Opening Sunday: New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts

I wrote about this exhibit for March’s Spring Arts Guide, but after seeing it in person it felt especially important to boost my recommendation of New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024. During the press tour, Katie Wat, chief curator at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, continued to emphasize the boldness of the artists and art covering the entire second floor of the gallery. That boldness hits you upon entering when you’re greeted with an “anti-monument” from Marina Vargas made from Carrara marble. The human-size sculpture depicts the artist finally able to lift her left arm after having a mastectomy to remove breast cancer. “One of the first topics that you deal with in this exhibition is the body, the vulnerability of the body, but also the resilience of the body,” says Wat. Just across the wall, however, is a breathtaking swath of orange and pink tulle. Ana María Hernando’s “We Cannot Weep without Vibrating the Waters,” is a response to the constant bombardment of “urgent, hard to hold awful news,” reminding us, in her words, which Wat read: “Meanwhile, we can miss the waterfall of small gestures infused with kindness, hope, and clarity arising all the time.” The show is filled with powerful, bold imagery and vivid colors, but I’ll just flag one more piece, which takes up its own three-walled “room”: Molly Vaughan’s “Project 42.” The space is wallpapered throughout with intricate eye-catching patterns and hanging against the walls are garments made of the same material and pattern—almost blending into the backdrop. It’s a memorial for trans women murdered in America. Vaughan, in New Worlds’ catalog, explains: “In the New World, the current scapegoating of trans women and trans femmes will have us pushed back into the shadows, where once again we will be expected to survive in systems of invisibility.” It’s a breathtaking piece in an unmissable exhibition of women artists looking to the future and reminding us: It won’t get better without change. New Worlds: Women to Watch 2024 opens on April 14 and runs through Aug. 11 at the National Museum of Women in the Arts, 1250 New York Ave. NW. nmwa.org. $13–$16. —Sarah Marloff

Sunday: Giant Rooks at 9:30 Club

Many Americans’ introduction to Giant Rooks occurred when they opened for One Directioner Louis Tomlinson across the continent last summer, but their How Have You Been? headline tour promises to be the perfect initiation precisely because the titular album was written for the stage. The indie rockers became overnight sensations in their home country of Germany, and now they hope their snappy sound translates well for U.S. audiences. Hailing from humble Hamm, the band had their first two albums, Rookery and How Have You Been?, reach No. 3 and 1, respectively, on the German charts—the latter debuting in Spotify’s global top 10 in February. Giant Rooks lean in to what made their past bops so successful with tracks such as “Pink Skies,” which exudes summer, meet-cute steaminess. Who hasn’t lingered at a party hoping to catch the eye of a crush? The songs stick partly because they’re so relatable but also because the no-frills drum loops and guitar rips allow frontperson Fred Rabe to do his thing. Edgier tracks such as “Fight Club” tackle less-discussed subjects like the male struggle to express emotions, while “Bedroom Exiles” and “Morning Blue” offer the starkest contrast on the album. The former is a fraut, claustrophobic ode to staying in bed and the latter an exultant call to go outside and chase, well, anything. The only similarity? Both are sure to have the crowd bouncing Sunday. Giant Rooks play at 7 p.m. on April 14 at 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. 930.com. $25. —Dave Nyczepir

Sunday: Qwanqwa at Makeda

The band Qwanqwa are described on their website as having “psychedelic roots from Addis Ababa” and although that might seem like marketing hyperbole to appeal to Americans and Europeans, the group have songs in their repertoire that capture that description. Qwanqwa, whose name means “language” in Amharic, offer powerful lead vocals overtop high-pitched sounds from the single-stringed, lutelike masinko and a violin, along with lower-pitched sonics from the bass krar, and goatskin kebero drums. Qwanqwa were founded in 2012 in Ethiopia by American violinist Kaethe Hostetter, who moved to the country in 2009 after previously playing Ethio-jazz in the Boston-based Debo Band. While the outfit’s three albums have featured mostly instrumental tracks, vocalist Selamnesh Zemene took a starring role during their 2022 U.S. tour. Her ability to shift between powerful melismatic singing and ululating, combined with her shoulder-shaking dancing, helped make the group’s often rocking takes on the Ethiopian pentatonic scales more distinctive. Although Hostetter’s violin sometimes adds sounds drawn from American and British folk as well as jazz, mostly she is joining her skilled bandmates in adapting Eritrean and Somalian compositions with Qwanqwa’s own funky Ethiopian feel. Hostetter tells City Paper that the band’s upcoming show in Alexandria will feature some cuts where “Selamnesh can stretch out with the lyrics and the vocals, and spin the poetry.” Qwanqwa play at 8 p.m. on April 14 at Makeda Restaurant, 516 S. Van Dorn St., Alexandria. qwanqwa.net. $20 suggested donation. —Steve Kiviat

Monday: Atmosphere at Fillmore Silver Spring

Atmosphere’s 2024 spring tour with Hebl and NOFUN! is not a nostalgia tour. Though the rap duo made up of Slug and Ant have music that was released in the same decade some of their openers were born, they have never rested on their laurels. There have been zero breaks from the duo. Atmosphere have released 13 albums, 11 EPs, and a dozen more singles since 1996. They have gone from up-and-comers to institutions of the genre just like El–P and Killer Mike, but unfortunately without the relatively late-career success those two found with Run the Jewels. Atmosphere have morphed into positive elders of adult hip-hop, rapping about keeping the family safe over xylophones on 2023’s “Okay.” Atmosphere are not attempting to sound like early and mid-2000s Atmosphere, but this tour does coincide with the reissue of their 2007 mixtape, Strictly Leakage. So what should we expect from this spring tour? Are we getting guy-approaching-AARP-age Slug, relatively content with life and hopeful about the future? Still hungry, trying to prove every critic wrong about himself, his city (Minneapolis), and his label (Rhymesayers)? What about a mid-career, careening between anger and confidence on career-highlight Southsiders (2014)? Yes. Based on 2023 appearances, Slug and Ant still perform bits and pieces from their massive catalog, from the stuff that put them on the map (God Loves Ugly from 2002) to the most recent releases: 2023’s So Many Other Realities Exist Simultaneously LP and the Talk Talk EP. Fingers crossed they play more stuff from the Talk Talk EP than the full-length. The shorter release was unfortunately overlooked due to its release date (Dec. 1, 2023), and it can be hard to get critics to care about any group with more than two dozen official releases. It’s a shame because it’s one of their strongest works. Atmosphere play at 8 p.m. on April 16 at the Fillmore, 8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. livenation.com $41–$83. —Brandon Wetherbee

Tuesday through Sundays until April 21: Message in a Bottle at the Kennedy Center

Since April 9, the Kennedy Center has been staging Message in a Bottle, a new dance-theater performance based on and featuring the music of 17-time Grammy winner Sting and choreographed by five-time Olivier Award nominee Kate Prince. Described as “a unifying and uplifting story of humanity and hope” featuring “exhilarating dance styles, high-energy footwork, and breathtaking athleticism,” the story follows the journeys of three siblings—Leto, Mati, and Tana—who must flee for their lives when an attack disrupts a day of celebration in their home village. Their stories are told through dance sequences set to some of Sting’s greatest hits. The tracks listed in promotional materials lean heavily on the musician’s work as lead vocalist of the Police rather than his distinguished solo career, including “Every Breath You Take,” “Walking on the Moon,” “Roxanne,” and, presumably, “Message in a Bottle.” For those looking for family entertainment, be aware that the show is recommended for ages 12 and up due to “some scenes of an adult nature.” The show has a run time of an hour and 45 minutes, including an intermission. Message in a Bottle plays Tuesdays through Sundays through April 21 at the Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW. kennedy-center.org. $39–$115. —Allison Shely

Rescheduled for April 27: My Sista’s Keeper at Artomatic

The eclectic Artomatic art festival—imagine a run-of-the-mill D.C. office building taken over by an otherworldly artist colony—reopened on March 15 and has been drawing droves of locals to Foggy Bottom ever since to witness a range of local art and related programming. The space is unlike any other and demands everyone experience it for themselves. This Saturday brings My Sista’s Keeper, a live poetry reading in celebration of empowerment, healing, and sisterhood, to the Artomatic stage. The reading, originally scheduled for April 13 but was bumped to the 27 to give the event more time, convenes local Black women poets StefMarie Cole, 2Chill Phyl, and Kay Kiara to read their work among the art for a one-of-a-kind poetry event. The performance will not only highlight the three performers’ works but also prompt audience engagement to keep the event flowing. The packed galleries are sure to provide creative inspiration to encourage the crowd to join in on the art unfolding in front of them. My Sista’s Keeper starts at 1 p.m. on April 17 at Artomatic, 2100 M St. NW. eventbrite.com. Free. —Serena Zets 

Editor’s Note: My Sista’s Keeper has been updated to reflect the event’s newly scheduled date from April 13 to April 27.