You may have noticed a number of new features on DCist today, thanks to an -ist network wide upgrade. Since these features are brand new, they’re also wreaking a normal amount of havoc on our servers as the Gothamist tech team races to fix bugs and get everything up and running smoothly. That said, our servers are going down on and off right now, so we’re not at 100 percent today. We appreciate you being…

Regular readers probably noticed that we’ve made a few small changes to our commenting and feedback systems today. Here’s the low down: 1. Every commenter can now have a profile page that includes a small bit of information about them, links to their recent comments, and comments other people have left in response. If the commenter is also a DCist author, the page will include a list of their recent posts. Here’s mine. You can…

Good day, Washington. Are you getting tired of this gorgeous weather yet? Yeah, us neither. As you work out the kinks in your upcoming Memorial Day Weekend plans, we wish you good luck and delight in describing the rest of this week and weekend ahead as forecast to be sunny and hot enough to give you that sunburn you’ve been hoping for. We’re also putting together a few ideas for last-minute day trips for those…

We had been looking forward to seeing Swedish indie darlings Peter Bjorn and John for some time, but as sometimes happen with indie darlings, Monday’s sold out 9:30 Club show underwhelmed. The trio, who have been all over Pitchfork and the blogs, play understated, finely crafted 60s-ish pop. They’ve been together since 1999, but their third album, 2006’s “Writer’s Block,” catapulted them to indie stardom, mainly due to the single “Young Folks.” The rest of…

If Thursday’s show at the Red and the Black was any indication, this year’s 6 Points Music Festival looks to be a good one. The local fest, in its fourth year but only its second with a wider reach, aims to someday be a D.C. version of South by Southwest and helped its cause by bringing a diverse indie bill to H Street NE. The show began with Brooklyn’s The Lisps, followed by Chicago’s Scotland…

The Lede has only been around the D.C. area since 2004, producing self recorded demos featured on their MySpace page and shifting through various rotations of band members. It may seem like these local alt-rockers are still working out the kinks and getting acclimated to the scene, but their mature and innovative sound tells a different story. You need a strong lead to hook the reader (or in this case, the listener), and that they…

MONDAY >> New York’s Teenage Prayers offer up a sound that leans heavily on the best kind of influences — from Solomon Burke to The Kinks — to the Red and the Black tonight. Should be just the right kind of band for this intimate venue. $8. TUESDAY >> The last time Art Brut came to town, DCist Kyle said, “I honestly can’t remember the last time I had so much fun at a rock…

MONDAY >> As far as rock history is concerned, the name Ray Davies is right up there with names like Paul McCartney and Sly Stone. He led one of the 60s’ most important bands, The Kinks, and continued to be prominent throughout the years, stopping along the way to have a daughter with Chrissie Hynde, write short stories and a memoir, and get shot in the leg. Now he’s touring in promotion of his brilliant…

This review written by DCist Contributor Matt Sedlar Washington, D.C., you should be ashamed of yourself. The all-ages crowd at the 9:30 Club on Saturday night may have turned local boy Matt Pond against us, and it might take flowers and an apology to get him to come back. How did this all happen? Let’s recap. The evening began with a subdued performance by Australia’s Youth Group, a four-piece rock outfit with a lot of…

By DCist Music Contributor Justin Kielsgard. The name Greenland refers not only to the world’s largest island, which floats around in the North Atlantic, but to arguably the District’s most underrated rock band. Like the territory of Greenland, this trio is quite misunderstood. Greenland the island isn’t green. It’s tundra, covered in ice. And Greenland the band isn’t just another three-piece with a gig, but a band on the rise. Blending British Invasion-era pop and…