The Max Levine Ensemble appear at Black Cat tonight. Photograph courtesy of the band’s Flickr page.

Thursday, February 9

When he’s not busy throwing underground punk shows at houses around the city, David “Spoonboy” Combs plays with his own band, the Max Levine Ensemble. One of the rare DC bands to stick around, they play hard-hitting pop punk driven by Combs’s nasally voice. Tonight they move out of the basements to Black Cat’s backstage, where they’re regulars.

Doors at 8 PM at Black Cat, $8.

All Things Go’s concert series, All Things Gold, can always be relied on to promote catchy bands and acts you’ve never heard of. Tonight, they’ll bring Minneapolis-based DJ Gigamesh to U Street Music Hall—his dancey remixes regularly top sites like Hype Machine. Opening is Summer Camp, a duo that fans of Cults or Best Coast will appreciate.

Doors at 9 PM at U Street Music Hall, $13.

A still from Pixar’s La Luna, nominated for the Best Animated Short Academy Award. Photograph courtesy of Pixar.

Oscar-Nominated Shorts

One of the most welcome features of Oscar season is the opportunity to see short films in an actual theater, rather than on YouTube or a DVD extra. Shorts don’t have much of a life outside festivals, since they don’t lend themselves to lucrative distribution. But every year the nominees in all the short film categories for the Academy Awards get packaged together and screened in cinemas nationwide, and the full houses are testament to just how much people enjoy these pithy presentations.

This year, Landmark E Street is showing the animated and live-action nominees. The animated shorts include two selections from Canada, two from the US, and one from the UK. There’s the usual Pixar nominee in the bunch—La Luna, a film about the Canadian frontier in the early 20th century—as well as one film, The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore, that promises reference points to sources from The Wizard of Oz to Buster Keaton.

The live-action nominees are often dominated by films that have serious messages or attempt to uplift, and this year appears to be no exception, with a movie about an altar boy choosing between faith and football, one about a missing child, another about boyhood friends divided for 25 years, and one about an old man looking to make amends with his brother. The odd film out here would seem to be Time Freak, about an inventor who creates a time machine and merely travels to the day before. Last year’s quirky God of Love beat out its more serious competitors, so that could bode well for that last title.

West End has the documentary shorts, including one film that screened at last year’s Silverdocs festival, The Barber of Birmingham, as well as films about the following: a successful actress who left her career behind to become a nun; an air strike in Baghdad; women in Pakistan who have been attacked with acid, a depressingly common occurrence there; and survivors of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami.

All three series open tomorrow, the Live Action and Animated Shorts at E Street Cinema, and the Documentary Shorts at West End Cinema.

Singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero. Photograph by Rus Anson.

Wednesday, February 8

Singer-songwriter Meklit Hadero performs at the Artisphere tonight. “Hadero’s sound is a unique blend of jazz, Ethiopia, the San Francisco art scene, and visceral poetry; it paints pictures in your head as you listen,” says NPR. Tickets can be purchased online for $15 or at the door for $18. 8 PM.

MUSIC: Indie pop group Veronica Falls are dropping by the Black Cat. Their self-titled debut was released in September of last year; listen to some of their songs here. The London natives will be joined by Brilliant Colors. Tickets ($10) can be purchased online. Doors open at 8 PM.

WINE: The Capital Wine Festival returns to the Fairfax with a Heitz Wine Cellars dinner. The four-course spread includes pan-seared crabcake, wild mushroom risotto, mint-glazed lamb chops, and black cherry crème brûlée. Each course will be paired with a Heitz wine. Tickets ($125) can be purchased through the event’s website. 7 PM.

SHOPPING: The Crystal Couture Show and Sale returns with discounted offerings from more than 30 boutiques. In addition to savings up to 50 percent, shoppers can enjoy fashion shows, complimentary drinks, hair and makeup consultations, music by DJ Neekola, and more. The sale runs through February 11.

David Selby and Craig Wallace star in Necessary Sacrifices. Photograph by T. Charles Erickson.

Tuesday, February 7

THEATER: If you haven’t already, head to Ford’s Theatre for a showing of Necessary Sacrifices. Richard Hellesen’s drama chronicles two documented meetings between Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. “The spirited conversations in which they engage evoke a fly-on-the-wall quality, giving the audience the sense of truly eavesdropping on history as it’s being made,” says arts writer Jane Horwitz. Read the full review here. Tickets ($25 to $50) can be purchased through the theater’s website. 7:30 PM. The play runs through February 18.

MUSIC: Self-proclaimed “death gospel” singer Adam Arcuragi and the Lupine Chorale Society are dropping by the Iota Club and Cafe. “With his poetic preaching and rousing choruses, Arcuragi crafts songs of community, with music that binds,” says NPR. Arcuragi will be joined by Jukebox Serenade. Tickets ($12) can be purchased at the door. 8:30 PM.

The Levine School of Music’s Virginia Big Band give a free performance at the Kennedy Center. The jazz ensemble have performed at the Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival and Taste of Arlington. 6 PM.

COMEDY: The Washington DC Comedy Writers Group presents a comedy showcase at the Riot Act. The performance will feature a fake psychic reading, standup acts from local comedians, a series of short films, improv, and more. Tickets ($10) can be purchased through the theater’s website. 8:30 PM.

The Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater’s Kirven James Boyd and Linda Celeste Sims. Photographs by Andrew Eccles.

Monday, February 6

THEATER: Signature in Schools presents Un-American at Signature Theatre. In this limited engagement starring Arlington students, two rival high schools face off in a local TV game show. If you can’t make this performance, there’s another one on February 10. Free. 7:30 PM.

Baltimore native Ellen Cherry takes the stage tonight at Strathmore. Photograph courtesy of the artist’s website.

Wednesday, February 1

ART: Don’t miss opening night of Deborah Willis and Hank Willis Thomas’s new exhibition, “Progeny.” The mother-son duo’s show explores motherhood, memory, and family through photographs. “Progeny” runs through February 29 at George Mason University’s Center for the Arts.

MUSIC: Singer-songwriter Ellen Cherry performs at Strathmore tonight. The Emmy-nominated musician released her newest album, (New) Years, in 2010. You can listen to some of her songs here. Tickets ($12) can be purchased through Strathmore’s website. 7:30 PM.

If you’re in the mood for something edgier, Machine Head are dropping by the Rams Head. The Grammy-nominated band toured with Metallica in 2009. The group will be joined by Suicide Silence and Darkest Hour. Tickets ($20) can be purchased through the venue’s website. Doors open at 6 PM.

BOOKS: Barney’s New York creative ambassador Simon Doonan will sign copies of his new book, Gay Men Don’t Get Fat, at the W Hotel. Guests can enjoy drink specials and door prizes. E-mail whappenings@brandlinkdcrsvp.com to RSVP. 7 to 9 PM.

The Bloody Mary at Cafe Saint-Ex. Photograph by Flickr user Jenn Larsen.

In this town, plenty of people have roots in either New York or Boston (or a seething hatred of at least one of those cities’ football teams). But even if you don’t belong to one of those camps, you’ll likely be watching the big game this Sunday. We’ve rounded up some great area bars offering special Super Bowl deals on drinks and food to ensure that no matter what the final score is, you (and your wallet) will come out a winner.

Did we forget your favorite spot? Let us know by leaving a comment.

Washington

Blue Banana will open two hours before kickoff and serve $12 Yuengling and Miller Lite pitchers and other $15 pitchers, in addition to specialty cocktail discounts. The regular food menu will be bolstered by the PORC Mobile food truck, offering sloppy joes, mac and cheese, and other barbecue and tailgating favorites. Leave the kids at home; this party is open only to those 21 and over.

Hudson Restaurant and Lounge will have food specials such as apricot spicy wings, bacon-crusted fish sticks, and lobster or short rib sliders for $5. To help you wash them down, during each quarter of the game the restaurant will offer a different one of its new specialty cocktails for $6, plus happy hour drink prices all day.