THURSDAY, APRIL 2
COMEDY: Make a trip to the DC Improv to listen to comedian Todd Glass’s jokes. The Los Angeles-based performer was one of the finalists in the NBC show Last Comic Standing 2, and has made appearances on Jimmy Kimmel Live, Late Night with Conan O’Brien, and Tosh.0. $17, April 2 to 4, 8 PM.
MUSIC: Have you been wondering what Ukranian folk-punk music sounds like? Attend DakhaBrakha‘s show at Sixth and I and wonder no more. The Eastern European quartet calls itself a folk-punk “ethno-chaos” band and mashes old-school sounds from the motherland with contemporary beats. They occasionally make animal noises. They always wear tall, furry hats. And if tonight’s performance is anything like the NPR’s Music Front Row show above, you’re in for quite a treat. $25, 8 PM.
FRIDAY, APRIL 3
COMEDY: Dr. Alex Schiller is not a real doctor. Her given name? It’s actually Roslyn Hart, and she’s an actress/performance artist who takes on the character of Dr. Schiller for her sex-and-dating show, Never Sleep Alone. Dr. Schiller throws condoms around, screams out profanities, and pulls audience members on stage to do things they’d never let their moms witness. $20 to $35, 9 PM.
THEATRE: Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike, the Tony Award-winning play by Christopher Durang, premieres tonight at the Arena Stage. The comedy, which originally starred Sigourney Weaver and David Hyde Pierce (AKA Dr. Niles Crane in Frasier), tells the tale of three single siblings who are confronted with the possibility of selling their family home. $55 to $70, 8 PM.
MUSIC: Nothing can make you feel more helplessly uncool than discovering an artist like Raury, an 18-year-old kid from Georgia who favors floppy hats and has already caught the attention of both SBTRKT and Kanye West. His music, which moves in and out of indie/pop/hip-hop genres with ease, feels like a perfect expression of the Internet Age. (His Web-savviness can be quickly understood with a single run of his online video game, which was released as part of his debut album, Indigo Child.) The up-and-comer will be performing his latest tunes–which he described as a “call to arms for the YouTube generation–at U Street Music Hall. $15, 7 PM.
SATURDAY, APRIL 4
MUSIC: Dom La Nena was born in Brazil but grew up in both Paris and Argentina, where she studied classical music as a teen alongside acclaimed cellist Christine Walevska. In her latest album, Soyo, which was released last month, La Nena sings in four different languages and shows off influences spanning from Brazilian samba to American pop. Check out her show at Artisphere at 8 PM. $12.
PARTY: The time has come. Erik Bruner-Yang’s long-awaited Maketto will open on April 10, and the housewarming party will take place on Saturday night. The market’s food, coffee, and drinks menu will be available, as well as its retail component. The night will include performances by Chuck Inglish, Avers, M.I.L.F, Bond St. District, and DJ Gavin Holland. $25, 7 PM.
MUSIC: Cody Simpson sounds a bit like John Mayer and a lot like Jack Johnson. The Australian pop singer has collaborated with Flo Rida, but also toured with Justin Bieber. He got his big break on YouTube and was a contestant on Dancing with the Stars, but with the upcoming release of his new album, Free, the blond performer proves he’s got the skills to carry on his own. Well, with the help of someone else: Miley Cyrus made the artwork for his single, “Flower.” U Street Music Hall, $28.50, 7 PM.
SUNDAY, APRIL 5
MUSIC: Benjamin Booker, a New Orleans-based singer songwriter, mixes blues, punk, and soul into an energetic sound. He’ll be performing at 9:30 Club. $20, 7 PM.
EAT: José Andrés’ America Eats Tavern is hosting an all-you-can eat Easter brunch for $45 per person from 10 AM to 3 PM, featuring doughnuts, cakes, seafood, and ham carving, biscuit, and jambalaya stations–the latter including a suckling pig variety. Over on U Street, the Fainting Goat will offer bottomless “Bloody Goats” and bubbles with fruit juice for $15 per person, plus specials such as goat cheese fondue and avocado toast. Stop by between 11 AM to 3 PM.
