Best Bets at DC Music Venues (update 3/28/08)

The Rosebuds (straight out of my home state of North Carolina) join British Sea Power’s bill at the Black Cat; gloriously weird DeVotchKa bring their neo-gypsy sound to the 9:30 Club; and, tickets to my favorite new band Yeasayer are still available.

Yeasayer
Thr Apr 10 @ Black Cat
I can’t help but gush, Yeasayer is really really cool. Their eclectic, layered, beat-driven sound is infectious. To pin this band down to a genre is no easy task. The band’s own description, “Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel,” works about as well as anything.
Suitable for fans of: Spiritualized, Brian Eno
Sample track: 2080
http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer
http://www.yeasayer.net/

Hot Chip (w/ Free Blood)
Fri Apr 11 @ 9:30 ($20)
UK electro-pop outfit Hot Chip’s blending of rock with a funky-danceable sound has made them an underground sensation.
Sample track: Ready for the Floor
http://www.myspace.com/hotchip

VHS or Beta
Fri Apr 11 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
VHS or Beta is the darker side of new new-wave. Viva synth…
Sounds like: Joy Division, the Killers
Sample track: “The Melting Moon”
http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta

Nada Surf (w/ Kaki King & The Jealous Girlfriends)
Sat Apr 12 @ 9:30 Club ($15, early show 7 pm doors)
It’s easy to dismiss Nada Surf as a one-hit-wonder that will never rise higher than their surprise 1996 hit “Popular,” a sarcastic meditation on teen-angst. But, Nada Surf have not fallen into the trap of spending the rest of their career trying to reconstruct the magic of that one hit. They’ve kept moving as a band, making interesting music worth listening too. Newer songs, such as “See These Bones” from Nada Surf’s new LP “Lucky,” showcase front-man Matthew Caws’ gentle honey-soaked vocal work and have more in common with Death Cab for Cutie’s Banana-Republic-soundtrack-ready sound than the edgey alternative-rock that first made the band famous.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie meets Cake
Sample track: See These Bones
http://www.myspace.com/nadasurf

The New Pornographers (w/ Okkervil River)
Tue Apr 15 @ 9:30 (sold out, but worth scalping)
What better way to spend tax day than with the Canadian indie-rock super-group the New Pornographers. Neko Case’s pretty looks and prettier vocals are worth the price of admission alone. Opening act Okkervil River were one of my favorite discoveries of the last year.
New Pornographers Sample Track: Electric Version
Okkervil River Sample Track: Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe
http://www.thenewpornographers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/okkervilriver

Rogue Wave
Wed Apr 16 @ 9:30 ($15)
With fragile, pretty songs like “Eyes,” Rogue Wave seem destined to accompany weepy scenes on movie soundtracks. But, on songs like “Publish My Love,” they prove they can also employ their talent for melody in the service of rock and roll.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins
Sample track: “Eyes” or “Publish My Love”
http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

Kate Nash
Thr Apr 17 @ 9:30 ($15)
British chart-topper Kate Nash’s debut album features catchy, wry, songs that put the emphasis on melody.
Sounds like: Lily Allen
Sample track: Foundations
http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

Lou Reed
Tue Apr 22 @ 9:30 ($45)
Rock and roll wouldn’t sound the same if Lou Reed had never lived, so maybe the chance to see him is worth $45.
Sample track: “Walk on the Wild Side”
http://www.loureed.com/

tapes ‘n tapes
Wed Apr 23 @ 9:30 ($15)
While tapes ‘n tapes has a familiar feel for those who grew up listening to Sugar and Sebadoh, they throw the listener enough curveballs to keep it interesting. Case in point, the driving polka beat on “Insistor,” the second track on their debut album The Loon.
Suitable for Fans of: Pavement, Sebadoh, Pixies
Sample track: Insistor and Cowbell
http://www.tapesntapes.com/tapes

Destroyer
Fri Apr 25 @ The Black Cat ($12)
Destroyer is the solo project of Dan Bejar, mad genius and one of the driving forces behind the New Pornographers. He can't sing worth a damn and he looks like that guy Richard Reid who tried to blow up an airplane with his shoe, but he’s one of the best songwriters around.
Suitable for Fans of: New Pornographers, musicians who look like terrorists
Sample track: European Oils
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer

Son Volt
Fri Apr 25 @ 9:30
The demise of pioneering alternative-country band Uncle Tupelo in the mid-1990s brought much wailing and gnashing of teeth among the music literati. But in retrospect, Jay Ferrar and Jeff Tweedy’s decision to go their separate ways was one of the best things to happen to rock music in the 1990s. If Uncle Tupelo had stayed together, Tweedy may have never been able to exert enough control to achieve the great heights he has reached with Wilco. Ferrar’s post-Tupelo project Son Volt has never achieved what Wilco has musically, but the band has produced very competent alt-country that I still enjoy listening to.
Suitable for Fans of: Wilco, Neil Young, Kings of Leon
Sample track: “Drown”
http://www.myspace.com/sonvolt

Tokyo Police Club
Tue Apr 29 @ Black Cat ($13)
Tokyo Police Club don’t even have a full-length album yet, but the blog hype around this band has been swirling since their 2006 EP A Lesson In Crime, which influential NYC music blog Brooklyn Vegan has called “one of the most well received 16 minutes of music in recent history.” Their sound mixes the harder darker indie-rock sounds associated with bands like Interpol with a deconstructed experimental element reminiscent of Sonic Youth.
Sounds like: Interpol meets Sonic Youth
Sample track: “Nature of the Experiment”
http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

Midnight Juggernauts
Tue May 6 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
French group and 2008 Grammy nominees Justice don’t have the market cornered on the arena-rock meets dance music thing. If you missed Justice’s sold-out show earlier this month at the 9:30 Club, you can still catch Midnight Juggernauts.
Suitable for Fans of: Justice, LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk
Sample track: “Shadows”http://www.myspace.com/midnightjuggernauts

British Sea Power (w/ The Rosebuds)
Thu May 8 @ Black Cat ($13)
The ghosts of great Manchester bands of the past like the Stone Roses can be heard in British Sea Power.
Sounds like: Coldplay and Interpol
Sample track: “Please Stand Up”
http://www.myspace.com/britishseapower
The Rosebuds
Even if the Rosebuds weren’t natives of my birthplace, Raleigh, NC, this band would be ok in my book. On tracks such as “Get Up Get Out,” they prove they can produce toe-tapping pop confections.
Sounds like: The Cure, Stars
Sample tracks: “Get Up Get Out” and “Night of the Furies”
http://www.myspace.com/therosebuds
http://www.therosebuds.com/

Drive By Truckers
Fri May 9 & Sat May 10 @ 9:30 (soft sale, not yet announced)
I first discovered Drive by Truckers some years ago through the ambitious genius of “Southern Rock Opera,” a two-disc narrative odyssey that chronicles a fictional 1970s era southern rock band that ultimately meets its demise far too early in a tragic plane crash. (Don’t they always?) The four albums that followed never quite reached the sublime heights of “Southern Rock Opera,” although their newest, Brighter Than Creations Dark comes darn close. Front-man Patterson Hood’s consistently strong songwriting and the band’s loud raucous live show makes Drive by Truckers one of the best rock and roll bands in the business. No band captures in music the aesthetic of the rural south quite like Drive by Truckers.
Sounds like: Widespread Panic meets Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sample tracks: “Ronnie and Neil” and “The Righteous Path”
http://www.myspace.com/drivebytruckershttp://www.drivebytruckers.com/

The Black Keys (soft sale, not yet announced)
Mon and Tue May 12 & 13 @ 9:30
http://theblackkeys.com/

Cut Copy
Thr May 15 @ Black Cat
Cut Copy’s synth-infused indie rock is part of the emerging indie-dance/electro-clash genre that recaptures some of the other-worldly elements of new wave, but substitutes new wave’s sugary coating with grittier influences from indie-rock. Or, as a friend described it, “dance music for guys.”
Contemporaries: She Wants Revenge, VHS or Beta, LCD Soundsystem,!!!, Justice
Sample track: “Lights and Music”
http://www.myspace.com/cutcopy

DeVotchKa (w/Basia Bulat)
Fri May 16 @ 9:30 Club (soft sale, not yet announced)
Gloriously weird DeVotchKa are so difficult to describe, I’ll let the pros at the gloriously weird (and often unintelligible) music blog Pitchfork do it for me: “A professorial classical violinist. A sousaphone player from a Civil War recreation band. A punk-turned-mariachi-enthusiast drummer raised by polka musicians. A Gypsy-descendant singer more multi-instrumentalist than the other three band members that I just reductively identified according to their "main" pieces of equipment. DeVotchKa invented the Diablo Cody arc, as they've gone from accompanying burlesque/fetish shows to getting a Grammy nod, despite being unsigned at the time.” Right, bottom line they sound like gypsies on acid running amuck….should be a good show.
Best Suited for Fans of: early Camper Van Beethoven, Gogol Bordello
Sample track: Basso Profundo
http://www.myspace.com/devotchkamusic

Duran Duran
Tue May 27 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
The kings of 80s New Wave play Merriweather. Worth noting at least….
http://www.myspace.com/duranduran

Seawolf
Sun May 25 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
An up and coming blogger favorite.
Sounds like: Belle and Sebastian
Sample track: “You’re a Wolf”
http://www.myspace.com/seawolf

She Wants Revenge
Fri May 30 @ 9:30 Club (On Sale Saturday, March 29 at 10am - soft sale, not yet announced)
She Wants Revenge are a bit dark and take themselves a little too seriously, but the band has produced some undeniably great songs. "Out of Control," "Tear You Apart," and "These Things" are all stellar. Also worth checking out is “Time,” a collaboration with uber-producer/MC Timbaland.
Sounds like: Depeche Mode
Sample track: “Out of Control”
http://www.myspace.com/shewantsrevenge

Rilo Kiley
Fri Jun 6 @ 9:30 (sold out)
http://www.myspace.com/rilokiley

M83
Sat Jun 8 @ Black Cat
For fans of M83, one of the most celebrated ambient-electronica outfits around, it will be a huge treat to see them perform at the Black Cat. However, people who think of ambient as nothing more that futuristic elevator music will probably be bored out of their skulls.
Suitable for Fans of: Orbital, Brian Eno
Sample track: “Coulers”
http://www.myspace.com/m83

Death Cab for Cutie
Sun Jun 9 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion (6pm Gates)
On Sale Saturday, March 29 at 10am click here to purchase tickets
Death Cab for cuties melody driven indie pop has become a fixture on the I-Pods of the soccer mom’s of America making them no longer cool amongst the indie-rock literati. But, we think Ben Gibbard’s strength as a songwriter and vocalist still justify inclusion on our list.
Suitable for Fans of: The Shins
Sample track: “Soul Meets Body”
http://www.myspace.com/deathcabforcutie
http://www.deathcabforcutie.com/

Best Bets at DC Music Venues (update 3/21/08)

Rock legend Lou Reed plays the 9:30 Club, plus….. shows from Son Volt and new discoveries Midnight Juggernaut and Cut Copy. Also, a reminder that Yeasayer’s April 10th show at the Black Cat is miraculously still not sold out. Yeasayer is the best band you’re not listening to.

The Raveonettes
Sat Mar 29 @ Black Cat ($15)
After a departure to a more mainstream sound that included an annoyingly sugary cover of “My Boyfriend’s Back” on 2005’s Pretty in Black, the Raveonettes returned to their low-fi roots on their most recent release Lust, Lust, Lust, matching thickly distorted instrumentation with compelling melodies and Sune Rose Wagner’s gorgeous vocals.
Sounds like: Sigur Ros meets the White Stripes
Sample track: “Aly, Walk with Me”
http://www.myspace.com/theraveonettes

Caribou
Sun Mar 30 @ Rock and Roll Hotel ($12/$14)
At once futuristic and a relic from the hippie era, the neo-psychedelic sound of Caribou makes the Age of Aquarius sound new again.
Best suited for fans of: Panda Bear, 5th Dimension
Sample track: Melody Day
http://www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
http://www.caribou.fm/

Yeasayer
Thr Apr. 10 @ Black Cat
I can’t help but gush, Yeasayer is really really cool. Their melodious, electro-infused, layered, beat-driven sound is absolutely infectious and one of the most interesting things I have heard in a long time. To say this band is eclectic is an understatement. On songs like “Waiting for Summer,” the Brooklyn-based band pull influences as disparate as funk and traditional Indian music together to create a novel new sound that you won’t soon forget. Most of the time, Yeasayer sounds futuristic, but sometimes you hear things buried in their songs that harkens back to sounds first heard in the 1970s. On “2080,” the third track from Yeasayer’s debut album, All Hour Cymbals, an otherworldly soundscape evolves into a rhythmic guitar riff joined by a simple drum line that builds into a chorus with harmonies reminiscent of Blue Oyster Cult. A chanted second chorus is a cherry on top of an already great song. To pin this band down to a genre is no easy task. The band’s own label for their sound, “Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel,” works about as well as anything. However you want to describe them, Yeasayer is one of the most interesting new bands around.
Suitable for fans of: Spiritualized, Brian Eno
Sample track: 2080
http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer
http://www.yeasayer.net/

Hot Chip (w/ Free Blood)
Fri. Apr. 11 @ 9:30 ($20)
UK electro-pop outfit Hot Chip put the fun in funky with danceable, accessible songs that have made them an underground sensation in Britain and are earning them a growing following in the states.
Sample track: “Ready for the Floor”
http://www.myspace.com/hotchip

VHS or Beta
Fri. Apr. 11 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
VHS or Beta is the darker side of new new-wave. They sound like the 80s were new all over again. Viva synth…
Sounds like: Joy Division, the Killers
Sample track: “The Melting Moon”
http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta

Nada Surf (w/ Kaki King & The Jealous Girlfriends)
Sat Apr 12 @ 9:30 Club ($15, early show 7 pm doors)
It’s easy to dismiss Nada Surf as a one-hit-wonder that will never rise higher than their surprise 1996 hit, “Popular,” a sarcastic meditation on teen-angst. Nada Surf have not fallen into the trap of spending the rest of their career trying to reconstruct the magic of that one hit. They’ve kept moving as a band, making interesting music worth listening too. Newer songs, such as “See These Bones” from Nada Surf’s new LP “Lucky,” showcase front-man Matthew Caws’ gentle honey-soaked vocal work and have more in common with Death Cab for Cutie’s Banana-Republic-soundtrack-ready sound than the edgey alternative-rock that first made Nada Surf famous.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie meets Cake
Sample track: “See These Bones”
http://www.myspace.com/nadasurf

The New Pornographers (w/ Okkervil River)
Tues. Apr. 15 @ 9:30 (sold out, but worth scalping)
What better way to spend tax day than with the Canadian indie-rock super-group the New Pornographers. Neko Case’s pretty looks and prettier vocals is worth the price of admission alone. Opening act Okkervil River were one of my favorite discovery’s of the last year. Don’t miss them.
New Pornographers Sample Track: “Electric Version”
Okkervil River Sample Track: “Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe”
http://www.thenewpornographers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/okkervilriver

Rogue Wave
Wed. Apr 16 @ 9:30 ($15)
With fragile, pretty songs like “Eyes,” Rogue Wave seems destined to become regular accompaniment to weepy scenes on movie soundtracks. But, on songs like “Publish My Love,” they prove they can also employ their talent for melody in the service of rock and roll.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins
Sample track: “Eyes” or “Publish My Love”
http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

Kate Nash

Thr. Apr 17 @ 9:30 ($15)
British chart-topper Kate Nash’s debut album features catchy, wry, songs that put the emphasis on infectious melodies. Like the Streets and last year’s sensation Lily Allen, Nash’s vocals are delivered with a thick working-class English accent that make them sound different from everything else you’re listening to.
Sounds like: Lily Allen
Sample track: “Foundations”
http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

Lou Reed
Tue Apr 22 @ 9:30 ($45)
Rock and roll wouldn’t sound the same if Lou Reed had never lived, so maybe the chance to see him is worth $45.
Sample track: “Walk on the Wild Side”
http://www.loureed.com/

tapes ‘n tapes
Wed. Apr 23 @ 9:30 ($15)
If the Smithsonian ever did a museum exhibit on indie-rock and wanted to chose a single band to typify the genre, bands like Pavement or the Pixies would be obvious picks, but tapes ‘n tapes wouldn’t be a bad choice either. When you hear tapes n’ tapes, you immediately recognize the irreverent, low-fi aesthetic that we associate with the indie-rock genre. While tapes ‘n tapes has a familiar feel for those who grew up listening to Sugar and Sebadoh, they throw the listener enough curveballs to keep it interesting. Case in point, the driving polka beat on “Insistor,” the second track on their debut album The Loon.
Suitable for Fans of: Pavement, Sebadoh, Pixies
Sample track: “Insistor” and “Cowbell”
http://www.tapesntapes.com/tapes

Destroyer
Fri. Apr 25 @ The Black Cat ($12)
Destroyer is the solo project of Dan Bejar, mad genius and one of the driving forces behind the New Pornographers. He can't sing worth a damn and he looks like that guy Richard Reid who tried to blow up an airplane with his shoe, but he sure can write a song.
Suitable for Fans of: New Pornographers, musicians who look like terrorists
Sample track: “European Oils”
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer

Son Volt
Fri Apr 25 @ 9:30
Following the demise of pioneering alternative-country band Uncle Tupelo in the mid-1990s there was much wailing and gnashing of teeth among the musical literati. But in retrospect, Jay Ferrar and Jeff Tweedy’s decision to go their separate ways was one of the best things to happen to rock music in the 1990s. If Uncle Tupelo had stayed together, Tweedy may have never been able to exert enough control to achieve the great heights he has with Wilco, a band that I will argue is one of the most important of my generation. Ferrar’s post-Tupelo project Son Volt has never achieved what Wilco has musically, but the band has produced very competent alt-country that I still enjoy listening to.
Suitable for Fans of: Wilco, Neil Young, Kings of Leon
Sample track: “Drown”
http://www.myspace.com/sonvolt

Tokyo Police Club

Tue Apr 29 @ Black Cat ($13)
Tokyo Police Club don’t even have a full-length album yet, but the blog hype around this band has been swirling since their 2006 EP A Lesson In Crime, which influential NYC music blog Brooklyn Vegan has called “one of the most well received 16 minutes of music in recent history.” Their sound mixes the harder darker indie-rock sounds associated with bands like Interpol with a deconstructed experimental element reminiscent of Sonic Youth. With a full length studio album, Elephant Shell, due out soon, the interest in this band among the indie-rock literati is reaching a fevered-pitch.
Sounds like: Interpol meets Sonic Youth
Sample track: “Nature of the Experiment”
http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

Midnight Juggernauts
Tue May 6 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
French group and 2008 Grammy nominees Justice don’t have the market cornered on the arena-rock meets dance music rage. If you missed Justice’s sold-out show earlier this month at the 9:30 Club, you can still catch Midnight Juggernauts, another band pioneering the intersection between hard-rock and electronica.
Suitable for Fans of: Justice, LCD Soundsystem, Daft Punk
Sample track: “Shadows”
http://www.myspace.com/midnightjuggernauts

British Sea Power

Thu May 8 @ Black Cat ($13)

Manchester, England band British Sea Power wears their brit-pop roots in their name and in their music. The ghosts of great Manchester bands past like the Stone Roses can be heard here…maybe a little Pixies in there too….

Sounds like: Coldplay and Interpol

Sample track: “Please Stand Up”http://www.myspace.com/britishseapower

Drive By Truckers
Fri May 9 & Sat May 10 @ 9:30 (soft sale, not yet announced)
I first discovered Drive by Truckers some years ago through the ambitious genius of “Southern Rock Opera,” a two-disc narrative odyssey that chronicles a fictional 1970s era southern rock band that ultimately meets its demise far too early (don’t they always?) in a tragic plane crash. The four albums that followed never quite reached the sublime heights of “Southern Rock Opera,” although their newest, Brighter Than Creations Dark comes darn close. Still, front-man Patterson Hood’s strong songwriting and the band’s loud raucous live show makes Drive by Truckers one of the best rock and roll bands in the business. No band captures in music the aesthetic of the rural south quite like Drive by Truckers. If their music were an image, it would be that of a rusting pickup truck filled with empty beer cans, careening down a country road in the middle of the night, the ghost of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ronnie Van Zant at the wheel.
Sounds like: Widespread Panic meets Lynyrd Skynyrd
Sample tracks: “Ronnie and Neil” and “The Righteous Path”
http://www.myspace.com/drivebytruckers
http://www.drivebytruckers.com/

The Black Keys (soft sale, not yet announced)
Mon and Tue May 12 & 13 @ 9:30
http://theblackkeys.com/

Cut Copy
Thr May 15 @ Black Cat
Cut Copy’s synth-infused indie rock is part of the emerging indie-dance/electro-clash genre that recaptures some of the other-worldly elements of new wave, but substitutes new wave’s sugary coating with grittier influences from indie-rock. Or, to steel a moniker given to !!! by a friend of mine, it’s “dance music for white guys.”
Contemporaries: She Wants Revenge, VHS or Beta, LCD Soundsystem, !!!, Justice
Sample track: “Lights and Music”
http://www.myspace.com/cutcopy

Duran Duran

Tue May 27 @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
Speaking of New Wave, the kings of the genre play Merriweather. Worth noting at least….
http://www.myspace.com/duranduran

Seawolf
Sun May 25 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
A blog favorite and for good reason.
Sounds like: Belle and Sebastian
Sample track: “You’re a Wolf”
http://www.myspace.com/seawolf

Rilo Kiley
Fri Jun 6 @ 9:30 (sold out)
http://www.myspace.com/rilokiley

M83
Sat Jun 8 @ Black Cat
For fans of M83, one of the most celebrated ambient-electronica outfits in music today, it will be a huge treat to see them perform at the Black Cat. However, people who think of ambient as nothing more that futuristic elevator music will probably be bored out of their skulls.
Suitable for Fans of: Orbital, Brian Eno
Sample track: “Coulers”
http://www.myspace.com/m83

Best Bets at DC Music Venues (update 3/10/08)

Highlights of the coming attractions at DC rock clubs include a sold-out performance by the Pogues tonight at the 9:30 Club, DC’s resident alternative-rock legend Bob Mould Saturday at 9:30, astonishingly good newcomers Yeasayer April 10th at the Black Cat, and Drive by Trucker’s yet to be announced two night stand May 9th and 10th at the 9:30.

The Pogues
Sun and Mon Mar 9 & 10 @ 9:30 Club (sold out, but worth scalping)
Legendary celtic rock band the Pogues play the 9:30 Club. See them before hard-drinking lead singer Shane McGowen’s liver finally gives out.
Sound like: The Clash with tin whistles and an Irish accent
Sample track: “If I Should Fall from Grace with God”
http://www.pogues.com/

The Bob Mould Band
Sat Mar 15 @ 9:30 Club ($20) [early show, 6:30 doors)
As the creative force behind Husker Dü and Sugar, two of the most important alternative rock bands ever, DC-resident Bob Mould is a legend. His nearly three decades contribution to music have earned him a well-deserved rest on his laurels. But, now, even at 47 years old, Mould is still making pretty good new music. In an age when past-their-prime rock legends routinely cash in on their faded glory with reunion tours and embarrassingly mediocre albums, Mould’s new album, District Line, is a really worthwhile listen. Sure, it doesn’t break a whole lot of new ground, but it rewards the listener with well-written, enjoyable songs worthy of the man whose name appears on the album cover.
Sounds like: Pavement, Sugar
Sample track: “Stupid Now”
http://www.bobmould.com/

The Raveonettes
Sat Mar 29 @ Black Cat ($15)
After a departure to a more mainstream sound that included an annoyingly sugary cover of “My Boyfriend’s Back” on 2005’s Pretty in Black, the Raveonettes returned to their low-fi roots on their most recent release Lust, Lust, Lust, matching thickly distorted instrumentation with compelling melodies and Sune Rose Wagner’s gorgeous vocals.
Sounds like: Sigur Ros meets the White Stripes
Sample track: “Aly, Walk with Me”
http://www.myspace.com/theraveonettes

Caribou
Sun Mar 30 @ Rock and Roll Hotel ($12/$14)
At once futuristic and a relic from the hippie era, the neo-psychedelic sound of Caribou makes the Age of Aquarius sound new again.
Best suited for fans of: Panda Bear, 5th Dimension
Sample track: Melody Day
http://www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
http://www.caribou.fm/

Yeasayer
Thr Apr. 10 @ Black Cat ($12)
I can’t help but gush, Yeasayer is really really cool. Their melodious, electro-infused, layered, beat-driven sound is absolutely infectious and one of the most interesting things I have heard in a long time. To say this band is eclectic is an understatement. On songs like “Waiting for Summer,” the Brooklyn-based band pull influences as disparate as funk and traditional Indian music together to create a novel new sound that you won’t soon forget. Most of the time, Yeasayer sounds futuristic, but sometimes you hear things buried in their songs that harkens back to sounds first heard in the 1970s. On “2080,” the third track from Yeasayer’s debut album, All Hour Cymbals, an otherworldly guitar builds into a chorus with harmonies reminiscent of Blue Oyster Cult. A chanted second chorus is a cherry on top of an already great song. To pin this band down to a genre is no easy task. The band’s own label for their sound, “Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel,” works about as well as anything. However you want to describe them, Yeasayer is one of the most important bands in music today.
Suitable for fans of: Spiritualized, Brian Eno
Sample track: 2080
http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer
http://www.yeasayer.net/

Hot Chip (w/ Free Blood)
Fri. Apr. 11 @ 9:30 Club ($20)
UK electro-pop outfit Hot Chip put the fun in funky with danceable, accessible songs that have made them an underground sensation in Britain and are earning them a growing following in the states.
Sample track: “Ready for the Floor”
http://www.myspace.com/hotchip

VHS or Beta
Fri. Apr. 11 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
VHS or Beta is the darker side of new new-wave. They sound like the 80s were new all over again. Viva synth…
Sounds like: Joy Division, the Killers
Sample track: “The Melting Moon”
http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta

The New Pornographers (w/ Okkervil River)
Tues. Apr. 15 @ 9:30 Club (sold out, but worth scalping)
What better way to spend tax day than with Canadian indie-rock super-group the New Pornographers. Neko Case’s pretty looks and prettier vocals is worth the price of admission alone. Opening act Okkervil River were one of my favorite discovery’s of the last year. Don’t miss them.
New Pornographers Sample Track: “Electric Version”
Okkervil River Sample Track: “Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe”
http://www.thenewpornographers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/okkervilriver


Rogue Wave
Wed. Apr 16 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
With fragile, pretty songs like “Eyes,” Rogue Wave seems destined to become regular accompaniment to weepy scenes on movie soundtracks. But, on songs like “Publish My Love,” they prove they can also employ their talent for melody in the service of rock and roll.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins
Sample track: “Eyes” or “Publish My Love”
http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

Kate Nash
Thr. Apr 17 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
British chart-topper Kate Nash’s debut album features catchy, wry, songs that put the emphasis on infectious melodies. Like the Streets and last year’s sensation Lily Allen, Nash’s vocals are delivered with a thick working-class English accent that make them sound different from everything else you’re listening to.
Sounds like: Lily Allen
Sample track: “Foundations”
http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

tapes ‘n tapes
Wed. Apr 23 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
If the Smithsonian ever did a museum exhibit on indie-rock and wanted to chose a single band to typify the genre, bands like Pavement or the Pixies would be obvious picks, but tapes ‘n tapes wouldn’t be a bad choice either. When you hear tapes n’ tapes, you immediately recognize the irreverent, low-fi aesthetic that we associate with the indie-rock genre. While tapes ‘n tapes has a familiar feel for those who grew up listening to Sugar and Sebadoh, they throw the listener enough curveballs to keep it interesting. Case in point, the driving polka beat on “Insistor,” the second track on their debut album The Loon.
Suitable for Fans of: Pavement, Sebadoh, Pixies
Sample track: “Insistor” and “Cowbell”
http://www.tapesntapes.com/tapes

Destroyer
Fri. Apr 25 @ The Black Cat ($12)
Destroyer is the solo project of Dan Bejar, mad genius and one of the driving forces behind the New Pornographers. He can't sing worth a damn and he looks like that guy Richard Reid who tried to blow up an airplane with his shoe, but he sure can write a song.
You’ll like this band if you like: New Pornographers, musicians who look like terrorists
Sample track: “European Oils”
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer

Tokyo Police Club
Tue Apr 29 @ Black Cat ($13)
Tokyo Police Club don’t even have a full-length album yet, but the blog hype around this band has been swirling since their 2006 EP A Lesson In Crime, which influential NYC music blog Brooklyn Vegan has called “one of the most well received 16 minutes of music in recent history.” Their sound mixes the harder darker indie-rock sounds associated with bands like Interpol with a deconstructed experimental element reminiscent of Sonic Youth. With a full length studio album, Elephant Shell, due out soon, the interest in this band among the indie-rock literati is reaching a fevered-pitch.
Sounds like: Interpol meets Sonic Youth
Sample track: “Nature of the Experiment”
http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

British Sea Power
Thu May 8 @ Black Cat ($13)
Manchester, England band British Sea Power wears their brit-pop roots in their name and in their music. The ghosts of great Manchester bands past like the Stone Roses can be heard here…maybe a little Pixies in there too….
Sounds like: Coldplay and Interpol
Sample track: “Please Stand Up”
http://www.myspace.com/britishseapower

The Black Keys
Mon and Tue May 12 & 13 @ 9:30 Club(soft sale, not yet announced, click here to purchase)
http://theblackkeys.com/

Best Bets at DC Music Venues

The Pogues
Sun and Mon Mar 9 & 10 @ 9:30 Club (sold out, but worth scalping)
Legendary celtic rock band the Pogues play the 9:30 Club. See them before hard-drinking lead singer Shane McGowen’s liver finally gives out.
Sound like: The Clash with tin whistles and an Irish accent
Sample track: “If I Should Fall from Grace with God”
http://www.pogues.com/

The Bob Mould Band
Sat Mar 15 @ 9:30 Club ($20)
As the creative force behind Husker Dü and Sugar, two of the most important alternative rock bands ever, DC-resident Bob Mould is a legend. His nearly three decades contribution to music have earned him a well-deserved rest on his laurels. But, now, even at 47 years old, Mould is still making pretty good new music. In an age when past-their-prime rock legends routinely cash in on their faded glory with reunion tours and embarrassingly mediocre albums, Mould’s new album, District Line, is a really worthwhile listen. Sure, it doesn’t break a whole lot of new ground, but it rewards the listener with well-written, enjoyable songs worthy of the man whose name appears on the album cover.
Sounds like: Pavement, Sugar
Sample track: “Stupid Now”
http://www.bobmould.com/

The Raveonettes
Sat Mar 29 @ Black Cat ($15)
After a departure to a more mainstream sound that included an annoyingly sugary cover of “My Boyfriend’s Back” on 2005’s Pretty in Black, the Raveonettes returned to their low-fi roots on their most recent release Lust, Lust, Lust, matching thickly distorted instrumentation with compelling melodies and Sune Rose Wagner’s gorgeous vocals.
Sounds like: Sigur Ros meets the White Stripes
Sample track: “Aly, Walk with Me”
http://www.myspace.com/theraveonettes

Caribou
Sun Mar 30 @ Rock and Roll Hotel ($12/$14)
At once futuristic and a relic from the hippie era, the neo-psychedelic sound of Caribou makes the Age of Aquarius sound new again.
Best suited for fans of: Panda Bear, 5th Dimension
Sample track: Melody Day
http://www.myspace.com/cariboumanitoba
http://www.caribou.fm/

Yeasayer
Thr Apr. 10 @ Black Cat
I can’t help but gush, Yeasayer is really really cool. Their melodious, electro-infused, layered, beat-driven sound is absolutely infectious and one of the most interesting things I have heard in a long time. To say this band is eclectic is an understatement. On songs like “Waiting for Summer,” the Brooklyn-based band pull influences as disparate as funk and traditional Indian music together to create a novel new sound that you won’t soon forget. Most of the time, Yeasayer sounds futuristic, but sometimes you hear things buried in their songs that harkens back to sounds first heard in the 1970s. On “2080,” the third track from Yeasayer’s debut album, All Hour Cymbals, an otherworldly soundscape evolves into a rhythmic guitar riff joined by a simple drum line that builds into a chorus with harmonies reminiscent of Blue Oyster Cult. A chanted second chorus is a cherry on top of an already great song. To pin this band down to a genre is no easy task. The band’s own label for their sound, “Middle Eastern-psych-pop-snap-gospel,” works about as well as anything. However you want to describe them, Yeasayer is one of the most important bands in music today.
Suitable for fans of: Spiritualized, Brian Eno
Sample track: 2080
http://www.myspace.com/yeasayer
http://www.yeasayer.net/

Hot Chip (w/ Free Blood)
Fri. Apr. 11 @ 9:30 Club ($20)
UK electro-pop outfit Hot Chip put the fun in funky with danceable, accessible songs that have made them an underground sensation in Britain and are earning them a growing following in the states.
Sample track: “Ready for the Floor”
http://www.myspace.com/hotchip

VHS or Beta
Fri. Apr. 11 @ Rock and Roll Hotel
VHS or Beta is the darker side of new new-wave. They sound like the 80s were new all over again. Viva synth…
Sounds like: Joy Division, the Killers
Sample track: “The Melting Moon”
http://www.myspace.com/vhsorbeta

The New Pornographers (w/ Okkervil River)
Tues. Apr. 15 @ 9:30 Club (sold out, but worth scalping)
What better way to spend tax day than with Canadian indie-rock super-group the New Pornographers. Neko Case’s pretty looks and prettier vocals is worth the price of admission alone. Opening act Okkervil River were one of my favorite discovery’s of the last year. Don’t miss them.
New Pornographers Sample Track: “Electric Version”
Okkervil River Sample Track: “Our Life is not a Movie or Maybe”
http://www.thenewpornographers.com/
http://www.myspace.com/okkervilriver


Rogue Wave
Wed. Apr 16 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
With fragile, pretty songs like “Eyes,” Rogue Wave seems destined to become regular accompaniment to weepy scenes on movie soundtracks. But, on songs like “Publish My Love,” they prove they can also employ their talent for melody in the service of rock and roll.
Sounds like: Death Cab for Cutie, The Shins
Sample track: “Eyes” or “Publish My Love”
http://www.myspace.com/roguewave

Kate Nash
Thr. Apr 17 @ 9:30 Club($15)
British chart-topper Kate Nash’s debut album features catchy, wry, songs that put the emphasis on infectious melodies. Like the Streets and last year’s sensation Lily Allen, Nash’s vocals are delivered with a thick working-class English accent that make them sound different from everything else you’re listening to.
Sounds like: Lily Allen
Sample track: “Foundations”
http://www.myspace.com/katenashmusic

tapes ‘n tapes
Wed. Apr 23 @ 9:30 Club ($15)
If the Smithsonian ever did a museum exhibit on indie-rock and wanted to chose a single band to typify the genre, bands like Pavement or the Pixies would be obvious picks, but tapes ‘n tapes wouldn’t be a bad choice either. When you hear tapes n’ tapes, you immediately recognize the irreverent, low-fi aesthetic that we associate with the indie-rock genre. While tapes ‘n tapes has a familiar feel for those who grew up listening to Sugar and Sebadoh, they throw the listener enough curveballs to keep it interesting. Case in point, the driving polka beat on “Insistor,” the second track on their debut album The Loon.
Suitable for Fans of: Pavement, Sebadoh, Pixies
Sample track: “Insistor” and “Cowbell”
http://www.tapesntapes.com/tapes

Destroyer
Fri. Apr 25 @ The Black Cat ($12)
Destroyer is the solo project of Dan Bejar, mad genius and one of the driving forces behind the New Pornographers. He can't sing worth a damn and he looks like that guy Richard Reid who tried to blow up an airplane with his shoe, but he sure can write a song.
You’ll like this band if you like: New Pornographers, musicians who look like terrorists
Sample track: “European Oils”
http://www.myspace.com/destroyer

Tokyo Police Club
Tue Apr 29 @ Black Cat ($13)
Tokyo Police Club don’t even have a full-length album yet, but the blog hype around this band has been swirling since their 2006 EP A Lesson In Crime, which influential NYC music blog Brooklyn Vegan has called “one of the most well received 16 minutes of music in recent history.” Their sound mixes the harder darker indie-rock sounds associated with bands like Interpol with a deconstructed experimental element reminiscent of Sonic Youth. With a full length studio album, Elephant Shell, due out soon, the interest in this band among the indie-rock literati is reaching a fevered-pitch.
Sounds like: Interpol meets Sonic Youth
Sample track: “Nature of the Experiment”
http://www.myspace.com/tokyopoliceclub

British Sea Power
Thu May 8 @ Black Cat ($13)
Manchester, England band British Sea Power wears their brit-pop roots in their name and in their music. The ghosts of great Manchester bands past like the Stone Roses can be heard here…maybe a little Pixies in there too….
Sounds like: Coldplay and Interpol
Sample track: “Please Stand Up”
http://www.myspace.com/britishseapower

The Black Keys
Mon and Tue May 12 & 13 @ 9:30 Club(soft sale, not yet announced, click here to purchase)
http://theblackkeys.com/

REVIEW -- Wilco at the 9:30 Club (Feb. 27, 2008)

In interviews, Wilco’s front-man Jeff Tweedy bristles when journalists refer to his band and their music as “experimental.” “I don't feel like we've ever been very experimental to begin with,” Tweedy told Pitchfork Media in an interview last May. “As far as I'm concerned, we've always been a rock band.”

As if to prove the point, conspicuously absent from Wilco’s performance at the 9:30 Club Wednesday night were the digital bleeps and whirs of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot -- the album that typified Wilco as experimenters. In their place were an electric piano that would sound at home in a 1970s-era classic-rock band and a decidedly analog three-piece horn section. Even the staging was stripped down, as if to say we are a simple Midwestern rock band, nothing more. Gone is the giant video screen displaying abstract images seen on the Ghost is Born tour. Wednesday night’s stage was set with just guitars, amps, a big oriental rug splayed on the floor, and a large cowboy hat atop Tweedy’s head.

Setting the tone of the night as an intimate back-to-basics showcase of Wilco’s songwriting and talent as a rock and roll band, Tweedy opened with a plaintive arrangement of “Sunken Treasure” constructed only of finger-picked acoustic guitar, drums and lap steel sprinkled softly. With Tweedy’s vocals at the center of it all, the sparseness and quiet of the arrangement put the full power of his songwriting on display.

The crowd seemed pleased, showing their enthusiasm at the smallest of promptings. Not far into the show, as Tweedy began the first instrumental break of “She’s a Jar,” he realizes his harmonica is in the wrong key. As he continues playing, each step in his subsequent effort to procure a new harmonica draws enthusiastic applause from the crowd culminating in raucous cheering as he blows the first correct note with the new harmonica.

As the band progressed through the set list, they increasingly let their rock and roll side hang out culminating with a loud and thrilling double-encore featuring older fan-favorites such as “Casino Queen.”

Many who became fans of Wilco during the Yankee Hotel era may complain about the band’s pendulum swing back towards a more straight-forward alt-country style. But, this is a band that has never allowed its fans to stay too long in a sonic comfort zone. “I think there's a difference between confirming an audience and challenging an audience,” Tweedy told Rolling Stone in 2004, “and if you decide to challenge an audience I don't think half-measures will do you any good.” There, he was discussing the band’s shift to the more avant-garde electronic sounds of Yankee Hotel and A Ghost is Born. But, the same idea applies to their present return to a rootsier rock and roll sound. Wednesday’s show proved that even at their simplest, Wilco is among America’s most innovative and interesting rock and roll bands.