Weekly Music Agenda
MONDAY
>> Long Beach, California's Crystal Antlers have been the subject of much hype during the past few months, as they've traveled up and down the coasts peddling a fractured hodgepodge of post-punk, psych and garage. Come catch their infamously raucous live show before the band makes the inevitable jump to larger venues. At the Black Cat, with D.C.'s own avant-poppers True Womanhood, $8, 9:00 p.m.
>> At the crossroads between English folk and political punk, you'll be hard pressed to find a more legendary figure than Billy Bragg. He'll be playing the 9:30 Club with the Watson Twins. $35, 7 p.m.
TUESDAY
>> Memphis' Jay Reatard (pictured) seems to be on a one man mission to revive lo-fi garage punk, releasing 7" singles at a pace that would give even Ryan Adams pause. Reatard's star has risen considerably over the course of the last year, and with a contract from Matador now under his arm, he seems poised to bring three-chord punk to the masses. At the Black Cat with Cola Freaks, $10, 8 p.m.
>> L.A.'s Hotel Cafe is something of a legend in singer-songwriter circles, having served as the launching pad for a number of prominent artists. For the fourth year in a row, the venue has decided to take some of its regular performers on the road, echoing the label revues of decades past. Among the artists performing this year are NoVA ex-pats Thao Nguyen and Rachel Yamagata. At the 9:30 Club, $20, 7 p.m.
WEDNESDAY
>> Some things never change. Like Jersey's favorite sons, the Bouncing Souls. They've been playing the same catchy pop-punk tunes, wearing their Jersey heritage with pride and making teenagers sweatily bump into each other for over 20 years now. Come out and see how many Mohawks, studded bracelets, dog collars and kids out past their curfew you can spot at the Black Cat on a Wednesday night. With Strike Anywhere, $15, 7:30 p.m.
>> Don't let the news fool you: there's more to Alaska than moose hunting, patriotic accents and houses with great views of Russia. Take, for example, Portugal. The Man. Sure, technically they now live in Portland and sure, they're one of those bands that utilizes punctuation in their name to annoying effect. But that's not what matters. What matters is that, despite their Wasilla, Alaska origins, the band has managed to avoid a career in politics, opting instead for a career in psych and glam-tinged, post-emo pop. If that isn't a maverick move, we don't know what is. At the Rock and Roll Hotel, $12, 8 p.m.
>> If Omaha, Nebraska has been blessed with two seemingly evergreen natural resources, those resources would have to be corn and weepy folk acts. Jake Bellows, a veteran of the Omaha scene, seems to be well-versed in both, sketching out sorrow in an unmistakably Midwestern manner with his band Neva Dinova. If you consider yourself a fan of bands like Bright Eyes and the Good Life, you'll feel right at home at DC9 on Wednesday night. $10, 9 p.m.
THURSDAY
>> Some things just don't translate very well from Japanese. Take for example Natto, a dish of fermented soy beans that smells something like an old shoe. Or maid cafes. Or just about anything on Japanese television. Tokyo's Polysics (pictured), on the other hand, require little to no cultural or linguistic knowledge to enjoy. After all, few things speak louder than neon orange jumpsuits, anime-style haircuts and spastic, new-wave-influenced synth-punk--regardless of what language you speak. WithJaguar Love (ex-Blood Brothers/Pretty Girls Make Graves) at the Black Cat, $12, 9 p.m.
>> Sure, a lot of bands can be considered legendary, but how many legendary bands have the foresight to include the word "legendary" in their name? We can think of only one, London's experimental iconoclasts, the Legendary Pink Dots. Come celebrate the band's 25th anniversary at the Rock and Roll Hotel, $15, 8 p.m.
>> Okay, so you party hard on Halloween, but what about on All Hallow's Eve? Prove your dedication to observing America's most morbid holiday by throwing down a day early at the Velvet Lounge's Bee's Knees All Hallows Eve Party. In addition to a costume contest and prizes, the venue has gone so far as to promise "ZOMBIES AND MORE." If that's not enough to whet you're appetite, there will be performances by Little Teeth and Sleeping in the Aviary as well as DJ sets by Stereofaith and a whole host of other DJs. $3 cover, $8 to see the bands, 9 p.m.
FRIDAY
>> It's not every year that Halloween lands on a Friday, so get ready for a night of party-until-you-puke-in-your-mask fun (is it just us or does that sound like an Andrew W.K. song just waiting to happen?). The Rock and Roll Hotel has a reputation for hosting great holiday events that you won't remember the next day, so we're sure that the "Haunted Halloween at the Hotel" won't disappoint. The venue has promised two floors of mayhem, multiple DJs spinning all sorts of styles and drink specials that seem tailor-made for the club's target demographic ($1 PBRs, anyone?). Best of all, it's free if you get in the door before 10 p.m. and only five bucks after that.
>> We're not quite sure how the Liberation 'Halloween' Dance Party differs from the usual Friday night Liberation Dance Party at DC9, but when the only thing between us and an open bar (from 9 to 10:30 p.m.) is a measly $6 cover, we could care less.
>> It's hard to believe that D.C. punk/ska act the Pietasters has been around for nearly two decades now. They'll be headlining the 9:30 Club's Halloween show, which will double as a costume contest. The grand prize? Tickets to every single 9:30 Club show during the months of November and December. Not too shabby. $15, 8 p.m.
SATURDAY
>> You've seen him on HBO, you've laughed at his Kiwi comedy, now come nurse your post-Halloween hangover with him. He's Rhys Darby of Flight of the Concords and he'll be headlining the 9:30 Club for a night of laughs from Down Under. $25, 6 p.m.
>> Over the course of the last ten years, L.A. underground rapper MURS has built a cult following, releasing a number of solid records, including a series of collaborations with Slug and 9th Wonder. He'll be playing the Rock and Roll Hotel with Kidz in the Hall, Big Pooh of Little Brother and Isaiah $14, 8:30 p.m.
>> Sure, some bands are prolific, but few artists can claim to have released a record every month for an entire calendar year. Brooklyn's Bishop Allen can, having put out one self-released EP for each month in 2006. You'd think that that exercise would have sapped the band's creative energy but apparently it didn't: they followed up with the well-received Bishop Allen & The Broken String less than a year later. Needless to say, the band will have no shortage of material to choose from when it plays the Black Cat on Saturday night. $13, 9 p.m.
>> Deleted Scenes worked their way into our hearts early, as one of our earliest Unbuckled and Three Stars bands. They also took a last minute headlining slot at Iota, and would appreciate your support of their spontaneous nature. For just $10, you'll find joy in their carefully crafted indie rock, and their bill-mates La Strada & The Nunchucks.
SUNDAY
>> If you truly love disco, D.C. isn't a bad place to be, thanks to DJs like Chris Burns. But if you want to see live disco, you're pretty much out of luck. That is, except for tonight. DFA darlings and Antony Hegarty side-project Hercules and Love Affair will be headlining the 9:30 Club and D.C.'s own The Dance Party will be kicking things off. $15, 10 p.m.
>> Think the name AIDS Wolf is confrontational? Just wait until you hear their music. At the Velvet Lounge, with the relatively soothing sounds of True Womanhood, $10, 9 p.m.
Jay Reatard photo courtesy of Matador Records. Polysics photo courtesy of Sony Music Japan.