Every Thursday, Bandwidth contributors tell you what D.C. shows are worth your time over the next week.
Acid Mothers Temple and Perhaps
Thursday, April 24 at DC9, $10
Acid Mothers Temple is a Japanese psychedelic band formed in 1995 whose lineup—beyond core guitarist Kawabata Makoto—changes regularly. In the studio, the band seems to don a new name for every slight lineup shift (Acid Mothers Temple & the Melting Paraiso U.F.O., Acid Mothers Guru Guru Gong, Acid Mothers Temple & the Cosmic Inferno, and so on); live, they perform just as “Acid Mothers Temple.” They’ll be joined by Boston’s experimental collective Perhaps.
Avey Tare’s Slasher Flicks, Dustin Wong, Co La, Geologist
Friday, April 25 at U Street Music Hall (early), $15
Don’t be fooled by the name: Animal Collective’s Avey Tare isn’t writing horror soundtracks with his new project Slasher Flicks. The group (a collaboration with Angel Deradoorian of Dirty Projectors and Ponytail’s Jeremy Hyman) bears a strong resemblance to Animal Collective—albeit a little more stripped down—and with AC’s Geologist DJing, it might just feel like a mini-Animal Collective show. Also performing are Ponytail’s Dustin Wong (watch our recent video of his show at Black Cat) and Baltimore’s Co La.
Lo-Fang, Kate Berlant
Saturday, April 26 at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue, $15-$18
A former D.C.-area resident, Lo-Fang‘s mastermind Matthew Hemerlein now lives in Los Angeles—and just wrapped up a tour opening for Lorde. He’s swinging back through town on his own headlining tour in celebration of his debut album, “Blue Film.” Hemerlein is classically trained and performed all the instruments on his album, switching seamlessly from cello to piano to banjo, all while singing in a soft voice reminiscent of Sufjan Stevens. Opening this show is not another reformed folkie, but instead a comedian: Kate Berlant.
They Might Be Giants
Saturday, April 26 at Walter E. Washington Convention Center, free (two shows: 1 p.m. and 4 p.m.)
For those who think that a science and engineering festival might be a little dry, They Might Be Giants is here to spice things up. Seriously: The alternative band (who often dabbles in children’s music) is performing two shows at the USA Science & Engineering Festival this Saturday, and since the entire event is free, these shows are, too. Come for the tunes, and then poke around the fest for a little math and science learning—everything from hands-on experiments to a lecture by Hollywood stuntman Steve Wolf.
Woods, Quilt
Saturday, April 26 at the Rock & Roll Hotel, $12
Brooklyn’s Woods are an experimental indie-folk outfit that bury beautiful, catchy melodies beneath their noisy instrumental effects. If this is what campfire music sounds like for the hipster crowd, then a weekend in a tent without running water wouldn’t be so bad. Woods is performing with Boston experimental indie-folk band Quilt, which formed when its members were students at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.
These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.