Tonight: Blonde Redhead at Howard Theatre

Blonde Redhead—the New York City-based, internationally created, dream-pop trio consisting of Kazu Makino and twin brothers Simone and Amedeo Pace—recently released their first album in almost a decade, Sit Down for Dinner. Lush, atmospheric, and misty, the songs on their 10th album are some of their best and also their most welcoming and accessible works yet. The sludgy wonder “Melody Experiment,” the ghostly, echoing lyrics and sparsely plucked strings on “Rest of Her Life,” the mantra-like catchiness of “Snowman,” and the poppy bliss sound with blistering words of bitterness “Sit Down for Dinner, Part 2” are some of the standouts. Sit Down for Dinner is not about individual songs, but the overall vibe. The sonic otherworld that Blonde Redhead have been creating since 1993—urbane, art school noise rock—has mellowed over the years into something richer and more complex. But it’s uncanny in its combination of experimental weirdness and familiar warmth. This is most apparent when you see them live, and enter into their polychromatic and auricular labyrinth, tunnels of sound and atmosphere that you enjoy exploring with or without a thread to guide you home. Marnie Stern, who shreds and taps her guitar with the best of them, opens the show with her defiant sound: part old-school hard rock and part something more sonically sinister, but all fun. Blonde Redhead with opening act Marnie Stern play at 8 p.m on Nov. 9 at the Howard Theatre, 620 T St. NW. thehowardtheatre.com. $30–$60. —Colleen Kennedy

Friday: RDGLDGRN’s 10th Anniversary at Songbyrd

The year 2013 was a very heady time for RDGLDGRN. With the release of their debut album that year, Red Gold Green LP, the Reston, Virginia, indie go-go band found themselves shot out of a cannon into the national consciousness, thanks to an anointing by fellow Virginians Dave Grohl (who played drums on their debut after randomly meeting the band at Sound City Studios where they were recording) and Pharrell Williams (who worked on the track “Doing the Most”). That sort of bestowment is the kind that lands you an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live! “We went from being in Red’s mom’s basement…to, like a week later, hearing from every single [record] label,” recalls RDGLDGRN bassist Andrei Busuioceanu (aka Gold). “We made waves, so to speak. It was definitely crazy. A lot was happening. We were reflecting on that the other day.” A different kind of reflection will take place on Nov. 10 at Songbyrd Music House when the band will perform in celebration of the 10th anniversary of their debut. Although the band subsequently released three more albums, and their recent single “Heads Are Going to Roll” came out two months ago (with more new music heading our way in 2024), the initial impact of that first album is not lost on them. “We really did go from zero to 100 just instantly,” says Busuioceanu. “It put us in an incredible space. We achieved something with a new sound. There’s so many things to be proud of there. It’ll be nice to commemorate that.” RDGLDGRN play at 8 p.m. on Nov. 10 at Songbyrd, 540 Penn St. NE. songbyrddc.com $25–$30. —Christina Smart

Wednesday: Dolly Parton ROCKSTAR: The Global First Listen Event at Alamo Drafthouse

Just last year, when country artist Dolly Parton was being considered for induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, she said, “I don’t think I’ve earned that right.” She is first and foremost a country artist, she reasoned, and there are plenty of rock musicians more deserving of those accolades. The Hall of Fame ignored her and inducted her anyway, not only because they’ve steered away from strictly honoring rock artists, but because Dolly’s impact on music and culture is undeniable. Whether she believes it or not, Dolly has always embodied a rock star: the woman is committed to her artistry, continually innovating, and who is unapologetically herself. She has forged her own way in show business for over half a century. In case anyone considers this genre categorization an issue, her forthcoming rock album, aptly titled ROCKSTAR, should put those complaints to rest. The album features some original rock compositions penned by the country queen, as well as covers and a “We Are the World” number of famous guest vocalists. Some artists signal their approval of Dolly’s rock transformation by joining her on their own songs, including Linda Perry on “What’s Up,” Debbie Harry on “Heart of Glass,” and Joan Jett & the Blackhearts on “I Hate Myself for Loving You.” Other tracks promise an experience like watching a karaoke party backstage at the Grammys. Why not join up with Pink and Brandi Carlile for “(I Can’t Get No) Satisfaction”? Dolly’s diehard fans (who really ought to have a fandom name a la the Beyhive) can get a special sneak preview of the album before it drops at a first listen event at Alamo Drafthouse. Onscreen, there will be music videos, behind the scenes documentary footage, and interviews with Dolly—a perfect opportunity to ogle her new rock wardrobe, which includes ripped jeans, leather jackets with chains, and an extremely badass rhinestone eyepatch. Dolly Parton ROCKSTAR: The Global First Listen Event plays at 7:30 p.m. on Nov. 15 at Alamo Drafthouse D.C., 630 Rhode Island Ave. NE, and Crystal City, 1660 Crystal Dr., Arlington. drafthouse.com. $15. —Stephanie Rudig

Ends Nov. 18: Microcosm-Macrocosm at Studio Gallery

Studio Gallery’s 12-person group photography exhibition is billed as an exercise in determining whether a given artist sees the world “in a single leaf or in an overview of a forest? … Do they work large or small?” In reality, though, a more pertinent axis for understanding it is whether the artist presents reality straight or improves upon it digitally. Several artists clearly inhabit the realistic side, including Susan Raines, with her straight ahead black-and-white portraits of characters from around the U.S.; Gary Anthes, with color scenes from the antique environs of Morocco and Cuba; Steven Marks, with explorations of D.C.’s side streets and storefronts; and Jo Levine, with subtle, earth-toned images of lichens on tree trunks. A few offerings are clearly less than pure photography, including Suliman Abdullah’s collages, as well as works in which Suzanne Goldberg takes pieces of photographs and then paints around them. But some of the exhibit’s most intriguing, if also most puzzling, works are those that leave the viewer wondering how much manipulation was involved. Lynda Andrews–Barry offers a series of small images with almost ridiculously hyperreal colors—a Wayne Thiebaud-style array of brightly colored sweets; a graffiti-covered street utility box in hotter-than-hot pink; and an otherworldly scene (in Rockville!) with a bright red stop sign, a royal blue sky, and a fiery yellow street lamp. Beverly Logan offers informal scenes that look just a little bit off-kilter—as do the images by Bob Burgess, which include a circular-shaped tree oddly well-lit against a black sky, a puff of mist in Paris’ Luxembourg Gardens, an elevated view of a manicured park that echoes works by André Kertesz, and a stunningly orange Chesapeake Bay-scape notable for its shimmery, circular reflections of light. Ultimately, the most satisfying package may be from Lisa Battle, who photographs abstract patterns on weathered sandstone rocks in Scotland. Smartly, Battle uses brushed metal as her printing surface; the subtle, horizontal ruts in the metal add a welcome visual contrast to her images’ strong diagonal lines. Microcosm-Macrocosm runs through Nov. 18 at Studio Gallery, 2108 R St. NW. Wednesday through Friday, 1 to 6 p.m.; Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6  p.m. Free. —Louis Jacobson

Starting next Thursday: Notes from the Road—The Films of Robert Mugge

Sonny Rollins. Gil Scott–Heron. Al Green. Sun Ra. You can’t teach a course on the history of American music without looking at the candid documentaries made by filmmaker Robert Mugge. And it so happens that more than one of his musical subjects were captured during appearances in D.C. The director is back in town with his wife and filmmaking partner, Diana Zelman, promoting his new book, Notes from the Road: A Filmmaker’s Journey Through American Music, and the AFI Silver Theatre and Cultural Center is celebrating with a selection of his best-known films. Mugge will introduce every screening and is selling signed copies of his book. Among the films showing are Sun Ra: A Joyful Noise (Nov. 16), an hourlong portrait of the intergalactic traveler as seen in his earthly home of Philadelphia, as well as on visits to Baltimore and D.C. between 1978 and 1980; Saxophone Colossus (Nov. 17), a record of inspired concert performances by tenor legend Rollins in 1986; The Gospel According to Al Green (Nov. 17), which cuts between a service at the soul icon’s Full Gospel Tabernacle Church in Memphis to a concert at Bolling Air Force Base; a rare 35mm print of Cool Runnings: The Reggae Movie (Nov. 18), a documentary of the 1983 Reggae Sunsplash festival featuring performances by Gregory Isaacs, Scott-Heron, and Sugar Minott; and last but not least, Black Wax (Nov. 16), which chronicles onetime Washington resident Scott-Heron in a compelling concert film shot at the late, lamented Southeast venue The Wax Museum. Black Wax is as much as window on old Washington as it is on the music of the time. Notes from the Road runs Nov. 16 through 19 at the AFI Silver, 8633 Colesville Rd., Silver Spring. silver.afi.com. $13. —Pat Padua