Armed with some outstanding new material, and having grown into a more confident and capable live performer than she was her previous local appearances, Sharon Van Etten enthralled a capacity crowd at the Black Cat on Saturday night, showcasing the vocal gifts and evocative songcraft that have made her one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters in independent music. more ›

One of Whitney Houston's last memorable performances took place at DAR Constitution Hall in 1997. It was also the last time the troubled diva would take the stage in the District. more ›

Jeff Magnum made his long-awaited return to a D.C. stage on Friday and Saturday, and his memorable, mostly solo-acoustic performance was worth the wait. more ›

Long Island’s Twin Sister have deftly perched themselves on a fine line between kitschy pastische and artful eclecticism, forging a distinctive and winsome musical aesthetic which they put on convincing display at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Monday night. Currently touring behind their first full-length record, In Heaven, the quintet delivered a dynamic performance that affirmed their place amongst the most promising young bands on the current indie scene. more ›

Best known as a late addition to indie-rock “supergroup” The New Pornographers, and before that as a member of Victoria, BC-based indie-rock outfit Immaculate Machine, Kathryn Calder has embarked on a burgeoning solo career over the past couple of years. more ›

Moby may be the world's best-known mild-mannered electronica star, but his friendly disposition and strict vegan diet couldn't possibly save him from what some Capitol Hill residents wanted to inflict upon him after a weekend concert at RFK. more ›

Their most recent release may be titled Hello Sadness and their sense of humor may be nihilistic, but Los Campesinos!' dedicated following still pogoed their way around the Black Cat. more ›

For the better part of two decades, The Sea and Cake's records have been so consistently, if unspectacularly, good that it's easy to take them a bit for granted. Yet each of the band's live shows seems to come as a welcome reminder of why they stood at the forefront of Chicago's vital, cross-pollinated post-rock scene of the 1990s. more ›

The term "short and sweet" was an all-too-apt description of EMA's blistering five-song set at the 9:30 Club on Monday night. more ›

Wild Flag's D.C. debut back in March was already one of the most riveting local shows of the year, but the indie-rock "supergroup" arguably managed to top it during Thursday night's return engagement. more ›

In a city known for transience, Wild Flag's Mary Timony is a rara avis: a D.C. native who still calls the city home. We talked with Timony about her love for the District, her dream local show and her various projects in advance of Wild Flag's sold-out show at the Black Cat. more ›

One of our favorite live acts, Baltimore's Double Dagger is calling it quits after nine years. We talked with bassist Bruce Willen on the mark they've left and the celebratory tone of their final shows. more ›

The label "1990s revivalists" follows Yuck around inexorably, sometimes an epithet, often a term of endearment, always an apt descriptor for their retro-leaning indie-rock sound. At the Black Cat on Wednesday night, the London-based four-piece wore it as a badge of honor, more ›

Deer Tick's John McCauley started his musical career like so many other performers: as a teenager with a solo act and a larger vision of what was to come. Members have come and gone, but the DIY ethos that started with McCauley distributing homemade cassettes and CDs as he criss-crossed the country remains intact. more ›

D.C. natives Trans Am remain a potent and versatile live band capable of quoting from a wide array of styles and genres -- a fine compliment to the droning noise-rock instrumentals of The Psychic Paramount and the usual antics of Les Savy Fav at the 9:30 Club last Friday. more ›

As he did while fronting Pavement during their 2010 reunion tour, Stephen Malkmus once again passed over D.C. in favor of Maryland. But it was worth the trip. more ›

When they're not recording in an empty school in their native Catskills, The Felice Brothers adhere to a relentless touring schedule. We caught up with fiddle player Greg Farley on the road before the band heads to the Black Cat tonight. more ›

Always an acoustically superb and visually striking place to see a show, the 800-seat Sixth & I Historic Synagogue felt like a more intimate venue than usual on Tuesday night as Laura Marling effortlessly engaged a rapt capacity crowd with her poignant songcraft and endearing stage presence. more ›

If, as has often been argued, pastiche is one of the defining features of "postmodern" culture, then Girls is a band that is very much of the times despite its decidedly retro-leaning sounds. more ›

After days of unrelenting rain, people looking for an excuse to take off their shirts found one in this year's Virgin Mobile FreeFest, a newly minted end-of-summer tradition at Merriweather Post Pavilion. more ›

Former folk-rock wunderkind Conor Oberst has grown into a institution unto himself, playing in a diverse array of musical projects with a host of prominent collaborators, running two record labels, and presiding over a legion of fans so fervently devoted that novelist Jonathan Franzen likened it to "religion without the bullshit of religious dogma." more ›

Electro-pop outfit Digitalism has evolved over the last seven years from a techno-heavy prog-dance group to one with a synth-saturated sound. At either end of the spectrum, they're a rave and festival mainstay. more ›

The 9:30 Club was packed on Saturday morning for the fourth annual Girls Rock! DC Camper Showcase. Eleven bands and two DJ teams showed off their new musical skills and rocked the stage for well over two hours. more ›

Junior League Band, joined by Kingsley Flood and Typefighter, will be putting on an all local, down-home, full-throttle show at the 9:30 Club Saturday night. more ›

Another summer, another Fort Reno in the books. Our images from this year's finale, including a look at the many, many faces of Ian MacKaye. more ›

Towards the end of the night, it started to feel like a last man standing match between Gang Gang Dance and the audience. After a late start (the band didn't hit the stage until after 11) and pummeling the crowd with its blend of fusion dance, few were left on their feet as the room emptied just before midnight. more ›

Eleanor Friedberger, best known as being one half of the Fiery Furnaces, brough a set of rocking, classic pop-inspired gems to the Black Cat on Tuesday night. more ›

Over the course of dozens of interviews with many of the District's most talented jazz artists, it becomes clear that one attribute that separates D.C.'s jazz scene from those of other cities is the sense of community among the musicians. On Tuesday night, one of those musicians, saxophonist Elijah Jamal Balbed, is tapping into that community to help with his 15-year-old sister's medical care. more ›