A WISE MAN ONCE SAID "to air is human, to air guitar divine." Need proof? Head to the 9:30 Club on Friday, Aug. 7, to see the 2009 U.S. Air Guitar Championships.
The imaginary string competition — in which contestants rock out on invisible Gibsons and Fenders — started in 2003, and the District hopped on the feigned fret circuit in 2007. D.C.'s air supply has grown so large that the area has not one, but two shredders in the fight: Sanjar the Destroyer (above left; real name: Chris Paxton) and The Shred (Lance Kasten).
We asked our hometown heroes to critique the out-of-towners they'll face next week.
McNallica (Erin McNally), Boston
» STD: She is the undisputed queen of U.S. Air Guitar and three-time Boston champ. Talking trash about her is like challenging Michael Phelps to the 100-meter butterfly: You're gonna get rocked.
» THE SHRED: Strong competitor, blistering winds and three-time Boston champ. Passionate about air guitar and will bring everything she has to the finals. Guaranteed to be in the final five.
William Ocean (Andrew Litz), New York
» STD: Nobody can pull off a pink outfit like this guy. He's won many times and been to the World Championships, but he's only human.
» THE SHRED: If there is anyone to be afraid of it is this guy. Cranks air in the Fujita Scale five range. Great friend. Has won four regionals and was U.S. champion in 2007. Has many secret weapons and will be in the final five. Period.
Fendor Splendor (Paul Alexander), Philadelphia
» STD: Sometimes I think he was part of the Blue Man Group in another life. If you're in the front row bring a tarp.
» THE SHRED: This dude is a D.C. local. Lost in D.C. only because he performed early. Crushed Philly. High-energy, ninja-style air guitarist who will bring plenty of surprises due to being a hometown fave as well.
Continue Reading "Air Apparent: D.C. Air Guitar Champs Critique Their Rivals" »
SATURDAY: Saturday, at 9:32 a.m., Dark Star Park's physical elements create a shadow alignment. How does this mysterious event happen? Heck, ask the sculptor when Nancy Holt and others gather for the food, music and performance at the Dark Star Park Day Festival.
» 1655 Fort Myer Drive, Rosslyn; begins Fri., July 31, with dusk screening of "E.T.," through Sat., Aug. 1, free; rosslynva.org.
Written by Express' Rue Khalsa
Photo by Erik Battle
IT'S BEEN 24 HOURS since Remy Munasifi uploaded his latest video on YouTube. And if you've got a Twitter feed or a Facebook page or a Gmail account, you've probably already seen it: It's a rap lauding the 28-year-old's Starbucks-laden, Whole Foods-hoppin' 'hood: Arlington, Virginia.
"Arlington: The Rap," which sings the praises of Crate & Barrel and notes the ubiquity of brown flip-flops, has jumped from 300 to 30,000 YouTube views in less than a day. We caught up with Munasifi to quiz him on his, uh, Clarendon street cred.
» EXPRESS: What makes Arlington so hardcore?
» MUNASIFI: It's populated by straight-up thugs. Really, seersucker is a fabric, but it's really a fabric that holds the town together. I was on the Metro and I saw a guy with brown flip-flops and seersucker shorts and I said, 'Yes! This is a video that needs to be made.'
It's a unique place — that's why I moved here. I like it a lot. There are a lot of individuals, unique personalities, creative people. It's kinda artsy. Everybody's real nice, too. It's not something that happens completely up and down the East Coast.
» EXPRESS: The video has gotten a lot of traffic in just 24 hours. Has response been crazy?
» MUNASIFI: That's cool. Now I'm just worried that folks are going to get sick of it; it's only been a day. I'm just happy that folks liked it. I put other videos out there — about something general. But this [song] was about a two-mile radius, so I didn't think it was really going to do [well].
» EXPRESS: Where did the idea come from?
» MUNASIFI: I live in Clarendon now, just a couple blocks from the Metro. I just moved here a few weeks ago and I thought that would be kinda cool to introduce everybody to my new 'hood. I really like Clarendon; I didn't land here by accident. It was like a celebration. I got a couple e-mails yesterday that folks liked it, and I was content with that. So far today it's been more of the same.
WE KNOW YOU can't take a vacation this summer. Not only is everyone strapped for cash, but with so many people out of work, everyone with a job is working triple-time. A staycation even seems dicey. But you can make time for one night, right?
It's time to explore Bethesda. OK, it's not exactly Colonial Williamsburg, but it IS on the Metro, and we'll take convenience over butter churns any day of the week. And hey, anything is better than the same Capitol Hill hangout every day of the week.
If you're in the mood for pure relaxation, snag a booth at the Barking Dog. Weekdays between 3 p.m. and 7 p.m., you can get $1 off every beer, rail drink, glass of wine or appetizer. After that, you can hit the teeny indie-house Bethesda Row cinema for a screening of "Summer Hours."
Continue Reading "Red Line to Relaxing: Besthesda Happy Hours" »
SATURDAY: When it's not raining buckets, May evenings in the District can actually be pretty serene — a perfect time for couples to take evening strolls along the Mall to sweetly gaze at our marble monuments.
Just one small problem: Blisters while pounding the pavement from one scenic spot to the next aren't so dreamy. For those seeking nocturnal sightseeing with a breezy zip, sign up for the Potomac Pedal Touring Club's Moonlight National Mall Tour on May 16. Ride your bike on this 18-mile excursion that wends its way past the Reflecting Pool, the National Gallery and the Capitol.
Register at the Tenleytown Metro stop at 8 p.m. for excursions that depart at 8:30 and 9:30 p.m. Head and rear lights are required. Still in a cycling-state of mind when you finish? Cruise over to the Washington Area Bicyclist Association's Bike Prom at the Black Cat — just pick up a corsage on the way.
» 4501 Wisconsin Ave. NW, free, Sat., May 16, 8:30 and 9 p.m., free; Bikepptc.org. (Tenleytown)
Photo courtesy Greg Drury
THOUGH FAR-FLUNG plane jaunts and cruise tours can pack on the CO2 pounds, green-leaning globetrotters needn't despair. These days, conscientious travelers can trim their eco-tracks at a growing number of destinations that give sustainability top billing. And as more places get hip to green, their wanderlust-appeal has widened from a handful of granola-toting hippies to even the most slicked-back urbanites. But just what does "green travel" mean, anyway?
"Ecotourism is responsible travel to natural areas that conserves the environment and improves the well-being of local people," explains Ayako Ezaki, spokeswoman for the International Ecotourism Society. "The people that live in a community can't be separate from the ecosystem."
Lucky for Washingtonians, a bounty of Earth-happy spots can be found right here in the Mid-Atlantic. Even better: Staying close to home is gentler on the planet and your wallet.
ALLISON FEIGEN got a few startled stares on the Metro a few weeks ago when she had an unexpected run-in with a familiar face.
"Someone had recognized me from an event," explained the 23-year-old. "It was a little funny to say, 'Oh, I met you at FART.' That was kind of awkward."
FART stands for Faux Athletic Recreational Tournaments -- gatherings in which adults play games most of us remember from the playground: Connect Four, shuffleboard and even four square.
From that blithe spirit came the group's cheeky name. "The thought was 'FART' or 'FART in D.C.' is something you can remember," said group president Dave Band, 29.
Since founding FART in September, Band and his board of directors — four close friends ranging in age from 26-29 — have been steadily planning monthly activities. They're starting their spring season April 18 with a citywide game of hide and seek ($15 donation, Fartindc.org for details).
According to Band, the inspiration for FART grew out of D.C.'s kickball leagues, whose participants often unwind after games by packing local watering holes like Adams Mill Bar & Grill or Kelly's Irish Times.
TAKE A QUICK GLANCE around the room and you might miss her. Yet, a second survey of the minimalist white tables at Georgetown's Leopold's Kafe yields unforeseen results.
There, seated among the murmuring European businessmen and the bespectacled grad student skimming his book, is Sari Calvert. While the 57-year-old's feathery scarf, bursting with bright flecks of orange, pink and turquoise, may first capture one's attention, it's the cards she spreads across the table that keeps it. Well, that and what she's telling the young woman sitting across from her: "I see a ring going on and off your finger. ... You being married by age 29 or 30. ... The man will have blond hair with hazel eyes. ... You may have twins."
Gulp. It's good to know you can order a glass of Pinot.
For the last two years, the Cady's Alley spot (3318 M St. NW; 202- 965-6005) has served as a chic- yet-cozy backdrop for the intuitive consultant's in-person spiritual readings on Tuesdays from 2 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. ($65 for 30 minutes, $130 for 60). And, no, people don't stare. "They're so busy in their own worlds, they don't pay attention. Or it could be I'm so used to being a freak, I don't notice people paying attention," she laughs.
Continue Reading "A Woman's Intuition: Sari Calvert at Leopold's" »
FEB. 13 IS the best date night of the year. After all, the only other couples you'll run into are people having torrid affairs who have to reserve the 14th for their legit significant other. So, go out on the 13th and do something romantic, even if you're alone.
Remember that time you swore not to think about your ex-boyfriend, but then your dreams were so full of rage that you awoke to find yourself chewing on your pillow? That's what happens when you deny Valentine's Day too vehemently.
This doesn't mean that you have to go see romantic dreck such as "He's Just Not That Into You." The AFI Silver (8633 Colesville Road, Silver Spring; 301-495-6720) is showing "Say Anything," which is not only one of the most romantic movies ever made that avoids cloying sweetness, but it's also a "Breakfast Club"-level '80s classic. If you have the Valentine's Day blues, take a bunch of friends and try not to think about how old you were when this movie came out.
Continue Reading "Night Out: Luckier Valentines Count on the 13th" »
LET'S SET THE SCENE in earnest:
It's a Sunday afternoon, and the National Gallery of Art is crammed with onlookers taking in the everyman repertoire of Robert Frank's "The Americans."
It's to be expected, of course, since the iconic exhibit opened just two weeks ago, and it's five days since one of the nation's most historic inaugurations happened a handful of blocks away, where nearly 2 million ambassadors of change trod the Mall's grass into oblivion.
But, still, this NGA crowd is annoying.
In a doorway, one security guard leans into another and asks, "It's that Jim Carrey movie, what was it called?"
"I"m not sure. Ugh, is the day over yet?"
Continue Reading "The Greatest Love of All: The Real 'Americans'" »
Addison Road