Interpol demands intimacy. The almost sexual rhythmic intensity of tracks like "Narc" and the tight treble tweaks of "Success" demand personal attention with a palpable urgency. Paul Banks' stage presence and his cohorts' brooding sound do not arena-rock make. Their tight, angular sound felt lost in the acoustically monstrous DAR, which in turn left the audience regret not seeing them in a more fitting venue like the sonically-superior 9:30 Club. more ›

Monday >> The Starlingtons may not seem like your typical Black Cat band, but they are breaking the boundaries of traditional country/bluegrass. Tonight they’ll be on the back stage with Portland Oregon’s Casey Neill and his own folk/punk rock fusion. 9 p.m., $7. >> In the mood to try something new? Chicago’s post-punk New Harbour has been around for a few years now, but just moved to the District. They’re playing their first show tonight... more ›

Ahhh, summer music festivals. As any music blog reader could tell you, as soon as the ground starts to thaw, they're all the indie kids can talk about. Last year we were all lathered up about getting a mega-fest of our very own (or at least, within reasonable stomping-ground distance). Several DCists embarked upon Pimlico and were pleased to report that the festival was wonderfully organized, accomodating, really well done and... that it just plain rocked. more ›

The first thing we noticed when City-State's first full-length, Monument, arrived is that it looked very professional. Often with local bands the CDs look (and usually are) homemade. There's nothing wrong with that, it's just something that stuck out as a good sign. The CD cover has a picture of Vladimir Tatlin's unbuilt sculpture "Monument to the Third International," one of those things that pops up in architecture books from time to time, superimposed over the Washington Monument in a night photo of D.C. more ›

We really enjoy giving away free stuff, and so apparently do your favorite local bands. That's why we got together with Cedars to arrange for an EP and ticket giveaway to their show tonight with Scotland's the Cinematics and Chicago's the Changes at the Rock and Roll Hotel! Who loves ya? DCist loves ya. more ›

You've read about The Vita Ruins on DCist before. You may have even seen them perform at our 4th Unbuckled concert. When all that buzz was going on about the band, they'd only had a few (literally -- Unbuckled was their third show) performances under their belt. Since then they've built up a reputation that's allowed them quite a bit of luck in booking shows and getting people talking. But the Virginia natives are... more ›

If you managed to stay inside basking in the glow of fluorescent lights and humming computers, congrats. Our informal survey of the city's green spaces indicates that most Washingtonians didn't share your stamina and came up with some excuse to get outside. Whether you were "taking the dog to the vet," "coming down with a touch of the flu" or just dealing with the House's voting malarkey, we now proudly offer "Go Home Already:... more ›

Born from a high school friendship, The Chance is the product of years of tooling around on instruments and mucking with the lineup. As they stand today, the band is Joshua Padgett on lead guitar and vocals, Viraj DeSilva on drums and Finley Martin on bass. The band's gone through several incarnations over the years, but Padgett and DeSilva are the constants. They grew up together, cultivating a friendship and learning how to play. As... more ›

When Telograph (***) played the Six Points Music Festival back in April, they were easily our favorite band in the festival’s Velvet Lounge lineup. We may have compared them to new-wave hipsters Interpol and The Strokes, but Telograph’s great live show made it difficult to categorize them simply as another “it” band. We’re happy to say that their upcoming EP Little Bits of Plastic justifies our initial impression: Telograph is a band to watch. Over... more ›

The agenda's coming in a little late this week, many appologies. Before we get into our picks, we'd like to wish a very happy 5th birthday to Jammin' Java. The Vienna venue that started out small has come far since its beginning, earning acclaim and great acts along the way. Head on out to the 'burbs (and if you take the metro, wear a belt), and pay Jammin' Java a visit sometime this month. Might... more ›

My evening at the Velvet Lounge was off to a rough start. Grating keyboards, an eye-burning smoke machine, and a crowd that was just a bit too crowded for me. I turned to the dark-haired guy standing next to me, on a night when the local band Let’s French was sharing a ticket with three others, and yelled into his ear “Which band is this?” After he told me, I yelled back, “Do you know... more ›

Breaking the law, breaking the law We -ist folks love us some crime, and no misdemeanor is too petty for a post on any of our sites. This week, join us for a rogues' gallery of miscreants major, minor, and alleged. Gothamist gets us started with "Law & Order", muppet style. Oh, you know what isn't a crime? Taking pictures on the MTA. So, why are cops stopping photographers? In other Gotham crime, a... more ›

The seeds for Greenland were planted at William and Mary, where guitarist Jamie and bassist Tony were both part of a band called Captain Kickass. They only played two shows and mostly jammed drunk, but it sparked a collaboration between the two members. Reconnecting a year after college, they began performing in the D.C. area and garnering a lot of praise from critics, musicians, and audiences. more ›

Welcome to Day 2 of February's Three Stars. Yesterday we spent some time with The Hint, tomorrow we'll talk to Shortstack, and today we're featuring The Apparitions. A slight disclaimer before we get started: The Apparitions are not exactly a D.C. band. However, their lead singer lives here and the band held their album release party here last week. Since they're sure to be major presence at local venues in the coming months, we bring... more ›

FRIDAY: >> If your faux pas have lately been spiraling out of control, head over tout suite to Politics & Prose. This evening at 7 p.m. Judith Martin, aka Miss Manners, will be talking about "Miss Manner's Guide to Excruciatingly Exact Behavior," her newly updated book about modern-day etiquette. >> The Dulles Expo Center gets busy today with the weekend-long Sugarloaf Craft Festival. You can buy everything from well-engineered teddy bears to wood art. Check... more ›

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Showing up at the 9:30 Club for the 11:30 Fatboy Slim show -- not a "doors open at 11:30," but an 11:30 show -- we were greeted with a line of people six-wide, stretching two blocks away from the front of the 9:30 Club. OK, we understand that this was the second show of the night (with Interpol playing the earlier one) and they had to clear the club out in between, but we didn't get inside the club 'til midnight, and the show didn't even begin until 12:20 a.m. We can't help but feel that a little bit of foresight would have gotten everyone in and
out of there a little bit faster.

We finally made it into the packed club and made our way immediately to our
favorite spot on the second level, where there's always room to stand with a
clear view of the performance (no, we won't tell you where -- it's our
secret!). We were impressed to note the setup: the regular stage cleared of
equipment and open to concertgoers, with a small square of metal forming a
DJ booth/stage right in the middle of the floor. A large projection screen
hung above the main stage area, upon which computer-generated graphics
undulated throughout the show.

more ›

(Review by DCist guest reviewer Peter Denton) While most indie bands are content to pander to their local constituents and bring the pork home to their narrow fan base, Interpol is following Hillary Clinton’s lead and has their eyes set on breaking through to a national, mainstream audience. Sure, the couture-clad gents from NYC might not be tacking to the center on abortion rights or injecting their songs with overtures to the religious right, but... more ›

It's officially official: The HFStival, which we mentioned earlier was rumored to be taking place on May 14 at M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore, is on. And you know what? We think the line up is pretty sweet (certainly the best in several years, at least): more ›

We ventured to DC9 early Sunday morning for the official Interpol after-party where bassist Carlos D was the guest celebrity DJ for the ElectroTease dance party/avant-guard spectacle. DC9's upper level was packed and the crowd was energized and it was one of the better dance gatherings we've been to in a while. So kudos to ElectroTease, which was "founded by three rebellious uninhibited party girls, disenchanted with the uptight conservative mindset of Washingtonians and the stale lackluster nightlife of our nation's capital," according to its bio. more ›

FRIDAY: >> The circus has come to town! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be having an evening show tonight, 7:30 p.m. at the MCI Center. If you get there 90 minutes early, you can enjoy free entertainment, and during the pre-show Three Ring Adventure, kids can meet performers and pose for photos with the crazy clowns. Tickets can be purchased here. SATURDAY: >> If you're feeling energetic come Saturday AM, why not... more ›

This past January, local radio was turned upside down when, without warning, venerated alternative rock station WHFS was switched into all Spanish salsa, all the time. Though it was widely agreed that WHFS had been on a downward descent -- playing more numetal than interesting independent music -- its loss was still strongly felt in the radio community. Since then, those yearning for an HFS fix could turn to AOL, where the channel has been somewhat resurrected into a streaming online station, and can be heard on Baltimore station Live 105.7 evenings and overnight. But the most important question of all still remained: What about the HFStival?! more ›

MONDAY: >> For $15 at the 9:30 Club, you can check out the Next Big Thing Out of Sweden (TM): The Soundtrack of Our Lives, who play Beatle-esque tunes and have a clean, poppy sound. With The Dears. TUESDAY: >> Time for some more 90s-era musical nostalgia: influential Kentucky post-rockers Slint have reformed and are back on the road, hitting the 9:30 Club this evening for $25. WEDNESDAY: >> Three fun options tonight: There's whimsical... more ›

Now that the Arcade Fire afterglow is starting to wear off, we here at DCist have begun to think about other music. (No, and not just Interpol. Ok, perhaps a little.) The Washington Area Music Association's annual awards show, the "Wammies," is coming up, and they were nice enough to throw some free tickets in our direction. more ›

Sorry to lump the music stuff all on top of one another, but we've got some pretty good news for you: Everbody's preferred dark, moody, sonic, etc., indie rockers Interpol have announced two nights at the 9:30 Club on March 25 and 26. No openers have been announced, but hometown favorites Q and Not U are opening on other dates of their tour, so we'll keep our fingers crossed. The presale happens this Friday. more ›

Bummed that you couldn't get tickets to the sold-out Interpol show tonight? Fear no longer, intrepid concert goers, because the D.C. scene is offering up something much more interesting. more ›

DCist usually laments the state of shows here in the nation�s capital. Often passed over for the bigger markets of Philadelphia or New York, the D.C. never seems to get a fair shake when it comes to the concerts that all the cool kids wanna go to. It�s so unfair! We have some great musical venues; when are we going to get a steady influx of good live bands? Well, it seems the times, they... more ›