Weekextension—irresponsible partying opportunities with Alex DB.
From the grown’n’sexy to the all-ages and grimy, here is a list of essential “shit to do” this week, once again brought to you by ALEX DB!
FRIDAY, MAY 11
Holy shit, it’s the second Friday of the month already? That’s right, She.Rex is TONIGHT!!!! Once a month, Chief Ike’s turns into a fire hazard-ly crowded sweat lodge of rad queers, dancing to whatever the eff the She.Rex all stars Junebullet, Coach Vee and DJ C.Rush are serving up at the moment. You will absolutely simultaneously be in the company of your ex, your main squeeze, your future ex, your future main squeeze and your former field hockey coach. With sexy results.
Over on H St., mainstay D.C. DJs Starks &Nacey (Nouveau Riche) and Deep Sang &Meistro (Dirty Bombs) hold it down at The Bizness, a night of hip-hop, reggae, dancehall and house at Little Miss Whiskey’s. Sample the extensive beer list, look at the pretty lights and enjoy the ride.
Uhall’s long-running and ever-unstoppable Red Fridays series brings us legendary DJ and producer Mark Kinchen aka MK- who made waves in the early ‘90s with the help of vocalist Alana Simon, on classic tracks like “Always,” “Love Changes” and (my personal favorite) “Burning.” Over the years, MK has remixed and produced for CREEP, Nina Sky, Pitbull, Jody Watley, Nightcrawlers, Dev, Enrique Iglesias and many, many more. Party curator Farid (ESL Music) also holds it down in what will surely be a night to remember/forget/regret/you decide.
SATURDAY, MAY 12
Did you know that it’s Europe Week? Yes indeed, this week you have an excuse to splurge on that $20 six-pack of Belgian trappist ale you’ve been eyeing since your last paycheck. Who cares if tastes like Amstel Light to you? It’s Europe Week! And if you manage to drag yourself out of bed at a reasonable hour, you can catch the EU Open House, in which the 27 EU member states’ embassies open their doors. They'll be offering tours, music, dance, food, film, art and you can be sure I’ll be poppin’ bottles at the Embassy of France.
M83 - the newest
Speaking of la belle France, 9:30 Club welcomes indie-pop stalwart Anthony Gonzalez aka M83 to the District. M83’s latest full-length Hurry Up, We're Dreaming has been getting a lot of press, but then again, Gonzalez is used to the attention. He and his crew have been releasing gold for a good decade, Dead Cities, Red Seas & Lost Ghosts (2003) being M83’s first “hit” release. (Since you’re definitely interested in my opinion, I would recommend 2005’s Before the Dawn Heals Us.) Swedish shoegaze/indie outfit I Break Horses opens.
Black Cat mainstage gets taken over by alternative gay party MIXTAPE. DJs Shea Van Horn and Matt Bailer play “electro, alt-pop, indie rock, disco, new wave, and anything else you can dance to.” With their playlists featuring bangers by everyone from Azaelia Banks and Grimes to Selena Gomez and Lindsay Lohan, you can bet the selection will be, if nothing else, eclectic.
SUNDAY, MAY 6
Wait, are you not completely physically exhausted at this point? You folks are relentless. Aight, here goes:
The one and only D.C. Kings present Mutha’s Day, a celebration of rad matriarchs everywhere. The show, brought to you by Phase 1, will be hosted by none other than Rocky & Duncan. Some of D.C.’s drag king legends will perform tributes to Mama, and there will also be an ASL-interpreted. Proceeds benefit the always-inimitable D.C. King float in this summer’s Capital Prideparade.
The Kings
“Get on the dance floor! Show us your best kneading motion!” because Dodge City brings you another installment of Kitty Twister: Tender Vittles edition. This party features DJ Dianamatic aka HP Lovecat, Carrie Nation aka Chairman Meow, Wolfblister aka Gato Blaster and Raw Dough aka Glitterbox. This crew comes up with truly the most a-meow-zing party themes, and serves up dope girl group/post-punk/italo/glam jams! The best of both purrrr-lds! OK, I’ll stop.
And over at Black Cat, an unstoppable lineup will be gracing backstage. How intimate! D.C.’s own Redline Graffiti brings their unique electro-indie-soul-chillwave sound and master musicianship. These folks are constantly in my head, and I like it that way. ATL’s Bosco supports—her ambient pop via retro soul sounds a bit like Santigold meeting eyes with Beach House across a crowded room. Truly catchy and entrancing stuff. D.C. outfit and Dischord rockers Laughing Man also support, their neo-garage stylings and ‘60s soul flashbacks rounding out what will be a stacked show. For real. Do not miss this.
Remember, you can sleep when you're dead.
Alex DB is proud to call D.C. her home, having lived in the area for most of her life. Some of her favorite things include choice, fancy hard ciders, making and manipulating jams, searching for the perfect gluten-free pizza and her boss of a puppy, Aaliyah Tinydancer. She DJs (bounce, freestyle and classic house being some of her favorite genres to spin) and is the vocalist for all-lady grunge-punk band Mary Christ. If you see her out, say hi!