Nightlife Agenda

Thursday, April 13
A while back, Fritz wrote a blog post about the number of bars jumping on the Red Sox Nation bandwagon and billing themselves as Sox bars. (There's only one place that openly professes to love the Yankees, and you'd think there'd be somewhere devoted to the Cubs, wouldn't you?) The inspiration for the post was Mister Days' new Boston Red Sox Fan Club, which offers benefits like 10 percent discounts during Sox games and priority seating arrangements. If you're a Bostonian at heart, you can head out to Clarendon tonight to test drive the plan as the Sox play the Toronto Blue Jays. There's a dinner buffet from 5 to 7, which will give you plenty of time to load up on wings, and drink specials from 4 to 9. By the way, the Nationals are playing Thursday at 1.

A little island sun will be shining on U Street tonight. U Turn regularly brings artists from the Caribbean to connect with appreciative fans for whom reggae is more a lifestyle than mere music. Batch, Ras Attitude and the Zioniers hail from St. Croix and their deep roots music steeped in devout Rastafarianism. The big names in reggae regularly play Washington, but in our experience, some of the best shows - like tonight's -- take place in small venues with independent bands.

Friday, April 14
With Polly Esther's and Lulu's closed, we know there are people looking for places to let down their hair to cheesy retro music. We've experienced the "Giant '80s Jam" thrown by young professionals group Things To Do D.C., and it's exactly what you'd expect: a night of dancing to Madonna, Duran Duran and Michael Jackson with other thirty- and twentysomethings who aren't shy about busting a move and/or singing along with their girlfriends. This time, the event's at the Euro-style Eyebar lounge on I Street, so you'll have to dress up (no sneakers or caps), and note that the '80s tunes only run from 9 to midnight. After that, it's going to be "modern club music," which sounds like the usual Eyebar DJ. There's a $10 cover.

Rosie Thomas is a singer-songwriter with broader appeal than most. The usual coffeehouse-goers will dig her introspective, well-crafted folk tunes, but she also has the indie cred that comes from recording for Sub Pop and having toured with James Mercer (the Shins), Sam Beam (Iron & Wine) and Sam Jayne (Love as Laughter). Both camps should make sure to hear Thomas tonight at Jammin' Java.

Saturday, April 15
A generation before Chuck D. described hip-hop as the CNN for the 'hood, the Last Poets were dropping free verse about protest and consciousness over drums. Their work isn't so much a direct antecedent of hip-hop but rather a link in an old tradition that stretches back to griots in Africa. The Last Poets' influence has now come full circle, as the group continues to work with current voices in the urban arts scene. The group's appearance on "The Corner" by Grammy-nominated rapper Common made the song fully pop out into three dimensions. Tonight at Howard University's Crampton Auditorium, the Last Poets will be joined by a host of emerging voices, including national poetry slam champion Sonya Renee and actress and writer Holly Bass.

Patio season is finally here, and no one could be happier than us -- unless you're a dog who lives on Capitol Hill. Union Pub, the Senate-side watering hole formerly known as Red River Grill, is starting a new summer happy hour that allows humans and pooches to socialize on its spacious (and covered) outdoor area every Saturday afternoon from 12 to 4. You kick back with a beer or one of their famous frozen margaritas, your dog sniffs someone else for a change and everyone goes home happy.

After defining the local rock scene for two decades, Dischord Records hasn't been as active recently. The label has yet to release an album in 2006 and it put out only four last year, but it will be well represented at tonight's show at that classic rock 'n' roll hub, All Souls Unitarian Church. The Evens headline the show, and the group's 2005 self-titled debut may be the best album Ian MacKaye has played on since Fugazi's "Repeater." MacKaye and Amy Farina created a wonderfully understated, stripped-down set of songs full of great harmonies, catchy melodies and astute lyrical observations that always made Fugazi one of the most socially conscious bands around. Labelmates Antelope don't play too many shows and the group releases records at a glacial pace but that doesn't stop the hypnotic post-punk trio from being one of the area's more intriguing acts. Former Fugazi bassist Joe Lally will also perform.

For the second half of the evening, head on over to the Black Cat. We've said it before, but we love it when there's live music in lieu of a DJ on the Black Cat's mainstage on a Saturday night. It's even better when that live music is supplied by three quality local bands. We've been leading the Georgie James charge -- you can still listen to our podcast with Laura Burhenn and John Davis -- and the group's D.C. debut in front of a packed house on the Black Cat's backstage last month certainly didn't disappoint. There were no problems recreating the pop perfection of the songs on its "Dance Place Demos" in a live setting, and the few new songs hinted that the group is just scratching the surface of what it will offer. Next up on the bill is Soft Complex, a band that might appeal to those who normally go for the whole DJ night thing. The quintet plays new wave-inspired synth rock that can get folks dancing, maybe even the indie rock head-nodders. Headlining is Exit Clov, the senior band on the bill. The group almost splits the difference between the two openers, sharing some of the guitar pop influences of Georgie James but also the keyboard love of Soft Complex.

We all know what Santana Moss and Clinton Portis can do on a football field, but what about on a bowling lane? You can find out tonight at Lucky Strike, where Moss, Portis, teammate Sean Taylor and several other NFL players are going bowling to raise money for Moss' charitable foundation. From 6 to 7, they'll sign autographs for the public, and then bowl from 7 to 10. Proceedings are open to the public, so you can jeer Ed Reed when he bowls a gutter ball, mock Willis McGahee's 7-10 split or cheer for Edgerrin James. (We'd make some cracks involving Sean Taylor, Lucky Strike's anti-hip-hop dress code, the lengthy cocktail menu and designated drivers, but we have a policy of not making jokes about anyone facing 46 years in prison on aggravated assault charges.) There's no cover charge, but remember that Lucky Strike goes 21-and-over at 9 p.m.

Philadelphia's Lady Alma was discovered when she was on the dancefloor singing so robustly that DJ King Britt could hear her over his set. He was so impressed that turned down the music so he could locate her in the crowd. Shortly thereafter, she became the voice of Britt's cover of "Last Night a DJ Saved My Life" for his Sylk 130 project. Lady Alma has gone on to grace some of the biggest dance tunes of recent years, most notably 4 Hero's smash club banger "Hold It Down." Alma brings a bluesy gospel-inflected sound and a boisterous energy that multiplies many factors over in live shows. Her fans simply adore her. Catch her at Five tonight with Rob Paine, Willyum and Washington's own Tom B.

With U Street continuing to blossom and Republic Gardens no longer the "it" spot on the block, we've had an inkling that someone would try to get some more dance club action going. Bar Nun is a staple, but the area can support more. We just didn't expect the next push to come from Alero. This chain restaurant has dabbled in DJs but didn't seem too invested in the concept. (That much was made clear one night last month when we stopped in and saw the DJ's mixer was set up on a dining table in the corner.) Tonight Alero opens its doors to Enigma Productions' Rock Star Party. Enigma has held down nights at Avenue and Saki that draw impressively mixed crowds for New York club-style sets of popular hip-hop, R&B and dancehall spun by DJ Gaurav. We'll see how long the experiment lasts. Sign up on the guestlist at http://www.partywithenigma.com/guestlist.asp.

Happy Songkran and Pi Mai Lao to all our Thai and Laotian readers. (Thailand's three-day New Year celebration wraps up today, while Laos' festival ends Sunday.) Never shy about exploiting any holiday to promote a party, Masoud A. is hosting a Songkran and Pi Mai Lao night at Love tonight. You'll get the usual mix of hip-hop, house, Latin and '80s music on four levels, and passes for free admission come from masouda.com or dcnites.com.

Monday, April 17
San Francisco's the Gris Gris plays music that sounds like, well, it's from San Francisco -- sprawling psychedelia that alternately goes from heavy to jammy to folky and that hits most of what's in between. The quartet falls into the "not doing anything new, but doing what they do very well" category, and for a Monday night on the Black Cat's backstage, that will suffice. Fellow psych rocker Brian Glaze, one of the legions of former members of the Brian Jonestown Massacre, opens.

Wednesday, April 19
Some of you regular Sunday Post readers may remember a column called "The Adventures of Greg" in the Washington Post Magazine, which chronicled a few months in the life of stand-up comedian Greg Estrada, who performs under the name Curt Shackelford. One of his regular gigs is at Dr. Dremo's, and tonight, he's turning the showcase into a fundraiser for the youth leadership program HOBY, which was founded by actor Hugh O'Brian. Ten comics are slated to perform, and a $5 voluntary contribution for HOBY will be taken at the door. (You don't have to donate, but do you really want to be that guy who says "no" to charity?) Here's the clincher: After the pros do their acts, audience members are invited to go onstage and tell a joke. The best one wins $25 cash, two tickets to a show at the Improv and a free beer.