It's not often that you find bands named for contemporary cultural theorists. (I mean, I guess it's not that often that you find bands named for dead ones -- The Benjamin Brigade? Susan Sontag's Army?)

But this weekend you can check out The Cornel West Theory, a hip hop-rock-soul-politics fusion ensemble from D.C. -- which is not only named after the progressive theorist and African-American Studies professor, but has collaborated with him.

The band samples widely, not just riffs and beats, but spoken-word sound bytes, contextualizing the members' rapping with what amounts to found poetry (most of it political). Fans of socially aware hip hop in the vein of Sage Francis (or even the harder, less hippie side of Michael Franti) should take note, as should anyone into good slam poetry.

They play AVA Lounge Saturday night at 8 p.m.; it's a $3 show.