Daniel Bachman has played at Red Onion Records enough times now that he might as well take up residency there. Still, each and every performance he’s done at the small record store has felt like a special occasion. (This show marks an actual occasion: the first in-store performance at the shop’s new location on U Street NW.) Perhaps that’s just the type of performer he is. At just 25, Bachman’s sparse, haunting guitar picking suggests a wisdom well beyond his years. Though he may not be a vocalist, Bachman conveys more meaning with his guitar picking than most singer-songwriters. Read more >>>Daniel Bachman performs at 7 p.m. at Red Onion Records and Books, 1628 U St. NW. Free. (202) 986-2718. redonionrecordsandbooks.com. (Matt Cohen)
EAT THIS
The Royal in LeDroit Park is looking to showcase lesser known craft spirits and liqueurs with a new monthly cocktail event series called Royal Knights. On the second Monday of each month, a guest bartender will create drinks around different highlighted products. Today from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m., Provision No. 14 bartender Glendon Hartley and the Royal bar manager Horus Alvarez will be mixing $8 cocktails with American brandy and absinthe from Kentucky’s Copper & Kings Distillery. Future events will focus on vermouths, amaros, and more. The Royal, 501 Florida Ave. NW. (202) 332-7777. theroyaldc.com. (Jessica Sidman)
OH AND ALSO
As part of the Women’s Voices Theater Festival, the Kennedy Center hosts a reading of Naomi Iizuka‘s play Good Kids, about a young woman who is sexually assaulted at a party and the consequences that event has on her friend group, in the Theater Lab. 8 p.m. at 2700 F St. NW. Free.
Anti-folk artist Mal Blum headlines the Black Cat Backstage tonight. She’s joined by D.C.-based folk punk acts Art Sorority for Girls and Foster Carrots. 7:30 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $10–$12.
