In his country-folk music as Bonnie “Prince” Billy or the various permutations of Palace (Palace Brothers, Songs, and Music), performer Will Oldham slips easily into the personas in his lyrics, his aching voice creating worlds of melancholy and mystery that touch on low-key theatricality without sacrificing raw emotion. Perhaps Oldham will impart some of his chameleonic skill to those who attend his free master class on music at Georgetown this afternoon. But playing the part of “educating songwriter” is just a warm-up for the main act later in the evening. Read more >>>  Bonnie “Prince” Billy performs at 8 p.m. at the Davis Performing Arts Center at Georgetown University, 3700 O St. NW. $10–$25. (202) 687-3838.  performingarts.georgetown.edu. (Christopher Porter)

EAT THIS

Oyster Riot is back at Old Ebbitt Grill. The restaurant will shuck tens of thousands of oysters for the annual event tonight and Saturday. About 25 oyster varieties from both coasts will be served, along with shrimp, crab slaws, and other hors d’oeuvres. There will also be winning wines from Old Ebbitt’s “International Wines for Oysters” competition poured throughout the night. You can buy tickets for three different times: Friday or Saturday from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. and Saturday from noon to 3 p.m. Tickets are $140 and can be purchased in advance at eventfarm.com/oysterriot2013. Old Ebbitt Grill, 675 15th St. NW. (202) 347-4800. ebbitt.com. (Jessica Sidman)

OH AND ALSO

All weekend: Musicians from around the country share their work at the Kennedy Center’s American Voices Festival throughout the weekend. Saturday’s concert is sold out but tickets to the musical master classes are still available. Nov. 22–24 at 2700 F St. NW. $29–$225.

Friday: Head to the Wonderland Ballroom for Don’t Block The Box, D.C.’s longest running stand up comedy showcase. Tonight’s headliner is Matt Koff, a writer for The Daily Show. 7:30 p.m. at 1101 Kenyon St. NW. $3.

Friday: Local folk duo Vandaveer, recently featured in City Paper‘s “One Track Mind” column, plays Rock & Roll Hotel with The Petticoat Tearoom and Dead Professional. 9 p.m. at 1353 H St. NE. $12.

Friday: Elvis Costello kicks off an intimate east coast tour with a solo show at the Lisner Auditorium. 8 p.m. at 730 21st St. NW. $45–$85.

Friday and Saturday: David Crabb performs Bad Kid, his acclaimed piece about a goth boy growing up in Texas, at Artisphere’s Black Box Theatre. 8 p.m. at 1101 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $18.

Saturday: At Black Whiskey, local DJs and producers host a benefit for victims of Typhoon Haiyan. 9 p.m. at 1410 14th St. Donations requested.

Saturday: Nearly half a century has passed since Os Mutantes released their self-titled debut, a foundational recording of Brazil’s psychedelic Tropicália movement. Forty-five years and nine studio albums later, the band is still cranking out oddball, ecstatic sounds. Read more >>> Os Mutantes performs with Capsula at 9 p.m. at Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW. $20. (202) 667-4490. blackcatdc.com. (Dean Essner)

Saturday: Los Angeles artist Alex Prager stages theatrical photos, often featuring distressed-looking women in wigs, casts of extras costumed in ’70s attire, and dramatic artificial light. She gives all of her source material—be it melodramas by German-born director Douglas Sirk or Mexican crime photography by Enrique Metinides—a strange, artificial gloss. It’s a specifically Californian kind of nowhere that Prager describes in her new exhibit at the Corcoran. Read more in our Fall Arts Guide. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Corcoran Gallery of Art, 500 17th St. NW. $8–$10. (Jeffrey Cudlin)

Sunday: Trying to explain just what Paul D. Miller (also known as DJ Spooky, That Subliminal Kid) does is like trying to describe a piece of artwork. You’re better off just seeing it for yourself. Luckily, the National Gallery of Art has provided the public an opportunity to do just that. Read more >>> DJ Spooky performs at 2 p.m. at the National Gallery of Art, 6th Street and Constitution Avenue NW. Free. (202) 737-4215. nga.gov. (Sarah Kaplan)

Saturday and Sunday: Local rhythmic dance groups perform at Atlas Performing Arts Center as part of the annual City Rhythms Festival. 8 p.m. Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday at 1333 H St. NE. $12–$30.

Sunday: End your weekend with some local rock ‘n’ roll. Joy Buttons, Beasts of No Nation, Title Tracks, and the Max Levine Ensemble play the Black Cat Backstage. 8 p.m. at 1811 14th St. NW. $10.

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