The Alphabetical Order plays Iota on Thursday night.

Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday

Thursday, May 10: Ever been a lifelong dream of yours to busk in the nation’s capital? Now’s your chance: Metro will hold auditions this evening for performing artists who want to play live at Metrorail stations. Metro, along with local arts councils, selects participants to perform near various Metro station entrances from spring through fall and during the holiday season. 5 to 8 pm at 600 Fifth Street, NW. Auditions are first-come, first-served. Bring a photograph and one-page resume.

I’ve long been a fan of local rockers The Alphabetical Order, who play melodic guitar rock with mid-’90s alternative tinges—and are all-around fun folks to boot. They headline an excellent local bill tonight at the Iota in Arlington (2832 Wilson Boulevard), with folk-rocker Paul Michel and Baltimore’s Two if by Sea, who play lush, theatrical rock. $10. 9 pm.

Friday, May 11: Ian Svenonius is a certified DC music celebrity—he fronted groups The Nation of Ulysses and The Make-Up and now sings for Weird War. And turns out he’s a bit of a Renaissance man—in 2006 he wrote a book of essays, The Psychic Soviet. This evening he’ll be reading from the collection at record store Crooked Beat (2318 18th Street, NW). 7 pm.

Catch some free and female-fronted jazz this evening on the Kennedy Center’s Millennium Stage. Jazz piano players Dawn Clement, Brenda Early, Anke Helfrich, Helen Sung, and Pamela York—finalists in a competition to play next year’s Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival at the Kennedy Center—tickle the ivories. 6 pm.

The Album Leaf plays the Rock and Roll Hotel on Friday.

The Album Leaf plays evocative, mostly instrumental, layered indie rock. Catch the band at the Rock and Roll Hotel (1353 H Street, NE). $12; $10 in advance. Doors open at 8:30 pm.

Comedian Mike Birbiglia, who got his standup start at Georgetown University, will be back in town at The Improv (1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW) for his show “Mike Birbiglia’s Secret Public Journal Live,” in which he dishes jokes in a diary-like format. He’ll be collecting material for his upcoming live CD and DVD. $20. 8 pm and 10:30 pm. Purchase tickets here.

Saturday, May 12: Normally I’m not a huge fan of the DC101 Chili Cook-Off—I often find the bands a bit too grungy. But two factors made me change my mind this year. My current favorite group, Silversun Pickups, is on the lineup, and I’ll be on the panel judging some of the chili entrants. Mmm, delicious chili. Who could pass that up? Other acts on the bill include Jet, the Bravery, and Buckcherry. The show takes place at the lot at 11th Street and New York Avenue, NW. Tickets are $30 in advance and $45 the day of the show. Gates open at 11 am. Get more info here.