We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
Per this morning’s post on monthly new-age night Glide, I have learned something unexpected about the muscial taste of former WCP arts editor Mark Athitakis. In this last week’s ish he writes:
When it comes to D.C.-area cultural exports, it’s a lot easier to be proud of Marvin Gaye and the Washington Color School than new-age music. But why not be proud of new-age music too? The acoustic guitar style John Fahey honed growing up in Takoma Park inspired a few years’ worth of better-than-you-think records on Windham Hill, and there are plenty of gems in the genre that label pioneered.Washington Post music critic Chris Richards will tell you that: Since 2010 he’s been spinning new-age sounds at Glide, a monthly DJ night at Café Saint-Ex dedicated to relaxation music of all sorts. Inspired by Brian Eno’s ambient records, he’s dug deep into chill-out tunes to find lost classics like J.D. Emmanuel’s 1982 album Wizards. The vibe is as relaxed as the playlist is well-researched. “I think people find it refreshing,” says Richards, “to listen to a type of music in public that isn’t clamoring for our attention.”
Glide begins at 9 p.m. at Café Saint-Ex. Free.
MUSIC
Formerly local ash-voiced troubadour Aaron Thompson plays a free set at 10:30 p.m. at Blackbyrd. Or you could see Thompson play Thursday at IOTA.
The composer Paul Dresher performs on and discusses his homebuilt instruments at the Clarice Smith Center. 5:30 p.m. Free. Over the weekend he’ll be back, performing with an ensemble along with the Margaret Jenkins Dance. Co.
BOOKS
New Yorker scribe Alec Wilkinson discusses his new book The Ice Balloon, about the Swedish explorer S.A. Andree. 7 p.m. at Politics & Prose. Free.