It had been about a year since the Hold Steady's last visit to the District, so the energetic quintet had to prove that their surprisingly tepid 2010 album was fluke and not a harbinger of live shows to come. more ›

Double-aught eight hasn’t been particularly easy on any of us, but Dave Bielanko — frontman of Marah, the Brooklyn-by-way-of-North Philly true believers who were praying at the Stations of The Boss back when The Hold Steady were in, well, Lifter Puller — has had a particularly rough year. more ›

Rock 'n' roll has always been lousy with dudes who dance like women, but Craig Finn — the high-school-math-teacher-lookin' frontman of The Hold Steady, as if you didn’t know by now — is possibly the only guy in the game who dances like a five-year-old girl: Elbows in. Forearms out. Knees high. Eyes squinted shut. Beatific grin. Jazz hands all over the place. 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 ›

Casiotone for the Painfully Alone may be an unusual name for a band, but it makes sense: basically a solo project by Owen Ashworth, the band uses mostly battery powered keyboards and electronics recorded on a four track. The results on his first three albums were intimate, ethereal electronic pop songs. On the most recent disc, "Etiquette," Ashworth decided to expand his sound to include guitars, strings, pianos and so on, especially on songs like... more ›

Those who showed up at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night with any doubts about The Kooks' talent were certainly persuaded, and maybe even wooed into super-fan territory. The four lads from Brighton played a pitch-perfect set that had all the classic elements of an epic rock show, including crowdsurfing and a young woman who threw her underwear up on stage. The Kooks have been on the fast track to superstardom since forming in 2004, with several hit singles and a debut album that went quadruple platinum in the U.K. Judging from Saturday's sold-out show, it won't be long before the band is a household name on this side of the pond too. more ›

If you ask around, you’ll find a fair share of people who offer Fullerton, California’s Cold War Kids much affection. If your thing is fluid melodies, for instance, or taut pop hooks, you won’t find them in their repertoire. Their music could fairly be called repetitive. If you dressed sexy enough, I certainly wouldn’t kick you out of bed for calling them derivative. Some think their decision to release a full-length record distilled from previously... more ›

Seeing as we've already effusively reviewed them twice, we figured that it was about time to step back and solicit your thoughts on The Hold Steady and their magical concert abilities. Were you at their Black Cat show Saturday night? Did you swig Budweiser and Jim Beam along with the band members? Were the songs lighter-worthy, or yawn-inducing? Did you find their presence powerfully earnest or overrated? more ›

We've talked about the lineup, interviewd the organizer, and even talked to a couple bands. Now we want to give you the chance to hear what's coming our way with some MP3 previews of a few DAM Fest bands. The music staff got together, divied up the lineup, gathered some files together and is now serving up brief breakdowns of a few bands D.C. will play host to this weekend. If you've got some insight... more ›

This past week brought January, that month of cookouts and picnics, beach trips and suntans, to a close. The local groundhog said winter is going to stick around for six more weeks. We're not one to trust wildlife for our weather forecasts; then again, the groundhog knew shit was bad in New Orleans long before Michael Brown. This week in DCist, we announced the long overdue return of Unbuckled, and we set up our own... more ›

In 2005, The Hold Steady were the right band, with the right album, at just the right time. In an indie marketplace dominated by the self-absorbed strains of emo nation and a never-ending supply of post-punk outfits pimping ‘80s nostalgia, The Hold Steady stood out with a record both decidedly Midwestern and defiantly unconcerned with anything pertaining to hipness. What Green Day’s American Idiot does in exploring the political landscape, that disc, Separation Sunday, does... more ›

In our continued effort to let you know when the local kids make a splash on a bigger canvas, we have some very exciting news for Hello Tokyo fans out there. Not only were they featured in last month's Three Stars, but tonight marks the debut of Horse Power, a new series on Animal Planet. What in the heck does this have to do with Hello Tokyo, you ask? You see, their song, "Radio," has been chosen as the show's theme song! And other Hello Tokyo ditties will provide the soundtrack for the rest of the show. Congratulations, Hello Tokyo! You're one programming tier away from joining the ranks of the Phantom Planets, Remy Zeros and Dandy Warholses of the world. more ›