So, I think all my excitement over record shopping this weekend inspired me to stop working on the report I am supposed to be burning the midnight oil on and create a harDCore (punk and indie rock too) playlist. Check the Miss Washington, DC Playlist featuring Bad Brains, Rites of Spring, Fugazi, Embrace, Nation of Ulysses and more!
Listen to: Miss Washington, DC
I love records. I really, really love vinyl. Comet Ping Pong (5037 Connecticut Ave.) is hosting a record fair next Sunday, Oct. 4 from 10 AM to 4 PM. Admission is $2. I saw, we pay the $2 just to let all the East Coast record vendors know, we still love them. For more info go here.
The VelocityDC Dance Festival is coming! What a great way to see dance on the cheap! Friday and Saturday, October 2 and 3, for only $15 a show, the festival offers some of the best of DC dance at Sidney Harman Hall (610 F St, NW) at 7:30 pm. Velocity DC features performances by Ron K. Brown and Evidence, The Washington Ballet, CityDance Ensemble, EDGEWORKS Dance Theater, Gesel Mason, Nejla Yatkin, Edwin Aparicio, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange and Austrian choreographer Willi Dorner presenting the outdoor piece “Bodies in Urban Spaces”.
I’m so happy to see this new energy in DC’s dance scene. Please support dance in the nation’s capital. Dance is such an important art form and we need to support this community.
Also don’t miss Velocity DC Late Night at 10 pm on Saturday, October 3. This cabaret-style showcase will feature movement, music and mayhem with dancers, poets and musicians, including Andile Ndlovu, Capital Movement Project, Contradiction Dance, Furia Flamenca, Gesel Mason, Gilded Lily Burlesque, Kentavius Jones, Komplex, Lucy Bowen McCauley Dance, Regie Cabico/Sol y Soul, and Urban Artistry. There will also be music by Philly’s DJ Ian Knight.
Willi Dorner’s “Bodies in Urban Spaces” will take place both evenings (free). “Bodies” begins at 5:30pm each night, at the Archives/Navy Memorial Metro and the performance will wind its way through the Penn Quarter neighborhood.
For more info about Velocity DC go to www.velocityDC.org. Tickets: $15.
Hi Creative Geniuses! It’s time for the fall Creative Genius Happy Hour. This time we are taking it downtown to Gordon Biersch Brewery. The happy hour starts at 6 pm (GB has good happy hour deals until 630) and then if you want to stay for dinner, let’s eat at 7. Please RSVP to Willona at creativegeniusdc@gmail.com for dinner and I will make a reservation. GB has a large bar area, so look for a creative genius sign and me (African American, very short hair). Pass along the invite to anyone who might interested.
When: Thursday, Oct. 1, 2009 drinks @6; dinner @7.
Where: Gordon Biersch, 900 F Street NW, WDC
Why: To meet other creative geniuses and make some new friends!
This mix from RedSoul for 5 Magazine’s Mix Monday series is amazing. RedSoul mixes seriously soulful melodies that will get you grooving at high energy, losing consciousness of everything but the evolving rhythm. And yet, the songs are also smooth enough to make you lean back, close your eyes and let the music take over, coaxing you into a meditative state. It’s Monday, people. Don’t let the man, win. Listen up!
A Chicago pub, 5 Magazine’s features a new mix every Monday by DJ legends and newcomers in the Chicago scene.
Oprah’s new book pick is Say You’re One of Them by Uwem Akpan. I reviewed this amazing book for Publishers Weekly and conducted an interview with Akpan last year. Akpan is an intelligent and fascinating writer. This collection of short stories is the first book by the Nigerian-born Jesuit priest. Set in various African countries, the stories are told from the perspective of children who are involved in situations that kids should never experience. Read the Q and A with Akpan.
Check out this clip of the athletic, sexy, and smooth men of Philly’s Rennie Harris Pure Movement dance troupe. You could get hurt trying these moves. So don’t!
I am big fan of photographer Paul Hunnicutt. Originally from Arlington, VA, he has taken up residence in Boulder, CO, and he’s doing his first show at Amante Coffee, in Boulder. Check out his website to see his incredibly insightful work.
I’ve been thinking a lot about mixtapes lately. Like how they’re no longer shared or valued anymore (unless you’re part of an indie rock circle or hardcore hip hop community). So, I’ve decided to start making virtual mixtapes for you. If you have trouble accessing it this playlist, let me know. Email me at creativegeniusdc@gmail.com. If you have suggestions, send them along. I’m going to try and make this a weekly feature.
For my first installment, this is a chill mix of international artists including Susana Baca, Ricky Martin, Issa Bagayogo, and more.
To listen, go to: World music
Did you miss out on this year’s Bootleg Festival celebrating underground hip hop culture? Words, Beats & Life has all the resources and info online here.
