D.C. Council Chair Kwame Brown's been pretty busy lately, what with hammering out the city's budget and all -- but that doesn't mean he's off the public relations train. Brown's latest attempt to connect with the city in light of the "Fully Loaded" scandal is this profile in the Washington Informer, in which Brown channels The Rock and talks about his love of hot yoga. 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 ›

MONDAY >> You cannot avoid Toots Hibbert on TV these days. Well actually, it is just that Nissan car commercial with the Clash's version of Toots & the Maytals' "Pressure Drop." The guy who penned that song, "Reggae Got Soul," and numerous other R&B flavored Jamaican numbers is at the 930 Club with the latest version of the Maytals. Hot D.C. go-go combo Mambo Sauce were just added as openers. $26 >> If solo indie... more ›

Jake Gyllenhaal was frequently quoted this week when, in an interview, he declared that he "Hates preachy message films." No one's going to think twice about something like that coming from Dwane "The Rock" Johnson, but from someone doing press junkets for a film raising awareness about a U.S. government practice it clearly finds abominable, it's bound to elicit a ringing chorus of, "Say What?!?!?". Rendition is a movie so focused on its message that... more ›

Okay, so we've already given Brooklyn's Clap Your Hands Say Yeah a less than stellar live review and sufficiently curbed our enthusiasm when they announced two November dates at the Rock and Roll Hotel. Fortunately for the band, our lukewarm opinions hardly affected their ticket sales, as both dates have been sold out for weeks. more ›

FRIDAY: >> Howard University alum Eric Roberson performs tonight at the Black Cat along with Emily King. Doors open at 9 p.m. $17. >> It's pretty much the end of times: Vanilla Ice will be at Foggy Bottom bar McFadden's tonight, "drinking, partying, and hosting the night" starting at 10 p.m. $5 Jager bombs and $2 Bud and Bud Light bottles are little enticement to make this event anything more than laughable, but maybe if... more ›

If sex were a genre of music, Jette Kelly might be the John Lennon, Madonna and Etta James of the style all rolled into one. The 27-year-old songstress has the song-writing prowess, sex appeal and voice to back both of them up. Last year, Jette teamed up with local electronic producer Holmes Ives for a Frou Frou meets Massive Attack meets Goldfrapp one-off project under the name Jette-Ives. An Emerson graduate, Jette spent most of... 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 ›

Last year, the DAM! Festival made an impressive debut in our fair city. As the festival gears up for its second year, they've got even more up their sleeve, including performances from indie heavyweights like Cat Power and Cloud Cult, and local favorites like The Beanstalk Library and These United States. The festival is happening this fall, from October 11 through 15. Founded and organized by BigYawn.net's Eric Boucher, this year's goal was to go... more ›

FRIDAY: >> Stop by Velvet Lounge to lend your support to John Stabb, singer of the legendary D.C. hardcore act Government Issue, who's struggling to pay medical bills after being attacked near his home in Burtonsville, Maryland. $8, doors at 9 p.m. >> The Quarry House in Silver Spring hosts recent Three Stars alums The Hall Monitors along with New York's The Brides. Cover merely advertised as "real cheap," show starts at 9 p.m. >>... more ›

Photo and review by DCist contributor Valerie Paschall more ›

The Rock and Roll Hotel last night was not a crowded place. By all estimations, Frog Eyes should be drawing in a much larger crowd than they are. They adhere to a number of key categories: Canadian? Check. Indie? Check. Animal-themed name? Check. Frontman who's voice cracks? Check. Female drummer? check. Where they are lacking in fans, though, they are exceeding in super-fans. There were a number of intensely loyal fans breaking it down and screaming through each song. And it is this enthusiasm, coupled with the release of their most accessible album to date, that makes us think that Frog Eyes may still have a bigger fate in store. more ›

MONDAY >> Start out this lovely spring week right by taking in local group Deleted Scenes (***) and their particular brand of you-name-it-they've-play-it-surf/rockabilly/garage/punk rock at the Red and the Black. Hero Cycle, Hot Lava and Paper Airplanes open. $8, 9 p.m. TUESDAY >> Quirky and fantastical sister-duo CocoRosie play the Rock and Roll Hotel. One half of the duo sings and plays guitar and flute, while the other sings and covers percussion ("rattles things, makes... more ›

Co-written by DCist Contributor Paul Ghosh-Roy Get together a bunch of artists, a bunch of bands, a cool venue, and a great time is had by all. On Saturday night, DCist ventured into the land of perfectly disheveled hair and meticulously scuffed jeans to see if the theory worked in practice as The Rock and Roll Hotel hosted the Big Art Show . The event is organized by a collective of artists and volunteers based... more ›

It's not over yet folks: April is about to culminate with the biggest art weekend in recent memory. Artomatic and ColorField.remix continue to bring us a healthy helping of visual and performance art, and now we get one big, fat cherry of an art fair to top it all off this weekend, sprinkled with about a billion other shows placed to coincide with it, including one at a particular venue that deserves your attention. >>... more ›

Monday >> It’s been a few years since Strange and Beautiful brought English singer/songwriter Aqualung into the spotlight with his radio friendly sensitivity, but now he’s back touring to promote his latest release, Memory Man. He’ll be headlining the 9:30 Club with opener Sara Bareilles. $20. >> Three Stars favorites The Deleted Scenes will be out at the Warehouse Next Door tonight as part of a four band line-up including Pash, The Love Story, and... more ›

MONDAY >> Looking for an act whose name you are sure to forget at least once over the course of the evening? We give you an Orlando hip-hop duo with a name like a serial number: X:144 and SPS. Okayplayer called their debut collaboration, M.E., "a producer's wet dream." At the Red and the Black. 9:30 p.m., $8. >> After releasing solo CDs and making babies, Aterciopelados, Colombia's finest rock en español outfit is back... more ›

Along with ripped jeans and an appetite for destruction, a roguish stage name is a prerequisite for membership in a punk band. There’s Iggy Pop, Sid Vicious, and the frontmen for the four acts playing at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Sunday: Andy Vandal from The Riptides, not to be confused with Conley Chlamydia of The RipOuts. Then there’s Haircut (of The Heart Attacks), and Joe Queer (of The Queers). more ›

With so much of the District wrapped in a political bubble, sometimes it's nice to take a break and remember that there are things in this world not based on massive plumes of hot air -- science for instance. Café Scientifique, a monthly event organized by the National Science Foundation, (NSF) helps connect the scientific experts and the average viewers of NOVA. Held in Arlington last month, the first Café Scientifique had such a great turnout, that the science buffs are doing it again. more ›

We're sorry for the unscheduled hiatus of the Weekly Feed last week. We would like to take responsibility for it, truly, but instead we must give an excuse. You see, the Feed was nowhere to be found when the curtain went up. It turns out it went on a weeklong bender with Eating In. They tried to take a road trip to Las Vegas, but turned around in Chillicothe when they ran out of ether... more ›

What is it about the joke-tee that is so potentially alluring? Could it be the irresistible opportunity to shock and offend? Is it tied to the indie-culture affinity for semi-obscure references? The combination of the two? Is it the same hope for wit by association that drives people to quote Will Ferrell movies or put MR. PIBB + RED VINES = CRAZY DELICIOUS in their away messages (or on their t-shirts)? Whatever the case may be, such shirts are not only prevalent, but their online cottage industry is quite lucrative. Though they may be a few steps farther up the evolutionary fashion ladder than sparkly “Princess” t-shirts, their tacky brethren, most “humorous” tees fall more than short of funny into the realm of simply corny, crass, and cringe-inducing. So naturally we were a little anxious to read The Rock Creek Rambler’s recent post about a brand-new source of comic hipster tees, almost all emblazoned with some sort of DC theme. more ›