There’s still time to nominate local icons for Best of D.C.
Detroit-born rapper and singer Angel Haze has experienced a lot of trauma in 23 years of life. Beginning at age 7, Haze (who identifies as agender and uses plural pronouns) was repeatedly raped, an experience chronicled in their breakout 2012 single “Cleaning Out My Closet,” which borrows beats from the Eminem song of the same name. In the two years since the release of their debut album Dirty Gold, Haze continued to struggle, breaking off a high-profile relationship with model Ireland Baldwin and twice being committed to psychiatric wards, but the pain has provided inspiration for a new album, the self-released Back to the Woods. What could have been uncomfortable, Haze turns into something empowering. Read more >>> Angel Haze performs at 9 p.m. at Rock & Roll Hotel, 1353 H St. NE. $15. (202) 388-7625. rockandrollhoteldc.com. (Steve Kiviat)
EAT THIS
The owners of Ben’s Chili Bowl are celebrating the opening of Ten 01, a new restaurant and bar above their H Street NE location, on Saturday. There will be a ribbon cutting led by Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton at 2 p.m. The restaurant will also have happy hour specials all day, including $2 off cocktails and draft beers as well as $5 glasses of wine. Read more about the menu on Young & Hungry. Ten 01, 1001 H St. NE. (202) 733-2405. ten01H.com. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
Friday: Actor Jesse Eisenberg, who received an Oscar nomination for his work in The Social Network and also contributes to the New Yorker, reads from his first collection of short fiction, Bream Gives Me Hiccups, at Politics & Prose. 7 p.m. at 5015 Connecticut Ave. NW. Free.
Friday: Britain-based ’80s dance pop trio Loose Ends comes stateside for a performance at the Howard Theatre with original member Jane Eugene. 7:30 p.m. at 620 T St. NW. $30–$65.
Friday: Actress Cameryn Moore presents Phone Whore, a one-hour look into the life of a phone sex operator, at Atlas Performing Arts Center. 8 p.m. at 1333 H St. NE. $20.
Saturday: David Wax Museum’s frontman says the duo’s latest album, Guesthouse, is more about belonging and less about visiting. David Wax and Suz Slezak’s sense of belonging in the nation’s capital goes back to when they would play house shows in friends’ basements and living rooms. It was here that Wax and Slezak developed a steady following of fans who wanted to see them live over and over again. Even though the Mexo-Americana roots-rock act has toured the nation several times and headlined the 9:30 Club, it never loses its charm. Read more >>> The David Wax Museum performs with Anthony D’Amato at 7 p.m. at U Street Music Hall, 1115 U St. NW. $20. (202) 588-1889. ustreetmusichall.com.
Saturday: Czech choreographer Pavel Zustiak and his Palissimo Company present a new work, Custodians of Beauty, at American Dance Institute. 8 p.m. at 1570 East Jefferson St., Rockville. $15–$30.
Saturday: The Everyone Orchestra, a improvisational super group led by Matt Butler and featuring members of RAQ, The Bridge, and Thievery Corporation, experiments on stage at Gypsy Sally’s. 9 p.m. at 3401 K St. NW. $20–$24.
Sunday: Fifteen years ago, it was nearly impossible to turn on the radio or TV without hearing Macy Gray’s “I Try,” her soulful lament about losing a lover. In the intervening decade and a half, she’s released seven more albums, appeared in a variety of films and TV programs, and had a heart to heart with Oprah in which she revealed her struggles with drug abuse. Now clean, Gray has hit the road in support of her 2014 album, The Way. Read more >>> Macy Gray performs with Valise at 8 p.m. at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. $29.50–$55. (202) 803-2899. thehowardtheatre.com.
Sunday: The Max Levine Ensemble, the subject of this week’s cover story, celebrates the release of its latest album, Backlash, Baby, with a performance at the Black Cat Backstage. 7:30 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $10.
Sunday: Techno-pop act Lights closes out the weekend with a performance at the 9:30 Club featuring fellow pop acts The Mowgli’s and Phases. 6:30 p.m. at 815 V St. NW. $25.
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