The Cold War Kids stormed into the 9:30 Club on Saturday night to deliver cuts off their new album, Mine is Yours, to a sold-out crowd. The band made a name for themselves in L.A., plying the scene in Silverlake with an infectious blend of blues-meets-pop hooks and the urgency of lead singer Nathan Willett’s pipes. The band’s newer material builds on the radio-friendly success of “Something’s Not Right With Me,” mixing acutely literary references (e.g. name-checking Joan Didion) in tunes that continue to call out the darker, more angular crevasses of sun-bathed Southern California’s San Bernadino Valley.

MONDAY >>Satisfy your cheese cravings as former American Idol star (and Richmond, VA native) Elliot Yamin plays the 9:30 Club, with the Last Goodnight and Josh Hoge. $25, Doors at 7 p.m. >>Australian pop singer Ben Lee — he of the short-lived Bens and “Catch My Disease” moderate fame — comes to Alexandria’s Del Ray neighborhood to play the Birchmere. Joining him is are Cary Brothers. $19.50, 7:30 p.m. TUESDAY >>Dinosaur Jr. just can’t stop…

The Cold War Kids are the perfect complement to Muse. The boys from Fullerton, California stepped out into the Patriot Center last night with the same laid back attitude as if they were jamming in a friend’s garage. No props, no light shows, no flashy signs or confetti. They picked up their guitars and drumsticks in their partially tucked in shirts and just played, saving the over-the-top showmanship for their British conspiracy theorist headliners….

If you ask around, you’ll find a fair share of people who offer Fullerton, California’s Cold War Kids much affection. If your thing is fluid melodies, for instance, or taut pop hooks, you won’t find them in their repertoire. Their music could fairly be called repetitive. If you dressed sexy enough, I certainly wouldn’t kick you out of bed for calling them derivative. Some think their decision to release a full-length record distilled from previously…

We’ve talked about the lineup, interviewd the organizer, and even talked to a couple bands. Now we want to give you the chance to hear what’s coming our way with some MP3 previews of a few DAM Fest bands. The music staff got together, divied up the lineup, gathered some files together and is now serving up brief breakdowns of a few bands D.C. will play host to this weekend. If you’ve got some insight…

As a rather fervent concert goer, I’ve been watching my October Outlook calendar with alternating excitement and dread as my concert calendar gets more and more crowded. This all came to a head yesterday as I started putting in the DAMfest schedule and noticed a whole bunch of scheduling conflicts in the making. Area indie rock fans are going to have some tough choices to make the last full week of October. Thursday, Oct….

DCist took in three phenomenal bands on Monday night at the Black Cat. Midlake, Cold War Kids and the Sound Team played the backstage, much to our confusion, and they just may have put on the best show that little room has ever seen. First up was Midlake, a five piece from Denton, TX that embrace interactivity as much as they do fancy instruments. Midlake’s been around for a while, gaining fans and success in…

MONDAY >> Everyone, we’re stumped. We’ve been scratching our heads for weeks now, trying to figure out why three bands with as much buzz following them around as Cold War Kids, Midlake, and Sound Team (pictured) would be playing the Black Cat’s back stage, especially when nothing else is booked upstairs. We loved Cold War Kids when we saw them last month. Midlake is winning fans left and right, including a very hyperbolic Jason Lee….

Last night DCist ventured north to Charm City for a three band lineup made in blogger heaven. L.A.’s Cold War Kids, Denmark’s Figurines and Minnesota’s Tapes ‘n Tapes brought the music that all the indie kids have been gushing about to a great little club called Fletcher’s. The review in 20 words or less: Cold Ware Kids were really, really good. Figurines were not. Tapes ‘n Tapes pretty much rocked. Fletcher’s is a tiny (probably…

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…