Thursday, June 28, 2007
As a correspondent for Vice Magazine and its online broadcast arm, VBS.tv, Trace Crutchfield gets to do things far more interesting than you or I.
He sipped "purple drank" (a.k.a. codeine syrup) in pursuit of the truth about Houston's rap scene. He exposed the garbagey, toxic waters that line the hip neighborhoods of Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn. He took a working vacation to Bolivia inspired by the coca plant.
He is an unmistakable, tall, aviators-wearing, blond suit-- a worthy man to kick off the Modernist Society's new "Playboy After Dark"-inspired series, which features conversations with modern beings of eclectic tastes and bizarre travels.
The Modernist Society bashes began in Chicago in 2004 as a tie-in to the online rag TheModernist.com. But the emphasis then was on luring quasi-celebrity DJs and bands, while the "Playboy" events will instead spotlight intellectual pursuits and entertaining banter. And then, if all goes well,the event will descend into gin-fueled debauchery.
Tonight, Jason Mojica, a co-founder of the society and TheModernist.com, will spend an hour informally interviewing his old friend Crutchfield at Bourbon in Adams Morgan, with a couple of good bourbons between them to help the conversation flow. "Tongue-in-cheek pretentiousness" is the guiding principle, says Mojica.
Sure, sure. But this "society" thing is conjuring up images of Opus Dei. Just what makes a person a modernist?
"Essentially, a questioning attitude," says Mojica, who, when not throwing smarty-pants parties, is a freelance writer and student. Unlike modernist design, which "tends to want to throw away the old," he says, the group seeks what's new without "discarding what is old just because it is old."
Tonight at 8. (Free Hendrick's cocktails from 8 to 9 p.m. Interview portion from 9 to 10:15 p.m., and dance party with DJs D-Mac and Neville C till 2.) Bourbon, 2321 18th St. NW. 2nd floor. 202-332-0800.
(And if you miss this month's, catch the next event July 26, which will feature a chat with Josh Rushing, the jaw-droppingly candid Marine whose Central Command media office interviews made him a surprise star of the al-Jazeera documentary "Control Room.")
-- Lavanya Ramanathan
The District
TodayON STAGE "WIT Hot American Summer" We can't give you too many details about this Washington Improv Theater production opening today, its being improv and all. We can tell you this: Over a half-hour, eight of the theater's funnymen and -women revisit the risque, ridiculous antics of summer camp. (And no, this does not mean band camp.) $10. Thursdays at 8 p.m. Through July 12. Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW. 202-315-1318.
CONCERT Lawyers File Motion to Rock Your Face Off Ten bands formed from illustrious Washington law firms (Sidley Austin, Alston & Bird, and Patton Boggs, to name a few) return for the fourth annual Battle of the Law Firm Bands. Besides providing overachieving types an opportunity to show that they are indeed cool, the event raises cash for Gifts for the Homeless. $10. 7 p.m. Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. 202-667-7960.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS Sunset Serenades The National Zoo's summer outdoor concerts start tonight; pack a picnic and check out the blues-rock Melanie Mason Band. Free. Thursdays, 6:30-8 p.m. Through Aug. 9. Lion/Tiger Hill, 3001 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-633-4800.
TomorrowON STAGE Video-Game Music Come to Life The National Symphony Orchestra performs "Video Games Live" tomorrow (Saturday's show is sold out), reinterpreting video-game music while game clips are screened in the background. The music comes from the Halo, Mario and Zelda franchises, Tron and other games; audiences are encouraged to dress in costume. $25-$45. 8 p.m. Kennedy Center Concert Hall. 2700 F St. NW. 202-467-4600.
FILM "Rwanda Rising" The National Museum of African Art hosts this hour-long film that serves as a pretty good follow-up to "Hotel Rwanda." Wondering what has happened since? This 2007 documentary -- featuring Quincy Jones, Bill Clinton and a host of government officials -- tracks rebuilding of the country and reconciliation between Hutus and Tutsis after the genocide. A reception will be held in conjunction with the event. Free, but reservations required. 6:30-9 p.m. 950 Independence Ave. SW. RSVP by calling 202-633-4651 or e-mailing africanartevents@si.edu.
Maryland
TodayCONCERT Silver Spring Swings The city's downtown Silver Plaza fills with music and face painters, as well as families, for this series each Thursday through Aug. 9. Tonight, catch Radio King Orchestra, a swanky, swingy big band (a regular on the free outdoor concert circuit) that recalls the era of Glenn Miller and young Frank Sinatra. Free. 7-9 p.m. Ellsworth Drive between Georgia Avenue and Fenton Street, Silver Spring. 301-565-7300.
TomorrowON STAGE "Sweeney Todd" The long-ago British legend of a barber who slashes his customers' throats -- a musical, thanks to Stephen Sondheim -- is presented in the open air as the latest offering at Annapolis Summer Garden Theatre. The musical, subtitled "The Demon Barber of Fleet Street," starts tomorrow. $15; seniors and students, $12. (Children younger than 5 not allowed -- but seriously, would you want to bring a toddler to this?) 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through Sundays through July 28. 143 Compromise St., Annapolis. 410-268-9212.
THE SCENE Friday at the Walters The Friday night happy-hour event has been venturing into some pretty indie territory, bringing in bands you're more likely to see at the Black Cat and Ottobar than some stodgy old museum. This round includes a performance by rising Charm City indie band Two if by Sea. Also on tap: A tour of the new "Gee's Bend" quilt show led by Nancy Pinn, a quilter. Free. 5-8 p.m. (Two if by Sea performs at 6:30.) 600 N. Charles St. 410-547-9000.
SaturdayON STAGE Switching on the Lights at the BlackRock MoCo's BlackRock Center for the Arts pretty much goes dark for summer, except for the free series that brings weekly performances to the outdoor stage. This week, performers in classical Indian dance from the Natyabhoomi School of Dance (it's pronounced nath-ya-boom-ee) are spotlighted. There are no seats, so bring a blanket or lawn chairs, and pack a picnic, too. Free. 7 p.m. BlackRock Center for the Arts, 12901 Town Commons Dr., Germantown. 301-528-2260.
Northern Virginia
TodayCONCERT Gypsy Eyes Acoustic Tour The D.C. record label Gypsy Eyes has dispatched its artists to play acoustic shows in various spots across the area all month, and tonight's show at Olsson's with Shortstack and Vandaveer wraps up the mini-tour. Free. 7 p.m. Olsson's Crystal City, 2200 Crystal Dr., Arlington. 703-413-8121.
FOR KIDS Fun for the Tykes at Wolf Trap The annual season of Children's Theatre-in-the-Woods shows kicked off this week at Wolf Trap's cozy outdoor stage with performances by Dinorock (doing the program "Dinosaur Babies," about a boy who enlists help from baby dinos to get over his nightmares) and world-music and dance outfit Nada Brahma. The Tuesday-Saturday shows are a steal at $5 for one show or $8 for both shows on the same day. (But note, they're awfully popular and tend to sell out.) Dinorock at 10 a.m. and Nada Brahma at 11:15 through Saturday. 1551 Trap Rd., Vienna. 877-965-3872. For a season schedule, visit http://www.wolftrap.org/performances/woods.html.
TomorrowFILM "Casablanca" Under the Stars The classic film, in which Ingrid Bergman and Humphrey Bogart play unlucky lovers amid WWII drama, is screened tomorrow as part of the Arts al Fresco free outdoor series. Movie at 8:30; belly-dancing demonstration, 8:15. Lubber Run Amphitheatre, North Second and North Columbus streets, Arlington. Call 703-228-1850 for rain cancellation information.
Save the Date
CONCERT End of the Road? Not Quite Although it's among the most famous of the harmony-happy R&B "boy bands" (New Edition and Bell Biv DeVoe are two others) and often is touted as the best-selling group of the genre, Boyz II Men hasn't been heard from much lately. Oh, wait -- except when the group's "End of the Road" rings out at practically every high school graduation in the country. The group is still out and about, although as a trio now, and on a tour that will bring it to the Birchmere (strange, we know) on July 22. $47.50. 7:30 p.m. 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. 202-397-7328.
FOR FAMILIES Throwing the First Pitch to Families The upcoming installment of the Smithsonian American Art Museum "SAAM I Am" monthly family program will bear a baseball theme, a little token for those who generally get more excited about the ballpark than, say, the "Biographer in Bronze" exhibition. The July 7 event will feature Nationals players Brian Schneider and Ryan Zimmerman; Cait Murphy, who authored a book about the particularly loopy players of 1908; a scavenger hunt to find a portrait of pitching great Nolan Ryan; and a tour of American Art's baseball-themed works, including Claes Oldenburg's "Study for Bat Column." Free. Noon-2 p.m. Eighth and F streets NW. 202-633-1000.
CONCERT Maryland Summer Jazz's Showcase The annual festival of workshops and jazz concerts ends each week of courses and events with a concert, each featuring faculty members (no slouches, they include sax player Jeff Coffin, who has played with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones; and trumpeter Dave Ballou) and jam sessions by the festival's students. The shows are July 20 and 27. $18; $15 in advance; ages 12 and younger, $5. Saint Mark Presbyterian Church, 10701 Old Georgetown Rd., Rockville. http://www.instantseats.com.
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