In 1978, a beginning Prince George’s County jazz-fusion band called Mind Power met up one day with their D.C.-raised bassist’s friend, Sid McCray, and he introduced them to the then-underground sounds of punk rock by the likes of the Sex Pistols and the Dead Boys. Soon the band and McCray joined forces and became a punk group, the Bad Brains. McCray quit the combo early, and Paul Hudson, who took the name H.R., became the singer. H.R. brought lyrics about “positive mental attitude” drawn from a Napoleon Hill self-help book to the group, plus his charismatic onstage presence that included doing backflips. Very quickly this Black male band began wowing listeners in the mostly White punk scene and beyond with their frenetic but well-played sounds. While many punk bands played fast tempos, few had the chops, songwriting skills, and energy of the Bad Brains. The Bad Brains released records on and off between 1979 and 2012, moved to New York, influenced many musicians including the Beastie Boys, and sadly have been dealing with health issues in recent years. Now, the group’s previously unreleased first studio session from March 1979 at Inner Ear Studio in Arlington is being issued with an Ian MacKaye mix as Are You Ready: The First Studio Recording. And these punk pioneers are being honored with an exhibit about their peak 1978–1980 years in this area. The exhibit, curated by Jason Hamacher of Lost Origins Gallery and MacKaye of Dischord Records, includes the console from Inner Ear, Super 8 film live footage, previously unseen photos, a hand-drawn Evan Keeling map chronicling the locations of the Bad Brains’ D.C.-area gigs from that period, and some historic flyers for those shows from that pre-internet era. Are You Ready! The Birth of Bad Brains & Their First Studio Recording opens at 7 p.m. on Nov. 6 and runs through Dec. 6 at Lost Origins Gallery, 3110 Mt. Pleasant St. NW. lostorigins.gallery.com. Free. Also: BAD BRAINS: ARE YOU READY: An Evening With Darryl Jenifer and Ian MacKaye starts at 6 p.m. on Nov. 5 at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library, 901 G St. NW. dclibrary.libnet.info. Free. —Steve Kiviat
Gay Meat is the (very memorable) musical moniker of Karl Kuehn, formerly of 2010s emo band Museum Mouth. Since 2020, Kuehn has played solo as Gay Meat and earlier this year, he released his long-awaited debut solo album, Blue Water. The emo-influenced alt-rock album tells the story of Kuehn’s close relationship with his mother, who suffered permanent brain damage from a series of six strokes in 2018. In the years that followed, Kuehn cared for her through a pandemic and a hurricane in their beloved North Carolina, bringing the two even closer together. When Kuehn’s mother passed away in 2021, he turned to his favorite emotional outlet, music, to process the seismic loss. Kuehn is bringing his story and his music to Comet Ping Pong on Friday, opening for Imperial Teen. Ahead of the show, he just released “Leslie,” a single dedicated to his mother and continuing the thread begun on the album. After years of projects, Kuehn certainly has more music in him. Come experience it at Comet. Gay Meat plays with Imperial Teen at 9:30 p.m. on Nov. 6 at Comet Ping Pong, 5037 Connecticut Ave. NW. cometpingpong.com. $19. —Serena Zets
It’s been 35 years since Bikini Kill blew away the crowd at d.c. space and 34 years since the riot grrrl convention in D.C. Bands, zine-makers, and other young people came together to talk, play music, and exchange ideas, land line numbers, and cassette tapes. Anchored by musicians out of Olympia, Washington, and D.C., the punk feminist movement brought intense energy to the male-dominated scene. By the middle of 1992, the mainstream media was covering riot grrrl as kind of a curious fad without understanding its context. But the culture seems to have finally caught up with the music of that era, considering the number of films and TV shows using songs like “Rebel Girl” these days, and the continued interest in riot grrrl music and ideas. In 2000, riot grrrl also spun off into LadyFest, a series of feminist festivals around the world. On Nov. 7, a week after some O.G. riot grrrls took the stage at the Black Cat, there will be a screening of the 2005 documentary Don’t Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl, along with a discussion about it, at St. Stephen’s. Written and directed by Kerri Koch, who also directed Passions Just Like Mine, a film about Latino Morrissey fans in L.A., Don’t Need You features commentary from Bikini Kill’s (and Le Tigre’s) Kathleen Hanna, Bratmobile’s Allison Wolfe, Corin Tucker of Heavens to Betsy and Sleater-Kinney, Gunk zine creator Ramdasha Bikceem, and others. Along with 2013’s The Punk Singer, Don’t Need You offers a look into the community’s origins, why feminism matters, and the issues young people were facing in the early ’90s (and still are today), such as sexism, body image, and sexual assault. Ultimately, as Madigan Shive puts it, riot grrrl “offered the tools and the language to create community and talk with each other about what really is important.” Hanna says in the film: “It seems like what it’s become is a place where younger girls can feel included and hang out and make mistakes and make great choices and learn a lot and share with each other.” And there’s nothing wrong with that. Don’t Need You: The Herstory of Riot Grrrl screening, discussion, and Riot Grrrl D.C. organizing meeting starts at 2 p.m. on Nov. 7 at St. Stephen’s, 1525 Newton St. NW. instagram. Free. —Gail O’Hara
September 9, 2026, will forever be a significant date for singer-songwriter Jason Singer, professionally known as Michigander. Singer’s song “Taxi” (co-written by Singer, Jeremy Lutito, and Trent Dabbs) was chosen as the music for the iPhone Duo campaign, which launched on that date. “When it happened, my phone blew up,” Singer tells City Paper. “I was like,’ This is the first time my phone actually blew up.” The iPhone Duo has already sold out, pushing its campaign to resume at the start of 2027. The pause doesn’t mean that Singer will rest on his laurels. Quite the opposite, as Michigander is slated to perform at the Atlantis on Nov. 7. While the Apple campaign has expanded Michigander’s audience, he is no novice. A professional musician for the past decade, Michigander has released four EPs and two albums including this year’s Over Before You Know It. Having played the Atlantis two years ago (“That venue is so great. I love the people that work there,” he says), Singer, who performs with a full band, is excited at the current state of the show. “It’s a loose and fast rock show,” says Singer. “I think this is just the best we’ve been, and I keep hearing that from people, close friends and fans who’ve been to a lot of [our] shows. I just feel like this is the best show we’ve had.” As for getting the new sold-out iPhone, he’ll have to wait. “I did pre-order one,” says Singer. “I feel like I have to have one just because this is such a big moment in my life.” Michigander performs at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 7 at the Atlantis, 2047 9th St. NW. theatlantis.com. $33.75. —Christina Smart
Do you have an absolutely crazy family holiday story you’ve told your friends time and time again? Are you seeking a new audience to hear your past holiday antics? The Moth is hosting just the event for you. Next Monday, the Moth’s StorySLAM: Home for the Holidays, will take over Miracle Theatre for a live storytelling event featuring five-minute stories recounting every aspect of the holiday season. Local storytellers, whose names are picked from entered audience members at random out of a hat, will take the stage to tell their tales of holiday highs and lows. Then judges selected from the audience will score the stories and collectively decide on a winner. Their stories might even inspire how you approach your own season of festivities ahead. Skip through November and get a jump-start on the holidays by hearing what to do, and what not to do, this holiday season. DC Moth StorySLAM: Home for the Holidays starts at 6:30 p.m. on Nov. 9 at Miracle Theatre, 535 8th St. SE. unionstagepresents.com. $23. —Serena Zets
Among the crisp autumnal air, no rock album this year has felt quite as seasonally satisfying as Hard Life from Cardiff’s the Tubs. It’s like the musical equivalent of a pilling secondhand cable-knit sweater. On Hard Life, the Tubs’ third full-length and first for indie stalwart Merge Records, they conjure a jangly anthemic sound reminiscent of the pop titans of yore but with their own distinct spin. Think the Posies in a Celtic phase or a Welsh R.E.M. after they’ve had about three or four beers. The Tubs are composed of ex-members of mid-2010s indie-folk band Joanna Gruesome, but whereas that band’s sound was intentionally more stripped-down, Hard Life’s production is fuller, like a resurfaced ’90s Buzz Bin classic previously lost to time. Of all the songs they might play at Songbyrd tonight, I’m rooting the hardest for “If You Don’t Love Me,” a simple song of romantic devastation wherein singer Owen Williams laments that “I don’t want to sell out this tour/ Don’t wanna play with The Tubs anymore.” I, for one, am grateful that he’s since rallied. The Tubs play with Slippers at 7 p.m. on Nov. 9 at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com. $20–$25. —Matt S. Siblo
Hum, the name of poet Philadelphia-based Sanam Sheriff’s debut collection, is inspired by the word’s dual meaning in Urdu, meaning both “we” and “I.” Leave it to poets to be inspired by language on this granular of a level, down to debating a word’s very definition. This double meaning spoke to Sheriff’s trans experience navigating individual identity and collective acceptance. Additionally as an immigrant from southern India, Sheriff thinks very deeply (and writes very beautifully) about the borders between belonging and exile. Sheriff calls their book “a trans call to the beauty of attempt rather than the clarity of arrival.” Their poems explore the continuous process of becoming oneself. Sheriff will read these stunning poems and have a conversation with DMV poet Taylor Johnson, author of Inheritance and former Poet Laureate of Takoma Park, Maryland, at Lost City Books. Sanam Sheriff’s book event starts at 7 p.m. on Nov 10 at Lost City Books, 2467 18th St. NW. lostcitybookstore.com. Free. —Serena Zets
