‘Lofty View’
courtesy of ‘MudflapDC’

The Nationals had a real chance at beating the San Francisco Giants Saturday afternoon but squandered the opportunity losing 2-1. Washington drew nine walks throughout the day and only recorded two hits in the one-run loss.

John Lannan pitched well until the seventh inning collapse that cost the Nats a run scored by Giants third baseman Miguel Tejada to take the lead. The fourth inning was the highlight of Lannan’s day and for the Nats on defense. Continue reading →

The internet daemons have spoken and Alex won our sponsorship. Random.org picked his comment as the winner and we’ve dropped $50 that’ll go towards the Friends of Fort Dupont Ice Arena. That doesn’t let you folks off the hook – go sponsor a beard of your own.

Alex, we’ll be sending over the artist to dye your face WLDC blue and brand our URL on your cheeks. Don’t worry, it only stings for a few weeks. Count yourself lucky it’s on your face. I had to stand up for a week.

What, you didn’t read our contest’s fine print?

This Sunday night, indie rockers Pinback return to the Black Cat to deliver a set of positive, upbeat guitar grooves.

Pinback’s front man Rob Crow has been all over the map musically, playing in groups as diverse as math rockers Three Mile Pilot, Chino Moreno’s spacey electro project Team Sleep, and sludge metal outfit Goblin Cock. He’s one of those guys that’s bursting at the seams with songwriting skills, like he can’t help but write catchy tunes in any style with any musical partners.

It’s been four years since we’ve heard any new Pinback material since their breakthrough “Autumn of the Seraphs”, but with Record Store Day two weeks ago, fans were treated to an EP with two new Pinback songs. I’m curious to see what the show will be like this time – how much new/unreleased material will they play? Will they try playing stripped-down versions of their songs, like last summer when they performed as just a two-piece? Let’s find out.

Pinback
w/ Judgement Day
Black Cat Mainstage
Sunday, May 1, 2011
$15

‘ARE YOU A JEROK?’
courtesy of ‘marc falardeau’

Too bad it’s not for the reason he thinks.

You probably already know the the story and both sides of it; it’s reiterated in every article about it, including this latest from WaPo about Haynesworth’s position that he won’t take a deal knocking the charge down to simple assault. I obviously have no more idea what really happened than anyone else who wasn’t there, though I know where I’d lay my bet.

But let’s be clear about one thing: when Haynesworth’s attorney A. Scott Bolden says “If he wasn’t Albert Haynesworth, this case would not have gone to the U.S. attorney’s office or the grand jury” he is exactly right.

It would have happened and been ignored just like the multitude of other times every single day when someone with power over a woman feels free to touch them against their consent. It would have been just one more incident of an employee in a service position having to stomach mistreatment because someone with power over them decided to ignore the lines of human decency and reasonable behavior in a situation where the employee couldn’t freely say “no.”

It would have been what far too many people would describe as “today.”

Continue reading →

“As the tear flow out it’s the end, the end of you and me.” They probably don’t appreciate me saying this, but don’t miss one of the 21st century’s finest emo groups at the Rock and Roll Hotel this Saturday.

The Appleseed Cast have been cranking out albums for nearly 15 years. I’ll always remember them as a band taking the Midwestern emo style of bands like Mineral and Texas Is The Reason, and bringing it to the next level – toning down the melodrama, and adding increasingly complex music to back it up. “Fight Song” still gives me chills when I hear that opening melody. It’s been on so many mixtapes of mine – you don’t even know. The emo-ness has largely faded from their more recent tunes, leaving only professional, feel-good rock n roll.

Of course, they’re only one of the four bands playing that night. A Great Big Pile of Leaves from Brooklyn remind me of relaxed, beachy melodies of Minus the Bear, but with more vocal swagger. But they’re the only opener that even remotely reminds me of A-Cast. Dischord signees Edie Sedgwick, self-described as “the transgendered reincarnation of a vacuous Andy Warhol Superstar who died of a barbiturate overdose in 1971”, sound bizarre to say the least. The music itself is mainly mid-tempo bass lines and drums, with a story-telling, spoken-word-ish vocal style. Oh, and Pianos Become the Teeth happen to be one of my favorite emo/screamo bands of the moment. It’s tense, complex, passionate, and earnest, which seems appropriate for the bill, but they’re louder than the rest of the bands by a factor of 10.

The Appleseed Cast are touring to promote a new EP, “Middle States”, which is only available on tour until its official release in June.

The Appleseed Cast
w/ A Great Big Pile of Leaves, Edie Sedgwick, Pianos Become the Teeth
Rock and Roll Hotel
Saturday, April 30th, 2011
$15

‘IMG_5117.jpg’
courtesy of ‘bridgetds’

One of my personal favorite playoff hockey traditions is the growing of playoff beards. According to Wikipedia, the tradition of playoff beards started in the 1980s. Players grow their beards out as long as their team is still in playoff contention, leading to some epic (and not so epic beards): Karl Alzner, featured above, usually sports a great big bushy beard a few weeks into the playoffs.
Continue reading →

We are rapidly approaching graduation dates at local colleges and universities. One of the biggest issues that arises as students head back home for the summer or off the the real world is the amount of waste generated as they move out of their residences.
Continue reading →

This Thursday at the Black Cat, one of my biggest guilty-pleasure bands is playing the Backstage. The Submarines craft cheery indie-pop, with catchy lyrics, bright acoustic guitars, and airy synths. It’s a testament to their songwriting abilities that even a jaded dude like me can’t help but get into them.

The story behind The Submarines is adorable; the duo met while playing in other bands in Boston, then joined forces, but broke up after they each moved to LA in 2004. They continued writing songs though; songs that were obviously about how much they missed each other. Then they got back together and kept the band going! (I was pretty sure that sort of thing could never happen, but hey, maybe I’m just writing the wrong kind of breakup songs?)

Their debut album “Honeysuckle Weeks” was a product of this breakup. These cheery songs made it into episodes of “Gossip Girl”, “Grey’s Anatomy” and even an iPhone commercial. God, that album was good – It’s so infectious that I’ve had “You Me & the Bourgeoisie” stuck in my head all day, even though I haven’t heard it in months. Their new album is just as solid. I’m declaring it now – “Love Notes / Letter Bombs” is the soundtrack to my summer.

The Submarines
w/ Pepper Rabbit
Black Cat Backstage
Thursday, April 28
$10

‘11.2.10’
courtesy of ‘Paige Weaver’

NOW GO VOTE.

Today is Tuesday, April 26th, and that means that it’s Special Election day.  Up for grabs today are At-Large Council seat (citywide) and State Board of Education (two seats, Wards 4 & 8), so voting will take all of about 5 minutes.

Not sure where to vote? There’s a polling place finder so you can get to the right place.

Not registered? DC allows for same-day registration with proof of residency (must have been here at least 30 days), so you can fill out a few forms at the precinct and get your vote on right away.

If you’re looking for who to vote for, We Love DC is not endorsing a candidate, but you can read my personal thoughts on the At-Large race (recognizing they do not constitute a site-wide endorsement).