Art Sorority for Girls is unapologetically poppy. While Tyler-Ameen has occasionally played alone, his hooks have the bombast to reach the back of a very large room. If one was to speed up Death Cab For Cutie songs to the velocity of Voxtrot songs and combine the lyrical acuity of the two, you'd have a standard Art Sorority For Girls song. Besides, as anyone in this transient city can attest, leaving a former home may feel like cheating on that city with a new place, but Tyler-Ameen actually turned that sentiment into a likable and relatable pop song. Most of his songs play out similarly, taking some sour young adult experiences and sentiments and turning them into easily digestible fare. more ›

We talked to The Mean Season about using a whiskey bottle as an instrument, writing solely about strangers and being heckled by other bands sharing a bill. more ›

The Torches' punk energy, gothic weightiness and bluegrass instrumentation makes them sound like the band of gypsies ensuring that you'll enjoy the lightning-fast train ride to hell. We talk to Torches drummer Thomas Orgren. more ›

Dot Dash sounds like the solid work of people that have been crafting and listening to power pop for years. We talked to Terry Banks and Hunter Bennett in advance of their Chickfactor set tonight. more ›

In this week's Three Stars, local roots-meets-new wave rock mainstays The Courtesans talk about their origins, playing in multiple bands and their love for Prince and New Order. more ›

Drop Electric are out to overwhelm their listeners. They've abandoned the ambient electronica of their past work and now sound like Mogwai, if Mogwai's M.O. was to make people dance. Yet, there's a subtlety to the emotional response their music evokes. Patrick Ryan Morris toys with the film clips projected behind the band and singer Kristina Reznikov sings with more of a deadpan than a shout. This makes for an unsettling but rewarding experience, as if the listener has started to sleepwalk through a dark art house film. more ›

Given the fact that the District had four active breweries prior to prohibition (one where the Kennedy Center currently stands), the current state of beer affairs in our fair city could be seen as a glass that's half-empty. But with the opening of the city's first new breweries in fifty years coming in 2011, we'd rather look at it as a glass that's half-full -- and likely to keep filling in years to come. more ›

Sample some of our favorite quotes from D.C.'s local artists and label heads. This is the year in Three Stars. more ›

Our final Three Stars of 2011 is Raw Feels, a young, yet seasoned band from Fredericksburg. They talk about their upcoming release on Bad Friend Records and how living together has helped their sound develop. more ›

Cigarette does something rare with their music in that they do less with more. There are six members of the band, but they don't sound like an overblown rock orchestra. Their songs have a minimalist, almost catatonic effect, as if the listener has stumbled into a dream or some other ethereal plane. more ›

They're in the Rock Band Network database, they're on Paul Frank's compilation CD -- and they've only had recorded songs available for six months. Meet upbeat local quartet Dance for the Dying. more ›

We talked to surf pop act Bake Sale about the band's genesis, their favorite shows thus far and their upcoming name change. more ›

For a band that started as a two-piece folk duo, Ugly Purple Sweater has become a genuine pop band with massive vocals and guitar riffs to match their big choruses and occasionally heady subject matter. more ›

Finding inspiration from the culture of Japanese pearl divers, Sansyou has created a lush, dreamy EP full of spacious guitar compositions that mirrors a diver's trip under the sea. Learn more about them in this week's Three Stars. more ›

With songs inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's poems and a penchant for dark synth lines and guitar parts, Lenorable is the best Three Stars act we could have picked to interview in advance of Halloween. more ›

Yoko Kamitani had not planned on staying in D.C. after she finished her studies, but now she's bringing her unique electronic style to the Strathmore's Artist in Residence program. more ›

Mobius Strip is punk rock with a cause. The trio of vegans make wild uninhibited two minute screamers that speak out directly against animal cruelty. Read more in this week's Three Stars. more ›

It may seem that post-rock instrumental bands have existed in a niche somewhere, but Tone was a rarity at its inception 20 years ago. We talk to them about sidestepping cliches and playing for their kids. more ›

Jason Hamacher cut his teeth with hardcore cult favorites Frodus, but with his new band Regents, he's playing with new people and trying new touring and recording strategies. more ›

Cephalopods are a mysterious entity for anyone used to the internet's usual penchant for instant gratification. The people constituting the lineup immediately pique interest, but their internet presence is minimal and we're lucky if we can catch a show from them once every few months. more ›

Local trio The Gift isn't afraid to get heavy. Many of the songs on the aptly named Mostly in Sickness stick to the minor keys and singer/guitarist Beck Levy isn't afraid to open up her throat and scream along to those dark riffs. It's as if she's reliving the loss and grief of her music as the rhythm section of Henry Mesias and Mikey T plod heavily behind her. more ›

When a band has just finished recording an album, it's obvious in the best way possible. The band has a certain chemistry and tightness that makes for an impressive performance. No note, beat or movement seems without purpose, but the movements seem unforced and natural. That was The Blackberry Belles last night at Fort Reno. more ›

Fort Reno is nearly upon us, and we relish that time as an opportunity to discover new bands and new sounds. However, Beasts of No Nation, one of the three bands opening the Fort Reno season, comes to us with a very familiar sound. more ›

Considering how much rock and roll standards have influenced everything thereafter, there aren't nearly as many bands who wear their influences as effortlessly as The Nunchucks. From the beginning chords of "Clean Me Out" on their recently released Eat Your Moneys EP, you can hear the bold guitar riffs of classic rock songs like "You've Really Got Me", but there are also very smooth vocals from Ron Soltes that bring to mind more pop-oriented fare. However, there's a cleverness that's distinctly their own (listen closely to the lyrics to "Zebra") and a few jazzy chord progressions not often found within the parameters of rock and roll. We sat down with singer Ron Soltes and bassist Brandon Schnedl to talk about their take on local music, their international influences and remaining together for several years. more ›

The Sweater Set are here to impress. In addition to impressing audiences with the sheer number of instruments with which they’re more than proficient, Sara Curtin and Maureen Andary are also well versed in a number of musical styles. Within the course of our conversation, they brought up tidbits about folk, jazz, country, musical theater and indie rock. Their love of all of these styles are apparent on their most recent album Goldmine. We sat down with the band at Andary’s home where we talked about their upcoming tour with Michelle Shocked, recording kazoos, applying for grants and their appreciation for the art of costume. more ›

Interested in the new seven-inch from local electronic duo Protect-U? You aren't alone. When @futuretiming announces that they're dropping off that release at a local record store -- usually in limited quantities -- acquiring them before the day's end becomes something of a music fan rat race. This doesn't happen without reason. The sparkling electronic jams of Petillo and Aaron Leitko have a heady otherworldly quality that could just as easily start a chill out night as a dance party. more ›

Like the Caribbean, More Humans write nuanced compositions that create lush soundscapes fit for watching sunsets or driving through open fields. Yet, the trio of Clinton Doggett, Andrew Fishbein and Marko Sonevytsky has an immediacy to them, whether by virtue of their stunning vocal harmonies or guitars that can crunch as well as they can quietly soar. Furthermore, above and beyond their musical chops: More Humans are funny. It's a clever and discreet brand of humor. You may miss lines like "Dracula/There's something in your blood" the first time around, but you'll snort later on. We chatted with Clinton Doggett about the ebb and flow of More Humans productivity, the confusion inherent in changing a band's name and working with people they respect. more ›

For the month of April, we're giving the bands a break and turning Three Stars over to area record labels. Today, we chat with Brian Lowit of Lovitt Records. Lovitt's longevity (sixteen years and counting!) is almost as impressive as the list of alumni. Lovitt Records' roster also showcases Lowit's strong ties with the musicians he grew up with, both here in D.C. and in North Carolina where he went to college. more ›

On Friday, we posted the first installment of our extensive interview with Sean Gray and Chris Berry of Fan Death Records. Here's the other half of the conversation, in where Gray and Berry elaborate on Fan Death's sense of humor, their definition of DIY and what bands they've been listening to and loving. They also address their much publicized comments on their disdain for D.C. bands. more ›