The City Veins: Spencer Vliet (left), Aaron Tarr and Charles Gray. Photo by Darren Higgins When The City Veins first started in early 2007, they were a good band. A four piece with sincere musical ability, we took notice (and not just because one of them is also our Nats columnist). But after Adam Bayes exited the group, and left the remaining members, Aaron Tarr, Charles Gray and Spencer Vliet, to figure out how......

All three of the songs on The Moderate's release, AM/FM, show a very strong imprint from singer/guitarist Jim Dempsey and drummer Drew Marks' home state of North Carolina. From Dempsey's twangy drawl to the songs' seemingly heat and humidity laden relaxed tempo, there's no question where this band's roots lie. The blues that they evoke on "Lost Boy", "Rock and Roll" and "Blue Eyes and Barflies" could make your puppy cry. The majority of The......

Those of you who caught Motel's performance at Unbuckled 7 will no doubt remember the scorching axe work of John Lee. The self-described "Chinese-Irishman" is a fixture on the local music scene, playing with a multitude of bands around town. The 28-year old guitarist's journey began at the age of ten, when MTV hair bands like Warrant, Poison, and Motley Crüe inspired the young Lee. In high school, he became a fan of improvisational music......

Assrockers have a simple goal: to rock asses. The D.C. quintet plays half-joking hard rock, with songs about Julius Caesar, the Battle of Hastings, and hot moms. They've been around since 2001, playing with various line-ups complete with leather pants and ridiculous assumed names. The band's genius is in its live shows, which are loud and funny, but still appeal to anyone who likes to rock. Assrockers had a bit of a hiatus for the......

From Ethiopia to D.C. and from White House staffer to R&B singer. It goes almost without saying that the story of how Wayna got to the point she's at today is quite unique. But the important thing is that she got here and we're richer for it. On her second release, Higher Ground, Wayna builds off her Moments of Clarity debut to deliver a strong sophomore effort where she explores the themes of love, disappointment......

There's a sign inside of Mt. Pleasant church space turned alternative venue La Casa that reads "Capacity: 74 people." It's a picture that, if juxtaposed with the number of music lovers actually crammed into the place to check out U.S. Royalty at a benefit for victims of a neighborhood apartment fire last month, could've found itself a spot in The Onion. The crowd already knew that established acts like Kitty Hawk and Ra Ra Rasputin......

Covering a band whose members are still in college is inherently tricky. Sure, they could turn out to be Jukebox the Ghost (***), but there's that weird deadline that appears at the end of four years that can spell certain doom for bands whose members get jobs in other cities, are too busy with grad school to think about performing, and so on. But when such a band consists of a brother/sister duo, the members......

"Atmospheric" is one of those ten-cent words that music writers like to use whenever a band coats their songs with the least bit of reverb. But atmospheric seems like the best adjective to describe a band whose xylophone samples and syncopated cymbal beats gives a rather clear visual of a waterfall, all from the comfort of a local concert venue. But before thinking that Bellflur belongs on one of those Pure Moods CDs, they'll......

Tereu Tereu wants you to dance. They've said as much during their previous two performances, opening for local favorite Georgie James and later for England's latest Gang of Four disciples, Foals. It's not an unreasonable request, since the Fredericksburg quartet's infectious midtempo indie-pop hooks, strong bass lines and impressive trumpet-playing are highly conducive to toe-tapping. Tereu Tereu sounds familiar, and there's this sense that they could have been on an old mix tape somewhere between......

Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think this is a DCist first. We've been doing Three Stars long enough that we're profiling a band with members from a disbanded former Three Stars subject. Michael Medlock was the frontman for The Sentiment, a hard rocking group we covered in 2006. Two years, several shows and an EP later, he's now at the helm of the Black & White Jacksons, a punk-inspired four-piece that's making......

"Busy" is a word that barely describes keyboardist Will Rast's gigging schedule. Playing in no less than six ensembles, Rast has steadily become one of the more visible musicians in the area, spreading his tentacles throughout the District's music scene. His work has garnered Wammie nominations, gigs at notable venues across the country, and international tours with pop star Mya. If that wasn't enough, Rast and his fiancée are tying the knot next month. While......

The Apes are not afraid to be loud. They are not afraid to be weird. They are not afraid to be abrasive. Should you be afraid of The Apes? Only if you need your music to be pretty and unobtrusive. At a time when it seems like a lot of bands want to be pleasant, and seem content to provide listeners with some vaguely edgy but ultimately bland background sounds, The Apes refuse to bleed......

The District's jazz scene is known for, if anything, the soulful players that develop within it. There is a certain groove to the D.C. sound that has developed through a combination of highly trained musicians, a rich legacy, and a community that has seen its fair share of ups and downs. These performers share a deep commitment to craft and to the integrity of live performance. Trombonist Reginald Cyntje (pronounced sin-chee) is one of the......

Justin Trawick isn't just another guy with a guitar. This local singer/songwriter has a knack for incorporating a variety of styles including R&B and folk into his music. His lyrics are well thought out and no matter what direction his songs take, there are solid and powerful vocals anchoring them down. Trawick has been performing in and around D.C. for the past few years, including a recurring songwriter showcase at Solly's Tavern on U Street.......

Out of all of the bands inside the Beltway, Food For Animals might just be the only act that's better known overseas than in the District. The hip-hop/IDM/noise crew has toured Europe multiple times, been written up in U.K. mag The Wire and were listed among the highlights at last year's CMJ festival by Pitchfork. Yet, all along, they've maintained strong ties with D.C., returning time and again to play their distinctive blend of experimental......

From the jump, Muhsinah (pronounced Moo-seen-ah) has benefited from the Internet age and the ability for her music to strike a chord with whomever was paying attention to it. As the word and MP3s spread among Web audiofiles, more listeners became fans and she built an impressive list of supporters with her The Oscillations EP in 2005. The Duke Ellington School of the Arts and Howard University jazz studies grad from upper Northeast D.C., who......

We don't understand why Benjy Ferree is not a big star. The Three Stars alum plays roosty indie gems and has great stage presence — he's a funny and engaging and a strong performer. He's toured with Spoon and The New Pornographers and is signed to Domino Records (Franz Ferdinand, Arctic Monkeys, etc). And his band is basically a D.C. supergroup, with Laura Harris of The Aquarium, Amy Domingues and Jonah Takagi from Garland......

There's more to Carol Bui than meets the eye (or the ear). Which is saying something considering that her latest release, Everyone Wore White, is a complex tapestry that not only showcases her capabilities as a guitarist but fleshes out several corners of her history and personality. Bui draws from influences as disparate as Fugazi and traditional Vietnamese tunes (one of which she sings a capella to close out the album) and sings about......

>> Yesterday we profiled Five Four, the hardest working all girl band in the city, with the cutest shoes, in a Three Stars piece. Tonight you can see those shoes up close and personal at DC9, $8. If that's not the dose of local music you were hoping for tonight, how about Meredith Bragg at the Black Cat, or Gist at Iota? >> Ever thought, I'd like to get a new perspective on Scientology. A......

The first, instantly noticeable aspect of Fredericksburg, VA's Pash is the luminous voice of singer/guitarist Merideth Munoz. With a voice that partially recalls Rainer Maria's Caithlin de Marrais and has a rock edge reminiscent of Pretty Girls Make Graves' Andrea Zollo, Munoz has the vocal tenacity to halt anyone who may have stumbled across a track on their MySpace page. Munoz met guitarist Erik Bruner-Yang and his roommate, drummer John Bibb, when they all went......

>> The Culkin School of Traditional Irish Dance isn't anywhere nearly as embarrassing as Riverdance and its ilk -- think real jigs without the terrible music and costumes. Accompanied tonight on the Kennedy Center Millennium Stage by traditional Irish musicians Billy McCominskey, Zan McLeon and Jim Eagan. Free, 6 p.m. >> Three Stars alums The Beanstalk Library are playing the Black Cat's backstage, with John Wayne Hero. 9 p.m., $8. >> It's a little......

On Five Four's website, by way of introduction, each member of the band is given a cartoon alter-ego. It's a great rock 'n' roll tradition, the taking on of alternate identities within the band, from the identical surnames of the Ramones to the revolutionary identities assigned the locals in Nation of Ulysses. OK, so they're not exactly the Gorillaz, and the cartoon identities don't really extend past the little one off joke on the webpage,......

Last spring, we interviewed New Rock Church of Fire for a Three Stars piece, and they revealed to us their deepest desire as a band: to play the Black Cat. Well, Santa apparently reads DCist, because tonight the Alexandria natives are getting their wish. Tonight they'll play the Cat's main stage with Velvet, Mas y Mas and Hammer No More The Fingers. Originally slated as a CD release show for NRCOF, it'll be more of......

Monday >> It’s Saint Lucy’s Day! Hej Hej, the DJ night dedicated to Scandinavian pop and rock, is getting festive for this start of the Christmas season with drink specials and holiday hits in addition to their regular fare. Pop into Café St.-Ex in your finest crown of candles, and you might even get a free drink. 10 p.m., FREE. >> Le Loup are also celebrating tonight, in a homecoming of sorts for the local......

FRIDAY: >>Great quadruple bill comes to the Rock and Roll Hotel: Three Stars alums Jukebox the Ghost (pictured right) and tour diarists These United States join DCist fave Ra Ra Riot and Sam Champion. All that for the low, low price of $10 before, $12 at the door. Show 9 p.m. >> The Black Cat once again hosts Cryfest, everyone's favorite dance party that pits The Smiths vs. The Cure, brought to you by DJs......

One need not dig too deep into our city’s jazz scene before coming across the name Thad Wilson. Since coming to D.C. in 1997, Wilson has become a mainstay in the jazz clubs of U Street and beyond by consistently performing with passion, intensity, and consummate artistry in a variety of settings. In addition to his own considerable abilities, his groups feature some of the finest players in the D.C. area. A native of......

Perhaps the most interesting aspect of The Fake Accents is their ability to make their inherent contradictions seamlessly coexist. One might not expect that the same band who records and listens to their own practice sessions would also write a disclaimer on their first album that most of the songs that they'd written were actually just ripped off of other songs. Their songs are identifiable by both their catchy hooks and their noisy guitar riffs.......

FRIDAY: >> It’s been over six years since he last had a properly released album, but crooner Bilal (left) has still managed to catch people’s attention with some of his latest material. Too bad it was illegally leaked and now his label is threatening never to let the refined product see the light of day. Regardless, his Black Cat performance should be noteworthy. 9 p.m., $22. >> We’ve told you about Deleted Scenes many times......

Everybody's favorite Portland-based literary music makers, The Decemberists, have had to cancel their Long And Short Of It tour, just two dates in. One of the band members has been ill, and as it turns out, hadn't gotten as well as they'd hoped in time to tour. That includes the expansive four-night residency they'd scheduled at the 9:30 Club for this weekend. If you'd already bought tickets, you can get a refund at your......

With jambalaya simmering in the corner, and people waiting in line to get a haircut, you wouldn’t have thought you were in a bar, let alone at a rock show. But last week, upstairs from haircut-and-a-shot night, The Red & The Black was in fact hosting a lineup of several very different styles of local music. Despite a modest midweek crowd — consisting mostly of other bands — one group from Baltimore introduced a unique......