While Malian musician Bassekou Kouyate and his group Ngoni Ba recorded their latest album, Jama Ko, in a Bamako studio, the nation was immersed in turmoil: The military was overthrowing the president, and Islamic fundamentalists were imposing sharia law in the north. Inspired and affected by the political disorder, Kouyate created an energetic album incorporating the plucked, high-pitched strings of his lute-like ngoni, parable-esque lyrics, and the addition of new band members, including his wife and children. Read more >>> Bassekou Kouyate performs at 8 p.m. at Atlas Performing Arts Center, 1333 H St. NE. $30. (202) 399-7993. atlasarts.org. (Steve Kiviat)

EAT THIS

This Sunday is the second annual Oysterstock at Poste Moderne Brasserie from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m., featuring oysters, lamb dishes, beer, and wine served by chef Dennis Marron. There will also be an oyster-eating competition (the first person to eat 22 oysters wins) and live music from local bands. All proceeds from the event go to the Oyster Recovery Partnership. Tickets, which include all food, drink, and live entertainment, cost $85. Poste Moderne Brasserie, 555 8th St. NW. (202) 783-6060. oysterstock2013.eventbrite.com. (Dean Essner)

OH AND ALSO

Tonight: Anda Union brings traditional Mongol music and the unique sound of throat singing to the Clarice Smith Center. 8 p.m. at the University of Maryland campus, College Park. $10–$35.

Tonight and Saturday: The American Dance Institute’s resident company, Ballet ADI, performs new works by choreographers Runqiao Du and Linda Denise Fisher Harrell that express human human emotion through ballet techniques. 8 p.m. at 1570 East Jefferson St., Rockville. $15–$30.

Tonight through Sunday: On some level, comedians indulge our tendency toward confirmation bias. Whenever they make an especially keen observation about their own lives, it can sting when it hits a little too close to home. What makes longtime comedian Dave Attell unique is how actively he tries to make his audience not identify with him. His onstage persona is a self-loathing, misanthropic drunk, and his comedy is comforting precisely because his day-to-day life seems so far from ours. Read more >>> Dave Attell performs Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Sunday at 8 p.m. at DC Improv, 1140 Connecticut Ave. NW. $35. (202) 296-7008. dcimprov.com. (Alan Zilberman)

Saturday: Head to the H Street Festival for a massive neighborhood celebration featuring theater, music performances from a variety of local groups, and copious all-day partying. Noon at 9th and H streets NE. Free.

Saturday: Brooklyn Brewery sponsors Found Vs. Found, in which the organizers of the Found Footage Festival and FOUND magazine face off and showcase the best stuff they’ve discovered. 8 p.m. at the Warehouse Theater, 645 New York Ave. NW. $12.

Saturday: Local Krautpop group Paperhaus kicks off its tour with a performance at 906H, with additional performances by New York bands Starlight Girls and Zula. 5 p.m. at 906 H St. NE. Free.

Saturday: Wilmer Wilson IV has ascended in a big way in recent years. Since August 2012, he’s shown work at the Museum of Contemporary African Diasporan Arts in New York, the Corcoran, Greater Reston Arts Center, and Artisphere, and he’s collaborated with artists such as chukwumaa and Jefferson Pinder. Just a year after graduating from Howard, his solo exhibit for Connersmith, “Faust in the City,” is one of the most highly anticipated local shows in years. Read more in our Fall Arts Guide. 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 1358 Florida Ave. NE. Free. (Kriston Capps)

Saturday and Sunday: Ambassador Theatre presents Antiwords, an adaptation of Vaclav Havel’s play Audience, as part of the Mutual Inspirations Festival. 8 p.m. at the Mead Theatre Lab at Flashpoint, 916 G St. NW. $20–$35.

Saturday and Sunday: Book lovers should congregate at the National Book Festival, where dozens of authors will discuss and sign copies of their books. Read more in our Fall Arts Guide. 10 a.m. on the National Mall. Free.

Sunday:  Terry Malts functions like a comfort blanket for indie-pop fans still mourning the loss of The Shop Assistants and The Vaselines. The California–based band does seem somewhat tethered to D.C., though: The group had one of the inaugural 7-inch releases for the Windian label’s subscription series, and both of the band’s LPs, including 2012’s Killing Time, were released by the formerly local imprint Slumberland, home to many other comforting indie-pop vets. Read more >>> Terry Malts performs with Queen Kwong and Dot Dash at 8:30 p.m. at DC9, 1940 9th St. NW. $10. (202) 483-5000. dcnine.com. (Christopher Porter)

Sunday: Local comedians perform their best erotic fan fiction at Wonderland Ballroom. Find more details on Facebook. 7:30 p.m. at 1101 Kenyon St. NW. $10 suggested donation.

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