Written and photographed by Martin Locraft more ›

After Neil Young’s wife Pegi concluded her opening set, while the stage crew arranged a myriad of guitars in a circle in the middle of the Constitution Hall stage, a portly man in a bright red blazer and straw hat worked on a painting of a horse towards the back of the stage. Later on, he came back to paint the words “The Loner” in the top right corner, and placed it on an... 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 ›

It looks like I.M.P., the Montgomery County-based company that runs the 9:30 Club and Merriweather Post Pavilion, hasn't given up on opening a Silver Spring music hall. In September, we wrote that concert producer and venue owner Live Nation had signed a non-binding letter of intent to put a Fillmore music hall in the old J.C. Penney store at Georgia Avenue and Colesville Road in Silver Spring, across from the AFI Silver Theater. Both the... more ›

It’s been a few years since the Pope of Mope has graced the District with his presence—four three to be exact—and in the meantime, many of us have managed to see him play in other nearby locales. As a matter of fact, a few DCist staffers caught the Moz’s Halloween show in Baltimore, at the relatively intimate Ram’s Head Live—a date that was rescheduled due to Morrissey’s string of cancellations this past July. While... more ›

We're a little short-staffed today, so if you've got any picks to add for this weekend, please leave them in the comments. FRIDAY >> This weekend the Uptown Theater is playing the final cut of everybody's favorite movie about replicants running amock, and young Darryl Hannah being super sci-fi hot, Blade Runner. >> If an apocalyptic future isn't exactly what you're in the mood for, try on Seattle's dream folk rockers, Band of Horses, for... more ›

Ryan Adams is famously: prolific, eccentric, smart, currently-sober, a very hip New Yorker, unpredictable and a little nuts. That said, nobody knows what they're going to get when attending a Ryan Adams concert. Last night at DAR Constitution Hall, the alt-country musician gave the audience musical perfection and a heaping helping of tension. Ryan Adams and his band, The Cardinals, unassumingly took the stage to a half-empty room about an hour after the show... more ›

>> Tonight is the annual 17th Street High Heel Race. The classic D.C. drag event kicks off officially at 9 p.m., but you'll want to take your position on 17th St. NW between Church and R well before that (we'd recommend 7 at the latest). If you're looking to make a queer night of it, don't forget about the Hug-In planned at the U Street Rite Aid at 7 p.m., and the pre-Hug-In Happy Hour... more ›

A rainy Friday night was enlivened by the return of hometown heroine (and Richard Montgomery High alumni — Go, uhm…Rockets! Right? Y’all are the Rockets?) Tori Amos, who took to the DAR Constitution Hall armed with her giant black Bösendorfer piano, her touring band, and a new record. That record, American Doll Posse, is an odd sort of concept album revolving around a bunch of different characters that Amos invented, costumed, and, I believe, even... more ›

MONDAY >> Were you out of town this weekend, wishing you were home soaking in the goodness that was the DAM! Festival? Fear not. Tonight there is one more show, and it happens to be the festival's biggest. The chanteuse to give all other indie chanteuses a run for their money, Cat Power, is taking the 9:30 Club stage with the Dirty Delta Blues, and a little help from openers Childballads. $25 or your... more ›

In our continuing effort to pay for things around the office, we'd like to take a moment to thank the advertisers on DCist this week: Zipcar, providing multiple, easy locations to get a car. Bookfest 2007 at the Library of Congress, did you know First Lady Laura Bush is one of the hosts? Morrissey, who is coming to DAR Constitution Hall on November 2. Did you get your tickets? Busted Tees because everyone needs some... more ›

We love D.C., but we know it's not perfect. Is there something you think we're missing? Let us know. I don't want quibble to with Graham's review of last Friday's Arcade Fire show, or the generally positive blogospheric reaction to the concert. I was in attendance, too, and thought the band put on a solid performance of its impressively powerful catalog. I left satisfied, if a little disappointed that the night hadn't been as awe-inspiring... more ›

I’m struggling to remember from point A to point B: I first saw Arcade Fire in a Midwestern college town, right on the heels of the release of Funeral, before their official anointment by every critic in North America. The show had to move from a smaller café to a bigger bar because of ticket demand, but, even still, no more than 70 people showed up. The next time I saw them, in a sold out rock club, the questioning was just beginning: Can they follow this up? Can they put together another great album? more ›

MONDAY >> A year ago, Rolling Stone called The Whigs one of ten bands to watch and "the best unsigned band in America." The Athens, GA trio has since been taking their pure rock-and-roll on the road in support of Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, winning comparisons to the Replacements, the Strokes, REM, and the Drive-By Truckers along the way. The break hasn't come yet, but we've got a feeling it could... more ›

There isn’t much to criticize about a show that is packaged so neatly, so near perfect in sound quality, and inclusive of all of the right elements, that listeners go home feeling happy and fulfilled. The Shins' set last night at DAR Constitution Hall was just that. They performed a mixed batch of songs from all of their past albums for the fans who bobbed up and down in their seats, hesitant at first but... more ›

Monday >> You can be fairly certain that when a rapper takes a stagename that is a play on Hawthorne, you're going to be dealing with a hip-hop experience concerned with more than just the next glass of Courvoiseir. Hesta Prynn and her cohorts in Northern State take the Black Cat backstage with Bitch and the Exciting Conclusion, the new project from half of the fantastic Bitch & Animal. This ought to be a mainstage... more ›

Monday >> The hordes will flock to DAR Constitution Hall this Monday night to mark the return of Death Cab to D.C. with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. They recently added a second, Tuesday night show, but feel free to take your pick, as tickets are still available for both days. $34, 8 p.m. >> It’s black Monday in the district, as the nominal antithesis of the White Stripes, The Black Keys, complete another 2-day... more ›

MONDAY >> New York's Teenage Prayers offer up a sound that leans heavily on the best kind of influences -- from Solomon Burke to The Kinks -- to the Red and the Black tonight. Should be just the right kind of band for this intimate venue. $8. TUESDAY >> The last time Art Brut came to town, DCist Kyle said, "I honestly can't remember the last time I had so much fun at a rock... more ›

So, apparently it rained last night...A tornado touched down in Severna Park, Maryland. The Post says that according to area utility companies, 30,000 customers across Maryland, Virginia and the District lost power last night. I know my Internet is out; can I blame the storm? In other news, today is the 116th birthday of Rock Creek Park: check out the National Park Service's list of activities celebrating the District's very own nature-y goodness. District Teen... more ›

MONDAY >>West Coast represent! Hailing from Los Angeles, the five-man hip hop collective Jurassic 5 will be bringing their easy-to-swallow beats to the 9:30 Club with the Brooklyn-based X-Clan. $25.00, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY >> Three Stars alums The Roosevelt (***) might play some tunes off their upcoming EP when they rock DC9 with The Subjects and NOVA's very own The Beanstalk Library. Support your local "The" bands. $8. >> Dave Grohl returns to the city... more ›

This week we saw more and more news on church parking, took a look inside the District's restaurants, tried to find the region's cheapest gas and celebrated the nation's interstate system. We talked to Deleted Scenes and Alec Gross and the Districts, found some great roast beef, analyzed the region's ubersexuals and took a stab at Jenna Bush's new hairstyle. We remembered school lunches, reviewed the news in transit, and saw The Strokes at... more ›

The truth is, on the cusp of the 20th and 21st centuries, you’d have been hard-pressed to find many people outside of the 212 area code talking much about a New York City rock “scene.” But when the Strokes emerged in late 2000 to play a pair of dates at the Mercury Lounge and the Bowery Ballroom, it touched off a period during which it often seemed that few could talk about anything else. Coupling stateside word-of-mouth with UK fandom stoked by NME’s weekly need to go into complete apoplexy over a band no one had ever heard of, the Strokes soon became something of a lightning rod, summoning acclaim and backlash in equal measure and in extremis. Music bloggers were sent in to mitigate the nonsensical frenzy of hyping and hating, but they only ended up making the problem much, much worse. In fact, things have gotten so bad now that Axl Rose is actually convinced that hanging out at Misshapes will somehow make his songs better. The sad fact is, he’s probably right. more ›

It's not everyday that you'll see droves of angst-ridden youth and adults marching down 17th St. in unison to DAR Constitution Hall. But last night's lineup of two of the most esteemed bands in indie rock (with openers The Cribs) brought the masses to this seemingly odd choice of venue. Interestingly enough, while the tickets sold out almost immediately, there were plenty of empty seats and many scalpers outside before the show, frantically trying to pawn off what was previously perceived to be in high demand. It's unfortunate for real fans who weren't able to go that those just trying to make some cash robbed them of this opportunity. But if you were one of the few who hung around and picked up a last minute ticket, you got to rock out as Scotland's Franz Ferdinand proved that no matter what song they're playing, you need to dance to it and Death Cab For Cutie brought out the audience's inner Seth Cohens. more ›

MONDAY >> The 9:30 Club has enough hotness going on tonight to shut down for the rest of the week. Luckily, they're not, but tonight will still be one hell of a night for music in its hallowed halls. Kicking things off with the early show are The Sounds, female-fronted Swedish rockers, peddling what we call indie and the rest of the world calls pop, much to the delight of reviewers 'round the Web. Touring... more ›

While most of us here at DCist are still basking in the warm, awesomeness-infused light of Unbuckled, there are a few other things going on in the music world. As we're sure most of you have already heard, the heralds of the hipster era, most commonly known as The Strokes, are bringing their First Impressions of the Earth tour to D.C. Dates have been added to this much anticipated tour slowly, but we finally got our fair share of Fabrizio. The show's at DAR Constitution Hall, so if you didn't get tickets to the Death Cab/Franz Ferdinand show, it's all our fault, and we'd like to make it up to you. Strokes tickets are on sale right now, and the presale password is: yeahrightsucka. In all seriousness, tickets go on sale March 3rd. more ›

A couple of months back we posted information on a pre-sale for tickets to see the Foo Fighters in a special, one night only show at the 9:30 Club. Needless to say, our decision wasn't met with kind words from the band's "real" fans, who proceeded to leave us all types of dirty comments and even went as far as to post the address of yours truly on a 9:30 Club Forum thread. So when... more ›

We already knew that Ben Gibbard is a romantic. Leave it up to him to open up ticket sales to Death Cab's show with Franz Ferdinand (on April 11 at DAR Constitution Hall) on Valentine's Day. I don't know about you, but I think my heart just grew three sizes. At 1 p.m. today, you can go click to click with the rest of the city's hipsters to try and snag a pair of tickets.... more ›

Monday: Thank goodness for Iota, as most of the other clubs in the area are dark tonight. Head to Nearlington to see (The Sounds of) Kaleidoscope's (pictured) brand of noise-pop, with Brandon Butler (ex-Canyon), and Mike Maloney. $10. Alternatively, make a holiday mix-tape. Tuesday: Deleted Scenes are one of a number of local bands to do the catchy, up-tempo, New York rock thing really well. See them Tuesday as they release their new album at... more ›

We successfully sailed the ocean blue and are back with this week's shortened music picks. TUESDAY >> It's an early show/late show kind of night at the 9:30 Club (directions from DCist Maps). Come by at 6 p.m. to catch Anna Nalick, the songstress TV networks love to dramatize commercials with, for $15. Pound a Red Bull and stay for the late show as Blues Traveler gets all your harmonica lovin' ya yas out. $25,... more ›

Now that DCist has a year's worth of material to work with, we can finally start rooting through our dusty archives to find out exactly what was happening on this very day, one year ago. Ok, so it's not exactly what the New York Times has to offer (which includes stories of historical importance, alongside cool black and white pics of the world of yester-decade), but it's something. Starting today, DCist will feature a daily... more ›