Weekly Music Agenda
Monday
>>Three Stars alum Flex Mathews will be teaming up at the Red and the Black with Watusi, Dr. Birthday and DJ Starchild for an early week hip-hop show. 9 p.m., $8.
>>It's a dark, dark Monday night at the Black Cat as three goth-leaning punk bands are in town. First up is L.A.'s Creature Feature, who go for all the horror kitsch that the name suggests, followed by the more metallic inclinations of Seattle's Schoolyard Heroes, and closing with Toronto's The Birthday Massacre. $13, 7:30 p.m.
Tuesday
>>While their days as boys a distant memory, the men of Boyz II Men, the biggest selling R&B group in history, have still not come to the end of their road. This year marks their twentieth anniversary together, and they'll be bringing their lush harmonies to the Birchmere stage this week, in a show that was rescheduled after they had to cancel a date back in December. $49.50, 7:30 p.m.
>>Coolooloosh, an Israeli band that plays hip hop, jazz, reggae & funk w/ English & Hebrew lyrics, will be at the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage. Free, 6 p.m.
Wednesday
>> Journeyman folk singer/songwriter Richard Thompson has been touring with his "1,000 Years of Popular Music" show for nearly a decade now. The title is no joke: Thompson's setlist has been known to wander back to the early portion of the millennium, and cover an impressive breadth of material. Who else is likely to cover medieval ballads, Gilbert & Sullivan, The Who and Britney Spears all in the same night? And, even if you find that to be a little too much of a gimmick, it's worth it at any rate for Thompson's incomparable guitar playing, which weds pop, folk, and jazz into a style that is undeniably his own. $39.50 ($35 for GWU students), 8 p.m.
>>It appears that Wednesday is a good day for folk fans (except in that they can't be in two places at once), as the Birchmere hosts rising folk star Lori McKenna and Four Bitchin' Babes member (and Falls Church resident) Debi Smith. $22.50, 7:30 p.m.
Thursday
>>Unbuckled alums Olivia Mancini & The Housemates headline at the Black Cat backstage. Housemates guitarist Ed Donohue will be pulling double duty, as his own band, Donny Hue & The Colors, opens the show along with Order of the Dying Orchid (one of my favorite band names in recent memory). $8, 9 p.m.
Friday
>>While Jason Stollmeister may not be able to take Jack White in a fist fight, his band's live show is one of the hardest hitting out there. I wasn't even much of a Von Bondies fan when I caught a show of theirs, opening for someone else, back in '04, and they quickly and unexpectedly made it into one of the best shows I've seen. Loud, punchy, and incredibly tight. So we're glad to see them returning to D.C. for a show, though we would like to gripe about them playing Jammin' Java, which is a pain to get to for the carless. Detroit's Freer opens. $12 advance, $14 at the door, 8 p.m.
>>Japanese artist Cornelius has built a solid cult following on the strength of his sometimes dissonant, but always fascinating mash-up of traditional pop sounds and unexpected experimentation. He'll be at the 9:30 Club with Brooklyn jazz/rock duo Benevento/Russo Duo. As an added bonus, online purchasers will get a code for three free downloads. $15, 9 p.m.
Saturday
>>A trio of three stars alums turn up at the Black Cat as Jukebox the Ghost celebrates the release of their new record with the help of Bellman Barker and Pash. $10, 9.m..
>>I can remember back when the Velvet Lounge first opened its doors, which makes me feel especially old this weekend, as the space with the best small-venue sound in town celebrates its tenth anniversary. On hand for the festivities are Hula Monsters (Mark Noone of The Slickie Boys ), Joe Jack Talcum (ex-Dead Milkmen plays Dead Milkmen), and Dead Ex Husbands (ex-Dead Beat, ex-Ex Husbands).
>>Three bands who are collectively billing themselves as the "Capitol Hillbillies" due to their proximity to the Hill and their tendency to play rootsy rock with lots of twang are playing together at the Red and the Black this weekend. They include The Dustbowlers, The Bourbon Dynasty (who we reviewed last year), and Buck Forty Nine.
>>Seattle singer/songwriter Ali Marcus hails from the D.C. area and tries to come back for a local show at least once a year. Fans of her intimate act are in for a treat, as she'll be back twice in the next two months. First up is an afternoon show this weekend at Galaxy Hut. 1 p.m.
>>Timbaland has not incorporated any bhangra into his music lately, but that genre from India is still making folks dance. The Maryland Masti, an Indian intercollegiate dance competition takes place at the University of Maryland, College Park . $20-30, 7 p.m.
>>Elephant Man, an exuberant Jamaican dancehall vocalist whose latest single, "Jump", is produced by hiphop producer Swizz Beats, is at Zanzibar. $30, 8 p.m.
>>Local rockabilly cat J.P. McDermott's 6th annual Buddy Holly Tribute with a slew of performers including The Starlingtons, The Hall Monitors, The Garnet Hearts, Ellen Cherry, Michael Jantz, and The Droptops will be at Chick Hall's Surf Club on Kenilworth Avenue in Bladensburg. $15, 9 p.m. at 9 p.m.
Sunday
>>Welsh psych-rockers The Super Furry Animals return to D.C. with the popular Fiery Furnaces. They're joined by Holy Fuck at the 9:30 Club. $17.
>>Bedouin Soundclash are a multicultural Canadian trio that mixes roots reggae with dancehall, rock, rap and more. They'll be joined by Westbound Train and Beat Union at the Rock and Roll Hotel. $12, 8 p.m.
Steve Kiviat and W. Jacarl Melton contributed to this week's agenda.