FEELING LIKE dancing? Adventure's elecronic dance music is like the Pac-Man soundtrack, only more energetic, with a methodical organization that will recall Bach if you think about it too much.
Get down with Adventure's video game-inspired synth-pop at Velvet Lounge on Thursday.
» Velvet Lounge, 915 U St. NW; Thu., 9:30 p.m., $7; 202-462-3213, 930.com. (U St.-Cardozo)
POP QUIZ: The Treaty of Paris
A) marked Hitler's conquest of France
B) required Americans to be disdainful of the French forevermore or
C) ended the American Revolution.
For those who answered C), isn't it fun to Google on your iPhone? Anyway, yes, the Treaty of Paris is one of the most important documents in American history, and, as of Friday, it will be on display at the National Archives. George Washington had to fight a war for it, but you can see it for free.
» National Archives, 9th Street & Constitution Avenue NW; opens Fri., through Sept. 3; 202-357-5000. (Archives-Navy Memorial)
HOW DO I LOVE Kinky Friedman? Let me count the ways.
He's a full-blooded Jew with an entirely Texan persona. His nickname is "Kinky." He's a true Renaissance man — actor, novelist, humorist, politician, singer and songwriter.
His performance tonight at the Birchmere, however, will mainly be about the music. It's always lighthearted satire, always with an ironic country edge (one of his hits is called "They Ain't Makin' Jews Like Jesus Anymore"). Brian Burns, Tommy Alverson and Bob Livingston open.
Friedman said more about his manner and his music in an interview with Express' Darona Williams. You can read it here.
» Birchmere, 3701 Mt. Vernon Ave., Alexandria; Thu., Aug. 28, 7:30 p.m., $29.50; 703-549-7500.
Photo by Brian Kanof
IF YOU, like so many of us, missed the Los Angeles punk scene of the late 1970s, "What We Do Is Secret" can transport you back.
The scene was rich with drugs, booze and closeted homosexuality, and at the helm of it all were Darby Crash and The Germs, the "most chaotic, most unpredictable band around." This biopic on the band's brief-if-epic rise and fall opens at E Street this weekend.
» Landmark’s E Street Cinema, 555 11th St. NW; opens Fri., Aug. 29, various times/prices; 202-452-7672. (Metro Center)
Photo by Kevin Estrada for Peace Art Entertainment
HAS THE WORLD recovered from its China fever? That's a definitive no, because though the Olympics are over, Long View Gallery has its exhibit "Made in China" on display.
The show features drawings, paintings and video by Dana Ellyn and Matt Sesow based on a lengthy trip to the country. Sports, art, what's next? Oh yeah — world domination.
» Long View Gallery, 1302 9th St. NW; through Sept. 20, free; 202-232-4788. (Mt. Vernon Square)
Photo courtesy of Long View Gallery
FOR A CITY so filled with soulless wonks (not you!), D.C. has a lot going on creatively. That's never clearer than during the annual Page to Stage Festival at the Kennedy Center, a weekend of free play readings that lets you see what some of the city's myriad companies will be presenting in the coming year.
» Kennedy Center, 2700 F St. NW; opens Sat., through Mon., 2-11 p.m., free; 202-467-4600. (Foggy Bottom-GWU)
THEY MAY BE new to the D.C. scene, but that didn't stop Imperial China from snagging the headlining spot at the Rock and Roll Hotel back in the spring. Now, they're taking on the Black Cat's backstage.
The three-man experimental rock group has a fast-paced and surprisingly full sound, and traditional instruments are peppered with hearty electronics. You can pick up their first EP tonight (short but sweet, 4 songs, 24 minutes. Bam!) as they share a bill with Caverns and True Womanhood.
» Black Cat, 1811 14th St. NW; Wed., Aug. 27, 9 p.m., $8; 202-667-4490. (U St.-Cardozo)
Photo courtesy of Imperial China
GETTING MARRIED? You and everyone else on the planet, and you're all competing for florists and planners and caterers and venues and how will you ever manage to plan this wedding? WHY DID YOU EVER GET ENGAGED IN THE FIRST PLACE?
No, wait, wait. You're very happy to be getting married. You just wish this wedding thing was a little easier. Well, there are people who claim to be able to make things easier. Weddzilla.com is a site that offers to plan your wedding, and as a gesture of good faith they are assembling a collection of wedding vendors all in one place to simultaneously help you out and launch their Web site. It's tonight, and you can go to their site to register and read about the businesses that will be attending.
» Clarendon Ballroom, 3185 Wilson Blvd., Arlington; Wed., Aug 27, 7 p.m., free; 301-770-8738. (Clarendon)
Photo by The Washington Post
IS JOURNEY STILL Journey without the signature vocal stylings of Steve Perry? Some would say no, but I say we should give now-lead singer Arnel Pineda a chance.
Was he around for the glory days of the "Separate Ways" video? No, but he was discovered by the band singing Journey covers on YouTube — he's got a Perry-type thing going on but adds a little of his own flair.
Either way, the dude's got a real set of pipes on him. Check him out working the power ballad "Faithfully" here, and if you approve, rock out to "Wheel in the Sky" and, of course, "Don't Stop Believing" tonight at Nissan Pavilion. Heart and Cheap Trick open.
» Nissan Pavilion, 7800 Cellar Door Dr., Bristow; Wed., Aug. 27, 7 p.m., $25-$125; 202-397-7328.
Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
DALTON TRUMBO is famous for two things: "Johnny Got His Gun," the stunning anti-war novel about a young soldier living inside his own head after a devastating injury, and for not cooperating with McCarthy's anti-Communist tribunals and being summarily blacklisted. After that he could no longer work, and there went his career.
Luckily, we can still remember him via films like "Trumbo" (a documentary now playing at E St) and "Trumbo: Red, White and Blacklisted," a play about Trumbo's career and political convictions that opens tonight.
» Howard Community College, 10901 Little Patuxent Pkwy., Columbia; through Sept. 28 , $15-$30; 410-772-4900.
Photo courtesy Mitzi Trumbo
Addison Road