By DCist contributor Sarah Sherman more ›

MONDAY >> Three Stars alums The Chance and J. Forté + the Secret Pop Band, D.C.'s favorite lofi power-poppers, are playing a great double-bill (bothThree Stars veterans) at the Black Cat Backstage. 9 p.m. $6. TUESDAY >> Yet another revival of West Side Story comes to Wolf Trap and stays there until Sunday. Apparently it's the 50th anniversary. 8 p.m. with matinée shows at 2 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. $18-68. WEDNESDAY >> The Rock... more ›

FRIDAY: >> It may be that we've simply gotten so, so, so many press releases about The Horrors show tonight at the Rock and Roll Hotel, and we've been beaten into submission to mention it. Give the punky-garage rock revivalists a chance for $12 at 8:30 p.m., and let us know if they're worth all the fuss. Seattle's Schoolyard Heroes open, plus locals Scanner Freaks. >> One of the most anticipated new hip hop albums... more ›

When we arrived at Adams Morgan bar Felix last Tuesday to catch a Justin Jones show, we found Jones himself standing in the doorway as Felix's de facto bouncer. "Can I see some I.D.?" asked the stubbled 27-year-old. Then, with a wry grin and a "Nah, I'm just messing with you," Jones waved us inside. Offstage, it's tough to tell when Jones is just messing with you. Which is ironic, because as soon as he... more ›

Six Points is underway! We imparted the general DCist wisdom about the bands participating in the first weekend last week, so we're doing it again as the festival draws to a close. Have you been to any shows so far? Planning on going to any? What did you think? Thursday, 4/19 at DC9 Way back in 2005, DCist Tom had this to say about Lejeune: "...it's the half-surf tones of Matthew Richardson's clean, delayed hollowbody... more ›

We can't promise you'll enjoy yourselves as much as these guys, but here are a few picks for this Tuesday night. >> Ben Katchor, a multi-talented performer, artist and author, comes to D.C. tonight with a presentation that "elevates the slide show to a form of performance art." We've seen some pretty good slide shows, but Katchor's work, which includes fantastical takes on everyday life, has drawn rave reviews. In fact, he was the... more ›

On Wednesday night, Middle Distance Runner (one of DCist's favorite bands) played a successful show at Arlene's in Brooklyn with The Sketches, Fools & Horses, and Justin Jones. The show only happened by the grace of The Sketches and their borrowed equipment, because earlier that day MDR was greeted by a very unpleasant scene: While parked in front of an elementary school in Brooklyn, sometime between 1:00pm and 5:00pm (the middle of the day), someone... more ›

MONDAY >>Two turntables and a…slide rule? If you thought nerdcore hip-hop was isolated to Weird Al’s latest hit, you were wrong. Two of the genre’s best known artists, Optimus Rhyme and MC Frontalot, bring in tha geekiness to The Red & The Black tonight. What better way to gear up for the new Transformers movie than by listening to someone rap about it? $8 >>School’s in after summer, and Alice Cooper is taking a break... more ›

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... more ›

Tonight's the night, folks. Come join us this evening at DC9 if you can, where $6 gets you the music, the free stuff, and the chance to see us all drink beer and dance. Yesterday, Olivia Mancini answered a few questions for us about herself and her band; today we're very pleased to bring you a short question and answer session with The Hard Tomorrows, who'll be finishing the show off tonight. So, tell... more ›

This week in music, love is in the air and reality TV invades the District. MONDAY >> Kick off your week with the GZA and the RZA as the Wu Tang Clan works the 9:30 Club tonight, Shaolin style. If you weren’t able to get tickets to the earlier sold out show, a second later set has been added as part of the ODB Tribute Tour for $50 a ticket. First show -- 7 p.m.... more ›

In yesterday's first installment of January Three Stars, you met Hello Tokyo. Today we're covering local guitarist/singer Mike Holden, and tomorrow we'll round things out with Ris Paul Ric (aka Chris Richards). Mike Holden We saw Mike Holden play this past Friday at Revolution Records, where he was promoting his EP, Level, alongside Sara Kryscio. His music is equal parts rock and folk. The guitar playing is mostly in the folk sphere, and his vocals... more ›

FRIDAY: >> The Avalon Theatre is hosting Prism 2005: The New Cinema of Serbia and Montenegro through Sunday, and tonight at 7 p.m. is popular Serbian actor-director-producer Ljubisa Samardzic's Skyhook. The film (pictured), a surprisingly life-affirming basketball flick set in the midst of NATO bombings in 1999, earned positive buzz at the 2000 Berlin Film Festival. >> We don't know about you, but we've been kinda addicted to Peter Jackson's Production Diary, the LOTR director's... more ›

This week's version of Three Stars continues today with a review of Proof, the debut album of singer-songwriter Laura Tsaggaris. Yesterday we looked at Alcian Blue, and tomorrow Three Stars concludes with a dicussion of Meredith Bragg and the Terminals. Proof, by Laura Tsaggaris It is said that a singer-songwriter with a major label deal is like a mule with a spinning-wheel. Nobody knows how he got it, and damned if he knows how to... more ›

Today, DCist would like to introduce Three Stars, a feature in which three local music acts are viewed, reviewed, and interviewed. The feature will run every few weeks, for three days, until we run out of notable local musicians. Today Catherine Andrews discusses Death By Sexy. This version of Three Stars will continue Wednesday with Barakus and Thursday with Full Minute of Mercury. Death By Sexy Oh lordy, we thought, as a man leapt up... more ›

Bicycle Thieves have become well-known around the D.C. area for their polished melodies and catchy hooks (listen to a couple of mp3s here). Lucky for you, you'll have a chance to check out their crowd-pleasing music tonight at Unbuckled (9 p.m.! Black Cat backstage! Be there!). Frontman Jon Kaplan chatted with DCist about having his song featured on MTV, how a band can apply for a D.C. arts grant, and the local scene. DCist: Can... more ›

Looking for a few good shows? Our music picks for this week follow. TUESDAY: >> The Carlsonics (pictured at right) continue their month-long Tuesday night residency at DC9. Read the DCist review of their performance here. With The American Watercolor Movement & The Heartless Bastards. $6. THURSDAY: >> Noise Against Facism: The Inauguration got you down? You should head over to the Black Cat tonight, where for $12 you can see Mirror/Dash, a duo of... more ›