On Sunday, December 6th, digital arts collective The Beat & Path will host an all-day event at Flash Nightclub in celebration of the success of the DC-based web series Walk of Shame with support from the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP). The event will feature music performances from D.C. top talent, including a headlining performance by E.A.S.Y. – the live electronic duo comprised of award-winning turntablists DJ Shiftee and DC’s own, DJ Enferno. Proceeds from the event will benefit DJ Enferno’s music education non-profit Mix Major, as well as the Dupont Underground, which will provide live art activations by local artists during the event.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased HERE.
The award-winning Walk of Shame series was originally funded by a successful crowdsourcing campaign featured on Kickstarter in 2013. Since first airing, film festivals, including the Toronto Web Fest 2015, Miami Web Fest, Brooklyn Web Fest, NYC Web Fest, Rome Web Fest, DC Web Fest and the upcoming Rio Web Fest, have all officially recognized the web series. At the DC Web Fest, Walk of Shame was an award recipient for Local Hero and Audience Choice, and at the Miami Web Fest, the series won awards for both Best Music/Score and Best Supporting Actress (Stephanie Ray Glass). Walk of Shame was recently nominated for an Emerging Voice Award at Brooklyn Web Fest. The series has also won an American University Visions Award for editing, and was nominated for an Emerging Voice Award at Brooklyn Web Fest, Best Cinematography at the Rio Web Fest, and Achievement in Music and Score at the upcoming New York Web Fest.
The six-episode, online-only series depicts a modern coming of age tale as told through the lens of DJ culture. The cast includes characters ranging from youthful bloggers to budding disc jockeys, and the series covers topical themes such as online dating and hipster fashion trends. Episodes are currently being released online with other transmedia content including mixtapes, original music and short web clips.
WHAT: The Beat & Path to host all day celebration at Flash nightclub with support from the Washington, DC Economic Partnership (WDCEP)
WHEN: Sunday, December 6, 2015
3PM – 9PM (Full music line-up TBA)
WHO: Performances by E.A.S.Y. (DJ Shiftee & DJ Enferno), Trayze, DJ Amen Ra, Spinser Tracy, Kerim, DJ As-One, DJ Bo, The Editor and more TBA
WHERE: Flash
645 Florida Avenue NW
Washington, DC 20001
Gypsy Sally’s presents an evening with Benton Blount Band and special guest Trotter Michaels on Thursday, January 28th. Benton is a southern rock-country singer/songwriter and was a finalist on the 10th season of America’s Got Talent.
Benton Blount
“I know people look at me, with my tattoos and appearance, and they don’t think I look like a country singer,” he says. “When I sing, I have a gruffness to my voice that’s different than most country singers too. But when I start to talk, you can hear that I’m as country as cornbread. And the songs, with their real-life stories and positive outlook on life, have more in common with country music than anything else. Country music is where I belong.”Indeed, when this hulking man with the imposing look starts to sing, people often are surprised at his tender love songs and his upbeat view of what people can achieve in their lives. “I like surprising people,” he says. “My life and my career have been full of surprises too. But it’s always a good surprise. I like showing people that this is what I should be doing, and this is where I belong!
Trotter Michaels (formally called The War and Treaty)
Baltimore-based Americana/folk/country/soul duo Tanya Blount Trotter & Michael Trotter Jr. have been creating music since June 2013. Michael plays the keyboard, Tanya plays the tambourine. Occasional accompaniment by a cello player, a mandolin or a guitar player results in a blend of classical, soul, folk, Americana, and love-filled revival convicting lyrics.
SHOW DETAILS
Date: Thursday, January 28, 2016
Venue: Gypsy Sally’s
Address: 3401 K Street NW
Washington, DC
Phone: 202-333-7700
Showtime: 8:00pm, Doors 7:00pm
Ticket price: ADV $12/ DOS $14
Website: www.gypsysallys.com
Valentine’s Day weekend featuring some of the area’s buzziest bands.
The British Embassy and the U.S. Department of State are celebrating the launch of “Try Rugby USA,” a campaign to grow international community outreach and youth development around Rugby in the U.S., with a friendly rugby match.
WHAT: U.S. v UK Friendly Touch Rugby Game
WHEN: 12:30-2:00pm Wednesday 24 February 2016
WHERE: Cooper Field at Georgetown University
3700 O St NW Washington DC 20007
Playing on the UK team is Ken Harvey, a former Washington Redskins player, to help highlight the affinity for sports on both sides of the Atlantic and the NFL international series in London. Other members of the UK team consist of British Embassy staff and British Defence staff. Tosh Askew, who has coached England U19s for 5 years and won Grand Slam in 2004, Nic Rouse, rugby union player for London Irish in the Aviva Premiership, and Caryl Thomas, head coach of the University of Bath Women’s rugby team and has played for Wales Women in the Six Nations Championship and in two World Cups (2010, 2014), will coach the UK team.
Playing on the US team includes Whitney Stowell, President of Washington Irish RFC, and Chris Howard, a Tiger Rugby coach. Other players will include U.S. Department of State staff. James Walker, founder of Tiger Rugby, will coach and play on the US team.
The event is open to the public and media and free to attend. Parking is extremely limited, public transportation is recommended.
Rugby Facts:
- Rugby is the fastest growing sport in the US.
- The UK hosted the Rugby World Cup in 2015.
- Rugby will be part of the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, having last been an Olympic sport in 1924. The US won gold that year, so have been the gold medal holders for more than 90 years.
- Famous rugby players include Sean Connery, Daniel Craig, John F Kennedy, JRR Tolkien, Bill Clinton, George W Bush, Russell Crowe, Chris Farley, Meat Loaf and Ernesto “Che” Guevara.
History of Rugby:
Rugby lore has the game originating in 1823, when a pupil at Rugby School, William Webb Ellis, picked up the ball during a football match and ran with it. This new game slowly spread around public schools and universities, with the first formal rules inked in 1845. A Rugby Football Union (RFU) followed in 1871, with an inaugural international – England versus Scotland – played that same year. 1883 then witnessed Britain’s Home Nations Championship, the first international rugby competition. By 1908, with the sport having long spread into many former British colonies, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa had all sent touring teams to compete.
Despite continued growth, rugby union didn’t turn professional until the International Rugby Board (later the IRFB, now World Rugby) removed player-payment restrictions in 1995. Continental club competitions soon followed, including Europe’s much-vaunted Heineken Cup and Super Rugby in the southern hemisphere. Today, World Rugby boasts 117 member countries.
For the first time, Premiership Rugby will host a game in the US. The London Irish v Saracens game will be played at the Red Bull Arena in New Jersey on 12 March 2016.
Try Rugby USA
Hosted by British Council USA, Friends of the British Council USA, and USA Rugby geographical unions and state based rugby organizations, the coaches from the Aviva Premiership Rugby Clubs will be joined on the road by coaches from US based Tiger Rugby. Together they will deliver a range of coach education sessions, coaching clinics for schools, universities, clubs, youth programs as well as linking with existing rugby based social projects like Play Rugby USA. They hope to build a sustainable network of coaches, clubs and players designed to bring together, develop the skills of and inspire the US rugby community to build pathways to introduce the sports and its values to youth.
Activities will take place in New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Washington, DC, and Texas in the coming months.
For more details: http://www.britishcouncil.us/programmes/society/try-rugby-usa
The Hamilton is usually home to indie rock concerts, but on Thursday, March 3 it will host an art history class – of a sort.
Walter Martin of the Walkmen’s first solo album for adults (‘Arts & Leisure’) is his wry and witty take on art history. For this special return to his hometown of DC, he’ll play songs about Alexander Calder’s toy circus, Scottish architect Charles Rennie Mackintosh, and first falling in love with art at the National Gallery. Needless to say, this won’t be the art history you studied in college.
NPR Music calls his new album “hard to resist” and the New York Times said it “carries a sense of wonder [with] a wry humor.” Read a recent interview at the Washington Post: http://wapo.st/1ouOMUX
Who: Walter Martin (of The Walkmen) CD Release Show
Where: The Hamilton, 600 14th Street, N.W.
When: Thurs, Mar 3 @ 7:30pm
With: Near Northeast, The Plate Scapers
RSVP: raypadgett@shorefire.com
On Saturday, March 12, DC arts supporters will come together to celebrate the Cathedral Choral Society and its mission of inspiring the community through the joy of choral singing with Gala 1941 at The Mayflower Renaissance Hotel. This gala is the Cathedral Choral Society’s most significant annual fundraising event, and supports the organization’s artistic and community engagement initiatives.
In celebration of the Cathedral Choral Society’s founding year, attendees will enjoy a ritzy evening of 1940s fun with big band swing, guest performers, dancing, and a silent auction. This gala will be “reception style,” with an open bar, food stations, and passed hors d’oeuvres. The sixteen-piece Brooks Tegler Band performs.
“Our spring gala is our most important annual fundraising event,” said Ernie Abbott, President of the Cathedral Choral Society’s Board of Trustees. “On the eve of our 75th anniversary season, this gala is the perfect opportunity to celebrate the artistic programming and community engagement initiatives of this organization. Support from our gala attendees will help ensure artistic vibrancy in our 75th season and beyond.”
Andrew Grossman of The North Country.
Join us for the artist City Paper describes as, “grown-up pop with reliably, disarmingly poetic lyrics and a voice almost distracting in its prettiness.”
The Living Room
Thursday, March 24th
Doors open at 7:30 PM, show starts at 8 PM
The famous Carabinieri Band – one of the greatest military orchestras in the world, founded in 1820 – will play at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. on April 18, 2016 in a free concert honoring defenders of the cultural heritage of humanity. In what promises to be a not-to-be-missed-event, 90 musicians in their distinctive uniforms will bring to life traditional marches as well as modern and classical music in the majestic Concert Hall. The rich repertoire will include the national anthems of Italy, the United States and the European Union, as well as music by Sousa, Dvorak, and Puccini.
“We warmly invite all lovers of culture to join us in this international musical tribute to the defenders of human heritage, in one of the most beautiful venues in America” said the Ambassador of Italy to the United States, Armando Varricchio. “We are very grateful to the Kennedy Center for giving our talented Carabinieri Band the opportunity to perform in the splendid Concert Hall, in an event which is free and open to the public. Today, after the recent horrific attacks to our culture and some of our fundamental values – just think of Paris, Tunis and Brussels, to mention but some – it reminds us of the importance of defending culture, and our very way of life, in its entirety”.
The concert is organized by the Embassy of Italy in Washington D.C. in partnership with the Italian Institute of Culture in Washington D.C., with the generous support of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and Banca Intesa Sanpaolo. It is part of the “Protecting our Heritage” initiative, a program supported by UNESCO and organized by the Washington Network of the European Union National Institutes of Culture (EUNIC), under the 2016 Italian presidency, in order to raise awareness on the need to act against the growing threats posed to cultural heritage by wars, international terrorism, criminal organizations, climate challenges – or more simply, by neglect.
The concert will also recognize the exceptional work of the Italian Carabinieri both in fostering peace and protecting cultural heritage worldwide: they will be part of UNESCO’s “blue helmets for culture” program, thanks to a Memorandum of Understanding signed on February 16, 2016 in Rome by the Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni and by Irina Bokova, the Director-General of UNESCO.
About the Carabinieri Band
The Carabinieri Band was founded in 1820 when the then Royal Carabinieri Corps assembled a group of buglers for the first time. In 1862 this became a fanfare, and by 1920 had developed into a full Band contingent of the Carabinieri Force. Under the direction of Maestro Luigi Cajoli the Band became famous for its quality of style, and in 1916 it travelled abroad for the first time for a series of concerts for injured allied soldiers. It performed with great success in Paris, and was highly acclaimed by the press. Many other prestigious tours abroad followed, from Europe to North and South America, the Middle East and Japan. Maestro Luigi Cirenei, who was a pupil of Pietro Mascagni, succeeded Cajoli in 1925. He improved the artistic skills of the Band and composed “LA FEDELISSIMA” the march theme adopted by the Carabinieri Force. Other band directors included: Maestro Domenico Fantini (1947), Maestro Vincenzo Borgia (1972) and Maestro Massimo Martinelli (2001), who is the present Director. The Carabinieri Band, with 103 musicians, each one an expert in a particular instrument, interprets the most famous compositions with a rich repertoire ranging from traditional military marches to modern and classical music.
The event will be held on Monday, April 18, 2016 at 6:00 p.m. and is free and open to the public. RSVP here http://iicwashington.info/events/20160418/rsvps/
