Six lampshaded LEDs served as mood rings when #TheBeths played Tuesday night at @930club.bsky.social. The lights switched colors as the NZ quartet moved from power-pop ravers to folkie ballads to an ambient instrumental interlude. Oh yeah, and "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," too.

The musicians of Weakened Friends keep elevating one another’s art Songwriting became a more collaborative act for the indie-rock trio’s third album, “Feels Like Hell.”

In my profile of #WeakenedFriends, singer-guitarist Sonia Sturino says the title song of the New England indie-rock trio's new album, "Feels Like Hell," is about "poking the scab, poking the bruise. I think it’s a very human thing to do.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Unknown Treasures “Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750” has a lot more to discuss than just women painters of the era

The splendid current exhibition at the #NationalMuseumoWomenintheArts, “Women Artists from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 1600-1750,” showcases neglected female painters. But it addresses many varieties of artistic endeavor, including that of nameless craftswomen. discerningeye.substack.com/p/unknown-tr...

The Written Woman Words mark bodies in a show of Korean women’s art. Also: two more installments of “Women Artists of the DMV”; duo shows of Joanne Kent & Richard Tinkler; & Deb Furey & Gordana Geršković

An ambitious show of art by Korean and Korean American women is one of the topics oy my latest Discerning Eye issue. discerningeye.substack.com/p/the-writte...

Japanese musician Haru Nemuri blends pop, rap, EDM and so much more In her third full-length release, “Ekkolaptómenos,” political and philosophical questions are explored through the English language and heavy synths.

In my profile of eclectic J-not-exactly-pop singer-composer #HaruNemuri, she says she sings more on her new album, “Ekkolaptómenos," because “I wanted to challenge myself with something new, and the tracks themselves demanded it from me.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Monday's exhilarating @tuneyards.bsky.social show at #HowardTheater was a bit more heavy metal than expected. Singer-percussionist #MerrillGarbus's live-looped vocals channeled Laurie Anderson, Joni Mitchell, and Mr. Rogers, but there was also a little Robert Plant when the ukelele went metallic.

Review | A sprawling survey highlights the women making art around D.C. “Women Artists of the DMV,” at the American University Museum, has no single vision. But first-rate works abound.

My review of #AmericanUnIversityMuseum's section of "Women of the DMV" says that given the survey’s breadth, a cohesive vision would be too much to ask. The artworks, many first-rate, are best considered individually, although some affinities are noteworthy. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Jeff Rosenstock is still mastering his instruments, including his voice On his latest album, the veteran punk rocker lowers the volume.

In my profile of Jeff Rosenstock, the third-generation punk rocker says, “Metal was my gateway into punk,” citing Anthrax, Slayer and Biohazard as favorites. “I had a babysitter who really liked Anthrax.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Baltimore electronic music duo Matmos’s goal: ‘Have form dissolve’ Inspiration could come from anywhere for the pair. Hence the title of one of their newest tracks, “Norway Doorway.”

In my #Matmos profile, Drew Daniel says, “There’s definitely Matmos pieces that you could dance to. That have a kick drum or like a solid bass and are structured in the same ways that techno might be structured. But ... we’re sort of an unreliable party band.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

‘Nu-gaze’ rocker went viral before her band even had a name Natalie Lu, better known as Wisp, is going on tour with her debut album, “If Not Winter,” a nod to the ancient Greek lyric poet Sappho.

#Wisp's “Black Swan” includes a recitation in which it sounds as if her voice is traveling through water. “I grew up near the beach, and being able to incorporate elements of feeling underwater is really important to me,” she says.
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Review | In an ambitious show, architects 3D print the world In “Vessels & Voids,” ceramicists and architects echo the forms of armadillos, arthropods and the microscopic world.

Handmade objects complement hand-drawn renderings in an ambitious show at #VisArts. But at the exhibition’s center is a machine, a relatively recent invention that has already reshaped both architecture and ceramics: the 3D printer.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Review | The Japanese pop artists and rule breakers whose work blurred boundaries Influenced by pop art and advertising, a group of 20th-century Japanese artists on view at the National Museum of Asian Art crossed mediums in experimental prints.

My review of #NationalMuseumofAsianArt's “Cut + Paste: Experimental Japanese Prints and Photographs” says it shows the influence of U.S. pop art, as well as of the things that shaped that genre: pop culture, advertising art and commercial printing techniques.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

After 50 years, the Fleshtones ‘finally figured out how to make a record’ The garage rock band, formed in the 1970s in New York City, is touring with their latest album, “It’s Getting Late (...and More Songs about Werewolves).”

In my preview of the #Fleshtones show @930club.bsky.social, frontman Peter Zaremba says the band’s songwriting hasn’t faltered because “things keep happening to us. So we keep having things to write about.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

With their original guitarist back, rockers Pelican are making new music The all-instrumental quartet will play at DC9 on Friday.

In my profile of #Pelican, guitarist Laurent Schroeder-Lebec says of the quartet's metal-based instrumentals, "We for sure write everything clean before we add any distortion or any effects. One hundred percent of the record was written that way.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Indie rockers the Mekons are ready to take their music ‘where we want’ The band will play at Union Stage on Sunday, July 20.

In my profile of the #Mekons, #JonLangford says of the band's New "Horror": “We had lyrics for some songs that didn’t quite fit with the horror theme, so Tom [Greenhalgh] would take them away and make them more horrible,”
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Review | 31 artists for 31 visions of Korean American experience “Soaring (Narsha),” an exhibition at American University Museum, gathers contemporary works by dozens of artists in the D.C. area.

“Soaring (Narsha),” a showcase for D.C.-area Korean American artists, takes its title from a 1447 epic poem, which might suggest that the American University Museum exhibition is rooted deeply in tradition. But the art derives as much from the West as Korea. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Whimsy and efficiency are key to the Bug Club’s alchemy The Welsh duo will perform at DC9 on Wednesday, June 25.

According to Wales's pop-punk #TheBugClub, writing a song in the moments it takes to make a cup of tea "seems like the right amount of time to not overthink it.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Seventh Stanine Festival features big-name musicians in small spaces Experimental music is on the bill at Rhizome this Saturday.

In my preview of the #SeventhStanineFestival, headliner Tyondai Braxton says, "“The great thing about electronic music is that it’s not rooted in a dogmatic approach. Because technology keeps coming out, and there’s always something new to think about.”
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Review | Take an art tour of Foggy Bottom with new sculptures in hidden streets “Homeland/Hostland” places works by 16 D.C.-area artists around the neighborhood, crossing the whimsical with the subtly political.

My review of the "Homeland/Hostland" Foggy Bottom outdoor sculpture show says “homeland” is a natural theme for the array, which is seeded throughout a residential neighborhood. But the “hostland” part is more complicated....
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

A shared youth is the tie that binds alt-rockers Dutch Interior The California six-piece band will perform at Comet Ping Pong on Wednesday, June 11.

In my profile of country-tinged alt-rock band #DutchInterior, singer-guitarist Jack Nugent says, “I think the songs present as a little more lighthearted than the lyrical content actually is.”
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Luminescent Creatures, by Ichiko Aoba 11 track album

Rapturous fans were louder than #IchikoAoba tonight at the @WarnerTheater in DC. But the soft-spoken singer's voice sometimes produced sustained notes that rose impressively clear and strong above her rippling guitar or chiming keyboards. ichikoaoba.bandcamp.com/album/lumine...

Steely Mammoths Natural and industrial meld in a sculpture group show. Also: Fred Folsom's neoclassical take on American life and Micheline Klagsbrun's liquefied texts

My latest DisCerning Eye review covers "Monumental Sculpture" group show and #FredFolsom paintings @americanuniversity.bsky.social Museum & #MichelineKlagsbrun sculptures & drawings at #StudioGalleryDC. discerningeye.substack.com/p/steely-mam...

To father-daughter duo Martin and Eliza Carthy, folk music is full of soul The pair will perform at the Birchmere in Arlington on May 8.

In my profile of #MartinCarthy & #ElizaCarthy, the elder folkie muses, “I’d like to think I’m not going to give up playing. “Retiring seems to be the short route to the grave.”
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Review | A small, rewarding slice of D.C.’s legendary Corcoran art collection American University Museum’s slim exhibition of works by painters with ties to Washington shows alienation and architectural chill.

My review of #AmericanUniversityMuseum's "Alone, Together" says the exhibition's 11 paintings by D.C.-rooted artists fit together neatly in several ways, stylistic as well as thematic.
www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Swedish singer Yukimi goes solo and gets deeply personal With Little Dragon on hiatus, Yukimi is touring with a new band: “Once the thought hit me, it just felt right for me to do it.”

In my profile of Swedish electro-soul singer #Yukimi, she says of her new solo debut, "“I really wanted this album to be personal,” she says. “To not hold anything back. Just sing about the things that are in front of my face.”
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Songs keep forming in Valerie June’s mind, ‘from wherever they come from’ The Americana musician will perform at the Birchmere on April 16.

In my profile of #ValerieJune, the eclectic singer-songwriter says, “I like voices that make me feel raw emotion. It doesn’t always have to be this beautiful note held. I want to hear something that scratches me. I want to hear love, or anger, or bitterness.” www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Review | In just 250 square feet, a tiny art show goes cosmic A Transformer exhibition of weaving, images and sculpture by Latino artists fits big ideas in a small space.

The title of #Transformer’s current group show, “To Dream con los Cuerpos,” is evocative yet open-ended. It’s also playfully bilingual: The six participants dream, in English, with bodies, in Spanish. www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/202...

Across distances, indie rockers the Ophelias keep refining their sound The quartet will perform at Jammin Java in Vienna on Sunday, April 6.

In my profile of Cincinnati-rooted indie-rock quartet #TheOphelias, singer-guitarist Spencer Peppet says of her songs, "As soon as it’s out in the world, it’s no longer what I have in my brain. It’s whatever people take it as.”
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

D.C. post-punk trio Sensor Ghost illuminates ‘cracks in the surface’ The band will play at Haydee’s on Saturday, March 15.

In my profile of DC post-punk trio #SensorGhost, singer-bassist Mike Andre says, “I like writing about weird glitches and inconsistencies that show up in life. Weird little cracks in the surface of things. That’s what grabs me.”
www.washingtonpost.com/entertainmen...

Georgetown Visitation, not Georgetown Prep (which is in Rockville)