Marylanders, never fear, the folk is here. And the blues, jazz, and country for that matter. According to WTOP, the Birchmere, a Northern Virginia mainstay, will be setting up shop across the river. Plans are underway for a Birchmere II in the ever-developing Silver Spring downtown. It will complement the existing Alexandria location, allowing for more fun, more old people getting out, and most importantly twice as much Devendra Banhart. Birchmere owners said the Montgomery…

As I went up the steps to the Dance Party show at the Black Cat, I could hear the noise pouring out of the swinging doors. The stairwell echoed with shrill cheers of teenage girls, like a bygone episode of TRL. Instead of a Carson Daily or hot pop singer, lead singer Mick Coogan stood his ground in a bright lime green shirt. He thrust his guitar to and fro, shaking furiously onstage and delivering…

On Friday night, Dex and J.R. of Death by Sexy were joined on stage by Tony Acampora of Greenland, as DxS celebrated the release of their new EP, Big Hit. Without any prior live exposure to Death by Sexy, we can say that Acampora’s quality guitar playing added to the energy and mystique of the Death by Sexy’s show. While neither a Josh Homme side project or the recently broken up Death From Above 1979,…

The music department took a bit of a siesta to watch fireworks, eat hot dogs, and catch Panacea — the excellent hip hop outfit that rose from the ashes of RPM. As always, if you’ve got any other suggestions for this week, let us know in the comments. WEDNESDAY >> Hardcore DIY outfits Badeatinghabits and Jinxed at Twelve infuse scremo in the former and melodic DC punk in the latter. Enjoy them both at the…

The seeds for Greenland were planted at William and Mary, where guitarist Jamie and bassist Tony were both part of a band called Captain Kickass. They only played two shows and mostly jammed drunk, but it sparked a collaboration between the two members. Reconnecting a year after college, they began performing in the D.C. area and garnering a lot of praise from critics, musicians, and audiences. Despite persistent sound problems from radio tower interference, their…

Rock-n-Romp, like Fort Reno, is a D.C. summer concert series for post-punk music. Like Fort Reno, it caters to an underserved crowd. But while Fort Reno is for younger folks enjoying a wide open summer, Rock-n-Romp is trying to get parents out of the house. Running since 2002 in the backyard of the founder’s house, and spreading as far as Austin and Memphis, Rock-n-Romp is now hoping to change the music scene in Silver Spring…

Calexico is one of the most interesting bands that I had ever overlooked until 2004. For me, it was their collaboration with Iron and Wine’s Sam Beam that put the Tucson collective’s talents squarely on the popular indie map. Though they appeared out of nowhere and were sometimes boxed in as a mere “backing band,” it is now clear that their performance appeal goes as deep as their musical ambitions. Calexico is far from and…

Summer is here and with it comes wholesome outdoor entertainment for the whole family. The spotlit evening baseball games, campground marshmallow roasting, and of course, the subversive DC rock concert series that is Fort Reno. Boasting no alcoholic beverages but a lot of teens and a few strollers, the free concert rocks atop the highest point in DC every Monday and Thursday from 7:30-9:30 throughout the summer. During the civil war, the Parrot heavy rifles…

We have an oft-repeated complaint about unwilling dancers: it’s all in your head. It’s clear people don’t dance at shows have never given it a serious chance. Or they haven’t been forced to. That’s where !!! (pronounced chk chk chk) comes in, with silky beats and drum circle percussion; where frontman Nic Offer grinds against you like some creepy, beautiful stranger. Releasing the seminal dance-punk single “Me and Giuliani Down by the School Yard”…

Timothy Bracken is the self-professed “worst banterer alive.” Prefacing songs with the ironic, humorous, or playfully disturbing (“Here’s a song about little girls”), he has made an increasingly known name for himself. It probably also helps that he writes sharp pop songs, toys with the blues, and delivers it with a vocal lurch akin to Okay or Rivers Cuomo. Originally from the Baltimore area, Bracken studied percussion in school and drummed in a few bands….