When Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison (the son of Beatles guitarist George Harrison) and Joseph Arthur announced the formation of Fistful of Mercy, I knew little of the latter two musicians’ histories. As a big fan of Harper’s previous work, however, I thought a trip to see the self-proclaimed “super-group” at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue would make for a worthwhile evening.

When Ben Harper, Dhani Harrison (the son of Beatles guitarist George Harrison) and Joseph Arthur announced the formation of Fistful of Mercy, I knew little of the latter two musicians’ histories. As a big fan of Harper’s previous work, however, I thought a trip to see the self-proclaimed “super-group” at Sixth & I Historic Synagogue would make for a worthwhile evening.

State Radio, despite being more mature and lyrically deeper than your average rock/reggae band, maintains a very young following. Their shows tend to be dominated by crowd-surfing frat boys and Uggs-wearing sorority chicks, with Saturday’s show being no exception. And no, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The band’s second of two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club was driven quite successfully by the energy that only such a crowd can provide. The Massachusetts-based trio…

State Radio, despite being more mature and lyrically deeper than your average rock/reggae band, maintains a very young following. Their shows tend to be dominated by crowd-surfing frat boys and Uggs-wearing sorority chicks, with Saturday’s show being no exception. And no, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. The band’s second of two sold-out shows at the 9:30 Club was driven quite successfully by the energy that only such a crowd can provide. The Massachusetts-based trio…

This weekend’s weather got you down in the dumps? How about a brief peek into the future: sunshine, the glorious combination of hot dogs with beer, and wooden cracks preambling the pop of gloves and clouds of dust as the home team runs the bases. Ahhh. So while Saturday’s snow may have left you feeling like spring was miles away, we assure you, it’s closer than you’d imagine. To prove it, the Nationals held their…

This weekend’s weather got you down in the dumps? How about a brief peek into the future: sunshine, the glorious combination of hot dogs with beer, and wooden cracks preambling the pop of gloves and clouds of dust as the home team runs the bases. Ahhh. So while Saturday’s snow may have left you feeling like spring was miles away, we assure you, it’s closer than you’d imagine. To prove it, the Nationals held their…

It’s finally here. The dreadful 2009-2010 campaign of the Redskins, the one in which the team played poor football in spades and was exposed to more drama and controversy than any one should endure in a decade, is a mere 60 minutes of football away from ending. For many in the organization, this afternoon’s matchup in San Diego could mean the end of their time in Washington; for some, that scenario is all-but-inevitable. Coach Jim…

The Roots are known as one of the best live music acts in the world, and for good reason. It was clear from the first song last night at the 9:30 Club, as the tempo slowly rose from a mellow rhyme accompanied by a simple beat to a full-band barrage of hip-hop stylings, that the tone was set for the rest of the night. Black Thought, Questlove and Co. brought it from that point on,…

The Roots are known as one of the best live music acts in the world, and for good reason. It was clear from the first song last night at the 9:30 Club, as the tempo slowly rose from a mellow rhyme accompanied by a simple beat to a full-band barrage of hip-hop stylings, that the tone was set for the rest of the night. Black Thought, Questlove and Co. brought it from that point on,…

There are few teams in the NFL more enigmatic than our Washington Redskins. Fresh off an impressive road victory in Oakland — yeah, the Raiders are terrible, so what? — the D.C. club put together an historically poor performance at home against the New York Giants. Two weeks after going toe-to-toe with the undefeated New Orleans Saints, the ‘Skins had all sorts of trouble containing a depleted Giants pass rush, putting quarterback Jason Campbell in…