Leisure

Reviews and think pieces on music, movies, art, and theater.

Leisure

Critical Voices: Akron/Family, Love is Simple

Akron/Family burst onto the music scene in 2005 with their promising self-titled debut and a fantastic split EP with the Angels of Light. With 2006’s Meek Warrior, however, they seemed to run out of energy even as they piled on the ideas. Thankfully, Love is Simple is exciting and lively, and its fusion of straightforward rock, tribal freak-outs and dense soundscapes makes it Akron/Family’s best release yet.

By September 20, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Devendra Banhart, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon

Bewhiskered troubadour Devendra Banhart is a man of many hats: father of freak-folk, new-age pseudo-hippy, the witch-voiced banshee of Jack Johnson’s nightmares. It’s appropriate, then, that his fifth and latest album, Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon, dabbles in a variety of musical genres, ranging from glam-rock to dub to gospel. While too long like its predecessor Cripple Crow, Smokey intrigues as the most revealing glimpse into the odd and joyous world of the shape-shifting folk singer.

By September 20, 2007

Leisure

Hip to the off-beat: DC Crafts and Fairs

If M Street has left you with a hankering for off-beat creativity, look no further than Crafty Bastards. With over 100 vendors, Crafty Bastards showcases talented independent artists and crafters from around the D.C. area.

By September 20, 2007

Leisure

Goes Down Easy

Nobody likes a wine snob, but I don’t need you to like me. I need you to like good wine. And I want you to drink it at a restaurant, paired with good food. An honest bottle of wine—poached from the low end of the wine list and foreign, if at all possible—is the pinnacle of the culturally constructed drinking experience.

By September 20, 2007

Leisure

Vox around the blocks

Garutachi Presents Underwear Party VI – Rock & Roll Hotel; Sept. 15; $10 or free if clad in undies Admittedly (and ashamedly), this writer has little experience with the Rock... Read more

By the September 13, 2007

Leisure

Accident swerves off the road

Amy Ziff, the star and creator of the one-woman show “Accident,” is one-third of the band BETTY—sort of a punkier Indigo Girls. She’s a Jewish lesbian, a blonde with dreadlocks and generally a funny woman. In “Accident,” she’s also dead. Do all these qualities mean she’s worth spending an evening with? Probably not. How about a little under an hour? Well, sure.

By September 13, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Kanye West, Graduation

Kanye West’s third album, Graduation, is a blessing in a year that has been abysmal for hip-hop. While Kanye is still a relatively weak MC, Graduation is an original, entertaining and tight album, and though it lacks any true club-bangers, it’s still the best hip-hop album of 2007.

By September 13, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: Animal Collective, Strawberry Jam

At the moment, nothing short of wide-scale environmental catastrophe could stop the creative stampede that is Animal Collective. The NYC-based group has been the apple of many a critic’s eye since the twisted forest romps of 2003’s Here Comes the Indian and Beach Boys-inflected follow-ups Sung Tongs and Feels.

By September 13, 2007

Leisure

Critical Voices: The Go! Team, Proof of Youth

Throwing Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band on the boom box and tromping around, only half listening to it would be akin to musical heresy. But different artists require different media of listening and The Go! Team, particularly with their sophomore effort Proof of Youth, have established themselves as of the boom box variety.

By September 13, 2007

Leisure

Film festival not short on inspiration

In an industry dominated by big budget sequels and tabloid stars, the D.C. Shorts Film Festival gives aspiring independent filmmakers hope to find not only an audience but also a venue that encourages collaboration and communication. Unconcerned with press or big names, the festival focuses about the artistic quality of the films and helps deserving directors with grants for future work.

By September 13, 2007

Leisure

Dead Beats

Music can be like a bratty child: loud, obnoxious and always demanding your attention. But what if we assigned the medium a more patient role, one that would allow it to seep into our subconscious, cleanse its contents and exit before we even sensed its presence?

By September 13, 2007

Leisure

Death Sentence: the bad side of Bacon

The logic behind Death Sentence is pairing a recognizable actor with some good old-fashioned ass-kicking. Enter Kevin Bacon, and a bevy of traditionally successful action-flick conventions: a convincing motive, some nameless people to be killed and perhaps a few cool cars.

By September 6, 2007

Leisure

One word too many at the D.C. Arts Club

The One Word Project, currently showing at the historic James Monroe house, offers explanations of its art work. Unfortunately, this contemporary approach isn’t wholly successful.

By September 6, 2007

Leisure

Malaysian persuasian at Kopitiam

Culinary routines can use a rethinking now and again, and the beginning of the year is a perfect time to try something new. Malaysia Kopitiam, just a five minute walk from Dupont Circle, offers an introduction into lesser-known Southeast Asian cuisine.

By September 6, 2007

Leisure

Alumni delight

On September 14th and 15th, the Davis Center will open its doors for an unprecedented festivity. The nearly two-year-old venue will house its first rock concert, GEMA ROCKS, courtesy of the Georgetown Entertainment Media Alliance (GEMA).

By September 6, 2007

Leisure

Goes Down Easy: A Weekly Column on Drinking

Your hangover is a worthy foe. You’re not face-to-face with this challenger because you didn’t go out; you’re dealing with Johnny Hangover because you had a great night. At least for part of it.

By September 6, 2007

Leisure

YouTopia: everything you don’t need to know

Despite what Google might have you believe, YouTube stands firm as a terrifically disastrous idea: the general public + homemade videos + ADHD. Though the web site may provide a unique forum for free expression, there’s no escaping the deficient video production or the depression that comes with surveying the grim status of American culture.

By August 30, 2007

Leisure

Lezhur Ledger: The Awkward Ship Sails

On a campus of over 6,000 undergrads, packed like collar-popping sardines in a can, I had never felt more alone. I had been living at Georgetown for little more than a day and wishing my parents would leave and take me back with them, or at least just leave already.

By August 30, 2007

Leisure

Chu-less and hungry

Every year when students return to Georgetown, they are surprised to find a few welcome changes around campus, like the school-spirited crosswalk added on 37th and N Street and the new carpeting in Sellinger Lounge. The closing of Chu’s Café is an adjustment students will not enjoy making.

By August 30, 2007

Leisure

Sounds of Summer ‘07

The Voice Leisure team enjoys spreading the word on its favorite new albums. Unfortunately, we didn’t have that pleasure this summer, so here’s the best of what we missed.

By the August 30, 2007