The folks at DC9 like The Republic Tigers. The Kansas City quintet were at the 9th Street club in April, and the club liked them so much they brought them back for Friday's Liberation Dance Party. The band, which appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman the day before, plays atmospheric, sometimes epic indie rock with electronic flourishes. Their great single, "Buildings and Mountains", sounds a bit like Travis or Grandaddy, while "Feelin' the......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: The Third Man The AFI continues to please with yet another showing of an absolute must-see classic. Last week it was The 400 Blows, and this week it's three showings of Carol Reed's gripping British noir, The Third Man. Based on a story and a screenplay by Graham Greene, the movie is a study in......

MONDAY >> Those looking to kick the month off with a bang might be out of luck, as it looks like there's not a whole lot going down tonight. Still, it's not a total wash, as all the usual suspects — the Black Cat, DC9, the Velvet Lounge and the Rock and Roll Hotel — will have their bars open and waiting for the District's disillusioned masses. >> DJ Jahsonic has a new Monday night......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Romance & Cigarettes John Turturro's third film as a director is the sort that seems tailor made to become a cult classic. Not nearly polished or glamorous enough to be the sort of Broadway to big screen musical hit that Chicago or Hairspray was, it was too oddball to fit into the heads of most......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: War/Dance Sometimes you need an antidote before the poison even arrives. Next week Hollywood releases yet another of those diabetic-shock-inducing films about musically gifted youngsters and how they can be an inspiration to us all, designed to make soccer moms everywhere weep into their hankies. One week prior to that, though, comes a documentary from......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Control Live fast, die young. The two most important rules to follow for rock 'n' roll immortality. We suppose having great music probably helps, too. Ian Curtis followed those rules, and enjoys a massive cult following nearly three decades after his death. Maybe "enjoys" is the wrong word. As the years have passed and Joy......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Lake of Fire Michael Moore may have grabbed all the press where high profile documentaries are concerned, but it's Tony Kaye's Lake of Fire that is being quietly talked about as the most powerful documentary of the year. Which is remarkable considering its subject is one of the most talked about and analyzed issues on......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: D.C. Labor FilmFest Strictly speaking, the D.C. Labor FilmFest isn't a repertory festival, but with over half of their programming falling into that category, plus a dedicated retrospective to the great Ken Loach, we'll go ahead and shoehorn it into the category this week. The festival is put on by the Washington Metro Council of......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: The Darjeeling Limited By now, five features into his career, it's likely you already have a strong opinion on Wes Anderson. Despite his tendency to borrow liberally from his own film and literary heroes, from Kubrick to Fitzgerald to the entire French New Wave, a Wes Anderson film feels like a Wes Anderson film from......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Into the Wild Annandale native Chris McCandless had just graduated from Emory University in 1990 when he donated his substantial life's savings to charity and set out on the road under the name of "Alexander Supertramp." His highly publicized disappearance ended two years later when his body was found in the Alaskan wilderness, and the......

MONDAY >> They put it pretty well themselves, and since it's all about them anyway, we're just going to repeat what the Black Cat had to say about their anniversary party tonight: "After 14 years of pouring you guys drinks, then picking up the glasses, working the doors, and sweeping the floors, we've decided that it's time to dedicate a night to ourselves. Black Cat staff bands, staff DJs, and staffers will be hanging out......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Repertory: Lawrence of Arabia David Lean's epic telling of the story of T.E. Lawrence's time in the Middle East, and leadership of the WWI Arab Revolt is regarded as one of the greatest achievements in cinema. The......

MONDAY >> The City Veins are a strong local outfit that's been making their debut around town over the course of the past few months. They just formed in March and are already more mature and ready to bring the rock than a lot of bands with a lot more stage time. And hey, they have a blog! See what you're missing tonight at Solly's Tavern on U Street. 10 p.m. >> Do you......

Written by Buy Indie's Vince Wadhwani It's easy to justify going to an independent clothing boutique to find a unique outfit. After all, who wants to walk into a bar wearing the same thing as everyone else? But when it comes to our housewares and hardware, the equation often becomes a lot less complicated. Though you may not find a pink toolbelt over at the Home Depot, you also won't find too many people fretting......

DCist's highly subjective and hardly comprehensive guide to the most interesting movies playing around town in the coming week. Indie: Sunshine A group of astronauts are on a suicide mission to save a dying Sun, lest the earth perish as well. While it may sound like a plot suitable for Michael Bay's Armageddon 2: Bigger and Hotter, in the hands of director Danny Boyle (Trainspotting) and his 28 Days Later screenwriter, Alex Garland, it may......

The Rock and Roll Hotel last night was not a crowded place. By all estimations, Frog Eyes should be drawing in a much larger crowd than they are. They adhere to a number of key categories: Canadian? Check. Indie? Check. Animal-themed name? Check. Frontman who's voice cracks? Check. Female drummer? check. Where they are lacking in fans, though, they are exceeding in super-fans. There were a number of intensely loyal fans breaking it down and......

MONDAY As we've said before: F.W. Thomas Performances rock, but credit curator and MC Adam Mazmanian—he aims to prove it. Tonight, it’s the Rock and Roll Edition of DC’s premiere reading series, featuring John Sellers reading from his new book (Perfect From Now On: How Indie Rock Saved My Life), Glenn Dixon discussing the secret porn of Christian rock, artist Mike Lowery emitting delightful odors, and Mazmanian himself, who’ll give rock gestures the Francois Delsarte......

MONDAY >> Anthony Pirog's (one of our recent Three Stars artists) many music outlets are coming together tonight at Iota. Head to Arlington's cozy club to hear rock music from The Bang. With Le Loup. $10, 8:30 p.m. >> Mark Mallman, Twin Cities veteran and spastic-rock-showman-turned-synth-pop-afficianado, plays DC9 with fellow Minneapolis rockers the Honeydogs in one of the week's best bargains. 8 bucks gets you a whole lot of rock and probably some ringing eardrums......

If you ask around, you’ll find a fair share of people who offer Fullerton, California’s Cold War Kids much affection. If your thing is fluid melodies, for instance, or taut pop hooks, you won’t find them in their repertoire. Their music could fairly be called repetitive. If you dressed sexy enough, I certainly wouldn’t kick you out of bed for calling them derivative. Some think their decision to release a full-length record distilled from previously......

Driving down I-81 in central Virginia earlier this year, we heard something we haven't heard in awhile: a radio station playing good music. This, and the announcement of "eco-station" 94.7 the Globe got us thinking: why doesn't D.C. have a good independent music station? Other big cities have great listener-supported music stations, like KEXP in Seattle and WFMU in New York, and many other cities have decent student-run college stations. But D.C. has neither. About......

>>A CNN/Gallup Poll released today reports that "100% of D.C.-Metro area residents" agree that they "like things that are great." Okay. There's no such poll. We're just giddy that after two-plus years of trying, we finally uncovered a local issue that we all agree on: following Vincent Orange into a redevelopment abyss over the Capital City Market is a bad idea. Further developments on the story shall be noted. >> Imminent show cancellation alert!......

Monday >> Not every band can pull off the feat of traveling with and playing a turn of the century Vittrolio Grammaphone, playing the saw, or convincing you that the theramin is a real instrument. But Portland band Norfolk and Western seem to be bear this burden with ease and a bit of quirk. This band plays a mix of folksy, whimsical and occassionaly dark rock music, using an eclectic array of instruments and revolving......

We know that rock 'n' roll has now been around long enough to be the subject of serious academic study. We can accept college level classes devoted to the cultural impact of punk, the influence of the artistic fringe on the work of the Velvet Underground, and the inventive and complex harmonies in the collected work of the Beatles. But doesn't there have to be a line somewhere? What I really want to know is......

MONDAY >> Indie rock heroes Built to Spill and Camper Van Beethoven will be headlining the 9:30 Club for two nights in a row. Show up early and check out a band with a name only graphic designers could love. $20. >> No joke: The members of The Station Myth are all named Daniel. Well, that's what their Web site says, anyway. You can ask them about it at the Velvet Lounge tonight, where they'll......

After last year’s WaPo Best Bet winners turned out to include an un-hip number of national chain stores and discount outlets, the organizers made some changes to the categories. The changes were designed to draw out the local spots and independent retailers that locals cherish. Categories like “Neighborhood Spot” and “Vintage/Thrift Store” were positively begging for an increased hipster presence in the poll. The 2006 Bets are out, and while peppered with Washington-based establishments, many......

Today we kick off "Buying Indie," a new series about local and independent businesses written by Vince Wadhwani, the brain behind Buy Indie. Every now and then he'll feature a new business, observing only one rule — it must be local, it must be independent. You don't often see soccer fans heading in groups to the hair salon, so at first the sight may seem strange. But then, just before they get to the......

Good afternoon, boys and girls. We've been talking about the Six Points Music Festival for some time now, and it's finally upon us. Consider it your duty to take advantage of this festival in your own back yard, and pick from one of the many showcases of local talent going on this week. We'll pick out a few of our favorites, but any show on the roster would be worthwhile. MONDAY >> You may have......

This week's agenda written by DCist Contributor Chris Snyder. With the arrival of the new year comes a reflection on the past and the anticipation of what lies ahead. Similarly, this week in music offers both a chance to experience some classic rock remixed and a sneak peak at some rising stars. MONDAY: >> Start your week off on a high note by catching former Yes bassist , Chris Squire, and newly added drummer Alan......

FRIDAY >> We've long been fans of John Hodgman, the "former professional literary agent" turned "professional writer" who doles out "advice" in his regular column in McSweeney's (and occassional appearances on This American Life). Tonight Hodgmania will take hold at Warehouse Theater, as the writer reads from his new book, The Areas of My Expertise, a sort of compendium of completely made-up "history" and "facts." Listen to Hodgman read the 700 Hobo Names You Requested......

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......