The Broken West Back in 2007, L.A.'s The Broken West seemed to make a point of stopping through D.C. on a weekly basis. In the space of a few months, they opened for The Walkmen, The Long Winters, and shared a bill with The Whigs. Each time I caught them they were pretty good -- never great -- but didn't quite live up to the tried-and-true California power pop of their proper debut, I......

Drop Electric vocalist Padma Soundararajan and bassist Neel Singh performing earlier this year at the Rock and Roll Hotel Drop Electric was no different from many a local band. They played the occasional festival, headlined local clubs, and were on their way to garnering a decent local following. But their story took a tragic turn last month, and the band is still trying to recover. The family of vocalist Padma Soundararajan — her father,......

Karsh Kale We last heard from Karsh Kale (pronounced Kursh Kah-lay) with the release of Breathing Under Water, the talented producer/composer/percussionist's genre blending collaboration with Hindustani music's heir apparent, sitarist Anoushka Shankar. But apart from that recording, and a DJ set here and there at Science Club or Bossa, the District has not seen Kale perform in concert since 2003's Asian Massive tour. That will change on July 4, when the fireworks on the......

What is it about Bergen, Norway? The city of 250,000 is the home to numerous bands, including Kings of Convenience, Annie, Röyksopp, Sondre Lerche, and Datarock. The latter, a group of red jumpsuited goofballs, played Saturday at the Rock and Roll Hotel and did not disappoint. Half electronic, half guitar, the duo (which expands to a quartet on tour) lifts from ecclectic places, like the musical Grease ("Computer Camp Love"), Factory Records' funkier stuff ("Fa......

Hard-rocking renaissance man Jon Langford tears it up. Photo courtesy Bloodshot Records. In a fairer, better world, Jon Langford would need no introduction; in a world that makes Kenny Chesney a country star, he probably does. (Unless, of course, you read our interview with Langford last fall.) So: Since founding the protean punk outfit the Mekons in Leeds, England, three decades or so ago, he's become that Godfather of the Chicago alt-country scene that......

During "I Made a Resolution", Sea Wolf songwriter Alex Church promises that he's never going to sing a sad song again. But considering that Sea Wolf's set at the Rock and Roll Hotel on Sunday had been half downtrodden weary balladry and half more uptempo yet equally gloomy chamber-pop, this resolution will likely go the way of the standard "I'm going to quit smoking," "I'm going to lose weight" and "I'm going to stop drinking."......

Written with DCist contributor Amy Maxmen As we've mentioned before, big changes are underway at the Velvet Lounge, the hole-in-the-wall music venue near the corner of 9th and U Streets NW. Soon change will also spread next door, to the burnt-out remains of the after-hours bar formerly known as Kingpin (not as an extension of the Velvet Lounge as was originally rumored, but as a separate, new bar). But rather than profiting off the wave......

Some joyful men the likes of The Hold Steady's Craig Finn and Jens Lekman have graced D.C.’s stages over the past year, but all pale in comparison to the utter excitement exuded by Pela’s Bill McCarthy. Since their performance at DAM! Fest in October, Pela has had a rough couple of months. In addition to McCarthy’s 45 stitches in his hand, there was an allusion to a band member who went into the wilderness......

Pela, the Brooklyn four-piece, had quite a year in 2007. They released their debut album, Anytown Graffiti, in April, had their music featured on the dearly departed Veronica Mars, made inroads at influential radio stations like KEXP, Indie 103.1 and WOXY, and spent most the year touring the country. They also headlined our own Unbuckled 5. In November, they decamped to L.A. to record their sophomore album and planned to spend the early part......

Tilly and the Wall, a five piece from Omaha, Nebraska, have been catching buzz around the indie scene for a few years now. Their energetic performances have earned them a reputation as one of the most fun bands to see live. They've also got a gimmick: rather than a drummer, Jamie Pressnall tap dances to produce the band's percussion. With a new album on the way and a heavy touring schedule, Tilly is a......