Interpol demands intimacy. The almost sexual rhythmic intensity of tracks like “Narc” and the tight treble tweaks of “Success” demand personal attention with a palpable urgency. Paul Banks’ stage presence and his cohorts’ brooding sound do not arena-rock make. Their tight, angular sound felt lost in the acoustically monstrous DAR, which in turn left the audience regret not seeing them in a more fitting venue like the sonically-superior 9:30 Club.

Monday >> The Starlingtons may not seem like your typical Black Cat band, but they are breaking the boundaries of traditional country/bluegrass. Tonight they’ll be on the back stage with Portland Oregon’s Casey Neill and his own folk/punk rock fusion. 9 p.m., $7. >> In the mood to try something new? Chicago’s post-punk New Harbour has been around for a few years now, but just moved to the District. They’re playing their first show tonight…

Ahhh, summer music festivals. As any music blog reader could tell you, as soon as the ground starts to thaw, they’re all the indie kids can talk about. Last year we were all lathered up about getting a mega-fest of our very own (or at least, within reasonable stomping-ground distance). Several DCists embarked upon Pimlico and were pleased to report that the festival was wonderfully organized, accomodating, really well done and… that it just…

The first thing we noticed when City-State’s first full-length, Monument, arrived is that it looked very professional. Often with local bands the CDs look (and usually are) homemade. There’s nothing wrong with that, it’s just something that stuck out as a good sign. The CD cover has a picture of Vladimir Tatlin’s unbuilt sculpture “Monument to the Third International,” one of those things that pops up in architecture books from time to time, superimposed over…

We really enjoy giving away free stuff, and so apparently do your favorite local bands. That’s why we got together with Cedars to arrange for an EP and ticket giveaway to their show tonight with Scotland’s the Cinematics and Chicago’s the Changes at the Rock and Roll Hotel! Who loves ya? DCist loves ya. We’ve been big fans of the band since way back in the days when they had a different name and played…

You’ve read about The Vita Ruins on DCist before. You may have even seen them perform at our 4th Unbuckled concert. When all that buzz was going on about the band, they’d only had a few (literally — Unbuckled was their third show) performances under their belt. Since then they’ve built up a reputation that’s allowed them quite a bit of luck in booking shows and getting people talking. But the Virginia natives are…

If you managed to stay inside basking in the glow of fluorescent lights and humming computers, congrats. Our informal survey of the city’s green spaces indicates that most Washingtonians didn’t share your stamina and came up with some excuse to get outside. Whether you were “taking the dog to the vet,” “coming down with a touch of the flu” or just dealing with the House’s voting malarkey, we now proudly offer “Go Home Already:…

Born from a high school friendship, The Chance is the product of years of tooling around on instruments and mucking with the lineup. As they stand today, the band is Joshua Padgett on lead guitar and vocals, Viraj DeSilva on drums and Finley Martin on bass. The band’s gone through several incarnations over the years, but Padgett and DeSilva are the constants. They grew up together, cultivating a friendship and learning how to play. As…

When Telograph (***) played the Six Points Music Festival back in April, they were easily our favorite band in the festival’s Velvet Lounge lineup. We may have compared them to new-wave hipsters Interpol and The Strokes, but Telograph’s great live show made it difficult to categorize them simply as another “it” band. We’re happy to say that their upcoming EP Little Bits of Plastic justifies our initial impression: Telograph is a band to watch. Over…

The agenda’s coming in a little late this week, many appologies. Before we get into our picks, we’d like to wish a very happy 5th birthday to Jammin’ Java. The Vienna venue that started out small has come far since its beginning, earning acclaim and great acts along the way. Head on out to the ‘burbs (and if you take the metro, wear a belt), and pay Jammin’ Java a visit sometime this month. Might…