where to look for things to do - My super secret sources!

This week I've been slack with the posting of events. I do apologize. But, to make it up to you, allow me to reveal some of my sources!

Washington post has the going out guru, they sometimes gets lucky and find something worth while. same with the City Paper. I would be happier if they posted more events along the lines of Variety entertainment, but that's just me.

dcist tends to hit the mark more often. they have great coverage of the fringe festival, and jazz, theater, hip-hop, spoken word, dance, and much much more. I have no idea how they find out 1/2 the stuff they do. and furthermore, I have no idea how they find out about stuff and city paper and washington post miss it. What's your secret DCist?

upcoming.org is wildly popular in other parts of the country, but no so much here. DCist has access to this site, and I think they might be using it to find out about events. sometimes I see one of my shows that I posted on upcoming.org make it to DCist. then again, they could have heard about them in one of the hundred other places I post as well.

livejournal washington dc community is where usually start my event postings. it's a great resource not only for events, but for local advice; where to find the best haircut, bad neighborhoods to live in, favorite all night diner, etc. at the moment, that's the first place I turn to get opinions on local matters, and the first place I post about my shows.

palace of wonders website - you know nothing at the Palace is going to suck. you want to find something interesting to do next week? check out what's playing at the palace. and then go.

yelp is a new one to me. it seems a bit like Upcoming.org, but with more reviews. I haven't gotten crazy into it yet, but I can see where this might be a nice resource.

tribe.net is lousy with bellydancers. :-) ooooohhhh yeaaaaaah. baby. it's a networking website for anyone, but it seems to attract bellydancers and burners. this is my main source for fire and belly events. anyone can set up a discussion group (called a "tribe") on any topic. I have set up two - dctribal and dc 10-in-1 (one for tribal bellydance and one for variety artists). they have national, international, and local groups. and it's fun to get lost in the clickie click of information.

myspace - if you have a favorite local artist, band, show, your best bet would be to "friend" them on myspace. if you are a performer, and you don't have a myspace page, you should get one now. I know, I know. the interface can be extremely annoying. but the thing is, this is where the people go. and with 1/2 hour's work, you can get over 1000 eyes on your words.

and if they don't come to you, go to them. check out your favorite venues and artists event listings. take a gamble. find the hidden gem. if a venue has a tendency to consistently host shows you like, take a chance and go on a night that you don't know the artists. you might find something that blows open a whole new world.

now that I have sent you all over the net, would you like to know my super secret secret? using rss and atom post feed technology, I have all these sources going to one place. I don't have to spend all day surfing the web, I only check one page throughout the day.

if you have any other suggestions for places to look for events, I am always looking for new places to promote! drop me a line.