Weekly Music Agenda
MONDAY
>> Happy first Monday in June! Anyone interested in playing "Two Degrees of Separation from Travis Morrison" would do well to attend Poor But Sexy's set at DC9. Poor But Sexy includes two current members of Travis Morrison Hellfighters (David Brown and Brandon Kalber) and former Dismemberment Plan guitarist Jason Caddell. They also gave themselves the single greatest description we've ever read: "like Steely Dan fronted by R. Kelly." They'll be opening for Broken Spindles and Styrofoam. 9 p.m., $10.
>> Beyond the Pale, a Toronto-based Jewish/Balkan/klezmer/folk group appears as part of the DC Jewish Music festival at 7:30 pm at the Aaron & Cecile Goldman Theater, Washington DCJCC, 16th & Q Streets NW
>> Former Three Stars subject Anthony Pirog is playing Galaxy Hut tonight with his duo, Janel and Anthony. This lineup consists of Anthony on guitar and Janel Leppin on cello, churning out ambient noise that's the musical equivalent of meditation. $5, 9 p.m.
TUESDAY
>> Kimya Dawson may be the bigger media darling at the moment, but her Moldy Peaches cohort Adam Green also has a back catalog several years deep filled with quirky psychedelic indie-pop gems to present to the viewers at the Black Cat. He's joined by Lightspeed Champions and Flowers Forever. 8 p.m., $13 in advance, $15 day of show.
>> Former Sunny Day Real Estate singer/guitarist Jeremy Enigk was crafting furious emo balladry before emo became a dirty word. Two band dissolutions, two side projects, a spiritual transformation and a few style shifts later, Enigk released his second album, the straightforward rocker World Waits, from which he will be performing songs at Jammin' Java tonight. Former Okkervil River opener and surprisingly warm Nick Drake disciple Damien Jurado opens. 8:30 p.m., $18.
>> Before Bell X1 appeared on The OC or received mountains of praise from the American public, these Irish popsters hit the top of the charts across the pond and played together in a band called Juniper with Damien Rice. Tonight they'll be at the 9:30 Club with folky-pop chanteuse Brooke Waggoner. 8 p.m., $15.
>> See a screening of the 1920 horror movie The Golem with live music soundtrack performed by San Francisco Bay avante outfit Davka at 8 p.m. at the DC JCC.
WEDNESDAY
>> Take the skill of a classically trained pianist, mix in a colorfully kitschy stage show and the emotion evoked at a coffee house poetry reading and you have New York's Rachael Sage. She and backing band The Sequins will bring an oddly vaudevillian vibe to DC9. Mara Levi opens. 7:30 p.m. $12 in advance, $15 day of show.
>> The Field is one guy, Sweden's Axel Willner, creating rave-like minimalist techno which has led to excellent reviews for both last year's album From Here We Go Sublime and for his live show. He'll be at the Rock and Roll Hotel with Outputmessage and Lode Runner. 8:30 p.m, $15.
THURSDAY
>> Brooklyn six-piece White Rabbits differentiates themselves from any other well-dressed band from that borough by enlisting two drummers and distinctly mysterious harmonies that recall the set of a film noir more than the drunken nights and loud neighbors of last year's stellar Fort Nightly. They'll be at the Black Cat with Miles Benjamin Anthony Robinson and Greenland (***). Did we mention that they have two drummers? 8 p.m., $12.
>> DC9 is in for a night of dance-inducing post-punk courtesy of the United Kingdom's These New Puritans and local acts Imperial China and The.Blackout.District. Wear the right shoes. 9 p.m., $13.
>> One of the remaining bands in the area that truly keeps alive the spirit of Q and Not U's syncopated dance-punk, Len Bias will be at The Red and The Black along with Bottle Up & Go, The Bronze Episode and Six O'Clock Saints. Doors at 9 p.m., $8.
>> Do you revere the memory of Conway Twitty? So do The Starlingtons. Join them in memorializing the country legend's death tonight at the Rock and Roll Hotel, along with Chris Mills, Waco Brothers, and The Highballers. $12 in advance, $14 at the door.
>> Arlington natives SOJA have been a noteworthy reggae act for over ten years, and looking at the cover of their latest EP, Stars and Stripes, which features a familiar looking logo, it seems they haven't forgotten where they came from. They'll be joined by Santa Barbara's Rebelution at The 9:30 Club. Doors at 8 p.m., $20.
FRIDAY
>> The City Veins (featuring DCist's very own Charles Gray) have a newly released album. Join them in celebrating along with two other bands doing the same thing (Julie Ocean and Yell County) at Iota this weekend. $10, 9 p.m.
>> Recent Three Stars alums Assrockers bring their loud rock sound and quirky subject matter to The Red and the Black. So, enjoy a song about epic battles and monarchs while waiting for heavy tunes from RPG Doors @ 9pm, $8.
>> The Hackensaw Boys came to The Black Cat most recently during that unfortunate loss of space and time that occurs during the last week of December. For those who have yet to see the Charlottesville collective of fiddlers, percussionists and the kitchen sink, they throw on one heck of a hootenanny that'll certainly get the toes tapping. Mikal Evans Band will be celebrating their EP release and show up early for Cotton Jones Basket Ride led by former Page France frontman Michael Nau. 9 p.m., $12.
>> Once again, L.A.'s child actors turned indie rock royalty Rilo Kiley have sold out the 9:30 Club. Que sorpresa. You can always go the Craigslist route if you a) still aren't turned off of the band after the adult contemporary radio outing that was Under the Blacklight, b) you really can't get enough of Falls Church native Thao Nguyen, who will be opening with her band The Get Down Stay Down or c) You think that Jenny Lewis is the sexiest woman alive and want to stand there, salivating.
>> Despite throat problems, 70-something James Cotton, a Chicago-based legendary blues harmonica player and vocalist, is still touring and will be at Blues Alley through June 8.
SATURDAY
>> M83 (nee Anthony Gonzalez) has been putting out electronic-based shoegaze for the past seven years and he comes to the Black Cat very soon after the release of the incredibly woozy teenage nostalgia trip that is Saturdays = Youth. The Berg Sans Nipple opens. 9 p.m., $15.
>> Jakob Dylan, best known for being Bob Dylan's son and the lead singer of The Wallflowers, gives the 9:30 Club more morose alternative offerings without the assistance of the rest of The Wallflowers. Here's hoping he still throws in "One Headlight" for nostalgia's sake. 8 p.m., $25.
SUNDAY
>> When they opened for M.I.A. in November, The Cool Kids described themselves as "The Black Beastie Boys." Although such a title might lead to some head-scratching, there's a late 1980s vibe in their sound and in how they project themselves that kind of makes the description seem apt. Plus, with the help of Dirty Water and Che Grand they'll keep the Black Cat jumping. 8 p.m., $15 in advance, $18 day of show.
>> Lancaster singer-songwriter Denison Witmer has received critical acclaim across the board and received some help on his most recent album from The Innocence Mission's Don Peris and erstwhile indie prince Sufjan Stevens. Tonight at DC9 he'll receive help from Dallas Americana act The New Frontiers and local Wilco torch-bearers The Moderate.. 9 p.m., $8 in advance, $10 day of show.
>> The 19th annual Louisiana Swamp Romp at 2 p.m. at Wolf Trap celebrates the Bayou state’s rhythms with Nathan & Zydeco Cha Chas, Balfour Toujours, Wild Magnolias, & the Pine Leaf Boys. The young, energetic Cajun and Creole act the Pine Leaf Boys should be a highlight.
Steve Kiviat contributed to this week's agenda. Photo of Adam Green from his MySpace page. Photo of White Rabbits by Andrew Droz Palermo from their MySpace page.