By Lavanya Ramanathan
Friday, October 12, 2007; C11

All the hand-wringing about the recording industry has sucked much of the meaning, and yes, a lot of the fun, out of the old music festivals: CMJ feels like one big, desperate attempt by labels to foist mediocre bands on the marketplace (SXSW is where big-name artists go to have their egos stroked, not where you go to look for new music).

Yet out of this lethargy, new festivals have emerged -- Pitchfork in Chicago, Austin City Limits, even the shows at McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn -- that simply bring in bands you want to see, book them over a short span and do it relatively affordably, so you can hear music and get on with your life. It's into this second category that the District's Awake! Music Festiv al falls.

The DAM! fest (organized by local Eric Boucher, who runs the music blog Big Yawn and modeled his festival after small ones such as Pop Montreal), is underway, and it endeavors to do not much more than book local and national acts and make them available nearby and for a steal: $35 buys you a pass through Monday. Last year, shows took place at smallish spots such as DC9, but this year, a new partnership with mega-promoter Live Nation and the addition of bigger acts means Cat Power is at the 9:30 club on Monday, and Stellastarr* and locals Exit Clov and others are at the 700-plus-seat Sixth & I Historic Synagogue tomorrow night.

What to catch:

¿ Tonight, We Fought the Hej, the face-off between DJ Natalya of the all-things-Nordic DJ party Hej Hej (you can usually find it at Cafe Saint-Ex) and DJ Trickster of the party We Fought the Big One (in residence at Marx Cafe). Free (but 21 and older only). It's the after-party for the show that night, so expect it to start about 10:30 p.m. Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE.

¿ Tomorrow, Stellastarr*, Exit Clov, Pela, Sanawon at the Sixth & I. Pass holders get in, but you can also buy tickets at the door at $18. 7 p.m. 600 I St. NW.

¿ Monday, Cat Power (a.k.a. Chan Marshall) returns to the 9:30 with a new backing band, Dirty Delta Blues. This will be a tough one for pass holders because only a limited number will be admitted; get there early. Tickets, if you want to be guaranteed an in, are $25. 7:30 p.m. 815 V St. NW.

And the best part, some proceeds from the festival will be donated to Chime, a music education effort in the District.

Tonight, you can purchase badges at the Rock & Roll Hotel. For details and a full schedule, visit http://www.damfestival.org.

FILM "Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror" There's only one night to catch the return of this Halloween staple at the AFI Silver Theatre. On Oct. 26, the movie house screens the 1922 F.W. Murnau silent version of the Bram Stoker novel "Dracula" (starring Max Schreck), with live musical accompaniment by Baltimore ensemble the Silent Orchestra. This is always a sellout, so get tickets early. $20; AFI members, $15; younger than 12, $5. 7 and 9:30 p.m. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 301-495-6720, or for tickets, visit http://www.afi.com/silver.

CONCERT Have You Been to Synagogue Lately? Without a bar, the 100-year-old, nearly 800-seat Sixth & I Historic Synagogue isn't about to put the 9:30 out of business. But the synagogue, which this weekend hosts its second-ever concert as a D.C. music venue, has its charms: stained glass, interesting architecture, shows that start on time, pews arranged so you can sit and actually see the band. We let go of our fears about stuffiness when we watched Devendra Banhart play a serious rock show to a house of dancing groupies, and organizers didn't so much as bat an eyelash. The last in the initial set of three concerts features the Icelandic atmo-rockers Mum, which plays Nov. 7. $18. Doors at 7 p.m. Show at 8. To avoid those processing fees, buy tickets directly from the synagogue box office, 202-408-3100. (Tickets also available through Ticketmaster, 202-397-7328.) 600 I St. NW.

FOR FAMILIES The Theodore Roosevelt Birthday Celebration Next weekend, the National Park Service throws the 26th president a bash in honor of his Oct. 27 birthday, giving us all a reason to head to that little spot that everyone raves about but you've never visited: Theodore Roosevelt Island. The Park Service hosts activities for kids, including birdhouse-building, exhibits and more. Free. Oct. 20, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. George Washington Parkway just north of the Roosevelt Bridge. 703-289-2500 or 703-289-2556.

ON STAGE The Seamy Side of Dublin Rising Irish troupe Solas Nua produces the U.S. premiere of Mark O'Rowe's dark comedy "Made in China," a brusque look at the grimy lives of petty criminals in Dublin. The play just opened and continues through this month. $20. Thursday-Saturday at 8 p.m., Sundays at 3 p.m. Through Nov. 4. Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. 800-494-8497.

EXHIBIT Annie Leibovitz, a Career in Pictures This fall, the Corcoran Gallery of Art doubles up on the pretty pictures, mounting two shows featuring two leaders in photography. Tomorrow is opening day for the second exhibit, "Annie Leibovitz: A Photographer's Life, 1990-2005," a 200-image exhibit that includes her legendary celeb images (even the one of Demi Moore nude and pregnant, which made the cover of Vanity Fair). It joins "Ansel Adams"; you can see both with the price of admission. $14; seniors and military, $12; students, $10. Monday, Wednesday and Friday-Sunday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Thursday, 10 a.m.-9 p.m. Through Jan. 13 ("Ansel Adams" through Jan. 27). Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW. 202-639-1700.

THE SCENE The Taste of Georgetown Drink wine, eat food from Georgetown's restaurants, including Agraria, Cafe Bonaparte, Hook and Filomena Ristorante, and help raise money for the Georgetown Ministry Center's homeless assistance programs during the 14th Taste of Georgetown tomorrow. $5 per tasting; five tastings, $20; unlimited tastings, $100. Wine tastings, in a separate wine pavilion, are free. 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

FILM "Wisconsin Death Trip: How a Town in Wisconsin Went Mad" Based on Michael Lesy's 1973 book of photographs and tales about a psychological darkness that overcame the town of Black River Falls during a period of economic depression in the 1890s. The movie, made nearly a decade ago, tries to piece together what went wrong. It's at the National Gallery in conjunction with "The Art of the American Snapshot, 1888--1978." Free. 4:30 p.m. East Building Auditorium, National Gallery of Art, Fourth Street and Constitution Avenue NW. 202-842-6799.

FILM The D.C. Labor FilmFest: "Outsourced" The 2007 edition of this working person's film festival pays homage to the movies of Ken Loach, but there are other offerings, including a slew of documentaries, and even "Office Space" to get you thinking about work (as if it didn't already occupy most of the crevices of your brain). And tonight there's "Outsourced" -- of all things, a romantic comedy about a Seattle call-center employee whose whole career shoves off to India, and he becomes the man to train his replacements in Mumbai. Reviews uniformly applaud the film for avoiding stereotypes and for its genuine look at two cultures forced to play nice in the global workplace. $6.75-$9.75. AFI Silver Theatre, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. 7 p.m. 301-495-6720.

THE SCENE The Bethesda Artist Market The market returns to downtown with a mix of artwork and crafts by a slew of mostly local artisans as well as live music (this time jazz, including Latin jazz). Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Bethesda Place Plaza, Old Georgetown Road and Woodmont Avenue. 301-215-6660.

CONCERT Hip-Hop at Strathmore? Only if It's Queen Latifah The rapper sure has come a long way from "Ladies First" to become an Oscar-nominated actress and Cover Girl spokesmodel. And she goes one step further, promoting her new record of jazzy standards, "Trav'lin' Light," in the posh halls of Strathmore. And she's almost sold the place out. Only upper-tier tickets remain. 8 p.m. Sunday. $25. Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. 301-581-5100.

CONCERT Del tha Funkee Homosapien The sleepy-flow, stream-of-consciousness rhymer is the biggest rap legend whose name you don't know. That's because, you know, an animated b-boy ghost portrayed him in the video for that Gorillaz hit single "Clint Eastwood." Del, whose main gig is with the band Hieroglyphics, is at Sonar on Monday. $15. 9 p.m. Sonar, 407 E. Saratoga St., Baltimore. 202-397-7328.

EXHIBIT "Bodies," Still Gross and Still Here, but Not for Much Longer This show, which features more than 20 human corpses (the fact that they're from China has been a sore point), opened at the Dome at Rosslyn four months ago; pretty soon, it'll be time for it to go. Preserved in a liquid silicone rubber, the bodies, and all the ancillary parts, are intended to show what really goes on inside you. What does cancer look like? What does a smoker's lung look like? It's all here. Till Oct. 28, anyway. $26.50; seniors, $21; ages 4-12, $18. Sunday-Wednesday 10 a.m.-7 p.m., Thursday-Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. The Dome at Rosslyn, 1101 Wilson Blvd. 800-263-4379.

FESTIVALS Festa Vino Di San Gennaro The San Gennaro Foundation of Virginia moves its celebration to Reston, where it will spotlight Italian wineries as well as some closer to home. Music includes traditional Italian acts and rock bands, and there will be kids' and crafts areas. $25; designated drivers, $10; ages 12 and younger, free. 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Reston Town Center, 11811 Freedom Dr., Reston. 800-830-3976.

FESTIVALS A New Art Festival Moves Into Virginia The McLean Project for the Arts adds another festival to the vast array with its MPA artfest, a juried show that will fill McLean Central Park tomorrow. In addition to the 30-plus artists, the event features a Children's Art Tent, where kids can make their own masterpieces, and live music. Free. 10 a.m.-5 p.m., McLean Central Park, 1234 Ingleside Ave., McLean. 703-790-1953.