By special contributor Brett Gellman of The Upstate Life This Thursday's nationally televised contest, in which the West Virginia Mountaineers will visit the Maryland Terrapins in College Park, will be the last time these border state rivals meet until 2010. Not only are bragging rights on the line, but the Mountaineers' national title hopes are also at stake. Both schools will be playing their hardest opponent thus far and both stand undefeated at 2-0. Both... more ›

>> "A federal appeals court ruled today that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, must report to prison shortly to begin serving his 30-month sentence for lying to federal investigators about his role in leaking a CIA officer's identity." [WaPo] UPDATE: Man, we honestly thought that first comment was a joke for a minute! Bush has commuted Libby's prison sentence. >> Please Add L2 to NextBus, K? Thx [The... more ›

>> Vice President Dick Cheney is claiming that, for the purposes of securing classified information, his office is not part of the executive branch. Exactly which branch are you in then, Mr. Vice President? [Raw Story] >> Are you ready for another severe thunderstorm alert? The National Weather Service just issued one from now until 10 p.m. >> There's a book launch party tonight for Murray Waas' The United States vs. I. Lewis Libby. Somehow... more ›

> >UPDATE: As a commenter notes, The Dismemberment Plan tickets for the second show, Friday, April 27 are on sale NOW. Go, friends, go! > > Best birthday present ever? Hmmm. Submitted for your approval: How about booking the Thievery Corporation? To play the birthday boy's living room? Well played, ma'am. Well played. [The Upstate Life] > > Why isn't Butterstick playing in the snow like his parents? Maybe it's because he doesn't want to... more ›

It was all the way back in November that we brought news — via The Upstate Life — that Sufjan Stevens would be playing a free show at the Kennedy Center. Unfortunately, that teaser was all we had to offer; ticket details weren't available, and the concert wasn't until February 5. Well, it's finally time. If you're keen to see Sufjan — or the NSO, or the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater — get yourself over to the Kennedy Center this Saturday, January 27. This is a rare chance to see Stevens, who relies heavily on an eclectic collection of instruments in his studio recordings, accompanied by the entire Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. The Opera House seats 2,300, so there should be plenty of opportunity for those interested to grab a ticket. We'll be there asking Stevens to consider adding the District to his 50 states project, in which he hopes to produce an album about every state. (We're a little sceptical of his timeline after two consecutive records regarding the Land of Lincoln.) Tickets are first come, first served, and you can only pick up two per person. After noon on Saturday, remaining tickets for all four shows will be available at the Box Office. Here's where and when to go:

9–10 a.m.: SUFJAN STEVENS (Hall of Nations, line forms to left of entrance)
10–11 a.m.: NATIONAL SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA (River Terrace, follow signs)
11 a.m.–12 noon: ALVIN AILEY AMERICAN DANCE THEATER (Hall of States, line forms to right of entrance)

As he tends to do, The Upstate Life has broken news of another show coming to the area. Orchestral indie darling Sufjan Stevens will be featured in a show celebrating the tradition of free music at the Kennedy Center. Celebrating the 10th anniversary of the Millenium Stage, Stevens and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra will join Naval jazz ensemble The Commodores, Alvin Ailey's American Dance Theater and the National Symphany Orchestra for the event on Febraury 5, with each act performing on a different stage best suited for their performance. We've all got some time to mull this over, as ticket information won't be posted until January. more ›

It all started with a mysterious mention on Pitchfork of a Gnarls Barkley date at Pimlico. Yes, that Pimlico. That lead The Upstate Life to do a little research. The mysterious event, taking place on September 23, will also feature The Raconteurs, and is called V Fest. We're hoping that this is an American version of the UK's Virgin-sponsored annual event, which this year will feature acts like Radiohead, Beck, The Dandy Warhols, Bloc Party... more ›

We're continuing our summer of concert love here at DCist with the tickets you need to be purchasing...so make sure to have your mouse and credit card at the ready! And remember, you can always buy tickets in person at the 9:30 Club, and the Black Cat box office is open from 8 p.m. to midnight. Which tickets do you plan on getting? more ›

This DCist is home sick today with a splitting headache, bad cough and congested sinuses. We would try to rest more, but we can't get much sleep because of low-flying helicopters over our apartment. Despite being bed-ridden, we're very thankful for laptop computers. So we thought we'd take care of some minor housekeeping and update some of our links to D.C.-area blogs we've been looking at as of late. -- The Upstate Life ... We... more ›

A follow up on our earlier posting that hot blogger band The Arcade Fire was making their way towards our fair city late January: The Ghost of Gordon Sumner and The Upstate Life have done a wee bit of research and discovered the exact location and date of the sure to be sold-out show. The band will be playing the 9:30 Club on Sunday, January 30th. Tickets will be $12 (not including that pesky service... more ›

The Upstate Life points us to a Diamondback article from this week that indicates that there is underage drinking in College Park. While that is no shocker, what is newsworthy is that a 15-year-old was seen frolicking about parties on Dickinson and College avenues. And not just any 15 year-old, but D.C. United's soccer phenom Freddy Adu. more ›