1. The Arlington Arts Center is showcasing the contemporary work of 19 artists in its nationally juried show of photo and video pieces, Image/Project, on display through Saturday from 11 to 5. The artists were selected by Taryn Simon, a Guggenheim fellow and internationally-recognized artist, and are shown throughout four galleries inside the venue. Free.
2. Thursday is the third and final evening of Jammin’ Java’s second annual Mid-Atlantic Band Battle before the final showdown in February. Starting at 7:30, seven bands will tear through 15-minute sets for the chance to win $2,500 in cash and studio time. To see the night’s full lineup and for further information, visit the Vienna club’s Web site. $10.
3. Get ready to fist-pump the night away, because Thursday is the next installment of the House of Soul live music night at Bossa Bistro & Lounge. From 10 PM to 1 AM, the downstairs lounge transforms into a dance floor when vocalist Rochelle Rice and saxophonist Jon Irabagon join DJs to get people on their feet. There’s a $3 cover to enter.
4. Yes, it’s a hole in the wall (in the basement, rather), and yes, it could afford to dim the overhead spotlights a bit, but with a stagnant economic forecast, there’s never been a more appropriate time to head to Recessions Lounge on Friday nights. From 5 to 8, not only can you enjoy $4 appetizers, $2 Miller Lite bottles, and 28-ounce “King Kong” drafts, but from 9 until midnight, you can belt your heart out with the dive bar’s Karaoke night.
5. The 33rd International Saxophone Symposium will take place Friday and Saturday at the George Mason University Center for the Arts in Fairfax. The free event features a variety of soloists, ensembles, and military bands and runs from 3 to 7 Friday and 9 to 4 Saturday.
6. Bring your laptop, enjoy a frothy heart-shaped latte, and rock out to the sounds of singer-songwriter Ben Davis as he performs a free set of catchy garage-punk-meets-Elliott Smith songs at Big Bear Cafe Friday. Opening acts Des Ark and Pizza and Minor Stars will kick things off at 8.
7. Lace up your Chuck Taylor’s, wrap yourself in your tightest American Apparel hoodie, and get ready to move Friday at the Black Cat’s Work the Walls Dance Night with DJs K La Rock and Brian Senyo. From 10 PM to 2 AM, $5 gets you live electro-disco, synth-funk, and bass music with “no rules, no irony, and no bamas” at the club’s backstage room.
8. What better way to introduce your family to the competitive (and occasionally bloody) world of women’s roller derby than by introducing them to Marion Barracuda, Guantanamo Babe, and Sookie Slaughterhouse on Saturday at the DC Rollergirls’ State of (dis)Union at the DC Armory? At 4, the Cherry Blossom Bombshells take on the Rocktown Rollers, followed by the DC DemonCats versus Scare Force One. At halftime, the Jim Moyer Circus Club will wow audiences with unicyclists, stilts, and other circus acts. Tickets are free for children five and under, $6 for ages six to 11, $10 with a valid military ID, and $12 for general admission.
9. Industry Gallery (1358 Florida Ave., NE), a brand-new 4,300-square-foot art space, will showcase its inaugural exhibit, “Round the Corner,” on Saturday from 6 to 8. The 20-piece display features the stainless-steel and aluminum work of the Jerusalem-born artist Shlomo Harush. Free.
10. Spend a free night with Barack—or at least laugh at him—at Hudson Restaurant & Lounge Sunday as it hosts “Obama’s Portfolio: Humorous Highlights of the First Year in Office” at 7. The one-night exhibition features some of the most famous editorial and political cartoons to grace the newsstands since President Obama took office.
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