FRIDAY
Red flags should pop up around the current orgy of 80s nostalgia when has-beens like Eddie Money, at the State Theatre, come back for blatant cash-grabs.
DJ Selector Seth certainly isn??t sick of the Greed Decade. Backstage at Black Cat is Seth??s Notorious, a dance party billed as featuring ??the 80s and beyond.?
Yes, M83 (aka Anthony Gonzalez) is French and plays electronic music. Now forget about those cheesy stereotypes. At Black Cat??s mainstage, M83 expertly fuses the driving, intense rhythms of typical dance music with the gauzy, moody synths of shoegaze.
Taking a break from jazz-bluegrass-fusion geniuses Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Victor Wooten ?? at 9:30 Club ?? may be the best and most inventive bassist in popular music.
The monthly Saccharine party at Zucchabar in Adams Morgan features DJs Pogo, Medusa, and Strange spinning the finest britpop, indie and synth. Get there by 9pm for an hour of open bar.
Bill Kirchen, at Jammin?? Java, is a legend of the local scene. A Washington Area Music Association Hall of Famer, Kirchen was an Americana and roots-rock trailblazer in the 70s.
SATURDAY
Inoffensive pop/rockers Maroon 5 take a Grammy victory lap at the recently-saved-from-extinction Merriweather Post Pavilion. Openers and walking contradictions The Thrills play sunny California pop, by way of Ireland.
In the main room of Black Cat is DJ Mark Zimin??s Mousetrap, the venerable britpop dance night celebrating its sixth year. If you don??t feel like paying the $8 cover, check out bloggers/DJs Blue State spinning for free on the backstage.
mtvU??s Campus Invasion, at University of Maryland??s Cole Fieldhouse, features a double dose of the hottest British pop. Razorlight may be getting the most press with their Strokes-esque garage stylings, but anthemic rockers Muse are wily veterans of the hype-driven scene.
Local upstarts and Express-favorites Cartel take their tightly-honed atmospheric sound to DC9. Run Away From Humans and PS open.
World-beat turned neo-soul collective Zap Mama, at 930 Club, puts on a unique and visually stunning live show. Philly veterans and The Roots protégés Jazzyfatnastees open.
Remember ??Hanging By a Moment,? the huge hit and the most-played radio track of 2001? Christian rockers Lifehouse, at State Theatre, sure hope you do.
SUNDAY
Reigning R&B diva Alicia Keys and conveniently-named newcomer John Legend finish a two-night stand at DAR Constitution Hall. Both young piano prodigies, their hip-hop inflected neo-soul dominate Billboard charts and Grammy ceremonies.
Handsome Boy Modeling School is one of innumerable side projects for underground hip-hop legends Dan ??The Automator? Nakamura and Prince Paul. These multi-talented producers and performers play dress-up with their quirky alter-egos Chest Rockwell and Nathaniel Merriweather.
With the success of The Cricklewood Massive??s iPod Jukebox Night, DC9 is trying their hand at the concept with Fifteen Minutes of Fame, featuring drink specials and giveaways all night. Bring your own MP3 player (iPods not necessary) and take a stab at DJing.
