Post and photo by DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya “It’s just not fair,” my friend said to me as we stood and watched multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird perform at this year’s South by Southwest conference in Austin. “How can one guy be so talented?” Admittedly, it does seem a bit unfair: Bird holds a degree in violin performance, is an accomplished guitarist, knows a thing or two about the glockenspiel, has a soaring voice that often recalls…

By DCist Contributor Mehan Jayasuriya We here at DCist have noticed a rather disturbing trend recently. More and more often, it seems, touring bands are skipping over the District in favor of our neighbor to the north, Baltimore. It makes sense if you think about it: Baltimore has a burgeoning arts scene, a variety of music venues and a seemingly disproportionate reputation for housing a large number of twentysomething scenesters (not that we’re short on…

One last list of picks from local arists as we look back on the year that was 2006. Today’s final installment comes courtesy of W. Ellington Felton, Jukebox The Ghost, The Fake Accents, Telograph and the DCist Music Staff. W. Ellington Felton 1. Thom Yorke, Eraser This is an electronic record minus the noise that a lot of the others out there have. I can listen to this straight through. This is the perfect cd…

Earlier this summer, we also took a listen to the newest release from our Unbuckled headliners, Middle Distance Runner. Our Chris Snyder’s fondness for the album, Plane in Flames, has spread throughout the blogosphere. Even big timers like USA Today’s Pop Candy have taken notice of these local lads. Join us tomorrow night at Unbuckled to celebrate two years of DCist and this band on the rise. Until then, here’s what Chris had to say…

Middle Distance Runner’s first full length album may be entitled Plane in Flames, but their fusion of upbeat drum patterns, catchy guitar riffs, and haunting vocals from front man Stephen Kilroy do anything but crash and burn. “Naturally” has a solid hook that leads the listener in with its addicting, cleverly written pessimistic lyrics and rhythmic hand clapping. Surprisingly, the rest of the album veers away from the direction of this pop sound, with more…

(From DCist contributor Colleen Clark) On first listen, it’s hard to believe the album “These Are All Beautiful Things” was birthed from Paul Michel, a D.C.-based musician weaned on flamenco guitar, high school jazz and years with metal and hardcore bands. But give it another spin and you’ll get it. This is the album of a guy with musical chops — he plays all the instruments and plays them well — who has the restraint…

MONDAY: >> The definite must-see show this evening is sure to be Q and Not U’s performance at Fort Reno. As we reported earlier, the band is breaking up, and this concert will be one of their last. But if you can’t make it tonight, don’t worry too much – they’re playing shows at the Black Cat September 22 and 23. Tonight, the politically-charged hip hop group Son of Nun opens, and the music gets…