When a superstar from the world of music like Prince or David Bowie dies, bands and DJs spring into action with covers and setlists. The tributes come more gradually from visual artists, who may owe just as much of their own ideas to the influence of performing artists (these two celestials especially). So why should musicians get to have all the catharsis? “Prince and Other Departed Legends,” assembled by Civilian Art Projects, is a rare and welcome thing—a group art show devoted to the artists who died this year. At a (superficial) glance, some of the influence is easy to see, or at least guess at. Read more >>> The exhibition opens at 7 p.m. at Civilian Art Projects, 4718 14th St. NW. Free. civilianartprojects.com. (Kriston Capps)
EAT THIS
As part of its summer legacy burger collaboration series, Rebellion is featuring a different chef’s creation each week at the Dupont Circle bar, starting with Chef Alex McCoy‘s You Say Phuket. “Burger” is being interpreted loosely: McCoy’s dish, available until Wednesday, is a fried Maryland catfish sandwich ($12) with red curry ketchup, herb salad, and coconut cream aioli on potato bread. McCoy is behind Alfie’s, CRISP Kitchen + Bar, and forthcoming po’boy shop Tchoup’s Market. Rebellion, 1836 18th St. NW, (202) 299-0399, rebelliondc.com. (Laura Hayes)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Local electronic label 1432 R is responsible for putting out some of the most forward-thinking music of the genre these days from artists such as E.R., Dawit Eklund, and Mikael Seifu. Get acquainted with 1432 R’s vibes when its co-founders Eklund, Joyce Lim, and Sami Yenigun DJ at the Fringe Arts Bar. 5:30 p.m. at the Fringe Arts Bar, 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free.
Friday: Who says the ’90s emo revival is dead? (OK, no one said that. It’s still going strong.) But if you did have any doubts, check out the reunion of Hey Mercedes tonight at Black Cat, with fourth-wave emo bands The World Is a Beautiful Place & I Am No Longer Afraid to Die and Prawn. Get ready to feel. 8 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $16.
Saturday: Sonically, D.C./Maryland neo-soul group Coup Sauvage & The Snips and Baltimore experimental noise band Horse Lords don’t share much in common. The former sings dance-floor ready jams about gentrification in D.C. and the consequences of touching one’s hair, while the latter is more concerned with fractal rhythms and microtonal drone. But both bands share one thing in common: They both use music to confront and question convention. Read more >>> Coup Sauvage & The Snips perform with Horse Lords at noon at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. Free. (202) 727-0321. dclibrary.org/mlk. (Matt Cohen)
Saturday: For one week each summer, girls from across the District learn how to play instruments and form bands through Girls Rock! DC, a local organization (that’s part of a larger international network) that teaches girls female empowerment through music. At the end of each session, the bands formed will perform original songs they wrote at camp at the legendary 9:30 Club. 9:30 a.m. at the 9:30 Club, 915 V St. NW. $10.
Saturday: If one Horse Lords performance in a day isn’t enough (or you can’t make the library show), the band is performing again on Saturday night at the Fringe Courtyard with Smomid. 5:30 p.m. at Fringe Arts Bar, 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free.
Sunday: At first glance, the cover of Gwen Stefani’s new album This Is What the Truth Feels Like resembles a portrait of Madonna. But it’s not Madonna’s look that Stefani borrows from most on her first album in a decade—it’s her gift for reinvention. After releasing the influential, boundary-blurring Love. Angel. Music. Baby. in 2004 and finding diminishing returns with 2006’s The Sweet Escape, Stefani put her solo career on hold to raise kids, play with her band, No Doubt, and join the cast of The Voice. She teased a solo comeback in 2014, but scrapped an entire record before finding the real-life inspiration that would fuel her new album: her divorce from Gavin Rossdale and a new romance with Voice co-star Blake Shelton. Read more >>> Gwen Stefani performs with Eve at 7 p.m. at Jiffy Lube Live, 7800 Cellar Door Drive, Bristow. $19.95–$85. (703) 754-6400. livenation.com. (Chris Kelly)
Sunday: Noise-rock ensemble Birth (Defects) celebrates the release of its boisterous new 7-inch at DC9 with friends The Gotobeds and Bested. Shit’s going to get loud. 8 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $12.
Sunday: And another release party: Darkwave electronic duo Technophobia celebrates the release of its new album, the goth-y, industrial Flicker Out, at Black Cat with Heretics in the Lab and Semita Serpens. 7:30 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW.
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