Though D.C. as “the swamp” is well-trod narrative territory, this tight drama makes it remarkably fresh.

With point guard Antonio Daniels out for 2-4 weeks with a sprained knee, the Washington Wizards were more than shorthanded going into Saturday night’s game against the visiting Sacramento Kings. Rookie Nick Young started in Daniels’ spot in the back court and scored five of the team’s first seven points, but it was the hot hand of DeShawn Stevenson that led the Wizards to a 92-79 win. Stevenson played over 44 minutes and connected…

MONDAY >> It wasn’t too far from here — just a couple hours south in Midlothian, VA, where Aimee Mann got her start. Now the guitar playing song weaver is a bonafide modern music legend. She’s treating The Birchmere to her 2nd Annual Christmas Show, and it’s not something you should miss. $45.50, 7:30 p.m. >> Roofwalkers (pictured), the band formerly known as Pagoda, are treating the Galaxy Hut crowd to an evening of…

This weekend the Capitals decided not to add a great goalie to pull them up from the dregs of the standings. After losing seven of eight games, the Caps were in last place. This gave them the first chance to pick up Ilya Bryzgalov, a goalie placed on waivers because he didn’t enjoy playing backup on the Stanley Cup champion Anaheim Ducks. Two years ago, Bryzgalov posted one of the greatest playoff shutout streaks in…

>> One of the biggest names in smooth jazz, altoist David Sanborn, begins a five night stint at Blues Alley tonight with daily 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. sets. Tickets are $50 + $12.50 minimum/surcharge. >> Our first must see of the week takes place at Twins Jazz, where the club will feature three ensembles under the direction of local saxophonist Brad Linde. The University of Maryland Jazz Chamber Ensemble will play the first set…

>> Could Harptallica actually be a Metallica tribute band consisting entirely of harp players? Yes, yes it could — see video above for proof. At Iota, opening for recent Three Stars alums Yeveto. $12, 8:30 p.m. >> Bar Rouge is hosting Lolita and Gilda’s Burlesque Poetry Hour, which will feature writers Dean Smith, Piotr Gwiazda and Remica Bingham reading from their work and then auctioning off a piece of clothing off their backs at…

To cut through all the verbal foreplay and just get right to it, last night, Kings of Leon put on the best concert I’ve seen all year. Maybe even longer. Not since The Strokes at DAR have I seen a band so well-rehearsed and completely together. And the boys from Tennessee blew Mr. Casablancas and company out of the water. The set heavily favored older material, mainly bringing in songs from their most recent,…

MONDAY >> This ain’t not J-Pop, we swear. If you want good old-fashioned Japanese rock ‘n’ roll (OK, it’s true, we don’t really know what that’s supposed to sound like either), The Captains from some place in Japan (the city name on their MySpace page uses Japanese characters) will drop by The Red & The Black tonight. They will be supported by Sugarcane Crawl, formerly known as Blues Hammer, and D.C.’s The Bourbon Dynasty. 9…

MONDAY >> This is a grand week for Three Stars Alums. First up, we have the magical lyrics of new-wave pop rockers LeJeune(***) playing D.C.’s beloved Fort Reno Park. Also playing tonight are Pup Tent and Engine Room. Show starts at 7:15 p.m., free. >> Next in line, take in the Dischord-influenced sounds of Cataract Camp (***) as they play the backstage at the Black Cat. Back in 2006, we predicted that this band would…

In a best of seven playoff series, any team with a 3-1 lead has distinct advantage. This is entirely false when that team is the Washington Capitals, and it holds that slim advantage over the Pittsburgh Penguins. The Capitals blew 3-1 leads against the Penguins in 1992 and 1995, and blew a 2-0 lead to the Penguins in 1996. Since this season’s Hershey Bears are one-third composed of players from this season’s Washington Capitals, they…