Against Me! – the most accessible folk-punk band in the world – took the stage around 7:30 yesterday and were all business, plowing through twenty or so samplings of their fierce, Guinness-fueled brand of melodic rock in around an hour and a half. Those who managed to sneak out of work early to catch a good spot in the not-quite sold out crowd left drained and ready for the caloric replenishment that only the......

FRIDAY: >> Two shows for DAM! Fest tonight, with events at Rock and Roll Hotel and the Red and the Black. The former includes an appearance by recent Three Stars subject the Beanstalk Library, plus The Exit, Dragons of Zynth and The Teeth. Stick around for the free afterparty, We Fought the Hej, a combo of two of our favorite DJ nights, Hej Hej and We Fought the Big One. >> Don't forget to check......

Written by DCist Contributor Stephanie Taylor Mark Andersen came to Washington decades ago as a student of international relations, but was heartbroken by what he saw right in his own backyard. What he describes as the distance between the city's idealism and its reality, particularly in terms of radical income disparities and the effects of historic racism, were too much for him to ignore. So he became a different type of diplomat, founding Positive Force......

It’s almost impossible to discuss the state of punk and hardcore music in this town without someone making a grand pronouncement like “the D.C. scene is dead”. Ask any of the old timers and they’ll tell you that the kids in Washington just don’t care about punk rock anymore. It’s not hard to understand where these folks are coming from; given the vital role that our city played in the evolution of hardcore music, it’s......

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......

>> We're probably never gonna get a full-blown Fugazi reunion at Fort Reno, but tonight is the closest you could ask for. Tonight's show includes Ian MacKaye and Amy Farina's band The Evens along with Joe Lally. 7:15 p.m., always free. >> Bouncing Ball Theatrical Productions opens their second summer season with a benefit production of Titus, the musical, a punk rock musical adaptation of Shakespeare's play with a similar name, at the Black......

MONDAY >> Start out this lovely spring week right by taking in local group Deleted Scenes (***) and their particular brand of you-name-it-they've-play-it-surf/rockabilly/garage/punk rock at the Red and the Black. Hero Cycle, Hot Lava and Paper Airplanes open. $8, 9 p.m. TUESDAY >> Quirky and fantastical sister-duo CocoRosie play the Rock and Roll Hotel. One half of the duo sings and plays guitar and flute, while the other sings and covers percussion ("rattles things, makes......

Written by DCist contributor Maria Flores Sometime in the early 1970s, when the photographs in Melody Maker, NME, and Rolling Stone were no longer enough to satiate his appetite, Claude Gassian swapped his guitar for a 35mm camera and took to the road with his finger on the shutter button. So began his photographic conquest to document the lives of some of his favorite musical artists. Over three decades later, his photographs stand alone as......

If you're a regular at the Fort Reno summer concert series, one thing you may have noticed over the years is the increasing presence of strollers, toddlers, and assorted children running around the field on Monday and Thursday evenings. Observant smokers in the Black Cat's velvet roped sidewalk "smoker's lounge" may similarly notice luminaries of D.C.'s hardcore punk past pulling up in - *gasp* - minivans. Punk rock is all grown up, and the formerly......

Steadfast friendships, a taste for whiskey, and a penchant for Iron Maiden and Fugazi. These are the driving forces behind New Rock Church of Fire. The band is made up of bassist Mitchell West – who works with political advertising by day and brews his own beer (Mitchale) by night, guitarist and lead vocalist Floyd York – who pays the bills with a slew of odd jobs from catering to real estate photography, and drummer......

As the world holds it's breath, teetering precariously on the cusp of the Super Bowl (well, at least in America), the wheels of the -ists keep on turning. Austinist was in a musical frame of mind as they listened to the new Shins album, updated the SXSW band listings and got called "punk rock" for their efforts by MTV. And an ice storm swept through the area. Bostonist said goodbye to John Kerry's plans......

This week's announcement by D.C. Council Representative Jim Graham that he would seek emergency legislation banning minors from bars and nightclubs has met with some fierce debate. In fact, it's being debated as we speak. But beyond the impact on places of business, much of the fallout will come down on the city's cultural community: musicians, theatre companies and artists who often use these establishments for concerts, benefits, plays, and shows of all kinds.......

Continuing what we started yesterday, here's a little glimpse into some of this weekend's DAM Fest bands. Plan your schedule with the help of these handy dandy sample tracks and pertinent info from our crack music staff. Bleeder Resistor Featuring buzzsaw guitars, hoarse-voiced catchy shout-alongs and a mandate of faster and louder, Bleeder Resistor are out to keep the capital "DC" in HarDCore. At a time when most bands are trying to emphasize the "post"......

Over the past few years, Carol Bui has been working hard building a following for her inventive and emotive post-punk. After a summer spent in the studio recording the follow-up to her highly praised debut, This is How I Recover, Bui's show at next week's DAM!Fest kicks off three weeks of touring that will take her as far west as Madison, Wisconsin. Bui's reputation for excellent live shows precedes her, and material from the new......

Watch carefully in the coming weeks and you may see them. People roaming the streets of Chinatown, Adams Morgan, Mt. Pleasant. They'll stop to check their cell phone, punch the keys, wait, check again, then move walk down the street looking with strange interest at empty buildings, houses and random Starbucks. Yellow Arrow's Capitol of Punk tour, which we previewed in May, kicked off this week, turning D.C. streets into an impromptu museum for a......

FRIDAY: >> Provisions Library's Cartoon Film Series continues tonight with Ducktators, Dutch director Wolter Braamhorst's look at the use of cartoons as propaganda during World War II. The film, originally released in 1997, sheds light on how entertainment and war have gone hand-in-hand since at least the 1940s, and features interviews with famed Loony Tunes animator Chuck Jones. 7 p.m., free. >> Be sure to check out the Arts Agenda for details on the gallery......

FRIDAY: If loving Busta Rhymes' new album, The Big Bang, is wrong — well we sure as hell don't want to be right. Yes, Busta has always been one of those charismatic rap superstars without much substance to back him up, and yes, there was a time when his shortcomings had become awfully grating. But now that he's hooked up with Dr. Dre's Aftermath label, that time appears to have ended. This is what summertime......

Monday >> From the city that brought you Starbucks coffee, Pretty Girls Make Graves will wake you up this Monday night at the Black Cat with their own caffeinated brand of post-punk rock off of their new album Elan Vital with Giant Drag and The Joggers. $13, mainstage, 8:30 p.m. >> There’s no better place to get out of the rain and mellow out than at Iota with the acoustic sounds of Virginia’s young singer/songwriter......

Written by DCist Music Contributor Jim Smalley. Photos by Patrick L. Dunne. We imagine the beginning went something like this… Okay, first we’d like to thank you all for trying out for our new project. While we’d love to keep everyone, we’re unfortunately are going to have to let some of you go. First, Dan Cord. You’re in. We like your tight beats behind the kit. You’re the perfect foundation to build this band around.......

Today's review was written by DCist contributor Jim Smalley, a patent examiner for the USPTO and aspiring local musician. For those who weren't living on a prayer at the MCI Center Saturday night, the Black Cat hosted a classic matchup of local music, featuring three D.C. bands each armed with their own flavor of rock n’ roll. The temptingly-diverse bill drew from all circles of D.C. society, packing the Cat with friends and fans alike.......

MONDAY: >>Lucinda Williams brings her raspy voice to the D.C. tonight. Her Tom Petty-inspired brand of roots rock can be heard on her latest album, Live At The Fillmore. Or you can catch the real thing tonight at the 9:30 Club. $35, 7:30. >>Grab your Coke, gel your hair, and spend the evening with the man who made teenagers and soccer moms wear out their voting fingers in 2003. Clay Aiken at Wolf Trap, $25......

For 38 summers, the Northwest Youth Alliance has been rocking D.C. residents with free all-ages outdoor shows at the District's highest point, Fort Reno Park. Performers have ranged from local high school bands to up-and-coming local acts to nationally known bands like Ted Leo & The Pharmacists, who played last year. And as usual, DCist has been waiting anxiously for the release of the Fort Reno's 2005 schedule so we could plan our summer. Would......

(Interview by DCist contributor Colleen Clark) Laura Burhenn is playing tonight at DC9 with Metrosexuals and The Guins, and May 19 at the Black Cat backstage. You can listen to some of her mp3s here. Local musician Laura Burhenn's song, "Helicopters," first fell into our hands on a mixtape from an old colleague. We joked that it was the lost song from the "Garden State" soundtrack (and we mean that in a good way, in......

Having recovered from our Grammys-induced seizure last night, here are our picks for the week's best shows. For your listening pleasure, we've provided mp3s or streaming tracks where available. And as always, please let us know what concerts you'll be enjoying in the next seven days. TONIGHT: >> Andy Zipf, at left, is a local singer/songwriter who blends electronic loops with acoustic guitar. Local duo Brindley Brothers (who also own Jammin' Java) play an opening......

Looking for a few good shows? Our music picks for this week follow. TUESDAY: >> The Carlsonics (pictured at right) continue their month-long Tuesday night residency at DC9. Read the DCist review of their performance here. With The American Watercolor Movement & The Heartless Bastards. $6. THURSDAY: >> Noise Against Facism: The Inauguration got you down? You should head over to the Black Cat tonight, where for $12 you can see Mirror/Dash, a duo of......