Kevin Quirion of Deicide. (Wikimedia Commons/Gergely Csatari)

You may think you know your way around D.C., but this town is always full of surprises. Here are some shows this weekend at venues that aren't what they seem.

Deicide

Thursday, Mar. 1 at Empire, $22

Empire may appear to be an exotic new club, but one look at the Springfield venue's metal-heavy lineup will unlock this mystery: Empire is the newly-renamed Jaxx, which changed ownership at the beginning of the year. The club is still getting a solid lineup of metal bands, including legendary Tampa death-metal group Deicide.

Alma Tropicália, John Davis + Chris Richards, Insect Factory

Friday, Mar. 2 at Joe's Movement Emporium, $7-12

A "movement emporium" sure sounds like a yoga studio, but this space in Mount Ranier, Md., is actually a dance school and performing arts center. They don't put on rock concerts all that often, so check out the space with this show featuring Brazilian group Alma Tropicália, Q & Not U alums John Davis and Chris Richards, and the experimental Insect Factory.

Ilsa, Windhand, Natur, Pilgrim, Midnight Eye

Saturday, Mar. 3 at St Stephen's Church, $10

Don't be fooled by the fact that this show is at a church. St. Stephen's in Columbia Heights regularly hosts DIY shows for punk, hardcore, and metal bands, usually putting the groups in its large rec room, not the sanctuary. This show features D.C. death-and-doomers Ilsa, Richmond's psychedelic Windhand, NYC's Natur, Rhode Island's Pilgrim, and local guitar wizards Midnight Eye.

Copstabber, Common Enemy, Reanimate, the NVs, Demands

Sunday, Mar. 3 at RAS Hall (3 p.m. show), $5

RAS Hall sounds like some sort of collegiate study area or dining room, but it's actually a Caribbean-Ethiopian restaurant in Petworth. It regularly hosts Sunday-afternoon hardcore shows, and this week's lineup includes several local groups (Copstabber, the NVs, and Demands) and two groups from Pennsylvania: Common Enemy and Reanimate.

These and other show listings can be found on ShowListDC.