What does a hippie look like in 2010? While the answer potentially lies in the tie-dyed audience of a Phish show, based on last night’s show, hippies in 2010 look an awful lot like Broken Social Scene. Sure, they wear jeans and blazers, but they do things like name their latest album Forgiveness Rock Record and ride bicycles around the stage before their encores. more ›

Do you remember the cover for Broken Social Scene’s breakthrough album, You Forgot It In People? Basically it was a bunch of faceless musicians, silhouetted against a blank backdrop with guitars slung – the middle of a jam session. more ›

Toronto-based indie rockers Broken Social Scene have spawned some of today's most popular artists, including Feist, frontman Kevin Drew, and Metric's Emily Haines. One of these breakaway solo artists, Jason Collett, has been wooing fans on both sides of the border with his Dylan-esque vocals and folky, upbeat style. more ›

A recent review noted the tendency of today's indie rock bands to combine large lineups with unusual instrumentation. Last night at the 9:30 Club, the Great White North's Broken Social Scene didn't skimp on bandmembers with seven people on stage, but gone were all the strings, kazoos, melodicas, and other assorted bells and whistles. This band was just a bunch of dudes who revel in the glory of the almighty power chord and understand that an amp sounds best when cranked to 11. The result was an energetic two-hour set of three chord, backbeat driven and testosterone infused rock. more ›

FRIDAY: >> Local comic book store Fantom Comics is celebrating the grand opening of their new Union Station store tonight with a party from 6 to 10:30 p.m. They'll be serving up free pizza on the early side and the comedy stylings of the Geek Comedy Tour during the second half of the night. There will also be a trivia contest with $500 gift certificates up for grabs. The party is inside the Union... more ›

The morning after seeing Toronto’s Metric, I had a brief water-cooler conversation with a co-worker who had caught the band the last time they rolled through town. “I've always been surprised how quickly that band blew up,” he said. “It seems like they got huge almost overnight.” I nodded in agreement, having seen them fill a 1,200-capacity club the night prior. After giving the matter some thought, however, I realized that Metric’s rise to the... more ›

Photo and review by DCist contributor Valerie Paschall more ›

Maybe it’s always been this way, but it seems the latest trends in indie bands are to either go really big or pare everything down. Examples: The two-person, girl-boy pop duo has exploded, not to mention the two person blues combo. Power trios seem on the rise — run-of-the-mill rhythm guitarists need not apply. On the other side of the spectrum, The Arcade Fire gains a member every time they tour, collectives like Broken Social... more ›

Spring appears to have, er, sprung, at least temporarily, in most of the Ist-A-Verse, so naturally, we're all feeling pretty good. (Yes, we know that spring doesn't officially start till later this month. Just let us enjoy our weather!) And that makes us that much more eager to share all of the nifty things we're up to... Over at Sampaist, spring has more than sprung: it's sweltering! But, as everyone knows, museums are an ideal... more ›

It's a slow beginning to the week as every venue in our purview seems to be dark Monday and Tuesday, but it'll give us all a good chance to refuel before the '07 concert season kicks into high-gear later this week. If you've got any tips for musical destinations this week, particularly tonight and tomorrow, let us know in the comments. WEDNESDAY >> Emily Haines of Broken Social Scene and Metric comes to the 9:30... more ›

MONDAY >> While DCist tries not to be in the habit of taunting our readership too much, we would be remiss in not mentioning My Morning Jacket’s sold out show at the 9:30 club. The Kentucky band is notable for their innovative take on rock as much as their legendary live shows. Self-described avant-rock trio The Slip will be opening. Best of luck to those of you now scanning Craigslist for tickets. >> Alternatively, two... more ›

Despite knowing her ethereal voice from Stars and Broken Social Scene, we weren't terribly excited for Amy Millan's solo performance at the Black Cat on Saturday. From listening to her debut solo album, Honey frrom the Tombs, we already knew that her music 1. would be more alt-country than mood-rock and 2. would be much quieter and less dynamic than her more high-profile groups. We were only semi-right on both accounts. While she certainly brought... more ›

On Tuesday, the American -ists will be celebrating democracy and hitting the polls, letting politicians know what they really think. It just made us wonder: if it were up to the -ist-a-verse, what would we be voting for? Londonist votes for better skincare, alternative spaces for art, cute little birds and the men who keep them, and concrete. Lots of concrete. Shanghaiist votes for one of the Bee Gees and Air Supply (it's a double-ticket),... more ›

MONDAY >> Tucson's Calexico will be at the 9:30 Club in support of their new album Garden Ruin, along with Toronto-based singer/songwriter and Broken Social Scene alum Jason Collett. Tickets, running $15, are still available, but even if you can't make it, fear not: Calexico seem destined to be featured on every soundtrack to every indie film released in the next 2 years. Doors at 7:30, show starts at 8:45 p.m. >> While Echo and... more ›

Along with lilac and hyacinth, the sweet sweet smell of summer concerts is in the air. Here's a breakdown of some exciting dates so far. >> Belle & Sebastian, Broken Social Scene & Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Merriweather, July 8. If you're interested, the belle tix presale started today. Tickets go on sale en masse this Saturday at 10 a.m., via Ticketmaster or the Merriweather or 9:30 Club box offices. >> Wolfmother's been doing their... more ›

Behold the power of Broken Social Scene (and constant touring). When Feist made her first stop in town last May she played to a half-full room at the Black Cat opening for British Sea Power. A few more stops through town in '05 and a mere eight months later she is headlining the Cat and sold it out to boot. The crowd inside was a mix of hipsters and um...people that don't go to many... more ›

It's a pretty slow Monday in the District, so watch 24, talk about how boring the Superbowl ads were, and prepare for an invasion of the sounds of 90s television over the course of the coming week. TUESDAY >> Got metal? The Giraffes play the Cat tonight with Skeleton Key and promise "pure metal joy," and lots and lots of volume. 9 p.m. on the backstage, $7. >> For the parents in the readership, Barney... more ›

Before delving into the week's picks, we want to point out a couple of hurricane benefits that are happening this week. This Thursday, come out and support musicians affected by hurricane Katrina. The State Theater in Falls Church hosts the Hell or High Water Benefit, featuring the legendary Chuck Brown. Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door, with all proceeds benefitting the MusiCares Katrina Fund. 7 p.m. If you're feeling philanthropic as... more ›

The fall lineups are filling in, and it's looking like a nice autumnal concert season for indie fans, all kicked off by the perfectly free Operation: Ceasefire mass gig on the mall September 24th. Sadly, most of the other highlights require tickets, and it falls to DCist to bring you the hottest of the hott. Watch D.C.'s own (for the moment) Bob Mould, sometime Blowoff DJ and indie rock icon, as he returns to the... more ›

MONDAY: >> Local indie rockers The Bonapartes and high school group Sid Space (despite their youth, we hear good things) are at the Galaxy Hut in Arlington. Free! TUESDAY: >> The Lucksmiths, who play twee-ish guitar pop straight outta Australia, come to DC9. Check out an mp3 here. Ladybug Transistor opens. $10. WEDNESDAY: >> iPod DJ Night, now officially over a year old and still going strong, is downstairs at Saint Ex this evening. THURSDAY:... more ›