Nightlife Agenda: DC Braus anniversary, August Alsina and champion DJs
Every Tuesday, the Going Out Guide staff highlights the week's best DJs, bands, dance nights and parties.
DC Brau celebrates its third anniversary this week with a special happy hour at Meridian Pint and a concert at its Northeast D.C. brewery. (Photo by Bill O'Leary/The Washington Post)
Tuesday, April 15 It seems hard to believe, but three years ago, Washington didn't have a single production brewery. Then DC Brau arrived, quickly becoming ubiquitous at bars all over town. Though the brewery is best known for its hoppy Citizen and Corruption ales, dozens of beers have come out of the Bladensburg Road brewery, from light golden ales to rich Belgian ales aged in whiskey barrels. The full range of Brau will be available Tuesday night at Meridian Pint, the Columbia Heights beer bar where DC Brau was unveiled back in 2011. "Core" beers - Public, Citizen and Corruption - will be $3 all night for the third anniversary, but the real attraction will be a range of rare and vintage beers on tap, including Natas, a Belgian-style imperial stout made with Baltimore's Stillwater Ales; a version of the strong Heurich's Lager aged in barrels that have held maple syrup and rye whiskey; and Brainless Corruption, an extra-hoppy Belgian IPA made in collaboration with Utah's Epic Brewing Company. Doors open at 5 p.m., and some beers will be in very limited quantities.
Over the course of seven albums, the Black Lips have remained a remarkably consistent (and great) garage rock band. They've lost a bit of the hazy '60s fuzzy over the years -- on their new record, they occasionally channel the circa-1970s Rolling Stones instead of the "Nuggets" box set -- but still deliver perfectly ramshackle rock and roll. They visit the Black Cat with Natural Child.
Wednesday, April 16 Even longtime D.C. residents frequently overlook the city's Emancipation Day celebrations, which mark the day in 1862 when President Abraham Lincoln signed the Compensation Emancipation Act, which freed all slaves in Washington. (Nine months later, Lincoln signed the more well-known Emancipation Proclamation.) Whatever your knowledge of the holiday's history, it's hard to ignore the city's free Emancipation Day Concert at Freedom Plaza, which is stocked with talent: Hip-hop pioneer Doug E. Fresh, conscious rapper Talib Kweli, party-rocking DJ Kool of "Let Me Clear My Throat" fame, rapper and poet J. Ivy, and go-go/funk/R&B ensemble Black Alley. Vendors will be on hand to provide food and drink.
Singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright is an artist who always follows his muse, whether that's recording clever, romantic cabaret tunes, recreating Judy Garland's legendary 1961 Carnegie Hall concert or, as on his latest album, working with superproducer Mark Ronson to create a collection of poppy 21st-century Yacht Rock songs. With so much great material, every Wainwright concert is basically a "Best of" album, so the audience at the Lincoln Theatre is in for a treat.
The future of the Corcoran Gallery of Art may still be shrouded in mystery, but its popular events and happy hours continue as usual. This month's Corcoran Uncorked is all about the future: "Best & Brightest" features performance art by three Corcoran students being featured in the current "NEXT 2014" exhibit, which collects the work of 148 students graduating from the College of Art and Design; live music from up-and-coming synthpop group Pleasure Curses and '80s-style pop group Furniteur (which features members of Brett); and samples of new cocktails at the Muse cafe. Tickets also include tours of three current Corcoran exhibits.
Thursday, April 17 New Orleans singer August Alsina is making a fairly serious bid for the mantle of "Sensitive R&B Thug" with his debut album "Testimony." Alsina has become famous for radio hits featuring Trinidad James and Jeezy, but "Testimony" mostly eschews party anthems for tender piano-led tracks or mid-tempo ballads warning about life on the streets. Even "Benediction," an uplifting track featuring a verse from Rick Ross, finds Alsina confessing "So many nights I tried / to hide how I felt, I would cry inside / And I ran through the streets till my feet got tired / 'Cause I ain't wanna have my shoes on them power lines.") Alsina marks this week's release of "Testimony" with a special appearance at the Park at 14th, where he'll perform live and host the party alongside DJ Quicksilva, beginning at 6 p.m.
The revival of the Howard Theatre and the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the future of the Lincoln Theatre may have pushed the latter off the radar for concertgoers. Stephen Marley is a great reason to check out that space out again. Marley manages to distinguish himself among a large group of accomplished Marley progeny, whether it's his contributions to his brother Damien "Jr. Gong"'s Grammy-winning projects or his own equally celebrated solo releases. As one of the elder siblings of the Marley clan, Stephen's music is more at the roots end of the reggae spectrum, which is a great fit for the Lincoln Theatre's historic role on Washington's Black Broadway.
We're only a month or so away from beach season. If you're not already thinking about Memorial Day, you may be after Thursday night. Mason Inn is hosting a night with Burnt Sienna, the Philadelphia rock band known for performing covers at Dewey Beach's Lighthouse and Rusty Rudder and Ocean City's Seacrets, among other venues. The group takes the stage at 9 p.m. and there's no cover charge.
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Nightlife Agenda: DC Braus anniversary, August Alsina and champion DJs