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Once you start keeping an eye out, you’ll see City Paper‘s Best of D.C. awards all over the place. That’s not a boast—it’s just true. They’re taped up on restaurant walls, displayed in storefront windows, found in doctor’s offices, and boasted about on social media. We’ve been doing this for a while, so it makes sense that they’re so omnipresent. But get excited: In the coming week, voting begins for 2020’s Best of D.C. competition, so if you’re inclined to think of the city’s scattered signs as part of a larger art project, consider this your chance to participate in decorating the District. —Emma Sarappo
FRIDAY, JAN. 31
MINKAHeartbreak changed a lot for Philadelphia-based MINKA. When frontrunner Ari “Dick” Rubin’s year-long relationship ended, he created the lovelorn EP End of the Affair mostly alone. While the release is a representative blend of his 1980s soul sound, songs like “Sentimental Girl” and “All I Ever Had” are somber compared to the group’s earlier records. Despite the sobering reflection on his breakup, MINKA’s Rubin creates a unique performance. Stylized facial hair and big fur coats are his look of choice for promotional materials. READ MORE >>> MINKA perform at 9 p.m. at the Songbyrd Vinyl Lounge, 2475 18th St. NW. Free. (202) 450-2917. songbyrddc.com. (Sarah Smith)
The Patagonia Winds are taking chamber music out of the chamber and into the wild. 8 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center, 7500 Maple Ave., Takoma Park. Free.
The Tommy McGee Band are a whirlwind force throughout the Mid-Atlantic. 8:30 p.m. at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. Free.
Hide Your Fires have inherited the progressive rock mantle in D.C. 8 p.m. at Pie Shop DC, 1339 H St. NW. $10.
SATURDAY, FEB. 1
What Problem?Composed of three sections—first, Bill T. Jones alone, then alongside members of the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Company, and, finally, joined by volunteers from the Northern Virginia community and the Mason University Singers, all of whom Jones worked with to develop the dance piece—What Problem? explores the relationship between group and individual in the current political climate. Jones, one of the inaugural artists-in-residence at George Mason’s Center for the Arts, is perhaps the most decorated member of today’s dance community: He’s received, among others, Tony Awards, a MacArthur fellowship, the National Medal of Arts, and Kennedy Center Honors. READ MORE >>> The show begins at 8 p.m. at the George Mason University Center for the Arts Concert Hall, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax. $29–$48. (703) 993-8888. cfa.gmu.edu. (Zara Corzine)
After 18 years together, the members of Greensky Bluegrass are more brothers than bandmates. 7:30 p.m. at The Anthem, 901 Wharf St. SW. $42.50–$65.
Washington Improv Theater lets Swoonface, Poetic Resistance, and Hellcat run wild on the stage. 7:30 p.m. at DC Arts Center, 2438 18th St. NW. $12–$18.
Surprise Attack‘s farewell show hopefully isn’t coming as a shock. 7 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $12–$15.
SUNDAY, FEB. 2
Groundhog DayThey don’t make movies like Groundhog Day anymore. That said, they didn’t really make movies like Groundhog Day back when it was first released, either. The 1993 film, starring Bill Murray as a smarmy TV weatherman doomed to relive the same eponymous holiday in an infinite time loop, was that rarest of birds: a high-concept studio comedy with a dark, brooding soul. Screenwriters Danny Rubin and Harold Ramis, who also directed, mine the golden premise for real pathos, sending Murray’s cursed character into some truly desperate places before allowing him his eventual redemption. READ MORE >>> The film screens at 3:30 p.m. at the National Museum of American History’s Warner Bros Theater, 14th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. $8.50–$10. (202) 633-1000. americanhistory.si.edu. (Justin Peters)
Five time Juno Award winner Jane Bunnett and her band, Maqueque, bring innovative jazz out to Northeast. 7 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $14–$35.
Go see the glowing winter lanterns at the REACH on their last night out. 4 p.m. at the Kennedy Center REACH, 2700 F. St. NW. Free.
Crestworth, a new artist studio space, is offering an open studios event for Groundhog Day (featuring a loop of Groundhog Day). 2 p.m. at 4602 14th St. NW. Free.
MONDAY, FEB. 3
Next to NormalDiana Goodman is perpetually on the brink. Her bipolar disorder—the sort that compels her to compulsively make sandwiches and hallucinate ghosts—is splintering her suburban family apart as they struggle to preserve an eroding sense of reality through dialogue and song. It is within this unstable and largely unhappy household that the Pulitzer Prize-winning rock musical Next to Normal unveils ugly, honest truths about mental illness. Snag tickets for the final performance of this three-time Tony-winning show to see Rachel Bay Jones, a Tony winner for playing Heidi Hansen in the similarly themed Dear Evan Hansen, star as the woman on the verge. READ MORE >>> The show begins at 7 p.m. at the Kennedy Center Eisenhower Theater, 2700 F St. NW. $69–$215. (202) 416-8000. kennedy-center.org. (Amy Guay)
Put faces to the voices and hear Diane Rehm discuss her new book, When My Time Comes: Conversations About Whether Those Who Are Dying Should Have the Right to Determine When Life Should End, with Kojo Nnamdi. 7 p.m. at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, 600 I St. NW. $22–$40.
Palace “have pulled off a rare pop trick” in their new album. 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $20.
The Voices From a Changing Middle East Festival presents Bereaved, a story following two couples—one Israeli, one Palestinian—who have both lost a child. 7 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $15.
TUESDAY, FEB. 4
Joe YonanIf you haven’t heard by now, unfortunately, the planet is melting. There are hundreds of recommendations out there for how we can each help cut carbon emissions, and it’s hard to know what’s actually making a dent on the climate crisis. But if there is any consensus on something that will help, it’s eating less meat—even the U.N.’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is asking consumers to cut down on animal products. But that can be hard if you were raised on a diet of steak and potatoes every night. What’s the alternative for a protein-packed dish centerpiece? The humble bean, and its legume cousins chickpeas and lentils. READ MORE >>> Joe Yonan speaks at 7 p.m. at Politics and Prose, 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free. (202) 364-1919. politics-prose.com. (Emma Sarappo)
See the play Not All Canoes Sail Back Home: Maya, Maryse, and Efua in Nkrumah’s Ghana read as part of the Boundless: Africa series. 6 p.m. at the Kennedy Center REACH, 2700 F St. NW. $10.
Matt Stoller discusses his new book, Goliath, a look at modern-day monopolies and their effect on democracy. 7 p.m. at Solid State Books, 600 H St. NE. Free.
SCR blend alternative pop with psychedelic rock. 7:30 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $12.
WEDNESDAY, FEB. 5
A Tale of Four CitiesFrank Van Riper’s street photographs of Venice, Paris, and New York, now on view at the Waverly Street Gallery, will be familiar to those who have leafed through his meditative books of black-and-white images Serenissima: Venice in Winter and Recovered Memory: New York and Paris 1960–1980. The grainy, noirish images from these cities channel the style and subject matter of Brassai, Robert Frank, and Lee Friedlander. For the Waverly Street retrospective, however, Van Riper has added less familiar images from a fourth city—D.C., his longstanding home. READ MORE >>> The exhibition runs to Feb. 8 at Waverly Street Gallery, 4600 East-West Highway #102, Bethesda. Free. (301) 951-9441. waverlystreetgallery.com. (Louis Jacobson)
Spafford treat songs like suggestions and go on jamming jaunts of longform improvisation. 7 p.m. at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. $22.
Brass Against pack a political punch and turn powerful brass music into a form of protest. 8 p.m. at Union Stage, 740 Water St. SW. $20–$45.
City Paper‘s hosting a party to launch our Best of D.C. voting with three great local bands. Come say hey and grab a beer on us. 6 p.m. at Pearl Street Warehouse, 33 Pearl St. SW. $5.
THURSDAY, FEB. 6
rêverieWhat happens when daydreams become nightmares? That question is at the heart of Fractal Theatre Collective’s upcoming show rêverie. Writer and director Hannah Ruth Wellons, a student in American University’s MFA program, brings a linguistic twist to the production. The French word “rêverie” means “daydream,” but stems from the Old French root “rever,” which means “to be delirious.” And that deliriousness is exactly what plagues the show’s lead character, Diana (Ezra Tozian), as Diana’s reality and dream-state begin to blur. READ MORE >>> The show runs to Feb. 9 at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $5. (202) 399-7993. atlasarts.org. (Sarah Smith)
See Diane Keaton talk about her memoir of her relationship with her brother Randy, Brother & Sister, and get a signed book with your ticket. 7 p.m. at Sixth & I, 600 I St. NW. $40.
Head to the Hirshhorn for a tour covering three artworks in thirty minutes. 3:30 p.m. at the Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, Independence Avenue and 7th Street SW. Free.
Zach W. Norris debuts his debut We Keep Us Safe: Building Secure, Just, and Inclusive Communities at Busboys and Poets. 6 p.m. at Busboys and Poets 14th and V, 2021 14th St. NW. Free.
NEWS AND REVIEWS YOU CAN USE
News: If you’re running low on either canine art or cannabis, District Derp can help you out.
News: Lesley Bryant turned her barbershop into an art gallery.
Film: The Rhythm Section lacks a beat.
Theater: Recent Tragic Events has a surprising amount of black comedy.
Theater: A Thousand Splendid Suns glows brightly.
Music: The vocals on Too Free‘s Love in High Demand forge a connection with listeners.
Cartoon: Liz at Large, “Tired”
OFFICE OF FUTURE PLANNING
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Kiana Ledé at The Fillmore Silver Spring on March 7. 8 p.m. at 8656 Colesville Road, Silver Spring. Ticket prices to be announced at time of sale.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Parsonsfield at Songbyrd Music House on April 18. 8 p.m. at 2477 18th St. NW. $15–$18.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for nothing,nowhere. at Union Stage on April 20. 7:30 p.m. at 740 Water St. SW. $19.99–$35.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Cub Sport at Songbyrd Music House on May 16. 8 p.m. at 2477 18th St. NW. $15.
Tickets go on sale 10 a.m. Friday for Luke Bryan at Merriweather Post Pavilion on June 20. 7 p.m. at 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia. $50–$130.
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