No one's immune to Christmas songs. Not you, not the writers of Washington City Paper, and not the dudes behind Listen Local First. The local scene boosters have put together a compilation of holiday songs by D.C. groups, and today—the third edition of Local Music Day—it'll be in rotation in a handful of local businesses.
The [...]

Sweet Tea Pumpkin Pie Music Festival, the District's biggest and strangest celebration of small and far-flung indie-rock bands, is back, following its inaugural running this June. As previously reported, its second edition is set for Oct. 8 and 9. Now, the free festival has announced some lineups and venues.
There are three venues along the U [...]

Good morning! Did you read our Summer Music Guide? Has it helped you figure out what bands you're seeing tonight—you know, between Title Tracks at St. Stephens, the State Department at Rock & Roll Hotel, Ugly Purple Sweater at New Community Church, and Hercules & Love Affair's DJ set at U Street Music Hall? We [...]

Morning, readers.
*The New Republic launches The Book, a new blog dedicated to video games! Just kidding. It's about books. And whether or not you agree with Exec. Editor Isaac Chotiner that "the absence of any site for the serious consideration of serious books is also a fact of the web" (hey, Isaac—what about excellent personal [...]

Because I wrote about Title Tracks' versions of songs by The Flamin' Groovies and The Merseybeats earlier this week, and because Bob Dylan's truly atrocious new disc of Christmas standards leaked yesterday, I've been thinking a lot about covers.
Let's put aside the illustrious history of ill-advised tributes (read: the entire Me First and the Gimme Gimmes oeuvre). A good cover can [...]