Friday: Diwali Rock Show at Atlas Brew Works

Diwali is approaching next week and events celebrating the Hindu Festival of Lights are popping up across the city. One unmissable event is the third annual Diwali Rock Show at Atlas Brew Works, featuring local bands led by Indian American artists including Laal Taal (a member of Bottled Up), NAYAN, Prabir Trio, and Sravani. The showcase began three years ago as a project of Richmond-based musician Prabir Mehta, supported by D.C.’s Nayan Bhula (of NAYAN). In the years since its inception, the showcase has grown into a festival featuring far more than music, now highlighting Indian art, food trucks, and clothing. It’s part of a larger celebration of Diwali, the joyous festival marking the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil. The showcase, and holiday more broadly, is an opportunity for people to come together and celebrate the good in their lives. The showcase starts at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Atlas Brew Works Ivy City, 2052 West Virginia Ave. NE. atlasbrewworks.com. $12. —Serena Zets 

Friday: Loboko at Hill Center

New York’s Loboko play Congolese dance music, a style that is best known for its high-pitched, mesmerizing guitar lines, tuneful vocals, and a funky bass and drums bottom. The band was founded in 2019 by Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo-born singer and guitarist Yohni Djungu Sungu (who’s toured with Congolese acts Soukous Stars and Fally Ipupa) and drummer Morgan Greenstreet (also an acclaimed DJ and podcast producer), but the two met five years earlier when they played backup for another New York-based Congolese musician. Today, in Loboko, they’re joined by guitarist Nikhil P. Yerawadekar, whose resume includes stints playing Ethiopian and Nigerian music, and a rotating cast of bass players. Their style of Congolese dance music is also known as rumba and the genre’s tempos can sometimes vary. In 2023, Loboko released their first single, “Kanyunyi,” which features speedy guitar bursts, but draws more from the traditional mid-tempo Congolese Mutuashi rhythm. While that song has a bit of a 1970s retro flavor, the band’s founders say their live style is more impacted by the ’90s output of uptempo Congo bands like Wenga Musica and current groups that have also drawn from that era. B-side track “Ekenge” better captures that approach as it uses the fast Congolese music composition style known as seben where the dual guitars take the lead. The guitarists aren’t doing flashy rock-like solos, they’re combining on shimmering notes designed to keep people gyrating on the dance floor. The bandmates tell City Paper they have more originals and plan to self-produce an album. Expect to move your body to those songs at the show. Loboko play at 7 p.m. on Oct. 25 at Hill Center, 921 Pennsylvania Ave. SE. hillcenterdc.org. $20. —Steve Kiviat

Friday and Saturday: Ben Folds With the National Symphony Orchestra at the Kennedy Center

Ben Folds will join the National Symphony Orchestra in the Concert Hall this week for an unforgettable experience. This isn’t just your typical concert; it’s a special live recording of Folds’ new orchestral album with NSO. If you are a fan, Folds will showcase hits and new music. For newer ears, Folds has made significant contributions to music and returns to the Kennedy Center recognized as an indie icon. His repertoire includes pop rock hits from his time as the frontperson and pianist of the alt rock band Ben Folds Five and several solo albums, but he also boasts noteworthy collaborations as a musician and songwriter. Folds’ 2015 album, Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, reached No. 1 on the Billboard classical and classical crossover charts. His most recent album, What Matters Most, which he’ll perform with NSO this weekend, was released in 2023 and features a more pop rock sound with a spotlight on piano. This concert marks a special homecoming, as Folds serves as the first NSO Artistic Advisor. In this role, Folds curated a concert series pairing NSO with numerous popular artists including Sara Bareilles, Regina Spektor, and Julian Baker. Ben Folds: Recorded Live with NSO starts at 8 p.m. on Oct. 25 and 26 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. kennedy-center.org. $29–$79. —Anupma Sahay

Saturday: Spoons Toons, and Booze at Arlington Drafthouse

It might be inappropriate for adults to trick-or-treat without a kid, but some grown-ups still want to dress up for Halloween. For those DMVers, here’s an opportunity to put on a costume—no children or trick-or-treating required. The Spoons Toons and Booze noontime cereal-based brunch features a Halloween costume contest, free all-you-can-eat sugary cereals (Halloween-themed brands included, obviously), specialty cocktails featuring aforementioned sugary cereals, and cartoons. Lots of cartoons. The audience will choose from 150 different Saturday morning cartoons, spanning the decades from the 1940s to early 2000s, to enjoy on the big screen. Pop culture and cereal experts Michael Austin and Nell Casey lend commentary between nostalgic cartoons about witches, monsters, ghosts, and other seasonally appropriate drawn images. There’s nothing too spooky about this event—unless you’re a diabetic—but if you’re not careful, you may die from Count Chocula. Spoons Toons and Booze starts at noon on Oct. 26 at Arlington Drafthouse, 2903 Columbia Pike, Arlington. arlingtondrafthouse.com  $15. —Brandon Wetherbee

Tuesday: Halloween Cookie Class at Lost Boy Cider

Cookies and beer are on the menu at Lost Boy Cider this season. Halloween isn’t just about trick-or-treating and bar crawls; it’s the perfect setting for a fun, spooky activity with a sweet twist. At this delicious experience you can sip on award-winning cider—or nonalcoholic options—while partaking in a spooktacular Halloween Cookie Class hosted by Sugarcoated Bakery. These cookie experts will lead a creepy decorating tutorial on baking sweets shaped like pumpkins, ghosts, and more. Participants will trade in Halloween tricks for decorating tips, including piping bag techniques, and using “wet-on-wet” style for detailed designs, icing options, decorating tools, how to add dimension to cookies, and all-important guidance on fixing decorating mishaps. After the 90-minute class, participants will leave with a bag of festive cookies, an instruction manual for future baked goods, and recipes for royal icing and sugar cookies. The Halloween Cookie Class starts at 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Lost Boy Cider, 317 Hooffs Run Dr., Alexandria. lostboycider.com. $65. —Anupma Sahay

Tuesday: Billy Ocean at Warner Theatre

It’s been 40 years since the release of Billy Ocean’s album Suddenly, the double-platinum project that sent the Trinidadian English singer-songwriter’s career up the charts with the assistance of hit singles including the title track, “Caribbean Queen (No More Love On the Run),” and “Loverboy.” In celebration of the album’s anniversary, Ocean is on tour with a show scheduled for Oct. 29 at Warner Theatre. What’s surprising is that Suddenly was Ocean’s fifth album—that luxury of artist development is almost unheard-of these days. “The whole record industry has changed drastically,” Ocean tells City Paper. “Record companies then, they gave you the opportunity to grow. Now it’s very much a case of a short-lived thing. They don’t give you the encouragement. They don’t give you the finance anymore to allow you to grow.” One of the key ingredients to the success of Suddenly was the addition of Robert John “Mutt” Lange, who served as executive producer and co-wrote “Loverboy” with Ocean and producer Keith Diamond. Prior to collaborating with Ocean, Lange was primarily known for his work with AC/DC, Def Leppard, and Foreigner. “Mutt Lange had his own studio in his house,” Ocean recalls. “Mutt is an amazing producer in the sense that he hears the record in his head before he actually produces it.” (Lange continued his collaboration with Ocean, co-producing and co-writing songs on Ocean’s next two albums, Love Zone and Tear Down These Walls). After nearly 50 years in the industry, Ocean knows what audiences want to hear. “I do all the hits,” says Ocean. “That’s what they came to see. That’s what they would rather hear than you being self-indulgent and giving new songs.” Billy Ocean plays at 8 p.m. on Oct. 29 at Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. warnertheatredc.com. $41–$125. —Christina Smart

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Singing, dancing, crafting, face painting, very old cinema, and British people cracking wise about Americans are some of the best ways to spend autumn in D.C. In a very political town at the most political time of year, here are eight picks that have nothing to do with politics. 

Willow Pill at the Howard Theatre on Oct. 2

The RuPaul’s Drag Race Season 14 winner’s show, God’s Child, is technically like most shows from Drag Race alums. There’s dancing, lip-synching, and stand-up and cabaret. But unlike most Drag Race alums, Willow Pill’s show is presented as a religious—churchlike—experience. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $30–$45.

Early Color Cinema and Impressionism at the National Gallery of Art on Oct. 19

Each and every screening at the NGA is a good reason to trek down to the Mall on a weekend, but certain programs like this one check all of the boxes for a certain type of cinema aficionados. Part of the Color, Cinema, and the Impressionist Movement film series, this afternoon edition features some of the earliest works of celluloid, well over 100 years old, an introduction from a film professor, and live musical accompaniment. You’re not going to get this in any other setting, be it movie palace or film studies class. (Also recommended in our fall film roundup.) The screening starts at 2 p.m. at NGA’s East Building, 4th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Free. 

Día de los Muertos Family Day at the American Art Museum on Oct. 26

There is no shortage of Halloween activities for kids the weekend before the official spooky day. But if you’d prefer to maybe have the little ones appreciate those no longer on this mortal coil and get some faces painted, here you go! This free family day features mariachi and dance performances, crafting, the aforementioned face paint and, a possibly educational, Día de los Muertos-themed scavenger hunt. The celebration runs from 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. at SAAM, 8th and G St. NW. Free. 

Jenny Slate at Warner Theatre on Oct. 30

Jenny Slate has never really fit in but she’s still managed to carve out a niche career doing her own unique thing. Her stand-up is quirky, but not because she’s doing anything intentionally weird or off-putting, but because there just aren’t many others like her. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. $63–$122.

El Día de los Muertos at the National Portrait Gallery on Nov. 2

An early evening el Día de los Muertos celebration with live music, folk dancing performances, art creation, face painting, and more could brighten any Saturday. Equally entertaining will be the stares from people walking by the gallery’s G and 9th facade, where artists MasPaz and Guache will be projecting their live video mapping projections from MLK Library. The event starts at 5 p.m. at the National Portrait Gallery, 800 G St. NW. Free.

Craig Ferguson at Lincoln Theatre on Nov. 21

For a few years in the late ’00s and early ’10s, Scotsman Craig Ferguson’s late-night show—Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, which ran on CBS for 10 years—was the best late night show on television. Unfortunately the medium leaned more in to song and dance and party games and away from absurdist yet genuine conversation. Oh well, now there’s a very healthy podcast industry and Ferguson has one of those now. If you’ve enjoyed his guest interviews, you’ll enjoy the pod. This stand-up gig should scratch the itch for anyone who misses the rambling monologues no one but Ferguson could deliver. Pants on Fire starts at 8 p.m. at Lincoln Theatre, 1215 U St. NW. $40.

Fantasia of Color at the National Gallery of Art on Nov. 30 

When museums collaborate, it’s often about allowing each institution a chance to introduce outside audiences to what each institution thrives at. This screening of trick films, which came out well before the advent of Technicolor, comes from the collection of the EYE Filmmuseum in Amsterdam. It’s not the kind of stuff you can find on your favorite streaming app, even if your favorite streaming app is the Criterion Channel. The screening starts at 2 p.m. at NGA’s East Building, 4th St. and Pennsylvania Ave. NW. Free.

John Oliver at the Kennedy Center Dec. 27 through 31

The Last Week Tonight host has been a stand-up for decades longer than he’s become a de facto public schoolteacher for adults who grew up on The Daily Show. If you want to laugh while acknowledging that things at the end of the year might be very, very dark, Oliver will know what strings to pull to make you laugh before you cry. Or maybe we can just laugh. Happy 2025 … we hope. John Oliver performs at 7 p.m. from Dec. 27 to Dec. 31 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. $91.43. 

Check out more of our 2024 Fall Arts Guide here.

Azymuth at the Black Cat on Sept. 5
This jazz-funk band formed in 1973, and while bassist Alex Malheiros is the only surviving member of that original trio, the group have continued to make music, with a pair of solid albums in 2020. Two years ago, Malheiros released his first album in more than a decade, and the Azymuth sound—rooted in the ’70s fusion but reverent of Brazil’s long pop legacy before and after—remains intact, and as vital as ever. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $35–$40. —Pat Padua

BLK ODYSSY at the Atlantis on Sept. 6
To residents of the Texas Capital, BLK ODYSSY is an artist to know. That knowledge should be spread outside Austin City limits. Words like “smooth vibes,” “sultry,” and “utterly intoxicating” are used to describe BLK ODYSSY’s sound, which throws a middle finger to genre boxes, dabbling in soul, hip-hop, and indie rock with touches of funk. Catch him touring with his latest album, 1-800-Fantasy. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. $35. —Sarah Marloff  

Pillow Queens at Songbyrd on Sept. 7

Whenever a band 1) you like rocking to in your headphones 2) that hails from overseas comes stateside, you do your best to make it to the show. Ireland’s Pillow Queens would be great openers for Julien Baker (playing in D.C. on Sept. 27), Waxahatchee (at Wolf Trap on Sept. 6), or (fellow Dubliners) Fontaines DC (at the 9:30 Club on Oct. 18). Perhaps All Things Go can find a slot for this queer indie four-piece on 2025’s lineup. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. $18–$20. —Brandon Wetherbee 

Pretty Bitter and Cherub Tree at Pie Shop on Sept. 8
Two of D.C.’s most fun live bands open for Brooklyn’s riot grrrl-inspired alt-rockers Birthday Girl. Pretty Bitter serve dreamy emo synth-pop (and they say this might be their last show for a minute), while Cherub Tree’s bubblegrunge is fueled by punk sensibilities. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Pie Shop, 1339 H St. NE. $12–$15. —Sarah Marloff  

Distrito Music Fest at Songbyrd on Sept. 14

The talent and artistry pulsing through SIE7E, Tres Minutos, Max Rosado, Soroche, and JChris has made these five local Latin American bands grow in recognition in recent years. Each of them are connected by varied influences that stretch beyond the DMV, which makes boxing them into a single genre largely impossible and it doesn’t begin to do justice to the bands’ repertoire. The raw, pulsating spirit that each act delivers with ease only gets stronger with every show, and I can’t wait to see this energy take over Songbyrd at one of the few local festivals highlighting local Latin American artists. The show starts at 3 p.m. at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. $38.63. —Heidi Perez-Moreno

Joyce Moreno at Blues Alley on Sept. 14 and 15
With chestnuts like the surprise club hit “Aldeia de Ogum,” this singer-guitarist has made some of the catchiest music of MPB, the sometimes jazzy pop music that can run from bossa nova to the more eclectic sounds of Tropicalia. She’ll be in town to play the once-lost ’70s album Natureza, and the extended version of her ebullient signature anthem “Feminina.” Moreno plays at 7 and 9:30 p.m. on both days at Blues Alley, 1073 Wisconsin Ave. NW. $40. —Pat Padua

Kehlani at EagleBank Arena on Sept. 18

Talk about a doubleheader: On Sept. 18, self-described “raging lesbian” singer Kehlani plays EagleBank Arena in Fairfax while queer pop star/celesbian drama magnet Fletcher hits the stage at the Anthem. The Fletcher show is sold out, but tickets are very much still available for Kehlani’s show, perhaps because the artist has been embroiled in personal controversy all summer. Regardless, the queer agenda did not coordinate well on this one. The show starts at 8 p.m. at EagleBank Arena, 4500 Patriot Cir., Fairfax. $35–$129. —Amelia Roth-Dishy

HFStival at Nationals Park on Sept. 21
People of the 1990s, rejoice! I.M.P. is resurrecting the annual D.C. festival formerly run by WHFS in the heyday of alternative rock radio (1990–2006). In homage to HFStival’s roots, this year features Incubus, Bush, Liz Phair (replacing Garbage), Jimmy Eat World, Girl Talk, Violent Femmes, Tonic, Filter, and Lit, headlined by the Postal Service and Death Cab for Cutie (great news for those who missed their dual anniversary tour last September). The festival starts at noon at Nationals Park, 1500 South Capitol St. SE. $150–$250. —Taylor Ruckle

LEIF at the Pocket on Sept. 23
In our Spring Arts Guide we introduced D.C. to the WRIZZARDS, a Filipino multi-genre collective. LEIF, who makes pop infused with alt rock, is part of that collective. The show starts at 7 p.m at the Pocket, 1506 North Capitol St. NW. $15–$20. —Sarah Marloff

Local H at Pearl Street Warehouse on Sept. 23
Touring behind one of their best LPs in Local H’s 30-plus year career, 2004’s Whatever Happened to PJ Soles?, Scott Lucas and Ryan Harding are lifers that fit on nostalgia bills but don’t attempt to relive the glory days. Instead they just provide excellent albums and stellar live shows that incorporate radio-friendly unit-shifters from the ’90s, introspective ballads from the ’00s, oddly effective covers from the ’10s (Lorde?), and screeds of righteous indignation triggered by right-wing politics in the 2020s. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. $25–$40. —Brandon Wetherbee 

Bad Moves at the Black Cat on Sept. 27

We would be remiss not to mention the record release show for the local indie quartet recently described in this very paper as the “purveyors of anthemic guitar pop songs for underdogs.” You can also sample Ocelot Brewing’s latest musical beer collab, this time with Bad Moves and dubbed Outta My Head, a “power hop” IPA with bright, bold hops, malted oats, flaked wheat, and a 6.3 percent ABV. Added bonus: Ekko Astral open. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $20. —Sarah Marloff  

Outerloop at Pie Shop on Sept. 27
Not to make choices harder for you, but across town from Bad Moves’ record release show, post-punk band Outerloop are celebrating the release of their EP, which WCP critic Dora Segall says “packs a dense and eclectic array of lyrics and instrumental layers.” The show starts at 8 p.m. at Pie Shop, 1339 H St. NE. $15. —Sarah Marloff  

Adeem the Artist at DC9 on Sept. 29

Country music comes in any color you can find on a pride flag—not just the usual red, white, and blue. Nonbinary Knoxville singer-songwriter Adeem the Artist proved it on their albums Cast Iron Pansexual and White Trash Revelry, and they continue to capture the spectrum on their latest LP. Anniversary is another twangy and boldly political collection of songs that renders the culture of the American South in all its manifold hues, both light and dark. The show starts at 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $20. —Taylor Ruckle 

Crush Fund at Comet Ping Pong on Sept. 29

“Unwanted Attention” makes for an easy two-word summary of the perils of trans visibility in 2024. In the hands of New York City queercore trio Crush Fund, it also makes for a raucous punk shout-along (produced by the incomparable Marissa Paternoster of Screaming Females). Likewise, the title of their latest EP, New Fixation, forecasts your relationship with the band, once you see them live—just be cool about it. The show starts at 9 p.m. at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. $15. —Taylor Ruckle 

Infinity Song at Songbyrd on Oct. 1

Infinity Song, a band of four Detroit siblings, will play Songbyrd fresh off their All Things Go debut a few days earlier on Sept. 29. The up-and-coming R&B band got their big break in 2016 when Jeymes Samuel sent a video of the group busking in Central Park to Jay-Z. They later signed with Jiggaman’s label Roc Nation. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. $25. —Serena Zets

Chromeo and the Midnight at the Anthem on Oct. 3

It’s been a decade since the Montreal electro-funk duo Chromeo took the dance music scene by storm with “Jealous (I Ain’t with It),” but Dave and Pee are back with a polished yet still funky sound and tackling fraught subjects like relationships in your 40s. Complementing them is the Midnight, a band whose synth-tinged rock instrumentals hearken back to ’80s power ballads that will have you feeling like an action hero. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Oct. 3 at the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. $45–$75. —Dave Nyczepir

Maxwell at Capital One Arena on Oct. 4

In the mid-’90s, Maxwell led the neo-soul charge with his debut, Urban Hang Suite. Nearly 30 years later, the hang continues. This fall, Maxwell headlines the Serenade Tour, his first in two years following 2022’s sold-out 25-date international arena run. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. on Oct. 4  at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. $69.50–$79.50. —Christina Smart

Marcos Valle at the Howard Theatre on Oct. 5

Marcos Valle was a baby-faced composer when he made his 1964 debut. Since then, he’s written some of the most timeless bossa nova standards such as “Summer Samba” and “Crickets Sing for Anamaria.” Now 80, Valle has never stopped performing and growing, and his 2019 album, Sempre, is among his best. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $35–$50. —Pat Padua

SEB at Songbyrd on Oct. 5

Singles like “seaside_demo” and “last great american summer” might be the breezy mix of acoustics and bongos that got SEB noticed, but his wide-ranging style incorporates elements of P-pop, hip-hop, and proto-funk, among other genres. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. $18–$20. —Dave Nyczepir

La Luz at the Atlantis on Oct. 6

Ever wish you lived inside a Quentin Tarantino-esque film about 1970s Los Angeles? This surf noir band should be your soundtrack. The show starts at 7 p.m. at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. $25. —Brandon Wetherbee 

Mass of the Fermenting Dregs at the Howard Theatre on Oct. 9

This Japanese three-piece is shoegazey and proggy, power poppy and lo-fi bedroom poppy, and more styles of music that make them difficult to categorize in the best possible way. If you’re on the fence about the live show, listen to their recently released live album and you’ll be sold. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $20–$40. —Brandon Wetherbee

The Lemon Twigs at the Atlantis on Oct. 10

The easiest way to describe the Lemon Twigs to someone who has never heard their music is the Beatles meet the Beach Boys (or at least that’s how they were described to me before the owner of 48 Record Bar in Philadelphia put on their vinyl Everything Harmony). That’s a rather reductive explanation though, as the D’Addario brothers are two of the most creative, meticulous songwriters in progressive pop right now, which has me hoping their Merseybeat revival catches on. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. $25. —Dave Nyczepir

Empress Of at Union Stage on Oct. 10

Honduran American singer Empress Of’s latest album, For Your Consideration, is all about dichotomies: English and Spanish, romantic and transactional, throwback pop and experimental dance. She’s comfortable in all of them. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $25–$40. —Dave Nyczepir

illuminati hotties at the Black Cat on Oct. 19

Sarah Tudzin’s indie-rock project first wormed its way into my ears and heart with their sad and slow cover of Whitney Houston’s “I Wanna Dance With Somebody.” Since then, illuminati hotties have fallen on and off my radar, but their latest album, Power, is an indie bop with staying power. Parts of it are reminiscent of Tegan and Sara’s Heartthrob album—the one where they got polished and started writing dance-esque tracks. But other parts of Power wash over you in a wave with its emotional tracks of stripped-down guitar and Tudzin’s haunting voice. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $20–$25. —Sarah Marloff

Aoife O’Donovan and Bonny Light Horseman at the Kennedy Center on Oct. 22

Continuing along the fall folk road, contemporary troubadour supergroup Bonny Light Horseman are teaming up with singer-songwriter Aoife O’Donovan for a one-night-only performance in the Kennedy Center concert hall, with support from the National Symphony Orchestra. This show is the band’s lone East Coast stop before heading to Europe on a tour supporting their excellent new album, Keep Me on Your Mind/See You Free. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. kennedy-center.org. $29–$79. —Amelia Roth-Dishy

Daphne Eckman at Pearl Street Warehouse on Oct. 24

The quickest way for me to explain why you should check out Daphne Eckman’s “sad girl indie rock” is this: I saw her perform in a forgettable restaurant on Kent Island over a year ago and her gorgeous voice and indie vibe left such an impact I tracked her down on Instagram and have been a fan ever since. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. $15–$35. —Sarah Marloff

Hinds at Union Stage on Oct. 26 

This fascinating (and fun) indie pop project by Carlotta Cosials and Ana Perrote started as a duo, became a quartet, and in late 2022, reverted back to a duo. The loss of their drummer and bassist happened in a time of upheaval; Hinds recently split from their label and their management as well. Clearly the Madrid-based band are familiar with traversing change and their newest album, Viva Hinds, out Sept. 6, reflects their recent journey. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $25. —Serena Zets

Cyndi Lauper at Capital One Arena on Oct. 27

Hard to believe it’s been more than 40 years since Cyndi Lauper knocked the pop world on its ear with the release of her debut album, She’s So Unusual. This is your last chance to see Lauper live, because the girl who just wanted to have fun is retiring from the road. The show starts at 8 p.m. at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. $59.50–$479. —Christina Smart

The Go! Team at the Black Cat on Nov. 3

Sure, this is a nostalgia tour focused on the band’s 2002 debut, Thunder, Lightning, Strike, but when was the last time you listened to “Ladyflash” or “Everyone’s a VIP to Someone”? These are earworms that will still get you moving. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $25–$30. —Brandon Wetherbee

NewDad at the Atlantis on Nov. 6

I’ve been waiting with bated breath for this foursome from Northern Ireland to tour the U.S. By far one of my favorite indie bands to emerge in the past few years, NewDad make the kind of sad, gauzy, dream-pop you can get lost in—it’s no wonder NME compared them to the Cure. With its sludgy guitar, their first full-length, Madra, dropped in January and remains one of the best albums of the year. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. $15. —Sarah Marloff  

FEVER 333 at Union Stage on Nov. 7

The new-look FEVER 333 rounded out their talent with the additions of drummer Thomas Pridgen, who has toured with the Mars Volta and Thundercat, bassist April Kae, whose Instagram cover of Cardi B’s “Up” went viral in 2021, and guitarist Brandon Davis. Expect frontperson Jason Aalon Butler to keep the anti-racist, anti-fascist rapcore band grounded, even as they venture deeper into frenetic protest punk waters with tracks like “$wing.” The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $25–$125. —Dave Nyczepir

André 3000 at the Kennedy Center on Nov. 9

André 3000 still raps, including on Killer Mike’s MICHAEL, released in 2023. He’s just not rapping on his own albums. With his solo debut, 2023’s New Blue Sun, André made a jazz album, and traded his vocals for a flute (or several flutes). Now hundreds of thousands of André, OutKast, and hip-hop fans are expanding their sonic horizons. With this show, the rapper-turned-jazz musician will make his Kennedy Center debut. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. $90.85–$310. —Brandon Wetherbee

Rare Essence & the Junkyard Band at the Howard Theatre on Nov. 10

Two of D.C.’s most acclaimed go-go bands come together over Veterans Day Weekend to celebrate the 114th Anniversary of the Howard Theatre. The show starts at 10 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $45–$85. —Sarah Marloff

Ratboys and Palehound at the Atlantis on Nov. 12

If you asked me to build this fall’s most exciting bill from scratch, it wouldn’t take me long to come up with the acts behind two of 2023’s finest albums: The Window by Ratboys and Eye on the Bat by Palehound. With one ticket, you get peak indie alt-country and some of the cleverest singer-songwriter work of recent memory in an intimate setting. It’s no wonder it sold out. The show starts at 6:30 p.m. at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. Sold out. —Taylor Ruckle

Haley Heynderickx at the 9:30 Club on Nov. 16

The folksy and ever-observant indie darling Haley Heynderickx is in the running for the artist I’ve seen live the most—and for good reason. She puts on a killer show no matter the venue. I’ve seen her perform in a chapel, in front of a dewy, empty field during the noon slot of a music festival, at Miracle Theatre, and the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Despite how grand (and different) each of these venues were, I don’t think anything will beat seeing her in my favorite D.C. venue this November. The show starts at 6 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $25. —Serena Zets

Lupe Fiasco at the Howard Theatre on Nov. 16

Stalwart Chicago rapper Lupe Fiasco has already released one of the year’s best hip-hop records. Samurai is clad in choruses hard as armor and wields verses like shining steel blades. With an understated, jazzy aesthetic and a 30-minute run time, it’s the most succinct artistic statement of his 24-year career. Oh, and it’s also a narrative concept album about Amy Winehouse reimagined as a battle rapper. The show starts at 8 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $45–$85. —Taylor Ruckle

Godspeed You! Black Emperor at the 9:30 Club on Nov. 19

The elders of instrumental post-rock are back with their new album and a tour to support it. As always, their shows promise to be beautiful and utterly hypnotic. The show starts at 7 p.m. at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $40. —Alan Zilberman

Sun June at DC9 on Nov. 20

This twangy indie band from Austin made one of the best albums of 2023, and when I saw them last year at this same venue, my “I think this might be love” ratcheted up to “I’m so in love.” If it was possible to wear out a record on Apple Music, I would’ve broken Bad Dream Jaguar with the number of times I flipped it over. The show starts at 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $18–$22. —Sarah Marloff 

Mariah Carey at Capital One Arena on Dec. 1

If you’re a fan of whistle notes (and really, who isn’t?), the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas, Mariah Carey, will start spreading holiday cheer early in the season with a performance at Capital One on Dec. 1. The show starts at 8 p.m. on Dec. 1 at Capital One Arena, 601 F St. NW. $59.95–$580. —Christina Smart

Micky Dolenz at the Birchmere on Dec. 12

Cheer up, sleepy Jean. The last surviving Monkee, Micky Dolenz, is touring. With Songs & Stories, Dolenz will reminisce and sing about life as a member of the Prefab Four. The show starts at 7:30 p.m. at the Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. $75. —Christina Smart

Check out more of our 2024 Fall Arts Guide here.

Thursday: Mickalene Thomas at the Phillips Collection 

Best known for her complex and beautiful portraiture of Black women completed on a massive scale, New York-based artist Mickalene Thomas’ mixed-media paintings can be found across D.C. at the Smithsonian’s American Art Museum, the Rubell, and now in the Phillips Collection’s newest special exhibition, Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage. Her larger-than-life work usually speaks for itself, but Thomas is coming to town this Thursday to discuss the inspirations behind her pieces in the exhibition with Multiplicity’s curator, Katie Delmez. If Thomas’ words on craft and artistic vision strike a chord within you and leave you wanting to make your own masterpiece, you’re in luck. In addition to this talk, Multiplicity is hosting a slew of free artist events and collage workshops before the exhibit closes on Sept. 22. Allow Thomas’ words inspire you to let your inner collage artist free and make some art worthy of display in the Phillips (or your living room). The conversation between Mickalene Thomas and Katie Delmez starts at 6:30 p.m. on Aug. 15 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. phillipscollection.org. Sold out, but standby ticketing will be offered dependent on availability on a first come, first served basis. —Serena Zets 

Friday: The Little Mermaid at the MLK Memorial

Live-action versions of beloved animated Disney classics were always inevitable. Once the technology caught up to the drawings, it absolutely made sense for the incredibly successful studio to revisit the highest-grossing films in their vaults. While Emma Watson as Belle in Beauty and the Beast was perfectly fine and Will Smith as the Genie in Aladdin was … blue, the reimagination that garnered the most attention in Disney’s transition from drawings to people was 2023’s The Little Mermaid. Interest in the film was high for its nearly five years of production (thanks COVID for the slowdown). Melissa McCarthy was perfectly cast as Ursula and Halle Bailey as Ariel helped make the young actor an icon to children around the globe. Due to those COVID delays, it also became one of Disney’s most expensive productions. Due to its quality, it became the 10th highest-grossing movie of 2023. The film once again cements The Little Mermaid as a Disney classic while—to the chagrin of racists who think a half-human, half-fish must be White—allowing kids of all races to see themselves as a little mermaid. All kidding aside, the most recent edition of Hans Christian Andersen’s 1837 fairy tale is a remarkable achievement in storytelling, technology, and British tax breaks. A year after its theatrical run, it is becoming a staple of outdoor film screenings. The most inspiring of these is at the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial as part of the Films at the Stone Series. With D.C. weather finally turning somewhat enjoyable rather than sweltering, it looks as if this mid-August screening will also be one of the most pleasant ways to spend an evening on the National Mall. The Little Mermaid screens at 8 p.m. on Aug. 16 at the MLK Memorial, 1964 Independence Ave. SW. thememorialfoundation.org. Free. —Brandon Wetherbee

Sunday: Dogs on Shady Lane at Songbyrd

Since forming in 2018, Dogs on Shady Lane have released only a handful of original songs, plus one precocious Beyoncé cover. But each entry in their short discography is a jewel, glittering softly with gauzy instrumentation and sharp confessional songwriting. Although the indie rock outfit began in Providence, Rhode Island, as lead singer and guitarist Tori Hall’s solo project, Hall has called upon her gaggle of musical friends for small gigs and recording opportunities since the beginning. Now riding as a four-piece band, the group still have the loose and affectionate feeling of the best jam collectives; the credits for 2022’s folky sleeper hit “Cole St.” shout out the contribution of “stomps and claps by many lovely friends.” Dogs on Shady Lane’s new EP, Knife, released by the discerning DIY label Lauren Records in February, signposts where the young group may be headed—away from those stomp-and-clap drum lines and plucky banjos and toward a more jagged, electric, soft emo sound. On standout track “Pile of Photos,” Hall’s hushed vocals are nestled amid feathery shoegaze textures that explode into teasingly short moments of catharsis, landing somewhere between Slow Pulp and Soccer Mommy. The band, which have recently made the quintessential art kid pilgrimage from Providence to Brooklyn, are stopping in D.C. as part of a late summer tour—the perfect season for languorous indie angst. They’re supported on the bill by a trifecta of up-and-coming alt acts from the DMV that have been adroitly selected to round out the wistful vibe: D.C. dream-pop duo GLOSSER, the exuberant Richmond-based band Drook, and local musician (and Songbyrd sound engineer) Ryan Plummer’s plaintive solo act Dumb Lucky. The show will prove a helpful scene sampler for any slowcore or pop punk veteran wondering what their Gen Z progeny might be listening to these days. Dogs on Shady Lane play at 8 p.m. on Aug. 18 at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com. $15–$18. —Amelia Roth-Dishy

Through Aug. 24: Belkin • Caldwell • Shull at Hemphill Artworks

A three-artist exhibit is an atypical format for Hemphill Artworks, but you can see how it came to be. Textile artists Sophia Belkin and Randy Shull and digital photographer Colby Caldwell share a large format and an appreciation for abstraction. Of the three, Shull’s work is the most different. He creates hammocks like those typical of Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula, where he spends much of the year; he then paints the hammocks and lets them “cure” in the sun. Shull’s finished works feature draping, spaghetti-like strands of twine whose curlicues suggest a 3D iteration of the hand-drawn contour lines in works by Linn Meyers. “Bisagras III” adds a hammock-like shape that suggests either a smiley face or the mouth of Batman’s Joker. The Baltimore-based Belkin, for her part, uses dye painting, embroidery, and textile collage while Caldwell continues the technique he has used in recent years of deploying a flatbed scanner as a camera. The works by both Belkin and Caldwell walk the line between abstraction and realism, but Belkin’s careful stitching contrasts with the seemingly random glitching of Caldwell’s scanner patterns. (In a nice twist, some of Belkin’s imagery echoes that in Caldwell’s seminal series “How to Survive Your Own Death,” which is based on a now decades-old video glitch.) What elevates Caldwell’s works is the interaction between his floral subject matter and the cubist-adjacent geometries created by the scanner glitches. In one noteworthy image, yellow flowers alternate with electronic defect patterns that suggest sharp daggers; the image becomes a fruitful pairing of beauty and danger. Belkin • Caldwell • Shull runs though Aug. 24 at Hemphill Artworks, 434 K St. NW. Tuesday through Saturday, noon to 5 p.m. hemphillartworks.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson

Ongoing: Of Light and Shade at VisArts

Artist Alexander D’Agostino has a fascination with codes, secret symbols, and hidden messages, which becomes clear in Of Light and Shade at VisArts. The collaged images within are pulled from archival photos, broadsheets, and newspaper clippings, gay porno mags, and ritualistic texts—there’s a whiff of the illicit about them. The subject matter and the eras they come from hint at queer stories that were historically kept under wraps, as well as the usage of codes to both identify comrades and stay undetected to outside eyes. A huge array of chlorophyll prints done on real plant leaves lines the walls, and their production reveals the conundrum of revealing versus hiding oneself. Chlorophyll prints use the natural process of photosynthesis and pigments in plant leaves to create images: Placing objects or transparent images on top of leaves and exposing them to light causes the parts that are obscured to be left behind in the original shade of the leaf, while the rest of the leaf fades to yellow. Shedding light on these images brings them out, but expose the prints further and they’ll fade altogether. The walls are bedecked with tapestries printed with this collaged imagery using solar prints, which similarly use the light exposure from the sun to create prints. The most ingenious use of light comes from a series of artists’ books, accompanied on a shelf by a small keychain with a blacklight on it, which can be used as a code breaking tool. Shine the light across the pages, and reveal the hidden messages written throughout. These include some dirty little bon mots and scribbled love notes declaring the romance of Abraham Lincoln and his rumored lover David Derickson. It feels as thrilling and illicit as reading someone else’s diary by flashlight. Of Light and Shade runs through Oct. 6 at VisArts, 155 Gibbs St., Rockville. Wednesday and Thursday, noon to 4 p.m.; Friday noon to 8 p.m.; Saturday and Sunday, noon to 4 p.m. visartscenter.org. Free. —Stephanie Rudig

Opens Friday: Maurice James Jr.’s New Negro at Art of Noize

Graphic artist Maurice James Jr. is reimagining Black history through art. Although his career only started in 2021, he’s become quite prolific during those three years. By March of 2023, he was displaying his work at three overlapping exhibits, and this year he was the first artist to be featured in Homme Gallery’s new location inside Union Station; he even did a show earlier this month in Oakland, California. Much of James’ previous work has focused on imagining a Black utopia by portraying Black people in mediums they’ve been excluded from in the past—from comic book covers and movie posters to old-time propaganda. Now James plans to build on his earlier themes in his third showing at Petworth gallery Art of Noize. The New Negro: Manifest Destiny focuses on the architecture of James’ Black Utopia. The idea behind this exhibit came from his observation that, though Black architects have been recognized for their work in the past, they weren’t “necessarily building anything that added to the efforts of Black liberation.” By pairing figures from the Harlem Renaissance and portraits drawn by Winold Reiss with architectural designs, James says the exhibit shows what “true Reconstruction” would’ve meant to Black people after slavery. One such piece that captures this vision is a depiction of educator Elise Johnson McDougald with a sketching of a building meant to be the imaginary “Department of Negro Education.” James’ art is a blend of history and imagination that he describes as “AfroFuturism from the 1920s,” and a blueprint of Pan-African and Black Nationalist ideas woven into society. New Negro: Manifest Destiny opens on July 26 with an opening presentation from 6 to 10 p.m. The exhibit runs through Aug. 31 at Art of Noize, 821 Upshur St. NW. artofnoizedmv.com. Free. —Dorvall Bedford

Friday: The Pointer Sisters at MGM National Harbor

When Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter earlier this year, much fuss was made about a Black woman singing country music. But anyone with the slightest knowledge of popular music would know that R&B singers have delved into country long before Beyoncé with great success. Most notably, the Pointer Sisters, who won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance by a Duo or Group for their 1974 song “Fairytales,” and were nominated in the same category the following year for “Live Your Life Before You Die.” The Pointer Sisters were so busy in their career at the time they failed to realize they had reached a milestone. “I was in shock when they said, ‘You won a Grammy,’” says Ruth Pointer. “We were like ‘For what?! We were on the road and we didn’t even go to the ceremony.” This marked the start of an extensive run of hits and accolades for the group who will be performing alongside the Commodores and the Spinners at MGM National Harbor on Friday (though her sisters, Anita, June, and Bonnie—who left the group to go solo in 1977—have passed, Ruth continues performing with her daughter Issa Pointer and granddaughter Sadako Pointer). Contrary to the belief that girl groups don’t write their own songs, the Pointer Sisters wrote several of their hits throughout their career including “Fairytales” and “I’m So Excited.” Not that producers in the industry thought these songs should automatically be included on their albums. “I remember my sister Anita fighting to get songs that she wrote, that she and me and June wrote together, on the album,” says Ruth. “Even ‘I’m So Excited’ was on the album before Break Out and it just kind of went unnoticed. Anita fought and said, ‘No! We’ve got to rerelease this song. I know it’s a hit and I’m insisting,’ and she got it back on there.” (Rereleased as part of the 1984 pressing of Break Out, “I’m So Excited,” along with the hits “Automatic,” “Neutron Dance,” and “Jump (For My Love),” helped the album go triple-platinum). And while the Pointer Sisters will perform hit after hit at their show at MGM, Ruth is most looking forward to seeing the other acts perform. “I’m a fan of all of those guys,” she says. “I’ll probably run out there and watch them before we go on.” The Pointer Sisters play at 7:30 p.m. on July 26 at MGM National Harbor, 101 MGM National Ave., Oxon Hill. mgmnationalharbor.mgmresorts.com $93.37–$235.70. —Christina Smart

Friday: Previous Industries at Songbyrd

Does Open Mike Eagle belong in the best albums about divorce? While Marvin Gaye’s Here, My Dear and Frank Sinatra’s In the Wee Small Hours pack an emotional punch both sonically and lyrically, they’re not exactly fun. Bob Dylan’s Blood on the Tracks is a bit more relatable with songs like “Tangled Up in Blue” and “Idiot Wind,” but it’s a little much sometimes—how do you top Dylan? Richard and Linda Thompson’s Shoot Out the Lights was the best of the best of the breakup records—not too heavy, a classic on par with Blood on the Tracks without the weight of Dylan. But it may now be the second best divorce album. Open Mike Eagle’s 2020 opus Anime, Trauma and Divorce is the best entry in his catalog, though it’s not the most streamed. I get it. Who wants to listen to a concept album about the end of a marriage when you can listen to more universal songs about social anxiety? If you’re not 100 percent comfortable in your relationship status, it is a good idea to stay the hell away from songs like “The Black Mirror Episode.” But if you’re not afraid of Netflix and not-at-all-chilling with your significant other, it’s the best breakup song of the decade. It’s heavy, obviously, but it’s also fun. It is possible to see the humor at the end of the road! Open Mike Eagle is not touring behind a 2020 record. This appearance is part of the new Previous Industries, a project featuring Mike and two fellow former Chicagoans/current Los Angelenos: Video Dave and Still Rift. If you like Mike’s solo stuff, this new trio’s work is in the same wheelhouse. Video Dave is on the aforementioned Anime, Trauma and Divorce and all three musicians are on the excellent 2022 single “Circuit City” and 2023 single “WFLD 32.” Previous Industries play at 8 p.m. on July 26 at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com $20–$22. —Brandon Wetherbee

Wednesday: Joan Baez at Sixth & I

Iconic folk musician and activist Joan Baez has added a new title to her illustrious resume: poet. While she played her final concert in 2019, she’ll hit the Sixth & I Stage Wednesday as an author to discuss her recently released debut book of poetry, When You See My Mother, Ask Her to Dance. Despite decades of making her voice heard on some of the world’s biggest stages (the March on Washington, Kennedy Center Honors, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction, and the inaugural Newport Folk Festival, just to name a few), the book marks the first time Baez has publicly shared her poetry with the world. Baez told Vanity Fair earlier this year that her creativity “just exploded as soon as I quit touring.” The autobiographical poems vulnerably reflect on critical moments, people, and places from her long and impactful life in the public eye. Baez will be joined in conversation by NPR’s Ari Shapiro. The conversation with Joan Baez starts at 7 p.m. on July 31 at Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. sixthandi.org. $12–$45. —Serena Zets 

Wednesday: Plena Libre at Strathmore’s Gudelsky Gazebo

You don’t have to be familiar with the folkloric origins of plena, a Puerto Rican musical genre, or even speak Spanish to appreciate the rhythms and fast-tempoed flow of the Grammy-nominated band Plena Libre. Formed in 1994, the Puerto Rico-based group have modernized the way plena is sung and combined their take with the barrel-shaped conga drums of bomba with touches of salsa and jazz via horns, bass, and a keyboard. Plena Libre were founded by bassist Gary Núñez, who died of cancer in 2023. Under Nunez, Plena Libre released 15 albums and brought their lively sound to concert stages around the world. Now his son LuisGa Núñez has assumed his late father’s role as bassist and bandleader. While the unit’s music has always been rooted in traditional Puerto Rican folk styles, that doesn’t mean it’s sedate. Live, some of the frontline vocalists, who also hit handheld drums or maracas, do choreographed dance moves, and harmonize behind a lead vocalist while the horn section expertly comes in and out with riffs, and the bomba and timbales drummer pound away. There’s a lot going on, but it’s well coordinated and not atonal. Audience members can both admire the musicians chops and dance. Plena Libre play at 7:30 p.m. on July 31 at Strathmore’s Gudelsky Gazebo, 10701 Rockville Pk., Rockville. strathmore.org. Free. —Steve Kiviat

Wednesday: Reyna Tropical at Songbyrd

If you combine the Spanish words for “bad” and “happy,” you get a portmanteau that rolls off the tongue: malegría. Over two decades ago, Manu Chao used the word to name a song on his seminal 1998 album, Clandestino. This year, it serves as the title of an entire album: the debut from Reyna Tropical. In one of the many interludes sprinkled throughout Malegría, Reyna Tropical co-founder Nectali “Sumohair” Díaz says the duo’s music seeks to encapsulate that bad-happy feeling. “Being able to dance it off, it’s very important,” he once said. “When constructing a track, I think about, like, how can people move, even though the song is not the happiest song in terms of lyrics?” That question took on heightened meaning for Fabi Reyna, the other founder of Reyna Tropical, following Díaz’s tragic death in an e-scooter accident in downtown Los Angeles in 2022. “For several months I didn’t know how to perform on stage without him, or how to write music without him,” she told Rolling Stone last year. “It left me with the question of, ‘How is this going to continue? Is this fair, is this what he wants?’ But the answer was always a resounding yes.” Although he’s gone, Reyna invoked Díaz all over Malegría—in intimate interludes made of old voice memos, in lyrics tinged with grief and depression, and in its bittersweet, malegría spirit. Despite its inherent heaviness, Reyna Tropical’s stellar debut album overflows with joyful, tropical rhythms that will make you want to dance. Reyna, now a solo project, weaves together sounds from Mexico, Colombia, Peru, Puerto Rico, and other cultures in Latin America, with special attention and reverence paid to Afro-Latine and Indigenous traditions. The result is an expertly crafted statement about creative partnership and diasporic living that doesn’t shy away from the ugly (say, colorism within the Latine community, or the harmful effects of ecotourism), but also staunchly celebrates the beautiful. Reyna’s soft, enchanting voice swings between sophisticated lyrics and simple mantras, giving certain songs an almost prayer-like effect—if prayers were something you sprung up and swayed your hips to. Reyna Tropical plays at 8 p.m. on July 31 at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com. $15–$22.—Ella Feldman

Pinky Lemon, Pinky Hell

Pinky Lemon’s Pinky Hell is over long before you can get tired of that much pink. The six-song EP, which came out June 27, avoids what most every shoegaze and shoegaze-adjacent band does by wrapping things up quickly. Every track is under 4 minutes, 35 seconds long, most songs are near the 3-minute mark, and each has the potential to be twice as long. The “long” song on the record is actually two songs that share a track. There’s no fat on Pinky Hell, which is impressive considering who this five-piece may be inspired by. There are major Beach House vibes with some “Minerva”-era Deftones sprinkled in for good guitar measure. “I MIL” has a lot in common with acts like Tanukichan and SASAMI—both of whom would pair well with Pinky Lemon on a shared bill. But we’re not in My Bloody Valentine-inspired territory—it’s more reminiscent of Gish-era Smashing Pumpkins. (There are also some jungle and drum and bass-inspired interludes that break up the shoegaze.) All of those aforementioned acts like to play it loud and long. Pinky Lemon have nailed the ethos of the genre without getting into the more flights of fancy. This very quick EP does not sound like the past, instead it sounds like a group of musicians who spent a lot of time thinking about how to manipulate drums, guitar, and vocals into something wholly their own.  Pinky Lemon’s 2022 self-titled LP highlighted some of the better aspects of the band. This EP delivers on those aspects. It’ll be great to hear what they do on their next full-length. Pinky Lemon open for Silver Spring act Eyefish Ink at 7:30 p.m. on Aug. 30 at Songbyrd. $15–$18. —Brandon Wetherbee 

Bed Maker, Bed Maker

Formed in 2019, Bed Maker are the perfect example of what can happen when elements of various D.C. bands come together to form their own powerhouse project. Bassist Arthur Noll and drummer Vin Novara (both from Alarms & Controls), guitarist Jeff Barsky (Insect Factory, Time Is Fire), and lead singer Amanda MacKaye (Desiderata, Routineers) began laying the groundwork for their eponymous debut album before the pandemic. Recorded at Inner Ear Studios and released May 31 via Dischord Records, Bed Maker is quintessential D.C. punk: zero frills and straight to the point. MacKaye recently described the process to the One Life One Chance Podcast with Toby Morse as “very 1987.” In the opening track, “Two Left Feet,” MacKaye calls for a “rally cry” that’s “sure to kick your teeth in.” (Pass me my Docs.) This rally cry and album is as much a wake-up call to young’uns testing out their punk legs as it is a reminder to older punks who may have lost their way. “If you think about people who follow the societal path that has been documented in countless punk songs,” MacKaye told Morse. “Graduate from college. Get married to somebody. Have two kids. Get a house. Then you turn 60 and you retire and then you slow down cause that’s what society says … Fuck a bunch of that noise.” MacKaye’s raw, unadulterated delivery contains all the passion and rage of a 1980s D.C. punk who happens to be dealing with life in 2024. “Fool’s Errand” finds MacKaye lamenting the busyness of life with “And all these fucking hours/ I can’t find what’s mine/ As long as I’m awake I never have the time.” Preach, sister. The trio of Noll, Novara, and Barsky lay down far more than your standard three-chords-and-a-dream fare throughout the album as MacKaye’s vocals tear all of the songs’ lyrics to shreds. While the 32-minute run time of their debut is short, it’s hardly sweet and instead packs a much-needed wallop that is much more than a bunch of noise. Bed Maker play with Kid Congo Powers at 8 p.m. on Aug. 8 at the Black Cat. $20. —Christina Smart 

Pretty Bitter and Flowerbomb, Take Me Out

Back in February, two of D.C.’s most prolific bands joined forces in Chicago. The result is Take Me Out, a split EP from Pretty Bitter and Flowerbomb that drops on Aug. 1. The five-track EP—two songs from Pretty Bitter, two from Flowerbomb, and the collaborative title track—swings from indie rock to dream pop in an enjoyable and jive-able package. Pretty Bitter’s “Never Better” opens the split with the band’s shiny pop sensibilities. Em Bleker’s singsongy meets spoken-word vocals drive the track alongside a danceable drumbeat from Jason Hayes. The song contemplates moving on from a breakup with a sing-along chorus: “Baby, I needed more/ It’s not either of our faults,” and an equally catchy refrain, “If I saw you on the street/ I’d give you directions/ It’s no difference to me.” The Flowerbomb track “Nothing To Do With Me” follows, pulling the EP closer to a more cut-and-dried indie rock sound with its fuzzy, driving guitar riffs more suited for head-banging than bopping around the dance floor. Rachel Kline’s vocals channel the women of ’90s alt rock—throaty and powerful, brimming with attitude reminiscent of Alanis Morissette or Shirley Manson. As you might expect, the third song, “youbuiltafinelife,” comes from Pretty Bitter, the fourth, “I Always Knew,” from Flowerbomb. The sounds of the two bands blend best on these tracks, melding their shared genres from heart-on-sleeve emo to lush dream pop. The closing collaborative track, “Take  Me Out,” centers Pretty Bitter’s upbeat pop, but the recurring guitar riff gives the song an unexpected—and very appealing—twang that’s everything I didn’t know I wanted. Flowerbomb and Pretty Bitter fit so well together, it’s near impossible to tell which band member is contributing what. Bits and pieces of tracks carry some of that unpolished DIY feel—there’s a little too much ’90s video game-esque synth in “I Always Knew,” but then it finds its footing when the guitar and drums power into the song just over the minute mark; the funky bass line in “youbuiltafinelife” sometimes feels mismatched with Bleker’s truly hypnotic voice and the darker undertones filling the second half of the song. Still, taken as a whole, Take Me Out demonstrates the type of growth in songwriting and finished product that only comes from years working together as a band. On first listen, Take Me Out is a fun summer release, but keep it on repeat and you’ll get lost in the music as the songs get stuck in your head. And that’s OK, they’re worthy of staying there. Pretty Bitter and Flowerbomb’s EP release show starts at 8 p.m on Aug. 9 at the Black Cat. $20. —Sarah Marloff

Juliet Lloyd, “Sorry Now” 

Gaithersburg singer-songwriter Juliet Lloyd’s second single, “Sorry Now,” from her forthcoming album, is an introspective take on the aftermath of her divorce. With a blend of folk and pop elements, the song delves into moments of vulnerability and self-examination following the dissolution of her marriage. The house has already been emptied, the belongings divided, the boxes moved into two distinct homes, and our singer is just coming to a larger epiphany. “You were one of the good ones,” she laments, and then she does the grown-up thing and apologizes for past hurts and mistakes: “I wasn’t sorry then, but I’m sorry now.” In the first two verses, as Lloyd catalogs the broken household goods shoved into boxes, the divvying up of knife sets, photo frames, and mattresses, an inventory of the relationship outlines the emotional baggage of starting over. The production of the song, helmed by Todd Wright—who also plays bass, guitars, and synths—adds layers with lush strings, courtesy of David Henry, Steve Quintilian’s plaintive guitar, and Lloyd’s airy vocals. Following “Pretty,” the first single—a cautionary fairy tale about falling for a dashing villain—Lloyd’s evocative storytelling and raw honesty makes “Sorry Now,” released June 7, a captivating preview of Carnival, which will be released this fall. As a seasoned artist on the mid-Atlantic folk scene, the multiple Wammie nominee will be touring extensively in the area with upcoming shows listed on her website. “Sorry Now” is available on all streaming platforms. Lloyd and her band play the Montgomery County Parks Summer Concert Series at 6 p.m. on July 25 at Cabin John Regional Park; and the Bethesda Summer Concert Series at 6 p.m. on July 26 at the corner of Norfolk & St. Elmo Avenues in Bethesda. julietlloyd.com. —Colleen Kennedy 

Cuni, “Misato” 

Cuni, a tight four-piece that pulls from every electric guitar-based wave of emotional music, wave their emo flag proudly. They should. The band describe “Misasto,” the first single from their forthcoming LP, Prescribed Burn, out mid-September, as their “attempt to make an anime OST, the kind of song you’d see in the background of an early 2000s AMV, channeling equal parts of emo, American post-hardcore, and J-rock.” It’s not a bad description. The early 2000s sound is there with a bit of Taking Back Sunday meets Coheed and Cambria guitar play throughout the nearly four-minute jam. There’s some slightly older emo bleeding through too, with an instrumental line that feels like a nod to Sunny Day Real Estate. For better or worse, this should please fans of Brand New without any of the emotional baggage of listening to Brand New. This first taste from their upcoming record shows growth from earlier singles. The musicianship is tighter and the songwriting is more adventurous. There’s nothing wrong with their earlier stuff, especially 2023’s single “didymus,” but “Misato,” released on June 28, sounds more mature, even if the lyrical content is revisiting the same types of subjects (in 2023 it was about hanging by a noose, in 2024 it’s about drinking gasoline, different sounds, same end result). Jared Cunanan (vocals and rhythm guitar), Lucas Kirby (drums), Aaron Millison (lead guitar), and Franklin Parada (bass) have tightened their act and expanded their sound. Cuni play in Baltimore at 8 p.m. on Aug. 15 at the Undercroft. —Brandon Wetherbee 

Other recent releases on our radar: 

On June 13, the aforementioned Flowerbomb released the follow-up to their January EP, Gloom Scroll, Vol 1, with Vol. 2. 

On June 21, postpunk band Outerloop dropped EP 02.

Thursday: Under the Cherry Moon at Franklin Park

In a city with literally hundreds of outdoor movie night options, it’s somewhat surprising there aren’t more Prince-themed options. Sure, it’s not unlikely to see Purple Rain on a lawn near you, which makes sense because it’s Prince’s best movie, but the unlikely showing of the artist’s much more forgettable flick makes this screening of 1986’s Under the Cherry Moon even better. Prince’s directorial debut isn’t as memorable as his on-screen debut, but few films featuring the Purple One and Lake Minnetonka are. The follow-up to Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon is more style than substance but at this point, who cares? It’s a black-and-white film with Casablanca vibes shot in Nice, France. The story and acting leave a lot to be desired—Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert gave it two thumbs down and it tied Howard the Duck for Worst Picture of the year at the 1986 Golden Raspberry Awards—but the soundtrack is Prince’s Parade! You’ll want to attend this screening to celebrate Prince’s life and, most importantly, dance to his music. Outdoor film screenings are less about what’s on-screen and more about taking in the sights under the stars. When it comes to Under the Cherry Moon, the vibes are way better than the on-screen product. Under the Cherry Moon screens at 8:30 p.m. on July 18 at Franklin Park, 1332 I St. NW. downtowndc.org. Free. —Brandon Wetherbee

Friday: Chungking Express at Freer Gallery of Art

Deliriously entertaining, at once quirky and profound, Wong Kar–Wai’s 1994 breakthrough is one of the pivotal films of the 1990s. Thanks to the impressionistic, kinetic cinematography, Chungking Express is a feast not only for the eyes and ears, but a vividly suggested platter for the nose and tongue. Wong’s split narrative follows two lovelorn law enforcers who frequent the same Hong Kong fast food counter. First up is Cop 233 (Takeshi Kaneshiro), who becomes obsessed with two things after his girlfriend leaves him: cans of pineapple that expire on May 1, 1994, and a mysterious, elusive blond (Brigitte Lin) who turns out to be a drug smuggler. The pineapple quest unresolved, the plot shifts to Cop 663 (Tony Leung), whose paramour leaves him after he changes her regular take-out order. But this officer has another choice in the form of new snack, bar worker Faye (Faye Wong), who’s obsessed with the Mamas & the Papas hit “California Dreamin’” and falls for the uniformed regular. Two cinematographers worked on this film; Andrew Lau shoots the first thread like a dazzling new wave crime drama. But Christopher Doyle, who shot most of Wong’s most successful films, almost finds a new visual language for the Faye segment, his camera swooning much like its characters. Two of many delicious moments sum up its magic: In a mesmerizing slow-motion aside, Faye stands in front of a fan at one end of her lunch counter, gazing at her beloved and sending her scent his way, to no avail. And in the movie’s best joke—Faye sneaks into 663’s apartment, redecorating and switching out labels on the canned food in his pantry: When he eats a mislabeled can of sardines, it’s as if he’s trying them for the first time. It’s hilarious, but also a moving metaphor for the way love transforms us. As Faye changed his taste buds, and his life, Wong changed cinema, if only for 104 minutes. Chungking Express screens at 7 p.m. on July 19 at the Freer Gallery of Art, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. asia.si.edu. Free. —Pat Padua

Saturday: Girls Rock! Showcase at the Black Cat 

The work happening at Girls Rock! DC’s annual summer camps go beyond teaching girls how to rock out in a band. For a week straight, counselors and program leaders echo the words and mantra that would have changed the life of its own executive director Noel Schroeder if she’d heard them as a teenager. “My voice matters,” she says. The D.C. chapter—similar to hundreds of girls’ rock camps that have formed across the country—has spent 17 years working to provide a space for girls and women to feel comfortable speaking their minds and making their own decisions. Campers learn a lot in just a few days, such as working with band coaches to play instruments and write their own music. Program leaders also take the opportunity to expand the training to go beyond music, by helping youth find their sense of expression. They also learn to collaborate with bandmates and fellow campers alongside coaches, preparing them for future situations when they’ll need to compromise and work with a team, whether that happens in a band or not. Seeing these campers take to the stage to perform after only a week is superbly joyful. It’s why the performance tends to sell out year after year. The magic behind this weekend’s Girls Rock! Showcase isn’t simply floating down the Black Cat stage, but the product of a weeklong effort to build stamina, confidence, and in today’s young girls. July Summer Camp Showcase starts at 11 a.m. on July 20 at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. (A second showcase takes place on Aug. 10, same time, same place.) girlsrockdc.org. $30. —Heidi Perez-Moreno

Saturday: The International Colombian Festival at Catholic University

Colombia celebrates its Independence Day on July 20, and here in D.C. Colombians and supporters can celebrate at the International Colombian Festival. Home to Indigenous residents, descendants of European immigrants, and descendants of enslaved Africans, Colombia is the third most populous Latin American country, and this event offers a chance to experience some of the tropical locale’s music, dance, and food. In a nod to the large number of Salvadorans who live in the D.C. area, the festival also honors them by including guest participants from El Salvador too. Musical acts on the bill include Teno El Melodico, a Colombian salsa choque vocalist with a warm voice who sings and raps over a tuneful mesh of salsa and reggaeton, and Cathia, who lends her smooth vocals to polished yet bouncy cumbia and Latin pop. Also on the roster is Los Embajadores Vallenatos, a singer and accordion duo who perform fast-tempoed folkloric vallenato music, and La Marvela, a local all-women band known for their harmonies, percussion, and activist spirit. Dance company participants include El Tayrona, a Falls Church-based Colombian folk dance company, and Flor de Café, a local Salvadoran dance troupe. Attendees, while watching the performances, can dine on culinary offerings including  arepas, corn dough patties stuffed with various ingredients that have been eaten in Colombia since precolonial times. The International Colombian Festival runs from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on July 20 at Catholic University, 598 John McCormack Rd. NE. colombianfestivaldc.com. $20–$25. —Steve Kiviat   

Tuesday: Tinariwen at Warner Theatre

Tinariwen’s guitar work, specifically from band members Ibrahim Ag Alhabib and Alhassane Ag Touhami, is so impressive it’ll make you want to pick up a guitar as soon as you get home or put one down forever. With more than 30 years into a recording career, 40 as a collective, the group of Tuareg musicians from the Sahara region of Mali may be the most internationally relevant guitar-based band working today. In the last year they’ve graced stages in Australia, France, Japan, and Saudi Arabia. They’ll be playing across the United States and Canada this summer before hitting most every major Western European city in the fall. Their infectious and universal music is truly international and it sounds like it could have been made as soon as guitars were electrified. There’s noodling reminiscent of early 1950s Les Paul-era jazz and pop. There are riffs on par with 2020s Queens of the Stone Age. Tinariwen’s desert blues have a lot in common with the best psychedelic music. They make hypnotic head-nodders and toe-tappers that are easy to get lost inside. If you’re listening in headphones, time slips away. If you’re seeing them live, that’s when you’ll either want to pick up or put down that guitar at home. Tinariwen play at 8 p.m. on July 23 at Warner Theatre, 515 1th St. NW. livenation.com. $20–$108. —Brandon Wetherbee

Wednesday: The Dollyrots at Atlas Brew Works

With the help of Pie Shop, Atlas Brew Works, the sometimes music venue and beloved neighborhood brewery, will be the local stop for the current tour for L.A.-based, Florida-bred pop-punk-rock band the Dollyrots. Formed by bassist-vocalist Kelly Ogden and guitarist Luis Cabezas, the Dollyrots bring the force and noise of punk in their bubblegum hooks and sunny lyrics that their own two kids get to watch as audience members. The band have released eight albums, including a few extended plays, live albums, and Christmas-themed tracks, since forming shortly after the results of the 2000 presidential elections. Disillusioned with George W. Bush and convinced the world was going to end, the band took their music full-time. That torch they carry has kept pop-punk music alive since the genre experienced commercial success in the 2000s, when acts like Jimmy Eat World, Sum 41, and Blink-182 reshaped the punk of their predecessors into radio-friendly pop. These influences are alive on the Dollyrots latest album, Nights Owl, which came out last October. Their Wrapped in Sunshine tour plays off the name of one of their newest singles, emblematic of the light and energy behind many of the melodic choruses the band is known for. Philadelphia-based Soraia and local band (and self-titled “punk nerd party people”) Curse Words open. The show starts at 7 p.m. on July 24 at Atlas Brew Works, 2052 West Virginia Ave. NE. atlasbrewworks.com, $20. —Heidi Perez-Moreno

Daily: Progression at Multiple Exposures Gallery

It’s a project with a design so convoluted that few would dare attempt it twice within nine months. But the photographers of Multiple Exposures Gallery are game for another Progressions exhibit, in which 15 members contribute 45 images in sequence, thematically playing off the previous image with either a photograph they’ve already taken or with a new one. The new image may mirror the previous one’s subject matter, composition, or color, but there needs to be some visual or thematic linkage. As with last year’s version of Progressions, windows and chairs are a bit overused as transitional elements (this time around, I’d add clouds to the overused list, despite their loving portrayals throughout the exhibit). The intended connections usually become clear; only a couple of times was the link so obscure that I missed it. But the real test of images in the exhibit isn’t their connection to the preceding and following photographs, but whether they stand out in isolation. Fortunately, many in Progressions do. Notable images include Irina Lawton’s spindly playground structures set against a fire-red sky; Stacy Smith Evans’ gaggle of teenagers on a European street corner; Sandy LeBrun–Evans’ bracingly rough-hewn image of a cafe patron and a figure walking through a passageway in the background; Soomin Ham’s barely visible insect on a striated, translucent surface; Van Pulley’s portrayal of a sand dune that ranges in tone from sepia to inky black; and Alan Sislen’s image of a man alongside a rural road marked by zebra-like shadows, thanks to trees lining the roadway. With Progressions, come for the brainteaser, but prepare for some wide-eyed stops along the way. Progressions runs through July 28 at Multiple Exposures Gallery at the Torpedo Factory Art Center, 105 N. Union St., Alexandria. Daily, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. multipleexposuresgallery.com. Free. —Louis Jacobson

Saturday: The Last Podcast on the Left at Warner Theatre

Is this what theaters like the Warner were built for? Obviously, the architect of this gorgeous building didn’t foresee podcasting when it was constructed in 1929—the space originally screened silent movies. But watching three dudes chat about topics formerly reserved for dark bars and currently explored in dark corners of the internet actually works on a big stage surrounded by hundreds of like-minded individuals. Unlike some of the other podcasts acts able to sell a thousand tickets in most major markets, the fellas of The Last Podcast on the Left are not brought to you by National Public Radio or DraftKings. They’re also not trying to solve a murder or save democracy or threaten democracy by being bad li’l boys. The LPOTL dudes, comics Marcus Parks, Henry Zebrowski, and newest host Ed Larson, are kind of a podcast throwback, funny people exploring a topic—in this case “all things horror” (hence the name playing off Wes Craven’s 1972 directorial debut)—for 90 to 120 minutes. There are jokes, there are fun facts, there is frivolity. Close your eyes and get transported to when podcasts were better, before Spotify and your favorite public radio station helped make the art form a lot more boring. The Last Podcast on the Left starts talking at 8 p.m. on July 13 at Warner Theatre, 513 13th St. NW. livenation.com $49.25. —Brandon Wetherbee

Sunday: Folger Library Pop-Up Book Fair

If you loved the Scholastic Book Fair as a child, fell in love with William Shakespeare’s work in school, and have been meaning to check out the recently reopened Folger Shakespeare Library—or you’re just a well-rounded reader or thespian, this event is for you. This Sunday, the Folger invites D.C. residents into their renovated facilities for a free Pop-Up Book Fair showcasing literary work from the Folger’s 2024–25 season. The upcoming season, titled “Whose Democracy?”, will feature a production of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, directed by Raymond O. Caldwell, and Twelfth Night, as well as Lauren Gunderson’s A Room in the Castle, which reimagines Hamlet from the women’s narratives. In addition to selling books, the Fair will feature a family story time, poetry reading, and literary giveaways from the Folger and local independent bookstores. Last year, while the Folger building was still undergoing massive renovations, the book fair was hosted at Capitol Hill’s East City Bookshop. This year’s event hopes to welcome the D.C. community back into the reimagined space and show that the research library meets theater has something for everyone. While you’re there, check out the Rita Dove poem carved into the west garden’s marble edge. The book fair starts at 11 a.m. on July 14 at Folger Shakespeare Library, 201 E. Capitol St. SE. folger.edu. Free. —Serena Zets 

Wednesday: Pebble to Pearl at the Wharf

The Wharf is one of D.C.’s gems—the sunsets, ambience, and liveliness accompanied by seagulls, waterfront breezes, and the smell of Old Bay from the fish market make it the perfect place to spend the summer. Its free (yes free) summer concert series Rock the Dock adds to the cacophonous sounds of the season. Presented by Pacifico, the concerts take place every Wednesday evening through Aug. 28 and offer a cool reprieve of the heat. Genres range from R&B, jazz, reggae, and go-go to country and pop covers. This week’s act is Pebble to Pearl. The local six-piece are known for playing funky, contagious dance tunes that blend R&B, blues, and soul. Lead vocalist Dari J has been praised for her powerhouse vocals and pianist Araya has been celebrated for his virtuosity. They’re sure to have you shimmying with your Dark and Stormies in hand. (Cantina Bambina is mixing some delicious drinks to make the evening that much sweeter.) Pebble to Pearl play Rock the Dock at 7 p.m. on July 17 at Transit Pier, 970 Wharf St. SW. wharfdc.com. Free. —Simone Goldstone 

Ongoing: Capital Brutalism at the National Building Museum 

The National Building Museum’s Capital Brutalism presents itself almost apologetically: The opening wall statement acknowledges that D.C.’s concrete behemoths are the city’s “most polarizing architectural landmarks,” and at one point the exhibit quotes former Housing and Urban Development Secretary Jack Kemp unflatteringly calling his own agency’s headquarters “10 floors of basement.” In fact, when the exhibit focuses on such buildings as the HUD headquarters, the J. Edgar Hoover FBI building, Georgetown University’s Lauinger Library, and the Energy Department’s James V. Forrestal Building, it spends almost as much effort discussing innovative proposals to revitalize these alienating edifices as it does on the buildings’ historical context and their current uses. Capital Brutalism presents its topic fairly, noting that in the 1960s and early ’70s, when most of these structures were built, the architectural establishment greeted them with applause. In one clipping shown, Benjamin Forgey, Washington’s leading architecture critic from 1964 to 2006, wrote in 1975, when the headquarters of what is now the Department of Health and Human Services opened, that the building was “several notches better than anything … the federal government has constructed in Washington in recent years.” (Today, this sounds like damning with faint praise, but it didn’t at the time.) Notably, the exhibit spotlights a few praiseworthy examples of the style, each of which, a close reading will indicate, are signaled by the lack of an appended how-do-we-fix-this? proposal. They include the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, with its smooth, circular exterior and rounded interior galleries; Dupont Circle’s wedge-shaped Euram Building, which, to be fair, benefits from its largely non-concrete exterior; and the semicircular concrete vaults of the Washington Metro, which, for all of Metro’s service shortcomings, still looks more attractive than New York’s subway system any day. Perhaps the thread that connects these successes is curves; the lesson for architects is, if you must go brutalist, please junk the concrete box. Capital Brutalism runs through Feb. 17, 2025, at the National Building Museum, 401 F St. NW. Thursday through Monday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. nbm.org. $7–$10. —Louis Jacobson

Friday: Yesterday & Today: DC Does Dischord Release Party at the Black Cat

D.C.-based label For the Love of Records is putting on a show to celebrate the release of their new compilation album. Entitled Yesterday & Today: DC Does Dischord, the LP is a tribute to the area’s hardcore punk heritage by some of the DMV’s most exciting artists. In case you’re new in town: Part of the reason D.C. occupies such a prominent place in punk history is Dischord Records. Started by former members of the band Teen Idles in the early ’80s, Dischord was initially run out of bassist Ian MacKaye’s parents’ house in Arlington. At Dischord, record sleeves were glued together by hand, and DIY was simultaneously a necessity and a quasi-religion. The label exploded into prominence with the founding of MacKaye’s next band Minor Threat, which released their first album in 1981. Inspired by another D.C. band, Bad Brains, Minor Threat are perhaps as iconic to D.C. as the Clash are to London and Black Flag are to Los Angeles. But Minor Threat and other Dischord bands were different beasts entirely, punk boiled down to its austere core, virulently opposed to all “rock ’n’ roll bullshit” as Dischord band Government Issue once put it. Thanks to the scene centered around Dischord, the District became a hive of iconoclastic experimentation. D.C. hardcore became a genre unto itself, and later Fugazi (a sort of Dischord supergroup composed of members from Deadline, One Last Wish, and Minor Threat) blended punk with reggae and funk to establish post-hardcore. Dischord bands like Beefeater and Embrace have even been credited as progenitors of “emo,” though that genre’s genealogy remains hotly debated. It’s no wonder For the Love of Records had to pull from such a variety of styles to properly pay tribute. On Yesterday & Today, a project conceptualized and organized by Celebration Summer bassist Greg Raelson, you’ve got everything from throwback punk in the vein of the Jam (Dot Dash) and hyper-caffeinated pop punk (Brace Face) to hardcore (Supreme Commander) and hip-hop (Breezy Supreme). Celebration Summer have a track on there too. When talking about his own music, local rapper Breezy Supreme practically sounds like he could be a Dischord artist straight out of the summer of 1985. “Everybody wants to be a trap rapper and talk about the same stuff as the next person,” Breezy said in an interview with Hip-Hop Junction. “I want to be myself and stand out and not sound like everybody else just to fit in.” The release party will, of course, include performances from many of the aforementioned acts. It’s all ages, and the proceeds will go to We Are Family D.C., a grassroots organization that provides services and advocacy to underserved seniors. Yesterday & Today: DC Does Dischord release party starts at 7 p.m. on July 5 at the Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. blackcatdc.com. $20. —Will Lennon

Friday: The Sixth Sense at Congressional Cemetery 

There’s no shortage of outdoor film screenings in the DMV, but not nearly enough in cemeteries. Thankfully, we have one: Cinematery at the Congressional Cemetery. After its 2023 series featuring the films of Tim Burton, the 2024 Cinematery series is somehow even better this year with its Summer of Spirits lineup. Of the four films screening (Beetlejuice played in May, The Haunted Mansion screens in August, and Casper in September), The Sixth Sense is the most appropriate to be seen where you might just see dead people. While the film introduced the world to M. Night Shyamalan and his signature twist endings, it is a flick that’s just as enjoyable when you know the twist. It’s not the easiest sell to convince someone to see a movie that seemingly everyone in the world has seen, but sometimes the setting is just as important as the feature and there’s no better setting to see this movie. Bonus, you too can also see dead people. Kind of. Finally, Independence Day is entirely too loud. Fireworks are a public nuisance. You may want to be in a quiet place watching a quiet film the day after July 4. The Sixth Sense will screen at 8:45 or 9 p.m. on July 5 at the Congressional Cemetery, 1801 E St. SE. congressionalcemetery.org. $10. —Brandon Wetherbee

Opens Saturday: Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage at the Phillips Collection

Intersectionality is more than a buzzword for the Phillips Collection, where the exhibit Multiplicity: Blackness in Contemporary American Collage opens this Saturday, July 6. Organized by the Frist Art Museum in Nashville and described as “monumental,” the exhibition showcases more than 50 pieces across three floors and two buildings. Themes span the human and Black experiences—particularly how history, memory, and beauty are constructed, like collages, in the mind—as evidenced by the exhibit’s strong structure, divided into six sequenced sections: “Fragmentation and Reconstruction,” “Excavating  History and Memory,” “Cultural Hybridity,” “Notions of Beauty and Power,” “Gender Fluidity and Queer Spaces,” and, finally, “Toward Abstraction.” Kat Delmez, curator of Multiplicity and senior curator at the Frist, says in the press release that 21st-century “collage is an arguably understudied and undervalued medium, especially in museum exhibitions.” Seeking to portray the diversity of the Black American experience, the 49 Black American artists whose pieces are on display range from emerging creatives to leaders in the field, including Mark Bradford, Lauren Halsey, Wangechi Mutu, Deborah Roberts, Mickalene Thomas, and Kara Walker. Explaining and exploring collage techniques to visitors is a main goal of Multiplicity, with the first exhibit section and film interviews with 11 of the artists focused on the topic. The Phillips Collection has a number of community programs built out around the exhibit, evincing an all-in dedication to the concept, including artist-led conversations and artist-guided, hands-on collage-making sessions. Multiplicity opens July 6 and runs through September 22 at the Phillips Collection, 1600 21st St. NW. phillipscollection.org. $10–$20. —Allison R. Shely

Tuesday: Daphne Eckman at Alethia Tanner Park

There has been growing and long-overdue acknowledgment for the artistic merit of the genre of “sad girl indie rock” in recent years, thanks in no small part to the rise of Phoebe Bridgers and boygenius. Locally, our music scene is all the richer for Daphne Eckman’s arrival. Eckman’s music feels ready-made for an outdoor summer concert. It’s emotional without being oppressive, substantive while also melodic, and, most importantly, its composition of country, folk, and rock goes well with sitting on a beach towel and drinking from a plastic cup. The Annapolis-based “professional over-feeler” has opened for Vanessa Carlton and Nancy Wilson of Heart. In January, she and her four-piece band, informally known as “the ladies,” released their first album, Where You Left Me, mixed exquisitely at Sweetfoot Studios in Easton, Maryland. The album is built around “Story” (which Eckman says was inspired in part by Radiohead’s “Fake Plastic Trees”), a song about unrequited infatuation. That said, a better starting point is the instantly infectious “Jackson Pollock,” which sounds a bit like the more upbeat work from Laura Stevenson’s catalog. Acolytes of Bridgers, Waxahatchee, and early Angel Olsen are facing no shortage of content these days, but they (we) should still make time to check out Where You Left Me (bonus: that sax riff on “Acupuncture” is pretty sweet) and see Eckman live. If all that’s not enough to sell you, she sometimes encores with a cover of Metric’s “Black Sheep,” the best song from Scott Pilgrim vs. The World … at least according to people with good taste, aka fans of “sad girl indie rock.” Daphne Eckman plays at 6:30 p.m. on June 9 at Alethia Tanner Park, 227 Harry Thomas Way NE. eventbrite.com. Free. —Will Lennon

Tuesday: Emily Nussbaum at Politics and Prose 

Emily Nussbaum has been one of the most thoughtful voices on reality television, and TV in general, in the past few decades. Her first book, I Like To Watch: Arguing My Way Through the TV Revolution, published in 2019, is a must-read for any Buffy the Vampire Slayer or Sopranos fan. Her newest book, the just-published Cue the Sun! The Invention of Reality TV, tackles the less prestigious programming on your television (or computer or phone screen). Her regular work in The New Yorker tends to go viral for good reason. Her May 20 piece, “Is ‘Love Is Blind’ a Toxic Workplace?,” answered the question most every viewer of the extremely popular Netflix series has asked themselves and led to her recent appearance on NPR’s Fresh Air. Nussbaum’s essays and original reporting are both top-notch. Whether she’s writing about the show that helped usher in our current reality such as The Real World or the best of the best scripted programs, she puts an immense amount of thought and consideration into each subject. That goes for the trashy stuff too. Really, there’s no reason the trashy content doesn’t deserve as much thought as the prestige TV that dominated screens during the first decades of this century. Nussbaum is one of the few remaining must-read critics for good reason and if you’ve ever wanted to ask her opinion on your current favorite bingeable show, here’s your best opportunity. Emily Nussbaum speaks at 7 p.m. on July 9 at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. politics-prose.com  Free with first come, first serve seating, copies of the book are $30. —Brandon Wetherbee

Ongoing: Good Sports at Photoworks

More than most types of photography, sports photography relies on luck. Not that good sports photographers can’t perfect their skills to the point where they increase the likelihood of capturing a great image when it presents itself, but this still means their work is dependent on lots of things beyond their control: How close they are to a photogenic play; whether another player gets in the way during the wrong split second; how the light hits at a given hour; what kind of reaction an athlete makes. The exhibit Good Sports at Photoworks is consistently strong, but the photographers surely know that in none of these images were they entirely in control of their destiny. In this exhibit juried by John McDonnell, a recently retired 45-year veteran of the Washington Post’s photography staff, the first place image by Phil Fabrizio captures women’s volleyballers mid-celebration. In this case, no celebration, no photograph. In the third place image, of a rodeo participant trying to control his animal, Ayln Brereton likely would have gotten a worthwhile image just by showing up at the rodeo, but the glorious eruption of mud that almost obscures the subject’s body depends entirely on the rain that doused the ring before the event, while Soufiane Laamine’s image of a surfer under a towering blue wave wouldn’t exist were it not for the precise timing of a primal force of nature. A few other contributors are able to shape their work to a greater degree than others, such as Nicolas Polo, whose rodeo images are notable for their mood, which stems from his wise use of black-and-white film. But the finest work is by second place finisher Elizabeth Billman, who contributed two images, one of football action and the other of a runner racing with a baton. Both are composed with dreamy, relentlessly sideways motion. Used constantly, this approach could become cliche. Here, it enables Billman to stand out from the pack. Good Sports runs through July 21 at Photoworks, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Saturdays, 1 to 4 p.m.; Sundays, 1 to 7 p.m. glenechophotoworks.org. Free. — Louis Jacobson

Thursday: Mdou Moctar at the 9:30 Club

The Nigerien guitarist has come a long way from his first U.S. tour in 2017, when his whirlwind immersion in Washington culture included a gig at the Library of Congress and a three-day residency at Episcopal High School before culminating in a headlining performance at the Black Cat. In May, Moctar released Funeral for Justice, his second album on Matador Records, graduating from small stages and, at times, restrained folkish rock to a huge, positively head-banging rock sound. And to think he learned how to play on a homemade instrument. Moctar is modest about his distinct musical voice, explaining, “I don’t know what rock is exactly … I only know how to play in my style.” With his latest album, Moctar lends his love for ZZ Top to a crucial message. In “Funeral for Justice,” he pleads (in translation), “African leaders, hear my burning question, Why does your ear only heed France and America?” Mdou Moctar plays at 7:30 p.m. on June 27 at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. 930.com. $28. —Pat Padua

Friday: Pride Poem-a-Day Reading at Little District Books

Get ready to work those philosophical cogs like Aristotle on a sunny day in ancient Greece, because summer is the perfect time to grab one of those poetry collections gathering dust on your bookshelf for an afternoon visit to your favorite park bench. But D.C. doesn’t have the dry, mild Mediterranean climate the philosopher king enjoyed. You might find yourself desperately scanning for meaning in prose, searching for when line-breaking hyphens are stylistic or functional, wracking the last cells in your brain to grasp Walt Whitman’s “Song of Myself” as the heat numbs all sensibilities. Yeah, hot reader summer is not going so well. Don’t lose faith, weary reader! There’s a better way to immerse yourself in literature: Hear it from the poets themselves—in an air-conditioned room! The annual DC Pride Poems project is holding its Poem-a-Day Reading on June 28, with four of D.C.’s accomplished LGBTQIA poets. For the uninitiated, DC Pride Poems releases a video of a poem reading every day for the 30 days of June in honor of Pride Month; some of those featured poets will be reading at the event. Listen to the free-form of Richard Hamilton, author of Rest Us and Discordant, and Kim Roberts, author of six poetry books and guidebook A Literary Guide to Washington, D.C.: Walking in the Footsteps of American Writers from Francis Scott Key to Zora Neale Hurston. Or indulge in the critical lens of Natasha Sajé, author of five poetry books including The Future Will Call You Something Else, and Dan Vera, author of two poetry collections and co-editor of Imaniman: Poets Writing in the Anzaldúan Borderlands. The diversity and richness of D.C.’s queer poets will be celebrated this Friday. The four poets perform at 7 p.m. on June 28 at Little District Books, 737 8th St. SE. littledistrictbooks.com. Free. —Lizzy Rager

Saturday: FIGHTMASTER at the Atlantis

E.R. Fightmaster is most recognizable for their star turn in Grey’s Anatomy, a two-season stint on Hulu’s Shrill, and their cameo in Lucy Dacus’ “Night Shift” music video. An accomplished and history-making actor, they’re now embracing being a multihyphenate artist, creating music under their surname FIGHTMASTER. Their debut EP, Violence, came out last year and their sophomore project, Bloodshed Baby, was released earlier this month. Both EP names misleadingly evoke an aggressive intensity that their music doesn’t possess. FIGHTMASTER’s music is tender, twangy, and, above all, explicitly queer. Dancing on the tiled floor of the Atlantis as FIGHTMASTER croons onstage sounds like the perfect closing to Pride … or the perfect precursor to Orville Peck at the Anthem the following night (see next City Light). FIGHTMASTER plays at 8 p.m. on June 29 at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. theatlantis.com. $18. —Serena Zets 

Sunday: Orville Peck at the Anthem 

Orville Peck, the masked country singer-songwriter, continues to raise his profile. He’s featured on the new Willie Nelson album and Nelson is featured on his new record for two different versions of “Cowboys Are Secretly Quite Fond of Each Other.” Special guests like Diplo and Kylie Minogue are featured on Peck’s newest single, “Midnight Ride.” Elton John and Midland are some of the guests on his May EP of duets. But bigger doesn’t entirely mean better. Other than “Miénteme” with Bu Cuaron, Stampede: Vol 1. is a skippable entry into his otherwise stellar catalog. The genre hopping may be an important exercise for the 36-year-old musician, but he tends to be at his best when focused. Fingers crossed the LP version of Stampede, due to be released August 2, will be on par with the sonically ambitious Bronco from 2022 and his utterly fantastic 2019 debut record, Pony. On just two full-lengths, the South African musician who first made waves as a drummer in a Canadian indie rock band before pivoting to a new sound and persona, has proven to be one of the best modern frontpersons. Though his trajectory sounds like a Mad Libs-inspired parlor trick, there’s nothing gimmicky about his music. The sound is steeped in what initially made country music fantastic and his vocal delivery is superior to some of his 1990s country icons turned 2020s collaborators. Orville Peck may be a stage name from a seasoned performer, but his material is both powerful and easy to relate to. Based on the first few weeks of the Stampede tour, expect a healthy amount of the first two records. This is a performer playing larger and larger rooms with each tour cycle (he was at the 9:30 Club for two nights in 2022 and Union Stage in 2019), and if his star continues to rise, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him in an amphitheater or arena the next time he’s in the DMV. Orville Peck plays at 7 p.m. on June 30 at the Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. theanthemdc.com. $60–$85. —Brandon Wetherbee

Ongoing: Neuroland by Michal Gavish at the American Association for the Advancement of Science

The scientifically inclined art of Michal Gavish, a D.C.-based multimedia artist, is informed by her previous career as a research chemist. In her exhibit Neuroland, Gavish seeks to answer, “How do you picture a brain”—not the wrinkly pink organ per se, but rather the “network of neurons that extend through the body and make up a person’s thoughts and personality—the chemical and electrical webs that make us all both similar and unique?” Gavish’s works include myriad portrayals of dendritic shapes, some in stand-alone paintings on canvas or paper, and some blowing gently on veils of shiny, diaphanous fabric. Indeed, the more layers of translucent, satiny fabric she uses—up to four ply in some works—the more convincing the illusion of motion within the neural system. For a layperson, it’s hard to know how true-to-life Gavish’s biological portrayals are; dopamine is rendered in violet, adrenaline in green, and serotonin in magenta. One of her more intricate paintings, of melatonin, calls to mind a twin-peaked blue mountain with white waterfalls flowing into a blue green pool. Whether or not this depiction is literal, it certainly seems like a reasonable metaphor for the hormone that plays a role in sleep. Michal Gavish’s Neuroland runs through Sept. 30 at the American Association for the Advancement of Science, 1200 New York Ave. NW. Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. aaas.org. Free. —Louis Jacobson