Weekly Music Agenda
Mi Ami play the Velvet Lounge on Tuesday.
MONDAY:
>> Equal parts, grit, soul and funk, Bettye LaVette has been tugging at both heartstrings and hips for well over thirty years. She'll be at the 9:30 Club tonight. 7 p.m., $25
>> We love Federal Reserve one man band Vandaveer's brand of acoustic folk tunes, and if you do too, catch him at the Black Cat Backstage. $10, 9 p.m.
TUESDAY
>> A Fleetwood Mac tour minus Christine McVie might still strike purists as just wrong, but hey, they've been doing it for the past ten years, so why not continue? The "Unleashed" tour hits the Verizon Center, with tickets on the pricey side: $49.50 - $149.50. 8 p.m.
>> Or for a much more intimate night, country crooner Robert Earl Keen will be gracing The Birchmere for the first of two nights of rare acoustic performances. 7:30 p.m., $35.
>> If you don't feel like leaving the city limits to get your fill of Southern drawls and wailing guitars, Three Stars alum The Moderate will be at the Black Cat Backstage. $8, 9 p.m.
>> Seminal Chicago indie label Touch & Go just announced a moratorium on the release of new material, which is all the more depressing given some of the great new material that has been released by bands like the experimental and noisy Mi Ami. Their MySpace page says they're from California, but you may remember some of these guys from defunct Dischord act Black Eyes. They'll be at The Velvet Lounge with Food For Animals, another awesome band that doesn't actually live here anymore. 9 p.m., $8, 18+.
WEDNESDAY:
>> Common may not be the MC du jour from the Windy City, but his consistently strong and solid output will be a refreshing burst of lyrical strength at the 9:30 Club. 7 p.m. $35
>> A lot can be said for the instrumental prowess and raw emotional power of These Arms Are Snakes, but there's a certain no holds barred edginess to their live show that's not for those with a weak stomach. ATLiens All the Saints (who also had a recent Touch & Go release) and The Coathangers open the show at the Rock and Roll Hotel, as with Three Stars alums Caverns. 8 p.m., $12.
>> Last year, Marnie Stern released an album with an obnoxiously long title that proved once again that her guitar shredding prowess is a force to be reckoned with. Anyone who'd like to rock out to fancy fretwork would do well to head over to DC9 to get their mind blown. Three Stars alum Black & White Jacksons opens. 8 p.m., 18+.
THURSDAY:
>> Irish pop act Bell X1 create midtempo, haunting pop songs not too far removed from their countrymen in Snow Patrol, but with a more pronounced drum beat and less melodrama. Brooklyn's Harlem Shakes, who answer the question "What would Clap Your Hands Say Yeah sound like with a piano and electronic samples?", open the early show at the 9:30 Club. 6 p.m. doors, $15.
>> Locals Tom McBride & The Whig Party will be headlining at DC9 with a sound that incorporates as much bluegrass and Americana as it does rock 'n' roll. Not to detract anything from those guys, but perhaps the more interesting story on that bill is Hypernova, an Iranian band that draws from the indie and radio ready rock that they are not allowed to listen to at home and had to record in secret. 9 p.m., $8, 18+.
>> Hoots & Hellmouth seriously must be in D.C. every other week, which is almost as often as their Philly compatriots, Illinois. In case you haven't caught the foot stomping hootenanny, complete with drawling harmonies and bizarre instrumentation, this time it's at the Rock and Roll Hotel. $10, 8:30 p.m.
Modest Mouse
>> Friday the 13th's bad luck begins with anybody searching for a ticket to the Modest Mouse show at the 9:30 Club, which sold out in roughly ten minutes. There are tickets available on Craigslist, some for less than horribly scary prices. 8 p.m. doors.
>> The blissful pop of Bishop Allen provides a good counterpart to Modest Mouse's acerbity, and they'll be at the Black Cat Mainstage, $13, 9 p.m.
>> Electro-dance party cum rock show Velodrome returns to the Velvet Lounge, with Three Stars alums Imperial China taking on the intense rocking out duties. We think they can handle it. 21+, 9pm, $8
SATURDAY:
>> The Moz is always a welcome presence in the area, in all of his mopey glory. Morrissey will be at the Warner Theatre supporting his recent release, Years of Refusal. 8 p.m., $49.50-$59.50
>> St. Patrick's Day celebrations will be starting early at RFK Stadium with the Shamrock Fest, featuring bands like Flogging Molly and The Aggrolites (among roughly 30 others) who will certainly draw out green-shirted folk who are Irish by blood or by their association with their Guinness Mug. Tickets currently going for $20, which will become $40 at the gate.
>> Two members of The Dismemberment Plan sharing the stage? We can handle that. Black Cat's Second Saturdays this month includes Poor But Sexy, featuring guitarist Jason Caddell, and some guy named Travis Morrison who's bringing his Hellfighters to the Backstage $10, 8 p.m.
SUNDAY:
>> She's collaborated with Kanye West, wowed the Grammy crowd and now British R&B songstress Estelle has come to impress us at the 9:30 Club, perhaps making you wish you were her American boy. It's OK to dream. 7 p.m. doors, $35.
>> The resurrected Slumberland's Crystal Stilts manage to perform bouncy post-punk with minimal yet effective drum beats while looking straight at their shoes. Amazingly, it works. Women and True Womanhood (***) open the show at DC9, $10 in advance/$12 day of show, 9 p.m., 18+.
>> Although his main project, Tereu Tereu, has just finished recording its first full length album, singer Ryan Little still has found time to write some solo material, which he will be performing at the Black Cat Backstage. Wakey! Wakey! opens. 9 p.m., $8.