Indie Rock

After a four-year hiatus, the HFStival, one of the largest rock festivals on the East Coast in the '90s and early 2000s, returned last September with a lineup of forgotten '90s alt-heroes such as Third Eye Blind, Lit and Everclear. The festival's return was a bigger deal than its time capsule of a concert, but this year's HFStival — with headliners the Avett Brothers and its focus on indie-rock over nostalgia — should put the focus back on the music. It's another step of bringing HFS, which returned to airwaves at 97.5 FM last month, back into the conversation of alternative-rock relevance in Maryland.

Since the late '90s, Mates of State have been a staple of the indie rock world. The husband-and-wife duo consists of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, who combine keyboard, drums and vocals to create energetic harmonies. Over the past 14 years, the Lawrence, Kan. natives have released seven albums and played with bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab for Cutie. On Tuesday their travels will take them to The Ottobar , where they will perform songs from their most recent album "Mountaintops.

In an indie scene where fashion, drugs, attitude and hair can determine one's authenticity, there is apparently zero tolerance for Christ. That seems to be the message coming out of a dustup over the Cold War Kids, a Long Beach, Calif.-based quartet performing before a sold-out crowd tonight at Washington's 9:30 Club. If you go The Cold War Kids perform at a sold-out show at 8 tonight at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. N.W., Washington. 930.com.

After a four-year hiatus, the HFStival, one of the largest rock festivals on the East Coast in the '90s and early 2000s, returned last September with a lineup of forgotten '90s alt-heroes such as Third Eye Blind, Lit and Everclear. The festival's return was a bigger deal than its time capsule of a concert, but this year's HFStival — with headliners the Avett Brothers and its focus on indie-rock over nostalgia — should put the focus back on the music. It's another step of bringing HFS, which returned to airwaves at 97.5 FM last month, back into the conversation of alternative-rock relevance in Maryland.

Since the late '90s, Mates of State have been a staple of the indie rock world. The husband-and-wife duo consists of Jason Hammel and Kori Gardner, who combine keyboard, drums and vocals to create energetic harmonies. Over the past 14 years, the Lawrence, Kan. natives have released seven albums and played with bands such as Jimmy Eat World and Death Cab for Cutie. On Tuesday their travels will take them to The Ottobar , where they will perform songs from their most recent album "Mountaintops.

The old Liz Phair was sharp and darkly introspective; she was interesting. With the 1993 seminal Exile in Guyville album, the artist became the "queen of indie rock." Alternative fans (and geeky rock critics) adored her -- a singer-songwriter whose snide, brash, explicit lyrics paved the way for other feminist rockers such as Alanis Morissette and Meredith Brooks. Back then, Phair seemed so anti-mainstream, so anti-Madonna -- writing, producing, playing on and putting out her own records and frankly singing about things some folks only divulge in journals.

Musiic Indie rock at Sonar Indie rock unit Matchbook Ro mance plays Sonar Lounge, 407 E. Saratoga St., tonight. Sil verstein, The Early November Amber Pacific and Paremore are also billed. Doors open at 6 p.m. Tickets are $17 and are available through Ticketmaster at 410-547-SEAT or ticketmaster .com.

Indie rock singer and songwriter Liz Phair's latest album, Somebody's Miracle, hit stores on Tuesday, just as she hits the road on her national tour. Phair broke out of the underground indie rock scene in 1993 and has been enjoying positive recognition for her albums ever since. She will be performing at the 9:30 Club, 815 V St. N.W. in Washington, Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. Tickets can be purchased at 800-955-5566 or tickets.com.

Morrissey / Constitution Hall Former frontman for the Smiths and one of the most acclaimed singer-songwriters in indie rock, Morrissey plays Constitution Hall, 18th and D streets N.W. in Washington, Wednesday night at 8. Tickets are $40-$55 and are available through Ticketmaster by calling 410-547-SEAT or by visiting www.ticketmaster. com Keane / 9:30 Club Keane, among the most impressive bands to come out of England recently, rocks the 9:30 Club, 815 V. Street N.W. in D.C., Tuesday night at 7. Tickets are $15. For more information, visit www.930.

Hometown -- Baltimore Current members --Virat Shukla, vocals and guitar; Elena Fox, bass and vocals; Justin Custer, guitar; Charles Cole, drums Founded in --2006 Style --indie rock Influenced by --the Kinks, the Pixies, T. Rex, Nirvana, the Beatles Notable --Shukla, the group's primary songwriter, sometimes seeks input from Fox, the other band members and a handful of outside musicians. It can be a reality check, he said. The CD release show for their new album, Rock Control, is tomorrow.

The most distinctive piece of the National, an indie-rock quintet from Brooklyn, N.Y.-via-Cincinnati, is lead singer Matt Berninger's slurred baritone. It's a smooth, low purr that, when combined with the band's circular guitars and Bryan Devendorf's expert drumming, lulls listeners into a trance. This combination has led to great success, including 2010's High Violet, a gold record that debuted No. 3 on the Billboard 200 and won Q magazine's best album of the year. Tuesday, the National will be at Merriweather Post Pavilion . Bassist Scott Devendorf took time from the band's European festival run to talk about High Violet's success, tour-mates Wye Oak and the group's support of President Obama.

THE GOOD: Similar to last year's lineup, there's a lot to like, especially if you take pride in keeping up with music just-outside the Top 40. TV on the Radio, Black Keys and a set from LCD Soundsystem head honcho James Murphy are the big names committed. Dance-enthusiasts Cut Copy and Empire of the Sun will sound particularly fitting in the sexual heat (Sept. 10, Merriweather Post Pavilion). Prepare to sweat it all out. Also, an obvious good: the price.   THE BAD: No glaring mistakes here.

In February, the Decemberists found themselves at a place they never expected to be: No. 1 on the Billboard 200. This is a band that makes folksy, literary rock, often with obscure and historical references — rarely chart-topping material. Tellingly, No. 2 that week was "Kidz Bop 19," the family-friendly anthology of top-40 hits featuring artists like Katy Perry, Bruno Mars and David Guetta. "It's not something you set your sights on," said drummer John Moen. "I've been playing music for a long time.

When The Oranges Band first got together, they had a mantra: "Music is mobility." The Baltimore indie rock group lived up to the saying, zigzagging across the country on tour after tour, sleeping in their van and cutting albums on the fly. After a decade of gigging and recording, countless lineup changes and a stint on a semi-major label, The Oranges Band is still going. Fresh off a string of gigs with the Hold Steady, the Oranges Band is celebrating its 10th anniversary Saturday with a show at The Ottobar.

The cover of Rogue Wave's new album is a rich photograph of a young woman pulling herself ashore, her feet still in the water. The arresting image, by Los Angeles artist Becca Mann, speaks volumes about the California indie rock band's struggles these past few years. Frontman Zach Rogue was bedridden with crippling back, neck and shoulder pain for the second half of 2008, forcing the group to put its latest album on hold. Former band member Evan Farrell died of smoke inhalation when his apartment caught fire in late 2007.

A t first glance, Beach House's East Baltimore practice space seems like a typical moody musician's den, with turntables, drums, vintage keyboards and even a half-empty bottle of vodka. But amid the jumble of amps and instruments lie oddly childish knickknacks, like a hefty unicorn bust, hula hoops and packs of sparkly stickers. It was here, a year ago, that the Baltimore-based ambient pop duo came up with the title of their new album, "Teen Dream." Surrounded by whimsical toys and tchotchkes, singer/keyboardist Victoria Legrand and guitarist Alex Scally were tinkering with a new song when the words "teen dream" popped out of Legrand's mouth.

It is nice when the good guys finally win. For the past four years, the thoughtful, precious and slightly odd cadence of independent rock 'n' roll has been steadily growing on the mainstream. It has not quite been a revolution, the way it was with Nirvana; it is more like a fungus that has slowly taken over the area once reserved for nu-metal and its itinerant goatees, baseball caps and feckless pleas to break stuff. Death Cab for Cutie's Plans marks a turning point in contemporary mainstream rock, as it is the first album of its sort (one made by former college/indie rock heroes)

Indie rock duo Georgie James is looking to make a lasting career out of an unlikely musical partnership. Though the Washington-based band's debut album has yet to come out, singer/guitarist John Davis and pianist/singer Laura Burhenn are already working on new material for a follow-up. Starting this weekend, they set out on a string of dates opening for Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, including a Recher Theatre gig Saturday. A European tour will follow, and the acclaimed Saddle Creek Records releases their first album, Places, Sept.

THURSDAY THE FUNKY DIVAS OF COMEDY: Baltimore's Ayanna Dookie (who has an amusing Beyonce routine) hosts a night of serious funny peppered with serious attitude as dished out by "Funniest Mom in America" Meshelle, stand-up comedian Alycia Cooper (originally from Maryland, but currently working in Los Angeles) and D.C.-based stand-up comedian Erin Jackson. The jokes are on you at Magooby's Joke House, 9306 Harford Road in Parkville, at 8 p.m. Tickets are $12. Call 410-356-1010 or go to magoobys.

JAZZ "Soul Progressin'": by Lafayette Gilchrist: Taking inspiration from hip-hop, funk and soul, the Baltimore-based jazz pianist has been steadily earning a name for himself nationally. Entertainment Weekly called him "the heir to Thelonious Monk," and many others regard him as one of jazz music's rising young stars. He continues to live up to the hype with his new high-energy album Soul Progressin'. Out Tuesday, the CD will be followed by a series of live shows including one Saturday at the Creative Alliance.