Artistic chaos reigns as we head into the fall of 2022. Sitting in no-man’s-land, somewhere between pandemic and endemic, I’ll be honest: I’m tired of writing about COVID-19 and its fallouts. Instead, I wish this year’s Fall Arts Guide could be like the ones from the Before Times. COVID has changed everything and all of us: the world we live in, the art we consume, and how we consume it, as well as the people who make it, the venues that showcase it, and even the way it’s made.
Nothing about the world is as it was, so why should this arts guide be? As we reinvent and relearn and reconnect with ourselves, so too should we reinvent and relearn and reconnect with how we do things. In fact, one might say (and Kahina Haynes did actually say it to me when discussing dance in D.C.) rediscovery is the theme of this year’s fall arts guide.
In our efforts to highlight new shows, under-the-radar artists, and often-silenced voices, I realized that some spaces deserving of the spotlight weren’t new so much as survivors. While scrolling through the many pages of noteworthy events—handpicked and thoughtfully written by our staff and freelancers—you’ll also notice some important names celebrating important milestones. This fall, the city’s beloved storytelling showcase Story District celebrates its 25th birthday. Bossa Bistro, the intimate, eclectic, and global music venue in Adams Morgan, turns 20, and Transformer, the small Logan Circle art gallery, celebrated two decades in June. Rediscovery also looks like a local punk band remembering how they met while gazing toward the future of D.C.’s music scene, an Atlanta rapper remembering her Washington roots, and two musical acts on the path to celebrity and success.
Releasing an arts guide is no small task. This is my third for City Paper and my first without a City Lights editor. I’ve been joking about it being a one-woman show over here, but the reality is this is still a team effort that includes a stellar cast of freelance writers, gush-worthy artists, big dreams, great coworkers, and one devoted music listings intern—thanks for the words, Leo Ford. And so, I invite you to explore, bookmark, and share Washington City Paper’s 2022 Fall Arts Guide. —Sarah Marloff
Table of Contents
Music
D.C. Scholar Chronicles the History of and Local Connections to “Li’l Liza Jane”
“Li’l Liza Jane” and its bright, catchy folk lyrics are a piece of American history. Also known as “Little Liza Jane,” “Liza Jane,” and “Goodbye Lizzy,” the song stems from the antebellum South and spans generations, genres, and cultures—from Nina Simone’s 1960 emotional arrangement to David Bowie’s 1964 rock ’n’ roll rendition. To this day,…
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With Their Debut Album Out, Ekko Astral Are Building an Apolitical Punk Constituency
“I can see you shifting in your seat,” says Jael Holzman of Ekko Astral on the spoken intro to “head empty blues,” as synth tones shudder around her. The first words on the D.C. noise punk band’s debut album, pink balloons, are also the first words of Ari Drennen’s poem “Out at Dinner.” As Holzman…
2024’s All Things Go Brings Some of Pop’s Biggest Queer Acts to Merriweather in September
Let’s go, queers! The 2024 lineup for the All Things Go Music Festival just dropped, and the lineup is filled with massive pop performers, most of whom identify as queer. The independent music festival returns to Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia on Sept. 28 and 29, for the 10th anniversary of All Things Go. Clearly…
Local Bands Lend Their Talents for Fundraiser to Fight Homelessness
Some of D.C.’s finest bands are gearing up for a standout concert in support of unemployed D.C. residents who face barriers to stable work. Argo and the Violet Queens, Home Remedies, Massie, and Dorinda will play Rock Against Homelessness, a fundraising show at St. Ann Catholic Church on April 13. The show will benefit Friendship…
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Maryland Lawmakers Pass Third-Party Ticket Sales Legislation
After surviving a last-minute lobbying effort from third-party ticketing resale companies including StubHub, Vivid Seats, and SeatGeek, the Maryland House passed Senate Bill 539 on Monday. If signed into law by Gov. Wes Moore, the bill will protect consumers during the sale and resale of tickets via third-party websites for events in the state of…
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Books
D.C. Scholar Chronicles the History of and Local Connections to “Li’l Liza Jane”
“Li’l Liza Jane” and its bright, catchy folk lyrics are a piece of American history. Also known as “Little Liza Jane,” “Liza Jane,” and “Goodbye Lizzy,” the song stems from the antebellum South and spans generations, genres, and cultures—from Nina Simone’s 1960 emotional arrangement to David Bowie’s 1964 rock ’n’ roll rendition. To this day,…
Continue Reading D.C. Scholar Chronicles the History of and Local Connections to “Li’l Liza Jane”
Comedy
Dance and Performance
The Washington Ballet’s Season Announcement Offers Clues to the Company’s Future
Last year, City Paper wondered how the Washington Ballet would fare after artistic director Julie Kent, associate director (and Kent’s husband) Victor Barbee, and five top dancers left for the Houston Ballet. Another left for the Boston Ballet and three other dancers retired. In the span of a few weeks, the company lost a quarter…
Continue Reading The Washington Ballet’s Season Announcement Offers Clues to the Company’s Future
Film
Museums and Galleries
What Happens After the Paint Dries? The Thought and Upkeep Behind Outdoor Public Art
On a cloudy, dewy morning at the Congressional Cemetery, unleashed dogs and their human companions roam freely as a man crouches between gravestones and inspects one of his 150 mirror sculptures. In March, D.C.-based artist Tommy Bobo installed the first commissioned public art for the cemetery, featuring mirrors staked into the ground at about shin…
