Tour Diaries are back! We asked more local musicians with a penchant for good storytelling to send us their own tales from the road. Here’s the first installment from America Hearts‘ Jess Matthews.

Ever since January, when Baltimore Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled that Maryland’s law banning same-sex marriage is discriminatory and unconstitutional, the state has been a major battle ground for same-sex marriage advocates around the country. Today, Maryland’s Court of Appeals put an effective end to this chapter of the struggle’s future in the state, ruling that the ban does not violate Maryland’s state constitution. The Associated Press via WTOP has more on the…

There’s a scene in the action/horror film Blade: Trinity in which a resurrected Dracula, played with a considerable lack of energy by Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell, wanders into a store that sells vampire-themed novelty items. For a second — just before Dracula kills everyone around and the movie switches back to another techno-saturated fight scene — it’s amusing. Where did vampire lore begin and how did it result in countless terrible movies, action figures and…

Virginia’s love for wine is no secret. It dates back centuries with Thomas Jefferson’s personal endorsement of wine as a suitable beverage. However, when you mention “Virginia Wines” to anyone, you are met with one of two reactions: an overwhelming expression of excitement and testament to how fabulous they are or an exasperated eye roll that says it all. Whichever one you fall under is fine with us, but as avid wine drinkers we feel…

>> The Black Cat’s backstage will be a bit twangy tonight, as The Starlingtons stop by to play some of their alt-bluegrass with Portland Oregon’s folksy Casey Neill. 9 p.m., $7. >> One of the weeks few interesting author appearances is tonight at Olsson’s in Dupont Circle, when Pushcart Prize-winning writer Katherine Taylor stops by to read from and sign copies of her debut novel, Rules for Saying Goodbye. 7 p.m. >> It’s possible…

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…

At a hearing before the Public Services and Consumer Affairs Committee yesterday, the D.C. Council heard testimony both for and against the so-called payday loan industry, which has often been criticized for predatory lending practices. The businesses market themselves as a way for lower income individuals who don’t qualify for credit or a bank loan to get emergency cash. The industry’s opponents charge that payday loans prey on our society’s most vulnerable people by charging…

The United States Botanic Garden is a favorite summer destination, and the list of reasons to visit has gotten longer. In a recently opened exhibit, Celebrating America’s Public Gardens, the nation’s most important public gardens have sponsored mini-displays in two sections called Green Today, Growing Tomorrows (in the National Garden, at the Mall end of the grounds) and A Sense of Place (on the Conservatory Terrace, facing Capitol Hill). In the latter exhibit, each garden’s…

We may not have voting rights, much less a state to call our own, but we do have a Miss District of Columbia Pageant. And you — yes you — have a shot at the crown. Today we received an email today from the pageant’s organizers, who are pleading for contestants. The original deadline was March 17 for the talent auditions and interviews, but they apparently haven’t had much luck finding any willing takers. It…

>>It’s 5:00 and already time to set our Snowpocalypse meters to “high.” Some schools are closing early with the mere mention of precipitation. [NBC] >> In reality, this whole event looks like a dud to us. NWS has moved the winter weather advisory up to end at 5 a.m. tomorrow and place accumulation of 1 inch as an outside chance at the best. All we can really expect at this point is a “light wintry…