PHOTO SHOOT

Khalil and Melissa's wedding at Peaks Island, Maine

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores,www.alfredoflores.net

PHOTO STORY

Charlie Sheen vs. Washington D.C.

Was the actor's show at DAR a bi-winning night or a violent torpedo of FAIL?

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores, Special to Metromix

Jeffrey Ross winning, Charlie Sheen losing...big time. The combination of these two men was not epic, but also not a flailing disaster as Sheen’s tour has been in other cities, mainly due to Ross salvaging the show by insulting the actor repeatedly as only the comic/roastmaster could do. Sheen was 67-minutes late to his own performance, understandable as he had to return to Los Angeles for a custody hearing over his children just hours earlier. “I hope you had a better f***ing day than I did. I think my tardiness gave you a chance to drink more,” said Sheen, the only one-liner that got a tremendous response by the belligerent and drunken crowd of young professionals. Despite the late start, Sheen was greeted to a raucous standing ovation as he entered from the back of the near-capacity 3,700 at DAR Constitution Hall, high-fiving fans along the way and sporting a Washington Nationals Ricky Vaughn jersey (from his role in the “Major League” movies). But it was all downhill from there. WBIG (100.3 FM) host Tommy Griffiths played the role of enabler, lauding Sheen for his recent outburst, basically kissing butt for all to see, and at one point asking him what makes a Warlock. “Magic. I sold this place out in 10 minutes and you didn’t even know what the show was about. How about that for f***ing magic!” (Note: Tickets for floor seats were still on sale as late as last week.) Regarding his mixed reviews about the tour, all Sheen had to say was, “In some cities this thing was a witch hunt. I never claimed this thing was anything. I was asked if I wanted to go on tour, sure I’ll go on f***ing tour, whatever that means. I’ve done 12 cities, and I’m 10 and two. That would lead the league in my opinion.” Then the rants started, from blistering attacks on his ex-wives and studio execs of “Two and a Half Men” to boasts about a pseudo “presidential” run with Nick Cage as his running mate. “At least I was f***ing born here. I didn’t Photoshop my birth certificate,” Sheen said, a dig at President Obama’s alleged fake birth certificate. Shortly after, he was showered with heckles, which were heard loud and clear. “Say something funny!” “Shut the f*** up and say something weird!” “Entertain us!” “F*** you Tommy!” (Even host Tommy Griffiths was heckled ruthlessly.) Then, mercifully, a six-minute intermission came. Sheen left the stage and so did a good percentage of the audience. After the break, Jeffrey Ross came to the rescue by starting off the roast of Sheen, which the "winning" actor took in stride: “Just when I thought DC couldn’t get any slimier, you come along. Consider this a comedy intervention,” Ross started out with. “How do you roast a f***ing meltdown? You say you’re a warlock from Mars. I’ll tell you what you’re not—a comedian from Earth.“ “I’m used to roasting classier people, like Flava Flav and Courtney Love.” “You’re the black sheep of the family that was responsible for three "Mighty Duck" movies.” “You should go visit the White House, which also happens to be the name of your nostrils. “ “Your nostrils are so full of coke, they call them the Hilton sisters.” Then a dozen selected audience members were given the chance to ask Sheen anything. All questions were bizarre, which ranged from how many black women he’s slept with, where to find good cocaine in the city, to the size of his penis. “Keeping with the theme, it’s the (size of the) f*cking Washington Monument.” In a strange night, where the only "celebrities" on hand were ESPN’s Tony Kornheiser and White House party crashers Tariq and Michaele Salahi, weird questions were apropos. The 90-minute show ended when he was asked if he wanted to return to “Two and a Half Men.” “Of course I want my job back. I told the show, you guys were lucky to have me here. Shame on you. F*** off. It’s the same thing I say about my ex-wives. But thank you Washington. I’m lucky to be here. Shame on me for not coming here sooner, now I’m going to f*** off.”

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Latin Rhythm, World Message: Juanes, 'P.A.R.C.E.'

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

Juanes just might be the friendliest 17-time Latin Grammy winner you'll ever meet. The affable Colombian rocker often greets people with hugs and still personally responds to messages from among his 2 million Twitter followers. Even the title of his new album, "P.A.R.C.E.," welcomes you in — "parce" is a Colombian street slang term for "buddy." "I wanted to demonstrate a pure, positive energy," explains Juanes, who's midway through a 16-city U.S. tour. "This album is all about the hope that there could be a peace among all people." Juanes has long used his music as a platform to give voice to the stories of the marginalized and forgotten. He first came on the scene a decade ago with "Fíjate Bien," a song about the land mines — left from years of civil unrest — that have maimed and killed thousands of Colombians. Two years later, Juanes became a global superstar with "A Dios Le Pido," a plea for world peace.

All told, Juanes has sold more than 15 million records and introduced mainstream Latin music to the indigenous Colombian rhythms of vallenato and cumbia — popular styles of folk music originating in the nation's northern Caribbean region. Vallenato and cumbia have recently seen a resurgence in popularity within Latin music, turning up in dance floor mixes and even drawing their own category at the Latin Grammy Awards. Juanes mixes the styles into his signature powerful guitar-heavy ballads, and says that the blending of sounds and traditions allows him to express ideas across language barriers and genres. "Music has always been a way of expressing all my emotions," he says. "Whether they be happy, sad, frustrating, being scared. I think of music as a way for people to connect with each other, and it's been a blessing to have been able to do this." "I hope I can help cure through my music," he says. » Patriot Center, 4400 University Drive, Fairfax; Sun., 7 p.m., $39-$125; 703-993-3000.

PHOTO STORY

Pics: Jay-Z & Kanye at the Verizon Center

Photo Credit:AlfredoFlores.net Photography

It was a bill that already contained two towering giants in the hip-hop game, and if that weren’t enough, their swagtastic performance together at the Verizon Center proved why Jay-Z and Kanye are the hottest pair in the genre. Jay-Z entered one end of the floor in a rising tower in a black T-shirt and black pants, Kanye West in a matching shirt and a ridiculous black knee-length tunic -- as if only to draw even more attention to himself at tower No. 2. But despite their differences in appearances, style, and bravado, the mega-hit-making duo were dynamic in concert together at the sold-out show. Once joined together at center stage with a giant American flag as a backdrop, the Jay and Ye got into the set list of their first full-album together, “Watch the Throne,” with a powerful rendition of “Otis.” Later on in the evening, they went on to sing hit songs from each other’s storied careers in an unforgettable two-hour set.

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Haunted Hill: When Hip-Hop Party Band Cypress Hill Performs Live, It Sure Does Light Up a Joint

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

CYPRESS HILL WOULD regularly perform on Halloween at the 9:30 Club. And why not? If the haunted holiday ever had its own theme song, Cypress' Sen Dog thinks it should be the band's 1993' mega-hit, "Insane in the Brain." "That should be played all day on Halloween," said Sen. "C'mon. It's the one day you can dress up and act like a freak if you want." The band is best known for its slow-rolling drum-and-bass loops and funky-stark grooves that have an eerily stoned feel. Cypress uses spooky effects, such as the sound of pouring raindrops, which go well with the band's gloomy album titles — "Black Sunday," "Temples of Boom," "Skull & Bones" — and their talk of paranoia, insanity, fearing the reaper, etc. And while dark themes rule on Halloween, Cypress Hill can also rock hard on tracks featuring high-energy, rapid-fire rock riffs. Cypress Hill is notorious for its live shows — stunts such as having a gigantic inflated Buddha doll as a stage prop and the band's percussionist Eric Bobo smoking out of an 8-foot-tall bong (dubbed King Arthur). Its lyrics deal with parodied versions of the violent street life of Cypress Avenue in South Gate, East Los Angeles, and, of course, the trio's obsessive advocacy for legalizing marijuana. Their vocals are just as eccentric with lead lyricist B-Real's (Louis Freese) exaggeratedly nasal high-pitched whine, and Sen's (Senen Reyes) mostly shouting his equally exaggerated deep booming "psycho beta tone" raps. The genesis of the polar opposite vocals came when the two were working on a demo. While the band's style and beats were well received, some weren't thrilled with B-Real's normal voice. "My voice didn't cut through the music like it should; it sounded average, nothing distinct about it," said B-Real. "I was asked to change it up, so I locked into that nasal vocal tone and Sen created the 'whoo-whoo' deep tones to complement mine. It was kinda like Public Enemy, but inside out." Indeed. Public Enemy's lead vocals come from the deep-voiced and physically imposing Chuck D, while Flava Flav sports giant sunglasses and a clock, and serves as comic foil. With Cypress, despite his high-pitched vocals, B-Real serves as the aggressor backing up the violent themes. "That's the dark humor about it," said B-Real, laughing. "I sound like a squirt trying to talk big. I think people trip out of it, because you have this crazy-ass voice talking some crazy-ass stuff. I think it was [an expletive] for people, but in a good way." Cypress' self-titled debut 1991 album had the bass-heavy, violent-filled "Hand on the Pump" and "How I Could Just Kill a Man," but it was the track "Hole in the Head" that featured the verse that would later become the chorus for "Insane." DJ Muggs (Lawrence Muggerud), whose production work was instrumental to the band's success, found inspiration in the title phrase and came up with the track's hypnotic beat. "When I heard Muggs' beat, I was like, 'Wow, this stuff is crazy,'" said B-Real. "It's like a magnet, a bounce — you go to the show and we could just picture everybody jumping, mosh-pitting, stage-diving." And that's just what the fans did, transcending Cypress Hill from buzz-worthy rappers to breakout superstars with the track and critically claimed 1993 album "Black Sunday." The album was loaded with odes to ganja and sprinkled with rock elements, initiating a strong following among rock audiences. "The imagery of our work has always been dark and mysterious like metal albums, and our attitude was real non-give-[an expletive]-ish like punk rock," said B-Real. "Our music was hip-hop at the base, though. After Run-DMC, we were the band in the forefront of making the hip-hop and metal connection." The trio's work in the hip-hop world alone has earned them the VH1 Hip-Hop Honors in 2008, the first for a Latin rap group. They've also become the first Latin rap group to have platinum and multi-platinum albums. "At the end of the day, we want to leave a strong legacy, and people can say Cypress was a kick-ass band," said Sen. Like its 2000 hit "(Rock) Superstar," the band continues to tour and party like rock stars, and its new album, "Rise Up" — the first in five years — is set to be released shortly. But after having sold more than 20 million records and approaching 20 years in the game, a rarity in hip-hop, how much longer can Cypress go? "People used to call us the Grateful Dead of hip-hop," said B-Real. "In about 10 years, they're going to call us the Rolling Stones of hip-hop." » 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; with Tabi Bonney, Phil Ade, Sat., Oct. 31, 8 p.m., $35; 800-955-5566. (U St.-Cardozo)

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Old School Is In Session: Wu-Tang's RZA, Inspectah Deck and Masta Killa, Rock the Bells, at Merriweather Post Pavilion

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

This year's Rock the Bells festival is bringing it back to 1993, with an impressive slate of hip-hop greats set to perform classic records in their entirety. More than 20 acts throw down on two stages at Merriweather Post Pavilion Sunday: Lauryn Hill appears on her first tour in more than a decade, Snoop Dogg reprises the G-Funk era sound with Tha Dogg Pound, Q-Tip performs jazzy-infused hip-hop jams with A Tribe Called Quest, and hip-hop pioneers Slick Rick, KRS-One and Rakim re-enact their respective landmark '90s recordings. Hip-hop had a watershed year in 1993. A single two-week span in November of that year saw the release of three of the genre's most critically acclaimed and influential albums, all by Rock the Bells headliners: Wu-Tang Clan, Snoop Dogg, and A Tribe Called Quest. "These albums are my some of my favorite albums," said Wu-Tang Clan's RZA. "It feels like a road map to hip-hop history, show people some of the hip-hop revolution." This year's lineup — the seventh time around for Rock the Bells — is arguably the festival's most ambitious. The tour marks the first time Wu's "Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)," Snoop's "Doggystyle" and Tribe's "Midnight Marauders" are being performed straight through live. But it's not the first Rock the Bells for Wu Tang. Back in 2004 — when members of a divided Clan were notorious no-shows at their own concerts — a reunited nine-member Wu was the big draw for the inaugural RTB. Guerilla Union concert promoter Chang Weisberg had just pulled together the fledgling fest, encouraged by the fanatical reaction to hip-hop heroes Mos Def, Talib Kweli and others when they popped up for a few tiny, underground club shows in Los Angeles. Rock the Bells was a smash that first time out — in what also turned out to be the late Wu-Tang member Ol' Dirty Bastard's final performance. The fest now tours internationally, bringing together alternative and indie hip-hop artists with mainstream performers. It also birthed the offshoot SmokeOut music festival, where Cypress Hill's beginning-to-end performance of its seminal 1993 album "Black Sunday" was met with a tremendous response. So, it was only natural to take that concept and expand it for RTB. "I like what this tour is doing, bringing together the O.G.s of rap, the foundation of the '90s," said Wu-Tang's Inspectah Deck. "These songs are what influenced and inspired a generation of hip-hop." Nurturing hip-hop's next generation has been RTB's mission from the start, said Vinnie Paz of festival veterans Jedi Mind Tricks. "[Rock the Bells] provides a venue for independent hip-hop artists like us to open people's eyes," Paz said. "Because we don't have million-dollar videos doesn't mean we can't play. People often say, 'Yo, I never heard of these guys before, but their stuff is raw.'" Like Jedi Mind Tricks, Wu-Tang were once independent artists who combined mythological imagery with hardcore raps. The Wu found an escape from the violence of early-'90s New York City in their vision of feudal Asia. Their samurai daydreams — where honor was valued above all and wrongs could be avenged — converted Staten Island's Park Hill Projects into "Shaolin." Their grimy lyrics of anger and urban struggle were a judo chop to the decadent club-bangers that dominated late-'80s hip-hop. Gone were the flashy gold chains of the previous decade; in were the Wu, brandishing baseball bats along with piano loops, soul-music samples and kung fu-flick dialogue. "It was the sword style of rhyming, where your tongue is a sword — karate to the empire world. It came at a time when people were starving for a Wu-Tang song, people hungry for true hip-hop," explained Deck. "Put the Beatles and the Rolling Stones together and you might have close to what the Wu is capable of manifesting to the world," added Wu's Masta Killa. "There has never been a concert of this size and magnitude with so much talent from one source, one movement," said Wu's RZA in closing. "It's a historic concert I'm proud to be a part of, and I'm also proud to witness. That's how the RZA feels. Bong bong." » Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md.; Sun., doors open at 11 a.m., $66-$150. 410-715-5550 begin_of_the_skype_highlighti

ARTS & EVENTS

A Party in Their Sights: Los Amigos Invisibles

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

LONG LIVE the funk. The genre saw its heyday in the '70s and '80s, but it's alive and well with a groovy new twist — the irresistibly dance-friendly gozadera beats that Venezuelan rockers Los Amigos Invisibles have called their own for nearly two decades. The word gozadera comes from the Spanish gozar (to enjoy) — very apropos for these party boys. LAI moved from their native Caracas to New York in 2000 and became enamored with the concept of the city's nonstop parties, a seamless transition between DJ sets with live bands, and Los Amigos' lead guitarist and primary songwriter Jose Luis "Cheo" Pardo (who doubles as DJ Afro) serves this role. "The idea is to make the fans comfortable," said Pardo in Spanish as Los Amigos prepare for a tour promoting their latest, "Commercial." "I feel like I can be a conductor during the show, blending in rock, funk, bossa nova, dance, house and salsa music in my DJ sets and with our band. We're a party band, and the party never stops with us on tour." That's evident in their latest single — "Mentiras" ("Lies") — an '80s-era funk track on which the band members deny it was them when confronted by their wives about online photos of them getting drunk with fans at a beach party after a gig. They refute those claims in the chorus, "I was nowhere near there that night. You must be confused, or maybe there's a dude who looks exactly like me!" The band has also never shied away from singing about their love for lovemaking. They get their most vivid fan responses for tracks like "Cuchi Cuchi" ("Booty Booty") and "Ponerte en Cuatro" (look it up), with their catchy, bass-heavy beats and hand signals from Amigos lead singer Julio "Chulius" Briceño that fans can emulate (putting four fingers up, and pawing like a cat). "Our music is funk and soul that everyone can like," says Pardo, who notes that talking openly about sex is commonplace in Latin America. "But we find it funny that many of the Americans can absolutely love our live show, but go back home and find out about our lyrics they get caught off guard. They still like us and find it hilarious." » 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; with Batala, Natalia Clavier, Sat., June 20, 9 p.m., $23; 800-955-5566. (U St.-Cardozo)

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Jones Alone: Norah Jones

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

BREAKING UP IS never easy, and for jazz diva Norah Jones it was especially painful. Not only did she lose a boyfriend, but she also lost her band's bassist and one of her most valued musical collaborators. In her latest album, "The Fall," Jones deals with her slipping the moorings of love from bass player Lee Alexander, and explores her post-breakup dating woes (which included some real dogs). But after shedding these men, Jones found a new love. Ralph, an adorable rescue poodle, is her new "Man of the Hour." "Man" is a hilarious track comparing dogs to men, and rating their levels of loyalty to women. It's one of the more upbeat tracks of an album loaded with achy-breaky songs from the usually cheerful, if mellow, Jones. When deciding between a vegan or a pothead to date, Jones chooses her poodle — he's sweet, eats meat, and most importantly doesn't lie or cheat, and doesn't "have any baggage tied to [his] four feet." This is the final track off of "The Fall," the only one with Jones in her element — no backup singers, guitars or percussion; just her on a piano singing about love and letting the dreamy lyrics take her audience into a world of fantasy, canine but still appealing. Despite this cheery end track, "The Fall" is overall a departure for the nine-time Grammy Award winner. Undeniably talented, Jones is the top-selling female jazz musician of the 2000s, with nearly 40 millions albums sold, but critics have derided her music as being too easy to listen to, or in a more damning construction, too easy-listening. The charge is not unearned — her carefree, soothing songs continue to be a staple in coffeehouse chains and doctor's waiting rooms. Then came heartbreak. "I had to do something new," Jones told London's Daily Mail in March. "I couldn't let myself become any more mellow." The jazz piano-trained Jones plays mostly guitar in "The Fall," which can be traced to her working with Washington, D.C. native Jacquire King — best known for his production work with rockers Kings of Leon, Modest Mouse and Tom Waits. Jones has noted Waits' "Mule Variations" as one of her favorite albums, has now worked with Waits' producer and currently tours with his ex-guitarist, Marc Ribot. In addition to ditching bad men, Jones is also shedding her jazz diva image. She now starts out performances on a bright red electric guitar, leading off with the heartbreaker "I Wouldn't Need You," and continues into the new album's harder-rocking realm. Speaking to London's Music Week magazine last October, Jones said she sought out to work with indie-rock producer King because "I wanted to be a little grittier, because with my voice the tendency is for things to get smooth very quickly." It may be time for the 31-year-old to shift into high gear. Her music has been at cruising speed since she shot from playing Texas bars and lounges to hitting the Grammy jackpot in 2003 with her debut album "Come Away With Me." The album was a musical revelation — country-flavored piano and mellow acoustic jazz-pop combined with Jones' smooth, sultry, breathy vocals. She grew up away from the limelight of her sitarist superstar father, Ravi Shankar, and followed in her mother Sue Jones' footsteps by listening to classic jazz throughout childhood. She was also heavily influenced by the honky-tonk country scene in her native Grapevine, Texas. To this day, Jones gets her biggest applause when she performs her jazzy covers to country classics such as Johnny Cash's "Cry, Cry, Cry" and Hank Williams' "Cold, Cold Heart." Now that she has a fully loaded arsenal of jazz, country and rock tracks to choose from, the ever-evolving Jones will be sure to keep fans of just about all genres very happy.» Warner Theater; 513 13th St. NW; with Sasha Dobson; Fri. April 2, 8 p.m., sold out; 202-783-4000. (Metro Center)

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Hi-Octane Reggaeton: Daddy Yankee

Written by Washington Post Express contributor Alfredo Flores

DESPITE HAVING DIFFERENT musical styles, Daddy Yankee and his daddy are actually quite similar. DY is the undisputed ambassador of the reggaeton genre — an infectious club-banging mix of American hip-hop, Jamaican dancehall and Latin rhythms. And even though he is a relative newcomer to mainstream music's consciousness, Yankee's reach is now global, selling out arenas throughout the Americas and Europe. But it wasn't all that long ago that Yankee's father — a Puerto Rican salsa bongosero percussionist of the 1980s — played music that wasn't well received in his homeland. "Salsa is more than a genre; it's a way of life," says Raymond Ayala in Spanish — his nickname comes from Puerto Rican slang for tall ("Yankee") and boss ("Daddy") — or Big Boss. "Salsa was the voice of the [low income] barrio, and not everyone understood their way of life. But every generation has their music that they identify with and for our generation that music is reggaeton." It's hard to fathom that if it weren't for a bullet to his right leg that shattered DY's baseball dreams — once a switch-hitting major league prospect third baseman — Latin music would be without one of its biggest stars and the creator of his genre's most instantly identifiable track. In 2004, the megahit "Gasolina" became the first reggaeton song to receive international radio airplay. Yankee's mind-blowing rapid-fire raps (he credits American MC Twista with his delivery style), chants of "Oh, Duro!," heavy Jamaican riddim percussion beat and sound effects of motorcycles revving put his fans into a tizzy. "Gasolina" is on Yankee's "Barrio Fino" album — an instant classic that did as much for reggaeton as Notorious B.I.G.'s "Ready to Die" did for East Coast rap — and helped turn club Spanish rap music into a global phenomenon. The album created a sort of Puerto Rican Beatlemania, causing the ladies to hyperventilate while their male counterparts busted out into impromptu krump-like dance. But Yankee, known for his humility, was expectedly low-key when asked about the song. "I was driving to my studio in Puerto Rico, and I started singing the hook really loud," he said. The track got its name when he overheard a guy hollering at a girl, asking how she likes her "gasolina," or how she likes to party. "I create most of my songs that way, while driving, because I'm focused and in that creative zone." Now 32, Yankee — who also goes by Caribbean Fire, El Jefe, El Cangri and 30/30 — has spent half his life singing, rapping, producing and expanding his multimedia empire — films, his own indie record label, charitable work for education, a clothing line and even his own cologne. The workaholic got his start in the rap game in grade school, back when rock music (his mom was a Madonna fanatic) ruled the charts, but chose to go a different way, emulating the raps on his Run DMC and Rob Base cassettes. At the time, the rap scene in Puerto Rico barely existed. Vico C was the most notable Spanish-language rapper, but there were few others. "There were no rappers on radio, in the press, on TV," said the product of San Juan's Villa Kennedy housing projects. "It was all underground, and that's why I think I have the credibility that I have. My fan base, they recognize and respect me a lot because I'm not an artist that was created under the umbrella of the [music] industry. I was the only artist that came from the streets, from the heart of the people." This is part of the reason the reggaetonero named his breakthrough album "Barrio Fino" (The Fine Neighborhood), the culmination of years of tireless work that resulted in a near-perfect urban mix of hip-hop with traditional Latin rhythms — tracks about his rough upbringing ("King Daddy" and "Corazones") and radio-friendly salsa-rap hits that abuelitas and Latin mothers can appreciate ("Sabor a Melao" and "Lo Que Paso Paso"). Yankee is the top-selling Latin artist of the past three years and has sold more than 7 million records during his 16-year career; headlined shows at arenas, soccer and baseball stadiums worldwide; and despite rarely performing in English, has collaborated with stars of all genres including Lil Jon, Black Eyed Peas, the Pussycat Dolls, Paul Wall, Lloyd Banks and Snoop Dogg. "It's all about doing daring music," Yankee said. "If you speak Spanish and you conquer another country that doesn't speak Spanish, I think that's a big challenge in music." » DAR Constitution Hall, 1776 D St. NW; Sun., Mar. 15, 7 p.m., $58; 202-628-1776. (Farragut West). Photo by Matthew Peyton/Getty Images. Posted By Express at 12:00 AM on March 12, 2009 Tagged in Arts & Events , Farragut West , Metro , Music , The District , Weekend Pass

PHOTO STORY

Fashion Takes Flight 2011
at The Adams Morgan Mansion
Morgan Mansion edit

Photo Credit:Alfredo Flores, Washington Life Magazine

SARTORIAL SALUTE: Military service men and women joined young civilian overachievers on the catwalk at the 2011 Fashion Takes Flight Event featuring a rockin' reception and fashion show of course! WORTH CAUSE: Benefitting Luke's Wings, an organization committed to reuniting families with wounded warriors currently hospitalized, the event featured the latest fashion trends in an innovative runway setting. REVELERS: Guests enjoyed drinks and hors d'oeuvres at the main event and then moved on to an exclusive after party. ROLL CALL: Luke's Wings co-founder Fletcher Gill, Rachael Glaws, Lilly Harris, Ken Christensen, Donna Lee, Travis Andres, Liz Owens and Lawrence O'neal.

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Beating Back Babylon: Thievery Corporation

Thievery Corporation’s world of sound makes for a more chill planet

THIEVERY CORPORATION'S Eric Hilton was a slacker while at Rockville's Thomas S. Wootton High School, and he's not afraid to admit it. "I used to spend most of my time not studying," says Hilton, one half of the renowned global-minded electronica genre-hoppers who chose to spend his time listening to records and was obsessed with his beloved, now defunct, Bethesda-based WHFS 102.3. "They played punk, reggae, new wave, and they programmed the music very freely. Sadly, it doesn't exist anymore."Here, Hilton wasn't just talking about WHFS, but rather the state of free radio. That's the thrust of Thievery's latest project "Radio Retaliation" — a mind-blowing lyrical assault on corporate radio and the mainstream music it plays. In its music, TC pushes genres that don't get the attention they deserve, mixing elements of Brazilian, dub, Indian classical and acid jazz. "These sounds, this music, it's just something different than we grew up with," says Hilton, whose partner Rob Garza also grew up in Maryland. "It'd be a shame to go through life and not experience some of that. We want to transcend our own culture as much as possible. We don't have to write pop songs to make money." Their musical influences are all over the map, literally. Both are big fans of Latin music, particularly bossa nova (previously collaborating with Astrud and Bebel Gilberto), Indian (sitar player virtuoso Anoushka Shankar, daughter of Ravi, and sarangi player Ustad Sultan Khan), alternative rock (David Byrne and Perry Ferrell) and jazz (Norah Jones and Herb Alpert), and have tried their hands with Afrobeat (Femi Kuti) and D.C. Go-Go (Chuck Brown). And their international reach is huge. "Retaliation" is a top 10 album in several European countries, and TC regularly draws crowds in the tens of thousands; here at home, Hilton and Garza have sold out five consecutive nights at the 9:30 Club. Their recent work with Kuti, son of Afrobeat pioneer Fela, was well done despite being quickly made — Femi, after playing at the 9:30 the night before, cut the track at Thievery's Adams Morgan Eighteenth Street Lounge Music studio in an afternoon. "He asked me how I imagined this song being sung, so I had to sing it in my fake Femi voice, which made him crack up," Hilton says. "Sometimes you have to embarrass yourself for the art." While many DJs are the sole focus of their own shows, Thievery prefers to be in the back of the stage, Hilton keeping down beats; Garza playing rhythm guitar and keyboards, triggering samples — the duo's rhythm element. A plethora of live musicians from reggae group See-I, local funk foursome Fort Knox Five, bass player Ashish "Hash" Vyas, and various vocalists compliment the duo. Since Thievery plays and writes music in addition to mixing it, they prefer to calls itself a "production duo." "We produce music," say Hilton. "We're okay musicians, but we're certainly not going to play in anyone's band. We're pretty good DJs, but we're not the best. We just make music by any means necessary. Any way we can create a song we'll do it. That's what we do. Our musicians, they're the feature. We put them in front of us [onstage] because they're the ones doing the heavy lifting." One of the most riveting tracks on "Retaliation" is the lead track, the reggae-tinged "Sound the Alarm." Hilton has always had a deep appreciation for the Rastafarian way of life — choosing not to protest what bugs them, instead living a righteous natural life, eating organically, buying locally. Thievery uses the Rastafarian notion of Babylon often in song. It refers to the unjust modern system in which lives are being shaped and a rich man's agenda is ruthlessly put forth — the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, the former Bush administration, Wall Street, K Street, Hollywood included. In "Alarm" guest performer Sleepy Wonder raps about "beating Babylon back." Ways to beat the system? "Riding a bicycle is beating Babylon back," says Hilton. "Going out to the club and having a couple of drinks and enjoying fellowship with your fellow man — that's beating Babylon back. Simple, fun small tasks." Or going to a Thievery show? "Yeah, I think that's a great way! There's nothing like being in a place with 1,200 people who are just kind of getting off on vibrations; that's what music really is, a series of vibrations. That sounds a lot better than going to a Redskins game and seeing 11 guys beat up on 11 other guys."» 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW; Thu. Jan. 29-Sat. Jan. 31, sold out; 202-265-0930. (U St.-Cardozo). Written by Express contributor Alfredo Flores. Photo courtesy ESL music. Posted By Express at 12:00 AM on January 29, 2009 Tagged in Arts & Events , Metro , Music , The District , U Street-Cardozo , Weekend Pass