On Monday night, the Library of Congress series of free concerts hosted the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra, on their latest North American tour. The score of musicians from Prague, playing without a conductor, got a rough start on the opening work, Antonio Rosetti's Sinfonia in G Minor. Still, it was a welcome discovery from the ensemble's homeland (it turns out that Rosetti was born in Bohemia as Franz Anton Rössler), with fast and sinuous outer... more ›

>> D.C. United and Chivas Guadalajara renew their budding rivalry this evening. The match is part of the Copa Nissan Sudamericana, a 34-team invitational tournament featuring the best clubs of South America and several North American teams looking to crash the party. The match could be one of the most entertaining, competitive affairs this season. United aims to atone for their first round exit from the tournament two years ago; they also seek to... more ›

Of the numerous romantic notions surrounding the writing life, perhaps none dies harder than that of the solitary, ink-stained wretch plugging away at his or her latest work in some dilapidated garret, alone and unnoticed and oblivious to what's going on around him or her. Writing may be a solitary act, but as any intellectually honest writer can tell you, writers need communities: first, because the realities of today's writing life necessitate that one be... more ›

Monday >> Canada’s post-punk four piece Uncut just released their latest album Modern Currencies in the U.S. on July 17th and will be at DC9 tonight with special guest Patrick Krief of The Dears. Just like their name says, they are raw: loud, bold, and off the wall. Check out the stopmotion animated video for their recent single, "Darkhorse" which includes a fire bombing Ronald McDonald and an army of pissed off Care Bears. 8p.m.,... more ›

By DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya It's about an hour before The Pipettes are set to take the stage at the Black Cat and by rights, the band should be exhausted. This is the second gig on their first major North American tour and having flown in from their hometown of Brighton, England only a few days prior, you'd think that the band would be succumbing to the effects of trans-Atlantic jetlag. Unlike the dozing... more ›

Yesterday we attended the press preview for next month's 5th annual SILVERDOCS AFI/Discovery Channel Documentary Festival and got a sneak peak at a few of the documentary films that will be making their Washington area (and in some cases World or North American) premieres at the Silver Spring festival in June. DCist will be covering the festival once again this year, but in the meantime we thought we'd share a handful of the 100 announced... more ›

You probably know Cynthia Rowley's clothing, but do you know her writing? Following the success of her Swell books Rowley's new book recounts her personal coming-of-age lessons – from humorous childhood memories to fantastical experiences. Rowley will read from Slim: A Fantasy Memoir at the Corcoran Gallery of Art's Hammer Auditorium, 7 p.m. $25 more ›

Yeah, it's just a plane. more ›

The Washington Post reports today that Congress is set to vote on a landmark resolution to allow the likes of Snoop, Green Day, Kylie Minogue, and scores of other popular musicians to perform on the Capitol grounds for Live Earth, Al Gore's series of global-warming awareness concerts. Concurrent Resolution 17 was introduced in the Senate yesterday by Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and Sen. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine). Live Earth, which is scheduled for July 7th,... more ›

Our sister bloggers over at Shanghaist have a fun post up about The Economist Intelligence Unit's new EIU Worldwide Cost of Living for 2007. No doubt familiar to HR managers throughout D.C., the WCOL is gathered thusly:

The survey gathers detailed information on the cost of more than 160 items--from food, toiletries and clothing to domestic help, transport and utility bills--in every city. More than 50,000 individual prices are collected in each survey round and surveys are updated each June and December. A cost-of-living index is calculated from the price data to express the difference in the cost of living between any two cities.

After last week, and especially yesterday and today, probably the busiest weekend in October for classical music, things slow down a little this week. Not to worry, there are concerts for you to hear and some good ones at that. TOP PICKS: >> A week from today (October 22, 7 p.m.), there are still tickets for the recital by Croatian piano virtuoso Ivo Pogorelich at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, way out... more ›

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... more ›

We considered not even posting the Classical Music Agenda this week, given how few concerts there are to hear. (Our concert schedule for the month of August at Ionarts is the shortest it's ever been.) Still, it would be pathetic for this DCist to shirk work this easy, so we promise to keep it short. Basically, it comes down to one of two instruments, cello or organ, and both are free. So, choose your poison.... more ›

The world famous Japanese drumming group Kodo will be coming to D.C. tomorrow for a performance at the DAR Constitution Hall sponsored by the Washington Performing Arts Society, who says that "From the entry of the 800-pound o-daiko drum on a cart illuminated by Japanese lanterns to the extreme physicality of the playing positions, the Kodo Drummers are all about ritual performance." DCist was wowed by a performance a number of years ago and it seems the group has been going strong since then. Their athletic drumming is well worth checking out. more ›

DCist reader Malcolm J. has alerted us the new Georgetown Adidas store is selling jerseys from the short-lived North American Soccer League team the Washington Diplomats — for around $40. "Looks like the '77-'79 uniform," he writes, adding "For the record, I was at the Diplomats game where some guy came down on the field and hit the referee with a bottle (unsure if it was whiskey), knocking him out. Good times." more ›

The North American Aerospace Defense Command told WTOP that District residents might "see or hear fighter jets and other military planes flying along the Potomac River and around the District over the next two days." They assure us that "It's a training exercise.. like others done in our area and around the country since the September 11th attacks." more ›