Walde Mar / Kevin Winter / Max Eastman / Weapons Envelope / Guillermo Pizarro / Numbing Agent
Apr
25
7:00 PM19:00

Walde Mar / Kevin Winter / Max Eastman / Weapons Envelope / Guillermo Pizarro / Numbing Agent

Friday April 25 * doors at 7, noise at 7:15 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Walde Mar is the noise alias of Luk Henderiks from Philadelphia PA. Harsh tape collage and live junk metal exploration.

Kevin Winter is an electronic musician from New Jersey. In addition to his solo practice Winter plays in the improvising ensembles ASPS and Haleta Wellins Winter Mountain as well as the Harsh Noise duo Hooper, CO. He has previously worked as 2673.

Max Eastman - PHL-psych noise tape-manipulations.

Weapons Envelope - Solo noise/power electronics workings by Emily Haugh.

Guillermo Pizarro uses field recordings, tapes, harsh noise, synths and ambient textures to achieve his cinematic storytelling through sound. He also runs Flag Day Recordings, a US label focused on promoting experimental music, harsh noise, ambient and soundtracks. Starting in 2024, Flag Day has added a production branch via Vitória Régia Studios focused on mastering, mixing and film scoring.

Numbing Agent is an analog + digital noise performer/recorder that focuses on manipulating and sequencing recordings and live sound.

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DC Dyke March Earth Day Crafternoon
Apr
26
2:00 PM14:00

DC Dyke March Earth Day Crafternoon

Saturday April 26 * 2pm * MASKS REQUIRED * $10-15 * REGISTER

DC Dyke March invites you to celebrate Earth Day and help us raise funds for the march! A suggested donation of $10-$15 gets you the supplies you need to do some sustainable crafting. Decorate a tin can planter, fix up a clothing item at our mending station, or make a zine or collage. Feel free to bring additional supplies or your own craft and just hang out with us!

Masks will be required to attend this event and please take a rapid test before coming!

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Forget Why Poetry Series - Holly Melgard, Joanna Fuhrman, Joshua Smith
Apr
26
7:00 PM19:00

Forget Why Poetry Series - Holly Melgard, Joanna Fuhrman, Joshua Smith

Saturday April 26 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Holly Melgard is the author Fetal Position (Roof 2021), named one of “Artforum’s Best of 2021,” and Read Me: Selected Works (Ugly Duckling Presse, 2023), which surveys her poems, short stories, and critical essays. Prior to this, she co-edited and designed Troll Thread Press for over a decade, a dual release print-on-demand + free .pdf platform, where she self-published ten other books, including several co-authored with Joey Yearous-Algozin. Her work has appeared in Best American Anthology of Experimental Writing, BOMB Magazine, and the German journal Merkur among other places. She lives in Brooklyn where she designs books and teaches writing.

Joanna Fuhrman is the author of seven poetry books, including To a New Era (Hanging Loose Press 2021)  and the newly released Data Mind (Curbstone/Northwestern University Press 2024.). Her poems have appeared on the Academy of American Poets’ Poem-A-Day, The Slowdown podcast and in the Pushcart Prize and Best American Poetry anthologies. An Assistant Teaching Professor in creative writing at Rutgers University, she first published in Hanging Loose Magazine as a teenager and became a co-editor in 2022.

Joshua Smith is the author of By (Non Plus Ultra, 2021). His work appears in publications like Yalobusha Review, Word For/Word, and TIMBER and has been exhibited at the Grolier Poetry Book Shop and Harvard University. For more, visit jsmith.bio.

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Youth Electronic Music Lab
Apr
27
10:00 AM10:00

Youth Electronic Music Lab

every other Sunday * 10am-noon * Free / donations * REGISTER

Rhizome is pleased to announce our Youth Electronic Music Lab, for young people ages 11-18. We meet regularly to share space together while working and to give and receive feedback in a positive and encouraging environment. Our group at this point consists of some beginners and others who have experience making electronic music and are able to work independently on it. We plan to invite guest musicians periodically to share tips, talk music theory / composition, offer feedback, etc. Please bring a laptop and headphones if possible. Bring some of your own music you’re working on or would like to share.

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Modular Meetup
Apr
27
12:00 PM12:00

Modular Meetup

Sunday April 27 * noon-4pm * $5-10 suggested * RSVP

The DC Modular Society is a group focused on learning, teaching, and performing electronic music with modular synths. DCMS meetups are open to all with an interest in electronic music, modular and other hardware synths, and hybrid systems for creating and performing music. We encourage and support building a diverse and inclusive community—if you’re wondering if you belong—the answer is yes! No equipment is necessary to attend meetups, but feel free to bring gear if you like. Mixer and PA system provided. We frequently do informal demos of synths and electronic music techniques.

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Parallel Play
Apr
27
2:00 PM14:00

Parallel Play

Sunday April 27 * 2pm * in the backyard * $5 suggested * RSVP

Who says creativity has to be a solo activity? Parallel play is a behavior regularly observed in children — that is, children sit next to or near each other, while engaged and focused on their own play. For adults, this is a form of quality time and can cultivate a motivating environment for creative play.

In the spirit of Parallel Play, pack and play your craft of choice during these open hours at Rhizome. Bring whatever supplies you need for your creative activity and tinker away alongside others doing the same. Folks are welcome to chit chat while they get their art on or have the freedom to focus in and get down to (creative) business.

This is a co-created space for art exploration. Parallel players will be asked to assist with setting up tables and chairs as needed. If your art form involves music, please bring supplies that you can work on with a headset or at lower volumes, as to provide space for others needing a more quiet environment. Bring snacks, water, noise cancelling headphones -- whatever you feel you need to get into your creative zone.

Parallel play will be offered on Sunday/Monday evenings 1-2 times a month, as space and organizers are available. During the winter months, we will be indoors; mask use is welcomed.

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Experimental Jam
Apr
27
7:30 PM19:30

Experimental Jam

Sunday April 27th * 7:30pm * $5-10 * TICKETS

Jam nights are an opportunity for people to show up and create art together. Bring a guitar, sticks, sketch pad, didgeridoo, or your dancing shoes and come vibe. Amps, speakers, drum set, and microphones are provided. Featured artist: John Fair

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New Orthodox / Motherfuckers JMB & Co.
Apr
28
8:00 PM20:00

New Orthodox / Motherfuckers JMB & Co.

Monday April 28 * doors at 730, music at 8 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Motherfuckers JMB & Co. came together barely one year ago with a desire to create long improvisational soundscapes akin to music by German rockers Neu and Xhol Caravan (from which they adapted their name). With Geologist from Animal Collective (Brian Weitz) on hurdy gurdy, Marc Minsker on bass, guitar, harmonium, and Jim Thomson (The Alter Natives & GWAR) on percussion, this instrumental trio is preparing for their upcoming release of a debut album.

On Bull Market on Corn, New Orthodox (Nicholas Merz) makes music that responds to the American expanse with plain-spoken thought. The pedal steel player’s songs paint pictures of the fractured ideologies that shape life in this country through the melodic haze of his instrument, the comedy of his lyrics, and the surreal choreography that accompanies his performances. The music is both intimate and grand, charged and claustrophobic, taking the tools of country and spinning them out of context. Bull Market on Corn marks Merz’ debut under the moniker New Orthodox. Each of these songs takes on a different fragment of the American experience, traversing both the personal and political.

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Music Research Strategies / Thomas Stanley / Patrick Cain
Apr
29
7:00 PM19:00

Music Research Strategies / Thomas Stanley / Patrick Cain

Tuesday April 29 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Grammar of Motives is an exciting, forward-thinking, participatory conduction system using unique game pieces in a graphic score wielded by audience members for interpretation by Creative Improvising percussionists and other musicians.

34Z is a new Improvising trio of old accomplices. This formation is one to honor the life, legacy and research methods of Ethnomusicologist Zora Neale Hurston with dynamic, critical and semi-amplified Creative Music. Music Research Strategies / T. Stanley / P. Cain

A self-styled strategist, Music Research Strategies offers your community an interculturally-situated, anti-ethnographic research methods and methodologies using technologies of Performing Political Education, Conviviality and Improvisation.

Dr. Thomas "Bushmeat" Stanley’s electroBush, improvised electronic sound art and words designed to emancipate the listener from archaic and destructive tendencies and beliefs.

Pat Cain’s electronics are one-half of the DC experimental hip hop duo, model home. With Nappy Nappa (voice), they take a freewheeling and improvisational approach that forms a sonic journal, unfiltered and immediate. Cain’s solo excursions are also available on their Bandcamp page.

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Zosha Warpeha / Heather Stebbins / Naoco Wowsugi / installation by Claire Alrich
Apr
30
7:00 PM19:00

Zosha Warpeha / Heather Stebbins / Naoco Wowsugi / installation by Claire Alrich

Wednesday April 30 * 7pm * $15-30 * TICKETS

Presented by Outside Time, celebrating new releases by Zosha Warpeha & Heather Stebbins

Zosha Warpeha is a composer-performer working in a meditative space at the intersection of contemporary improvisation and folk traditions. Using bowed stringed instruments alongside her own voice, her long-form compositions explore transformations of time and tonality. She performs primarily on Hardanger d’amore, a sympathetic-stringed instrument closely related to the Norwegian Hardanger fiddle.

Heather Stebbins is a DC-based composer and multi-instrumentalist whose work explores porous boundary between memory and emotion. She foregrounds cello, synthesizer, and an array of other electronics, creating music that is imbued with patience, unfolding slowly over the course of multi-movement suites.

Naoco Wowsugi is a community-engaged artist who blurs the lines between being an artist and an engaged citizen. Wowsugi's cross-disciplinary projects—including portrait photography, participatory performance, sound healing, and horticulture—explore the nature of belonging and inclusive community building.

Claire Alrich is a multidisciplinary artist living in Washington DC. A trained dancer, Claire’s art practice centers the body and the somatic experience even as it moves across mediums to include: installation, dance production, 2-D art, and sculpture. She will be preparing the performance space at Rhizome this evening with an array of colorful, translucent textiles.

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Microcinema: Short films and videos by Nathan R. Smith
May
1
7:00 PM19:00

Microcinema: Short films and videos by Nathan R. Smith

Thursday May 1 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Screening music videos directed for Joey Bada$$, Mick Jenkins, DRAM & Lil Yachty, Foster the People, Honestav, and more. Also screening a collection of personal work and unreleased film excerpts, and his recent short film The Burger which premiered at Beyond Fest 2024. Stay for a discussion with the filmmaker following the screening.

Nathan R. Smith is a director, writer, and editor from Washington, DC. His career as a filmmaker began when he directed the viral music video for DRAM & Lil Yachty’s song “Broccoli,” which received two MTV Video Music Award nominations. Since that time, he has directed videos for artists such as Joey Bada$$, Mick Jenkins, Ali Gatie, Juice WRLD, Foster the People, and many others. His video "Temptation" for Joey Bada$$ premiered at the Sundance Next Fest, and his first short film "The Burger" recently had its world premiere at Beyond Fest 2024.

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Queering Sound Fundraiser - Ari Voxx / charlee scythe / Novparolo / Boy Meets Pearl / The Constructivist Brotherhood / + Silent Auction
May
2
7:00 PM19:00

Queering Sound Fundraiser - Ari Voxx / charlee scythe / Novparolo / Boy Meets Pearl / The Constructivist Brotherhood / + Silent Auction

Friday May 2 * 7pm * $15-20 * TICKETS

QUEERING SOUND FUNDRAISER
PERFORMANCES // SILENT AUCTION OF ARTWORKS + QUEER PUBLICATIONS

02 MAY 2025 // 7-10PM

TICKETS: $15-$20

RHIZOME DC
6950 Maple Street NW
Washington DC 20012-2014

Help us fund our expanded vision of a two-week QUEERING SOUND festival staged across the DMV during WorldPride, 23 May - 08 June.

Ari Voxx
charlee scythe
Novparolo
Boy Meets Pearl
The Constructivist Brotherhood

Silent auction for a signed copy of Tara Rodgers Pink Noises: Women on Electronic Music and Sound(Duke University Press, 2010) + ephemera; Fanny Chiarello BASTA NOW: Women, Trans & Non-binary in Experimental Music (Permanent Draft, 2024); “first fire” physical poetry artwork by Greg Thomas / oo (first edition/sold out); signed copy of JS Adams The New Vocabulary/Photographs 2017-2024 (Fading Glamour, London, 2025); and March for Our Lives “Life or Death” poster.

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Puppet Lab
May
3
10:00 AM10:00

Puppet Lab

First Saturday of the month * 10am-noon * to REGISTER, please email rhizomepuppetlab@gmail.com

Rhizome Puppet Lab is committed to the performance side of puppetry. It supports the development of works in progress. You can present work for feedback or direct others in the lab to improvise or puzzle out specific scenes. You may use the group to figure out how your show might work. Anyone may lead a lab about any aspect of performance.

Puppet Lab’s purpose is to be a hub for all those interested in puppet theater who would benefit from: boosting creative power; honing puppet-manipulation skills; cross-pollinating ideas; receiving feedback about works in progress; building puppet community. Types of labs have included shadows, Laban, suspense, metaphor, music, voice, Clown, character development, props, table top, humanette, hand puppets, and much more. Open to all levels of experience.

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Figure Drawing w/ Dom
May
3
1:00 PM13:00

Figure Drawing w/ Dom

Saturday May 3* 1pm * $15-35 * REGISTER

Join us for an afternoon of kinky model drawing, guided by painter and art teacher: Dom. We’ll have models & expert artistic guidance. Meet your fellow Washington DC creatives. After a set amount of time we’ll open up the floor for people to make use of the space and create whatever images they wish. This workshop aims to celebrate body positivity and diversity while fostering a supportive, judgment-free environment for creative exploration.

Community expectations:
-absolutely no photography, phones should be tucked away during drawing

-the live model(s) have consented to being drawn, however, they must not be touched, photographed or talked about inappropriately in any way that could be interpreted as disrespectful

-keep conversations to a minimum, no judgment or shaming, this is a safe space for self expression

-avoid physical contact with other attendees

-if you witness someone breaking the rules all we ask is that you feel comfortable enough to go to the facilitator and explain the situation

-we reserve the right to remove anyone from the space

-no refunds

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Nuvolascura / Ostraca / Sutras / Nesting / Birth (Defects)
May
3
6:00 PM18:00

Nuvolascura / Ostraca / Sutras / Nesting / Birth (Defects)

Saturday May 3 * doors at 5 show at 6 * $15 * TICKETS

Nuvolascura - Featuring members of SeeYouSpaceCowboy, Letters To Catalonia, Ghost Spirit, Curtains and Heritage Unit, this California band unleash an absolute whirlwind of screamo fury. Mixing driving/playful bass rhythms with wild guitar-playing, mind-boggling drumming, and intensely raw screaming. One of screamo’s best.

Ostraca is a three-piece hardcore / screamo band from Richmond, Virginia, formed in 2009. They are the next phase of a band that was once known as Kilgore Trout. Honing in the sounds of the historic screamo bands before them, such as Usurp Synapse, Circle Takes the Square, and City of Caterpillar; they play an intensely dark, chaotic and dissonant style of screamo/emoviolence that harkens back to their Virginia forefathers.

Sutras - Sutras understand suffering—and how to transform it into music. The D.C.-area punk band thrives on creating driven, melodic songs that forge connections between disparate spirits.. Tristan Welch (guitar/vocals) and Frederick Ashworth (rhythm section) along with recruited live performers fuse pummeling rhythms with lush, grinding guitars, crafting a sound that is both ferocious and dreamlike.

Nesting -  A band from Baltimore. https://linktr.ee/nestingband

Birth (Defects) - A guitar based music-band.

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Crochet - DIY Borders & Sleeves
May
4
11:00 AM11:00

Crochet - DIY Borders & Sleeves

Sunday May 4 * 11am * $35 / sliding scale * REGISTER

Do you love  D.I.Y. projects? Join Fairy Ring Fibers to learn how to spruce up an old top with scalloped trim or convert a tired tank top into a cozy shirt! We will learn how to crochet into fabric, how to double crochet, and how to make a scalloped border. Yarn, hooks, needles, and scrap fabric will be provided, but bring your own shirt and/or supplies if you'd like!

Skill level: beginner - intermediate

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PROTEST & PRIDE ART BUILD for Kids + Families!
May
4
12:00 PM12:00

PROTEST & PRIDE ART BUILD for Kids + Families!

Sunday May 4 * 12-3pm * In the backyard * Free / donations * RSVP

Free! All Ages Welcome! Join us for a joyful, creative afternoon of art, community, and expression! We're hosting a Protest & Pride Art Build for kids and families to come together, learn about the power of protest art, and make something meaningful for the neighborhood. We’ll have art supplies, pizza, and drinks, plus space to create posters, flyers, and visual messages of love, justice, and pride. Bring any extra art supplies you'd like to use and share!

A local designer and neighborhood advocates will lead a light skill-building session to help kids craft strong, creative messages and designs. We’ll also offer tips on places and ways to share your protest and pride art—from local bulletin boards to community events to protests and beyond. Come celebrate creativity, community, and the power of youth voices.

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WORKSHOP: Indigo & Shibori 101
May
4
1:00 PM13:00

WORKSHOP: Indigo & Shibori 101

Sunday May 4 * 1pm * in the backyard * $15-25 * REGISTER

Itching to get creative? Come dye with me! This class will cover making and dyeing with indigo, including the basics of shibori (Japanese tie-dye).

You'll learn how to:
-make an indigo vat
-dye with indigo for long-lasting color
-tie up the cloth for a variety of beautiful patterns
-care for your indigo-dyed items

Each participant will receive 1 bandana to dye with. All other materials provided. You may bring a few additional items to dye from home. Small to medium sized items with 50% or more natural fiber content work best. In addition, wear clothing that you don't mind getting stained. Bring an apron if you wish, and rubber gloves if you have them.

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Beauty Behind Bars: The Transformative Power of Art in Confinement
May
4
to May 29

Beauty Behind Bars: The Transformative Power of Art in Confinement

Exhibit runs May 4 to May 29 * Open during all events, or email us to schedule a different time to view

Opening reception: Sunday May 4 from 4-6pm
IRAA Celebration & Open Mic: Tuesday May 6 from 6-8pm
Artist Talk & Market: Wednesday May 14 from 7-9pm
Closing Reception: Sunday May 25 from 5-7pm

Beauty Behind Bars: The Transformative Power of Art in Confinement presents a collection of evocative, poignant and beautiful pieces created by incarcerated artists, each a powerful meditation on resilience, hope, and the human capacity for change. This groundbreaking exhibit allows audiences to see beyond prison walls into artists’ lives, shaped by reflection and the quest for connection through their enduring creativity. Curated by a formerly incarcerated artist and a public defender, this exhibit strives to affirm the humanity of incarcerated artists and demonstrate art’s profound and curative roles in the lives of people who have lost their freedom. Each piece challenges stereotypes and the all too unforgiving narratives about incarcerated persons. They bear witness to the transformative and redemptive power of art, even in the most inhumane of conditions.

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Film Screening: I'm No Longer Here
May
5
7:15 PM19:15

Film Screening: I'm No Longer Here

Monday May 5 * doors at 715, film at 730 * Free * RSVP

Valentina Booking Presents: A film:

I'm No Longer Here

I’m No Longer Here (2020) or Ya no estoy aquí (2020) looks at the life of Ulises a 17 year old boy who is part of a gang named “Los Terkos” (“The Stubborn”) as he is exiled from his community in Mexico after a misunderstanding. Ulises then goes to New York City as he lives in Queens and begins to navigate his new life as a foreigner in a new world. This journey is met with discrimination, self doubt, and an identity crisis. A beautiful masterpiece. Directed by Fernando Frías de la Parra, and starring Juan Daniel García Treviño and Angelina Chen.

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OFFSITE CONCERT: Jordan Sand / Tromba Marina Quartet
May
6
7:00 PM19:00

OFFSITE CONCERT: Jordan Sand / Tromba Marina Quartet

Tuesday May 6 * 7pm * $15-25 * LOCATION: TONAL PARK (7014-C Westmoreland Ave) * TICKETS

Jordan Sand is a bassist, vocalist, improviser and composer weaving voice into the organ-like resonances of bowed double bass. Her solo music, described as  "Joni Mitchell meets Ligeti" (Omaha Under the Radar), blends song, free improv and noise to haunting effects. A seasoned solo performer, she has lived in four countries and ten cities, driven twice cross-continent in July, and plays on a Hungarian double bass of otherwise unknown origin.

Now based in Trondheim, Norway, Sand returns to Washington D.C. in May 2025 for a recording project at Tonal Park. The resulting album will unfold as a collection of improvised songs, grains, textures, and tantrums for double bass and voice, performed unscripted and in-the-moment. The live solo set on May 6th will also be recorded and may find its way onto the album, hopefully infused with new collective energies, aberrations, and oddities that could never occur alone in the studio.

Tromba Marina Quartet

Born in 2025, this quartet is composed of four amplified trombas marinas -triangular string instruments mostly used between the Middle Ages and the Baroque era- played by Rachel Beetz, Alma Laprida, Nate Scheible and Brian Weitz aka Geologost. This will be the Quartet’s first concert and it'll be presenting improvised and composed pieces.

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Lifted / Androgynous Bulge / Overlight Penchant
May
7
7:15 PM19:15

Lifted / Androgynous Bulge / Overlight Penchant

Wednesday May 7 * doors at 715, show at 730 * $12-25 * TICKETS

valentina booking presents: 

Lifted (DC & Baltimore)

Androgynous Bulge (Baltimore) 

Overlight Penchant (DC)

Lifted - The core duo of Max D and Matt Papich debut on Peak Oil following full-lengths for Future Times and PAN with a fresh suite of tactile, diffuse fusion. Half the collection emerged from a 2021 session at Tempo House rounded out by Dustin Wong, Mezey, and Jeremy Hyman, while the rest took shape in moments both collaborative and isolated, collaged together with CDJs into something more liquid and liminal than the sum of its parts. Across fractured jazz, pitch-shifted downtempo, revelatory guitar, and interstitial interplay, Lifted’s sound is one of flux, fragments, and filigree. Oblique harmonic synergies dusted in chance encounters and rogue acoustics. Diverse moods mapped with split strings and the space between notes. Music untethered by form or expectation, snaking like an ungrounded cable through a geodesic dome of deep-listening.  

Androgynous Bulge Is an electronic duo out of Baltimore made up of Hayden and J. 

Overlight Penchant - Alias of Jean Paul Pantaleon. Overlight Penchant is gleefully untethered from musical tradition, often even from basic tenants like rhythm or key.  Motifs recognizable and comforting in a different context float in and out of frame — always juxtaposed against a contrasting element, inducing an uncomfortable, but oddly familiar tension in the listener.

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Bashi Rose & Lemuel Marc / The Emperor King Bishop TrioDuo
May
8
7:00 PM19:00

Bashi Rose & Lemuel Marc / The Emperor King Bishop TrioDuo

Thursday May 8 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $10-20 * TICKETS

Bashi Rose is a theater artist, musician, and filmmaker. He was raised in West Baltimore and was nurtured, inspired, and trained in his craft by the Baltimore Arts Community. As a musician, Bashi uses the drum-kit as a creative tool for mental/spiritual healing and as a bridge between the spirit and physical worlds. He is the co-founder of Konjur Collective, a multidisciplinary group using music, video, and spoken word to create radical, experimental, and spiritual Black art. Bashi also wields his artistry as a force of community good. In 2007, he helped establish D.R.A.M.A, a program designed to bring theater to prisons and to help engender communication and empathy. This project began at the Maryland Correctional Training Center in Hagerstown, Maryland. In 2012, Bashi was awarded an Open Society Institute fellowship to expand the program. In addition to this work, Bashi is the co-founder New Generation Scholars, a youth program that allows Baltimore youth to study the African Diaspora and travel nationally and internationally. With Lemuel Marc, trumpet.

The Emperor King Bishop TrioDuo - The Emperor King Bishop | Solomon Selassie, is a multi-instrumentalist, producer, and all around multi disciplinary artist. Selassie does not consider himself as a musician fitting into any particular genre, but knows himself as a sound scientist, a sonic alchemist. Through divine connection with The Most High and our Divine Ancestors, Selassie uses various sound/art forms to heal, ground, ascend, transmute, teach, and connect with the hearts and souls of the listeners/observers, Ancestors, and The Most High. Selassie has headlined and performed at the Monterey Jazz festival, Keystone Korner, Brooklyn Academy of Music, High Zero Festival, and much more.

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Roger Clark Miller / Tag Cloud
May
9
7:00 PM19:00

Roger Clark Miller / Tag Cloud

Friday May 9 * 7pm * $15-20 * TICKETS

Roger Clark Miller is a guitarist, pianist, bassist, composer, singer, percussionist and occasional cornet player. He has been a band leader since 1967. His recordings have appeared on Matador, Fire, Ace of Hearts, SST, New Alliance, Forced Exposure, Cuneiform, Atavistic, Feeding Tube, Fun World, World in Sound, and others. He has toured nationally since 1979 and internationally since 1998. His career officially began in 1979 when he co-founded the influential post-punk band Mission of Burma on guitar and vocals.

For this concert, Miller will be performing compositions from his newest album on Cuneiform Records "Curiosity for Solo Electric Guitar Ensemble". He currently uses a customized stratocaster 6-string electric guitar and three lap-steel guitars on stands, two of them loaded with alligator clips or bolts, the other tuned to a post-Glenn Branca unison E. Using bass and tenor guitar strings, this melts his previous prepared piano ideas into more portable guitars, resulting in percussive grooves and bass-lines. Combining advanced looping technology with new stomp-boxes, many in stereo, he truly creates a "solo ensemble" sound.

Tag Cloud - Long-standing solo project of Chris Videll (also with THAT CLOUD), currently focused on modular synth but incorporating other electronics and occasional field recordings. Noisy ambient (or maybe ambient noise). Maximum R&D.

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One Day Writers' Retreat
May
10
9:00 AM09:00

One Day Writers' Retreat

Saturday May 10 * 9am-6pm * $75-100 * REGISTER

Calling all writers who need time and space and no distractions! Whether you are just starting a project, thick in the middle of it, or needing to finish it, come spend one full day with other writers at RhizomeDC. You will have your own table and space to throw papers and books on the floor, and lots of quiet. Space will be shared but not tight (if you’ve been to Rhizome, imagine two people in each room, each with their own table). Coffee, tea, snacks, lunch, provided. Wine or beer at the end of the day. Phones will be squirreled away by Rhizome’s own squirrels. For an extra fee, we won’t give you the wifi password. (Just kidding; we won’t give it to you for free.) Featuring:
-an inspiring space (old house, big windows, beautiful art)
-delicious vittles you don’t have to plan yourself
-enforced quiet with designated talking times
-one whole day of focused work!

The Rhizome Writers Collective knows how hard it is to enter that writerly trance/get sh*t done. We’re here to facilitate the magic!

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Online Puppet Lab
May
10
11:30 AM11:30

Online Puppet Lab

2nd Saturday of the month * online at 1130am Eastern * to REGISTER, please email rhizomepuppetlab@gmail.com

Rhizome Puppet Lab is committed to the performance side of puppetry. It supports the development of works in progress. You can present work for feedback or direct others in the lab to improvise or puzzle out specific scenes. You may use the group to figure out how your show might work. Anyone may lead a lab about any aspect of performance.

Puppet Lab’s purpose is to be a hub for all those interested in puppet theater who would benefit from: boosting creative power; honing puppet-manipulation skills; cross-pollinating ideas; receiving feedback about works in progress; building puppet community. Types of labs have included shadows, Laban, suspense, metaphor, music, voice, Clown, character development, props, table top, humanette, hand puppets, and much more. Open to all levels of experience.

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Sensor Ghost / Anarkuss / Freq Flag
May
10
7:00 PM19:00

Sensor Ghost / Anarkuss / Freq Flag

Saturday May 10 * doors at 7 * $10-15 * TICKETS

Sensor Ghost is a no-wave art-punk trio from Washington, DC, featuring Mike Andre (bass/vocals), Amanda Huron (guitar), and Sam Lavine (drums). The band’s spiky songs have been known to leave listeners in a discombobulated trance. Former/current projects include Puff Pieces, Antelope, Weed Tree, Light Beams, Vertebrates, and Stigmatics. Like the aforementioned groups, Sensor Ghost owes a debt to the freaked-out sonics and iconoclastic creativity of the storied DC punk scene. 

Anarkuss is s folk/punk band formed in 2018 in Berlin by Al Burian (ex-Milemarker, Burn Collector zine) and Annee R. Kuss. The loud and soft duo has been described as "combat folk" and "experimental acoustic punk". Anarkuss has played shows in Europe and the US, released two tapes on their own label, with a CS/CD on Exotic Fever Records forthcoming. A playfully political post-apocalyptic song and story act, providing thought-provoking minimalist entertainment and a glimpse into what bands will sound like when the power grid fails and we all revert to eating nuts and berries. 

FREQ FLAG are a new DC/Baltimore trio from Dave Bryson, Joe Halladay and Burleigh Seaver (ex-members of Son Volt, Des Demonas, Shortstack), dealing in rhythm-centric cosmic Americana. 

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Youth Electronic Music Lab
May
11
10:00 AM10:00

Youth Electronic Music Lab

every other Sunday * 10am-noon * Free / donations * REGISTER

Rhizome is pleased to announce our Youth Electronic Music Lab, for young people ages 11-18. We meet regularly to share space together while working and to give and receive feedback in a positive and encouraging environment. Our group at this point consists of some beginners and others who have experience making electronic music and are able to work independently on it. We plan to invite guest musicians periodically to share tips, talk music theory / composition, offer feedback, etc. Please bring a laptop and headphones if possible. Bring some of your own music you’re working on or would like to share.

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Xin Ni & Hideo / Charlotte Richardson-Deppe / Emi Kawashima
May
11
6:30 PM18:30

Xin Ni & Hideo / Charlotte Richardson-Deppe / Emi Kawashima

Sunday May 11 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Xin Ni is a multidisciplinary artist whose art practice explores sex, gender and politics through humor. She transforms the ready-made objects, and plays with her body to make objects, performance and social intervention pieces. "My work is my reaction to my surroundings. I encounter myself in the World."

Hideo Sekino was born in Tokyo, Japan. After learning different styles of shakuhachi playing, in 1986 he joined the Komuso Kenkyu-kai (monks of emptiness), a research organization on Komuso monks and their shakuhachi music. He has been performing honkyoku pieces since then in both Japan and the United States. Besides his involvement in the tradition of Komuso music, he has been active in collaboration with performing arts such as Modern Dance, Butoh, Flamenco, Performance Artists and Noh dances.

Charlotte Richardson-Deppe is a queer feminist artist working between performance and soft sculpture. Her work considers how people relate to one another, abstracting and exaggerating these connections through performance and wearables. She has completed residencies at VisArts, Montgomery College, Stamp Gallery, and the Torpedo Factory Arts Center and shown work at MOCA Taipei, Auckland Pride Festival, NextNow Fest, Culture Lab LIC, StableArts, Rhizome DC, Source Theatre, VisArts, Phaze 2 Gallery, NE Sculpture, Maryland Art Place, and more. She received her MFA in Studio Art from the University of Maryland, College Park, where she teaches drawing, sculpture, and photography as a Lecturer in the Department of Art.

Emi Kawashima (she/they) is a mover, grower, and maker based in DC. They explore movement and other mediums with a constantly changing body and mind. Inspired by nature, relationships, mental health, and everyday situations, she has been experimenting with plant dyed shibori fiber in their work. Emi gets their hands dirty as a garden manager at the Washington Youth Garden while finding ways to share space and collaborate with other creative folks.

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Elka Bong / Irman / Patrick Cain
May
13
7:00 PM19:00

Elka Bong / Irman / Patrick Cain

Tuesday May 13 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Elka Bong is:
Al Margolis - clarinet, violin, contact mics, objects
Walter Wright - Board Weevil, drums, percussion

with
Irman - electric cello, bass

"Al Margolis ... is some sort of evil genius working with sources radically altered up to an utterly unrecognizable state, anarchic manifestations moving in compact determination.” ~ Massimo Ricci

Walter Wright is an interdisciplinary artist, his practice includes computer programming, music, and video performance. His focus is on “improvisation as a way of being present in the world.”

Irman is a cello, bass and electronic music improvisor, composer and producer, active and involved in live performance since 1975.

Pat Cain’s electronics are one-half of the DC experimental hip hop duo, model home. With Nappy Nappa (voice), they take a freewheeling and improvisational approach that forms a sonic journal, unfiltered and immediate.

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Online Dream Cafe
May
14
8:00 PM20:00

Online Dream Cafe

2nd & 4th Wednesdays * online at 8pm Eastern * Free / donation * RSVP

A weekly guided dream-sharing hangout…. Welcome to the theater of your dreams—an inexhaustible source of images and stories that can provide entertainment and insight, and that requires no cable service and no subscription—just attentiveness and an open mind. Participants will share dreams, using a gentle, non-intrusive method for unlocking the metaphors that structure dreams (derived from the long-tested method of Dr. Montague Ullman). We’ll also talk about techniques for recalling and recording dreams, as needed.

Please click through for more details.

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Blockade / Inversion / Reason Why / Cross Examine / B.I.T.E.
May
15
6:30 PM18:30

Blockade / Inversion / Reason Why / Cross Examine / B.I.T.E.

Thursday May 15 doors at 6:30, music at 7 $15 *TICKETS

Blockade - Blockade is a straight edge hardcore band from Tampa, Florida brimming with energy. Lyrics ranging from disdain towards big shots in glass towers to the total rejection of poisonous vices. Inspired by floorpunch, no tolerance, and stop & think, hit the dance floor and show your style

Inversion - DC Hardcore

Reason Why - DC Hardcore

Cross Examine - DC Straight Edge

BITE - Baltimore Hardcore

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Guitar Matinee - Sandy Ewen / Aaron Russell / Layne Garrett
May
17
2:00 PM14:00

Guitar Matinee - Sandy Ewen / Aaron Russell / Layne Garrett

Saturday May 17 * 2pm sharp * $10-20 * TICKETS

An experimental guitarist, artist and architect based in Brooklyn NY, Sandy Ewen's guitar playing playing is centered around found objects and extended techniques. She performs solo and in many diverse musical and multi-media collaborations. Ongoing projects include duo with a Damon Smith, an all-female large ensemble, the trio Etched in the Eye, and a duo with Tom Carter called Spiderwebs.

Aaron Russell is a guitarist from Tallahassee, Florida.

Layne Garrett is an improvising musician and instrument builder based in Washington DC. He works with prepared guitars, found objects, and self-built instruments. He plays in the improvising duo Weed Tree with drummer Amanda Huron and the rock group Drawn with Nate Scheible and Nenet.

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Death Cafe
May
18
3:00 PM15:00

Death Cafe

Sunday May 18 * 3-5pm * RSVP

Death Cafes are opportunities for people to enjoy refreshments together and discuss the topic of death. The objective is to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” There are Death Cafes all over the country. What's on your mind about death and dying? Contact Death Cafe Facilitators Margaret Branch at margaret603@gmail.com or Monica Lynch at mlynch19@comcast.net.. Death Cafes are NOT therapy, grief support, or counseling sessions. Cost: Free (small donation for the space encouraged)

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Caroline Davis / Janel Leppin
May
19
7:00 PM19:00

Caroline Davis / Janel Leppin

Monday May 19 * 7pm * $20-25 * TICKETS

Join Transparent Productions for an evening of music with solo sets from Caroline Davis (saxophone, voice, electronics) and Janel Leppin (cello, electronics).

Caroline Davis’s dream for playing music comes from a wish to connect, yearning for curious listeners to expand their ears, hearts, and minds. Her musical journey began in humid Singapore, hearing sounds underwater that she would recreate by singing to her German shepherd dogs. Their Swedish-British family moved to the US -- Atlanta, Georgia -- around age 6, where she enjoyed R&B and gospel music, full of horns that lured her to choose the saxophone 6 years later. Drawing from these early influences, Caroline’s musical expression covers a wide range of styles. She has released eight of her own albums, to much acclaim, and is a collaborator on countless recordings. Her teaching practice centers around gender studies in jazz at The New School and she has a private saxophone studio at Manhattan School of Music. Caroline is an active advocate for gender equity (This Is A Movement) and current/formerly incarcerated people (Justice for Keith LaMar, Keys Beats Bars, Creatives Beyond Incarceration).

Janel Leppinis a musical force in multiple genres on her primary instrument the cello. Leppin's music can be found on Cuneiform Records and on bandcamp. From the Monterey Jazz Festival to the New York Winter Jazzfest Leppin performs widely as a cellist with a unique voice and artistic vision. She tours internationally as a soloist and in her duo with husband, Anthony Pirog. Her artwork which she weaves out her worn out vintage performance clothing appears on several of her record covers, are in private collections and are hung at D.C. music venues the Black Cat and at Comet Ping Pong.

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Youth Electronic Music Lab
May
25
10:00 AM10:00

Youth Electronic Music Lab

every other Sunday * 10am-noon * Free / donations * REGISTER

Rhizome is pleased to announce our Youth Electronic Music Lab, for young people ages 11-18. We meet regularly to share space together while working and to give and receive feedback in a positive and encouraging environment. Our group at this point consists of some beginners and others who have experience making electronic music and are able to work independently on it. We plan to invite guest musicians periodically to share tips, talk music theory / composition, offer feedback, etc. Please bring a laptop and headphones if possible. Bring some of your own music you’re working on or would like to share.

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Modular Meetup
May
25
12:00 PM12:00

Modular Meetup

Sunday May 25 * noon-4pm * $5-10 suggested * RSVP

The DC Modular Society is a group focused on learning, teaching, and performing electronic music with modular synths. DCMS meetups are open to all with an interest in electronic music, modular and other hardware synths, and hybrid systems for creating and performing music. We encourage and support building a diverse and inclusive community—if you’re wondering if you belong—the answer is yes! No equipment is necessary to attend meetups, but feel free to bring gear if you like. Mixer and PA system provided. We frequently do informal demos of synths and electronic music techniques.

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Online Dream Cafe
May
28
8:00 PM20:00

Online Dream Cafe

2nd & 4th Wednesdays * online at 8pm Eastern * Free / donation * RSVP

A weekly guided dream-sharing hangout…. Welcome to the theater of your dreams—an inexhaustible source of images and stories that can provide entertainment and insight, and that requires no cable service and no subscription—just attentiveness and an open mind. Participants will share dreams, using a gentle, non-intrusive method for unlocking the metaphors that structure dreams (derived from the long-tested method of Dr. Montague Ullman). We’ll also talk about techniques for recalling and recording dreams, as needed.

Please click through for more details.

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Cameron Knowler / Adeline Hotel / Small Sur
May
29
9:30 PM21:30

Cameron Knowler / Adeline Hotel / Small Sur

Thursday May 29 * doors: 6:30, music: 7:00 * $15-20 sliding scale * TICKETS

In the tender, surrealist world that Dan Knishkowy has developed under the name Adeline Hotel, stories have been told through sprawling psych-rock epics (2020’s Solid Love), stark solo guitar performances (2021’s Good Timing), piano-led orchestral song cycles (2021’s The Cherries Are Speaking), and lush, jazzy compositions that felt like a genre unto themselves (2023’s Hot Fruit). Inspired by indie lifers and fellow world-builders like Jim O’Rourke and Phil Elverum, the Ruination Records co-founder has rewritten the rule book with each new project, inviting listeners to join as he discovers new channels for his singular voice. By now the sound of Adeline Hotel is equally identifiable through Knishkowy’s dextrous fingerpicking—the aural equivalent of tracing your fingers through cool sand at sunrise—as his low, whispered vocals and autumnal melodies.

Cameron Knowler hadn’t stepped foot on Yuma, AZ dirt since the incarceration of his father when he was eleven years old. CRK, a self-titled affair, finds the artist confronting darkness with an open mind, sculpting the diorama of his youth into a record brimming with medicinal soundscapes. In line with the regional ethos of composer Frantz Casseus, the minimalism of Bruce Langhorne and the genre-blurring lens of David Rawlings, this instrumental record draws on the history and geography of Knowler’s perplexing birthplace—a border town known for its eternal sunshine, lettuce production, affordable dental work and defunct territorial prison that once served as a high school. Knowler carries forward the grand pictorial canon made famous by Dorothea Lange and western films such as “3:10 to Yuma” while soberly reporting on day-to-day life in the Sonoran with “Christmas in Yuma,” a zany poem recited by Jack Kilmer.

Since 2005, Baltimore-based songwriter Bob Keal has released and performed music as Small Sur alongside a rotating cast of musicians. Keal has always been elusive–touring only occasionally, self-releasing the majority of his full-length records, and rarely throwing elbows in the attention economy. Despite this relative obscurity, his unique and understated songwriting has been hailed as “expansive” (Aquarium Drunkard), “stoic, dark, and exuberant” (Tiny Mix Tapes), and “serene minimalism [which] conjures large expanses of natural landscapes at their most beautiful” (NPR). His songwriting tends to speak the language of the natural world, and it is this relationship to nature which informed his work on 2022’s Attic Room, released via UK imprint Worried Songs.

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Griefcat / Sex Monster
Jun
3
10:00 PM22:00

Griefcat / Sex Monster

Tuesday June 3 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $20 / sliding scale * TICKETS

Griefcat and Sex Monster combine forces for an evening that can only be described as...Grief Sex. Faeries Fucking meets Fairy Boyfriend in the cross-over episode you didn't know you needed. Will there be a mash-up? You'll just have to come and find out for yourself.

Griefcat (aka, Louisa Hall & Annie Nardolilli) is a musical comedy duo known for their harmonies, hilarity, viral videos, and engaging live performances. They’ve garnered over 50M views on their social media content over the last year, and have been featured by NBC (America’s Got Talent), ABC (Good Morning Washington), NPR, the Washington Post, and more. Hailed as “local favorites” by Washington City Paper in their hometown of DC, they are often referred to as “Tenacious Double D’s” due to their musicality and hilarious lyrics, their sequin studded shows has even Questlove admitting he "feels seen."

Sex Monster is what happens when a theater artist (Jenna Murphy) and a jazz musician (Amy K Bormet) bond over the romantasy novels in their Kindle history while waiting for the Metro. Musical genres are blended and mythical characters are reinvented in the titillating cabaret audiences refer to as "rabidly feminine" and "Lilith Fair for perverts." If you've ever seduced a ghost, or would like to give it a try, this show is for you. This act contains mature content, and is not appropriate for children or pearl-clutchers.

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Expanded Microcinema: To The Aether - Liz Downing / Alicia Puglionesi & Carrie Fucile / Erik Ruin
Jun
5
7:00 PM19:00

Expanded Microcinema: To The Aether - Liz Downing / Alicia Puglionesi & Carrie Fucile / Erik Ruin

Thursday June 5 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Liz Downing: Shadow Mother is psychotherapy by way of Toy Theater with voice, banjo, and puppetry. The setting is the dark, infinite land of the Id. One puppet is "Self" who speaks and the other is “Shadow Mother,” who sings.  

Emma Elizabeth Downing is an image maker, using singing/songwriting, banjoing and painting to create musical performances, plays and Toy Theater. She seeks to make good use of all of her skills, mine the universal psyche, and create art in rich collaborations. Elizabeth grew up in a small town, Alabama working in the the family Motel, singing in a Methodist Youth Choir, touring nursing homes, prisons, and childrens' hospitals. This was a formative idea of how to leave home, how to move people to tears, how to tell a story. She thought of becoming an evangelist, but instead became a painter graduating from Auburn University in Alabama. She then came to Baltimore to study under Grace Hartigan at the Maryland Institute College of Art. Here, Elizabeth joined with other artists and their collaborative efforts led to peformance art, hillbillie operas, story cycle concerts, parades and a lifetime of future collaborations.

Alicia Puglionesi and Carrie Fucile: Circles In Absolute Night is the story of descending into a cave with spoken word, live sound, and projected video. Why do we put faith in false promises and what is it like to be a rock? We will shed light on these questions.

Alicia Puglionesi is a writer, historian, and Baltimore resident. She studies the history of knowledge-making and mystery in the human sciences. Her writing, scholarly and journalistic, deals with mediumship, haunting, and memory in the American landscape. Puglionesi works as a lecturer in an undergraduate medical humanities program, as a researcher and curator, and in the production of poems.

Carrie Fucile is a sound artist who creates installation, sculpture, performance, and experimental music. Her research investigates how memories embodied in objects, architecture, and landscapes have sustained cultural resonance. The creative efforts that result interpret the effects of political power, technological shifts, and global economics on the human condition. Ultimately her work seeks to expose how traces of the past continue to live with us in the present. She lives and works in Baltimore, MD.

Erik RuinAll That Is Solid is an audio-visual environment that layers/juxtaposes quietly transcendentalist video observations of everyday life alongside hand-drawn animations and cut paper projections. A series of reckonings with the state of the state, the self, society, the environment, the interpenetration and complicity of them/us all.

Erik Ruin is a Michigan-raised, Philadelphia-based printmaker, shadow puppeteer, paper-cut artist, etc., who has been lauded by the New York Times for his "spell-binding cut-paper animations." His work oscillates between the poles of apocalyptic anxieties and utopian yearnings, with an emphasis on empathy, transcendence and obsessive detail. He frequently works collaboratively with musicians, theater performers, other artists and activist campaigns.

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DC Youthquake! Open Meeting
Jun
7
12:00 PM12:00

DC Youthquake! Open Meeting

Saturday June 7 * 12-2pm * Free / donations * RSVP

DC Youthquake!
Distributing issue #1...

Looking for likeminded women, artists, activists.
Open meeting/call to action
Come meet friends…

Talk Music!
Talk Art!
Talk Change!

Calling all femme + queer people in DC And surrounding areas

Help us make our scene ours

BRING A FRIEND!
BRING A FRIEND'S FRIEND!!

Want to get involved?

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Deady / Material Objects / Ducts / Spring Silver
Jun
10
6:30 PM18:30

Deady / Material Objects / Ducts / Spring Silver

Tuesday June 10 * doors at 6:30, show at 7 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Deady - Deady is a 5 piece punk band from Louisville, KY. Album out this June.

Material Objects - With a foundation of textured and rounded rhythm, dense and propulsive bass and atmospheric guitars, Material Objects exist in that sweet spot of indie rock, psychedelic and post-punk with a rich melodic edge.

Ducts

Spring Silver - Spring Silver is a loud music project based out of Maryland.

Flyer by Terence Hannum

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Jair-Rohm Parker Wells & Ben Dumbauld / Fanoplane / ‘an observance of absence’ by Jason Pappariella
Jun
13
7:00 PM19:00

Jair-Rohm Parker Wells & Ben Dumbauld / Fanoplane / ‘an observance of absence’ by Jason Pappariella

Friday June 13 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Jair-Rohm Parker Wells, bass & Ben Dumbauld, percussion
Jair-Rohm Parker Wells is an American electric bassist, sound sculptor, and experimental music artist. He is a pioneering figure in the world of free jazz and improvised music, with a career spanning over four decades. Drawing inspiration from artists such as Lockwood, Feldman, Braxton, Wilson, and Cage, Jair-Rohm is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of musical expression. Ben Dumbauld is a percussionist and composer based out of Pittsburgh who runs the experimental music label Ephem-Aural.

In this musical context, Fanoplane is an improvisational project focused on projecting the infinite gifts of the Muse. Fanoplane’s performances are unscored, unrehearsed and improvised extemporaneously on the spot.

‘an observance of absence’ by Jason Pappariella is a documentary that blends interior and exterior spaces left vacant and dilapidated by the abandonment of Central & Eastern Pennsylvania's anthracite coal region, with similarly neglected interior and exterior sites in postindustrial Central & Eastern Europe. The score, composed by Adam Parks (Lightning White Bison), is comprised of manipulated field recordings from both regions of the world, layered with ambient organ & synth instrumentals.

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Seventh Stanine Festival
Jun
14
1:00 PM13:00

Seventh Stanine Festival

Saturday June 14 * 1-9pm * outdoors, weather permitting * $50 / sliding scale * TICKETS

Tyondai Braxton & Ben Vida: Tyondai Braxton is an American composer and electronic musician who incorporates electronic and modern orchestral elements into his music, which ranges in scale from solo pieces to large-scale symphonic works. Ben Vida is an artist and composer. Recent solo exhibitions include \[Smile on.\]… \[Pause.\]… \[Smile off.\] at Lisa Cooley Gallery, New York, and Slipping Control (West) at 356 S. Mission Road, Los Angeles.

Wendy Eisenberg is an improviser and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer and the voice. Their work spans genres, from jazz to noise to avant-rock to delicate songs.

Josh Dibb aka Deakin is an artist, producer & composer most notably a member of the band Animal Collective. He has released multiple studio & live albums, and as a film composer he has composed music for the films Crestone, The Inspection, Jetty & Obex.

Lucy Liyou synthesizes field recordings, text-to-speech readings, poetry, and elements from Korean folk opera into sonic narratives that explore the implications of Orientalism and Westernization.

The Caribbean (festival founders and co-hosts) is an American experimental project from Washington, D.C., composed of Michael Kentoff, Matthew Byars, and Dave Jones. Described as “minimalist/drone/Phillip Jeck-by-way-of-Carole King,” the band has been critically acclaimed for its deconstructionist approach to pop music, and its wry, literary lyrics.

Emily Robb is a Philadelphia based musician who has been part of the rock underground and experimental scenes for over a decade. She recently released her debut solo album, How To Moonwalk, created almost exclusively on guitar.

Jon Camp is a well-known-and-loved fingerstyle guitarist and composer from the Washington, DC region. He blends twang, drone, and melody into a cohesive whole that is exploratory without forsaking the hook.

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Kahil El'Zabar & David Murray
Jun
17
7:00 PM19:00

Kahil El'Zabar & David Murray

Tuesday June 17 * 7pm * $30-35 TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents The El’Zabar : Murray : Duo with Kahil El’Zabar (percussion) and David Murray (tenor sax and bass clarinet).

This startling, legendary duo returns yet again to Rhizome for an evening of great music.

Sir Kahil El’Zabar was Knighted by the Council General of France for his Global contributions to the Arts. Dr. El’Zabar, holds a PHD from Lake Forest College in Interdisciplinary Arts. He taught music and interdisciplinary arts at the U. Nebraska/Lincoln, and U. IL/Chicago. He was Appointed by Pres. Bill Clinton to the National Task Force for Arts representing Education. He won the International Ambassador Award from Pres. Barack Obama’s Administration. El’Zabar has recorded over 100 acclaimed projects, and founded and leads the legendary Ethnic Heritage Ensemble and Ritual Trio.


David Murray is considered to be the most influential tenor saxophonist of his generation. He has recorded more than 300 acclaimed projects. Dr. Murray was awarded a PhD in the Arts from Claremont College, and is also a Guggenheim Fellow and a Fulbright Scholar. Mr. Murray has won 2 Grammys and is the recipient of the prestigious Jazz Par Award from the country of Denmark.

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Lily Finnegan & gabby fluke-mogul / Ollie Becker / Will Hicks plays 4cassettes:1drum
Jun
22
7:00 PM19:00

Lily Finnegan & gabby fluke-mogul / Ollie Becker / Will Hicks plays 4cassettes:1drum

Sunday June 22 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

In their debut album, Lily Finnegan (drums) and gabby fluke-mogul (violin and vocals) give their respects to the queer punk rock & avant jazz musicians of the expansive continuum past, present, future. A prayer, a scream, a steadfast commitment - Finnegan and fluke-mogul weave improvised song, solo, and laughter in this music, recorded in the depths of July 2023 in Chicago.

Lily Glick Finnegan is a Chicago born and based drummer, composer, improviser and organizer. She currently plays in her own self led quartet along with Ken Vandermark’s Edition Redux and punk band Cucuy. This is her second year curating the Experimental Sound Studio Option Series and Catalytic Sound Festival.

gabby fluke-mogul is a New York-based violinist, improviser, composer, educator, organizer and doula. Weaving within the threads of avant and free jazz, with deep roots in improvised and experimental music, their music has been described as “embodied, visceral and virtuosic” and “the most striking sound in improvised music in years”. 

Ollie Becker is a guitarist/vocalist/composer/improvisor based out of Boston. Current projects include: solo guitar, noise rock band Rong, experimental grind band Obsolescence Technician, ensemble Premium Velvet Headache Pillow, and composition for chamber groups. Their solo guitar combines their self-taught background with more recent studies in composition, with influences ranging from “American primitive” guitar to experimental metal, free improvisation, impressionism, and brutalism. Approaching solo guitar like a piano reduction of a larger score, each piece regularly shifts in meter, tempo, harmony, and texture – a review of their acoustic trio album minis said that it “hits like freak-lounge jazz, acoustic metal and hardcore riffing off art pop ... each influence in style and tone holds its place within each song” (Post-Trash, 2021).

4CASSETTES:1DRUM is a surround sound performance piece written and performed by experimental musician Will Hicks. This piece is written for 4 tape players and one floor tom. It takes you on a confusing journey from experimental electronics to a wall of noise to a heartfelt string arrangement that appears to circle the audience while Hicks plays a repetitive pattern on the drum positioned in the center of the room. A classically trained musician and accomplished experimental percussionist, Will Hicks continues to push boundaries through experimental and noise-driven performance. 

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Høly River / Valeska Populoh / Talk to Your Neighbor
Jun
23
7:00 PM19:00

Høly River / Valeska Populoh / Talk to Your Neighbor

Monday June 23 * 7pm * $10-30 * TICKETS

The music of Høly River carries the message of humanity’s need for reconnection with the earth. Mystically political and wholeheartedly grassroots this DIY band finds themselves playing on large festival stages as well as backyard fire pits of intentional communities around the world.

Høly River is a musical duo known for their ethereal pop soundscapes, transcendent melodies, and environmental activism. Rooted in themes of nature, spirituality, and human connection, their music weaves together elements of indie folk, world, and ambient genres. The duo's performances create an immersive experience that transcends the boundaries of a traditional concert, offering audiences moments of reflection, introspection and inspiration.

In addition to their music, Laney and Jameson are passionate advocates for environmental stewardship and community building. They are the founders of Fonticello Food Forest, a thriving urban food forest in Richmond, VA dedicated to nature connection, education and community access to fresh and rescued food.

Valeska Populoh is an artist and performer, educator and cultural organizer living in Baltimore, on the un-ceded land of the Piscataway Conoy and other Chesapeake First Families. Embracing a wide array of tactics, from puppetry to participatory performance, Valeska's work is motivated by an interest in healing and repair, in our relationships to each other and to the natural world. Using the magic lantern of decommissioned overhead projectors, Valeska and fellow puppeteer Peter Redgrave conjure a landscape of transforming shadows in "Groundswell Spell/Who Are We but If Not of Each Other," an incantation to our hoofed and antlered selves.

Talk to Your Neighbor is a band from the DMV playing experimental, genre-bending music that combines rock, pop, folk, electronics, futuristic production, and an array of complex textures. Reviewers have described the band's single 'Knock' as “haunting folk minimalism” with “jazz-touched rhythmic intensity” and the track "Pyro" as having “rich moody textures and sublime keys underpinned by alluring melodic runs.” The song "Half Moon" explores textures as diverse as spaghetti western and hyperpop, which listeners say  “manage[s] to fuse elements of trip-hop, classical, folk and about a million other styles into a haunting curveball.” The band consists of Ana Ruess (lead vocals) and Lukas Keel (guitar, bass guitar, production) both of the duo Help Yourself to the Citrus; Jeremy Padow (guitar) and Andrew Carlson (percussion), both formerly of the band Dope Francis; and Kevin Huang (keys) who collaborates with Be Steadwell and other DC-based artists.

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Gian Pérez (solo guitar) plus Fateful Encounter (Antonyraj/Saifi/Saifi)
Jun
26
7:00 PM19:00

Gian Pérez (solo guitar) plus Fateful Encounter (Antonyraj/Saifi/Saifi)

Thursday June 26 * 7pm * $20-25 * TICKETS

Transparent Presents Gian Pérez (solo guitar) plus Fateful Encounter (Antonyraj/Saifi/Saifi)

Gían Pérez is a multi-disciplinary artist, improviser, and composer from Puerto Rico, based in Brooklyn, NY, whose work focuses on the elucidation, fermentation, and subversion of form. Recently, Pérez has worked with artists like Brandon Lopez, gabby fluke-mogul, Elliott Sharp, Brandon Seabrook, Marc Edwards, among others. He’s performed at venues like The Stone, Downtown Music Gallery, and Joe’s Pub. By extending the guitar to its extremes as a physical material, Pérez denatures the electric guitar beyond its ascribed historical identity, envisioning a language that was never conquered and had been left to govern itself. His debut solo guitar record, bambú, was released on zOaR Records. Ñ, his most recent solo record, is available everywhere now.


Fateful Encounter is a DC based free improvisation trio that centers collective liberation. The trio features saxophonist Lavender Antonyraj, bassist Teymour Saifi, and guitarist Kiyan Saifi. Kiyan Saifi is an experimental guitarist who currently performs with DC-based bands: Red Sunflower, Opposite Tiger, Fateful Encounter, and Sense Memory. Teymour Saifi is a DC based bassist who currently performs with Red Sunflower, Opposite Tiger, Fateful Encounter, and Sense Memory. Lavender Antonyraj is an experimental musician operating in DC. Her practice is grounded in green spaces with natural sounds to uncover methods outside of traditional practice. She brings these methods into improvised performance to genuinely connect and express to fellow musicians and audiences. Her practice has been aligned with grassroots spaces featuring trans and Queer musicians throughout the city.

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Washington Writers' Publishing House Literary Salon: PRIDE Edition
Jun
30
7:00 PM19:00

Washington Writers' Publishing House Literary Salon: PRIDE Edition

Monday June 30 * 7pm * Free * RSVP

WWPH Literary Salon: PRIDE edition hosted by Washington Writers' Publishing House co-editors Jona Colson and Caroline Bock and featuring award-winning poet and scholar Dr. Tonee Mae Moll (You Cannot Save Here, WWPH) and more!

Free creative writing mini-workshops, reading, open mic discussion, snacks & treats reception & more! Free. All invited. Space limited.

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Book Talk -  Ben Ratliff's Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening
Apr
24
7:00 PM19:00

Book Talk - Ben Ratliff's Run the Song: Writing About Running About Listening

Thursday April 24 * 7pm * Free / donations * RSVP

About ten years into a routine of running every morning, the music critic Ben Ratliff realized that listening and running have something in common. Maybe a lot of things. If you like, start with the word "track." Consider that music suggests its own atmosphere, and that running is rhythmic. Remember that both practices involve moving headlong into the near future and staying aware. Keep going.

He set out to write about music in a new way--new to him, at least--in which the motion of a body through the atmospheres of his New York running routes could correspond with the motion in the music he heard through his earphones. The result, Run the Song, is a new book of interconnected essays on music, motion, criticism, the future, and the ways that cities reveal their divisions to a runner. Within each chapter, one piece of music, one run, one atmosphere. 

Ratliff will talk with the Washington Post music critic Chris Richards about running and listening, and play some of the music described in the book.

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Online Dream Cafe
Apr
23
8:00 PM20:00

Online Dream Cafe

2nd & 4th Wednesdays * online at 8pm Eastern * Free / donation * RSVP

A weekly guided dream-sharing hangout…. Welcome to the theater of your dreams—an inexhaustible source of images and stories that can provide entertainment and insight, and that requires no cable service and no subscription—just attentiveness and an open mind. Participants will share dreams, using a gentle, non-intrusive method for unlocking the metaphors that structure dreams (derived from the long-tested method of Dr. Montague Ullman). We’ll also talk about techniques for recalling and recording dreams, as needed.

Please click through for more details.

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Water is the Sun / Doomi Soomi / Eleanora / Requiem
Apr
23
7:00 PM19:00

Water is the Sun / Doomi Soomi / Eleanora / Requiem

Wednesday April 23 * doors at 7, music at 715 * $10-20 * TICKETS

Water is the Sun - Adam Parks (Timber Rattle, Lightning White Bison) and Mkl Anderson (Drekka, lovesliescrushing) - There are moments of silent depth in which the winter of the scalpel of meaning and the spring of the sound-born, unleashed body look upon the world fully present. When the notes at last are heard, the ordered world is their indistinguishable score. The ritual of process is that which carries. The process of ritual is that which brings moments both transitory and immortal, apprehended by musician, seer, clairvoyant, herald; the welling tones that emanate from the crystal salt of shattered primordial sea; the melody that creeps unheard from unseen distance across the desert blaze; the hymns that blare in whispers from mountain peak and valley depth, beams of their power streaming into the ordered world, in confluence with body, voice and soul, dissolving it again and again.

Doomi Soomi is the solo project of Janet Lee, of Boston, MA. Soomi's compositions are coextensive with her surroundings: She often rehearses in nature, and incorporates these experiences into her work. Soomi's banjo, accordion, and other instruments provoke a meditation on the question of where music is to be found. An album of field recordings and instrumentation is forthcoming.

Eleanora is the solo project of Eleanor Denison, formerly of Boston, MA. A classically trained harpist, Denison balances composition and experimentation in introspective pieces. Her work demonstrates an intuitive sense of flow that finds a place for each feeling. Her latest album, Lamentations of An Bhean Sí, was released in early 2025.

Requiem are a DC-based audiovisual arts group founded in summer 2020 as the brainchild of experimental guitar player and soundscape designer Tristan Welch, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and multimedia artist Doug Kallmeyer, and established visual artist Monica Stork. Known for their immersive, cinematic and hypnotic multimedia experiences, Requiem’s core sonic identity is characterized by heavy soundscapes, deep synthetic bass, and musical percussion, imbued with an inherent emotional depth facilitating their explorations of the experiences and sentimentality of interpersonal relationships.

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LOOLOWNINGEN & THE FAR EAST IDIOTS / Shadow Riot / Industrial Grade Acid
Apr
22
7:00 PM19:00

LOOLOWNINGEN & THE FAR EAST IDIOTS / Shadow Riot / Industrial Grade Acid

Tuesday April 22 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

LOOLOWNINGEN & THE FAR EAST IDIOTS:
ARE TOKYO-BASED AVANT-PUNK, ALTERNATIVE BLUES TRIO.
WITH INKWASH PAINTING-LIKE SOUNDS & UNICURSAL RHYTHMS.
WE RELEASED 3 ALBUMS, 4 EPS, AND SOME DIGITAL SINGLES.
WE HAVE PLAYED WITH: GODSPEED YOU! BLACK EMPEROR, DINOSAUR JR., LOUIS COLE BIG BAND, PINBACK, BUILT TO SPILL, GUERILLA TOSS, FELL RUNNER, BORIS, BUFFALO DAUGHTER, ZAZEN BOYS, OGRE YOU ASSHOLE, 00I00, GOAT, ALTERED STATES, HIKASYU, SHUGO TOKUMARU, NISENNENMONDAI, EASTERN YOUTH, WORLD'S END GIRLFRIEND & ANOTHER ALCHEMY.

Shadow Riot
Kamyar Arsani
Jeff Barsky
Dug Birdzell
Jerry Busher 

Join us. 

Industrial Grade Acid is the collaboration between Mic Litter and Nikolai Koppernick, who have been recording stream of consciousness improvisations with a revolving door of electronic gear for over a dozen years.  I.G.A. began as post-basement show jams between musicians and attendees in 2010, which we named and numbered as “Doses.” Our material ranges from sampled found sounds to metallic percussion, howling synths, cyberpunk junk rhythms, feedback loops, and ambient droning.

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Zoh Amba Sun Ensemble / Mark Cisneros & Nik Francis
Apr
21
7:30 PM19:30

Zoh Amba Sun Ensemble / Mark Cisneros & Nik Francis

Monday April 21 * doors at 7pm, music at 730 * $25 / sliding scale * TICKETS

Rhizome DC, DC Jazz Festival, and Transparent Productions present…

Zoh Amba Sun Ensemble, a remarkable project led by saxophonist and composer Zoh Amba, will release their debut record this spring on Smalltown Supersound. The ensemble blends avant-garde jazz with spiritual intensity, featuring Lex Korten (piano), Miguel Marcel Russell (percussion), and Kanoa Mendenhall (bass).

Opening set by Mark Cisneros and Nik Francis.

Zoh Amba (Roulette 2023-24 Commissioned Artist) is a composer, saxophonist, and flutist from Tennessee. Her music blends avant-garde, noise, and devotional hymns. Before studying music at the San Francisco Conservatory Of Music, New England Conservatory and studying with David Murray in New York, she spent most of her time writing and practicing saxophone in the forest near her home. Today, her powerfully unique avant-garde music is full of folk melodies, mesmerizing refrains, and repeated incantations.

Mark Cisneros (Marcos Aurelio Cisneros) is a Washington, DC based Chicano/Indigenous American artist, multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser whose creative output shifts between the Jazz, punk, experimental, and improvised music worlds. Born in Los Angeles but relocated to the East Coast in his 20s. Before settling in Washington DC, he lived in Brooklyn, NY and studied as a saxophonist at the New School in Greenwich Village learning from such greats as Ahmed Abdullah, David Schnitter, Joe Chambers, and Tim Price. Though a tenor saxophonist primarily, over the past decade he has placed a dedicated focus on the Stritch. An antique straight saxophone (sibling of the Eb alto) whose modern name was coined by its most famous player, Rahsaan Roland Kirk.

Nik Francis is an improvising musician with a primary focus on the drum kit, occasionally integrating electronics and small acoustic instruments to expand his sonic palette. Through topology.systems, Francis maintains a library of his solo work and collaborative projects, documenting his evolving approach to rhythm and sound.

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REMATRIATION w/ Gloom Merchants / Tristan Welch / Alex Harvelle / We'll get it next time / Programmed Cell Death
Apr
20
7:00 PM19:00

REMATRIATION w/ Gloom Merchants / Tristan Welch / Alex Harvelle / We'll get it next time / Programmed Cell Death

Sunday April 20 * doors at 7pm * $10+ * TICKETS

Please join us to help raise funds for moving expenses for a community member who has made the difficult decision to return to their country of origin due to threats made by the incoming Administration.

Gloom Merchants (RVA)
Tristan Welch (DC)
Alex Harvelle (FXBG)
We’ll get it next time (VA)
Programmed Cell Death (FXBG) 

+ poetry and live painting!

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Death Cafe
Apr
20
3:00 PM15:00

Death Cafe

Sunday April 20 * 3-5pm * RSVP

Death Cafes are opportunities for people to enjoy refreshments together and discuss the topic of death. The objective is to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” There are Death Cafes all over the country. What's on your mind about death and dying? Contact Death Cafe Facilitators Margaret Branch at margaret603@gmail.com or Monica Lynch at mlynch19@comcast.net.. Death Cafes are NOT therapy, grief support, or counseling sessions. Cost: Free (small donation for the space encouraged)

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Randall Huth / Sean McGuinness / Earthen Sea
Apr
19
7:00 PM19:00

Randall Huth / Sean McGuinness / Earthen Sea

Saturday April 19 * doors at 7, show at 8 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Randall Huth has been active in underground music since the late '90s. His solo performances are stripped-down acoustic guitar. Meandering instrumentals rely on bursts of improvisation. There’s a deep emotional connection between Huth and the music he plays, one that comes with decades of sitting down with the instrument.

Sean McGuinness has been releasing solo material since 2017 with "Ready to be Rich" and following up with "A-U-U" in 2022 that leans heavily into the fourth world, Eno-adjacent sound while experimenting on his own.  He is better known as the man in the back of the punk-hardcore outfit Pissed Jeans.  Recently his live solo sets contain a simplified attack of polyrhythmic synth loops tucked under joyful, sometimes improvised drumming.

Earthen Sea is the experimental ambient/beat solo project of Jacob Long. He crafts a compelling synthesis of shadowy rhythms and opaque atmospherics, drawing on the most potent qualities of melancholic ambient and dub techno. Recently his live sets have involved a return to drone oriented live performance that features his saxophone playing.

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Introduction to Live Action Role Play - Dawn of the Orcs
Apr
19
1:00 PM13:00

Introduction to Live Action Role Play - Dawn of the Orcs

Saturday April 19 * 1pm * Free / donations RSVP

Are you interested in any of the following: theater, building community, making new friends, board games, tabletop role playing games, improvisation, and/or trying new things? Then you would probably enjoy Live Action Role Play (or LARP)! LARP is an umbrella term for games where you physically embody a character using a huge variety of rules, props, locations, and participants. LARPs can go from as few as 2 to as many as 100s of people, and explore stories ranging from the silly and fluffy to the dark and tragic, but for now we'll be exploring some entry-level LARPS that are great for new players.

On Saturday April 19 from 1-3:30 pm, we're creating orcs in "Dawn of the Orcs" by local game designer Lyme. The kingdom of Lannia faces an implacable enemy and you, the Council of Sages, have taken it upon yourselves to create an army to defend your kingdom. What will it cost to do so? Can all members of the council be trusted not to pursue their own secret agendas? And what will become of the orcs if and when the fighting is over?

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Whisper States / Dennis Kane
Apr
18
8:00 PM20:00

Whisper States / Dennis Kane

Friday April 18 * doors 7:30 music 8 * $10-25 * TICKETS

Whisper States is the solo project from multi-instrumentalist Chad Molter, best known for his work in Dischord Records bands Faraquet and Medications, and as a member of Mary Timony's bands and Joe Wong’s Nite Creatures. On September 6, 2024, Whisper States released a debut album of ten tracks informed by the melancholy chamber pop of Donovan, The Left Banke and Emitt Rhodes.

Combining 90’s indie rock, British folk and a little 70’s country, Dennis Kane has managed to find a voice that’s unique yet comfortingly familiar. A singer-songwriter and producer, Kane has long been a fixture in the DC indie scene and with his latest release, “There Is Blood In The Milk Again”, he finds love, loss and renewal amidst tumultuous times.

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Laurent Estoppey & Daniel Levin / Weathering / Michael R. Bernstein
Apr
17
7:00 PM19:00

Laurent Estoppey & Daniel Levin / Weathering / Michael R. Bernstein

Thursday April 17 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Cellist Daniel Levin is “one of the instrument’s most brilliant contemporary practitioners” (The Wire). Since arriving on the New York City jazz scene, Daniel has developed his own distinctive voice as a cellist, improviser, and composer. Ed Hazell noted upon release of Levin’s first record as a leader, “Cellist Daniel Levin is a major new voice on his instrument and in improvised music.” Elements of European classical music, American jazz, microtonal and new music, and European free improvisation all figure prominently in his unique sound.

After studying saxophone at the Conservatory of Lausanne, Switzerland, where he received in 1994, a concert license (master of arts soloist) Swiss saxophonist established in Greensboro in 2010, Laurent Estoppey, devoted himself mostly to contemporary music, but performs and teaches classic saxophone repertoire and transcriptions of baroque music. Now his musical activity is divided between written music and improvisation.

Weathering is an electroacoustic duo formed by Matt Carey (clarinet, piano) and Carolyn Zaldivar Snow (modular synthesizers, baritone guitar). Their work merges field recordings from natural environments with intricate, experimental electronics, creating immersive soundscapes that evoke both organic and technological worlds.

Zaldivar Snow is a self-taught musician. Her work has appeared in Smithsonian’s Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden, and temporary environments, including a geodesic dome in Eakin’s Oval as part of Philadelphia quadraphonic, hydrophonic project Wooder. She leads editorial at electronic label Mystery Circles, and contributes to Tape Op Magazine. 

Michael R. Bernstein is a Takoma Park, MD based Composer, track-maker, and artist investigating the boundaries. He was formerly a Double Leopard, a Religious Knife, and Heavy Tapes head honcho. He will present a sound and light installation upstairs at Rhizome.

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Dave Heumann / Blake Hornsby / Kutay Sezginel
Apr
16
6:30 PM18:30

Dave Heumann / Blake Hornsby / Kutay Sezginel

Wednesday April 16 * Doors at 6:30pm, show at 7pm * $15 * TICKETS

Dave Heumann is a guitarist, singer, songwriter, and composer based in Baltimore, MD. Known for his work as a founding member of Arbouretum, Human Bell, and many other projects, he has been active for over two decades as a bandleader and collaborator, writing, recording, and performing music in North America and Europe. While his solo sets within the last few years have often been entirely comprised of guitar improvisations, he has of late turned his attention back toward composition, with sung songs and composed pieces woven together with looped and layered threads of spontaneous guitar expression.

Blake Hornsby is an experimental folk musician based out of Asheville, North Carolina. Hornsby's work is influenced by Indian raga, Middle Eastern music, psychedelia, country blues, and Appalachian music. Audiences have described his music as a mixture of John Fahey, The Incredible String Band, The Beatles, and transcendental experiences. Others have labeled his music as 'Hallucinatory Mountain Folk' and 'Psychedelic World Folk Fusion'. Most say it's indescribable.

Kutay Sezginel's music explores the intertwined nature of tradition and innovation. Rooted in the rich heritage of Anatolian folk music and inspired by psychedelic rock, dark ambient and krautrock, he creates cosmic soundscapes layered with microtonal cultural motifs and odd time signatures. With neo-ethnic instruments like the çağlama and the electric cümbüş as his narrators, he creates stories of imaginative realms with memories of the past. His work is always evolving and reshaping itself through the spontaneity and energy of live performances.

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Huda Asfour / Emily Rach Beisel / Danny Kamins
Apr
15
7:00 PM19:00

Huda Asfour / Emily Rach Beisel / Danny Kamins

Tuesday April 15 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Huda Asfour, PhD | Oud, Vocals, Composition | Palestine - Huda believes in the necessity of transcending borders in both life and music. A polymath with works in the fields of music, biomedical engineering, signal and image processing, and social work. She is a natural storyteller whose music, through the tenderness of her oud and the lyricism of her compositions, challenges taboos and stereotypes. An exceptional improviser who has over the years collaborated with artists spanning countries from the USA to China.

Emily Rach Beisel is a Chicago-based improviser, composer, educator, curator, and woodwind specialist whose work is celebrated for its visceral intensity and innovative blend of techniques.  Beisel’s 2023 solo album, Particle of Organs, has been described as “heavy stuff, sounds retrieved from the deeper places - the underworlds, the lightless subterranea… a raw, abrasive, oppressive, and thrilling journey (A Jazz Noise).”   Beisel's music centers on the bass clarinet and incorporates voice, electronics, extended techniques, and other wind instruments creating a complex and nuanced soundscape in which the origins of sounds are often obscured. 

Danny Kamins is an improvising saxophonist based out of Houston, TX. His current musical endeavors include playing in the Houston based groups Relative Dissonance, CARL, El Mantis, and Etched in the Eye as well as directing the jazz program at Rice University. He has also been booking shows in Houston that specialize in experimental/avant-garde music since 2016. “Kamins’ ‘cyclical’ style is filled with guttural multiphonics, piercing altissimo, and lightning fast runs that span the entire register of the saxophone.” -Juan Olivo, Byline Houston “Danny Kamins is awesome!” -Ruth Underwood

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Dash Garcia & The Dylan Lizza Trio / Tommy Scanlon & The Luke Beronio Trio
Apr
14
7:00 PM19:00

Dash Garcia & The Dylan Lizza Trio / Tommy Scanlon & The Luke Beronio Trio

Monday April 14 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $10-15  * TICKETS

Dashlen Garcia is a rising vocalist from Washington, DC, currently studying jazz and voice at Howard University. She was classically trained at Duke Ellington School of the Arts and combines her influences to sing with a warm tone and tasteful swing that captivates audiences.

DC native Dylan Lizza is a young guitarist bringing fresh energy to the scene. His group can be found all over the city playing swing and bebop, as well as modern compositions and originals. His trio, featuring local mainstays Steve Arnold and Jon Modell, has teamed up with Dashlen for an exciting night of jazz.

Luke Beronio is a rising young pianist from Washington, DC, classically trained but inspired by artists such as Bill Evans and Duke Ellington. Joined by Norman Moody and Dammy Awoseye, he plays standards with a thoughtful, intimate tone.

Tommy Scanlon is a local singer/songwriter specializing in country and folk music. He is inspired by artists like Bob Dylan, Johnny Cash, and The Beatles.

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Eli Wallace & Lisa Cameron / Shasha Chen & Chao Tian / Nectar Gnome
Apr
13
6:30 PM18:30

Eli Wallace & Lisa Cameron / Shasha Chen & Chao Tian / Nectar Gnome

Sunday April 13 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Austin-based percussionist and multi-instrumentalist,Lisa Cameron (aka Venison Whirled). Using amplified/acoustic percussion and strings, she locates resonant frequencies in space to create oscillating overtones, which are then employed as sound sources for live improvisation.

Eli Wallace is a pianist, improviser, and composer who resides in Brooklyn, NY, leading his own projects, and collaborating with other like-minded artists. His work as a pianist displays a proclivity to free improvisation, incorporating elaborate piano preparations that John Lewis (The Guardian) says is "...pushing the boundaries of the prepared piano."

Shasha Chen: piano, percussions, found objects; Chao Tian: Chinese dulcimer, sibao. Premier of "fe-mute(male)" - for female performers, piano, electronics, and needles — This work perceives and uses the interior of the piano as a metaphor for the uterus, extending outward from the performer's own body, in other words, the performer’s body could also be seen as part of the “organic piano”. Premier of "women, wǒ men" - for Chinese dulcimer, percussion, found objects and voice — In Chinese pronunciation, "wǒ men" means "we." We are women, women are us. This is a beautiful coincidence. I want to use both musicians' voice and instruments, speaking, singing and improvising with selected contemporary Chinese feminist poems.

Nectar Gnome is Jenny Moon Tucker and Meg Ragan. An exploration and experiment in weaving sound through the realms. Saxophone, strings, tones and percussive textures sourced though a variety of mysterious objects, build ecstatic stories. Through play they will coax voices out of the aether.

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Trans Writing Workshop with Lilac Peril
Apr
13
3:00 PM15:00

Trans Writing Workshop with Lilac Peril

Sunday April 13 * 3pm * Free * RSVP

Join the DC-based trans small press Lilac Peril for a free writing workshop! Less of a formal class and more of a conversation, we’ll be talking all things traditional publishing with professional literary agent Noah Rosenzweig, like: what do we want out of publishing? Who are agents and what do they do? Why is it all so confusing?? Writers of all experience levels are welcome to join, no registration required. While this workshop is intended primarily for trans, non-binary, and Two-Spirit writers, anyone is able to attend. 

Lilac Peril is a small DC press featuring and run by local trans authors and poets. We are excited by writing that addresses areas of trans experience commonly missed by the literary status quo. In addition to slinging print publications, Lilac Peril hosts a weekly writing group and free workshops across the genre spectrum. 

Noah Grey Rosenzweig grew up in New Jersey before moving to D.C. in 2017. He was an editorial fellow at Grove Atlantic and Roxane Gay Books and is a literary agent at Triangle House. His work can be found in The Columbia Journal, Angel Food Magazine, and is forthcoming elsewhere.

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Figure Drawing - An Introductory Workshop
Apr
13
12:30 PM12:30

Figure Drawing - An Introductory Workshop

Sunday April 13 * 12:30-2:30pm * $5 suggested * REGISTER

Join our Introductory Figure Drawing Workshop and gain the knowledge you need to attend live drawing sessions! This workshop is intended for beginners to help build confidence to jump into live drawing sessions and connect with local figure drawing communities (we’ll provide a list of regular sessions in the DMV area).

To keep this budget-friendly, we'll be taking turns modeling for each other. We’ve got basic supplies covered, but feel free to bring your own!

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Youth Electronic Music Lab
Apr
13
10:00 AM10:00

Youth Electronic Music Lab

every other Sunday * 10am-noon * Free / donations * REGISTER

Rhizome is pleased to announce our Youth Electronic Music Lab, for young people ages 11-18. We meet regularly to share space together while working and to give and receive feedback in a positive and encouraging environment. Our group at this point consists of some beginners and others who have experience making electronic music and are able to work independently on it. We plan to invite guest musicians periodically to share tips, talk music theory / composition, offer feedback, etc. Please bring a laptop and headphones if possible. Bring some of your own music you’re working on or would like to share.

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AMALGAMATION Festival - Workshops, Music, Live Sampling
Apr
12
4:00 PM16:00

AMALGAMATION Festival - Workshops, Music, Live Sampling

Saturday April 12 * 4-10pm * $15 * TICKETS

AMALGAMATION, a medley of interactive visual and performing arts, takes place on Saturday, April 12, 2025 at Rhizome DC, 4-10pm. The festival’s three elements include WORKSHOPS, MUSIC, and LIVE SAMPLING, with each feature’s artist lineup fiercely nonconformist.


Workshops: Local artists teach crafts, providing materials and skill sharing.
Bratz LaVey: LaVey’s Lair: The dark art of glam.
Kaleb Meyer: Mind Mapping: A lesson in form building in abstract art.
Makayla Castillo: Face Your Fear of Drawing: A Portrait Workshop.
Mother Bishop: Wire Wrapping
Rose’s Thingies: Upcycling.

Music: Disparate local bands challenge listeners to explore sound’s boundless nature.
Anxiety Monster: Goth/grudge amalgamation
Collapsing: Noise poetry
James Wolf & Raven Bauer Durham: Dissonant ambient with electronics and strings
Strawbalien: Electronic pop fused with hip hop/rap elements
Quiet Room: Grunge fusion rock with many instruments, including a dulcimer
Whiskey Girl: Spoken word performance art with bass guitar grooves

Live sampling: Local producers premiere new tracks composed entirely of samples recorded from AMALGAMATION’s music lineup.
Basic the Bassist: Hip hop
ELRIC: Soul hop hip hop lo fi
Ghost Cuentero: Atmospheric post punk

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Susan Alcorn Memorial: Houston Days and Beyond - performances by Janel Leppin, Anthony Pirog, Luke Stewart
Apr
12
12:00 PM12:00

Susan Alcorn Memorial: Houston Days and Beyond - performances by Janel Leppin, Anthony Pirog, Luke Stewart

Saturday April 12 * 12-3pm * $10-25 suggested * RSVP

Join us to celebrate the life and mourn the passing of Susan Alcorn. Susan was a singular artist and supremely empathetic human whose music and openness touched many lives locally and around the world. Her passing earlier this year, days after a sublime performance at Rhizome, left many of us shocked and devastated. We will gather in the spirit of collective healing to listen to recorded remembrances by many of Susan’s collaborators from the years she lived in Houston as well as international collaborators from more recently: Tom Carter, David Dove, Phillip Greenlief, Damon Smith, Amanda Irarrazabal, Opie Hendrix, Bob Stagner, Luis Toto Alvarez. Live performances by Janel Leppin, Anthony Pirog, Luke Stewart, others tba.

All proceeds will go to Susan’s husband David to help with funeral/burial and unexpected estate fees due to the suddenness of her passing.

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Online Puppet Lab
Apr
12
11:30 AM11:30

Online Puppet Lab

2nd Saturday of the month * online at 1130am Eastern * to REGISTER, please email rhizomepuppetlab@gmail.com

Rhizome Puppet Lab is committed to the performance side of puppetry. It supports the development of works in progress. You can present work for feedback or direct others in the lab to improvise or puzzle out specific scenes. You may use the group to figure out how your show might work. Anyone may lead a lab about any aspect of performance.

Puppet Lab’s purpose is to be a hub for all those interested in puppet theater who would benefit from: boosting creative power; honing puppet-manipulation skills; cross-pollinating ideas; receiving feedback about works in progress; building puppet community. Types of labs have included shadows, Laban, suspense, metaphor, music, voice, Clown, character development, props, table top, humanette, hand puppets, and much more. Open to all levels of experience.

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Online Dream Cafe
Apr
9
8:00 PM20:00

Online Dream Cafe

2nd & 4th Wednesdays * online at 8pm Eastern * Free / donation * RSVP

A weekly guided dream-sharing hangout…. Welcome to the theater of your dreams—an inexhaustible source of images and stories that can provide entertainment and insight, and that requires no cable service and no subscription—just attentiveness and an open mind. Participants will share dreams, using a gentle, non-intrusive method for unlocking the metaphors that structure dreams (derived from the long-tested method of Dr. Montague Ullman). We’ll also talk about techniques for recalling and recording dreams, as needed.

Please click through for more details.

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Microcinema: Commodity Trading: Dies Irae by M. Woods
Apr
9
7:00 PM19:00

Microcinema: Commodity Trading: Dies Irae by M. Woods

Wednesday April 9 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

M. Woods (He/Him/They/Them) is a multidisciplinary artist implementing avant-garde strategies under the studio name “Disassociative Productions”. M is a first-generation US citizen, born to a Costa-Rican/Ecuadorian mother. M uses immersive time-based spectacle and constructed trances to navigate the internalized socio-political topographies of addiction, mental and physical disability, malignant nihilism, and white supremacy. M’s work deconstructs the post-911 acceleration of hyperrealism and (media)drug dependency, documenting the spread of solipsism in a media environment dominated by corporate neo-fascism.

Commodity Trading: Dies Irae, 2022, HD video, 87 minutes

COMMODITY TRADING: DIES IRAE is a cinematic document chronicling the infectious American nightmare circa 2015-2020. When properly projected, this premium grade Media Rx induces trance states, priming the audience for the infiltration of the Numb Spiral. Using hyper media collage of digital and analog sources, this Disassociative production is best taken sober and in the dark. You are already in a hallucinatory zone of pure nothingness.

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Spiritual Momentum (Matt Lavelle - Dave Ross - Julius Masri - Pete Dennis) / Alex Hamburger & José Luiz Martins
Apr
8
7:00 PM19:00

Spiritual Momentum (Matt Lavelle - Dave Ross - Julius Masri - Pete Dennis) / Alex Hamburger & José Luiz Martins

Tuesday April 8 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

LMB presents…

Spiritual Momentum - Matt Lavelle: flugelhorn, alto and bass clarinet; Dave Ross: guitar; Julius Masri: drums; Pete Dennis: bass. Matt Lavelle and Dave Ross were and still are musicians on the downtown scene in NYC. Lavelle moved to Philly 4 years ago and hooked up with Philadelphia based drummer Julius Masri and bassist Pete Dennis. We first got together under a tree by a river in Philly. The music will be aggressively filled with spiritual momentum as a broad range of musical emotions and dynamics will absolutely be conveyed with urgency.

The Alex Hamburger and José Luiz Martins Duo is a project that explores many different styles through a very interactive approach. Being from Washington DC and São Paulo and forming the group in Switzerland and then living in NYC and now the DC area, they pull from many different influences, creating a unique and inter-cultural repertoire that explores interplay in a fresh and captivating way. The duo has played all around the world from jazz clubs to concert halls; from New York to Brazil and all around Europe, always with the intention of giving the audience a unique experience that insights exploration and wonder.

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Wayne Horvitz / Anthony Pirog - solos and duos
Apr
6
7:00 PM19:00

Wayne Horvitz / Anthony Pirog - solos and duos

Sunday April 6 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Recipient of the 2019 American Prize in Orchestral Composition, composer Wayne Horvitz performs extensively throughout Europe, Japan, and North America. In addition to creating work for his own ensembles, he has created new work for The Kitchen, BAM, Seattle Symphony, Berlin Jazz, Nocco, Vienna Radio Orchestra, Centrum, and ACT among others. He has received awards from, MAP, McKnight Foundation, the NEA, Meet the Composer, and The Shifting Foundation. among others. Narrative works include pieces centered around the life of Joe Hill, the story of the Everett Massacre, and the poems of Richard Hugo. Installation work has been presented at Ft. Worden, SAM and Arizona State Museum of Art. He is the recipient of the 2016 Doris Duke Performing Artist Award.

Washington, D.C.-based guitarist Anthony Pirog is a musician who knows no stylistic limits. Educated in jazz but enthusiastically embracing diverse forms from indie/punk-informed rock to ambient experimentation, Pirog has emerged as one of the most noteworthy artists on the 21st century D.C. area music scene, defying predictability with live appearances in myriad configurations, from solo experimental sets to his genre-defying duo with cellist (and life partner) Janel Leppin, the hard-charging instrumental rock quartet New Electric, and his avant jazz trio with bassist Michael Formanek and drummer Ches Smith. Pirog even led a performance of Terry Riley's landmark minimalist composition "In C," featuring an ensemble of 22 musicians, at D.C.'s Sonic Circuits experimental music festival in 2011. It's safe to say that no one knows precisely what to expect from Pirog, and that fact alone might make him noteworthy, but it's also helpful that he employs technology with uncommon intelligence, is guided by a surefooted artistic conception in each of his projects, and happens to possess killer chops.

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Crochet 101
Apr
6
11:00 AM11:00

Crochet 101

Sunday April 6 * 11am * $35 / sliding scale * REGISTER

Join Fairy Ring Fibers in this group class for absolute beginners! We will go over important crochet terms, holding your hook while maintaining tension, chaining, and completing rows of single crochet. At the end of the class, you will be on your way to making your first scarf or hat! Feel free to bring your own supplies, although yarn, hooks, and needles will be provided.

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Brìghde Chaimbeul / Henbane
Apr
5
7:00 PM19:00

Brìghde Chaimbeul / Henbane

Saturday April 5 * 7pm ***SOLD OUT***

Brìghde Chaimbeul is a leading purveyor of celtic experimentalism and a master of the
Scottish smallpipes – the bellows-blown, mellower and more emotive cousin to the famous Highland bagpipes – and she’s taken them to the global stage. A native Gaelic speaker from the Isle of Skye, Brìghde roots her music in her language and culture. She has devised a completely unique way of arranging for pipe music that emphasises the rich textural drones of the instrument; the constancy of sound that creates a trance-like atmosphere, played with enticing virtuosic liquidity.

Henbane was formed in the summer of 2023 by Kohoutek percussionist Scott Verrastro and bassist Griffin Vernor Drutchas based on the framework of 1968-1970 Fairport Convention, covering a repertoire of traditional British Isles folk ballads, lyrical gems from '60s and '70s songwriters, and original compositions. Like Fairport, Henbane aims to adapt traditional ballads to contemporary times with their own arrangements. The quintet also features vocalist Eva Sheppard, guitarist John Comune, and violinist John Coursey.

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