Athens, Georgia has long been a hotbed of alternative music and boasts a musical heritage few American towns can match. Early indie rock pioneers like R.E.M., The B-52s and Pylon paved the way for the Olivia Tremor Control, Elf Power and Neutral Milk Hotel, and today bands like the Drive By Truckers and Dead Confederate carry on that legacy. But "Next Big Thing" status has been reserved for The Whigs, a hard rock trio given that's been pounding the pavement since 2002 and racking up plaudits from blogs far and wide, as well as glossy magazines like Rolling Stone and Esquire. Their 2008 album, Mission Control, a straight up rock 'n' roll barn-burner, stood in stark contrast to last year's prevalent folk movement spurred on by bands like Fleet Foxes and Bon Iver. The band just finished recording their follow up, In The Dark, which will be released in March of 2010. We spoke with bassist Tim Deaux last week, just after this year's Grammy Award nominees were announced, and after getting over the shock of not being nominated, he gave us the scoop on the upcoming record and a host of other topics. He even let us a get a word in edgewise once or twice. You can see the band tonight at the Black Cat, along with openers The Features and Mean Creek. more ›

Monday night's triple bill at DAR Constitution Hall had something for everyone, assuming they liked their guitars loud and their venues cavernous. Headliners Kings of Leon, touring behind their latest release, the stadium-rock ready Only by the Night, whipped fans into a prolonged frenzy by playing it cool, while openers We Are Scientists and The Whigs had to put in some extra work to win over the late-arriving crowd. 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 ›

The Whigs’ Give ‘Em All a Big Fat Lip was recorded in an old mansion in downtown Athens, GA in the sweltering heat of summer, sans air conditioning. The house dates back 170 years, and you can bet if those sessions sounded anything like last night’s blistering set at the Rock and Roll Hotel, they probably shook the Confederate ghosts right out of the rafters. A modest crowd, full of long-time fans, was treated to... more ›

>> Filmfest DC screens Sierra Leone's Refugee All Stars, a concert tour documentary unlike any you've seen. The movie follows a group of people fleeing from Sierra Leone's decade-long civil war who form a unique band and face the daunting task of facing the future in a war-torn society. [4000 Wisconsin Ave., NW, $9, 6:45 p.m.] >> As we told you last week, it's a great week for lovers of big band music. The... more ›

MONDAY >> A year ago, Rolling Stone called The Whigs one of ten bands to watch and "the best unsigned band in America." The Athens, GA trio has since been taking their pure rock-and-roll on the road in support of Give 'Em All a Big Fat Lip, winning comparisons to the Replacements, the Strokes, REM, and the Drive-By Truckers along the way. The break hasn't come yet, but we've got a feeling it could... more ›

MONDAY >> If you're not high-tailing it to the Maryland end of the Orange line to see the Redskins take on the Vikings, you may want to pay the Black Cat's backstage a visit to see The Whigs. This trio from Athens, GA has been called the "best unsigned band in America" by Rolling Stone. $8, 9 p.m. >> The haunting, violin-driven alt country of the Black Swans is coming our way. Catch these boys... more ›