Quite a few eyebrows were raised when The Hives announced they would be opening for Maroon 5’s arena tour, and with good reason. Most of the teenagers and soccer moms in the Verizon Center last night weren’t sure what to make of the Swedish quintet when they hit the stage just after 8 p.m. This was not lost on frontman Howlin’ Pelle Almqvist. “Think of this as a first date,” he told the crowd….

MONDAY >> Were you out of town this weekend, wishing you were home soaking in the goodness that was the DAM! Festival? Fear not. Tonight there is one more show, and it happens to be the festival’s biggest. The chanteuse to give all other indie chanteuses a run for their money, Cat Power, is taking the 9:30 Club stage with the Dirty Delta Blues, and a little help from openers Childballads. $25 or your…

Most come to DC9 expecting – to some degree – a warts and all show that leaves a little to be desired. One thing you don’t tend to expect is the kind of polish that came from The Hatch last night. Formed at Washington University in St. Louis, relocated to L.A. to record and practice, they’re now calling New York home, hunkering down in an apartment/rehearsal space and starting a residency at Piano’s next month….

We’ve been hearing quite a bit about efforts to fight hunger these days. First, Sir Bob Geldolf recently announced five concerts around the world to be held July 2, just days before the G8 summit in Edinburgh, Scotland. Geldolf organized the massive 1985 Live Aid concert to raise funds to send relief to people suffering from a famine in East Africa, this time around the concert is seeking political change: a commitment by the G8…