Exhibit runs March 1 - 28
Opening Reception: Sunday March 1, 1-3pm
Workshop (details tba): Wednesday March 11
Closing Reception: Saturday March 28, 1-3pm
Open during all events, or email us (info@rhizomedc.org) to schedule a different time to view

MAKE A WAY is an exhibit of three Palestinian multidisciplinary artists working at the intersection of text and image. Palestinian thought and expression has long been calcified by the market’s capricious and violent nature, forced into simplistic and reductive narratives and easy, legible symbols. The ongoing genocide of the Palestinian people is a war of images as much as a war of text, dispersed and circulated by Zionism and its attendant, constituent support-systems (racism, imperialism, terrorism, international law). By working directly to manipulate and distort these oppressive languages (both text and image), the artists in MAKE A WAY seek to subvert and reveal formal violence and gesture towards possible alternatives. Across visual poetry, painting, and video work, Carolina Ebeid, Adam Chamy, and Fargo Nissim Tbakhi enact new forms of artistic engagement with the long shadows of settler-colonial knowledge- and culture-production, in search of how liberation might be spelled, curved, illuminated. Co-curated by Fargo Nissim Tbakhi and Layne Garrett.

Monday March 9 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Paper Lady is the immortal crone, casting spells and wreaking havoc in Boston, MA. This indie dream-rock outfit, consisting of Alli Raina, Rowan Martin, Alex Castile, and Taylor Morris was formed in the depths of the Northeast DIY scene in 2019. They have been conjuring up noisy freak folk and driving dream rock alike in basements and on stages around the US and Canada.

babybaby_explores is the citation of the run on sentence providence art-rock project, “Baby; Baby: Explores the Reasons Why that Gum is Still on the Sidewalk”, created by three scrappy bffs Lids B-Day (effected Vox & sampler), Sam M-H (e. gtr.) & Ramona Cano-Daly (keys & rhythm), three working-class art freaks raised in the haunted clam chowder suburbia Warwick, RI. Utilizing guitar effects pedals to manipulate sounds they create dissonant and lighthearted simple structured danceable songs that pay homage to musique concrète, European underground synth punk of the late 70’s through the 80's, anthem music, dada, and the Providence DIY & noise scene.

Flo Petite makes music for degenerates, dog lovers and anyone prone to an existential crisis. Based out of Washington DC, they’ve spent the last few years creating hodge-podge indie-pop sounds between toting around to house shows and touring out of their moms car. Next up : releasing a song more than every three years. Stay tuned!

Tuesday March 10 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Lia Kohl is a composer and sound artist based in Chicago. Trained as a cellist, she also incorporates synthesizers, field recordings, toy instruments  and radios into her work, searching for a balance between virtuosity and curiosity. She gravitates towards sound practices which reveal and speak to their time and place: field recording, improvisation, radio broadcast and transmission. She often focuses on mundane or pedestrian sounds – sounds which often go unnoticed or under-documented, searching for the profound, unknown, and beautiful in everyday life.

Zachary Good is a Chicago-based clarinetist, chamber musician, composer, and music educator. Good’s music meticulously explores the contrapuntal and harmonic possibilities of quiet two-note multiphonics on the clarinet, creating the illusion of multiple clarinetists playing simultaneously. His music is quietly virtuosic, inspired by the intricacies of the clarinet and a love for Baroque nuance and form.

Claire Alrich , Layne Garrett, and Aquiles Holladay will present a first-time collaboration. Claire Alrich is a multidisciplinary artist living in Washington DC. A trained dancer, Claire’s art practice centers the body and the somatic experience even as it moves across mediums to include: installation, dance production, 2-D art, and sculpture. Layne Garrett is an improvising musician and instrument builder based in Washington DC. He works with prepared guitars, found objects, and self-built instruments. Aquiles Holladay is a graduate of George Mason University with a BA in Dance and has performed with various dance organizations in the DMV.

Thursday March 12 * doors at 7, music at 8 * $10-20 * TICKETS

Hippie Love Party (VA Beach): Math, emo, psych 

Bodied (NoVA): hardcore, screamo, skramz --  https://bodiednova.bandcamp.com/

Fleabath (DC):  wild, sloppy, and primitive garage punk -- https://www.fleabathdc.com/

Friday March 13 * 6pm * $15 * TICKETS

The festival’s six elements include LIVE SAMPLING, LIVE MUSIC, LIVE ART, a VENDOR MARKETPLACE, an ARTIST PANEL, and FOOD, with each event feature having a fiercely nonconformist lineup.

Local producers of multi-genred backgrounds will premiere new tracks composed live at the event using remixed samples recorded during the eclectic live music sets. 

OUR PRODUCERS: Alienood / Elric / Imka / The Expanding Man

WITH LIVE MUSIC BY: Anxiety Monster / Fantazma / James Wolf / Iliana Garabyare

VISUAL MAKERS & VENDORS, thanks to Clearbrook Artist Collective: Bbugnug / Beane Beane / Calum Hjelm / Club Temper / Recklessmarks

Facilitated by Alicia Astronomo, our PANEL of local artists discuss organizing and building creative community: Alana McCarthy Light / Camilo Montoya / Collapsing / Soul on the Scene

A taste of the islands meet the Maryland (old) bay with our CHEF: @crabandcalypso

Event organized by Nico Rodriguez and Alana McCarthy Light

Flier background art by Satya Emeric

Saturday March 14 * noon-5pm * $10 / pie * TICKETS

THE PIE ZONE featuring Adele Marie, Julia Aurore, Mikau and Rosslyn Station. Come celebrate Pi Day with live music, flash tattoos, and a lovely little pie potluck! $10 (or bring a pie), 12PM-5PM

Saturday March 14 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Edmund Berrigan is the author of More Gone (City Lights, 2019), a book of poetry.  With Anselm Berrigan, Alice Notley, and Nick Sturm, he co-edited Get the Money (Collected Prose 1961-1983) by Ted Berrigan (City Lights, 2022). He also edited the Collected Poems of Steve Carey, forthcoming in 2026 from Subpress.

Lauren Russell is the author of three books, including A Window That Can Neither Open nor Close (Milkweed Editions, 2024) and Descent (Tarpaulin Sky, 2020), winner of the Poetry Society of America’s 2021 Anna Rabinowitz Award. An NEA and Cave Canem fellow, she teaches in the Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University.

Sunday March 15 * 11am * Free / donations * REGISTER

In fiction, we talk about very vivid characters as feeling “embodied” – through some mysterious creative alchemy, these words on a page take on a form that feels corporeal. As writers, how do we create characters that feel so real we can almost touch them, hear them, smell them? And what can we learn from our own experiences being a body in the world that we can then translate into an imaginary character’s bodily experiences? In this workshop, we will read and discuss some examples of character-development to understand how writers create embodied characters. We’ll also do some somatic exercises to help us think about what physical reality actually “feels” like in our own bodies and how we can evoke that sensation through words. And we’ll do some writing exercises to work on conveying that felt reality on the page. It will help to have a character in mind for this workshop—either one you’ve already written about, or one you’re hoping to write about. But there will also be space for creating a character during the workshop, if you don’t have one already in mind.

Sunday March 15 * 3-5pm * RSVP

Death Cafes are opportunities for people to enjoy refreshments together and discuss the topic of death. The objective is to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” There are Death Cafes all over the country. What's on your mind about death and dying? Contact Death Cafe Facilitators Margaret Branch at margaret603@gmail.com or Monica Lynch at mlynch19@comcast.net.. Death Cafes are NOT therapy, grief support, or counseling sessions. Cost: Free (small donation for the space encouraged)

Sunday March 15 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Amoeba Ray (Washington, DC)
https://www.instagram.com/amoebaraydc
Instrumentally fronted rock with backing vox. We like to dance and stave off angst. Influenced by Yorke, Homme, and Brubeck, but making our own vibe.

Greg Rekus (Winnipeg, CA)
https://gregrekus.com/
"Sinners go to Church, Saints go to Jail" out now. Road-tested folk punk.

Cat Anatomy (College Park, MD)
https://catanatomy.bandcamp.com/
Maryland-based rock n roll

Monday March 16 * doors at 7, show at 8 * $10 * TICKETS

Bone Bag (GA)
https://hardtackk.bandcamp.com/album/glimmer

The M.F.C (MD)
https://themfc.bandcamp.com/album/roadside-cross-piss-on-a-tesla

Powerband (DC)
https://powerband.bandcamp.com/track/death-machine

Tuesday March 17 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

LMB presents...

New York based musicians Solomon Gottfried (bass), Jacob Sacks (piano), and Connor Parks (drums) join forces to explore original works, create spontaneous improvisations, and perform selections from the great american piano trio pantheon.

Drawing inspiration from the rich musical heritage of his homeland, pianist José Luis Martins seamlessly blends Brazilian rhythms with elements of jazz, classical, rock and contemporary music, creating a unique and captivating sound. José will be joined by Alex Hamburger (flute), Charles Wilson (drums), and Artur Carneiro (bass).

Wednesday March 18 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-35 * TICKETS

Presented by Transparent Productions in collaboration with the 2026 Washington Women in Jazz Festival. 

Alex Hamburger Quartet: Alex Hamburger (flute/voice), José Luiz Martins (piano), Tyrone Allen II (bass), Eliza Salem (drums)

Samantha Kochis Quintet: Samantha Kochis (flute), Judette Elliston (voice), Matei Predescu (piano), Finn Carroll (bass), Josh Mathews (drums) 

For the last decade, flutist, vocalist and composer Alex Hamburger has been creating her own musical direction. Her debut And She Spoke gave voice to female poets and composers while her acclaimed sophomore album, What If?, blended acoustic and electric textures to explore transformation and perception.

Samantha Kochis is a Brooklyn-based flutist, improviser, and composer who explores various creative environments as an artist of experimental music. In her creative works, Samantha draws from the tradition of avant-garde jazz and free improvisation to engage in sonic conversations with listeners and collaborators alike. Her playing is described as “deeply intentioned” and “sensitive yet powerful”.

Thursday March 19 * doors at 7, show at 8 * $15 * TICKETS

Geologist: Brian Weitz, also known by his stage name Geologist, is a musician best known as a member of the experimental pop group Animal Collective. He provides electronic sound manipulations and samples for the band. Solo he does that and plays a lot of hurdy gurdy too.

The Caribbean: The Caribbean is an American experimental project from Washington, D.C., composed of Michael Kentoff, Matthew Byars, and Dave Jones. Described as “minimalist/drone/Philip Jeck-by-way-of-Carole King” and by the description in a review by PopMatters that “They're taking Brill Building songs and writing them in invisible ink, turning jazz standards into Twilight Zone episodes, turning folk songs into clouds of fog,” the band has been critically acclaimed for its deconstructionist approach to pop music, and its wry, literary lyrics. Their 2011 album Discontinued Perfume was hailed by the Washington Post as "a subtle masterpiece," and DCist proclaimed the following about their record Plastic Explosives: "Let us be clear about this: Plastic Explosives is one of the finest recent records we’ve found, from any act, local or otherwise."

Friday March 20 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $10-20 * TICKETS

Quiet Room is a grunge fusion rock band consisting of four musicians from across the greater DMV area. Quiet Room features guitarist Ja’Wuan Martin-Cooper, mountain dulcimer player Thiel Secrist, bassist Yvonna Liszewski, and drummer Arturo Carchedi exploring many different sounds at once to invite listeners in while simultaneously pushing boundaries.

Holy Terror is a progressive Cold Wave band from Silver Spring, Maryland. They compose music for the Dance Dance Revolution cabinets in Hell with lyrics circling mortality, the sacred, and human sacrifice. Holy Terror is a power trio featuring Robin Zeng on Drums and providing the live visual elements, Sly Samudre on Keys and Vocals, & Christopher Luis-Jorge on Bass and Lead Vocals. 

Kinoko is self-conscious, self-irreverent, diy emo.

Saturday March 21 * 2:30pm * $40-80 * REGISTER

Design, carve, and print a 4"x6" lino block. With Maddy Meredith and Gibson Scisco.

Scholarships available - email info@rhizomedc.org

Saturday March 21 * 7pm * $13 advance / $15 at the door * TICKETS

Red Brick Presents...

TOSSER (DC)
https://tossertheband.bandcamp.com/

BLOODSPORTS (NYC)
https://bloodsportsbk.bandcamp.com/

GUTTERED (DC)
https://gutteredcore.bandcamp.com/album/tracing-a-silhouette

Sunday March 22 * noon-4pm * $5-10 suggested * RSVP

The DC Modular Society is a group focused on learning, teaching, and performing electronic music with modular synths. DCMS meetups are open to all with an interest in electronic music, modular and other hardware synths, and hybrid systems for creating and performing music. We encourage and support building a diverse and inclusive community—if you’re wondering if you belong—the answer is yes! No equipment is necessary to attend meetups, but feel free to bring gear if you like. Mixer and PA system provided. We frequently do informal demos of synths and electronic music techniques.

Sunday March 22 * doors at 6, music at 7 * $15 * TICKETS

$500 is a three-piece rock band from Kingston, NY. Consisting of longtime musical collaborators and couple Kaitlyn Flanagan and Ian Donohue with Lilly Griffin on drums. They self-released their debut album Twelve Eyes in September of 2025. https://500dollars.bandcamp.com/album/twelve-eyes 

File Select are a three-piece band from Baltimore, Maryland. Their latest release is the 2019 EP , John Connor's Last Words.
https://fileselect.bandcamp.com/album/john-connors-last-words

The Armors (DC) combine hard-hitting classic rock swagger and punk rock urgency while nodding to the emo born out of DC’s Revolution Summer. https://thearmors.bandcamp.com/album/ep

Monday March 23 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Join us to celebrate the release of Janel's new record Slowly Melting, out March 27 on Cuneiform Records. Opening set by Janel & Anthony followed by a solo set by Janel Leppin.

Tuesday March 24 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-30 * TICKETS

Presented by Outside Time

Mariam Rezaei is a multi-award-winning composer, turntablist and performer working across experimental new music, free improvisation, mutant club music and hip-hop. Described by The Wire as “one of the most technically adept and creatively daring artists to use the turntable as a musical instrument,” Rezaei uses a digital vinyl system, allowing her to manipulate an expansive range of samples in real time using classic turntablist skills and her own innovative techniques.

Katie Magician is an artiste and play practitioner. Their collaborative new media art creates communal rituals exploring alienation and reconciliation. Macyshyn holds a BFA from the Corcoran College of Art + Design. They have been featured in performance art festivals, DIY venues, and galleries such as Transformer DC, MoCA Arlington, VisArts, and the Corcoran Gallery of Art. As an interdisciplinary arts facilitator, Macyshyn has organized multi-media performance events at Furthermore Gallery and was the creative force behind SPECTRAL performance Art Festival.

Lustre Chantant - Max Hamel and Christopher Griffiths. Some real chin stroking stuff for sure….

Wednesday March 25 * 6:30pm * $10-15 * TICKETS

RAYFEST is the semi-annual celebration of the late DCPL archivist Ray Barker, who passed away from a brain tumor on March 26, 2024. An avid supporter of Rhizome, Ray Barker was highly involved in documenting the history of the DC music and arts scene through his work at MLK Library. With support from his friends and fellow archivists at People's Archive, RAYFEST will feature music, arts & crafts, and food.

Music by:
Double Dash is an energetic teen pop-punk act, hailing from DC. Dead 4-Track is a Jackson-Reed High School band that will be playing post-punk music from Ohio (where Ray was from). Nate Scheible Group is a improvisational ensemble that is led by Ohio-born percussionist and sound scientist Nate Schieble, a friend of Ray Barker's and an important musical collaborator on the DC scene.

Thursday March 26 * 7pm * $10 * TICKETS

Restives make fuzzy, canny guitar rock about life and love in an existential minefield. With influences spanning decades of distortion—Television, Pixies, Pavement, Radiohead, The Walkmen—Restives blend styles in a melodic, noisy cauldron. Restives are Adam Thompson (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris von Spiegelfeld (bass, backing vocals), Eric Fuller (lead guitar, backing vocals), and Pete Ryan (drums).

Better Red is a minimal post-punk trio from Takoma Park/Silver Spring that is as mathy as it is melodic. Krautrock rhythms under plaintive vocals, they explore the wonders of animal and plant life during apocalyptic times all while heading to the sock hop.

The Deadeyes rose from the ashes of Philadelphia’s indie soul punk band Grubstake. This violin driven 3-piece effortlessly traverses the musical genres of punk and roots-rock with tinges of soul, drawing comparisons to bands such as Yo La Tengo, The Velvet Underground, and The Replacements.

Friday March 27 * doors at 6:30, music at 7:30 * $15 suggested * TICKETS

Brittany + Mad Sculptor Productions presents a fundraiser for a local domestic violence shelter

Inevitable (PA)
https://inevitable.bandcamp.com/album/cowards-die-here

Courage Mother (DC)
https://couragemother.bandcamp.com/

xmiseryisabutterflyx (DC)
https://xmiseryisabutterflyx.bandcamp.com/album/demo

xmemoriestoburnx (MD)

Saturday, March 28 * doors at 7 * $10-20 * TICKETS

Light Beams - Dance-punk from DC

Gladys - Subversive songs about seltzer and pensioners, with a dash of psychedelia. Exceptional trousers. NYC

Club USA

Sunday March 29 * 9:30 & 11:30am * $15-30 * TICKETS

Mt Plantry is excited to return to Rhizome on March 29th for a second take on our workshop, 4x4x5: An Alternative Darkroom Fair ! This time we will have two time slots for starting times, one at 9:30 and the other at 11:30 (in the morning!) When you enter, we'll snap a 4"x5" portrait (of you, your art, an object you love, anything !) which you'll develop in coffee. Then you'll take the negative to 3 different stations, each with its own alternative printing process to make 3 very different printed interpretations of your negative. So you'll leave with 4 4x5s (aka 4x4x5 !). Admission is $15, with donations over $15 going to DC Migrant Mutual Aid.

Monday March 30 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

The Abe Mamet Ensemble's music is “as nuanced, dignified and alert as conversation between close friends" (Chris Richards/Washington Post). Together, the group weaves textures rooted in groove and committed to thoughtful improvisation, seeking beautiful horizons for the listener and themselves.

Thursday April 2 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

We are pleased to present an evening of animated short films by, and followed by a remote Q&A with, Lynn Ochberg.

Thirty years ago, VHS tapes containing striking Commodore Amiga animations started showing up at parties, micro cinemas, and living rooms across the country. Each copy was made to satisfy the audience's thirst for more of these narratively diverse films showcasing fairy tales, dinosaurs, consumption, play, politics, and even the Bosnian War. Those holding their tapes were left hungry in their pursuit of figuring out the true identity of its creator, Nanny Lynn. In the late 2010s, renewed interest led to the discovery of Lynn Ochberg, an Octogenarian Grandmother living in Florida whose oeuvre of animated wonders was created for her grandchildren. 

Friday April 3 * Doors at 7, show at 8 * $12-15 * TICKETS

Machete
Noisy punk/hardcore from Harrisonburg
https://macheteexe.bandcamp.com/

Wastoid
Charlotte sludge punk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQwxh2pqvec

Megazillion
Baltimore noisy experimental punk
https://megazillion.bandcamp.com/

Lagoon
DMV hardcore
https://lagoon00.bandcamp.com/

Saturday April 4 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $15-20 * TICKETS

Ryan Lee Crosby is currently based in Rhode Island, but his musical heart is in Mississippi. He has released numerous albums, toured internationally and is a leading practitioner of the Bentonia School of rural Delta blues, as well as a world music explorer. Smithsonian Magazine praised his ability to "bring influences from Africa and India to the Bentonia sound."

Dr. Jake Hertzog is a multi-genre award-winning guitarist and composer, whose career to-date has spanned jazz, rock and classical new music styles. He has toured throughout the U.S., Europe, Latin America, the Middle East and India and performed and recorded with a diverse cadre of artists including Randy Brecker, Ivan Neville, Mike Clarke, Blondie Chaplin, Anton Fig, Corey Glover, Barry Altschul, Dave Leibman, Ingrid Jensen and many others.

Growing up in the Annapolis area and attending University of Maryland with friend and labelmate Robbie Basho, Max Ochs contributed two tracks for the 1967 "Contemporary Guitar" on John Fahey’s Takoma label. Inspired by his friend Fahey, Ochs developed his own interest in fingerstyle guitar, learning from one of the masters, Mississippi John Hurt, during a one-month residency in Ochs’ New York apartment when Hurt reappeared on the folk scene in 1964.  Ochs has continued recording and performing in his spare time, releasing music on the Fonotone and Tompkins Square labels, and with collaborators like Neil Harpe and Rugburn.

Tuesday April 7 * doors at 7, show at 8 * $10-12 * TICKETS

Black Beach
Boston’s Black Beach is a post-punk trio formed in 2012, mixing no wave, post-punk, doom, free jazz, and a little goth rock all clanging up against each other to make the perfect soundtrack to this crumbling empire.  Their third and just released LP Mail Thief continues to evolve their genre bending version of rock music.
https://blackbeachma.bandcamp.com/

Fantazma
FANTAZMA is a post-hardcore punk trio from Washington, DC. Their music features unconventional song structures, sharp sonic changes, and rhythms from rumba, salsa, cumbia, & other Latin-American genres. 
https://fantazma.bandcamp.com/

Wet Vag
a punk band from dc
anarchist, antigovernment, and fuck gender
https://www.instagram.com/wet_vag_band/

Wednesday April 8 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Secret Planet presents… Maurice Louca's Fera in quartet live formation brings the album’s intricate, hypnotic energy to the stage with Maurice Louca on guitar and electronics, Ayman Asfour on violin, Dylan Greene on drums and percussion, and Luke Stewart on double bass, delivering the full rhythmic and dynamic range of Fera in a powerful live setting. Maurice Louca is one of the most gifted, prolific, and adventurous figures in Egypt’s thriving experimental arts scene. His genre-defying music bridges psychedelic Egyptian shaabi, cosmic jazz, and improvisation. In his latest project Fera, hypnotic polyrhythms take the forefront for a trance-inducing experience that invites both movement and careful listening.

Natalie Chami (TALsounds) is a Canadian-born Lebanese American musician and educator. Known for her work in drone, ambient, and improvisational music, she has cultivated a distinguished solo career over the past 15 years, crafting a distinctive blend of personal and transporting music. Her compositions seamlessly integrate synth work, operatic vocals, and meticulous atmosphere crafting.

Thursday April 9 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $15 * TICKETS

Field of View (Tennessee Post Hardcore)
https://fieldofviewpunk.bandcamp.com/

Early Mourning (Indiana Post Hardcore)
https://earlymourningband.bandcamp.com/

Plant Fight (New Hampshire Post Punk)
https://plantfight.bandcamp.com/album/plant-fight

Torrents (DC Post Hardcore)
https://torrentsmd.bandcamp.com/

Lye Bath (DC Post Punk First show!!)

Friday April 10 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $15 * TICKETS

Seclusion- Washington D.C. Punk / Oi
https://alacarterecords.com/products/seclusion-sobrevivencia

Bad To Worse - PA hardcore punk
https://linktr.ee/badtoworsepa

Mr. Nice Guy - PA Melodic Punk

Saturday April 11 * noon-4pm * Free / donations

Bring your pre-loved working physical media to swap with your community! Take what you want and leave what you don't!! This is a free event - No money will be exchanged for goods at this event but donations at the door to Rhizome are always accepted and appreciated!

Sunday April 12 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents Tom Teasley (percussion, voice, electronics) and Dave Ballou (trumpet)

As a global percussionist, composer, and sonic explorer, Tom Teasley creates music that dissolves boundaries—cultural, musical, and spiritual. Grounded in the belief that rhythm is a universal language capable of fostering dialogue across traditions and identities, his work draws inspiration from Middle Eastern frame drumming, West African grooves, Indian tala cycles, jazz improvisation, and contemporary electronic textures. The result is a synthesis that is immersive, expressive, and deeply human.

Trumpeter/Composer Dave Ballou can be heard in a variety of settings; from solo trumpet improvisations to large ensembles performing notated compositions. His recordings as a leader can be found on the Steeplechase, CleanFeed and pfMentum record labels. Ballou has performed or recorded with ensembles led by Rabih Abou-Kahlil, Steely Dan, Michael Formanek, Woody Herman, Andrew Hill, John Hollenbeck’s Large Ensemble, Sheila Jordan, Oliver Lake, Dave Liebman, Joe Lovano, Dewey Redman and Maria Schneider. 

Tuesday April 14 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $15-20 * TICKETS

Jagtime Millionaire is a fingerpicking guitarist based in Pittsburgh, PA who presents a variety of 19th and early 20th century piano ragtime on the steel-string acoustic guitar.  While heavy on classic rags from Scott Joplin, he also plays novelty instrumentals and original songs.  JM's playing isn't a nostalgia trip in the least; he filters ragtime through a modern lens, adding rhythmic interest and humor to these timeless compositions.  

Pergola is the work of Baltimore-based fingerstyle guitarist Todd Shelar. His music is influenced by American Primitive Guitar players, impressionism, minimalism, Renaissance through modern classical guitar, and various folk music traditions. His most recent record of solo acoustic guitar instrumentals, Moon Glows The Same, came out in 2024.

Jon Camp  is a fingerstyle guitarist and composer based out of the DC region. Jon blends melody and twang into a cohesive whole that is exploratory without forsaking the hook. Of his most recent album, Proceed (Centripetal Force Records), Aquarium Drunkard said, "His playing can be tart, with clearly defined lines, rhythmic bends, and crisp phrasing, while summoning sweeping emotional atmospheres." At Rhizome, Jon will perform a solo electric guitar set.

Friday April 17 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-30 * TICKETS

The Brooklyn, NY based collaborative trio Ember sits at the crossroads of musical and personal exploration. Each of the members— Caleb Wheeler Curtis (stritch, sopranino, trumpet), Noah Garabedian (bass), and Vinnie Sperrazza (drums)— are integral parts of the NY jazz and creative music communities as leaders, collaborators and instigators. Founded in 2018, inspired by Arthur Blythe, Henry Threadgill/AIR, Steven Bernstein/ Sex Mob, and Jason Moran/Bandwagon, Ember’s music is open and expressive but down-to-earth, direct, and emotive. Their latest release, "August in March" is available everywhere via Imani Records.

Saturday April 18 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Western Massachusetts “abrasively clean” minimalist punk band Landowner return to Rhizome on April 18. With the stated goal of sounding “as if Antelope were reading the sheet music of Discharge”, the band “slap hard” without the use of distortion, employing restraint in service of focus and intensity. The band is touring on their fifth LP, “Assumption”, out now on Exploding in Sound.

BRNDA has been a band for over ten years, championing their own flavor of art punk in DC and on the road across 200+ shows. Their last LP Do You Like Salt? (2021) proved to be quite a step up for the band in many ways (shows, press, support). The band has kept stacking in 2025, releasing a live record and then their latest full-length Total Pain, which they supported on tour. In 2026 they will play New Colossus Festival in NYC and then head out to Europe in June.

Drawn - DC/Philly - memories from an unreliable narrator. Nenet on vocals, Nate Scheible on drums, Layne Garrett on guitar.

Sunday April 19 * 3-5pm * RSVP

Death Cafes are opportunities for people to enjoy refreshments together and discuss the topic of death. The objective is to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” There are Death Cafes all over the country. What's on your mind about death and dying? Contact Death Cafe Facilitators Margaret Branch at margaret603@gmail.com or Monica Lynch at mlynch19@comcast.net.. Death Cafes are NOT therapy, grief support, or counseling sessions. Cost: Free (small donation for the space encouraged)

Sunday April 19 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Growing up on the outskirts of New York City, Shawn Lovato was deeply influenced by its underground scenes, including hip hop, metal, and punk rock. Lovato’s albums display a breathtaking spectrum that push the frameworks of contemporary improvisation. Shawn’s records have been described as “absolutely stunning” (Jazz Trail) and “profound” (Jazz Word).

Ingrid Laubrock is an experimental saxophonist and composer, interested in exploring the borders between musical realms and creating multi-layered, dense and often evocative sound worlds. A prolific composer, Laubrock was named a “fully committed saxophonist and visionary” by The New Yorker.

Henry Mermer is a drummer, improviser, and composer of instrumental and electronic music currently based in Ridgewood, Queens. Henry holds a B.A. in Philosophy and a B.F.A. in Jazz and Contemporary Music from The New School, where he studied with Andrew Cyrille, Jane Ira Bloom, Reggie Workman, Matt Wilson, Mary Halvorson, and Eric Wubbels.

Nik Francis is an improvising musician with a primary focus on the drum kit, occasionally integrating electronics and small acoustic instruments to expand his sonic palette. Through topology.systems, Francis maintains a library of his solo work and collaborative projects, documenting his evolving approach to rhythm and sound.

Sarah Hughes’ music is intuitive and genre-liberated while displaying an unquestionable command of her instrument and musical vocabulary. Her improvisations and compositions are infused with knowledge of both traditional and contemporary approaches and combine a love for “The Greats” with a drive to innovate.

Nate Scheible has performed and recorded in a variety of bands and ensembles spanning multiple genres over the past 25 years. His background is largely based in improvisation on drums, electronics, and analog tape. His work is featured prominently on releases by the labels Warm Winters Ltd., Outside Time, Unifactor, Feeding Tube, and Never Anything.

Sunday April 26 * noon-4pm * $5-10 suggested * RSVP

The DC Modular Society is a group focused on learning, teaching, and performing electronic music with modular synths. DCMS meetups are open to all with an interest in electronic music, modular and other hardware synths, and hybrid systems for creating and performing music. We encourage and support building a diverse and inclusive community—if you’re wondering if you belong—the answer is yes! No equipment is necessary to attend meetups, but feel free to bring gear if you like. Mixer and PA system provided. We frequently do informal demos of synths and electronic music techniques.

Monday April 27 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Jason Anderson is an award-winning indie/folk artist based in New Brunswick, Canada. He has collaborated with Mount Eerie, toured with Kimya Dawson, and worked with a number of seminal independent labels including K Records and Salinas. His songs celebrate the poetry of the present tense, and his legendary live show is a connective, communal experience. Personal and passionate, Anderson's music crackles with life. 

Majda Gama was born in Beirut to a Saudi father and American mother. Her hometown is Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and her roots Hijazi, but she also has a long, complicated relationship with Northern Virginia where her father was stationed in the 1970’s. Majda is the author of the debut poetry collection In the House of Modern Upbringing for Girls, winner of the Wandering Aengus Press prize for poetry, and the chapbook The Call of Paradise selected by Diane Seuss for the Two Sylvia’s press chapbook prize.

Ronya-Lee and the Light Factory is a musical project created by Ronya-Lee Anderson. The Light Factory names that she creates with many lights: collaborators, ancestors & witnesses. A Jamaican singer-songwriter from Washington, DC, her musical stylings fuse folk, soul & rock with underlying strokes of psychedelia. Her enchanting soprano & well-crafted lyricism reveal a unique blend of pop.

Wednesday April 29 * doors at 7, music at 7:30 * $15-25 * TICKETS

Secret Planet presents... Peni Candra Rini, PhD (b. 1983) is a renowned Javanese singer, educator, and composer fusing Javanese sufi poetry with contemporary composition for Indonesian and Western instruments. The Kronos Quartet has described her as “one of the world’s greatest singers.” She is a master of several traditional forms (primarily gamelan) and is regarded as one of Indonesia’s most daring young composers, one of only a handful of female composers in the majority Muslim nation. She has performed extensively internationally, including several world tours as the featured singer for Robert Wilson’s I La Galigo. She has published albums and Eps on the New Amsterdam and Out of Your Head labels, in collaboration with Shahzad Ismaily, Andy McGraw, and members of Deerhoof, featuring her improvisations, and experimental compositions for Javanese and Western ensembles.

Weed Tree - Amanda Huron and Layne Garrett have been improvising together for 15+ years on drums, prepared guitar, and etc.

Naoco Wowsugi is an interdisciplinary, community-engaged artist. Wowsugi’s extensive fieldwork includes community gong baths that activate the gong as an instrument for deep, broad, and collective listening experiences, often offered on a moon-cycle basis.

Friday May 1 * 7pm * $15-20 * TICKETS

QUEERING SOUND26
IDENTITY
IS THE CRISIS, CAN'T YOU SEE?

GLORIAN (BALTIMORE)

BUSHMEAT SOUND SYSTEM

NOVPAROLO

JA$$IE

CHARLEE SCYTHE (BALTIMORE)

QUEERINGSOUND.COM

Tuesday May 5 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $25-30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents:

Saxophonist Tim Berne, drummer Ches Smith and guitarist David Torn push far beyond jazz’s known boundaries in Sun of Goldfinger. The mercurial trio explores the edges of the genre, infusing it with perspectives ranging from the minimalist to the cinematic to the metallic. The improvisation-based group effortlessly, seamlessly shifts from atmospheres into shattering mayhem to thrilling effect.

All three musicians are renowned bandleaders in their own right, with current solo recordings on the prestigious ECM label. Berne has forged a singular path across dozens of expansive, diverse albums featuring intricately-detailed, harmony-driven works. Torn’s influence as a guitarist, composer and music technologist is epic. With sounds ranging from the searing and soaring to liquid loops to full-on shredding, he’s reinvented conventional definitions of guitar. Smith has established himself as one of the world’s premier percussionists, combining acoustic invention with electronics to both propel and extend his myriad musical surroundings. Together, these leaders and friends combine as a democratic unit, determined to take audiences on a singular journey through provocative sonic territory known and unknown. This is the future of jazz. This is Sun of Goldfinger.

Saturday May 9 * doors at 6:30, music at 7 * $20-30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents:

Caroline Davis (alto saxophone, voice, electronics), Dustin Carlson (guitar, electronics)

Caroline Davis and Dustin Carlson’s new album, Sprites, is a meeting between two improvisers in New York, who straddle the boundaries of several expressions of music. The sounds on this album are all improvised, with no written music or thoughts about the music exchanged before performing live in front of a sweet audience. Sprite holds several meanings, a fairy creature from old times, a ghost, a wild electrocurrent coming out of the tops of clouds when lightning strikes, and a repeating bitmapped image over a static background. The tracks of this album embody each one of these definitions, and with each repeated listen, you, too, will begin to see them.

Thursday May 14 * doors at 6:30, music at 7:00 * $20-$30 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents...

Fountaine is the latest project from bassist and vocalist Zoë Jorgenson and her trio with Marty Riesemburg (drums), and Parker Speirs (guitar/sounds). Rooted in a fascination with the connection between sound, memory, and place, the group explores how the textures of everyday life can inspire music through the use of interspersed field recordings. Themes of grief and transition run throughout their work as they combine acoustic and electronic elements. A desert native, Zoë’s compositions reflect the richness of natural landscapes, weaving melodic bass lines and vocals into immersive soundscapes.

Luke Stewart is a musician, performer, improviser-composer, organizer, and writer-researcher whose work represents a deep reverence for the history and tradition of Creative Music: a tradition which encompasses the diverse styles of expression within the body of Black Music in the United States, Africa, and throughout the world. JoVia Armstrong is a Detroit-born percussionist, composer, sound artist, and educator whose multidisciplinary career spans continents, genres, and communities. Known for her visionary blend of experimental composition, Black musical traditions, and immersive technologies, Armstrong’s artistry is rooted in rhythm and storytelling.

Sunday May 17 * 1-3pm * RSVP

Death Cafes are opportunities for people to enjoy refreshments together and discuss the topic of death. The objective is to “increase awareness of death with a view to helping people make the most of their (finite) lives.” There are Death Cafes all over the country. What's on your mind about death and dying? Contact Death Cafe Facilitators Margaret Branch at margaret603@gmail.com or Monica Lynch at mlynch19@comcast.net.. Death Cafes are NOT therapy, grief support, or counseling sessions. Cost: Free (small donation for the space encouraged)

Friday May 22 * doors at 7, show at 7:30 * $15 * TICKETS

Red Brick presents:

ROBBER ROBBER (Burlington, Vermont) - "Pinpointing the specific catalyst for an avalanche can be slippery — any combination of classic elements, human interference, or freak accident can trigger disaster — and documenting these precise moments often rests on serendipitous reflexes. On Two Wheels Move the Soul, Robber Robber offer themselves as ignition and capture every sound in the wake. Involuntarily thrust into the throws of rootless nomadism, Robber Robber ringleader Nina Cates collects a series of pressurized vignettes to assemble the Burlington quartet’s thrillingly explosive sophomore album….”

Wednesday May 27 * Doors at 6:30, show at 7 * $20-25 * TICKETS

Glenn Jones is a master of American Primitive Guitar, a style invented in the late 1950s by John Fahey, whose traditional fingerpicking techniques and wide-ranging influences were used to create modern original compositions. Jones, who led the post-rock ensemble Cul de Sac, brings his own made-up tunings, the use of custom-crafted partial capos, and a highly skilled picking style on both banjo and guitar, to create personal compositions that are lyrical, emotive and elegant.

Liam Grant is a New England guitarist and improviser cut from the American Primitive cloth. The restless guitar explorations, modal epics, and driving uptempo rags recall the likes of Grant's pedagogue, Takoma Records, and the path that was paved by his forebears John Fahey, Robbie Basho, Peter Walker, Max Ochs, and later, Glenn Jones, Steffen Basho-Junghans, Jack Rose, and others.

Ari Rosenfield is a folk singer and songwriter from the southwestern US who has had severe writer's block for about six years. She will play you some sad songs she wrote for the banjo a long time ago, and hopefully that will help her overcome her writer's block. She wishes her songs sounded like if Joanna Newsom helped Leonard Cohen write his songs and then Karen Dalton played covers of them, but in reality, they're probably much worse.

Rhizome will host a puppet slam on July 18, 2026. If you are interested in participating, please submit example(s) of your show (or at least your artistry) to Rachel Gates at rhizomepuppetlab@gmail.com. All selected artists will receive a small stipend.