ll probably find plenty. So why has Potomac earned its own franchise of this show? Who cares. The series premieres Jan. 17. —Emily Q. Hazzard
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Solo-ish
You’re not single. You’re solo-ish. Are you in a romantic relationship? Are you—pay attention here, because there’s a twist coming—not in a romantic relationship? If you answered yes, no, or maybe to both questions, neither question, or one of those questions, your interpersonal status is (probably) covered by the collected writings of contributors to Solo-ish, the Washington Post’s utterly perplexing yet earnestly en-
dearing blog that debuted this year. Lisa Bonos helms this vertical, which covers some of the standard fodder of relationship blogs: cuffing season, deal-breakers, how to bring your partner to an office party, the vagaries of moving in together, etc. But when it veers away from the predictable, it really veers: what to put on your holiday card as a single person, “5 reasons I love being the third wheel,” and how to solve the “problem” of buying a dozen eggs as a single person were all published recently. The droopier topics are often written in such a hand-wringing tone that it’s tough to imagine who this column’s audience is, other than people dealing with their own crippling self-doubt. When it really falls short, unfortunately, it’s because the Post is A Family Paper: They censor anything bluer than PG-13. So when I want to know, in my heart of hearts, whether other single women are all, say, bleaching
After years and years (and years) of missed deadlines, starting passenger service on the H Street–Benning Road NE streetcar line before 2015 ended seemed like a reasonable goal. And like the fools we are, we believed the promise. But this summer, crews began digging up and rebuilding parts of the system’s platforms after a report revealed construction issues. In the meantime, public support for the streetcar has continued to wither as the city enforces expensive traffic violations to keep a streetcar that carries no one moving. DDOT’s latest director, Leif Dormsjo, has wisely stopped publicly declaring deadlines for the streetcar’s beginning (his boss, Mayor Muriel Bowser, unfortunately doubled down on the end-of-year promise in September). The system is now (once again) in pre-revenue mode, meaning it could theoretically begin service by January. But instead of getting my hopes up, I plan to sit back and enjoy the $200 million Twitter jokes. —Sarah Anne Hughes
Styrofoam, A Farewell to
Time to hoard your old takeout boxes, Earth haters, because starting Jan. 1, restaurants and food-service businesses will be banned from using containers and cups made of expanded polystyrene (including the popular brand Styrofoam). This may seem like a pret-
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ty great idea until you consider what D.C. is giving up: What will the fish in the Anacostia use as floatation devices? What will choke the local birds and pollute the waterways? How will we get that special chemical taste back into our cheap Chinese takeout? Those landfills aren’t gonna fill themselves, after all! In reality, like the plastic bag ban, it’s another progressive move by D.C.’s department of the environment to force the good people of this city to be a tiny bit better. —Sarah Anne Hughes
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Tableside Prep
Tableside preparations often conjure up images of tuxedoed waiters in white gloves deboning Dover sole on a silver platter. But restaurants are getting much more creative with this fine dining tradition. And no, it’s not just tossing up a bowl of guacamole tableside—although there’s plenty of that. At José Andrés’ Chinese-Japanese-Peruvian restaurant China Chilcano, servers make a show of mixing fried rice, pork belly, Chinese sausage, and other ingredients in a clay pot dish called concolón. (Andrés has a history of presenting dishes tableside, from sangria at Jaleo to beef tartare at America Eats Tavern.) A cart roves The Source’s recently renovated dining room, serving wonton soup. And at The Oval Room, coffee is an interactive presentation in which the staff grinds beans in front of diners and brews a cup with a siphon and Bunsen burner on a cart. Meanwhile, forthcoming restaurants Pineapple and Pearls (from the owner of Rose’s Luxury) and Shaw Bijou (from a recent Top Chef contestant) both promise tableside preparations, too. —Jessica Sidman
Tips
Should restaurants ditch gratuity for good? Famed New York restaurateur Danny Meyer made major headlines this year when he announced that all his restaurants would eliminate tips and raise prices instead. His 13,000-employee Union Square Hospitality Group is by far the largest and highest profile restaurant group in the U.S. to make such a leap. A major motivation for Meyer was to bridge the pay gap between servers and lesser-earning cooks, who can’t legally share in tips. Amid a nationwide shortage of skilled restaurant workers, Meyer hoped the move would help attract and retain kitchen talent. And in fact, since instituting the policy and raising cooks’ wages, Meyer says he’s seen a
“4,500 percent increase in applications,” Esquire reports. Servers, in addition to receiving hourly wages, are now part of a revenue sharing program. The news has a lot of D.C. restaurateurs talking, and some are considering the gratuity-free model themselves. But so far, only two places have actually done it: H Street NE small plates restaurant Sally’s Middle Name and Langdon brewpub The Public Option. Unlike Union Square Hospitality Group, the owners of Sally’s Middle Name have opted to implement a flat 18-percent fee on every check. “Having someone else determine your pay is not necessarily fair. It can be a little bit degrading,” co-owner Aphra Adkins explained upon the restaurant’s opening. She and husband co-owner Sam Adkins also wanted to give staff more paycheck consistency. Several months after the opening, in October, Adkins said the staff was happy with
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the system. And she claims it eliminated resentment between the front and back of the house. The kitchen staff remained the same since day one. The Public Option, meanwhile, has no flat fee. Drafts of house-brewed beers go for $7, and staff, when they’re hired, will make a starting wage of $15 an hour. Owner Bill Perry says the idea is to take responsibility for giving employees a living wage, rather than passing it off on patrons with tips. “We’re interested in looking at and challenging business models,” he says. Other restaurateurs are thinking about moving in a similar direction, some more seriously than others. One of the biggest hesitations about eliminating tips is that restaurants would have to substantially raise prices to make ends meet. Meyer has bumped up prices as much as 30 percent. Some restaurateurs aren’t sure that someone paying $30 for an entree would be willing to pay $40.
Plus, servers wouldn’t make as much as they make with tips, argues restaurateur Jeff Black. “I don’t know how you run a restaurant and pay that kind of money,” he says. He believes he would lose staff if he got rid of gratuity. Others are interested, but want to see how the regulatory landscape shakes out as minimum and tipped wages come under debate. Clyde’s Restaurant Group President Tom Meyer isn’t rushing to make the move, but he also thinks it might be inevitable. “Eventually, that’s where this business is headed,” says Meyer. “If you time warp me in ten years, I would guess America is going to be kind of tip free.” —Jessica Sidman
Trump Hotel
Donald Trump has fired up more drama than an entire season of Real Housewives this year, but let’s not forget his starring role in a D.C.
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restaurant controversy! Following the presidential candidate’s disparaging remarks about Mexican immigrants, celebrity chefs José Andrés and Geoffrey Zakarian backed out of deals to open restaurants in Trump’s swanky Old Post Office hotel. Trump’s response? Slap each of them with $10 million lawsuits. The chefs countersued, and the mudslinging continues. In court documents, Andrés’ team says Trump’s statements make it too difficult to recruit staff for and attract diners to the Spanish restaurant. The Trump camp maintains nothing in the lease allows the would-be tenants to terminate their agreements based on personal offense. As the legal drama continues, BLT Prime, a sister restaurant to BLT Steak, has swooped in to open a steakhouse in the hotel. Because D.C. needs more steak as much —Jessica Sidman as it needs Trump.
Washington Color School
With the death of Paul Reed in September, one of the most celebrated chapters in D.C. art history came to a close. Reed was the last of the Washington Color School, a band of painters who explored cool, formal abstraction by staining untreated canvas with acrylics. The original cohort included Reed, Gene Davis, Kenneth Noland, Morris Louis, Thomas Downing, and Howard Mehring—six artists known for their stripes, blots, dots, and other distinctive strategies for colonizing the canvas—although others came along to represent successive waves of Color School artists. The most notable of these later painters may be Alma Thomas, who died in 1978, and Sam Gilliam, who, still painting at 82, is having a moment. Indeed, Gilliam’s accomplishments may come to eclipse those of his Color School forbears: He was included in Frieze Masters, an elite art fair focused on important historical artists. For D.C., his success is a sign that the discoveries of the Color School are still percolating in the art world today. —Kriston Capps
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United House of Prayer
Here’s a riddle for you: What has length and width but not depth, and makes some people feel safe but others feel threatened? No, it’s not the NSA viewed from above… it’s a bicycle lane! The United House of Prayer, a church located one block away from the Convention Center, cried foul in September over proposed bike lanes that would partly run outside its property, on Sixth Street NW, where churchgoers park. The infrastructure, an attorney for UHOP argued in a seven-page letter to the District Department of Transportation, would infringe upon UHOP’s “constitutionally protected rights of religious freedom and equal protection of the laws.” During a DDOT-organized meeting about the proposals at the Shaw Library, cycling advocates tried to make the point that a bike lane could reduce crash incidents in the area. But library police had to shut down the meeting an hour early, because the room had filled beyond capacity. “We consider it a threat to our existence,” one pastor said of the lanes. “If you see a cancer, you don’t wait until it gets to your address,” another man said. His remark laid bare some of the tensions in a rapidly changing D.C.—between those who are drawing new lines on its streets and those who are drawing a line in the sand. —Andrew Giambrone
Washington Post
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Vermouth
While many drinkers have strong opinions about the type of whiskey in their Manhattans, few fuss over the vermouth. And while fewer still would think to order a glass of the aromatic, fortified wine on its own, a group of bartenders and booze makers in D.C. are looking to change that. This summer, Etto manager Kat Hamidi and co-owner Peter Pastan teamed up with New Columbia Distillers to launch Capitoline Vermouth, the first commercially sold vermouth made in D.C. Meanwhile, bartenders at Dram & Grain, Lupo Verde, and The Royal have experimented with their own versions. And at Nido, there’s vermouth on tap, a vermouth happy hour, and a vermouth-heavy cocktail list. Fans of the stuff say it’s just beginning to get its due. “Americans look at it like it’s a mixer,” says New
Columbia Distillers co-owner John Uselton, “and it doesn’t have to be that way.” —Jessica Sidman
Vision Zero
Along with other major cities worldwide, D.C. is on a quest to eliminate traffic fatalities and serious injuries by 2024 with a plan derived from a Swedish idea dubbed Vision Zero. Mayor Muriel Bowser committed the District to that goal in March, and the local initiative (led by the District Department of Transportation and involving more than 20 agencies) kicked off in July. Since then, DDOT has strived to collect data on crash incidents around the city using an online crowdsourcing map, and it just released a two-year “action plan” for implementing Vision Zero based on the principles of education, enforcement, and engineering. So, for example, a means of achieving Vision Zero includes lowering the speed limit in certain areas of D.C., or collecting more data to better analyze crashes. It’s ambitious, and time will tell whether the District can pick up speed on the initiative. —Andrew Giambrone
Around this time in 2012, things did not look great for the Washington Post. Its top editor, Marcus Brauchli, stepped down after he and then-Publisher Katharine Weymouth “mutually agreed” it was time. The paper had struggled in the preceding years to balance its budget while navigating a long-delayed and oft-contentious joining of the print and digital teams. As an intern and later blogger at the Post between January 2010 and June 2012, I can attest to the general panic over the paper’s future (aggregation! layoffs! the good ol’ days!). But the replacement of Brauchli with the Boston Globe’s Marty Baron and Amazon honcho Jeff Bezos’ purchase of the paper set in motion a number of reforms that allowed the Post to reach an important milestone this year: In November, the paper topped the New York Times in domestic digital visitors (international visitors are a stickier matter), launching 1,000 think pieces about its revival and bright future. There’s still a decent amount of hand-wringing going on about how the paper reached that mark (mainly its mixed-quality PostEverything essays and Morning Mix aggregation) but it’s clear the Post is no longer in danger of falling into oblivion, like so many other metropolitan dailies. The Post is back in the game, and this time, it may actually stay on top. —Sarah Anne Hughes
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 23
Sam Gilliam
tionship with the same man—did so in interesting ways and received generally favorable reviews from critics. The festival was not without criticism. An October review in the New York Times called the event “an energizing showcase,” but local drama geeks were miffed when Charles Isherwood got to see and review Signature Theatre’s Cake-Off before press night. The horror! This may have reinforced the New York superiority complex that bothers D.C. so much, but with New York theaters experiencing their own challenges with regard to the gender imbalance of playwrights’ staged works, the “fight” fizzled out before it really began. The producing theaters seem to have taken the festival’s purpose to heart: Many are featuring work by women in the back half of their seasons as well, bringing out the diversity that D.C. is known for. The 2015-2016 season also saw the launch of Mosaic Theater Company, which focuses on presenting plays centered around themes of social justice and equality. If the lesson from within the D.C. theater community was to present more diverse offerings, you can consider it a success for now. Just wait to make a final judgment until their 2017 seasons are announced over the summer. Who knows whether Arthur Miller will make an appearance? —Caroline Jones
X
X2, Panic Over the Wiedefeld, Paul
In Novemeber, Paul J. Wiedefeld arrived at Metro with decades of transportation-management experience. The former Baltimore– Washington International Airport CEO took the helm of the hapless public transit authority to cautious acclaim; riders and Wiedefeld himself were quick to note he has a “load of work to do.” Customers across the region have lost significant confidence in Metro as a safe, efficient, and reliable way to traverse the D.C. area, and the new general manager will need to win back their trust. Will he be able to? “To me, what’s important is, given where we’ve been over the last year, [that] it’s not the time to put any additional pressure on the customer, either through fares or cut[ting] service,” Wiedefeld told City Paper. Maybe he’s getting off to the right start; he supports allowing riders who don’t board trains to exit the stations they entered at no cost. Wiedefeld’s sal-
ary is as high as the expectations set for him: He’ll make about $400,000 per year (not including bonuses). —Andrew Giambrone
Women’s Voices Theater Festival
Female playwrights get a fairer shake from theater companies Like many American art industries, theater is dominated by white, male voices. It’s easy to find revivals of Arthur Miller plays, but new plays by female authors are harder to come by. This year, the directors of seven local theater companies recognized this disparity and banded together to celebrate the work of female playwrights from around the world. First launched as a way to bring national attention to the District’s bustling theater scene, the Women’s Voices Theater Festival grew into some-
24 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
thing else entirely. Between August and October, 51 companies produced 56 plays by 58 women at theaters in cities as far away as Annapolis and Baltimore. What is the argument for not producing an equal amount of work by female writers? That their work is somehow less serious than work written by men? The festival shattered that myth by offering as much variety as any typical D.C. theater season. You had dark relationship melodramas (Studio Theatre’s Animal; Quotidian Theatre Company’s Maytag Virgin), works rooted in history (Theater J’s Queens Girl in the World; Scena Theatre’s Lady Lay), and theater for young audiences (Adventure Theatre MTC’s Caps for Sale). But the plays that did directly address the social constraints placed on women—like Karen Zacarias’ Destiny of Desire, a bold take on the telenovela format set in Mexico, and Sheila Callaghan’s Women Laughing Alone With Salad, about three women and their rela-
The X2 is just a bus line. It allows people who live on the east side of the city to travel downtown for a mere $1.75. It provides a much-needed public transportation option for people who live in Metrorail deserts like Kingman Park, Trinidad, and Near Northeast. It’s also a bus line surrounded by an almost laughable mythology. “It starts and stops in front of the White House. What happens along the way isn’t always so pretty,” the Washington Post declared in a piece. Yes, X2 buses have been the sites of several violent incidents this year; an argument that began on an X2 ended with one person allegedly killing another on H Street NE. But the singling out of the X2 also creates an unfair stigma around the line and the D.C. residents who ride it. More than 13,800 people use it on an average weekday, making it one of the most popular WMATA bus lines. It’s not the only line that sees violence or arguments. It’s not the only one whose riders live across the District, making it a convenient metaphor for Our Changing City. It’s just a —Sarah Anne Hughes bus line.
EVENT GUIDE
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Experience holiday shopping in the heart of Downtown The Downtown Holiday Market will warm your spirit with holiday cheer & unique gifts!
F Street between 7th & 9th streets NW Nov.27 Thru Dec. 23, 2015 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. Antiques Collectibles Fair Trade Items Clothing Accessories Imported Crafts Jewelry & Glass Specialty Foods Pottery & Home Goods Art & Paintings Photography Live Music
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DowntownHolidayMarket
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The
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Downtown Holiday Market Guide
KRAMERBOOKS
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Welcome to the 11th annual Downtown Holiday Market. Fulfill your holiday wish list this season in the heart of DowntownDC at the 11th annual Downtown Holiday Market. At this unique outdoor shopping marketplace, you’ll find over 150 artisans selling jewelry, art, clothing, holiday decorations and more, plus, enjoy live music, food and holiday cheer while you shop! Eleven years ago, the DowntownDC Business Improvement District (BID) and Diverse Markets Management (DMM) joined forces to create a holiday gathering place for the community in DowntownDC. Since 2005, DowntownDC has transformed in many ways to become a retail and tourist destination and this market is at the heart of it all. Today, the market welcomes over 300,000 people for its 27-day run. The Market is committed to environmental sustainability and environmentally friendly initiatives are also important to many of the Market exhibitors, some whom offer fair-trade imports and gifts made from recycled and sustainable resources. The Market is conveniently accessible by several public transportation methods including Metrorail, Metrobus and Capital Bikeshare. In addition to gifts, the Downtown Holiday Market also features live music daily, holiday treats and more. The Market runs from Nov. 27–Dec. 23 from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. daily on F Street NW between 7th and 9th streets. The BID and DMM thank our sponsors for their contributions. For a full list of sponsors and for more information on daily performances and vendors, visit DowntownHolidayMarket.com. Follow us on Twitter @DtwnHolidayMkt (#DHM15), on Facebook and on Instagram. Vendors rotate daily, so we look forward to seeing you throughout this holiday season again and again in DowntownDC!
Neil Albert Executive Director DowntownDC BID
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Downtown Holiday Market Guide
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voted 2nd best in the world
charles-Steck Photography
Exhibitors
SHOP THE FLEA FOR THE HOLIDAYS!
EVERY SUNDAY
10am to 5pm YEAR ROUND
7th St. SE
between C St & Pennsylvania Ave Capitol Hill, Washington, DC at Eastern Market Metro
easternmarket.net @DMMevents @diversemarkets /fleamarketateasternmarket produced by
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3 0 1 - 6 3 3 - 5 6 0 1 charles@steckphotography.com w w w. s t e c k p h o t o g r a p h y. c o m
ANTIQUES & COLLECTIBLES
De*Nada Design #30, Dec 11(F)–Dec 23(W) denadadesign.com
Jentz Prints #7, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W)
Fuzzy Ink #8, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) fuzzy-ink.com
Tom Rall #13, Nov 27(F)–Dec 8(T)
CERAMICS Kerri Henry Pottery #26, Dec 4(F)–Dec 10(Th) Kerrihenrypottery.com Printemps Pottery #27, Nov 27(F)–Nov 29(Su), #63, Dec 3(Th)–Dec 4(F), #24, Dec 16(W)–Dec 18(F) printempspottery.com
CLOTHES & ACCESSORIES Aria Handmade #32, Nov 30(M)–Dec 23(W) ariahandmade.com Cho-pi-cha #56, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th)
Handmade Especially For You #21, Dec 17(Th)–Dec 23(W) Inka Treasures #2, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) inkatreasureshop.com Jonathon Wye, LLC #34, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) jonwye.com Kerplunk Designs #16, Dec 11(F)–Dec 16(W) Lil’ Fishy #38, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) lilfishy.com LittleTibetBoutique #25, Nov 27(F)–Dec 15(T) Padhma Creation #53, Dec 19(S)–Dec 23(W) padhmacreation.com Sharp Shirter #50, Dec 20(Su)–Dec 23(W) sharpshirter.coom
Stitch & Rivet #42, Nov 27(F)–Dec 10(Th) shopstitchandrivet.com The Alpaca Girl, LLC #63, Nov 27(F), #59, Dec 7(M)–Dec 9(W) thealpacagirl.com The Buffalo Wool Co. #39, Nov 27(F)–Dec 17(th) thebuffalowoolco.com The Byrd Clothing Company,LLC #18, Dec 10(Th)–Dec 15(T) byrdclothingcompany.com Yikes Twins #23, Nov 27(F)–Dec 8(T) yikestwins.com
COLLAGE Blue Oak Too #13, Dec 8(T)–Dec 10(Th) blueoaktoo.com BoxBoy Demented Decoupage #52, Nov 27(F)–Nov 30(M), #50, Dec 14(M)–Dec19(S) boxboyboxes.com
View a daily schedule at DowntownHolidayMarket.com.
Find unique and wonderful items offered by over 150 exhibitors. Please note, exhibitors may rotate and/or may not be at the Market every day. See the Exhibitor Categories for the participant list, booth numbers and days of participation. See the SITE MAP for booth locations. (M)onday (T)uesday (W)ednesday (Th)ursday (F)riday (S)aturday (Su)nday 28 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
Downtown Holiday Market Guide
Reinventing-Reality– Photographic Collages #13, Dec 11(F)–Dec 13(Su) reinventing-reality.com Relojearte #63, Dec 7(M)–Dec 11(F) relojearte.com
CORPORATE EXHIBTOR T-Mobile #63, Dec 18(S)–Dec19(Su) t-mobile.com
CRAFTS Craftgasm #53, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th) shopcraftgasm.com Grey Moggie Press #20, Dec 4(F)–Dec 10(Th) greymoggie.com Had Matter #28, Dec 9(W)–Dec 13(Su) hadmatterart.com Images From Afar #21, Dec 6(Su)–Dec 16(W) Rebound Designs #55, Dec 11(F)–Dec 23(W) rebound-designs.com Sassafras Designs #55, Nov 30(M)–Dec 3(Th) sassafrasdesigns.com Peony’s Envy #16, Dec 5(S)–Dec 8(T) peonysenvy.com
FIBER ART Norah Walsh– Works of Felt #60, Dec 11(F)–Dec 13(Su) norahwalsh.com range of emotion #36, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) rangeofemotion.com Reloved Fabrics #30, Dec 4(F)–Dec 10(Th) relovedfabrics.com Scarvelous #32, Nov 27(F)–Nov 29(Su), #56, Dec 11(F)–Dec 23(W) scarvelous.com Seeing In Fabric #50, Dec 10(Th)– Dec 13(Su) seeinginfabric.etsy.com Tigerflight #55, Nov 27(F)–Nov 29(Su) etsy.com/tigerflight
Woolgathering #63, Nov 30(M)–Dec 2(W) facebook.com/ MichelleSasscer
FOOD & BEVERAGES Alexas Empanadas #1, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) miguesminis.com Migue’s Magnificent Mini Donuts #47, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) facebook.com/MiguesMagnificent-Mini-Donuts Vigilante #48, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) vigilantecoffee.com
GLASS englerglass #14, Dec 9(W)–Dec 19(S) englerglass.com GlitzyGlass #40, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) glitzy-glass.com Homegrown Glass Art #19, Dec 8(T)–Dec 23(W) ryaneicher.etsy.com
IMPORTED CRAFTS Art Inca Native #9, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) Baby Alpaca #45, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) Dorjebajra Tibet Shop #28, Nov 27(F)–Dec 8(T) mytibetshop.com Harun’sAfrican Art #28, Dec 14(M)–Dec 20(Su) Mirasa Designs #53, Dec 4(F)–Dec 18(F) mirasadesign.com Mundo Village #12, Nov 27(F)–Dec 10(Th) mundovillage.com Red Persimmon #43, Dec 7(M)–Dec 23(W) redpersimmonimports. com Russian Classics #20, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) russian-classics.com Three Stone Steps #55, Dec 4(F)–Dec 10(Th) threestonesteps.com
Toro Mata #6, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) toromata.com Tunisian Touch #18, Nov 27(F)–Dec 9(W), #46, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) tunisiantouch.com Vida Dulce Imports #50, Nov 27(F)–Dec 9(W) vidadulceimports.com Waters Woods #57, Dec 4(F)–Dec 12(S) waterswoods.com
JEWELRY Al’s Beads #61, Dec 7(M)–Dec 23(W) Amano Artisans #52, Dec 2(W)–Dec 15(T) amanoartisans.com American Princess #54, Dec 10(Th)– Dec 17(Th) Andrea Haffner #29, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) andreahaffner.com August Nine Designs #30, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th) augustninedesigns.com Be You Fashion #57, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th), #63, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) beyoufashion.com Black Black Moon #42, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) blackblackmoon. carbonmade.com Courtney Gillen #54, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) D Collections #3, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) David Conroy Art #31, Nov 27(F)–Dec 9(W) davidconroyart.com Deco Etc. #58, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) decoetcjewelry.com Evelyn Brooks Designs #24, Dec 19(Su)–Dec 23(W) ebrooksdesigns.com InBloom Jewelry #24, Dec 9(W)–Dec 15(T) inbloomjewelry.com Karen Coston Jewelry #22, Dec 12(S)–Dec 23(W) Karencoston.com Kiwi Exquisite #52, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) kiwikathy.blogspot.com La Contessa by Mary
DeMarco #52, Dec 16(W)–Dec 20(Su) lacontessa.com
Moya Gallery #25, Dec 16(W)–Dec 23(W) moya-gallery.com
Laura Moore Designs #26, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th) lauramooredesigns.com
Nikki’s Jewelry Box #20, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th), #57, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) NikkisJewelryBox.com
Leah Staley Designs #33, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) leahstaley.com Leah Sturgis Jewelry Art #44, Nov 27 (F)–Dec 23 (W) leahsturgis.com Lilypad Designs #18, Dec 16(W)–Dec 23(W) lilypad-designs.com Mann Made Designs #35, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) mannmadedesigns.com Martha Rotten #20, Dec 11(F)–Dec 17(Th) martharotten.com Maruxi Vintage #60, Nov 30(M)– Dec 10(Th), #14, Dec 20(Su)–Dec 23(W) maruxivintage.com
Ofina #22, Dec 8(T)–Dec 11(F) ofina.net Poppi #27, Dec 10(Th)–Dec 23(W) poppishop.com Shobha Ohal #17, Nov 27(F)–Nov 29(Su), #39, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) shobhaohal.com Smashing Jewels #29, Nov 27(F)–Dec 6(Su) smashingjewels.com Stio Design #54, Nov 27(F)–Dec 9(W), #28, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) ancientcoindesigns.com Terry Pool Design #17, Dec 9(W)–Dec 23(W) terrypooldesign.com
Turtles Webb #27, Nov 30(M)–Dec 9(W) TurtlesWebb.com Yang Ku Designs #16, Dec 9(W)–Dec10(Th), #63, Dec 18(F), #60, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) yangkudesigns.com Yummy & Company #42, Nov 27(F)–Dec 10(Th) yummyandcompany.com
PAINTING A & M Goldfarb #24, Dec 1(T)–Dec 8(T) Artmonger Inc. #12, Dec 11(F)–Dec 13(Su) artmonger.net Golshah Agdasi #16, Nov 27(F)–Dec 4(F) Jonathan Blum #26, Dec 11(F)–Dec 23(W) Jonathanblumportraits. com Joseph Snyder #46, Dec 11(F)–Dec 20(Su) josephharrisonsnyder.com
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Downtown Holiday Market Guide
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 29
Exhibitors (cont.) Kessler Art #37, Dec 17(Th)–Dec 23(W) kesslerart.com LaughterPieces #42, Dec 11(F)–Dec 17(Th) LaughterPieces.com Marcella Kriebel #59, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th) marcellakriebel.com Quest Skinner #41, Nov 27(F)–Dec 10(Th) questskinner.com Rayhart #59, Dec 10(Th)– Dec 13(Su) worksofrayhart.com Tanoory Studios #17, Nov 30(M)–Dec 8(T) etsy.com/shop/ TanooryStudios Thomas Bucci #29, Dec 7(M)–Dec 17(Th) thomasbucci.com Tsolmon-Art #4, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) tsolmonart.com Washington Watercolors #22, Nov 27(F)–Dec 7(M), #13, Dec 21(M)–Dec 23(W) marybelcher.com
PHOTOGRAPHY Avner Ofer Photography #33, Nov 27(F)–Dec 17(Th) avnerofer.com Chandler Art and Images #23, Dec 19(Su)–Dec 23(W) Drew Smith Photography #5, Dec 4(F)–Dec 23(W) drewsmithphoto.com Italy In Color #59, Dec 4(F)–Dec 6(Su), #41, Dec 11(F)–Dec 13(Su) italyincolor.com Joe Shymanski #51, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) joeshymanski.com Peter Tomlinson Photography #5, Nov 27(F)–Dec 3(Th), #41, Dec 20(Su)–Dec 23(W) photosbypjt.com Tom Wachs Photography #19, Nov 27(F)–Dec 7(M) tomwachs.com 30 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
Downtown Holiday Market Guide
PRINTMAKING Cherry Blossom Creative #13, Dec 14(M)–Dec 20(Su) cherryblossomcreative. com EWBA #11, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) ewba.net Fancy Seeing You Here #20, Dec 4(F)–Dec 10(Th) fancyseeingyouhere.com Katharine Watson #43, Nov 27(F)–Dec 6(Su) Miks Letterpress + #21, Nov 27(F)–Dec 5(S) mikspress.com
SOAPS & CANDLES BAMI Products #60, Nov 27(F)–Nov 29(Su), #23, Dec 9(W)–Dec 18(F) bamiproducts.net Coastal Home & Body #49, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) coastalhomeandbody.com Geeda’s Hand Poured Candles #63, Dec 14(M)–Dec 17(Th) candlesbygeeda.com Handmade Habitat #15, Nov 27(F)–Nov 29(Su) handmadehabitatliving. com Joyful Bath Co. #59, Dec 14(M)–Dec 23(W) joyfulbathco.com Pure Palette #21, Nov 27(F)–Dec 5(S) purpalette.etsy.com
SPECIALTY FOOD Cardinal Chocolates, Inc. #15, Nov 30(M)–Dec 17(Th) cardinalchocolates.com Chocotenango #57, Dec 13(Su)– Dec 20(Su) chocotenango.com Choquette #15, Dec 18(F)–Dec 23(W) chouquette.us The Taste of Germany #46, Nov 27(F)–Dec 10(Th) .germanfoods.org
J. Chocolatier #60, Dec 14(M)–Dec 20(Su) jchocolatier.com Sweet Hearts Patisserie #41, Dec 14(M)–Dec 19(S) sweetheartspatisserie.com The Capital Candy Jar #62, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) thecapitalcandyjar.com Whisked! #57, Dec 13(Su)– Dec 20(Su) whiskeddc.com
TEXTILES Janice’s Table #24, Nov 27(F)–Nov 30(M) janicetable.com Jen-A-Fusion Fashion Accesories #56, Dec 4(F)–Dec 10(Th) jenafusion.blogspot.com Naked Decor #37, Nov 27(F)–Dec 16(W) nakeddecor.com The Mouse Works #61, Nov 27(F)–Dec 6(Su) themouseworks.com Wise Owl Shop #16, Dec 17(Th)–Dec 23(W) wiseowlshop.com
WOODWORKING Blue Ridge Cutting Board Company #31, Dec 10(Th)–Dec 23(W) littlegreenthings #42, Nov 27(F)–Dec 10(Th) littlegreenthingshome. com Mistura Timepieces #10, Nov 27(F)–Dec 23(W) mistura.com Pipers #12, Dec 14(M)–Dec 23(W) goodturnsartshop.com
MUSIC SCHEDULE
The Market Stage presents a musical feast of more than 65 shows by some of the area’s best blues, rock, jazz, soul, country, world, and contemporary artists. And of course, it wouldn’t be a holiday market without some of your favorite seasonal standards. Check the daily performance schedule below, and find more information about all of the performers in the Musical Entertainment section of DowntownHolidayMarket.com. THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 2015 12:00–2:00 5:00–7:00
MONDAY, DECEMBER 21, 2015
Flo Anito Snakehead Run
12:00–2:00 2:30–4:30 5:00–7:00
Acoustic Rock, Americana Blues, Roots, Jazz Folk Pop
TUESDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2015
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18, 2015 12:00–2:00 2:30–4:30 5:00–7:00
Billy Coulter Duo Andra Faye & Scott Ballantine The Sweater Set
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19, 2015 12:00–2:00 2:30–4:30 5:00–7:00
King Street Bluegrass Fast Eddie & the Slowpokes DuPont Brass
Abigail Palmer Group Ready, Set, Go! Surf Jaguars
Jazzy Pop Jug Band
Bluegrass Blue-Eyed Soul Holiday, Classical, Contemporary
12:00–2:00 2:30–4:30 5:00–7:00
Celtic, Jazz, Fusion Jazz Surf, Classic Rock
Dave Chappell & Dave Hartge Jonny Grave Sub-Radio Standard
Guitar Roots Slide Guitar Pop Rock Acoustic
WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 23, 2015 12:00–2:00 2:30–4:30 5:00–7:00
DuPont Brass John Lewis & ElectroKoustic Ian Walters & Friends
Jazz, Classical, Holiday Jazz, R&B Updated Classics
SUNDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2015 12:00–2:00 2:30–4:30 5:00–7:00
Music Pilgrim Trio Chrystylez Bacon Andra Faye & Scott Ballantine
Klezmer, Jazz, World Progressive Hip Hop Blues, Roots, Jazz
SITE MAP
The Downtown Holiday Market is centrally located in the heart of Downtown DC, centered at 8th and F St, NW. It is easily accessible by foot, bike, and Metro (Gallery Pl-Chinatown).
9th St.
Smithsonian American Art Museum & National Portrait Gallery
1
2 3 4 5
15 16 17 18 19
6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
i Info
20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Stage
32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57
F St.
41 42 43 44 45
46
47
7th St.
Gallery Place/ Chinatown Metro
58 59 60 61 62 63
F St.
The 11th Annual DOWNTOWN HOLIDAY MARKET 2015 Downtown Holiday Market Guide
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 31
32 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
Downtown Holiday Market Guide
BUYD.C.
Wine and Cheese, Please By Kaarin Vembar
” Since I've started going to school online, the library has become a second home for me and my child. I’m so thankful for DCPL!” —Deanwood Library Patron
Grate Expectations This cheddar cheese is imported from England and pairs beautifully with a fullbodied red. Tickler cheddar, $10. Cork Market. 1805 14th St. NW. (202) 265-2674.
Students at the Library's Science in the Summer program
The DC Public Library has something for everyone. This year, give back to the library that you love.
Visit dcplf.org to donate today
Well Red This cabernet sauvignon was made with estate-grown grapes on a sustainable family farm in Argentina. Reunión 2014, $14.99. Irving Wine & Spirits. 3100 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. (202) 462-4222.
#LoveDCPLGive
tomorrow exchange buy *sell*trade Spice Up Your Life Stir this packet into some olive oil, add some bread, and you have a perfect app to go with your next bottle. Sun-dried tomato asiago blend, $3.75. Sapore. 600 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 544-4133.
Table Manners Learn about regional wine, cheese, and meat with this book, which celebrates the bounty of Virginia. The Virginia Table, by Jenny Paurys. $22. Olio. 1223 King St., Alexandria. (703) 299-3004.
Back That Glass Up This little aerator claims to be as effective as a full-sized decanter. Soirée aerator, $22.50. Hill’s Kitchen. 713 D St. SE. (202) 543-1997.
GEORGETOWN: 3279 M St. NW • 202-333-2829 14th STREET CORRIDOR: 1318 14th St. NW • 202-299-9148
BuffaloExchange.com washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 33
DCFEED
what we ate last week:
Uni waffle, $16, Yona. Satisfaction level: 4.5 out of 5 what we’ll eat next week:
Brisket sandwich, $10, Texas Jack’s Barbecue. Excitement level: 3 out of 5
Grazer
PitteDAGAinst Avocado toast is the queen bee of “artisanal toast.” This yuppie staple doesn’t necessarily re-
quire more than two ingredients, but a range of high- and low-brow restaurants have dressed it up in all sorts of ways. Who does it best? Here are six avocado toasts, ranked. —Jessica Sidman
Underserved The best cocktail you’re not ordering
What: Grant’s Hour with Angostura Amaro, Angostura 7 Year Old Rum, orgeat, and lemon Where: McClellan’s Retreat, 2031 Florida Ave. NW Price: $13
1. Duke’s Grocery
2. Barmini
3. Cork Wine Bar
Price: $11 Purists may object, but this multigrain toast ranks high thanks to its toppings. Not only is there a healthy slathering of avocado, but sriracha, radish, rocket, and a runny egg raise it to another level. Ordering a side of bacon doesn’t hurt either.
Price: $6 It’s no doubt the frilliest of the bunch. But the bar snack gets points for style and substance with crunchy pan de cristal plus architecturally arranged avocado, dots of cilantro lime cashew crema, Schezuan peppercorns, chili oil, and coriander blossoms.
Price: $12 The OG of D.C.’s avocado toast scene is topped with pistachios, toasted pistachio oil, and sea salt. The ideal combination of creamy and crunchy, this version is a solid standby.
1513 17th St. NW
4. Crisp Bar + Kitchen 1837 First St. NW
Price: $9 Topped with Szechuan oil, radishes, and a runny egg, this giant among avocado toasts is enough to be a meal in and of itself. The main drawback is the bread isn’t toasted enough and ends up nearly as mushy as the avocado.
855 E St. NW
1720 14th St. NW
5. slipstream
6. the Little Beet
Price: $5.50 This avocado toast is more bread than avocado, with a slice that’s Texas-toast thick. Unfortunately, there’s not enough goat cheese mousse or avocado to cover the whole thing.
Price: $6 Rule No. 1 of avocado toast: You better use a perfectly ripe avocado. Unfortunately, this one is marked with brown spots, and even the “fresh herbs” are wilted. The smoked salt is imperceptible.
1333 14th St. NW
34 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
1212 18th St. NW
What You Should Be Drinking This strawberry-Nesquik-colored tiki drink gets its boozy base from rum and amaro of the same Trinidad and Tobago producer. In fact, the drink is Bar Manager Brian Nixon’s twist on a Trinidad Sour, which traditionally calls for rye instead of rum and a full shot of Angostura bitters. Along with the amaro and rum, Grant’s Hour contains orgeat, which Nixon makes using a recipe from renowned tiki mixologist and author, Beachbum Berry. The almond syrup is a common ingredient in tiki drinks. “We take almonds, soak them, crush them, soak them more, and squeeze out all of the almond milk,” Nixon explains. “Then we add sugar, brandy, and orange blossom water, and it comes out to be beautifully creamy and rich.” A very generous squirt of fresh lemon juice balances out the syrupy orgeat. Since McClellan’s Retreat is a Civil War–themed bar, Nixon named the drink after Ulysses S. Grant—”a really big boozer,” he explains. Why You Should be Drinking It Despite having a real backbone to it (and its namesake), Grant’s Hour doesn’t hit you over the head with booziness like a highproof cocktail sometimes can. Instead, the first thing you notice is its viscosity. It’s thick— like an egg-based cocktail—thanks to the orgeat. The next thing that tricks your palate is how much it tastes like old-school bubblegum—like a powered square of Bazooka grandpa gave you at your first baseball game. Nixon says customers are shying away from the drink because of the oddball ingredients, but they shouldn’t. “You have to walk people through what things are so they’re not afraid of it. We do a lot of that here,” he says. “[Grant’s Hour] comes out really pretty and really light in flavor.” —Laura Hayes
Flavor. Health. Soul.
Explore the deepest selection of hard-to-find spices, herbs, botanicals, specialty flours and ancient grains Current Location: Union Market, NE DC Coming soon: Atlantic Plumbing, NW DC www.bazaarspices.com
Is the Glass half full? Is the Glass half empty? how about half off!
B I E R H A L L & G A R T E N | WASHINGTON D.C.
Celebrate the holidays at Sauf Haus with seasonal beer, gl端hwein (mulled wine), schnapps and of course, pretzels and sausages! The biergarten will be open and cozy all season thanks to a new retractable roof and heaters!
Interested in throwing a holiday party? Email events@saufhausdc.com!
facebook.com/saufhausdc
1 2 1 6 1 8 t h S t N W, W a s h i n g t o n , D C realdeal.washingtoncitypaper.com
202-466-3355
|
w w w. s a u f h a u s d c . c o m
@SaufHausDC instagram.com/saufhausdc
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 35
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CPARTS
The National Cathedral finds your lack of faith disturbing. washingtoncitypaper.com/go/nationalcathedralstarwars
Force of Nature
J.J. Abrams successfully revives the blockbuster franchise after damage done by creator George Lucas. Star Wars: The Force Awakens Directed by J.J. Abrams By Matt Cohen In theory, a critic isn’t that dissimilar to a Jedi: You have to keep your emotions in check. The Jedi are taught not to give into fear, as that leads to hate, which leads to the Dark Side. Critics should let go of fear when reviewing horror movies, because you don’t want to be known as the critic who wrote that The Happening was the scariest movie of all time. Jedi are banned from romantic love and attachments, as that leads to fear, which leads to hate, which... you see where this is going. No critic wants to be the one that wrote “it brought me to tears” in every review of the latest Nicholas Sparks adaptation. For both Jedi and critics alike, there’s a delicate balance of objectivity and compassion that must be kept in order to do their jobs well. That being said, it’s nearly impossible for any critic to objectively review a new Star Wars film because, well, it’s fucking Star Wars. Since George Lucas’ original Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope premiered in 1977, the franchise has grown to be one of the biggest and most influential of all time. And despite Lucas’ attempted self-sabotage of the original trilogy with the atrocious “Special Edition” updates and the much-maligned prequel trilogy, the cultural adoration for the Jedi, the Force, the Rebellion, and the Empire hasn’t waned one bit over the years. Which puts all the more pressure for The Force Awakens—the first new Star Wars film in more than ten years—to not suck. As Yoda would put it: “Suck, The Force Awakens does not.” In fact, the newest chapter in the saga isn’t just a refreshing palate cleanser for the sour taste of the prequel trilogy, it’s the best Star Wars movie since The Empire Strikes Back. It builds on the legacy of the original trilogy while deftly introducing fresh characters and worlds for a new generation. Still, it’s not without its flaws. Set 30 years after the events of Return of the Jedi, all is (still) not well in a galaxy far, far away. Gone are the Empire and the Rebellion, but, as that iconic intro crawl explains, the battle between good and evil still rages between the ominous (and enormous) First Order and the meager Resistance, led by Carrie Fisher’s General Leia Organa. There’s been a lot of speculation as to why Mark Hamill’s Luke Skywalker has been largely absent from the trailers and, as the crawl reveals, he’s exiled himself in hiding somewhere in the galaxy after he lost one of his young proteges, the villainous Darth
Good news: It doesn’t even remotely suck. Vader–worshipping Kylo Ren (Adam Driver, doing his best to shake off any millennial ennui acquired from Girls), to the Dark Side. Kylo Ren and the First Order believe that finding and killing Luke—the last Jedi—will put an end to the Resistance for good. Leia is hellbent on finding him first. The film opens on the desert planet of Jakku, where she’s sent her top pilot, the cunning and quick-witted Poe Dameron (Oscar Isaac), on a secret mission to retrieve what’s believed to be a map to Luke’s whereabouts. Cue the John Williams score—Star Wars has returned! It’d be easy enough for Abrams to mine the nostalgia of the original trilogy (“Holy shit, it’s the Millenium Falcon!” “Oh my God! Han and Chewie!”) all the way to the bank, but that’s not his style: He’s immensely respectful of the source material and his craft. Abrams doesn’t just want to make any Star Wars movie; he wants to make his Star Wars movie. And so, he—
along with his co-screenwriters Michael Arndt and Lawrence Kasdan (who co-wrote The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi)—smartly keeps the nostalgia in check. Yes, Han and Chewbacca and Leia are back, but this isn’t about them. It’s about introducing audiences to a new crew of promising leads. It was something of a big deal when casting began and Abrams said he wanted to hire relative unknowns for the lead roles; a noble callback to the production of the original Star Wars, in which all of the young leads were fresh and untested. It’s also tremendously risky to cast relative unknowns to lead what’s easily the most hyped film in over a decade. Fortunately, both John Boyega and Daisy Ridley—as Finn, a rogue Stormtrooper with a strong sense of morals; and Rey, a tough and tactile scavenger orphaned on Jakku—carry the film with both grace and gusto. Along with young newcomers Driver, Isaac, and Domhwashingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 37
CPARTS Continued
nall Gleeson, the new characters in The Force Awakens speak with the same reverence of the characters in the original trilogy that most fans do. “Luke Skywalker, I thought he was a myth,” Rey says, wide-eyed and with arresting awe, to Harrison Ford’s Han Solo shortly after the two initially meet. Their enthusiasm for being cast in a Star Wars film is apparent and magical, and watching how much fun they have on screen is downright infectious. But no one is as enthusiastic as Abrams is behind the camera. Along with cinematographer Dan Mindel, Abrams has given a lush, expansive, and gorgeous new makeover to Imagine how badly Michael Bay could have screwed up the action scenes. the Star Wars universe, with sweeping, painterly landscapes of new planets. Lens flares, I’m Where The Force Awakens stumbles is in its rushed third happy to report, are kept to a bare minimum. Moreover, act, which seems to be more focused on setting up the seAbrams—already a proven action director, especially in quels than it is with landing on its feet. The stakes are highspace—manages to shoot the epic dogfights between squad- er in The Force Awakens than they ever were in the origirons of X-Wings and Tie Fighters with masterful agility. nal trilogy, with The First Order in control of a monstrous God only knows how those scenes might have played out weapon-planet called the Starkiller Base, which makes the with Michael Bay behind the camera. Death Star seem as obsolete as a first-generation iPod. And
The Greatest Musical of All Time
the Resistance is far more scrappy than the Rebellion ever was, which makes their one-shot-orwe’re-all-fucked plan to take out the Starkiller Base half-assed, predictable, and all too familiar. There’s a lot I can’t say about The Force Awakens without giving away major spoilers. Disney did a stellar job of keeping the spoiler-y twists out of the trailers (which has only fueled fan speculation to otherworldly levels) and you’d have to be an agent of the Dark Side to ruin those surprises for unsuspecting readers. But Abrams, Arndt, and Kasdan get so preoccupied with delivering twist after twist— setting up what’s to come in Episode VIII and Episode IX— that it’s hard not to feel cheated when the credits roll. Still, the world has a new Star Wars film and it doesn’t even remotely CP suck. That’s cause for celebration. Star Wars: The Force Awakens opens Thursday in theaters everywhere.
TOP PRICES PAID
“BREATHTAKING…theater with UNMISTAKABLE conscience and INDISPENSABLE vision.”
for your Records (33S or 45S) CD’s or DVD’s
-DC Metro Theater Arts
THE GOSPEL OF
NO COLLECTION TOO SMALL or LARGE WE BUY EVERYTHING!
LOVING-
KINDNESS
By Marcus Gardley • Directed by Jennifer L. Nelson
Call STEVE at 301-646-5403 or e-mail:
Hurry – Tickets Selling Quickly Limited Availability in December
LOOK FOR $15 NEIGHBORHOOD TICKETS
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TH ROUG H JANUARY 3
MosaicTheater.org | 202-399-7993 ext 2 Atlas Performing Arts Center | 1333 H St NE
38 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
Deidra LaWan Starnes as Mary and Doug Brown as Joe. Photo by Stan Barouh.
Now through January 24
Photo of Natasica Diaz by Christopher Mueller
stevebuysrecords@gmail.com
GREAT PERFORMANCES AT MASON VISIT US AT CFA.GMU.EDU
Vienna Boys Choir
Savion Glover
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18 AT 8 P.M. Experience the season in the celestial voices of the Vienna Boys Choir returning with an idyllic Christmas concert, truly one of the great pleasures of the holidays. The choir performs a broad range of music from hymns and carols to holiday pop favorites and folk songs from across the globe. “The angelic voices of this most famous vocal group are ageless.” (Salt Lake Tribune) $54, $46, $32 ff
SATURDAY, DECEMBER 19 AT 8 P.M. In a performance bursting with good cheer, tap prodigy and preeminent choreographer Savion Glover, whose footwork is nothing short of miraculous, returns to our stage – this time for the holidays! – bringing an unforgettable evening of bright lights, joyous sounds, and dance! Come see one of the great tap dancers of all time in this one-of-a-kind holiday performance! $54, $46, $32 ff
Christmas in Vienna
DANCE HOLIDAY SPeCTaCULaR
The Band of the Royal Marines Featuring the Pipes, Drums, and Highland Dancers of the Scots Guards SATURDAY, JANUARY 23 AT 2 P.M. & 8 P.M. All of the pomp and grandeur that characterize centuries of British military tradition are on display when these military bands take the stage in their full regalia. Bring the family to enjoy the bagpipes, the brass, and the regimental marches and Scottish Highland dancing that are a special part of the British military, both past and present. $52, $44, $31 ff
ff = Family Friendly performances that are most suitable for families with younger children
Located on the Fairfax campus, six miles west of Beltway exit 54 at the intersection of Braddock Road and Rt. 123.
888-945-2468 OR CFA.GMU.EDU
ARTWORK BY MICK WIGGINS
TICKETS
MUSIC, BOOK & STORY BY
KENNEDY CENTER EISENHOWER THEATER (202) 467-4600 · KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG · GROUPS (202) 416-8400
MUSIC, LYRICS & STORY BY
Kennedy Center Theater Season Sponsor
DIRECTED BY
PRE-BROADWAY ENGAGEMENT
SEE IT NOW THRU JAN 10 ONLY! BRIGHTSTARMUSICAL.COM
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 39
NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COMES TO DOWNTOWN & PENN QUARTER!
GalleriesSketcheS Bare Necessity “Some Women” At Foundry Gallery to Jan. 3
FREE
CON
JANUARY 5–11, 2016
CERTS!
FREE, NO TICKETS REQUIRED
JAN. 9 AT 2 FAMILY CONCERT Smithsonian American Art Museum Kogod Courtyard
Michael Butterman, conductor Marissa Regni, violinist and co-host
JAN. 9 AT 7:30 COMMUNITY CONCERT Smithsonian American Art Museum Kogod Courtyard Francesco Lecce-Chong, conductor
FREE, GENERAL ADMISSION
JAN. 10 AT 7 AN EVENING OF CHAMBER MUSIC with the Kennedy Center Chamber Players
Sixth & I
Seating is limited and on a first-come, first-served basis. RSVP at sixthandi.org.
EVEN MORE FREE CONCERTS
Featuring NSO musicians in various combinations playing at: Busboys and Poets Calvary Baptist Church Central Union Mission Corcoran School of the Arts and Design First Congregational United Church of Christ International Spy Museum Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library National Building Museum Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel Shakespeare Theatre Company Washington DC Jewish Community Center (DCJCC) Woolly Mammoth Theatre and many more locations!
For a full schedule and more information, please visit
kennedy-center.org/nsoneighborhood David and Alice Rubenstein are the Presenting Underwriters of the NSO. The National Symphony Orchestra’s Community Engagement Program is made possible through the generosity of Mrs. Irene Pollin. Additional support is provided by Linda and Tobia Mercuro, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Paul M. Angell Family Foundation, and Tina and Albert Small Jr. NSO In Your Neighborhood: Downtown/Penn Quarter is sponsored by Wells Fargo.
40 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
The Renaissance period is filled with paintings that tell biblical and mythical stories in one passionate frame. Google “Jael and Sisera,” for example, and you’ll find image after image of a strong-armed Jael hammering a tent peg into the head of the Canaanite general Sisera. But what you won’t find in your “The Riding Lesson” by Jay Peterzell, 2015 search is a charcoal drawing of Jael, naked, with elongated breasts, driving a peg The image actually appears twice in the exinto a seemingly nude Sisera while she strad- hibit: The second version is a small crayola dles him. That particular version of “Jael and drawing, titled “The Riding Lesson”—a likeSisera” is one of several reimaginings of Re- ly reference to a skit by the German comedian naissance themes in Jay Peterzell’s new Found- Loriot in which a man and a wife in marriage ry Gallery exhibit, “Some Women.” counseling are shown Rubens’ original paintPeterzell’s paintings and drawings show- ing and asked to describe it. The punch line: case a range of styles, and the most affecting The man says it’s a picture of men giving laof these are the most abstract. His drawing dies a riding lesson. “Clytemnestra”—named for the woman of Peterzell thinks that in Rubens’ origiGreek mythology who murdered her husband nal painting, there’s some ambiguity about and was killed by her children—is all earth whether the women are being taken away tones and frenzy, a complex take on the many against their will. In Peterzell’s paintways that Clytemnestra’s story has been artis- ing of the scene, one of the women’s faces tically rendered. It suggests the chaos of Ber- is smeared, almost erased, so that you can’t nardino Mei’s painting of her death, but it also see her expression. But looking at her flailing evokes something larger: the cycle of familial body, the horrified face of the woman below sabotage so common in Greek mythology. her, and the menacing look of the abductors, Not all of Peterzell’s works are based on it’s clear that she isn’t about to go for a riding biblical or mythical themes. Some are fig- lesson. The painting feels like a stale attempt ure studies of women that try “to capture the to be provocative. consciousness of the person,” says Peterzell. Art shouldn’t shy away from sensitive subjects, He hopes that when viewers look at one of and not all women in art need to be clothed, but these women, they can “see her thoughts or the preponderance of naked women in “Some imagine her thoughts.” Women”—not to mention the comparable lack The two most realistic paintings in his ex- of naked men—is questionable. In 1989, femhibit are these types of female portraits—one inist masked avengers known as the Guerrilla shows a topless woman with a green neck- Girls ran an ad on New York City buses saying lace, the other a fully nude woman with a that women made up less than five percent of black scarf in her hair. If Peterzell finds his artists, but 85 percent of the nudes in the Modstride in abstract art, he falters in these re- ern Art sections of the Metropolitan Museum alistic portraits, which lack the same intensi- of Art. It famously asked: “Do women have to ty and imagination as “Clytemnestra,” or his be naked to get into the Met. Museum?” In the bleakly biblical “From Midian.” Gazing into case of “Some Women,” the question isn’t that their eyes, you might find the women in these dissimilar: “Are a woman’s thoughts easier to two paintings seem to only be thinking one read if she’s naked?” thing: “I am posing nude right now.” Peterzell is a talented artist with a broad Many of the other women in the show are stylistic range, but there’s something that his naked, too, with strangely exaggerated breasts most abstract works do that his realistic (or (in a drawing of a birth, the pregnant woman even his semi-realistic) nudes don’t: They has large breasts and an unusually small stom- show people without showing us the specific ach, given her condition). The most promi- contours of their bodies. They’re most powernent painting of women’s bodies is “Rape of a ful because they don’t distract with exaggeratdaughter of Leucippus,” based on the famous ed breasts; they take us inside of someone, to 17th century painting by Peter Paul Rubens. the space where there’s only chaos, or nothing. —Becky Little Peterzell’s painting, like the original, shows two clothed men with horses violently abducting two naked women—it doesn’t explic- 2118 8th St. NW. Free. (202) 232-0203. foundrygallery.org. itly show sexual assault, but it suggests it.
MusicDiscography Gospel Verses These Things Take Time Chaz French 368 Collective; 2015
The first voice on Chaz French’s sophomore project, These Things Take Time, isn’t his own but his mother’s. In a voicemail, she calls to let him know she awoke in the middle of the night with an urge to pray for him, and she warns of danger ahead. It’s the perfect introduction to the album: a parent’s (and a pastor’s) love—her message alluding to the religion that reared him, juxtaposed with the obstacles he will face in a secular world. She’s the guardian angel in French’s all-too-familiar balancing act between righteousness and impiety. These Things Take Time finds the D.C. native navigating life in the wake of the notoriety awarded to him after his 2014 debut Happy Belated, a mixtape that was largely inspired by his daughter. A lot has changed in the year since—French had a second child—but this album manages to feel both victorious and reflective without being pretentious. French is feverish on lead single “IDK” when he raps “I’mma do it for my daughter, daddy, sister, mama, son/ ‘Cause it’s realer than before/ We ain’t tryin’ to let it go.” But just as quickly as the energy of his rhymes peak, the song dives into mellow singing as if French is reminding himself to “let it go/ The pain is over/ It’s already done.” Over 55 minutes, French transforms his mic into a pulpit; the speakers turn into a sanctuary, his audience the congregation. His cadence is emotive and lends an air of urgency to lyrics that, throughout These Things Take Time, broach some of the usual sophomore themes (fame, mistrust, lost relationships) but can also be deeply personal. “Questions” finds an interrogative French exploring worst-case scenarios over a bassy uptempo production highlighted by a prominent snare. “Who you gonna see when the dollars stop droppin’/ And you looking kinda low on your Instagram follow-
ers?/ Where them peoples at when you ain’t signed in/ When a retweet help when the light bill due?” he asks, and it’s hard to tell if he’s challenging himself, his listeners, or both. At the end, Mom appears again with a bit of reassurance: “I know that you’re OK. I know that you’re working diligently on some music aspirations,” she says. “I just wanted to encourage you and let you know that I got your back in prayer, and I foresee great things happening in your life.” The moment is just as intimate as the first and functions as an effective setup for what comes next. French’s faith is at its most discernible on “Let God,” which also includes a potent feature from his brother Eddie Vanz, each offering their own testimonies. “See I been praying/ Giving thanks and honor to the man upstairs/ I don’t know why He keep blessing me,” French waxes in the opening verse. On the hook, he sings a mantra immediately recognizable to anyone who has spent time in a church: “Sometimes you gotta let go and let God.” The song stands out from the rest in its willingness to be the gospel even in the midst of earthly imperfections. It’s a refreshing dose of the same candidness that made Happy Belated so striking. It’s also these nods to faith— the glimmers of light in the darkness—that inform the narrative of These Things Take Time and keep it together. Stylistically, French takes on the melodious sing-rap mode of delivery that maintains its hold on a large portion of mainstream rap aesthetics, though it doesn’t seem so contrived here. He’s a capable singer and puts his skills to good use (like on “Sometimes” and “2 Good 2 Be True”), but he also isn’t afraid to let his features do the heavy lifting. Frequent collaborator and fellow D.C.-area rapper GoldLink’s contributions stand out on the futuristic dreamsequence production of “Ready,” as do those of Silver Spring vocalist Saba on “It’s Over.” The album excels through its use of varied sounds and tempos, feeling a lot less angry than its predecessor. But this, in turn, prevents it from achieving the same intensity and rawness. That anger peeks in on occasion (“Remember,” “Pull Up”), but overall, These Things Take Time is French’s most musically polished release to date. French turns his own life into a prism that remains unique to him but also broad in its scope. Though he’s unable to reach the emotional depths achieved on Happy Belated— his purpose here was, in fact, inclusion— These Things Take Time is a worthwhile journey through the mind of Chaz French. —Briana Younger Listen to These Things Take Time at washingtoncitypaper.com/go/chazfrench.
GW LISNER PRESENTS
SPRING 2016 Billy Gibbons & The BFG’s
Flamenco Festival: Rocio Molina
with Tyler Bryant & the Shakedown
“Danzaora & VinAtica”
wednesday, jan 20 • 8pm
Ladysmith Black Mambazo
friday, mar 18 • 8pm
Flamenco Festival: Qasida saturday, mar 19 • 8pm
friday, feb 12 • 8pm
Johnny Clegg Adam Devine
wednesday, mar 23 • 8pm
saturday, feb 13 • 8pm
Rokia Traore
global FEST
with Sinkane
on the Road: Creole Carnival
friday, mar 25 • 8pm
friday, feb 19 • 8pm
Jose Gonzalez with yMusic
Swimming in Dark Waters:
saturday, mar 26 • 8pm
Other Voices of the American Experience featuring
Rhiannon Giddens, Leyla McCalla, & Bhi Bhiman
Bedroom Community 10 year anniversary: whale watching tour 2016 tuesday, mar 29 • 8pm
friday, feb 26 • 8pm
Anoushka Shankar Flamenco Festival: Farruquito “Improvisao” tuesday, mar 8 • 8pm
Fl amenco Festival: Ballet Flamenco de Andalucia
Co-presented with Washington Performing Arts friday, apr 1 • 8pm
Acoustic Africa – Habib Koite & Vusi Mahlasela thursday, apr 14 • 8pm
“Images: 20 years”
Buika
saturday, mar 12 • 8pm
saturday, apr 23 • 8pm
the world sounds better in here Visit lisner.gwu.edu or call 202.994.6800 for more information or to purchase tickets. /GWLISNER
@GWLISNER
LISN_1516_4
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 41
I.M.P. PRESENTS Echostage • Washington, D.C.
THIS WEEK’S SHOWS
DECEMBER
Ex Hex w/ Mac McCaughan + the Non Believers & Ed Schrader’s Music Beat ... Th 10 #YASQUEEN: Homo for the Holidays with Jim Breuer w/ Rich Aronovitch This is a seated show. ........................................ F 11 DJ Deedub • DJ Mim • Tayylor Made..................................................................... Sa 26 The Pietasters w/ The Slackers & Combs ...........................................................Sa 12 JANUARY
Ratatat w/ Jackson and His Computerband ................................................... JANUARY 16 Umphrey’s McGee w/ Tauk ........................................................... FEBRUARY 12 Coheed and Cambria w/ Glassjaw • I the Mighty • Silver Snakes . MARCH 2 Logic............................................................................................................................ MARCH 31 2135 Queens Chapel Rd. NE • Ticketmaster
The Arcs w/ Mariachi Flor de Toloache .................................................................Tu 15 GOGOL BORDELLO San Fermin w/ Sam Amidon.....................................................................................W 16
Gypsy Punks: Underdog World Strike Set w/ Chicano Batman............................. F 1 w/ Chicano Batman ...................................................................................................... Sa 2
STEEZ PROMO PRESENTS Marshmello................................................................................................................. Th 14 ALL GOOD PRESENTS Lettuce............................................................................................................................ F 15 AEG LIVE PRESENTS Bridget Everett This is a seated show. Early Show! 6pm Doors ..................... Sa 16
The Knocks w/ Cardiknox & Sofi Tukker Late Show! 10pm Doors..................Sa 16 Dark & Twisted featuring Ultra Nate .............................................................Su 17 Alessia Cara w/ Kevin Garrett & Craig Stickland Early Show! 6pm Doors ......Su 24
Verizon Center • Washington D.C.
Muse w/ X Ambassadors.....................................................................FEBRUARY 1 Ticketmaster
Merriweather Post Pavilion • Columbia, MD LAWN TIX COMBO ONLY $150 FOR
ALL FOUR SHOWS!
JASON ALDEAN...................................................... MAY 7 KENNY CHESNEY ..................................................MAY 19 MIRANDA LAMBERT .................................... AUGUST 25 WPOC WEEKEND IN THE COUNTRY.......... DATE TBA
U STREET MUSIC HALL PRESENTS
Miami Horror Late Show! 10pm Doors ................................................................. Su 24 Queensryche w/ Meytal & Halcyon Way ..........................................................M 25 Ani DiFranco w/ Hamell On Trial ...................................................................Tu 26 Josh Abott Band ............................................................................................Th 28 Super Diamond ...............................................................................................F 29
FEBRUARY BLURRED PRESENTS: SHIP2SHIP TOUR FEATURING
Destructo & Justin Martin w/ Rezz .............................................................. W 3
MANY MORE SHOWS ON SALE!
9:30 CUPCAKES
930.com
Buy one ticket, attend four shows. Sit in the same seat each show! Discounted total price vs. buying separately. Don’t get shut out by the sellouts. Grab your spot in the front of the line now! Yee haw!
Twenty One Pilots.............................................................................JUNE 10 Ellie Goulding.................................................................................................. JUNE 13 The Cure w/ The Twilight Sad .............................................................................. JUNE 22 • For full lineups and more info, visit merriweathermusic.com • 930.com
The best thing you could possibly put in your mouth Cupcakes by BUZZ... your neighborhood bakery in Alexandria, VA. | www.buzzonslaters.com
JUST ANNOUNCED!
1215 U Street NW
Washington, D.C.
STORY DISTRICT’S
Sucker For Love ...............................................................FEBRUARY 13
Vicente Amigo
.................................................................. MARCH 6 On Sale Friday, December 18 at 10am
THIS THURSDAY!
A JOHNNYSWIM Christmas ............................................................ DECEMBER 17
White Ford Bronco ........................................ NEW YEAR’S EVE! Complimentary Champagne - Toast at Midnight!
STORY DISTRICT’S
Top Shelf ........................................................................................................JANUARY 9
AEG PRESENTS
R5 w/ Ryland & Parade of Lights ...................................................................FEBRUARY 23 Laurie Berkner Band...........................................................................FEBRUARY 28 Pat Green & Randy Rogers Band......................................................... MARCH 3 Natalia Lafourcade All 10/22 tickets will be honored. .............................. MARCH 24 Joe Satriani .........................................................................................................APRIL 2 93.9 WKYS AND MAJIC 102.3 PRESENT
9:30 CLUB PRESENTS AT U STREET MUSIC HALL
Plastic Cup Boyz .............................................................................................. MAY 29 • thelincolndc.com •
U Street (Green/Yellow) stop across the street!
RDGLDGRN w/ Masego..................F DEC 18 SafetySuit w/ Connell Cruise.............. Tu 16 Wet ................................................W JAN 27 Vinyl Theatre & Finish Ticket Hey Marseilles w/ Bad Bad Hats...F FEB 12 w/ Irontom ....................................Tu FEB 23 • 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
42 december 18, 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
INER 60S-INSPIRED D Serving
EVERYTHING from BURGERS to BOOZY SHAKES
HAPPY HOUR:
$2 Tuesday $3 Thursday $4 Friday (ALL DRAFTS AND RAIL)
BRING YOUR TICKET
AFTER ANY SHOW AT
CITYLIST
TO GET A
FREE SHOT! SUNDAY FUNDAY
Friday Rock Black cat 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Government Issue, Supreme Commander, Killer of Sheep, Brief Lives. 9 p.m. $12. blackcatdc.com. tropicalia 2001 14th St. NW. (202) 629-4535. Alsarah and the Nubatones. 8 p.m. $12–$15. tropicaliadc.com. U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. RDGLDGRN, Masego. 7 p.m. $18. ustreetmusichall.com.
Funk & R&B FillMore Silver Spring 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. (301) 960-9999. Devin White, Bobby Mac, Funsho, Jay Flow, Big O, Supa Kool Kat, Rayow. 7:30 p.m. $12. fillmoresilverspring.com. Howard tHeatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. Bobby Brown. 8 p.m. $45–$85. L!ssen, The Fix, Deejay Casper. 11:30 p.m. $30–$40. thehowardtheatre.com.
U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Matthew Dear, Sassmouth, Mike Gushansky. 10:30 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.
Jazz kennedy center terrace gallery 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Sax Appeal. 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. $26–$30. kennedy-center.org.
with Keenan & Smudge
Mr. Henry’S 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 5468412. Aaron L. Myers II. 8 p.m. Free. mrhenrysdc.com.
Sun. Nov-Feb
countRy
3-7pm every
Come for brunch, stay for the party!
gypSy Sally’S 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Yarn, The Hackensaw Boys. 9 p.m. $18. gypsysallys.com.
WoRld kennedy center MillenniUM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Qais Essar. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.
classical
2047 9th Street NW located next door to 9:30 club
SearCh LISTIngS aT waShIngTonCITYpaper.Com
Music
ElEctRonic
Club
Music . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .43 Theater . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 8 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
kennedy center concert Hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. National Symphony Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah. 8 p.m. $15–$89. kennedy-center.org. lUtHeran cHUrcH oF tHe reForMation 212 East Capitol St. (202) 543-4200. Folger Consort: The Season Bids Us. 8 p.m. $40–$50. folger.edu.
CITY LIGHTS: FRIDAY
ALEXIS Y FIDO
Reggaeton lives! Although the fast-paced Spanish-language rap genre has not had a recent single affect the English pop world like Daddy Yankee’s 2004 hit “Gasolina” did, the style remains a sonic fixture thanks to newer acts like Farruko, as well as more established groups like Puerto Rican duo Alexis y Fido. Over the last ten years, they’ve built a cultural presence thanks to the way their most ubiquitous hits have melded Alexis’ hard-edged braggadocio with Fido’s more sing-song flow over beats and melodic embellishments. With Fido sometimes producing, these guys have added dashes of mariachi and cumbia to their pounding island rhythms. Their videos have also earned them some additional attention. These guys call themselves the Kings of Perreo, the raunchy reggaeton doggy-style dance, for a reason. While 2013’s “Rompe La Cintura” featured bad boy Alexis pursuing a girl who happened to be a stripper, 2015’s more romantic “Santa de mi Devocion” employs an auto-tuned bachata influenced melody from Fido to tell the story of a schoolboy crush relationship growing up. Whether their message is sultry or sweet, the duo’s rhythmic arrangements get listeners moving. Alexis y Fido perform at 8:30 p.m. at Cococabana, 2031-A University Blvd., Hyattsville. $25– —Steve Kiviat $60. (301) 431-1882. clubcococabana.com.
saturday
Funk & R&B BircHMere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria.
Rock
(703) 549-7500. Pieces of a Dream. 7:30 p.m. $35.
Black cat BackStage 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Perfect Pussy, Big Ups, Birth (Defects). 9 p.m. $13. blackcatdc.com.
Howard tHeatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899.
birchmere.com.
Darlene Love. 8 p.m. $45. thehowardtheatre.com.
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 43
tHearc 1901 Mississippi Ave. SE. (202) 889-5901.
New Year’s Eve at the Kennedy Center with
10-time Grammy Award ® winner
CHAKA KHAN
The Queen of Funk and international music icon kicks off the final night of 2015 with an electrifying performance of her greatest hits backed by her high-energy band!
December 31 at 8:30 p.m. Concert Hall
Luther Re-Lives Holiday Concert featuring William “Smooth” Wardlaw. 8 p.m. $25–$30. thearcdc.com.
Jazz kennedy center terrace gallery 2700 F St.
sunday Rock
Howard tHeatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. Jazz Is Phish with Holly Bowling. 8 p.m. $20–$25. thehowardtheatre.com.
NW. (202) 467-4600. Sax Appeal. 7 p.m. & 9 p.m. $26–$30. kennedy-center.org. Mr. Henry’S 601 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. (202) 5468412. Barbara Papendorp and Oren Levine. 8 p.m. Free. mrhenrysdc.com.
classical kennedy center concert Hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. National Symphony Orchestra: Handel’s Messiah. 8 p.m. $15–$89. kennedy-center.org. lUtHeran cHUrcH oF tHe reForMation 212 East Capitol St. (202) 543-4200. Folger Consort: The Season Bids Us. 5 p.m. & 8 p.m. $40–$50. folger.edu.
Holiday gypSy Sally’S 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. Christmas is Dead featuring Better Off Dead and Box of Rain. 9 p.m. $14–$18. gypsysallys.com.
Funk & R&B U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. DC Funk/Punk Revival. 5 p.m. $15. ustreetmusichall.com.
WoRld BoSSa BiStro 2463 18th St NW. 202-667-0088. Innov Gnawa, Houda Asfour and Kamyar Arsani. 9:30 p.m. $10. bossadc.com. kennedy center MillenniUM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Innov Gnawa. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.
Hip-Hop dc9 1940 9th St. NW. (202) 483-5000. Chaz French. 9 p.m. $15. dcnine.com.
classical kennedy center concert Hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. National Symphony Orchestra: Han-
CITY LIGHTS: SATURDAY
TIGERS ARE BAD FOR HORSES FREE WITH YOUR CONCERT TICKET
THE GRAND FOYER PARTY Ring in 2016 with music and dancing from 10:30 p.m. until 1 a.m. featuring Sir Joe Quarterman and FreeSoul Michael Mwenso & The Shakes featuring Brianna Thomas Photo Booth Champagne and full cash bar Big balloon drop countdown at midnight
KENNEDY-CENTER.ORG (202) 467-4600 Tickets are also available at the Box Office. Groups call (202) 416-8400.
44 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
The District duo of Mellen Funke and Lyell Evans Roeder—known together under the clumsy and curious moniker Tigers Are Bad For Horses—not only draws a lot of comparisons to North Carolina’s Sylvan Esso, it seems to welcome them. It’s a useful comparison as there aren’t many other well-known electronic groups that sound more like jazz than dance music. Sylvan Esso uses space in creative ways to give its songs an open feel. TABFH ventures in the opposite direction, layering vocals, samples, synths, and piano to build dense pop anthems. “Messenger,” the lead track on its debut EP released this month, shows how the pair can take Funke’s vocals and twist them over glitchy beats to make simple melodies and verses dig deeper into your ear. It’s a combination that has TABFH primed for a quick ascent like Sylvan Esso. Give yourself an early Christmas gift and get in on the ground floor. Bonus stocking stuffer: Opener ITFLOATS (aka D.C. producer and composer Evan Oliver) provides more to dance to with his sample-heavy tunes. Tigers Are Bad for Horses performs with ITFLOATS at 8 p.m. at Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 —Justin Weber H St. NE. $12. (202) 388-7625. rockandrollhoteldc.com.
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 45
CITY LIGHTS: SUNDAY
DC FUNK/PUNK REVIVAL
Whether you’re new to D.C. and looking for an introduction to what makes this music scene tick, or you’re a regular who’s been in the know for years, there’s no better place to be than U Street Music Hall on Sunday. The evening will weave together D.C.’s musical past and present with Government Issue’s John Stabb as host, and it would be hard to find a better class on the subject. It starts with a screening of Metrozine founder Scott Crawford’s Salad Days, a documentary about the city’s hardcore and DIY scenes during the 1980s, and continues with a who’s who and who’s next of jazz, hip-hop, punk, and go-go. Drew Kid and the Elevators bring a youthful perspective to fusion. After four years, The Cornel West Theory is back with a new album of old school beats that gives political voice to regular people. Loud Boyz (pictured), the area’s latest party-punk heroes, are gaining notoriety quickly. It all culminates with Roc Mikey leading members of UCB and TCB to create a go-go super group. Any one of these performances are worth the price of admission. The performance begins at 5 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $15. (202) —Justin Weber 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com.
del’s Messiah. 1:30 p.m. $15–$89. kennedy-center.org. lUtHeran cHUrcH oF tHe reForMation 212 East Capitol St. (202) 543-4200. Folger Consort: The Season Bids Us. 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. $40–$50. folger.edu.
Holiday gypSy Sally’S 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. A John Denver Christmas with Chris Collins and Boulder Canyon. 7:30 p.m. $20–$23. gypsysallys.com. tHe HaMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 787-1000. Felix Cavaliere’s Rascals Rockin’ The Holidays. 7:30 p.m. $55–$65. thehamiltondc.com. kennedy center concert Hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. A Choral Arts Christmas. 8 p.m. $15–$70. kennedy-center.org.
Monday classical
lUtHeran cHUrcH oF tHe reForMation 212 East Capitol St. (202) 543-4200. Folger Consort: The Season Bids Us. 7:30 p.m. $40–$50. folger.edu.
dJ nigHts U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Glide. 9 p.m. Free. ustreetmusichall.com.
Holiday kennedy center MillenniUM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. The 9 Songwriter Series’ 4th Annual Holiday Extravaganza. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.
46 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
tuesday Rock
BircHMere 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. (703) 549-7500. Todd Rundgren. 7:30 p.m. $55. birchmere.com. Black cat BackStage 1811 14th St. NW. (202) 667-4490. Dagger Moon, Scanners, Airhead DC. 7:30 p.m. $10. blackcatdc.com.
ElEctRonic U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Home for the Holidays with Jerome Baker III, DJ Spicoli, and Spinser Tracy. 10 p.m. $10–$20. ustreetmusichall.com.
classical lUtHeran cHUrcH oF tHe reForMation 212 East Capitol St. (202) 543-4200. Folger Consort: The Season Bids Us. 7:30 p.m. $40–$50. folger.edu.
Wednesday Rock
tHe HaMilton 600 14th St. NW. (202) 7871000. Yellow Dubmarine, Burt the Dirt. 7:30 p.m. $18–$23. thehamiltondc.com.
Funk & R&B Howard tHeatre 620 T St. NW. (202) 803-2899. A Motown Christmas. 8 p.m. $30–$50. thehowardtheatre.com.
----------
CITY LIGHTS: MONDAY
“TWELVE YEARS THAT SHOOK AND SHAPED WASHINGTON: 1963–1975”
With new buildings going up nearly every day and the cost of homes rising citywide, D.C. is in the midst of rapid redevelopment.What most residents and visitors don’t realize, however, is that many commonplace elements of D.C. life have only been part of the city for slightly more than 50 years. The Anacostia Community Museum’s latest exhibition, “Twelve Years That Shook and Shaped Washington: 1963–1975,” looks at a period in which the District transformed dramatically. Beginning with the construction of the Southeast-Southwest Freeway that pushed low-income black residents out of their homes and into the then less populated neighborhoods east of the Anacostia River, and culminating with the first mayoral inauguration under home rule, the period included changes in political activism, led by activists like Marion Barry and Mary Treadwell, ethnic demographics, marked by an influx of immigrants from Latin America and Southeast Asia, and culture, including the birth of gogo and the work of Washington Color School artists. On interactive video screens, visitors can also hear stories from residents of D.C. during that period. You’ll learn more about D.C. in an afternoon than you ever did before. The exhibition is on view daily 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., to Oct. 23, at the Anacostia Community Museum, 1901 Fort Place SE. Free. (202) 633-4820. anacostia.si.edu. —Caroline Jones
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 Dec
19
FRI DECEMBER 18TH
BOBBY BROWN SAT DECEMBER 19TH A DARLENE LOVE CHRISTMAS LOVE FOR THE HOLIDAYS
SUN DECEMBER 20TH
R&B BRUNCH
FT. ANTONE "CHOOKY" CALDWELL
21
PIECES OF A DREAM with sp. guest Selina Albright A JOHN WATERS’ CHRISTMAS Holier & Dirtier
22
An Evening with
TODD RUNDGREN 26 SOUTHSIDEJOHNNY & THEASBURYJUKES 27
19th Annual
HANK WILLIAMS TRIBUTE
featuring Robin & Linda Williams, Robbie Fulks, Cathy Fink &
Marcy Marxer, Rickie Simpkins, Dave Chappell, Mark Schatz
31
New Year’s Eve with
THE SELDOM SCENE Gold Heart & Only Lonesome – 8 pm
SUN DECEMBER 20TH
JAZZ IS PHISH
WITH HOLLY BOWLING FT. MEMBERS OF SNARKY PUPPY, PRETTY LIGHTS, STRANGE DESIGN & MORE
WED DECEMBER 23RD
A MOTOWN CHRISTMAS SUN DECEMBER 27TH
A DRAG SALUTE TO THE DIVAS THU DECEMBER 31ST
NEW YEAR'S EVE 2016: MASQUERADE BALL
SAT JANUARY 9TH
THE EARTH, WIND & FIRE TRIBUTE SHOW
CELEBRATING 40 + YEARS OF EWF
FRI JANUARY 15TH
THANKFUL FOR AMY:
AMY WINEHOUSE TRIBUTE FT. ELISE TESTONE
SAT JANUARY 16TH MAX MAJOR’S THINK AGAIN AN EVENING OF MIND READING & MAGIC
MO’FIRE
Jan 1 featuring In Gratitude: A Tribute to Earth, Wind & Fire and Motown & More: A Tribute to Motown & Soul Legends 2
PERFORMING DAVID BOWIE’S THE MAN WHO SOLD THE WORLD 15&17
29 &30
3
BUY TICKETS AT THE BOX OFFICE OR ONLINE AT THEHOWARDTHEATRE.COM 202-803-2899
Feb 2
@blackcatdc
DEC / JAN SHOWS FRI 18 7TH ANNUAL
COMMANDER XMAS SHOW
SUPREME COMMANDER FRI 18
GOVERNMENT ISSUE STAR WARS
SAT 19
PERFECT PUSSY
SAT 19 SUN 20 TUE 22
HOLIDAY SPECIAL BURLESQUE
RIGHT ROUND
80S ALT POP DANCE NIGHT
ROCK N SHOP DAGGER MOON SCANNERS
WED 23 HICKORY
DAVE’S HONKY TONK CHRISTMAS
FRI 25
RED ROOM OPEN
FREE PINBALL
SAT 26 FILM SCREENING:
SALAD DAYS
THU 31
THE QUEERS BIGWIG
NYE BALL
SAT 02
DOC’S NIGHT TRIBUTE & BENEFIT
TUE 19
JUKEBOX THE GHOST
SAT DEC 19 PERFECT PUSSY
An Evening with
RAUL MALO 28 KELLYWILLIS&RADIORANCH Celebrate 25th Anniversary of “Well Traveled Love”
WED JANUARY 20TH WITH SPECIAL GUESTS TTYL
eddieAllfrom ohio Request!
MORRIS DAY & THE TIME 22 MARSHALL CRENSHAW & THE BOTTLE ROCKETS As seen on 23 EMILY WEST“America’s Got Talent!” 24 Rock of Ages Music “ROAM Through Time!”
31
SWV
25th Anniversary Shows!
21
27
www.blackcatdc.com
TUE 29
14
SUN JANUARY 17TH
RARE ESSENCE WITH JUNKYARD BAND & EU
Honky Tonk Holiday Hangover Show!
BILL KIRCHEN & TOO MUCH FUN WITH COMMANDER CODY KENTUCKY 8&9 RICKY SKAGGS & THUNDER 10 MACEO PARKER 12 TRAVIS TRITT
1811 14TH ST NW
WILL DOWNING DAVID CASSIDY DWEEZIL ZAPPA Via Zammata’ Tour
w/Curtis JAMES McMURTRY McMurtry 4 The STANLEY CLARKE BAND 5&6 ARLO GUTHRIE 50th Anniversary of Alice’s Restaurant 8&9 TOMMY EMMANUEL 10 EL DeBARGE
THU DEC 31
BLACK CAT
NYE BALL
TAKE METRO!
WE ARE LOCATED 3 BLOCKS FROM THE U STREET/CARDOZO STATION
TO BUY TICKETS VISIT TICKETFLY.COM
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 47
ElEctRonic U Street MUSic Hall 1115 U St. NW. (202) 5881880. Beautiful Swimmers, Jack J. 10 p.m. $10. ustreetmusichall.com.
countRy gypSy Sally’S 3401 K St. NW. (202) 333-7700. The Woodshedders The Plate Scrapers, Brandy Station Company. 8 p.m. $10. gypsysallys.com.
WoRld BoSSa BiStro 2463 18th St NW. 202-667-0088. Kamel Zennia and his band. 9:30 p.m. $5. bossadc.com.
Vocal kennedy center MillenniUM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Encore Chorale. 6 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org.
thursday classical
kennedy center MillenniUM Stage 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. Beltway Brass Quintet. 12 p.m. Free. kennedy-center.org. E TN HS 16T
W NE
E EN AV RK YO
kennedy center concert Hall 2700 F St. NW. (202) 467-4600. A Choral Arts Christmas. 2 p.m. $15–$70. kennedy-center.org. E TN IE S OK
N E AV E VI RG IN IA W ES T
NE ST
Save the Date!
Crafty Bastards Cabin Fever Indoor Show! New Location! One Day Only!
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016 10 a.m. - 7 p.m.
New LocatioN: Hecht Warehouse
1401 New York Ave. NE Washington, DC www.washingtoncitypaper.com/craftybastards
48 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
akeelaH and tHe Bee A young girl growing up in Chicago challenges herself to succeed and winds up competing in the Scripps National Spelling Bee, but will she be prepared enough to beat competitors from around the country? Charles Randolph-Wright directs the world premiere of this play adapted from the popular film of the same name. Arena Stage. 1101 6th St. SW. To Dec. 27. $55–$90. (202) 4883300. arenastage.org. Bad JewS Three cousins—one secular, one nonsecular, and one somewhere in the middle—fight over a family heirloom following the death of their grandfather in this comedy that blends family and faith. After an acclaimed run last winter, Studio brings this spirited production back for another round. Studio Theatre. 1501 14th St. NW. To Jan. 3. $20–$81. (202) 332-3300. studiotheatre.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. 3. $10–$35. (202) 544-0703. anacostiaplayhouse.com. BrigHt Star Steve Martin and Edie Brickell collaborate on this new musical, a love story set in the American South in the 1920s and 1940s about the powerful relationship between an editor and a recently returned soldier. Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater. 2700 F St. NW. To Jan. 10. $45–$175. (202) 467-4600. kennedy-center.org. a Broadway cHriStMaS carol This seasonal favorite, which sets Dickens’ tale of holiday reflection to the tune of favorite showtunes, returns to MetroStage for a fifth go-round. MetroStage. 1201 N. Royal St., Alexandria. To Dec. 27. $50. (703) 5489044. metrostage.org. a cHriStMaS carol For more than 30 years, Ford’s Theatre has welcomed the holiday season
CITY LIGHTS: TUESDAY
K WIC FEN
E TN IE S OK
Holiday
theater
DAGGER MOON On most December nights, seeing a band like Dagger Moon would be seasonably appropriate—their style of proggy doom metal evokes images of a snowy, barren post-apocalyptic wasteland. Basically, if the train in Snowpiercer had a stereo, it would probably play something akin to the local quintet. Unfortunately, the recent spate of unseasonably warm weather is more favorable to the second band on Black Cat’s Tuesday night bill, Scanners. The newish local trio’s style of Lemonheads-esque power-pop is a far cry from Dagger Moon’s sound: The former is perfect car stereo fodder for a breezy summer drive, while the latter’s music hits you like an air cannon to the chest. But even if the temperature does drop and the allure of staying home in the warmth becomes too overwhelming and power-pop isn’t your thing, there’s AirheadDC’s dance-y noise-pop sounds to entice you out of the house. Basically, whatever it is you’re into, this triple bill appeals to three vastly different musical sensibilities. Dagger Moon performs with Scanners and Airhead DC at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Cat Backstage, 1811 14th St. NW. $10. (202) 667-4490. blackcatdc.com. —Matt Cohen
$10 BURGER & BEER MON-FRI 4 P M -7 P M
TRIVIA EVERY M O N D AY & W E D N E S D AY
$3 PBR & NATTY BOH ALL DAY EVERY DAY
DECEMBER 600 beers from around the world
Downstairs: good food, great beer: $3 PBR & Natty Boh’s all day every day *all shows 21+
T 17– MAGGIE ROSE F18 CHRISTMAS SHOW
W/ THE MORRISON BROTHERS
S 19
BRUNCH WITH SANTA 10:30AM
S 19
THE SOUL CRACKERS W/ TOMMY LEPSON
T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 7 T H
SPECIFIC IGNORANCE
DOORS AT 630PM SHOW AT 7PM
UNDERGROUND COMEDY SHOW STARTS AT 8PM
F R I D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 8 T H
OLD HAT VAUDEVILLE REVIEW
DOORS AT 8PM STARTS AT 10PM
SU 20 BRUNCH W/ INDIGO
LOVE - 1:30PM
SU 20 A SMOOTH & FUNKY
CHRISTMAS
M 21 DARYL DAVIS
PRESENTS:THE SAPPHIRE STARS
S A T U R D AY, D E C E M B E R 1 9 T H
BLACK MARKET BURLESQUE
T 22
DOORS AT 8PM SHOW AT 10PM S U N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 0 T H
NUTCRACKER BURLESQUE
DOORS AT 7PM SHOW AT 8PM M O N D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 1 S T
DISTRICT TRIVIA STARTS AT 730PM
T U E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 2 N D
LAST RESORT COMEDY
DOORS AT 8PM SHOW AT 830PM W E D N E S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 3 R D
DISTRICT TRIVIA STARTS AT 730PM
T H U R S D AY, D E C E M B E R 2 4 T H
UNDERGROUND COMEDY
DOORS AT 7PM STARTS AT 8PM 1523 22nd St NW – Washington, DC 20037 (202) 293-1887 - www.bierbarondc.com @bierbarondc.com for news and events
THE JAM W/ GARY GRAINGER AND FRIENDS
W 23 SECRET SOCIETY S 26
DEANNA BOGART + BOBBY THOMPSON PROJECT
SU 27 A GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO JAZZ W/ KIRK WHALUM
THURSDAY DECEMBER 31
NEW YEAR’S EVE DOC SCANTLIN & HIS IMPERIAL PALMS ORCHESTRA
7719 Wisconsin Ave., Bethesda, MD (240) 330-4500 Two Blocks from Bethesda Metro/Red Line Free Parking on Weekends washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 49
LIVE FELIX CAVALIERE’S
UPCOMING PERFORMANCES
RASCALS ROCKIN THE HOLIDAYS
Thursday, December 17
W/ DAVID KITCHEN BAND SUNDAY DEC 20
SCOTT KURT & MEMPHIS 59 {Hard Charging Country Rock}
New Year’s Eve
Friday, December 18
NON-FICTION
{A tribute to the music of the Black Crowes}
CHARLES BRADLEY & HIS EXTRAORDINAIRES
Saturday, December 19
PHOAM {a tribute to the music of Phish} Sunday, December 20
SYDNEY FRANKLIN BAND {jazz, rock, pop}
W/ THE DIRTY BOURBON RIVER SHOW
IN THE LIVE
Monday, December 21
THURSDAY DEC
THE SEAN EVANS BAND {Classic Rock Cover} Tuesday, December 22
4TH TUESDAYS
hosted by PULP FUSION {Open to All! Open Jam Session} Wednesday, December 23
COMIC BOOK COLORS & THE NEXT STEP
two Grateful bands spreading holiday merriment!
31
WED, DEC 23
YELLOW DUBMARINE W/ BURT THE DIRT SAT, DEC 26
Saturday, December 26
REBIRTH BRASS BAND
{Rock n’ roll covers and originals}
SUN, DEC 27
HOT TUB HAND GRENADE Wednesday, December 30
OPEN MIC NIGHT
{open to all muscicians!} Thursday, December 31
NEW YEARS EVE at Villain and Saint w/ ON THE BUS & TEN FEET TALL!!!
W W W. V I L L A I N A N D S A I N T. C O M
REBIRTH BRASS BAND W/ THE DJ WILLIAMS PROJEKT MON, DEC 28
LIVE AT THE FILLMORE
THE DEFINITIVE TRIBUTE TO THE ORIGINAL ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND
THEHAMILTONDC.COM
AREYOUAWINNER?
PROvEIt!
CITY LIGHTS: WEDNESDAY
THE WOODSHEDDERS
Over-produced holiday music is at a premium this time of year but it’s the classic, simple interpretations of Christmas standards by the likes of Bing Crosby and Nat King Cole that hold up year after year. In that case, Gypsy Sally’s is making a wise bet by featuring The Woodshedders at its Holiday Grass show. The West Virginia-based string band calls its genre of music “indie roots Americana” but its lush instrumentations and intricate fiddle work defy neat labelling. While the band frequently performs original folk tunes, Wednesday night’s performance will find them putting their unique spins on seasonal classics like “Silent Night” and “Away In a Manger.” Joined by fellow string acts The Plate Scrapers and Brandy Station Company, The Woodshedders will perform some Christmas jams destined to fill the audience with cheer and goodwill. Skip the holiday albums from pop ingenues and keep your musical selections local this year. The Woodshedders perform with The Plate Scrapers and Brandy Station Company at 8 p.m. at Gypsy Sally’s, 3401 K St. NW. $10. —Caroline Jones (202) 333-7700. gypsysallys.com. with a production of Dickens’ tale of cheer and forgiveness. Local actor Edward Gero returns to play everyone’s favorite miser, Ebenezer Scrooge. Ford’s Theatre. 511 10th St. NW. To Dec. 31. $44–$91. (202) 347-4833. fordstheatre.org. tHe goSpel oF lovingkindneSS Mosaic Theater Company presents this somber elegy, accented with hip-hop music, about a young man who’s killed over a pair of sneakers mere days after he performs at the White House. Atlas Performing Arts Center. 1333 H St. NE. To Dec. 20. $25–$50. (202) 399-7993. atlasarts.org. Holiday MeMorieS In this play adapted from short stories by Truman Capote, a younger version of the author, growing up in Depression-era Alabama, connects with his adult self and together, they reflect on memories from holidays gone by. Tom Prewitt directs this edgy and heartwarming tale. Theatre on the Run. 3700 S. Four Mile Run Drive, Arlington. To Dec. 20. $10–$35. (703) 4184808. avantbard.org. an iriSH carol The Keegan gang revives its popular Irish adaptation of Dickens’ holiday tale, featuring a pub owner called David instead of a banker called Scrooge. Keegan Theatre at Church Street Theater. 1742 Church St. NW. To Dec. 31. $20–$40. (703) 892-0202. keegantheatre.com.
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50 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
kiSS Me, kate Cole Porter looks to Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew for inspiration in this joyful musical about a leading man who winds up co-starring alongside his ex-wife and the fellow castmembers whose lives revolve around them. Among the popular songs from this musical are “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Tom, Dick, or Harry,” and “Too Darn Hot.” Sidney Harman Hall. 610 F St. NW.
To Jan. 3. $20–$108. (202) 547-1122. shakespearetheatre.org. Matilda tHe MUSical A young girl uses her powers of intelligence and mind control to work her way out of horrific circumstances in this lively musical inspired by the Roald Dahl novel. Kennedy Center Opera House. 2700 F St. NW. To Jan. 10. $25–$175. 202-467-4600. kennedy-center.org. Motown: tHe MUSical The story of a small music label that changed the sound of America in the 1960s and 1970s is told in this lively and historical musical. National Theatre. 1321 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. To Jan. 3. $48–$98. (202) 628-6161. nationaltheatre.org. oliver! Arena’s artistic director Molly Smith directs this musical adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic novel about an industrious orphan and the friends he meets in London. Classic songs from this show include “Consider Yourself,” “Where is Love?” and “Food, Glorious Food.” Arena Stage. 1101 6th St. SW. To Jan. 3. $64–$99. (202) 488-3300. arenastage.org. pericleS Joseph Haj, known for directing the Folger’s 2010 production of Hamlet, returns to tell the tale of the prince who gets washed out to sea, chased by a wicked king, and meets the love of his life, only to lose her again. Celebrated Shakespearean actor Wayne T. Carr stars in the title character. Folger Elizabethan Theatre. 201 E. Capitol St. SE. To Dec. 20. $35–$75. (202) 544-7077. folger.edu. SonS oF tHe propHet In this dark comedy by Stephen Karam, a man is forced to deal with his father’s death in a freak accident involving a plastic deer, an event that sends his life into a tailspin. From incom-
George V Johnson 65th Bday Celebration & Concert ly ear w Sun Dec 20th o sh
Noble Jolley
DC’s Legendary Jazz Club
Established in 1926 2001 11th ST NW - (202)299-0800
Donvonte Fri & Sat McCoy th
Application Deadline is Dec. 20, 2015
Go to www.washingtoncitypaper.com/craftybastards
Saturday, Feb. 6, 2016
the Hecht Warehouse in Ne d.C.
Sun Dec 20th
Christie Dashiell
The Hang
th
Dec 4 & 5
Apply Now!
Christmas Special one w/ Strings w sho
hosted by
The Young Lions
Robert Glasper DJs Munch & Stutz McGee
Sun Dec 20th doors @ 9pm
Fri & Sat Dec 11th & 12th
Ben Williams
David Ornette Sun Dec 13 Cherry
& Sound Effect
th
3rd Annual Bday Concert
Kenneth Sat & Sun Dec 26 & 27 Whalum New Years Eve 2015 Fri & Sat III Carolyn Dec 18 & 19 th
th
th
th
Malachi Two Show Times
Bohemian Caverns Jazz Orchestra Reginald Cyntje Mondays @ 8pm "This group is something special." ~ Mike West (CityPaper)
Fri & Sat Jan 8th & 9th
www.BohemianCaverns.com
washingtoncitypaper.com december 18, 2015 51
petent insurance providers to eccentric co-workers, he’s forced to take on all these tasks while holding on to his own sanity. Theater J. 1529 16th St. NW. To Dec. 20. $15–$67. (202) 518-9400. theaterj.org. Stage kiSS Two actors with a romantic past are forced to play the leads in an emotional melodrama and the line between their real lives and their characters blur in this play that considers what it means when two people touch their lips together. Aaron Posner directs Sarah Ruhl’s charming comedy. Round House Theatre Bethesda. 4545 East-West Highway, Bethesda. To Dec. 27. $36–$61. (240) 6441100. roundhousetheatre.org.
Fri & Sat, Dec. 18 & 19 at Midnight! Buy Advance Tickets Online
tickets.landmarktheatres.com
StarS oF david: Story to Song Inspired by the book by Abigail Pogrebin, this revue draws on interviews with famous Jews, from Gwyneth Paltrow and Ruth Bader Ginsburg to Aaron Sorkin and Gloria Steinem, to examine Jewish identity. Acclaimed composers including Jeanine Tesori, Marvin Hamlisch, and Sheldon Harnick provide the music. Theater J. 1529 16th St. NW. To Dec. 27. $27–$52. (202) 518-9400. theaterj.org. too MUcH ligHt MakeS tHe BaBy go Blind Just in time for the holidays, this Chicago-based theater group that promises to deliver 30 plays in 60 minutes returns to Woolly Mammoth for a spontaneous and interactive night of theater. Woolly Mammoth Theatre. 641 D St. NW. To Jan. 3. $35–$68. (202) 393-3939. woollymammoth.net.
©HFPA
weSt Side Story This tragic tale of warring gangs and devoted lovers comes to Signature for the first
time. Featuring classic songs like “Tonight,” “America,” and “I Feel Pretty,” this production is directed by Signature regular Matthew Gardiner. Signature Theatre. 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington. To Jan. 24. $40–$96. (703) 820-9771. sigtheatre.org.
FilM
alvin and tHe cHipMUnkS: tHe road cHip The three rodents take off for Miami when they find out their handler, Dave, might propose to his girlfriend, in this fourth film in the live-action film series. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) in tHe Heart oF tHe Sea Chris Hemsworth n stars as a sailor who encounters the whale that would inspire Melville’s Moby Dick in this searing production directed by Ron Howard. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) Left to pack up their parents’ house, n SiSterS two sisters decide to throw a final party in their childhood home. Antics ensue in this comedy starring Tina Fey and Amy Poehler. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information) warS: tHe Force awakenS The battle n Star between good and evil still rages in this Star Wars sequel set 30 years after The Return of the Jedi. The First Order and the Resistance fight to find Luke, the final Jedi, and return order to the galaxy. (See washingtoncitypaper.com for venue information)
Film clips are written by Caroline Jones.
CITY LIGHTS: THURSDAY YOUTHTHEMOVIE.COM
NOW PLAYING
WASHINGTON, DC Landmark’s E Street Cinema (202) 783-9494
ARLINGTON AMC Loews Shirlington 7 amctheatres.com
BETHESDA Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema (301) 652-7273
FAIRFAX Cinema Arts Theatre (703) 978-6991
3 GOLDEN GLOBE AWARD NOMINATIONS INCLUDING
* ( D R A M A)
®
BEST ACTOR* EDDIE REDMAYNE • BEST ACTRESS* ALICIA VIKANDER
“A CINEMATIC LANDMARK.” PETER DEBRUGE, VARIETY
#TheDanishGirl MOTION PICTURE: © 2015 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. ARTWORK: © 2015 FOCUS FEATURES LLC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
EXCLUSIVE ENGAGEMENTS NOW PLAYING
WASHINGTON, DC Landmark’s E Street Cinema (202) 783-9494
ARLINGTON AMC Loews Shirlington 7 amctheatres.com
BETHESDA Landmark’s Bethesda Row Cinema (301) 652-7273
FAIRFAX Angelika at Mosaic (571) 512-3301 SILVER SPRING AFI Silver (301) 495-6700
52 december 18, 2015 washingtoncitypaper.com
CHECK DIRECTORIES FOR SHOWTIMES NO PASSES ACCEPTED
STARS OF DAVID: STORY TO SONG
With many local theaters running productions that celebrate the birth of Jesus and how that birth promotes greater goodwill for all, how are the chosen people supposed to enjoy the arts this December? If taking up permanent residence at the movie theater isn’t an option, Theater J has another stage event aimed at Jews and the people who love them. Stars of David: Story to Song is based on the book of the same name by Abigail Pogrebin and celebrates the Jewish faith and heritage of American celebrities. Four actors will breathe life into the recollections of Bravo host and executive Andy “Mazel” Cohen, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Gwyneth Paltrow, and other notables, then sing related songs penned by some of Broadway’s most significant composers. Whether these contributions by Sheldon Harnick and Marvin Hamlisch will be as moving as anything from Fiddler on the Roof or A Chorus Line remains to be seen but here’s your excuse to keep the celebration going though Hanukkah ended nearly a week ago. This show is guaranteed to impress and inspire more than Adam Sandler’s latest phoned-in version of “The Hanukkah Song.” The show runs Dec. 22 to Dec. 27 at Theater J, 1529 16th St. NW. $27–$52. (202) —Caroline Jones 518-9400. theaterj.org.
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Beautifully renovated and cozy 3BR/2BA HOUSE for RENT- 306 35th Street NE DC $ 2 2 0 0 / m o n t h + u t ili t i e s ... within a mile of Minnesota Ave and Stadium Armory Metro Stations...Serious inquiries please call 202-6174704. Exit Bennett Realty
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Moving? Moving? FIND YOUR OUTLET. Find A Helping Find A Helping RELAX, UNWIND, Hand Today REPEAT CLASSIFIEDS $5,000 per month. 2,300 sq. ft. three-story building with dual entrance & patio across from Howard Theatre on Florida Ave. Ideal location for salon/barbershop, offi ce space, restaurant/bar or entertainment company. Triple-net lease. Call 202-898-0899
Duplexes/Townhouses For Rent
Near Dupont Circle 2BR, 1.5BA, Newly renovated Townhouse for rent, 2900/mo. + utils. Optional parking. Contact avissmith4647@gmail.com or 202-359-0353.
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Mechanics’ Lien: 2008 Ford VIN# 1FTRF14W78KD77659. Sale to be held 1/4/16 at 10 a.m. on the premises of Hitting & Holden Transmission, 4720 St Barnabas Rd, Temple Hills, MD 20748.
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Rooms for Rent
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Room avail. in a 2BR 1 BA condo in SE DC. Monthly rent $650, incl. utilities, w/d, dishwasher, cable & internet. St parking avail. Access to M6, V5, and W4 buses. Shared w/ prof female. Rm must be a non-smoker w/ no pets. Email Christina cmwilli80@gmail.com
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Room avail. in a 2BR 1 BA condo in SE DC. Monthly rent $650, incl. utilities, w/d, dishwasher, cable & internet. St parking avail. Access to M6, V5, and W4 buses. Shared w/ prof female. Rm must be a non-smoker w/ no pets. Email Christina cmwilli80@gmail.com
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Miscellaneous
Aero-Pilates machine. Bought new $450, asking $295. NEVER used. Comes with two DVDs, Exercise chart and owners manual. Low impact-easy on joints, folds for easy storage. (301) 503-1113 E E L E A orP mrl5757@aol.com.
C A X M A N B A B Y D O L N E A C E This & That’s Flea Market, Every T R A N S Sell F Friday & Sat 9am-4pm. Supra Computers, cellWphones, A Paccessories and much more. Vendor B Iavailable G WcallH 202-355E E space 2068. Location 5615 Landover C L O V A Road Cheverly, MD M O Y V E Y Viagra!! 52 Pills for Only $99.00. Your E #1Xtrusted A provider M for 10 years. Insured and GuaranJ A C K N teed Delivery. Call today I1-888403-9028 D A H L A B “Kids BookT Two,”Ages C I MStory O U 9-12. by Sidney Gelb. www.barnesandnoble.com, T A B O D E1-800-8432665. Order today! V L A T E X
Computer/Technical
Cars/Trucks/SUVs
Computer Programmer (Automation) – Ashburn VA, Bachelor’s dev w/5 yrs exp or Masters deg w/1 yr exp; Major CS, Engg, Info. Sys., Telecom., IT, Mgmt, Busi. Int’l or related fi eld or equiv; Other suitable qualifi cations acceptable. Job req’s exp w/ SQL Server, Data Transmission Services (DTS), Crystal Reports, PERL Scripting & KORN Scripting. Relocation & travel to unanticipated locations within USA possible. Resume to Asta CRS, Inc. 44121 Harry Byrd Hwy, Suite 230, Ashburn, VA 20147. EOE, M/F/V/D
NEED A CAR, TRUCK of SUV? Over 1,000 vehicles in stock from 2011-2015! Google Me: Jason Barrow Laurel Financing available for “ALL” credit situations! 202.704.8213
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Miscellaneous Update your skills for a better job! Continuing Education at Community College at UDC has more than a thousand certifi ed online & affordable classes in nearly every fi eld. Education on your own. http://cc.udc.edu/continuing_education
Out with the old, In with the new Financial Post yourServices listing Are you in BIG with trouble with the IRS? Stop wage & bank levies, Washington liens & audits, unfiled tax returns, payroll issues, & resolve tax debt City Paper FAST. Call 844-753-1317 Classifieds Moving & Hauling http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/ continental movers local long distance Moving services deliveries hauling $80 x hour x two men 202 4381489 3013400602 cmora53607@msn.com www.continentalmovers.net
ELECTRONICS DISH TV Starting at $19.99/month (for 12 mos.) SAVE! Regular Price $34.99 Ask About FREE SAME DAY Installation! CALL Now! 888992-1957
Announcements
Counseling
District of Columbia InternaPregnant? Thinking of Adoptionalhttp://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/ School (“DCI”) intends to tion? Talk with a caring agency enter into a sole source contract specializing in matching Birthwith Building Hope… A Charter mothers with Families NationSchool Facilities Fund (“Building wide. Living Expenses Paid. Call Hope”) for Project Management 24/7 Abby’s One True Gift AdopServices at Delano Hall on the tions. 866-413-6293. Void in Illiformer Walter Reed Army Medical nois/New Mexico/Indiana. Center campus. The decision to sole source is due to the fact that Health & Beauty Products in February 2013, prior to DCI being an LEA and through WashELIMINATE CELLULITE and ington Yu Ying, a competitive bid Inches in weeks! All natural. Odor process was undertaken relative free. Works for men or women. to these services, Building Hope Free month supply on select was selected as the preferred packages. Order now! 844-244E butDno contract C C was A exeB bidder, 7149 (M-F 9am-8pm central) cuted L as the T specifi H cEproperty T Ato be developed had not yet been Licensed Massage SNowAthatLDCIAhasDan M secured. & Spas LEA agreement and the Delano E R G E R E Hall project is moving forward, AAAH THE RUB! (301) 792DCI R wishes M Eto enter R into S a contract I 3950. 60MIN/$85-90MIN/$105. with Building Hope for project Tranquil home-based Day Spa S L services. I T The fee management (near Glenmont Metro) By apto provide these services will be S K N I F E pointment only 7-days-a-week 0.9% of the total construction cost 12pm-5pm. http://time2refresh. plus fee of $25,000 A to cover T aH L third L com party costs. N O P O L Y F Excellent Massage by beautiful therapists in Qi Spa. Swedish, Deep Events Mhttp://www.washingtoncitypaper.com/ U D Tissue, Hot Stone massage. 3106 M H E B O X I Street, NW, Washington, DC 20007. www.qispadc.com. Ask for cash T E E T A discount! Appointment or walk-ins welcome. 202-333-6344. E C K E R S T
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Voice, Piano/Keyboards-Unleash your unique voice with outof-the-box, intuitive teacher in all styles classical, jazz, R&B, gospel, neo-soul etc. Sessions available @ my studio, your home or via Skype. Call 202-486-3741 or email dwight@dwightmcnair.com
Musician Services
Voice, Piano/Keyboards-Unleash your unique voice with outof-the-box, intuitive teacher in all styles classical, jazz, R&B, gospel, neo-soul etc. Sessions available @ my studio, your home or via Skype. Call 202-486-3741 or email dwight@dwightmcnair.com
Bands/DJs for Hire DJ DC SOUL man. Hiphop, reggae, go-go, oldies, etc. Clubs, caberets, weddings, etc. Contact the DC Soul Hot Line at 202/2861773 or email me at dc1soulman@live.com.
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Defend abortion rights. Washington Area Clinic Defense Task Force (WACDTF) needs volunteer clinic escorts Saturday mornings, weekdays. Trainings, other info:202-681-6577, http://www. wacdtf.org, info@wacdtf.org. Twitter: @wacdtf
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RELAXING SOOTHING MASSAGE Reduce your stress, relax your mind, energize your body and restore your balance. Private offi ce in the Palisades. MacArthur Blvd., NW, DC. Outcalls welcome. Appointment only. 240-463-7754 Valerie@ yourclassicmassage. com
Counseling Struggling with DRUGS or ALCOHOL? Addicted to PILLS? Talk to someone who cares. Call The Addiction Hope & Help Line for a free assessment. 800-978-6674
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43 Kvetching phrase 46 FTC target 49 Doctor’s visit, maybe 51 Super PAC ammo 52 Sonic rival 58 Matilda author 59 Ease up 60 Letter before 16-Across 62 “See you later” 64 Nixon’s pet 67 Place to call home 68 How-___ (some wiki pages) 69 Pad Thai or chocolate chip cookies, e.g. 70 Glove material 71 War hero 72 Ran through the wringer
1 Key’s partner in comedy 6 Long way to go in NYC 9 Mr. T cult comedy 14 Guitar god, in slang 15 Mustard’s rank: Abbr. 16 Letter after 60-Across 17 Dress with a high-waist cut 19 Light lunch 20 Likely Cy Young candidate 21 “Like THAT’s going to happen!” 23 Time Out Of Mind star 24 Electrical devices that regulate voltage Down 28 Rapper Fetty ___ 1 Bygone sunscreen 29 Small cut ingredient 30 V.I.P. 2 Right on target 36 Leatherman tool 3 Burning remnant 39 IVF supplies 4 Oft-misused verb 40 Dusting necessity http://www.washingtonci5 When the typaper.com/ 42 First word of murderer is “California revealed, often Dreamin’” 6 Roman-___
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November Calendar of Events at SAMSARA HOUSE 2023 in Bloomingdale, Highlighted by “HEALING HEARTS AT WOUNDED KNEE, How to End Violence, Racism and Genocide by Healing Humanity’s Collective Trauma at its Roots.” View Calendar, Show Up http://bit.ly/ NOV2015EVENTS
COMMUNITY YOGA MONDAY NIGHTS in Bloomingdale w/Deb Koolbeck! RSVP Required by Noon Monday 7:00-8:00PM at Samsara House 2023 Requested Donation: $10 yoga@samsarahouse.org
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Heaven-On-Earth. You’ve tried the rest, now come to the best! 240-418-9530, Bethesda. MD Massage License #R00120.
Musical Instruction/ Classes
General AIRLINE CAREERS begin here – Get started by training as FAA certifi ed Aviation Technician. Financial aid for qualifi ed students. Job placement assistance. Call Aviation Institute of Maintenance 800-725-1563
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Hotel units: Abbr. “Too cute” “Not for me” Bugling grazer Halloween word Brown, e.g. Cared deeply Sapsucker’s home Where to go in Manchester Boarding area: Abbr. Reach new heights? Santa’s Village employee Shop alternative Leave out Talk, talk, talk Pint point “___ you know the muffin man” AFC East team ___ Juice The Blacklist home California lake Mushroom creator, for short Perfect copy Identifying words Henkel AG soap brand Somewhat Ranch handle Actress Dennings Obama ___
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Moving? Find A Helping Moving? Hand Today Find A Helping Hand Today
R O L F U V E A G E N T R O C A M H R Y E C D R E A D D D E U D I T E R C J A S Y T O R E L S O
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More Reliable Electric Service for DC
“Our business depends on reliable electric service.” Boo Kim
Director of Operations Acadiana Restaurant
“The merger means better reliability so businesses like Acadiana can thrive.” Kathy Hollinger
President Restaurant Association of Metropolitan Washington
The Pepco Holdings-Exelon Merger: Affordability, Reliability and Sustainability for DC. Reliable electric service is critical to businesses and residents in a growing DC. The Pepco Holdings-Exelon merger sets higher requirements for Pepco to increase reliability of electric service, which means fewer and shorter power outages. That’s good news for small businesses like Acadiana Restaurant. In fact, Pepco’s reliability performance must exceed regulatory standards or the company will have to pay significant financial penalties. Improved reliability is one of many benefits of the merger. We signed the petition to show our support. Join over 35,000 District residents and go to PHITomorrow.com,where you can sign the online petition and send a letter to voice your support for the merger.
For more information or to show your support, visit PHITomorrow.com. Paid for by Exelon Corporation.