Sunday April 19 * 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)

Sunday April 19 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Growing up on the outskirts of New York City, Shawn Lovato was deeply influenced by its underground scenes, including hip hop, metal, and punk rock. Lovato’s albums display a breathtaking spectrum that push the frameworks of contemporary improvisation. Shawn’s records have been described as “absolutely stunning” (Jazz Trail) and “profound” (Jazz Word).

Ingrid Laubrock is an experimental saxophonist and composer, interested in exploring the borders between musical realms and creating multi-layered, dense and often evocative sound worlds. A prolific composer, Laubrock was named a “fully committed saxophonist and visionary” by The New Yorker.

Henry Mermer is a drummer, improviser, and composer of instrumental and electronic music currently based in Ridgewood, Queens. Henry holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.F.A. in Jazz and Contemporary Music from The New School, where he studied with Andrew Cyrille, Jane Ira Bloom, Reggie Workman, Matt Wilson, Mary Halvorson, and Eric Wubbels.

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.

Sarah Hughes’ music is intuitive and genre-liberated while displaying an unquestionable command of her instrument and musical vocabulary. Her improvisations and compositions are infused with knowledge of both traditional and contemporary approaches and combine a love for “The Greats” with a drive to innovate.

Nate Scheible has performed and recorded in a variety of bands and ensembles spanning multiple genres over the past 25 years. His background is largely based in improvisation on drums, electronics, and analog tape. His work is featured prominently on releases by the labels Warm Winters Ltd., Outside Time, Unifactor, Feeding Tube, and Never Anything.

Monday April 20 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

L.B. incorporates movement, and contextual objects, composing with reality while developing a personal instrumentarium. His live appearances often include elements of performance art, object-based installations, or acousmatic experiences.

Henna Chou (she/they) is a sound explorer with experiences living in Tucson, AZ; Overland Park, KS; Berkeley, CA; Ames, IA; Beijing, China; and Montpelier, VT.  Chou is anchored in the Austin, Texas creative community participating as a cellist, guitarist, keyboardist, and sound artist.

Joshua Thomson (he/him) is one of the more unique, and versatile saxophonists working throughout Austin’s live music scene. Known for his work ethic, creative approach, and improvisational prowess on alto saxophone, Thomson has been working professionally since 2007 and as a full time musician since 2015.

Ivan Liptak is a guitarist, songwriter, improviser, composer, and experimental musician from Washington, DC.  He went to school in Western Mass where he played in noise projects including AaA and Un monton, torero.

Tuesday April 21 * doors at 7, music at 7:45 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Grace A. Keller (of Hotel Sewing Kit) dc-based singer/songwriter.

Tiberius or Tiberius Wright for those who know. Farm emo from boston.

Rain Shears is indie folk rock from dc.

Wednesday April 22 * Doors at 7, music at 7:45 * $10-15 * TICKETS

The P.A.s (MA Progressive Post Punk)
https://thepas.bandcamp.com/

The Hips (MD Psych Noise Rock)
https://thehipstheband.bandcamp.com/album/o

Powerband (DC RNR)
https://powerband.bandcamp.com/

2nd & 4th Wednesdays * online at 8pm Eastern * Free / donations appreciated * 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.

Thursday April 23 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Join Janel Leppin's Ensemble Volcanic Ash to celebrate the release of Pluto in Aquarius, out March 27 on Cuneiform Records. 

The five-piece group melds an illustrious array of D.C. talent into a glimmering expressive organism that surges, expands, ebbs and dances in multiple directions at once.

Janel Leppin – cello, CP-70
Larry Ferguson – drums
Anthony Pirog – guitar
Brian Settles – tenor saxophone
Luke Stewart – bass

Compositions by Janel Leppin

Friday April 24 * 7pm * Free * RSVP

Join us for a book event with Austin McCoy in conversation with Peggy Kyoungwon Lee about his new book, Living in a D.A.I.S.Y. Age: The Music, Culture, and World De La Soul Made 

West Virginia University history professor Austin McCoy explores how De La Soul not only defined a new era of hip-hop, but also American and Black culture at the same time. Through his eyes, ears, and well-studied recall of ‘80s, ‘90s, and 2000s America, McCoy takes us on a journey through the world this innovative musical act made.

Austin McCoy is an assistant professor of U.S. and African American History at West Virginia University. In addition to hip hop culture, Austin’s research also focuses on labor, social movements, and activism. Peggy Kyoungwon Lee is Assistant Professor of English at Georgetown University. She is a scholar and creative writer specializing in contemporary U.S. literature, performance, and sound and musical cultures. 

Saturday April 25 * 11am * $5 suggested * REGISTER

Learn how 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). But people at all levels are welcome~

To keep this budget friendly, we'll be taking turns modeling for each other (with relatively short poses). We've got basic supplies covered, but feel free to bring your own!

Saturday April 25 * 2pm * $5-10 suggested * REGISTER

Ready to resist the digital dystopia but not sure where to start? Or maybe you're just wondering if your digital security is weak? (Hint: it probably is!) Local digital security pros by day / activists by night are partnering with Rhizome to offer three hours of experienced tutelage. Bring your device and learn: basic phone security; safe browsing; digital storage; how to set up tools like password managers, Signal, and Cryptpad; how to divorce google when it has all your passwords; how to survive in the police state and surveillance capitalism! Suggested donation $5-$10 to Rhizome for use of the space, NOTAFLOF. Snacks provided!

Saturday April 25 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Maureen Thorson is the author of three books of poetry, most recently Share the Wealth (Veliz Books 2022). Her book of lyric essays, On Dreams, was published with Bloof Books in 2023. She is currently trying to come up with a title for her new poetry manuscript that is neither mind-bogglingly pretentious nor extremely silly. She lives in Maine.

Manya Magnus is an HIV prevention epidemiologist and a professor in and chair of the Department of Epidemiology at the Milken Institute School of Public Health at the George Washington University. In addition to research-related writing, she is the author of three textbooks (Jones & Bartlett Learning, Inc.), one lay health book (Wiley), and a lifetime of creative prose that is slowly seeking the light of day. She lives in Northern Virginia.

Sunday April 26 * 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.

Sunday April 26 * 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: Jude Carrisosa @vyscera

Monday April 27 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Jason Anderson is an award-winning indie/folk artist based in New Brunswick, Canada. He has collaborated with Mount Eerie, toured with Kimya Dawson, and worked with a number of seminal independent labels including K Records and Salinas. His songs celebrate the poetry of the present tense, and his legendary live show is a connective, communal experience. Personal and passionate, Anderson's music crackles with life. 

Majda Gama was born in Beirut to a Saudi father and American mother. Her hometown is Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and her roots Hijazi, but she also has a long, complicated relationship with Northern Virginia where her father was stationed in the 1970’s. Majda is the author of the debut poetry collection In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls, winner of the Wandering Aengus Press prize for poetry, and the chapbook The Call of Paradise selected by Diane Seuss for the Two Sylvia’s press chapbook prize.

Ronya-Lee and the Light Factory is a musical project created by Ronya-Lee Anderson. The Light Factory names that she creates with many lights: collaborators, ancestors & witnesses. A Jamaican singer-songwriter from Washington, DC, her musical stylings fuse folk, soul & rock with underlying strokes of psychedelia. Her enchanting soprano & well-crafted lyricism reveal a unique blend of pop.

Tuesday April 28 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Eyefish Ink is a Maryland-based psychedelic rock band formed in 2023 by Venezuelan songwriting duo Genesis Arocha and Simon Santodomingo. Alongside Ross MacDonald, Miles Johnson, and Rainor Dale, the band crafts a dreamy, guitar-driven sound that mixes shoegaze psychedelia, alt-pop groove, ’90s grunge, and indie rock.  

Skate Draco is an acoustic collaboration between DC artists Jeff Draco and Skate Stance. Together, they blend their jangly garage indie, dream-pop, and surf rock sensibilities to create a musical match made in heaven.

Wednesday April 29 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Secret Planet presents... Peni Candra Rini, PhD (b. 1983) is a renowned Javanese singer, educator, and composer fusing Javanese sufi poetry with contemporary composition for Indonesian and Western instruments. The Kronos Quartet has described her as “one of the world’s greatest singers.” She is a master of several traditional forms (primarily gamelan) and is regarded as one of Indonesia’s most daring young composers, one of only a handful of female composers in the majority Muslim nation. She has performed extensively internationally, including several world tours as the featured singer for Robert Wilson’s I La Galigo. She has published albums and Eps on the New Amsterdam and Out of Your Head labels, in collaboration with Shahzad Ismaily, Andy McGraw, and members of Deerhoof, featuring her improvisations, and experimental compositions for Javanese and Western ensembles.

Weed Tree - Amanda Huron and Layne Garrett have been improvising together for 15+ years on drums, prepared guitar, and etc.

Naoco Wowsugi is an interdisciplinary, community-engaged artist. Wowsugi’s extensive fieldwork includes community gong baths that activate the gong as an instrument for deep, broad, and collective listening experiences, often offered on a moon-cycle basis.

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

Linda Smith is a pioneer of home recording who self released her music originally on cassette starting in 1987. In the early 90’s, indie labels Slumberland and Harriet Records expanded her reach with the release of two seven inch eps. Recently, Brooklyn NY label Captured Tracks has reissued two complete albums on vinyl and she has begun to tour in the US and internationally for the first time. Paste magazine called her “a hidden treasure of America's pop underground”, while Jangle Pop Hub has written that “Essentially this is the best bedroom pop you are ever likely to hear, directly from an age that did not really know what to do with it”.

with special guests "The Digestive Biscuits"

Friday May 1 * 7pm * $15-20 * TICKETS

QUEERING SOUND26
IDENTITY
IS THE CRISIS, CAN'T YOU SEE?

GLORIAN (BALTIMORE)

BUSHMEAT SOUND SYSTEM

NOVPAROLO

JA$$IE

CHARLEE SCYTHE (BALTIMORE)

QUEERINGSOUND.COM

Saturday May 2 * 1pm * $5 suggested * REGISTER

Live Action Role Play is a combination of improv, theater, physical movement, crafts, and just about any genre of story you can think of! All are welcome to these 2-hour LARPs hosted at Rhizome DC, whether you're completely new to the artform or a seasoned veteran.

This month we're playing SOLD OUT by Meagan Lilly. The year is 1993 and it's the last night of tour for an underground punk band on the verge of a big break. A journalist is coming to your green room to interview everyone for a cover story on the next big thing. Can your band survive the pressure cooker? Will secrets be revealed? Will you...*gulp* sell out? Come play to find out!

Saturday May 2 * Doors at 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Sensor Ghost is an art-punk trio from Washington, DC. The band's first LP, "Irritation on Demand," is out now from Dischord Records. 

Vulture Feather is a post/pre/future punk band from the mountains of northern California. Featuring members of the Baltimore band Wilderness. 

Quattracenta is a three-piece art rock band from Baltimore, MD, who draw on post punk and no wave influences to create cathartic and meditative songs about mortality and longing. 

Sunday May 3 * 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 itemsEach 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.

Sunday May 3 * 4pm * $15-30 * REGISTER

noise is a riot: community organizing in the avant-garde - a workshop with alana amore colvin on the history of grassroots organization in avant-garde music and tactics for organizing within the scene today!

Monday May 4th * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $12 / pay what you can * TICKETS

Bodied - NoVA HC/Skramz

Dog Food Chain - Springfield Metalcore

Gifts Ungiven - DMV Post-Hardcore

Lye Bath - MD Post-Punk

Green Forest - Fredericksburg Hardcore

Tuesday May 5 * doors at 7, music at 7 :30* $25-30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents:

Saxophonist Tim Berne, drummer Ches Smith and guitarist David Tornpush far beyond jazz’s known boundaries in Sun of Goldfinger. The mercurial trio explores the edges of the genre, infusing it with perspectives ranging from the minimalist to the cinematic to the metallic. The improvisation-based group effortlessly, seamlessly shifts from atmospheres into shattering mayhem to thrilling effect.

All three musicians are renowned bandleaders in their own right, with current solo recordings on the prestigious ECM label. Berne has forged a singular path across dozens of expansive, diverse albums featuring intricately-detailed, harmony-driven works. Torn’s influence as a guitarist, composer and music technologist is epic. With sounds ranging from the searing and soaring to liquid loops to full-on shredding, he’s reinvented conventional definitions of guitar. Smith has established himself as one of the world’s premier percussionists, combining acoustic invention with electronics to both propel and extend his myriad musical surroundings. Together, these leaders and friends combine as a democratic unit, determined to take audiences on a singular journey through provocative sonic territory known and unknown. This is the future of jazz. This is Sun of Goldfinger.

Wednesday May 6 * doors at 7pm, event starts at 7:30 * Free / donations * RSVP

At an intersection of Black philosophy, anthropology, and aesthetics, Vortex, Baba sounds through the people, the histories, and the profound diasporic-cultural vibrations gathered at Baltimore's iconic Druid Hill Park. Vortex, Baba traces the personal and collective lives of Baba L'Salaam, Adon Aesh, Jamal Moore and other Park Vibe players rooted in a drum circle community sustained from 1960s Black Arts radicalism onward through today's rising generations. Joining immersive literary journalism and philosophical explorations, Gerald Majer interrogates immediacies of race, feeling, and sociality.

Friday May 8 * doors at 7, show at 8 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Wolf Eyes is a band from Michigan. Formed in the fall of 1996 by N. Young. They are known for their bizarre and otherworldly approach to music. Creating a sound that is both disturbing and hypnotic. The band has released numerous albums and EPs on various labels. With their intense and bizarre live performances, Wolf Eyes has garnered a reputation as one of the most frightening and weird bands in the world. Wolf Eyes is currently John Olson and Nate Young. They have performed together for over 20 years.

Beauty is a genre destroying juggernaut that uses the tools of harsh noise and power electronics to make visceral, freaks-only doom. Douglas Vento (drums, vocals and electronics) and Dan Timlin (vocals and electronics) craft their churning drones not from guitars, but distorted synths and feedback loops, then glue them together with concussive drums and claustrophobic vocals swirling in delay. The result is a massive, suffocating sound best heard on the biggest possible speakers at the highest possible volume. Straddling the worlds of outsider metal, the extreme ends of punk, and experimental noise, this band belongs both everywhere and nowhere.

Agonesiac - power violence

Saturday May 9 * 11am * $15 * TICKETS

Come create, reflect, and connect with KAMA DC and Neha Misra! In this hands-on workshop, Community Mandalas: Making & Becoming Circles of Our Belonging, Neha Misra (she/her/hers) will guide participants through a brief exploration of the sacred geometry of mandalas, followed by interactive community story circles and colorful mandala-making. Together, we will gather to celebrate the act of making, and becoming, circles of belonging, grounding ourselves in creativity, connection, and collective persistence.

Saturday May 9 * doors at 2, music at 2:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

REONA is an artist who uses tap dance techniques to express her music. She is also a tap dancer, improviser, designer, choreographer, teacher, and composer. Based in Tokyo, Japan. To materialize the sounds in her head, she uses tap shoes and a wooden board, as well as metal sheets, chains, steel bowls, plastic bags, and loudspeakers.

CHUCK BETTIS was raised in the fertile harDCore soil, nourished within Baltimore's enigmatic avant garde gatherings, and currently blossoming in New York's experimental realms. His unique blend of electronics and throat has led him into various collaborations with great musicians from around the globe.

Guitarist and composerMICK BARR has released countless recordings under the names Ocrilim, Orthrelm, and Octis, and has worked with Krallice, The Flying Luttenbachers, Zach Hill, Weasel Walter, and Sam Hillmer of Zs. His lightning fast guitar style and singular approach to the instrument goes unrivaled among his contemporaries, leading Ian MacKaye (Minor Threat/Fugazi) to claim that “He is our Coltrane.”

SARAH HUGHES (sax - possibly other breath instruments) - JERRY BUSHER (drums) - Insect Factory aka JEFF BARSKY (prepared guitar)

Saturday May 9 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents:

Caroline Davis (alto saxophone, voice, electronics), Dustin Carlson (guitar, electronics)

Caroline Davis and Dustin Carlson’s new album, Sprites, is a meeting between two improvisers in New York, who straddle the boundaries of several expressions of music. The sounds on this album are all improvised, with no written music or thoughts about the music exchanged before performing live in front of a sweet audience. Sprite holds several meanings, a fairy creature from old times, a ghost, a wild electrocurrent coming out of the tops of clouds when lightning strikes, and a repeating bitmapped image over a static background. The tracks of this album embody each one of these definitions, and with each repeated listen, you, too, will begin to see them.

Sunday May 10 * 7pm * $10 * TICKETS

DECIDE TODAY - Primary project of Robert Inhuman following the end of the original Realicide band at the turn of 2011. Spanning genres such as industrial, breakcore, darkwave and ambient. Subject matter maintains focus akin to anarcho-punk and radical hip-hop. The mission is contribution to various liberation movements, whether decades ongoing or emerging from the current political climate. Based in Cincinnati.

DICQBEATS - is a goddamn noisy menace. Always pushing boundaries of sound and changing lives with aggressive catchy tunes and addictingly wild and high energy live shows, ranging from punk shows, to underground raves to huge festivals.

MIC LITTER -  Mike Rosse, AKA Mic Litter has been working with found sounds from field recordings since the early 90s. It began with cassette and reel to reel loop recordings and evolved into densely layered combinations of digital samples and analog processing. Tape still remains a key element in the studio and everything is created with hardware devices.

Cryogenic Effigy - NOISE DEBUT

Monday May 11 * 7pm * $5 * Includes popcorn and drink * TICKETS

Join us for the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op's Fourth Annual Co-op Film Fest in partnership with Rhizome!

Cooperatives are a proven alternative to extractive capitalism. In a time when corporate consolidation dominates our food system, cooperatives offer a practical, viable alternative that prioritizes equity, sustainability, and local self-determination. Join TPSS and Rhizome to watch and discuss two documentaries that examine the history of co-ops in the United States and explore how they build healthier, more connected communities.

Food For Change is an 82-minute documentary film focusing on food co-ops as a force for dynamic social and economic change in American culture. It examines the important historical role played by food co-ops, their pioneering quest for organic foods, and their current efforts to create regional food systems. It shows how cooperatives today strengthen local economies and build food security. You'll come away with a greater understanding of the principles of cooperation with a focus on healthy food and a healthy economy.

Tuesday May 12 * doors at 6:30, show at 7 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Tried To Do’s is the second full length album from Trippers & Askers - the songwriting and recording project of Jay Hammond. Drafts of this record started as early as 2019. The initial idea was a Parable of the Talents concept album to follow 2021's Parable of the Sower concept album Acorn and/or an album about Hammond's hometown of Jackson, TN.

Adelyn Strei is a songwriter, multi-instrumentalist based in Brooklyn via Eau Claire, Wisconsin. Alone on stage with clarinet, voice and guitar, her live compositions demonstrate a fluid, melodically intuitive and improvisational arc. Adelyn credits her current approach—blending songs into a carefully woven bed of texture—to over a decade performing and arranging for friends’ projects before her solo debut in 2023.

Small Sur - Drawing as much from his rural South Dakota upbringing as he does from his domestic existence as a Baltimore english teacher, Bob Keal creates “bedroom country” filled with intimacy and shadows. Surrounded by sympathetic players, his delicate vocals and classical guitar playing reveal a sensitive musician growing in confidence and expertly applying his craft.

Helmed by Washington, D.C.-based musician and multidisciplinary artist Raul Zahir De Leon, Canandaigua is rooted in traditions of folk storytelling and songwriting. De Leon explores various aspects of American mythmaking and identity, deconstructing classic elements, and weaves a sonic tapestry uniquely his own.

2nd & 4th Wednesdays * online at 8pm Eastern * Free / donations appreciated * 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.

Thursday May 14 * doors at 6:30, music at 7:00 * $20-$30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents...

Fountaine is the latest project from bassist and vocalist Zoë Jorgenson and her trio with Marty Riesemburg (drums), and Parker Speirs (guitar/sounds). Rooted in a fascination with the connection between sound, memory, and place, the group explores how the textures of everyday life can inspire music through the use of interspersed field recordings. Themes of grief and transition run throughout their work as they combine acoustic and electronic elements. A desert native, Zoë’s compositions reflect the richness of natural landscapes, weaving melodic bass lines and vocals into immersive soundscapes.

Luke Stewart is a musician, performer, improviser-composer, organizer, and writer-researcher whose work represents a deep reverence for the history and tradition of Creative Music: a tradition which encompasses the diverse styles of expression within the body of Black Music in the United States, Africa, and throughout the world. JoVia Armstrong is a Detroit-born percussionist, composer, sound artist, and educator whose multidisciplinary career spans continents, genres, and communities. Known for her visionary blend of experimental composition, Black musical traditions, and immersive technologies, Armstrong’s artistry is rooted in rhythm and storytelling.

Friday May 15 * 7pm * $15 * TICKETS

Spark Isle is an experimental rock trio based in the DMV. The group's instrumental compositions touch on jazz, funk, punk and styles in between. Visually, Spark Isle presents projections to accompany each song that often feature footage of collaborations with artists from other mediums (painters, dancers, etc.). 

Spare Hearts is Ira Golthi (vocals) and Alex Weitzel (synth). Based out of Washington DC, their electro-pop debut EP "Off the Line" was released in May 2025. Now playing as a heavily synth-driven duo, Ira and Alex are performing dark and danceable synthpop/EBM tracks for the masses. Their newest single, "High Priestess," is out November 2025.

The Morelias released their debut EP on December of 2025. This first batch of songs are mostly love songs about overcoming depression and finding or losing romantic partners. It’s light hearted and stylistically reminiscent of early 2000’s indie rock and old school punk from the west coast. You can hear these songs live at music clubs in Washington D.C.

Employee 1 is the solo project of Russell from Incubator. Using a looper, keyboard and vocoder, Employee 1 is a dramatic pop experience performed from behind a desk

Sunday May 17 * 1-3pm * 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)

Monday May 18 * 7pm * $5 * Includes popcorn and drink * TICKETS

Join us for the Takoma Park-Silver Spring Co-op's Fourth Annual Co-op Film Fest in partnership with Rhizome!

Cooperatives are a proven alternative to extractive capitalism. In a time when corporate consolidation dominates our food system, cooperatives offer a practical, viable alternative that prioritizes equity, sustainability, and local self-determination. Join TPSS and Rhizome to watch and discuss two documentaries that examine the history of co-ops in the United States and explore how they build healthier, more connected communities.

Successfully thriving in the global economy of the 21st century and beyond will require new business models and strategies to enable the American Dream of opportunity and economic prosperity. We the Owners captures stories from the founders and employees of three employee-owned businesses, New Belgium Brewing, Namaste Solar, and DPR Construction, sharing the worker's perspectives on shared ownership structures, empowering corporate cultures, linked reward and risk incentives, and human-capital innovation models. The film follows as decisions are made from founding and expansion, succession and recruitment, to layoffs. As the companies in the film show, employee ownership comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. What they have in common as “Best Places to Work” is that shared ownership and employee voice are integral to their responsible business practices, strategy, and success.

Friday May 22 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $15 * TICKETS

Red Brick presents:

ROBBER ROBBER (Burlington, Vermont) - "Pinpointing the specific catalyst for an avalanche can be slippery — any combination of classic elements, human interference, or freak accident can trigger disaster — and documenting these precise moments often rests on serendipitous reflexes. On Two Wheels Move the Soul, Robber Robber offer themselves as ignition and capture every sound in the wake. Involuntarily thrust into the throws of rootless nomadism, Robber Robber ringleader Nina Cates collects a series of pressurized vignettes to assemble the Burlington quartet’s thrillingly explosive sophomore album….”

EMPATH (PHILADELPHIA, PA)

Saturday May 23 * 2pm * MASKS REQUIRED * $35-45 * REGISTER

Dye sessions act as an interactive introduction to natural dye. Every dye session is uniquely tailored to each group and may change seasonally due to the availability of natural dye materials. Each participant will work with cotton bandanas to learn and practice a variety of dye techniques.

Fatima Janneh is a Gambian American fiber and textiles artist. Based in DC, she works primarily with natural dye and is an avid knitter. Currently teaching dye workshops and selling at markets around the city.

Scholarships are available - please reach out via email to info@rhizomedc.org

Saturday May 23 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Minibeast is a three-piece band comprised of Peter Prescott (formerly of Mission of Burma, Volcano Suns, Kustomized) playing guitar, keys, noises (mouth & other) & the mind bending rhythm section of Keith Seidel on drums n' percussion and Niels LaWhite on bass. It's liquid music...always moving. They gratefully accept influences from Fela Kuti, Can, and the Stooges.

Washington DC's Nice Breeze have been kicking around since before the start of the decade. The trio of John Howard, Martha Hamilton & Andy Fox churn out solid, hook-laden, bullseye-pop gems by the bushel. DC area bands have always seemed to possess that extra digit when it comes to honing a particular strain of post punk expression & Nice Breeze are no exception.

FREQ FLAG are a 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.

Wednesday May 27 * Doors at 6:30, show at 7 * $20-25 * TICKETS

Glenn Jones is a master of American Primitive Guitar, a style invented in the late 1950s by John Fahey, whose traditional fingerpicking techniques and wide-ranging influences were used to create modern original compositions. Jones, who led the post-rock ensemble Cul de Sac, brings his own made-up tunings, the use of custom-crafted partial capos, and a highly skilled picking style on both banjo and guitar, to create personal compositions that are lyrical, emotive and elegant.

Liam Grant is a New England guitarist and improviser cut from the American Primitive cloth. The restless guitar explorations, modal epics, and driving uptempo rags recall the likes of Grant's pedagogue, Takoma Records, and the path that was paved by his forebears John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Peter Walker, Max Ochs, and later, Glenn Jones, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Jack Rose, and others.

Ari Rosenfield is a folk singer and songwriter from the southwestern US who has had severe writer's block for about six years. She will play you some sad songs she wrote for the banjo a long time ago, and hopefully that will help her overcome her writer's block. She wishes her songs sounded like if Joanna Newsom helped Leonard Cohen write his songs and then Karen Dalton played covers of them, but in reality, they're probably much worse.

Saturday May 30 * doors at 7:00, music at 7:30 * $12-15 * TICKETS

Bohemian Waxwing

Bohemian Waxwing is a coming together of four musicians with roots in
alt-country, punk, ambient, and indie rock. With songs that ponder our
connections with art, science and the natural world, their lyrics sit
at the intersection of our internal and external lives. Their songs
might be compared to Yo La Tengo, with the harmonic leanings of XTC,
and the lyrical bent of Bill Calahan.

Kevin Knight

Kevin Knight a.k.a. Nevin Kight is a Multi-Instrumentalist, song-
crafter, absurdist, & experimental recording artist based in the
Shenandoah Valley of Virginia. “Songs of love, pain and spirit from a
nature nerd in the age of the Anthropocene”

NAYAN

Nayan Bhula is a DC rock lifer who turned 50 and decided to get
louder. A veteran of post-punk outfit GIST and orchestrated indie
ensemble The NRIs, Bhula has spent decades carving space for South
Asian artists in rock ’n’ roll—DIY, defiant, and relentless.

Monday June 1 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $15-20 * TICKETS

The Early is Alex Lewis (guitars, synthesizers) and Jake Nussbaum (drums, electronics). The two have spent the past seven years reinventing their shared musical language, infusing the textural grandeur of post-rock with the communicational intimacy of jazz improvisation, the patient grooves of minimalism, electronica, and drone. Their 2026 release, I Want To Be Ready (Island House Recordings) was described by Record Crates United as “drifty, minimalist jazz fusion soundscapes that hum, drone and rumble like the atmosphere of a clockwork city.”

Bent Light is the duo of Michael Slyne and Russel Linder. 2 punk rockers and less volume. Two guitars. Millions of pedals. Busted tape machines sing too. Sometimes beautiful, sometimes harsh. They say it feels like a dream. 

Raven Bauer Durham is an experimental guitar-based performer from Virginia, incorporating electric and acoustic ambient textures, voice, and song layers. Previously a member of the improvisational group Phoenix Auto Group. 

Tuesday June 9 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents...

Michael Foster (sax), Zach Rowden (bass & tapes), and Joey Sullivan (drums)

Michael Foster is a saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist working in the fields of free improvisation, noise, free jazz, graphic & video notation, performance art, and other forms of weird music. Foster utilizes extensive instrumental preparations, augmenting his saxophone with amplification, objects, balloons, drum heads, vibrators, tapes, and samples as a method of subverting and queering the instrument’s history and traditional roles.

In addition to his work as a performer he is also active as a curator throughout New York City, co-founding "Queer Trash," a curatorial collective focusing on providing visibility to LGBTQIA+ performers engaged in experimental performance practices. In 2018, "Queer Trash" was the Suzanne Fiol Curatorial Fellow for Issue Project Room, producing a year's worth of performances that ranged from harsh noise to fashion.

Sunday June 21 * 11am * Free / Donations * RSVP

Chinese culture understands time as cyclical and relational. The traditional Chinese calendar divides the year into 24 Solar Terms, presenting the subtle shifts in nature and having different celebrations each term. 

One of these terms is Duanwu Festival on the fifth day of the fifth lunar month: a time when summer begins to intensify, marked by remembrance and cultural rituals such as dragon boat racing and eating zongzi. In this event, we will:

- Introduce Duanwu and its meaning, connecting personal stories of hometown, cultural roots, and remembrance;

- Participants DIY two gifts inspired by their hometown and cultural memory: one kept for themselves, and one exchanged with another participant (A to B, B to C, C to A);

- Share reflections on how ritual, making, and exchange create a moment of pause.

The event is free, and donations to Rhizome DC are suggested. We will provide basic art supplies (paper, pencils, colored pencils, acrylic paint & brushes), but please bring any other materials for DIY.

Sunday June 21 * 6pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Amptext, the solo project of Washington DC native Gary Rouzer, explores the area between free improvisation and composition. His current focus harkens back to his teenage years on the four string electric bass. https://amptext.bandcamp.com

Perfectly Reasonable People - Baltimore duo making perfectly reasonable music.

Jeff Surak - Maximum musique concrète.
https://zeromoon.bandcamp.com/album/an-ideal-death

Tag Cloud - Solo drone/noise/ambient atmospherics. Mostly modular but sometimes other sources. Latest release out now!
https://tagcloud2.bandcamp.com/album/the-other-shoe-drops

James Wolf is a DC-area violinist and multi-instrumentalist.
https://jwolf333.bandcamp.com/music

Friday June 26 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-35 * TICKETS

Multi-instrumentalist, composer, and improviser FRED FRITH has been making noise of one kind or another for more than 50 years, starting with the rock collective Henry Cow, which he co-founded with Tim Hodgkinson in 1968. Fred is best known as a pioneering electric guitarist and improviser, song-writer, and composer for film, dance and theater. Through bands like Art Bears, Massacre, Skeleton Crew, the Fred Frith Guitar Quartet, Cosa Brava, and the FF Trio he has stayed close to his roots in rock and folk music while branching out in many other directions. 

CHAO TIAN is a boundary-breaking Chinese dulcimer virtuoso, improviser, and sonic thinker whose music unfolds across tradition, experimentation, and diasporic imagination. Trained in the classical lineage of the Chinese dulcimer since the age of five, she now bends that legacy into new shapes—treating the instrument not as a symbol, but as a living, questioning voice. 

Saturday June 27 * 7pm * $15 * TICKETS

Spark Isle

Spark Isle is an experimental rock trio based in the DMV. The group's
instrumental compositions touch on jazz, funk, punk and styles in
between. Visually, Spark Isle presents projections to accompany each
song that often feature footage of collaborations with artists from
other mediums (painters, dancers, etc.).

Sur Cósmico

Sur Cósmico is a Spanish psychedelic rock project by Bolivian artist
Jardiel Ruiz, delivering immersive and atmospheric live performances.

My Mandy

All is breathing the astral dust.

Stripping it down to the moment, My Mandy is the music project by
Malynne Petoia, seeking to capture our shared inner & outer worlds,
echoed into lyrical melodies.

L☆LY

L☆LY is a human
In this invented world
Where concrete is the soil
And money is the soul

L☆LY is a star
as Citlally translates
Of nahualt origin
And death as the fate

Sir Cie

If you like indie and alternative music with folk, pop rock, and
classic rock influences, congratulations, j’suis ta copine.

Friday July 3 * doors at 6:30, show at 7 * $15 * TICKETS

Penanggalan
Baltimore Black Metal

Crows Foot
Baltimore Black Metal

Tartarean
MD Blackened Grind

Sunday July 5 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $10 * TICKETS

Trepenate (DC Power Violence)

Hostile Mind (DC Hardcore)

Lagoon (DMV Hardcore)

Drugs of Faith (DC Grind-n-Roll)

Rhizome will host a puppet slam on July 18, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please submit example(s) of your show (or at least your artistry) to Rachel Gates at rhizomepuppetlab@gmail.com. All selected artists will receive a small stipend.