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......

The new record for the longest amount of consecutive days without measurable rainfall at Washington National Airport is scheduled to end later today, as showers and possibly a pretty heavy thunderstorm are predicted for this afternoon. But CapitalWeather.com says this rain event won't be enough to make a dent in the area's drought, as the rain will be short-lived and the amounts modest for the most part. Still, it's been a while since you had......

>> Right there is the Laura Sessions Stepp Credo: Laura doesn't "get it" so the "social culture" is broken. [DCeiver] >> Don't miss the ABC News coverage of the 5-year anniversary of the D.C.-area sniper shooting spree. What do you think of Lee Boyd Malvo's apology? [ABC News] >> Oh c'mon, don't you get it? Kids can say they're going to "The Library" and not be lying! It's totally hilarious. [Free Ride] >> Regarding......

Okay, so we've already given Brooklyn's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah a less than stellar live review and sufficiently curbed our enthusiasm when they announced two November dates at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Fortunately for the band, our lukewarm opinions hardly affected their ticket sales, as both dates have been sold out for weeks. Unfortunately for fans of the band (including some DCist staffers), the dates were so popular that both were actually oversold,......

The folks at the Rock and Roll Hotel sure know how to get us interested in something. They sent out an email last night saying tickets will go on sale July 20th for a "blog favorite" band who will be playing two nights at H Street venue. The email added "Hint: The name of the band is has something to do with applauding and a greeting." While "Yeah" isn't really a greeting, our guess is......

It was a night of long band names at the Black Cat's Backstage on Thursday, with Missouri's Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin and Chicago's Chin Up Chin Up. We've written about both bands before, and the place was sold out, something we don't see too often, aside from Beck. Statisticians would argue that us writing about them --> sold out show is not a causal relationship, but we're glad both bands are getting some......

Perhaps lost amid the swell of activity related to this week's DAM!fest is tomorow night's performance by The National at the Black Cat. The National rose to prominence in 2005 behind their fourth album Alligator, which Uncut Magazine called "Their first masterpiece." Bloggers fawned, mainstream media followed suit and soon The National were on the tips of indie rock loving tongues all over the country. Except, perhaps, in Washington D.C. Despite the band being......

We've been waiting for the official V Fest details for a little while now. We'd gotten hints that the September 23 affair at Pimlico would include The Raconteurs, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and more. All of those: confirmed. Here's the full lineup: Bands The Red Hot Chili Peppers; The Who; The Killers; Flaming Lips; The Raconteurs; Gnarls Barkley; Scissor Sisters; Keane; Thievery Corporation; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah;......

A few weeks ago, we told you about the cumulating evidence that Virgin Mobile will be bringing its popular European music festival, V Fest, to the states. The formal announcement has been made: The creators of England's phenomenally successful Virgin Festival will be announcing the debut of the American version. The Virgin Festival By Virgin Mobile will be held at Pimlico Race Course, home of the Preakness Stakes, in Baltimore, Maryland on September 23, 2006.......

Over the past several years, the dynamics of music marketing and promotion -- both locally and nationally -- have drastically shifted under the tectonic changes in the old school music industry and its marketing institutions. Corporate radio playlists by the likes of Clear Channel have done away with diversity on the airwaves, while the once-novel MTV is hardly an option to sort through new music. Today’s music connoisseurs often resort to digital downloading both legal......

Put Your Hands on Standby NYC blog rockers Clap Your Hands Say Yeah made a few ripples through DCist the last time they came to town. Have they honed their live show any more since the last time around? Or, as some people would say, learned to play their songs yet? These observations and more will be yours to make on March 8 as they play the 9:30 Club. Tickets are available through the CYHSY......

Brooklyn's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah have spent the bulk of 2005 as this year's model of the Indie Rock Critical Darling. Their self-titled debut album -- itself a lean and mean platter of exuberant pop -- found its way into the marketplace with backing from several of the more respected MP3 blogs and critical acclaim from Rolling Stone, who put them on their Hot List earlier this year. From there, the raves were amplified......

Monday: >> Over at Black Cat there's a Pitchfork friendly line up of mid-tempo, indie folk, with John Vanderslice, Portastatic, and Brandon Butler. There's sure to be some quality balladeering, but you'll probably want to hit the 14th Street Caribou for some caffeine beforehand. $10. >> As for us, DCist is going to see The Sentiment at DC9. They're loud, they're fun, and they let you jump on stage. On a Monday, this is what......

Chances are you've already seen or heard the Robbers on High Street but just don't know it. The band has been through D.C. a handful of times in the last two years, supporting artists like Fountains of Wayne, The Sleepy Jackson, Ambulance LTD and VHS or Beta. They've been the house band on Last Call With Carson Daly and also had songs featured on The Wedding Crashers Soundtrack as well as Six Feet Under......

>> Everybody loves a bargain. Sign up for the 9:30 Club e-mail list and catch all the fun of two shows this weekend for half the price. Let The Force be with you on Friday night with Jedi Mind Tricks, or get your crush-worthy lead singer fix with Will Hoge, Army of Me and friends-of-DCist Bicycle Thieves on Saturday. >> Canadian indie rock: it's so hot right now. The New Pornographers have been luring......