Whether due to his rabid fan base or well-chronicled psychogenic vomiting, Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy's psyche is plumbed every time he walks onto a stage. Judging by Tuesday night's performance at the Lincoln Theatre, things are going pretty well for the shaggy, self-effacing singer. After years of struggle and mid-level success, his band has outgrown the confines of critical-darling status, now enjoying the spoils of widespread recognition and the type of reliable, ever-increasing fan base that encourages a band to release its own brand of coffee. In short, Tweedy (the singer) is doing just fine. more ›

For the financially conscious concertgoer: here is how to reconcile paying $45 for a Wilco concert. The first hour (12 songs) in their set, in which the band received general and individual introductions via the “Fitter, Happier” computer voice and used a lot of fancy lighting, that’s one $15 show. The second hour (another 12 songs) in which they pulled out lamps, moved closer to each other and hinted that the audience could actually use the seats behind them, that’s a more intimate $15 show. Then the final hour (12 more songs) where they played fan favorite after fan favorite and band favorite after band favorite for a set that had the audience jumping and singing along even more than they already had been: that’s the final $15 show. more ›

It's been nearly a decade since Southern Rock Opera -- a perceptive, engrossing, and very loud meditation on Lynyrd Skynrd, race relations, and growing up and getting out -- brought the Pitchfork crowd into the ever-broadening tent of Athens, GA's Drive-By Truckers. Maryland-based documentarian Barr Weisman's new DBT documentary, The Secret to a Happy Ending, will make its world premiere Sunday afternoon at the AFI Silver Theater. (It was originally booked for Feb. 5, but there was this little snowstorm.) Founding Truckers Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley, as well as Weisman and long-serving DBT drummer Brad Morgan, will be on hand to take questions following the 5:30 screening on Sunday. Another screening will follow at 8:30. more ›

, a film about Wilco recorded over a stretch of tour last year that saw the band across the American south, is not a documentary. The film follows the band through five different cities, but the shows are depicted in reverse of the actual tour dates. Some show footage is spliced together to move the narrative along. It's a concert film, but it's more than a movie of a concert; a studio-produced live recording might be the way to think about it. And as such, the movie conveys not only some incredible artistry by Wilco, but real talent on behalf of collaborators Cristoph Green and Brendan Canty. more ›

Whether you're a little bit Iggy or a little bit Moby; whether you breathlessly await each L'il Wayne mixtape or whether pop music ceased to interest you the year the Beatles stopped touring and Dylan went electric (in which case, congratulations on figuring out this old Internet), there was something to your taste at the third edition of the Virgin Mobile Festival this weekend. Not just something, actually: A lot. more ›

When Wilco first toured after the release of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot (2002, though it seems even longer ago), they'd joke around on stage about how they were trying to popularize the word "snoozin'." Jeff Tweedy would say, "You know how when people started saying 'bad' when something was really good? It's the same thing. 'Snoozin' is the new 'rockin'." more ›

Protest over national vs. regional chains, the never-ending debate over the place of cars and bicycles in our metropolises, professional sports scandals, remembering a solemn day, and being issued a search warrant - it all happened across our sites this week! Another banner week at Chicagoist started off with daily reports from food writer Lisa Shames on her attempt to eat only locally grown and raised foodstuffs all week as part of a farmers market... more ›

Happy first weekend of September - and happy Labor Day weekend, too, for our American cities! Let's take a look at what's been happening around the Ist-a-verse. The deaths of two firefighters shook Bostonist this week. Boston's firefighters bent over backwards all week long - first, they fought flames pouring from the Boston Tea Party museum, and then a restaurant fire killed two and injured many more. Their efforts make everything else - like Tom... more ›

Maybe it’s always been this way, but it seems the latest trends in indie bands are to either go really big or pare everything down. Examples: The two-person, girl-boy pop duo has exploded, not to mention the two person blues combo. Power trios seem on the rise — run-of-the-mill rhythm guitarists need not apply. On the other side of the spectrum, The Arcade Fire gains a member every time they tour, collectives like Broken Social... more ›

>> The actor who plays Jim Halpert on NBC's The Office, John Krasinski, otherwise known as the boyfriend of every female staff writer at DCist, was apparently onstage with Ben Gibbard at the 9:30 Club last night. Krasinski, who met Gibbard on the set of the upcoming film adaptation of David Foster Wallace's Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, reportedly got a bit drunk, came on the stage and provided a little witty musical banter... more ›

>> Sen. John McCain probably wishes he didn't sing "bomb Iran" to the tune of the Beach Boy's "Barbara Ann" at a meeting with supporters. Or at least he wishes it wasn't captured on YouTube. [via Reason's Hit & Run] >> Local groups continue to schedule memorials to the victims of Monday's shootings at Virginia Tech. You can find a good list of Washington-area events here. [NBC4] >> Tickets for both Wilco and the... more ›

Whenever a band from the South takes the stage – particularly at an indie rock club – conventional indie rock expectations should go out the window. Or, at least, a different type of wisdom seems to apply. Just like no one was terribly surprised when Isaac Brock sliced himself onstage, or when they found out that seeing Cat Power live can be an awkward experience, or that Jeff Tweedy will probably fire a current member of Wilco in the next six months, no one’s ever really shocked to see a Southern band playing loud and long, and stumbling drunk around the stage. In that regard, it was another loud, sloppy night from the South’s latest purveyors of road-tested rock, Memphis' Lucero. more ›

Hosting live webcasts of some of the most critically acclaimed artists that come through D.C. — that's something DCist can get behind. We've been fans of NPR's Live Concert Series for a while now. Their home base is the 9:30 Club and they make partaking in sold out shows without selling your soul to a scalper an actual possibility. Recently they've covered Ted Leo, Nellie McKay, The Good The Bad and The Queen, and tonight... more ›

The Autumn Defense came to Jammin’ Java in Vienna last week armed with a new album (their third full length) and a full band to back up leading duo John Stirratt and Pat Sansone of Wilco. And on a rainy, nasty Thursday night in the suburbs, a strong crowd of serious fans turned out to hear a solid set of pop songs driven by acoustic guitars and vocal harmonies. more ›

What happened to my Americana? Somewhere out there, crotchety old folkies, scruffy bluesmen, and maybe even an early alt. country pioneer or two are listening to Califone and wondering the same thing. And it’s true – this may not be your parents’ roots music, but we like it that way. more ›

Calexico is far from and yet near its humble origins in Tucson, Arizona. Joey Burns and John Convertino formed their duo and moved there in 1994 after playing together in Howard Gelb’s Giant Sand. In Tucson they continued their session playing, learned new instruments, and experimented tirelessly. Recording the album Spoke with their new instrumental arsenal in 1996, the group struck out into their own space as a band. They followed up with the critically acclaimed The Black Light. Then as now, they have remained committed to experimentation with mariachi, Latin jazz, rock, and even plain sound, both confusing and engaging critics and listeners. more ›

Along with lilac and hyacinth, the sweet sweet smell of summer concerts is in the air. Here's a breakdown of some exciting dates so far. >> Belle & Sebastian, Broken Social Scene & Ted Leo + Pharmacists, Merriweather, July 8. If you're interested, the belle tix presale started today. Tickets go on sale en masse this Saturday at 10 a.m., via Ticketmaster or the Merriweather or 9:30 Club box offices. >> Wolfmother's been doing their... more ›

Welcome to the November edition of Three Stars. Tomorrow, we'll have an interview with DJ Will Eastman, on Thursday we'll take a look at the Routineers, and today we discuss The Caribbean and their recently released album, Plastic Explosives. Plastic Explosives, The Caribbean We want to get the details out of the way first. The Caribbean is a local band, composed of members of a handful of local acts past and present, including Townies, Smart... more ›

Holy crap! There was a tornado in the Tidal Basin yesterday, and the rest of the weekend promises to bring another deluge. Nevertheless, we've got some recommendations to keep you dry and having fun. FRIDAY: >> Talented local artrockers Metropolitan hosts a record release party at the Black Cat for their third CD, "The Lines They Get Broken." Aqueduct and Federal City Five open. 9:30, $8. >> The Brindley Brothers, local musicians and owners of... more ›

FRIDAY: >> The circus has come to town! Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus will be having an evening show tonight, 7:30 p.m. at the MCI Center. If you get there 90 minutes early, you can enjoy free entertainment, and during the pre-show Three Ring Adventure, kids can meet performers and pose for photos with the crazy clowns. Tickets can be purchased here. SATURDAY: >> If you're feeling energetic come Saturday AM, why not... more ›

>> Everybody knows that the only true thing going on tonight is the DCist happy hour! From 5-8 p.m., DCist editors and contributors will be at Biddy Mulligans on Dupont Circle, starting our weekend off with a Guinness or four. Definitely drop on by with some friends for a chat, a rant, or to confirm that we are indeed real, live people as opposed to automated Gothamist bots. more ›

The afternoon before the Wilco concert at the 9:30 Club, we browsed around Craigslist and eBay just to see what tickets were going for. Scalpers were asking anywhere from $50-$100 per ticket, and desperate fans were promising the equivalent of their first born baby to gain entrance. Geez, we thought. Maybe we should consider selling our precious tickets to the highest bidder -- we weren't huge fans of "A Ghost Is Born," Wilco's last recording,... more ›

Were you stuck in ticket "virtual waiting room" hell for hours on end while Wilco tickets sold out from under your fingers a month ago? Well, if so, this is a just a friendly reminder that alternatives to going to the show tonight or tomorrow do exist. more ›

A pair of sold-out Wilco shows and a Teenbeat reunion highlight our picks for this week. MONDAY: >> Rambunctious retro power pop group The Futureheads, at right, play the 9:30 Club, with Shout Out Louds & The High Speed Scene opening. $12. Stream their video for "Hounds of Love" here. TUESDAY: >> Feminist electro-popsters Le Tigre, fronted by ex-Bikini Kill singer Kathleen Hanna, are at the 9:30 Club this evening. Unfortunately, local band Measles Mumps... more ›

The buzz at Arlington's IOTA Club and Café on Saturday afternoon was palpable. A half hour before the doors opened for the big show, the line stretched down the block to Whitlow's on Wilson. Was it a special Arcade Fire show? Nope. A closer look at the line revealed a number of attendees who were still many years from IOTA's usual 21-and-over age limit. Ralph's World had come to Arlington. more ›

If you're anything like DCist, you're still feeling bitter, over two months later, about not getting tickets to Wilco's last show at the 9:30 club. more ›