Nightlife Agenda

Thursday, Feb 16
FoodBarDC recently declared its independence from upstairs neighbors Cobalt and 30 Degrees Lounge, and while we wait to see if the restaurant can finally -- finally -- do something with that awesome corner space on 17th Street, we're looking forward to tonight's debut of Thursday Night Trivia. If the questions on the Web site are anything to go by, this is our kind of arcane trivia night: Where are the Haversian Canals? Which war ended in 1856 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris? (Answers are at the end of this column.) Three rounds of trivia begin at 8 p.m. There's a $4 entry fee for each team of 2 to 4 players, but winners receive cash, bar tabs and other prizes. You may recognize host and DJ Edward Daniels from his gig running karaoke at Freddie's Beach Bar in Arlington. Let's hope he's just as good with the trivia game.

Long-distance relationships can be a hit-or-miss affair. Thankfully, jangly pop quintet the Apparitions are showing no signs of strain yet. Primary singer/songwriter Mark Heidinger just moved to D.C. from Lexington, Kentucky, where his four bandmates remain. The inter-band dynamics remain interesting: Heidinger handles vocal duties on about two-thirds of the group's songs, which milk its three-guitar attack to create sunny tunes in the vein of Ok Go and Fountains of Wayne. Bassist Robbie Roberts looks sort of like, well, the Band's Robbie Robertson in one of his beard phases. He doesn't have the magnetic on-stage persona that Heidinger has, but the four dynamic songs he sang that evening were the best of the set. Plus, he sings on "God Monkey Robot," which is now entering its second month of non-stop play on David's iPod.

Joining the Apparitions on a ridiculously crowded five-band bill at DC9 is the latest proof that a ridiculous band name will indeed get you recognized. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is perhaps the silliest of the "phrase band" trend sweeping the indie scene (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Say Hi To Your Mom, She Wants Revenge, etc.) and it's a lot more likely to draw the attention of bloggers than your usual The (Plural Noun) method. To the Missouri group's credit, it plays delicate, shambly indie pop that brings to mind the work of early Beulah, Of Montreal and the less bizarre bands that were a part of the Elephant 6 collective.

There's another stacked show a few blocks away on the Black Cat's backstage. If you've always loved bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and the Jesus and Mary Chain but missed out on the chance to see them in person, just close your eyes tonight and you'll be able to replicate the U.K.'s late '80s shoegazer scene. Headliners Alcian Blue has long been a favorite for its shimmering soundscapes, double guitar assault and atmospheric keyboards. Tonight's openers, Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers, both feature former members of Fredericksburg, Va. noise merchants Skywave and continue to make dark, sonically intense drone rock. Expect an evening of drum machines, moody vocals and songs good enough to cut through possibly ear-shattering volume.

Friday, Feb. 17
If you didn't get enough warmth in your heart earlier this week, reprise the sentiments tonight at Constitution Hall with two acts who have penned some of the best hip-hop and R&B love songs of the past five years. If you think ditties like R. Kelly's "Sex in the Kitchen" fit into that category, you're immediately required to listen to Floetry and Common's duet "Superstar."

Take a titan of the dance music world and strip away the trappings of the massive nightclubs that are often the only places where you can hear hallowed bosses of the turntables: No drunken fools mashing your feet and busting your groove on the floor; no egregious cover charge and chain-gang line outside; no requirement to wear fancy clothing that will just get smokehoused; a sound system properly tuned to the type of music being played. This can be your Friday night. House music legend Tony Humphries plays D.C. Sanctuary, and you want to be there.

Saturday, Feb. 18
It's been a while since we've heard from one of our favorite local acts, Los Hermanos Rodriguez, and it seems like most of the band's time over the past couple of years has been spent building up its label District Records instead of working on new material. We say that because the three LHR songs featured on the new "District Records: Volume One" sampler are the same three songs we've been rocking out to over here for the past three years or so. They still have that edgy, pre-Nirvana, SST/Dischord feel, which just makes us wish there was some new stuff. Perhaps there will be when the Los Hermanos hit the stage at Chief Ike's Mambo Room tonight to celebrate the release of "Volume One.". It will be a long evening with seven bands (all featured on the compilation) scheduled to perform; besides LHR, we recommend the Alphabetical Order, who will probably make you say, "Hey, these guys sort of remind me of Hum ... and I kind of liked Hum!" and the Nuclears, who won the D.C. portion of the Little Steven's Battle of the Bands in 2004 before being disqualified for being too young. The Nuclears kick things off at 4 p.m., with a new band scheduled to hit the stage at the top of the hour until Trip Lizard at 10 p.m. And not to detract from the bands, but now the possible highlight: There will be free pizza and $2 beer specials. Score!

Cafe Nema recently took over the old Erico's lounge space on the second floor of its building, and the owners have done nice job renovating. If you haven't checked it out yet, join U Street's artsy set for Asheru's Guerilla Lounge tonight. Asheru, the driven rapper, community activist and school teacher, is featured in a new book that chronicles the lives of African Americans who diverge from the standard 9-to-5 path for more unconventional careers. He'll be performing with other Washington artists featured in "Beat of a Different Drum" including W. Ellington Felton and spoken word poet Kymone Freeman.

Wander down Connecticut Ave on a Saturday night and you may notice that not all the lines are in front of the usual nightspots like Cafe Citron or MCCXXIII. Why is there a crowd in front of the Indian "street food restaurant" Heritage India? Because on certain days the place is transformed into *cough* Heritage Lounge. Tonight, for example, the folks from Euronet are turning the room into a Brazilian Carnival-style party with a DJ, samba dancers and Caipirinha drink specials. Expect crowds of twenty- to fortysomethings to turn out and get their groove on. We hear there will even be Mardi Gras beads, if the spirit moves. Doors open at 10:30 p.m., and the cover is $15 in advance from EuronetInternational.com.

Sunday, Feb. 19
Another holiday weekend chock-full of Sunday events is upon us, so take advantage of that Monday holiday by going out and doing something different. Both Crystal City Sports Pub and Arlington Cinema 'N' Drafthouse are hosting viewing parties for the Daytona 500, and we're really curious how the fender benders are going to look on the latter's 25-foot digital movie screen, and how loud the engines will sound on a full theater surround system. Can we bring our own two-beer-holder ballcaps? (Just kidding, race fans. Kind of.) It all kicks off at 1:30 p.m.

What would a long weekend be without an appearance by the Godfather of Go-Go? Chuck Brown joins the Uncalled 4 Band and the Afterhours Band at Zanzibar for a night of celebratory booty shaking. The music begins at 10 p.m., but show up early to watch the NBA All-Star game (and our boy Gilbert Arenas) on 10 televisions throughout the bar and restaurant. Tickets are $20 from all Downtown Locker Room locations.

Worlds Collide at DC9 when DJ Bill Spieler of Friday night's Brit-heavy Liberation Dance Party takes over the decks at Taint, the club's monthly indie-rock dance party thrown by (and for) gay music lovers. Anyone is welcome at this always-packed affair; Admission is $3.

Prince fans can breathe a little easier now that the nomadic LoveSexy DJ night seems to have found a home at Chief Ike's Mambo Room. This month's theme is "Te Amo Corazon" ("I love you with all my heart"), so expect plenty of romantic slowdances from His Royal Badness, as well as funky love songs that pack the dance floor. Drink specials are available (ask your bartender), and cover is $7. Doors open at 9 p.m.

Back in 1996, Camp Lo unleashed one of the few styles that has stood as unbiteable in the maelstrom that is hip-hop's endless cycle of invention and appropriation. They combined a system of dense jargon with throwback '70s swagger and killer beats to create sleeper hits like "Luchini" and "Black Nostaljack." Even though they never broke through the glass ceiling of the underground, their biggest records are classics to a surprisingly broad spectrum of hip-hop listeners. Many hip-hop acts that spent their careers in that "almost but not quite there" phantom zone are getting a resurgence, thanks to new independent releases and tours that consistently find appreciative audiences in Washington. The Bronx boys with the impenetrable slang and wild fashion sense play at Yuca tonight along with a bill of locals anchored by DJ Jesse Tittsworth.

Tuesday, Feb. 21
If you check out Nashville quartet Be Your Own Pet on the backstage of the Black Cat, there's a good chance you'll be won over by the group's impossibly high energy garage rock. Sometimes it's polite to offer to buy a band member a drink as a show of support in a situation like this. Do not do this tonight. You could be arrested. The members of Be Your Own Pet aren't 21, and frankly they aren't even close -- the average age of the band members hovers around 17. Lead singer Jemina Pearl is the focal point, finding a nice midpoint between classic riot grrrl icons like Bikini Kill's Kathleen Hanna and Bratmobile's Alison Wolfe and modern wild woman Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs.

Wednesday, Feb. 22
Local bands and local businesses are pitching in for the Adams Morgan-based non-profit For Love of Children tonight at Whitlow's on Wilson. For Love of Children has offered tutoring, leadership training and mentoring to at-risk kids for 40 years, and here's your chance to help them out: From 5 to 9 p.m., the group is bringing live music and a live auction to Whitlows' Sandbar. The $5 cover goes directly to FLoC, as do 10 percent of all food and drink sales.

Thursday, Feb. 23
I guess Crossroads is sending the message that we all should "diversify our bonds." Washington's home for the best performers on the international reggae scene plays host to the surgically menacing rhymes of Wu-Tang's GZA and DJ Muggs, the sonic architect of Cypress Hill? We're not mad at all.

Trivia Answers: Haversian Canals are found in bones. The Crimean War ended with the 1856 Treaty of Paris.