FRIDAY: >> Stop by Velvet Lounge to lend your support to John Stabb, singer of the legendary D.C. hardcore act Government Issue, who's struggling to pay medical bills after being attacked near his home in Burtonsville, Maryland. $8, doors at 9 p.m. >> The Quarry House in Silver Spring hosts recent Three Stars alums The Hall Monitors along with New York's The Brides. Cover merely advertised as "real cheap," show starts at 9 p.m. >>......

FRIDAY: >> Post-punk concept albums make us all weak in the knees, so you can bet we'll be out for The Thermals at the Black Cat tonight. With The Big Sleep and Statehood. $12, 9 p.m. >> It's the last weekend to check out Forum Theater and Dance's production Kid-Simple, a "live-action radio play" about a young prodigy who invents a machine that hears things humans never could discern, and when it is stolen, takes......

In all honesty, it's tough to wholeheartedly recommend going out on New Year's Eve at all. We love the spirit of the holiday, but paying around $100 a person for a regular night of dancing dressed up with champagne is enough to make anyone feel like a schmuck. It's a safe bet most of us at DCist will be hitting various house parties to ring in the new year with friends at a more reasonable......

We've been waiting for the official V Fest details for a little while now. We'd gotten hints that the September 23 affair at Pimlico would include The Raconteurs, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Who, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah and more. All of those: confirmed. Here's the full lineup: Bands The Red Hot Chili Peppers; The Who; The Killers; Flaming Lips; The Raconteurs; Gnarls Barkley; Scissor Sisters; Keane; Thievery Corporation; Clap Your Hands Say Yeah;......

We were all set to recommend you some delicious concerts to attend in the first month of aught-five, but when we looked over our information, it turns out that all three of our top three shows were already sold out. The Bright Eyes (with Conor Oberst at left), Scissor Sisters, and Arcade Fire concerts, all set to take place at the 9:30 Club in January -- well, consider yourself lucky if you snagged a ticket......