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(04/22/10 12:51am)
“Meehdlesex? What ees Meehdlesex?” This is the question I was asked one day at work when I left the book I was reading out on the register. I had taken the plunge to read “Middlesex,” a 500-plus page behemoth, for two reasons. First, I couldn’t possibly read “The Virgin Suicides” one more time. “Suicides” and “Middlesex” are author Jeffrey Eugenides’ only two novels, and the latter had always seemed too daunting. Which brings me to my second reason: HBO is adapting the novel into a miniseries produced by Rita Wilson and writer Donald Magulies.
(04/15/10 1:59am)
When the Three 6 Mafia told us that it was hard out there for a pimp, they had no idea what it was like being a hipster. And while it’s no longer safe to say that hipsters don’t have the benefit of sporting pimp things like gold chains, teeth or goblets of drank, we all have to admit one thing: it’s expensive to be a hipster.
(04/01/10 1:53am)
Dissent: it’s a theme I’ve covered in this column all semester. I’ve discussed it in the context of hipster history (hipstory, I suppose) — bandanas, skinny jeans, flannel — they’ve all at some point been donned as signs of solidarity, as separation from and statement against the mainstream. But their meanings now have largely been stripped of significance and appropriated into the fashion of the contemporary hipster, leaving histories of rebellion in their wake hidden under the guise of — you guessed it — irony. And although individuals sporting this style may catch a lot of flak, hipsters are not what’s threatening our generation. Rather, they are indicative of a much bigger, much more harmful issue: complacency.
(03/22/10 1:55am)
There was a time when college rock was characterized as alternative music spun by bearded indiekid deejays at all hours of the night. Records made in basements showed off an ever-present buzz, the hum of the tape and singers who growled about society through clenched teeth. Their audience knew — and more importantly, felt — exactly what they were talking about.
(03/22/10 1:54am)
Paramore have been slowly working their way into indietown, but don’t be too quick to say “there goes the neighborhood.” Their success started last September with their viral cover of Kings of Leon’s “Use Somebody” and moving onto joining Weezer on the band’s most recent tour (and even accompanying them on stage for their classic “Say It Ain’t So”). The Tennessee five-piece are now slated to play alongside twindie darlings Tegan and Sara on this year’s Honda Civic tour.
(03/18/10 12:58am)
As far as culture in America goes right now, there’s the White House, the House of Blues and Dr. Gregory House. But as of last week, the most important house in all the land was the Haus of Gaga, which released the video for “Telephone,” Lady Gaga’s latest release. The second single off of Gaga’s sophomore album “The Fame Monster,” “Telephone” applies the starlet’s usual mix of pop and glamour and laces it with a theatrical tinge of macabre.
(03/01/10 1:00am)
As an East Coast kid raised in New York, there was little I ever thought I’d envy about being from the Southwest. Sure, they have great Tex-Mex and it never gets too cold, but what’s all that compared to the busy, condensed, booming center of culture that is Manhattan, right?
(02/25/10 12:54am)
You know that something has reached official hipster accessory status when queer electroclash crazy person/former elementary school teacher Peaches has a song about it. Such is the case with the bandana and her song “Hanky Code” about them. Taking no precautions against profanity or sexual explicitness (she wouldn’t be Peaches without it), she cautions hipsters against fashion statements they may not be aware of: “Better know your hanky code/Before you go and shoot your load/Excuse me what’s that hanging out of your pocket?/Do you actually know what that means?”
(02/18/10 3:00am)
After living here long enough, one may think that D.C. is a jaded city. From packs of business-suited men rushing through McPherson Square to business-suited students stressing about their internship on Capitol Hill, the District can begin to feel a little formal. Even options for music seem limited — unless you go looking.
(02/15/10 12:58am)
Plaid: it’s what hipsters and Steve Urkel have in common. The similarities probably don’t stop there (he seems to be a fan of ankle-grazing skinny jeans), but the plaid shirt is what brings these trendier-than-thou kids together with the nerdier-than-anyone TV icon. Oh, and it also includes Scots.
(02/08/10 12:38am)
Ani DiFranco is a legend in her own right. After nearly 20 years in the music business, DiFranco has released 16 live albums and 18 studio albums, her latest being 2008's "Red Letter Year." DiFranco's prolific release of live albums may be due to her sentiment that live music is real music. Even the back of her most recent tour shirts were a throwback to the idea that records were named as such because that's exactly what they were — live recordings.
(02/01/10 1:52am)
Of Montreal are actually not from Montreal, but that’s the least shocking thing about them.
(01/28/10 2:55am)
The first rule of Hipster Club is don’t talk about Hipster Club. Everyone knows how it goes: upon accusations of hipsterdom, any true hipster will put the brakes on his or her fixed-gear bike, look down through his or her perscriptionless plastic frame glasses and twirl his (or her?) ironic mustache and vehemently deny that such a thing is true. But I’m breaking the code of silence, and I’m admitting it. When called out on my ankle-choking torn-up skinny jeans, my paper-thin neon yellow shoes or my band-reference tattoos, I’ll say it loud and proud: I’m a hipster.
(01/25/10 12:28am)
Anyone who thinks they couldn’t possibly hear another straight-out-of-Brooklyn indie band should think again. While many new artists and bands rely on a rotation of musical gimmicks or trademarks to establish themselves, boy/girl duo Savoir Adore win over fans by giving them the best of everything.
(01/21/10 2:55am)
Andrew McMahon has the power to be in several places at once. Simultaneously a pop-punk piano man, an inspirational leukemia survivor and the object of many 14-year-old girls’ desires, McMahon is taking his show on the road again before settling down to record his third studio album for his solo project, Jack’s Mannequin.
(11/19/09 2:13am)
Asher Roth said what everyone was thinking best when he said it simply in his breakout single: “Man, I love college.” This intersection of care-free sentiment and popular music is the notion on which the mtvU Woodie Awards are based.
(11/19/09 2:09am)
It is remarkably easy to believe that we live in a culture of trash. Every day we are inundated with poorly-recycled styles, bland and unoriginal pop music and advertisement after advertisement featuring some overzealous spokesman convincing us of something we don’t need. It’s discouraging — without a voice or a cause for our generation, and without proper regard to the tribulations we face, popular culture is losing its meaning.
(11/16/09 1:46am)
Amanda Palmer is today’s traveling muse. Over a decade into her multi-project career, the alternative-punk-cabaret songwriter best known for being one-half of the Dresden Dolls is done releasing music.
(11/12/09 2:44am)
Amy Millan doesn’t want to disappoint you — she said so herself. The singer, best known for her work with Canadian indie powerhouses Stars and Broken Social Scene, wrapped up her fall tour right here in the District when she took her ethereal country-folk act to DC 9 this past Sunday, Nov. 8.
(11/09/09 3:55am)
Most bands travel with their own instruments and their own music, looking to gain a name and promote their latest record. The Eccentric Soul Revue may be looking to promote their releases, but they’re traveling with something different — music’s history, and they’re bringing it to the 9:30 club this Tuesday, Nov. 10.