Thursday, Nov. 8
The Twats' final D.C. show 9 p.m., $8 backstage WHERE: Black Cat, 1811 14th St. N.W. INFO: Female-fronted hardcore punk outfit The Twats have been breathing life into the D.C. scene since they formed. With a final show in D.C. followed by a farewell date in Baltimore, the force known as The Twats will fade into legend.
Princeton Laptop Orchestra: Come Unplugged 6-8 p.m., $5 WHERE: Koshland Science Museum, Sixth and E streets N.W. INFO: From jazz combo to full-bodied philharmonic, the Princeton Laptop Orchestra has been playing its computer-based musical meta-instruments since 2005. This isn't your next-door neighbor messing around on GarageBand - these dudes are Ivy League.
Friday, Nov. 9
Gypsy Eyes Records Presents SEE-I 8 p.m., $10 WHERE: 9:30 club, 815 V St. N.W. INFO: Bummed out that the Decemberists' 300 dates in D.C. got canceled? D.C. label juggernauts Gypsy Eyes Records step up to the plate with an offering of some of the District's hottest bands. The Apes, Dust Galaxy and Revival pick up the slack - and our hearts.
Life at the Edge: The Big Thaw 2-5 p.m., free WHERE: Meridian International Center, 1630 Crescent Place N.W. INFO: Photographers Paul Nicklen and James Balog display 50 compelling images of Arctic environments and the animal and sea life they support. The exhibit, organized by National Geographic magazine, portrays a fragile Arctic region threatened by rising temperatures. Plus, the polar bears are too cute for their own good.
Saturday, Nov. 10
Legendary Shack Shakers w/ Pine Hill Haints 8:30 p.m., $12 WHERE: Rock and Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. N.E. INFO: Yep, rock all-stars the Legendary Shack Shakers bring their twangy, Southern-gothic punk to the Rock and Roll Hotel. Alabama-by-way-of-K-Records rockers Pine Hill Haints are set to open.
Pancake Mountain Dance Party 10 a.m., $7 WHERE: Avalon Theatre, 5612 Connecticut Ave. N.W. INFO: Join the hosts of Pancake Mountain for their first DVD release party. The D.C.-based children's television show has long featured indie rock artists like The Evens, The Flaming Lips and Ted Leo + the Pharmacists. The DVD will be screened, and a live band will perform.
Sunday, Nov. 11
Rick James vs. Prince vs. Michael Jackson Dance Party 9 p.m., $12 WHERE: Black Cat, Mainstage INFO: What else do you need to know? Make sure you don't bring that dude who always watches "Chappelle's Show" in the lounge or prepare yourself for a night's worth of "I'm Rick James, bitch" jokes.
Desmond Tutu asks, "Can we forgive our enemies?" 10 a.m., free WHERE: National Cathedral, Wisconsin and Massachusetts avenues N.W. INFO: Nobel Peace Prize winner Archbishop Desmond Tutu brings his experience bringing down apartheid in South Africa to determine whether people can forgive enemies. Preferring conversation to sermon, cathedral dean Sam Llyod's guest speaker series includes questions.
Tuesday, Nov. 13
WACK! Films: Berwick Street Film Collective's "Nightcleaners" 12 p.m., $8 for students WHERE: National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. N.W. INFO: NMWA screens this 1970 documentary about a unionizing campaign for British office building cleaners. The film series is part of "WACK!," an exploration of the intersection of art and feminism.
Edward Burtynsky: Photographing Landscape 7 p.m., $20 WHERE: Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. N.W. INFO: Photographer Edward Burtynsky talks about his career and art. A photographer who focuses on industrial landscapes, his work was chronicled in 2006's "Manufactured Landscapes." Expect lots of sad pictures of super-dams in China.
Wednesday, Nov. 14
NCOR Benefit with Police & Thieves 9 p.m., $8 WHERE: Black Cat, Backstage INFO: The National Conference on Organized Resistance may be a point of contention on AU's campus, but it puts together a diverse show. Headliners The Opposite Sex play goth new wave, paired with Police & Thieves' hardcore and Hollywood's garage indie. Don't forget your Lysol, bro.
Know Your Records Program: The Kennedy Assassination Records 11 a.m., free WHERE: U.S. National Archives, Constitution Ave. N.W. between Seventh and Ninth streets INFO: Who knows what secret records the National Archives hold. Archivist James Mathis' "Know Your Records" series gives an overview of the Kennedy assassination collection, which may or may not contain the Magic Bullet.
