By now, everyone out there has at least heard of Guitar Hero and its more inclusive cousin, Rock Band, right? You play songs on "instruments" along with a video game, advancing and scoring points for accuracy. After too many hours of playing, sometimes you even fancy yourself to have developed actual musical talent. One group of local guys took their "rock band," breadpig, out of the living room and into Chinatown. They set up......

Their debut album has been out for almost two years and somehow the outside world is only just getting to know them as that band that has that backward music video on YouTube. However you know them, Mute Math (or TBTHTBMVOYT, for... short?) is hitting up Sonar in Baltimore tonight for an evening of art rock/post rock/electro rock/whatever the hell music snobs and critics want to label it as. The band has come a long......

Via Gothamist, the New York Post reports on what looks to be a prank involving the American University alumni magazine, American Magazine, on two graduates of the D.C. school who later lived together in New York. In the spring edition of the magazine, it was apparently falsely reported that Ross Weil, 29, and Brett Royce, 28 were "life partners" who had been gay married, adding that they were leaders of a fake group called the......

Monday >>Provided these thunderstorms pass us by in time, the place to be tonight is Fort Reno. First off, it's free, and we know everyone's wallets are light from all that gas you're having to put in the car just to make a run to the beach. Second, recent Three Stars alums Garland of Hours are taking the stage, along with The Aerialist, and the excellently named Lady in the Radiator. 7:15 p.m., $0.......

This week ended with the launch of the seventh and final Harry Potter installation. But while the world was consumed with Pottermania, it's important to remember that there were more serious things going on in the world, too – two of them in -Ist cities. Sampaist was shocked when a passenger jet crashed into the center of Sao Paulo, killing at least 200 people. The airplane, an Airbus A320, skidded off the runway at the......

It can be difficult to jumpstart a motionless crowd of D.C. concert goers, but one Baltimore band has found a way literally to bring life to the lifeless. In fact, in a very meta sort of way, Yeveto formed their group a few years ago for the sole purpose of adding a modernized sound to a classic horror film. They wrote and recorded a new score to the 1920s Paul Wegener movie, Der Golem, about......

Though it's an open question as to whether D.C.'s rock scene has sacrificed quality for quantity, there is no denying a time when there were not that many places for a rock band to play in this city. "During college, the music scene was a bit struggling, especially in the Georgetown area," says The Bravery's guitarist and Georgetown University alum Michael Zakarin, "but I was at the Black Cat or the 9:30 every weekend. It's......

We thought we'd share this photo of Jemina Pearl from Be Your Own Pet at the 9:30 Club last night, opening up for Arctic Monkeys. If you missed out on the show, there's plenty of live music to choose from tonight. >> Swedish garage rock band Mando Diao are known for their combustive live shows as much as their music: super catchy '60s power pop twinged with a hint of dirt. They've won awards galore......

Many of you have probably heard guitarist Anthony Pirog at various bars and restaurants around the DC area, and some of you might not have even realized it. Whether playing with local jazz artists at Utopia or Tryst, as an experimental duo with celloist Janel Leppin at Bossa, or with his vintage rock band The Bang at the Velvet Lounge, Anthony's prolific guitar work seems to find its way into just about every club and......

I'm a Black-Cat-or-smaller, low-spectacle rock band kind of Girl. Venturing to the Verizon Center to see a pop sensation perform to thousands of fans last Friday definitely took me out of my element. But bring together I don't know how many dancers, four drum kits, three keytars, two turntables and one man by the name of Timberlake on an unbelievably tricked-out stage in the middle of the floor and, well, I can find plenty......

Good chilly morning to you, Washington. Our neighbors to the north have officially got themselves a new rock-star Governor, as Martin O'Malley was sworn in yesterday afternoon in Maryland to the sounds of the Saw Doctors, an Irish rock band that flew from Dublin for the event, and later to his own band, O'Malley's March, at his inaugural ball. Not that we're jealous or anything, but does anyone know if Mayor Fenty plays an instrument?......

FRIDAY: >> Seems like it's an unofficial Film Noir Week all over town. The National Film Registry is rolling out all their classic Noir prints at the Library of Congress' Mary Pickford Theater — we'd recommend the chance to catch a free screening of Blake Edwards' 1967 feature film version of the classic television detective, Gunn, at 7 p.m., preceded by a 30-minute episode of the show it's based on, ABC's Peter Gunn, from 1959......

After six years of adding to the eclectic flavor of the intersection of 18th and Florida NW, word comes to us this week that Staccato is closing its doors forever next month. Staccato has always sort of been the Little Club That Could, hosting aspiring musicians from a variety of genres in its no-frills, teeny, converted-townhouse venue. Funky little joints like Staccato are the white blood cells of a city’s music scene. Maybe not so......

So really there’s not much of a story to last week’s triple bill at the Rock and Roll Hotel in NE. One of our first visits to the club started with the City Goats, a local modern rock band with a Southern Californian punk feel, who played loud and aggressively, if not…you know…well. Part of the blame was certainly on the sound system at RnR (a recurring theme), but if either nuance, discernible vocal melodies,......

Wednesday’s unseasonable warmth called for sunny day music. A happy coincidence then, that Ben Kweller, a purveyor of cheerful college rock, was headlining the 9:30 club that evening. Looking at the small crowd of underage early arrivals jostling for position, a question came to mind: is Kweller an artist or a phase? To paraphrase a famous film quote, it seems that he gets older but his fans stay the same age. The answer came......

Named after an NES joystick, The Advantage tore apart the Warehouse Next Door on monday. The foursome from California plays instrumental Nintendo covers, but somehow aren't gimmicky. With no keyboards or electronics, the two guitarists, bassist, and maniacal drummer have to be blisteringly fast and precise - hitting the turbo button as video gamers might say. A good portion of the crowd seemed to leave after local openers Durga Temple and French Toast, and they......

Score one more for the heatwave. Metro trains running less frequently, air conditioners failing under the pressure, and now, the cruelest cut of all: Sleater-Kinney fans denied on the D.C. stop of their (Please Don't Call It A) Farewell Tour. Arriving at a show to find a fire truck parked by the front door and firemen looking sternly into an open manhole can never be a good sign. (A manhole cover that, we’ve heard, housed......

A sentiment, as defined by Houghton Mifflin is "a thought, view, or attitude, especially one based mainly on emotion instead of reason." The title is quite apt for the local DC rock outfit of the same name. The band is the brainchild of frontman Mike Medlock, and is as much his cathartic medium as his weekend playpen. Medlock is a passionate frontman, but doesn't take himself too seriously, and wears his heart on his sleeve.......

It's usually pretty hard to get the crowds at the Black Cat to dance, but Philly/Florida mash-up DJ Diplo and two bands from Brazil, Bonde do Role and Cansei de Ser Sexy, did it pretty easily on Sunday. Openers Bonde do Role (which Google translates to something like "rolling tram," though it might be slang) got the dancing started with their big bass, pretty obvious samples (AC/DC, Alice in Chains and "The Final Countdown") and......

It doesn’t matter where they say they came from or how they were formed, one thing that will immediately draw listeners to The Roosevelt is their sound. It’s surprising to hear a new band write such polished songs with memorable hooks. Maybe there is something in the water at the building in Northwest that they're named after. As of right now, the band’s discography consists of a handful of mp3s available on their site. But......

MONDAY >> "It" band of the month Arctic Monkeys are headlining a sold-out show at the 9:30 Club with Delaware’s eccentric pop ensemble http://www.crackerbox.net/audio/spintoband/">Spinto Band. Fear not, though. NPR.org is webcasting the show starting at 8:30 p.m. as part of its ever growing and always impressive concert series. So gather around the laptop with the kids, and listen to the latest "greatest U.K. rock band of all time" play in our very own backyard. >>......

What does it take for a band to sell out the 9:30 Club on their first visit to DC? Maybe the fans were confused on the venue and thought it was the highly anticipated DCist-sponsored Unbuckled show actually held at DC9 last night. While that would have been nice, I think it was something else that brought in the droves of digital camera wielding suburbanites and city folk alike. It was something else they thirsted......

Welcome to the January 2006 edition of Three Stars. Tomorrow, we'll get up close and personal with Mike Holden, and Thursday we'll show you the many sides of Chris Richards. Today, we talk to Hello Tokyo, discussing their new EP and an upcoming network television debut. Hello Tokyo No, Gwen Stefani did not already have her baby, and no it did not go through a miraculous rapid aging process, move to DC and form a......

How many times have you spent weeks searching for just the right sneaker, only to realize with horror that your perfect shoe is on the feet of at least seven other people at the [insert indie rock band of choice] show? It’s worse than that episode of “Beverly Hills 90210” when Brenda and Kelly showed up to the spring dance wearing the same dress. Banish your conformity complex by designing your own shoe. During Puma’s......

We loved the The Carlsonics. They were always entertaining and often truculent, but they are no more - and some of the band members have formed a new band with a totally different sound. Nethers is a complete rebirth for four former Carlsonics, a folkish, country-influenced rock band comprised of Aaron Carlson on guitar, Nikki West on bass and lead vocals, John Passmore on guitars, and Mike Scutari on percussion. Kyle Bittinger also tours with......

By DCist Music Contributor Justin Kielsgard. The name Greenland refers not only to the world's largest island, which floats around in the North Atlantic, but to arguably the District's most underrated rock band. Like the territory of Greenland, this trio is quite misunderstood. Greenland the island isn't green. It's tundra, covered in ice. And Greenland the band isn't just another three-piece with a gig, but a band on the rise. Blending British Invasion-era pop and......

From DCist contributor Ryan Avent MONDAY: >> Monday is an excellent time to visit Fort Reno as Garland of Hours (featuring noted DC cellist Amy Domingues and a Fugazi rhythm section) take the stage. They’re joined by DCist favorite The Aquarium and by local songwriter-slash-St. Ex bartender Paul Michel. The show is free as always and begins about 7:15. Click here to read last week’s interview with Paul Michel. >> If tranquil melodies are your......

Ten years ago, The Wrens, a rock band from New Jersey, were doing big things. They'd released two albums to critical acclaim; they were gaining name recognition; they seemed to be creating a strong presence on the indie scene. When their small label was sold and redeveloped, The Wrens were then offered every musician's dream: substantial money and a shot with a major label -- but only if the group agreed to modify their melodies......

There must be something about this time of year that winds cultural conservatives in our fair city a bit more tightly than usual. First, Dr. James Dobson, a conservative Christian activist, suggested at an inauguration event last week that SpongeBob Squarepants was featured in a "pro-homosexual video" that was to indoctrinate school children. After much liberal snickering, it turns out the whole thing might have been an innocent mix-up over the name of a group......

Personally, this DCist will be heading down to Virginia Beach to drink gin and tonics and run the annual Rock 'N' Roll Half Marathon (let's face it, probably while drunk). But if you're sticking around the city on what's apparently going to be a gorgeous weekend, here are some tips on how to fill your time. FRIDAY: - Big Boi, half of that whacky group Outkast, storms the stage tonight at Dream. 7 p.m., $20.......