Last weekend, Gold Leaf Studios hosted its final show. But it wasn't going to say goodbye quietly. more ›

We certainly don't blame anyone who gave up on Sting after his musical missteps of the past few years, but on Saturday night, the 60-year old pop icon proved that he's still got game. more ›

Considering how much rock and roll standards have influenced everything thereafter, there aren't nearly as many bands who wear their influences as effortlessly as The Nunchucks. From the beginning chords of "Clean Me Out" on their recently released Eat Your Moneys EP, you can hear the bold guitar riffs of classic rock songs like "You've Really Got Me", but there are also very smooth vocals from Ron Soltes that bring to mind more pop-oriented fare. However, there's a cleverness that's distinctly their own (listen closely to the lyrics to "Zebra") and a few jazzy chord progressions not often found within the parameters of rock and roll. We sat down with singer Ron Soltes and bassist Brandon Schnedl to talk about their take on local music, their international influences and remaining together for several years. more ›

Grabbing a microphone and cane while donning a black top hat, the evening's ringleader, Napoleon Dynamite, announces to the audience: "We'll perform songs about love! Songs about sex! Songs about death and songs about dancing! But not necessarily in that order." more ›

Back in my high school days -- the early 1990s -- young musicians who were picking up instruments and forming their first bands fell into one of two categories: Rush Lovers and Rush Haters. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with the former, and like so many drummers who picked up sticks between the mid-'70s and mid-'90s, I spent countless hours in the basement learning the drum parts to Rush's many prog rock classics. While my tastes have changed since then, it was with that journalistic bias that I drove up to Baltimore last Friday to check in with bassist/vocalist Geddy Lee, guitarist Alex Lifeson and drummer Neil Peart as they played the 1st Mariner Arena in the band's only area appearance on the second leg of its Time Machine Tour. more ›

This was no piano recital. The energy outside the 9:30 Club on Saturday morning made that clear. As the crowd grew down the block waiting for the doors to open, some of the bands and camp counselors were gathered at the rear entrance, standing on the back of a U-Haul truck, posing for pictures and filing inside in pure rock-and-roll style. This was also unlike any summer camp most of us have ever dreamed of. "Have your I.D.'s ready," a 9:30 staffer announced at the door. "This is a regular show." more ›

Here's how the crowd breaks down for the annual Girls Rock! DC camp showcase at the 9:30 Club: more ›

In January 1959, rock n' roll performers Frankie Sardo, Richie Valens, Dion and the Belmonts, the Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly set out on the tour they called the "Winter Dance Party." Just 11 days in, the tour came to a heartbreaking end, when the plane carrying Valens, the Big Bopper, and Holly (born Charles Hardin Holley) from the Surf Ballroom in Clear Lake, Iowa, to their next gig crashed—killing everyone on board. February 2, 2009 represents the 50th anniversary of the Day the Music Died. more ›

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. more ›

Which stories did DCist readers think merited the most attention this year? more ›

We're frankly mostly of the mind that New Year's Eve is best spent at a house party with good friends -- going out to a club is almost always overpriced and often a big letdown. But in the event you don't have a party to attend, are new in town, or for any other reason are facing tonight without a firm plan, here's a few of our suggestions on how to have a fun and not too expensive evening at the last minute. more ›

It wasn't a very merry Christmas for Michel Morauw, the manager of the Park Hyatt Washington Hotel. NBC4 reports that an MPD officer shot and killed Morauw's dog on Monday in a small park adjacent to Rock Creek Park at 24th and N Streets NW. more ›

Last spring, we interviewed New Rock Church of Fire for a Three Stars piece, and they revealed to us their deepest desire as a band: to play the Black Cat. Well, Santa apparently reads DCist, because tonight the Alexandria natives are getting their wish. Tonight they'll play the Cat's main stage with Velvet, Mas y Mas and Hammer No More The Fingers. Originally slated as a CD release show for NRCOF, it'll be more of a... T-shirt release party. After a few attempts to record the album on their own, the guys have decided to hand it over to professionals in the near year. more ›

FRIDAY: more ›

We're getting ready for our staff holiday party tonight, so GHA and AT are combined into one super post! Have fun, y'all. We certainly will be. more ›

FRIDAY: more ›

>> Canada's The Most Serene Republic bring their large and melodic sound to The Rock and Roll Hotel tonight, with Bellflur and Watch Man Walk. $10, 8:30 p.m. >> Married Charlottesville rockers Paul Curreri and Devon Sproule will share the stage out at Jammin' Java tonight, touring in support of their latest releases, Sproule’s Keep Your Silver Shined and Curreri’s The Velvet Rut. 8 p.m., $10. >> Rescheduled from last week, Judith Jones, cookbook... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Ted Leo and the Pharmacists are at the 9:30 Club with Kristeen Young and Partyline, $15, 9 p.m. Also Saturday with Kristeen Young and Ris Paul Ric. >> DC9's Liberation Dance Party hosts Brooklyn's Jaguar Club. $6, 9 p.m. SATURDAY: >> The Historic Sixth and I Synagogue hosts The Eight, D.C.'s part of a "worldwide Hannukah party" featuring the LeeVees, DeLeon and D.C.'s own Black and White JohnsonsJacksons. $12/$18, all ages, 9 p.m.... more ›

>> The Capitol Christmas Tree lighting ceremony is scheduled to take place at 5 p.m. this evening on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol. >> Washington-area writers Michelle Brafman, Merle Collins, T. Greenwood, Joanne Leedom-Ackerman, Faye Moskowitz, Barbara Mujica, Jessica Neely, Amy Stolls, Hananah Zaheer, and Christy J. Zink will be at Politics and Prose to read from their contributions to the latest anthology, Electric Grace: Still More Fiction by Washington Area Women.... more ›

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... more ›

FRIDAY: >>Great quadruple bill comes to the Rock and Roll Hotel: Three Stars alums Jukebox the Ghost (pictured right) and tour diarists These United States join DCist fave Ra Ra Riot and Sam Champion. All that for the low, low price of $10 before, $12 at the door. Show 9 p.m. >> The Black Cat once again hosts Cryfest, everyone's favorite dance party that pits The Smiths vs. The Cure, brought to you by DJs... more ›

>> The Black Cat's backstage is going to be pumping out the punk noise tonight as Antelope stops by, with Thank You and The Andalusians. $8, 9 p.m. >> DC Scores, a local nonprofit that provides innovative after-school programming to Washington kids, is hosting its 10th Annual Poetry Slam tonight. The event will feature 300 of the District's public elementary and middle school students competing for the coveted Golden Mic trophy -- obviously it... more ›

>> The silent film version of the original Chicago will be presented with live musical accompaniment at the AFI Silver Theater. 7 p.m. >> New Yorker music critic Alex Ross will be at Politics and Prose to read from The Rest is Noise, a history of the 20th century through its music. 7 p.m. >> Brooklyn's Black Dice are at the Rock and Roll Hotel with Ecstatic Sunshine, Baltimore's Ponytail and The Methamphetamines. 8... more ›

Good morning, Washington. Yesterday afternoon Roll Call had the story of a potential suspect finally being identified in all those strange Senate bathroom fires from the last few months. Capitol Police Officer Karen Emory recently has been suspended in connection with the fires, although it still hasn't been confirmed whether she is definitely a suspect in the case. No charges have been filed, but color us a little disappointed if it turns out a... more ›

MONDAY >> The Library of Congress Mary Pickford Theatre in the James Madison Building kicks off 5 weeks worth of free Monday night rock and pop films with a rare showing of the 1966 documentary, The Big T.N.T. Show. David "Man from Uncle" McCallum hosts Ray Charles, Petula Clark, the Lovin' Spoonful, Bo Diddley, Joan Baez, the Ronettes, Roger Miller, the Byrds, Donovan, the Seeds, the Modern Folk Quartet, and Ike and Tina Turner taped... more ›

A recent review noted the tendency of today's indie rock bands to combine large lineups with unusual instrumentation. Last night at the 9:30 Club, the Great White North's Broken Social Scene didn't skimp on bandmembers with seven people on stage, but gone were all the strings, kazoos, melodicas, and other assorted bells and whistles. This band was just a bunch of dudes who revel in the glory of the almighty power chord and understand that an amp sounds best when cranked to 11. The result was an energetic two-hour set of three chord, backbeat driven and testosterone infused rock. 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 ›

>> Open City, the coffeehouse, diner and bar in Woodley Park, is celebrating its 2nd birthday tonight by offering diners their choice of a free cup of Tryst blend coffee, a glass of champagne, or a piece of chocolate birthday cake. >> Homegrown online fashion purveyors Unsung Designers are heading to New York, but tonight they'll be hosting a final D.C. trunk sale from 6 to 9 p.m. at 2412 18th Street NW in... more ›

>> No Reservations star Anthony Bourdain was reportedly at Ben's Chili Bowl last night, so if you're heading to his reading at GW's Lisner Auditorium tonight, be sure to try to ask him what he thinks of the chili half-smoke. For more information & to check on ticket availability (it's nearly sold-out), call Smithsonian Associates at 202-633-3030. $28, $14 for GW students at the Lisner box office. 7 p.m. >> Philadelphia quintet Dr. Dog... more ›

>> The Shakespeare Theatre Company has started a special program, called 20/10, that offers people aged 35 and under discounted tickets for their performances. The program launches tonight, with a special performance of Christopher Marlowe's Tamburlaine where all of the tickets will be $10 for the under 35 crowd, and they're promising a DJ, drink specials and door prizes for those who take advantage. Call the box office at (202) 547-1122 for details. >>... more ›