01 – 30 NOVEMBER

Free + Open to the Public during all events + by appointment - email: info@rhizomedc.org

SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER :: 10:00 am - 12 noon
CARDBOARD CONSTRUCTION WORKSHOP
details + rsvp forthcoming

SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER :: 12:15 pm - 2:15 pm
meet the artists

A pupil of René-Antoine Ferchault de Réaumur is credited with inventing cardboard in France in 1751 to reinforce playing cards. The term "cardboard" has been used since at least 1848, when Anne Brontë mentioned it in her novel The Tenant of Wildfell Hall. Cardboard may refer to a variety of heavy paper-like materials, including card stock, corrugated fiberboard, and paperboard. Creative use of cardboard allowed artists to repurpose materials that would have otherwise gone to waste (but now are readily recyclable); running from an abundant canvas for Outsider/Folk artists to the high-concept contemporary constructions of Robert Rauschenberg’s Cardbird and Cardboards series. His Cardboards are wall reliefs made from found cardboard boxes that have been cut, stapled, bent, and combined by the artist but retain their original history through stains, dents, and tears, in addition to inherent color and labeling.

This exhibitpresents three local artists who incorporate a variety of cardboard materials among their visual resources. CHRISTIAN TRIBASTONE / MEI MEI CHANG / JS ADAMS

Exhibit runs November 1 - 30 at Rhizome DC - open during all events and by appointment - please email info@rhizomedc.org

Passionately delving into the abstraction of thoughts and emotions through captivating symbols, I'm a devoted calligrapher. My main focus is innovating Arabic lettering techniques.

I also aspire to explore modern expressions in calligraphy, sharing my experiences as a Syrian artist to bridge cultures through compelling compositions.

Breaking from classical norms, I embrace contemporary approaches, infusing letters with cultural and human meanings. Using unique color combinations with organic inks, I explore themes dynamically. In my ongoing quest for modern ways to articulate ideas, I delve into life, humanity, and responses to adversity as an artist provoking new perspectives.

-Abdulrahman Naanseh

Sunday December 1 * 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)

Monday December 2 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Join us for a night of solo guitar curated by Anthony Pirog, featuring a wide variety of styles and approaches from:

Anthony Pirog
Mike Gassman
Jonathan Morris
Kenny Pirog
Kiyan Saifi

Wednesday December 4 * 6:30pm * Free / donations * RSVP

Join us for a screening and discussion of the documentary While We Watched, which follows the fight for press freedom in India through the story of TV journalist Ravish Kumar. Hosted by Bol Coop, Hindus for Human Rights, and Rhizome DC.

Thursday December 5 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Earlier this Fall, Rhizome put out an open call for film and video submissions, and in response offered 4 micro-grants to local filmmakers working to complete short experimental films. Please join us to view the films (either completed or works-in-progress), along with earlier short films by the filmmakers and two runners-up. 

Micro-grant recipients: 
Amelia Mylvaganam
Andrew Tamburrino
Jade McCartney Arzu
Penny de la Calle

Runner-up:
Donavon Brutus

every other Sunday * 10am-noon * Free / donations * REGISTER

Rhizome is pleased to announce our Youth Electronic Music Lab, for young people ages 11-18. We meet regularly to share space together while working and to give and receive feedback in a positive and encouraging environment. Our group at this point consists of some beginners and others who have experience making electronic music and are able to work independently on it. We plan to invite guest musicians periodically to share tips, talk music theory / composition, offer feedback, etc. Please bring a laptop and headphones if possible. Bring some of your own music you’re working on or would like to share.

Sunday December 8 * 7pm * $10-25 * TICKETS

Electric Cowbell presents a Secret Planet concert...

Iranian multi-instrumentalist Kamyar Arsani (Faraway Ghost) and Indian-born drummer/electronic music producer Ravish Momin (Sunken Cages) create their own brand of digital folk music that draws on Sufi mysticism, traditional Persian Music, street rhythms from Mumbai and contemporary electronic music at once. Momin accompanies Arsani’s vocals and daf (frame-drum) with a masterful blend of electronic and acoustic percussion, including live-looping via his unique drum-loop performance system. Celebrating a new release, Ashk Haye Moghavemat.

little a - We are four punks making our own noise. Our younger selves graced punk house basements in 1905, Blue Bodies, Body/Cop, Forensics, and Tiny Bombs.

Khristian Weeks is an artist, composer and improviser living in Baltimore. His work deals in the presentation of phenomena-sound, situation, light/shadow, movement, silence, behavior.

Wednesday December 11 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Transparent Productions presents…

BRAD LINDE’S BLEAK MIDWINTER ENSEMBLE: sad songs and waltzes meet Christmas carols and the Avant-Garde in this seasonal sonic exploration.

Brad Linde - reeds
Simone Baron - accordion
Liz Prince - tuba
Keith Butler, Jr - drums

Thursday December 12 * Doors at 7:30pm, Show at 8pm * $15-30 * TICKETS

valentina booking presents:

Sug and Slug Beat: an ensemble assembled by Mike Sugarman to include the conductress of chaos Kiernan Laveaux will perform selections from Slug Beat  realese in March of 2024 via Lizard Label plus some other related tracks. They will dive hand in hand into the materials’ jazz-inspired structures and lush grooves. The core of the ensemble will be sugarman playing live drums and DJ H (Laveaux) taking the helm as the groups “nu metal DJ”, playing loops, synths, and other riffs.

Graham Hatke is a dj and producer from Baltimore, Maryland. He runs the perfectly manicured record store E2-E4, and he connects djs from around the world and brings them to Baltimore for truly intentional dance functions. As a dj he creates a boundless journey that will keep you joyfully dancing to his most impressive collection while in awe of his technical expertise.

Joyce Lim is a household name in the DC music community, doing the work of 10-20 people in one magical person. She runs a niche record label 1432 R, creates the artwork for the releases, co-created a much-needed queer dance club, and is a beloved dj whose bouncy dance moves entice us alongside her wide-ranging music taste.  A trained pianist, it is no surprise that Joyce has entered the experimental live world of music.

Friday December 13 * 7pm * $10-25 * TICKETS

Jair-Rohm Parker Wells - 21st Century Eclectic Bass

Jair-Rohm Parker Wells is an American electric bassist, sound sculptor, and experimental music artist. He is a pioneering figure in the world of free jazz and improvised music, with a career spanning over four decades. In the 1970s, Wells played with the seminal German band Embryo, solidifying his presence in the avant-garde music scene. Over the years he has collaborated with prominent experimental musicians like Bob Belden, Jaron Lanier, Tony Scott, and Karl Berger, and was a founding member of the improvising band Machine Gun. Wells also founded the Meeting Interdisciplinary Arts Festival in Stockholm, Sweden.

Tara Toms - Explorations in sound, word, and movement

Tara Toms is an improviser, songwriter, poet, mover, and vocalist. She performs and tours widely as a solo artist and member of the Open Music ensemble. She performed the lead voice role in Open Music’s recent staging of Robert Ashley’s opera “Perfect Lives” at Rhizome DC. Themes of her work include solitude, nonduality, dissonance, and devotion.

Monday December 16 * 7pm * $15-35 * TICKETS

食品まつり a.k.a Foodman creates music that defies categorisations – and is one of the few artists that actually fit this overused description. There are traces of almost every electronic music genre, from juke, footwork, ambient, house, techno, to noise, but those elements are dissected and morphed together then driven to extreme without giving you a second to come up with a definitive genre. The noisy technicolour of these borderline versatile or schizophrenic collages is borne out of his experiments (or accidents) and has titillated, confused, and enchanted music obsessives far and wide. After releasing his debut album from NY/OH experimental label Orange Milk, his music has been released from international labels including Diplo's Mad Decent and its offshoot Good Enuff. His ever-evolving and mutating musical vocabulary draws from every kind of music he stumbles across, from Chicago footwork to Okinawan folk music of his roots, ambient to J-pop, Talvin Singh's Indian classical music/drum 'n' bass fusion to classic video game soundtracks, then twists them all with his playful psychedelia.

Sir E.U & Dolo Percussion - Two of DC's most creative brains merge hydra-like, beats and words pulled from deep in the psyche and worming into yours. Think Jodeo and Dragona Joestar of the DMV and you're halfway there. Who's who? Only they can tell you.

Tuesday December 17 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Join us for an evening of stellar improvised music from three DC / Baltimore groups. 

John Dierker (reeds) Bonnie Lander (voice) & Shelly Purdy (percussion)
https://sensitivedocuments.bandcamp.com/album/bass-clarinet-tenor-saxophone
https://bonniela.bandcamp.com/track/misantropical
https://willredman.bandcamp.com/album/six-improvisations-for-two-vibraphones

Marco Hague (guitar) & Hunter Batchelder (percussion)
https://hunterbatchelder.bandcamp.com/album/both-sides-of-the-coin

Zulfugar Baghirov (reeds) & Koray Ergunay (electric bass)
https://zjazz.bandcamp.com/album/live-rhizome-dc

Friday December 20 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Ella G  (DC, mem. Lud Roes)
Top Music Bands of the Year (ludroes.com)
Instagram: @itsmundyhun
Singer-songwriter with Lud Roes, cinematic doom-laden ethereal powerhouse songs.

A Former Friend (New London)
Home | A Former Friend (justaformerfriend.com)
Instagram: @justaformerfriend
An American troubadour musing on life, labor, and love in the age of the apocalypse.

Broommaker (DC, singer-songwriter)
veilsofteeth.com
Instagram: Broommaker (@broommaker_songs) • Instagram photos and videos
Singer-songwriter, formerly Teething Veils, songs celebratory and funereal alike.

Saturday December 21 * doors at 3pm, music at 4 * $15-20 * TICKETS

Nouvelles explorations pour la guitare et la musique expérimentale - Volume 1

Wendy Eisenberg is an improviser and songwriter who uses guitar, pedals, the tenor banjo, the computer, the synthesizer and the voice. Their work spans genres, from jazz to noise to avant-rock to delicate songs; their performances span venues, from international festivals to intimate basements.

more eaze is the long running project of composer/multi instrumentalist mari maurice. her work touches upon myriad genres and often explores themes of gender, identity, perception, and the mundane.

One of the world’s premiere exponents of her instrument,Susan Alcorn has taken the pedal steel guitar far beyond its traditional role in country music. Having first paid her dues in Texas country & western bands, she began to expand the vocabulary of her instrument through her study of 20th century classical music, visionary jazz, and world musics.

Emily Robb is a Philadelphia based musician who has been part of the rock underground and experimental scenes for over a decade. Emily has been a composer, collaborator, and multi-instrumentalist in several bands including Lantern, Louie Louie, Storks, Cold Hands and Astute Palate.

Jeff Barsky, of DC bands Bed Maker and Shadow Riot, among countless other collaborations, moonlights as a meditative guitar improvisor. “…densely layered loops, planes of static standing tall like a gigantic back-scratcher of audio...”

Thursday January 2 * doors at 7, music 730 * $15 * TICKETS

Massa Nera 
(On Tour from New Jersey)
Massa Nera works to highlight rhythm and other non-traditional elements of hardcore without forgoing aggression. The band takes 90s-inspired screamo as their foundation and updates the style for a modern audience, weaving elements of post rock, mathcore, and even Latin rhythms into their sound.
Balancing vulnerability and fragility with moments of extreme emotional catharsis, the band plays with genres and dynamics to add weight and push the genre forward.

Dim (GA/DC)
Dim from Georgia, USA, knows how to hit where it hurts. Their take on post hardcore is a gut-punch mix of skramz, post-rock, and emo hardcore that digs deep into the soul. With slow, heart-wrenching tempos and raw, emotional intensity, dim creates a sound that’s very close and dear to fans of the genre. 

Expiration Date (DC/MD)
Expiration Date claims DC/MD and plays a distinct style of straight edge screamo

Bodied (NOVA)
Hardcore and skramz by the new crew from NOVA. Bastard Noise by way of Portrayal of Guilt. 

Sunday January 12 * 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)

Friday January 17 * doors at 7, show at 8 * Free / donations * TICKETS

Drag Nite is an open stage drag show celebrating new and upcoming drag artists in the DMV area. Join us for drag performances that celebrate queerness, artistry, and community while supporting local drag! 

For more information on how to sign up for the open stage, message @mo.tart on instagram or email mst0028@outlook.com.

Wednesday January 29 * 7pm * $10-20 * TICKETS

Broommaker (DC, folk) began as Teething Veils in 2006 in Washington, DC, playing occasional live shows at places such as the Montgomery College Planetarium and their own living room at 611 Florida Ave, becoming more active about six years later. They have released five LPs and a 7” single through the artist-run DC-and-Santa-Fe-based collective Etxe Records. They have played live for audiences in 48 US states and the District of Columbia, and two Canadian provinces.

Jason Anderon (Canada, folk) is an award-winning indie/folk artist based in eastern Canada. He has collaborated with Mount Eerie, toured with Joyce Manor, and worked with a number of seminal independent labels including K Records and Salinas. His evocative lyrics, anthemic melodies, and cathartic live performances have taken him around the world, making friends and fans one electrifying concert at a time. Personal, passionate, poetic, Anderson's music crackles with life.

Hotel Sewing Kit (DC, singer-songwriter)
https://www.instagram.com/hotelsewingkit/

Friday January 31 * 7pm * $15-25 * TICKETS

Brandon Seabrook is a NYC-based guitarist and banjoist. His music fuses a wide range of traditions: punk rock, jazz, pop, and metal. As a guitarist his work feeds off tactile sensations; rapid tremolo picking, contorted clusters, and extreme physicality. He has released nine albums of original material and has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, and South America.

Janel & Anthony - Hugely influential and appearing nearly everywhere within Washington D.C.'s contemporary music scene as bandleaders and contributing artistic voices, cellist and vocalist Janel Leppin and guitarist Anthony Pirog have long been creative partners as well as life partners. Their Cuneiform Records debut Where is Home (2012) is considered a crucial modern recording from the region. New Moon in the Evil Age (2024, Cuneiform) is their long-awaited follow up to Where is Home and will have immediate appeal to fans of beyond jazz, modern composition and improvisation, indie rock, and of D.C musical culture.

Sunday February 9 * 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)