“This is the song that’s made us whatever we are today,” said Oxford Collapse singer/guitarist Michael Pace upon introducing “Please Visit Our National Parks.” He then added, “I have no idea what that is.” This sense of confusion over the Brooklyn trio’s place in the indie rock paradigm is understandable. On the one hand, the band has a contract with “underground” behemoth Subpop Records and has played to sizable crowds, such as during the 2007…

It was quite the party last night at the Black Cat, full of skeezy mustached men (think 70s porn) and hyperactive girls in tutus (think Dakota Fanning plus Red Bull). Under normal circumstances, this is probably a law suit waiting to happen, but it turned out to be one of the most entertaining shows by all three acts on a bill that we have seen in some time. You know you are in for a…

Monday >> Hear the man behind the sound. Don Zientara runs Arlington’s legendary Inner Ear Studio, and has been behind the board for more of this town’s seminal punk records than we can count. But it turns out after all these years that Zientara is also an excellent songwriter in his own right. His 2003 collection of stripped down solo tunes garnered solid reviews, and he is joined by Sentai and Shift tonight at the…

Knowing little about either band, DCist attended Wednesday night’s performance by Chin Up Chin Up and The Oxford Collapse, armed only with a few tracks from each heard on Myspace, glowing reviews from Pitchfork, Mojo and a host of other publications, and a promise from a good friend that we would not regret it. Success on the Black Cat Backstage tends to be dependent on two things: your ability to soldier on despite often questionable…