Washington Times Get Out: The Week’s Pocket Picks for March 27, 2015

By Samantha Sault

Pick of the Pack: Blossom Kite Festival

It seems we’ve finally seen the last of the snow this year in Washington—and with temperatures approaching 70 degrees this week, it’s a great time to get out of the house and go fl y a kite. While the peak blooms are still about a week away, the National Cherry Blossom Festival is in full swing with the Blossom Kite Festival scheduled for Saturday. From 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., wind and weather permitting, kite fliers, hang gliders, paragliders and performers from around the world will take over Washington Monument grounds with soaring demonstrations and competitions. Following an opening ceremony and parade, enjoy kite ballets, tricks, and even a kite battle featuring the rokkaku, the hexagonal fi ghter kite from Japan. Throughout the day, you can make and fly your own kites or participate in amateur competitions for the chance to win roundtrip airfare and other prizes. This year, the organizers want to remind attendees that drones are not permitted at the event. Saturday at the Washington Monument, 17th St. NW & Constitution Ave. 877/44-BLOOM. Web: NationalCherryBlossomFestival.org.

National Cherry Blossom Festival at the Tidal Basin (Courtesy: National Cherry Blossom Festival)

DJ: James Murphy

Almost four years to the date after LCD Soundsystem’s final show at Madison Square Garden, fans of the dance-punk pioneers will be glad to know that the band’s former frontman, James Murphy, will bring his signature sound to Washington this weekend. He led the New York City-based band to fame with three acclaimed albums and several Grammy nominations for songs like “Daft Punk Is Playing at My House” before splitting up in 2011. Mr. Murphy now runs the pop-punk label DFA, and occasionally spins at hip music clubs and fashion shows around the world. This Friday, fans of LCD Soundsystem, as well as fans of Mr. Murphy’s diverse influences including The Talking Heads, Daft Punk and David Bowie, will want to put on your dancing shoes for his one show at the 9:30 Club. Friday at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. NW. 877/435-9849. Web: 930.com.

Concert: New Found Glory

If you remember the HFStivals at RFK Stadium in the early 2000s, you surely remember New Found Glory, the pop-punk band from Florida. Founded in 1997 during the pop-punk movement, when bands like Blink-182 and Green Day were popular on WHFS and other radio stations, New Found Glory released more than a dozen albums, including their latest, “Resurrection,” in October. On Thursday, most of the band’s original lineup will be back in the area for a concert at The Fillmore in Silver Spring, where you can expect to hear favorites like “My Friends Over You,” “Hit or Miss,” “Head on Collision,” and “All Downhill from Here.” Up-and-coming punk bands including Turnstile, from Baltimore, and Turnover, from Virginia Beach, will open the show. Thursday at The Fillmore, 8656 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring, Md. 301/960-9999. Web: FillmoreSilverSpring.com.

Theater: Simply Sondheim

Stephen Sondheim — the American musical theater legend who has won eight Tonys, eight Grammys, an Academy Award and a Pulitzer Prize, among other awards — celebrated another incredible milestone last month: his 85th birthday. To celebrate, Arlington’s Signature Theatre, which has worked very closely with Mr. Sondheim during his 50-year career, will debut a brand new revue of his greatest works on Thursday. Part of the theater’s 25th anniversary celebration, “Simply Sondheim” will feature favorites from “Into the Woods,” “Sweeney Todd,” “A Little Night Music,” “Follies,” and “Sunday in the Park with George,” performed by six acclaimed local actors and a 16-piece orchestra. Fans of the American Songbook will want to reserve tickets immediately, because the show will run for just two-and-a-half weeks —and you can only see it at the Signature Theatre. Through April 19 at the Signature Theatre, 4200 Campbell Ave., Arlington, Va. 703/820-9771. Web: Signature-Theatre.org.

© Copyright 2015 The Washington Times, LLC and Samantha Sault