By Lavanya Ramanathan
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, August 3, 2007
After two years of showcases celebrating the female rapper, we think we've got an answer for the Can a Sista Rock a Mic? festival: Yes. Yes, she can.
Few cities were as ready for it as Washington. We are educated and progressive, we love our hip-hop, soul and spoken word -- and we appreciate spending our evenings in such hot spots as the Rock & Roll Hotel, Cue Bar and Republic Gardens.
And so, years after MC Lyte, Da Brat and that whole Real Roxanne/Roxanne Shanté business, a spotlight has shone on the city's own scene.
Festival co-founder Kimani Anku was promoting D.C. hip-hop and soul shows and was looking for a way to stand out when he remembered one particularly popular segment of his old Internet radio show. It featured female emcees.
After that, "I was on the streets begging people, 'Do you rhyme? Do you DJ? I'm doing this all-girl show, ' " Anku says. The resulting showcase, called B-Girl Manifesto and featuring rotating hip-hop, neo-soul, spoken word and R&B artists, played around town from about 2000 to 2002, drawing crowds of underground hip-hop fans.
In 2005, Can a Sista Rock a Mic? launched. A year later, Brandon Felton came on board, and the festival grew.
New this year is the Lady Beat Maker competition, featuring four emerging beatmakers, Ms. Tris Beats, Diverse, Trakslaya and Pri the Honeydark. They'll compete, then two finalists will each pick one of four female MCs to rhyme over their beats. The contest will be part of the opening bash at Rock & Roll Hotel that also features Georgia Anne Muldrow with Dudley Perkins and Bahamadia. $12. Wednesday at 9 p.m. 1353 H St. NE. 202-388-7625.
Other highlights from the five-night fest:
- Sy Smith, whom 20 million or so people might recognize as a backing vocalist on "American Idol," at Republic Gardens on Aug. 10 with Alison Carney and others. $12. 7:30 p.m. 1355 U St. NW.
- The free Summer Love Fest block party with poets, visual artists, Hueman Prophets and more, Aug. 11 in Silver Spring. 4-9 p.m. Arts Alley, 8030 Georgia Ave.
- MC Lyte at the festival finale, at Zanzibar on Aug. 12. $25. 6 p.m. 700 Water St. SW.
Through Aug. 12. For information, visit http://www.canasistarockamic.com or call 240-620-4253. Tickets available through http://www.instantseats.com.
SAVE THE DATEFESTIVALS In Year 2, a Bigger, Better Planet Arlington If you weren't thrilled about heading to nightspot Zanzibar last month to see famed South African trumpeter Hugh Masekela, you can catch him in a more festive, inclusive (because it's free!) environment in September when he returns to play the second Planet Arlington World Music Festival. Also on the bill: Cyro Baptista, the Skatalites and Lila Downs. Free. 4-10 p.m. Sept. 1. Free shuttles will travel between the Rosslyn Metro station and the festival, and picnicking is encouraged. 703-228-1850 or visit http://www.arlingtonarts.org/planetarlington.htm.
ON STAGE Kathy Griffin Her performance at the Kennedy Center next month sold out in a matter of days (Kennedy Center? Sold out? Doesn't exactly jibe with the "D-list" persona, does it?). But beginning today, you can snag tickets to see the flame-haired, potty-mouthed comic at DAR on Sept. 19 -- one day before her KenCen show. Tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster today at 10 a.m. $53.50. 8 p.m. DAR Constitution Hall, 18th and C streets NW. 202-397-7328.
ON STAGE Sympathy for the Devil Maverick thespian troupe Taffety Punk Theatre Company tells the story of Satan in its next production, "The Devil in His Own Words." Developed over three years by Marcus Kyd, it draws from depictions of Satan in the writings of John Milton, C.S. Lewis, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and Mark Twain (to name a few). Pay-what-you-can previews are Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m.; the run is Aug. 10-26. $10. Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW. For reservations, call 202-261-6612.
ON STAGE Cost Is No Matter When Peter Frampton Comes Alive Frampton will visit Loudoun County for its Summer Music Fest on Aug. 26, but if getting this close to the best-selling Brit is what you're after, try the intimate Birchmere, where the recent Grammy winner (for pop instrumental record "Fingerprints") will play Sept. 24-25. The budget factor: The outdoor show will run you $15-$20; the Birchmere, $75. 7:30 p.m. both nights (but as always, get there very early, because it's general admission). Birchmere, 3701 Mount Vernon Ave., Alexandria. 202-397-7328. (For information about the Loudoun show, visit http://www.liveatbelmont.com.)
THE DISTRICTToday
ON STAGE Stressed Out? Depressed? Flip Orley just might be able to assist you on both counts, being a comedian-hypnotist and all. Orley, who's been on the "Today" show and "Entertainment Tonight," has a way with these things, and he's so popular that his visit here last year included several sold-out dates. He's back at the Improv through Sunday, and his shtick is to open with a bit of monologue, then call out audience members for a little . . . reeducation. Word is he can make you forget your name. $15-$17. 8 and 10:30 p.m. today and tomorrow (tomorrow's 8 p.m. show is sold out), 8 p.m. Sunday. 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. 202-296-7008.
SundayCONCERT Saying Goodbye to the Warehouse Next Door One of the few smallish D.C. music venues closes its doors Sunday after four years. The Rupperts, the family that runs the space and which has held the building for generations, say they will seek a new spot, possibly in Columbia Heights. Noisemakers Negativland will perform their always timely cultural pastiche as the WND's last show. $15 (at the door only). 8 p.m. Warehouse, 1017 Seventh St. NW. 202-783-3933.
MondayFILM Celebrating Katharine Hepburn The National Theatre has been hosting a two-month film series in honor of the upcoming hundredth anniversary of the birth of the square-jawed beauty who made pants chic, and the last two installments are the highlights. Monday, catch the classic "Guess Who's Coming to Dinner," the groundbreaking 1967 film in which a woman brings home her African American fiance, played by Sidney Poitier, to the consternation of her liberal parents, played by Hepburn and Spencer Tracy. Hepburn picked up an Oscar for the role. Next week: "On Golden Pond." (Because the screenings are in the Ronald Reagan Building across the street from the National Theatre, identification is required to enter.) Free. Mondays at 6:40 p.m. through Aug. 13. ASAE Marriott Learning Center, Concourse Level of the Reagan Building, 1300 Pennsylvania Ave. NW. 202-783-3372.
TuesdayCONCERT Band of Horses The trio, now based in South Carolina, returns to Washington to play the 9:30 club. Expect previews from its follow-up to "Everything All the Time." With Love as Laughter. $15. 7:30 p.m. 815 V St. NW. 800-955-5566.
MARYLANDToday
FOR KIDS Dinos With Guitars DinoRock returns to the Puppet Co. Playhouse for its annual summer run, this time with the production "Dinosaur Rock!" The 50-minute musical show follows Professor Jones, a yodeling paleontologist who, with friends and a very good spell, brings dinosaurs back to life. $8. Wednesday-Friday at 10 and 11:30 a.m., Saturday and Sunday at 11:30 and 1. Puppet Co. Playhouse, Glen Echo Park, 7300 MacArthur Blvd., Glen Echo. Reservations recommended; call 301-320-6668.
TomorrowFILM Catch "Jaws" on Dry Land The last film in the short outdoor series Stars on the Avenue is Steven Spielberg's groundbreaking summer blockbuster, released 32 years ago. Catch it tomorrow in Bethesda's Woodmont Triangle area. Free. 9 p.m. Norfolk and Auburn avenues, Bethesda. 301-215-6660.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS See the Sights in Silver Spring The Silver Spring Historical Society's president will provide a little background about the city's main artery, Georgia Avenue, on a two-hour walking tour that begins at the old Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Station. $5; 12 and younger, free. Meet at 10 a.m. 8100 Georgia Ave., Silver Spring. Call 301-537-1253 for information.
NORTHERN VIRGINIAToday
ON STAGE "The King and I" The District has Fringe, but Northern Virginia has lots of little community theater companies performing year-round. One of them, the Sterling Playmakers, presents the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "The King and I," about the relationship between a governess and the king of Siam. $15 reserved seats; $12 general admission at the door. Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 2, through Aug. 12. Park View High School, 400 W. Laurel Ave., Sterling. 703-437-6117.
TomorrowON STAGE "Strike While the Irony Is Hot" The political-satire musical revue Hexagon performs its humorous take on the political climate as part of Arlington's Arts al Fresco. The fully costumed, circus-themed show (because Washington is a little bit of a spectacle) keeps it light with songs such as "Macaca" and the skit "BlackBerry Fields," about our D.C.'s Mayor Fenty. Free. 8 p.m. Lubber Run Amphitheatre, North Second and North Columbus streets, Arlington. 703-228-1850.
FESTIVALS Irish Fest The Ballyshaners are co-sponsors of this bash, which will feature Irish crafts and food, City of Alexandria Pipes and Drums, Washington Scottish Pipes and Drums and dancers, among others. Free. Noon-7 p.m. Waterfront Park, 1A Prince St., Alexandria. 703-883-4686.
SundayCONCERT The Black Crowes Chris Robinson and his brother Rich are the only constants in this Southern rock band, on the road after a hiatus. They hit Loudoun's Summer Music Fest on Sunday. $20; $17 in advance. Gates open at 5 p.m. Belmont Country Club, 19661 Belmont Manor Lane, Ashburn. 804-794-6700 or visit http://www.liveatbelmont.com.
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