Parklife DC

Don’t Miss: Flying V’s Batman: The Long Halloween @ The Writer’s Center, Bethesda, Md., 12/8/14

Around Town

Mickey McCarter

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December 8, 2014

Don’t Miss: Flying V’s Batman: The Long Halloween @ The Writer’s Center, Bethesda, Md., 12/8/14

A local indie theater company tonight is hosting a staged reading of Batman: The Long Halloween—an inspired concept!

Flying V Theatre will host the reading of the 13-issue comic book series at The Writer’s Center (4508 Walsh St., Bethesda, Md.). It’s a good choice for comic book aficionados and novices alike. The story features a murder mystery that tours through the entire Batman rogues gallery from Joker to Catwoman to Poison Ivy to The Riddler and beyond, and it looks like Flying V has assembled an entertaining cast to tackle the story.

“Taking place during Batman’s early days of crime fighting, The Long Halloween tells the story of a mysterious killer named Holiday, who murders people on holidays, one each month. Working with District Attorney Harvey Dent and Captain James Gordon, Batman races against the calendar as he tries to discover who Holiday is before he claims his next victim each month, while attempting to stop the crime war between two of Gotham’s most powerful families, Maroni and Falcone,” according to Wikipedia.

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Stars and Bars: DC Embraces Hellbender Brewing Co.

Stars and Bars

Mickey McCarter

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December 5, 2014

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Stars and Bars: DC Embraces Hellbender Brewing Co.

Glen’s Garden Market (2001 S St NW, DC) today began offering Red Line Ale from the Hellbender Brewing Co. (5788 2nd St NE, DC).

Named after the popular transit line of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority, the Red Line Ale has been quickly popping up around town in places that I’ve visited like Pizzeria Paradiso and Maddy’s Bar and Grille, generally distinguishing itself as a very quaffable and visible offering from the newest DC brewery. (You can visit the brewery’s website for a full list of where Hellbender beers are currently on tap.)

I paid a visit recently to Hellbender Brewing, which barely sits within the District line in a quiet office park not too far from the Fort Totten Metro Station. The brewery is clean, new and pleasant, and its tasting room is large although it feels a bit like a campground cafeteria or a snack bar on a suburban college campus somewhere.

When I was there last week, Hellbender was offering three of its beers — Red Line Ale, EFT IPA and Grampus Smoked Nut Brown. All three of them were pretty darn good, and this is coming from a fellow who doesn’t enjoy too many brown ales.

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Stars and Bars: Repeal Day @ Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 12/5/14

Stars and Bars

Mickey McCarter

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December 5, 2014

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Stars and Bars: Repeal Day @ Jack Rose Dining Saloon, 12/5/14

On Jan. 16, 1919, Congress amended the Constitution to outlaw alcohol in the United States under the 18th Amendment.

The ensuing Prohibition lasted for 13 years, during which alcohol remained available through underground and criminal operations.

Franklin D. Roosevelt vowed to repeal Prohibition. On Dec. 5, 1933 Utah became the last state to vote in favor of a repeal, giving the United States the three-quarters majority required to overturn Prohibition as federal law. (However, alcohol sales did not resume in DC until March 1, 1934!)

In DC, our cocktail crowd observed Repeal Day with an impressive zeal each year. This year, the biggest Repeal Day party likely will be found today at Jack Rose Dining Saloon (2007 18th St. NW, DC), which will host its 4th annual 1930’s-inspired party from 5pm-close today.

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Grapevine: REI Coming to NoMa

Jeremy Bailey

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December 4, 2014

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Future site of REI

Looks like REI, that fantastic but oh, so expensive purveyor of sporting goods based out of Seattle, is coming to DC in the current Uline Arena in NoMa.

The Hill is Home reported:

‘The former Washington Coliseum, which has sat in disrepair and neglect for decades and has most recently served as parking lot and backdrop for a play about the old neighborhood, was acquired by Douglas Development in 2004. At last night’s ANC 6C Planning, Zoning and Environment committee meeting, the development company announced that REI will anchor the ground floor of the building.’

With a planned movie theater, a Whole Foods, the expansion of the Union Market area and more let the renaissance of NoMa begin.

Don’t Miss: Hoppy Holidays Beer Festival @ Union Market, 12/6/14

Jeremy Bailey

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December 4, 2014

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This Saturday, Drink the District hosts the Hoppy Holidays Beer Festival at Union Market’s Dock 5.

It’s your chance to get in one more day of all-you-can-drink beer before the crowds start heading out-of-town for the holidays.

There are three 3-hour sessions to choose from. Each session will include food trucks (like CapMac and RitoLoco – food costs extra), a DJ and over 50 beers, including offerings from Devil’s Backbone, Victory, Atlas Brew Works and Bluepoint.

Happy Holidays!

Hoppy Holidays Beer Festival
Dock 5 at Union Market (1309 5th St NE)
Saturday, December 6
Three sessions: 12-3pm; 4:30-7:30pm; 9pm-12am
$40
21+

Stars and Bars: 3 Stars Holiday Extravaganza @ 3 Stars Brewing Co., 12/14/14

Stars and Bars

Mickey McCarter

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December 3, 2014

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Stars and Bars: 3 Stars Holiday Extravaganza @ 3 Stars Brewing Co., 12/14/14

Tickets are running low for the third annual 3 Stars Holiday Extravaganza, hosted by the 3 Stars Brewing Co. (6400 Chillum Place NW, DC) at its brewery, the company reported today. Tickets are available online at the brewery’s website.

The brewery is promising music, food, beer and art for attendees. For $10, guests receive a custom glass and a first beer. Music will be provided by DJ Keenan Orr and DJ Smudge.

Participants include Rappahannock River Oysters, Green Hat Gin, The Fainting Goat, Sloppy Mama’s Barbeque, Dirty South Deli, Whistle Pig Straight Rye Whiskey and many others, according to 3 Stars.

3 Stars Holiday Extravaganza
3 Stars Brewing Co.
Sunday, Dec. 14
1-6pm
$10
21+

Music Park: New Build @ U Street Music Hall — 12/2/14

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 3, 2014

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Music Park: New Build @ U Street Music Hall — 12/2/14

New Build: Felix Martin, Joy Joseph and Al Doyle at U Street Music Hall

Al Doyle and Pat Mahoney are rather moved to be sharing a stage again.

Not that the two men share a band any longer since the dissolution of LCD Soundsystem. But their two new bands are touring together in a perfect pairing, forming something of a double bill for a tour that kicked off Tuesday night at U Street Music Hall in DC. And of course Doyle and Mahoney took time during their respective sets to voice their appreciation for each other and their new bands.

“He’s like my twin brother except I’m the balder, fatter one,” Mahoney joked of his relationship with Doyle.

Doyle’s new band New Build recently released a second album, and Mahoney’s band Museum of Love have released a debut. The plan generally is for Museum of Love to open for New Build, but a car accident prompted New Build to play first last night. (Fear not, as apparently no one was hurt!)

New Build includes Doyle and Felix Martin, both of Hot Chip. And the New Build music, although its own unique form of ambient pop, sometimes resembles the slower songs from their other shared band.

They opened their show with “The Sunlight,” the first track from the new album, Pour It On. And it’s a good opening number as it slowly builds and draws you in with its sweet synths and light drums. Doyle sings gently and slowly as he references themes that recur throughout many of New Build’s songs: the struggle of people to find themselves through analogies of lightness and darkness.

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Around Town: 2014 Hilly Awards Gala — 12/6/14

Jeremy Bailey

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December 2, 2014

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Around Town: 2014 Hilly Awards Gala — 12/6/14

The Library of Congress and Capitol Hill neighborhood

The annual Hilly Awards Gala takes place Saturday, Dec. 6, 2014 at St. Mark’s Church.

Produced by CHAMPS, Capitol Hill’s Chamber of Commerce, each year, Capitol Hill residents vote for the best neighborhood businesses in a range of categories, including best restaurant and best bar/tavern.

Last year Acqua al 2 was Restaurant of the Year and Beuchert’s Saloon was Bar/Tavern Of the Year. See all the winners from 2013.

Here I highlight my predictions for Restaurant and Bar/Tavern for 2014:

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Music Park: Interpol @ 9:30 Club — 11/30/14

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 1, 2014

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Music Park: Interpol @ 9:30 Club — 11/30/14

When a band has gone through some big lineup changes, and releases a fifth album, you don’t necessarily expect the songs from that album to be the most exciting ones played on the next tour.

But then this is Interpol, the post-punk standard-bearers that have been defying expectations since they formed in New York City roughly 17 years ago. And so it seems the band can do little wrong as long as the wall of guitars that make up Interpol’s signature sound includes bandmates Paul Banks and Daniel Kessler behind it.

The band released El Pintor, its latest album, in September and embarked on a tour to support it. In a sold-out show at the 9:30 Club on Sunday night, the opened with “Say Hello to the Angels” from their first album, Turn On the Bright Lights — and the first and second albums continued to get quite a bit of love throughout the show.

But the second song, “My Blue Supreme,” is from the new album, and as the band continue with the set, you can see that the new songs symbolize the continued spirit of their collaboration. Interpol could have hit a speed bump without founding bassist Carlos Dengler, who departed after the last album, but instead they embarked on a remarkable distilling of their sound and thematic messages to produce an album as wholly fresh and exciting as their debut.

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Don’t Miss: New Build @ U Street Music Hall, 12/2/14

Live Review

Mickey McCarter

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December 1, 2014

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Don’t Miss: New Build @ U Street Music Hall, 12/2/14

Guitarist Al Doyle, bassist Felix Martin (both of Hot Chip) and composer Tom Hopkins make up ambient synthpop band New Build, which is headlining at U Street Music Hall on Tuesday, Dec. 2. New Build are joined by Museum of Love, which features Pat Mahoney (of LCD Soundsystem) and Dennis McNany.

New Band recently released a second full-length album, Pour It On. Doyle, who also was in LCD Soundsystem, took time to talk to publicists about his past in LCD and his future with New Build

Q: What was your favorite LCD gig?

Al Doyle: Probably the one which I thought was my last ever gig, at the end of the Sound of Silver tour when James said he wasn’t making another record. We played “New York, I Love You” and I was totally in tears, just broken down and sobbing, and to add to it James started singing “Al Doyle, I Love You” and that was just too much. Never been so mushed up on stage before or since — actually, talking about it now it probably wasn’t my “favorite” gig, but it was a singular experience. Very grainy footage here:

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7dB0OhXTPv4]

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