The male/female rock duo formula is a time tested tradition. Whether it owes to the simplicity of the setup, the contrasting timbres and harmonies possible, or some sort of subliminal sexual tension is anyone's guess. But from Richard & Linda Thompson to Quasi to the White Stripes to Sonny & Cher, and even, um, Roxette, there's no denying its appeal. The Aquarium popped up in D.C. a full half decade ago, quietly building a following......

Seattlest watches as a S.L.U.T. is born and Seattle Flickr users go nuts over a local art installation. A restaurant critic demands a Diner's Bill of Rights over a gnat next to her drink, and, in lieu of a Portlandist, Seattlest debates with itself over the identity of the Northwest's crown jewel. Seattlest also joins the guys from Fantagraphics for an ill-fated gun party in the woods. LAist saw national headlines soar this week with......

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......

LAist was comped front row seats by the Dodgers due to Malingering being struck by a foul ball last week, and she came back with some great photos, and earlier made fun of 4th of July on Venice Beach. But the biggest stories of the week was that the Mayor's Hot Tamale was revealed, and that a Kwik-E-Mart was erected in Burbank. Phillyist was busy doing the Fourth of July up right, exercising their......

You've heard it all a million times before — nobody dances at shows here! People don't get into the music! There's just no soul in D.C.'s music scene! The Hall Monitors heard your cry and happily came to answer the call with their brand of throwback garage rock & soul reminiscent of the guitar and Motown greats that made most of us (well, OK, me at least) learn to love music in the first place.......

From the tallest skyscraper in the City of Brotherly Love to Canadian tourism copywriting brilliance, here's what you should know from our -ist cities: This week, Phillyist took a gleeful listen to the White Stripes' exciting new release, watched in awe as their new tallest skyscraper was finally completed, found a cheaper way to get to Gothamist, invented a tasty new dessert, and brought back their Craigslist Round-Up feature with a bang. Bostonist watches......

MONDAY >> DC9 scoured the globe for tonight's lineup. The Comas hail from Brooklyn and Chapel Hill and specialize in the darker shades of psychadelic rock. The Veils are here all the way from New Zealand, with some "if you like The White Stripes, you'll love The Veils"-style blues-inspired rock. Locals Zulu Pearls round out the lineup with solid, basic, indie rock. We're incapable of hearing their name without thinking of "Zuzu's petals" from It's......

Seattlest has a talk with the photographer from last week's "Segway Mom" and then experiences some dissension in the ranks over the question of wine vs. beer. It's not West Side Story, but about as close as they'll get. They're also still waiting on some inbox relief after a spammer is arrested. As Chicagoist counts down the days to its third anniversary party, they found all-organic pizza to be underwhelming amidst the hoopla, tried......

If Thursday's show at the Red and the Black was any indication, this year's 6 Points Music Festival looks to be a good one. The local fest, in its fourth year but only its second with a wider reach, aims to someday be a D.C. version of South by Southwest and helped its cause by bringing a diverse indie bill to H Street NE. The show began with Brooklyn's The Lisps, followed by Chicago's Scotland......

Monday >> This past December, Matthew Ryan released his latest album, From A Late Night High-Rise, a collection of songs inspired by the death of his friend and the sentencing of his brother to 30 years in prison. Tonight you can experience his acoustic contemplations on stage at Iota Club with Tim Easton. 8:30 p.m., $12. >> Do you want to see Silver Spring's Flaming Cooters? Did you ever think you would hear those words......

Monday >> The hordes will flock to DAR Constitution Hall this Monday night to mark the return of Death Cab to D.C. with Ted Leo and the Pharmacists. They recently added a second, Tuesday night show, but feel free to take your pick, as tickets are still available for both days. $34, 8 p.m. >> It’s black Monday in the district, as the nominal antithesis of the White Stripes, The Black Keys, complete another 2-day......

Hailing from Fairfax, Virgina, Welbilt’s music may be defined as plethora of colorful hyphenated musical genres such as alternative power-pop, anthemic-rock, etc…but no matter how you choose classify the band, one word will ring true for anyone who experiences their sound….addictive. So what exactly is it about these guys that leave us always wanting more? It could be front man Nate Ihara’s powerful vocals, reminiscent of Switchfoot’s Jon Foreman, which make their often very simple......

Middle Distance Runner’s first full length album may be entitled Plane in Flames, but their fusion of upbeat drum patterns, catchy guitar riffs, and haunting vocals from front man Stephen Kilroy do anything but crash and burn. “Naturally” has a solid hook that leads the listener in with its addicting, cleverly written pessimistic lyrics and rhythmic hand clapping. Surprisingly, the rest of the album veers away from the direction of this pop sound, with more......

Brendan Benson's latest album, The Alternative To Love, played heavily into this summer's soundtrack. His name has been a frequent one on music bloggers' lips (fingers?), especially with talk of his upcoming project with Jack White and the Greenhornes in a band called The Raconteurs. Suffice it to say, we were looking forward to last night's show at Black Cat. The aforementioned Greenhornes opened for Benson (which brought all of the Raconteurs to D.C. this......

Monday: We love to start our weeks with a bang. Go have dinner in Little Ethiopia, then make your way to DC9 for some good old-fashioned punk with The Vibrators, The Screws, and Corrupted Youth. Bang! $8. Tuesday: Presumably, at some point, Sufjan Stevens is going to finish serenading the Rust Belt and start penning tributes to the Mid-Atlantic. And what we all want to know is, is he going give the District some love?......

It's been a good summer. For DCist it has, anyway, filled with cheetah cubs and buttersticks, Nats games and Borf sightings, and lots of sweaty, booze-soaked cookouts. But fall is coming, people, and it's time to put the flip-flops aside, say goodbye to the interns, and fill out your autumn dance card. DCist humbly offers the following suggestions. Oh, they grow up so fast. One day they're lil, playing hoops and making MTV videos, the......