Does the 9:30 Club have a trophy case? If not, I'm not sure where they're keeping all these Billboard awards. Yesterday, the club once again was honored as the the most attended club in America during the 2011 Billboard Touring Awards. more ›

Jeff Antoniuk grew up listening to 1970s and 80s R&B, and funk like Michael Jackson, Earth Wind and Fire, and Average White Band, in addition to the required Rolling Stones and Led Zeppelin. He then discovered jazz fusion, which then led to classic acoustic jazz. In between all of this, he was studying classical piano classical theory and his master’s studies also included world music and ethnomusicology. The result is a wide range of... more ›

If former Pink Floyd brainchild Roger Waters and Black Sabbath guitarist Tommy Iommi were to contribute to a joint musical project, the result would sound a lot like Tool. Alternatingly heavy and haunting, Tool has mastered the art of being a metal band without falling into the usual traps associated with the genre. While their music chugs along like many of their metal contemporaries, it often bucks convention by employing complex rhythms, odd structures, stark dynamic shifts, and soothing vocal melodies. Moreover, the band has remained mysterious and above the usual musical fray, releasing only five studio albums in 15 years, only rarely granting interviews, and featuring lyrics, artwork, and videos so cyptic that philosophical debates exist as to their meaning and purpose. more ›

God, we're so sick of Snakes on a Plane that we want to kill anyone and everyone that makes a "something on a something" joke. But then we realized that there was no way we could ever win this fight, and, hell, if you can't beat them, we might as well join them. And with that, you have the theme of this weeks' Gothamist network post. Austinist makes it easy for us, with Candidate on... more ›

This summer must be a particularly frustrating time to be an unsigned hip-hop artist. The southern rap offensive continues with wave after wave of purp-sipping, leaning, rocking and snapping singles which, although from time to time laudable, tend to wear thin (though they do make for some amusing YouTube fodder). So while Young Joc is telling us where it's going down (apparently the mall, though I was recently at Pentagon City and the place was... more ›

During the dark years before neo-garage and 1980s post-punk revivalism saved modern rock radio from itself, the airwaves were ruled by a gaggle of stultifyingly awful rap-rock outfits united in their middle class yowl and bent on demonstrating that the suburbs were, indeed, killing them. During that period, however, a critical need emerged for the fans of the popular mook rock: namely, some vaguely sensitive sounding shit that could help them convince that girl... more ›

Just under two hours ago, venerable alternative radio flagship station WHFS, 99.1 on your FM dial, was taken off the air and replaced by "El Sol" which will play "a mixture of Salsa, Merengue and Bachata, targeting adults 25-54." Ack! The move took many area radio listeners by surprise. Billboard Radio Monitor called the format change "a shocking move." more ›

DCist was sad to learn that funk superstar Rick James passed away of "natural causes" earlier today. He will be remembered for his innovative and catchy "Super Freak," and his recent cameo on Comedy Central's "Chapelle's Show". more ›