MONDAY:
>> If you snagged tickets, you’ll probably be experiencing a helluva a show tonight at the 9:30 Club, where DCist favorites Doves and Mercury Rev are playing a sold-out concert. Mercury Rev, who play almost psychedelic, orchestral pop, go on at 8:45 p.m.; Doves go on at 10 p.m.
TUESDAY:
>> Our mothership, Gothamist, loves Snowden; we here at DCist adore local group Cartel (at right); the two play together tonight at the Black Cat backstage for only $5, and we can only assume there will be some sort of meta-blogger-music explosion. We’ll be there! 9 p.m. Check out Cartel mp3s here and Snowden mp3s here.
>> Songstress Aimee Mann, probably best known for her haunting, melodic work on the “Magnolia” soundtrack, plays the Birchmere. Australian pop wunderkind Ben Lee opens. 7:30 p.m., $45.
>> Snow Patrol at the 9:30 Club is sold out, but there are plenty o’ tickets available on Craigslist.
>> By now you know the drill: bloggers with excellent music taste DJ; you go, dance, have fantastic time. And at this week’s bluestate at Saint-Ex, there’s also a Stephen Malkmus/Belle and Sebastian record release party. 9 p.m.
THURSDAY:
>> We have to say that we loved blogger Sarah Brown’s assessment of moody indie singer Conor Oberst of Bright Eyes:
“You are only allowed to be tortured for your art if war or famine has killed all your family and the only girl you’ve ever loved, you’ve been maimed and persecuted, and maybe the Spanish Inquisition was involved somehow. Not because oh, sometimes when you’re nineteen and live in a small town, it’s hard to get laid! I mean, find true love! It’s for this reason that I cannot stomach Bright Eyes for longer than one single song. Oh, you’re really upset because … remind me again? You have a big anime girl face and sing songs about how you can’t find love, which in turn has you knee-deep in moony-eyed, hoodie-clad trim all across America?”
Yet, somehow, we still woke up one morning after too much wine, having purchased a ticket to his 9:30 Club show. Huh. Bright Eyes plays the 9:30 Club Thursday and Friday with The Faint; both shows are sold-out. NPR streamed his earlier D.C. concerts back in January. And if you didn’t get tickets, don’t fear: there’s a Bright Eyes/The Faint afterparty at DC9, hosted by Electrotease. 11 p.m. Todd Baechle, lead singer of The Faint, will be DJing.
SATURDAY:
>> The Raveonettes are pure garage rock awesomeness; lucky for you, they play the Black Cat this evening with Autolux. $12.
