By David Malitz

Gossip is a party band. No more, no less. And there are few better party starters than Beth Ditto. It's hard to take your eyes off the 28-year-old frontwomman, and not just because she looks like she's infiltrated both the closet and makeup kit of a top fashion designer on her way to a pre-game meeting of the Redskins offensive line. Ditto was in full ringleader mode and the few hundred fans who turned out for an after-midnight show Wednesday night at 9:30 club were treated to a performance that showcased a dynamic talent but without the songs to match her gusto.

(By the numbers synth-rock, with one serious standout, after the jump.)

Jay Reatard's band quit on him this week. (He broke the news on Twitter, of course.)

Over the last three years I've seen Jay Reatard seven times. The most recent was Saturday at the Ottobar in Baltimore, and it was a whole lot like the previous six shows -- Reatard, along with bassist Stephen Pope and drummer Billy Hayes, stormed through hyperspeed versions of Reatard's already blazing tunes, resulting in a half-hour of whiplash-inducing punk rock fury. If Reatard didn't shout the name of each song before he blasted into it, it would be hard to distinguish one 90-second string of screaming power chords from the other. Still, Reatard's sharp pop songwriting skills were apparent in tunes such as "Nightmares" and "An Ugly Death," no matter how much he tried to obscure it behind speed and distortion. Now that show may be the end of an era.

(Post Rock's four point program to take over America, after the jump.)

By Sarah Godfrey

The only thing music nerds like more than an emerging experimental group is the resurrection of an old experimental group. So, the appearance of Tropicália pioneers Os Mutantes the State Theatre on Wednesday night (along with De Leon, who perform 15th Century Spanish indie rock), proved to be total nerd nip.

(After the jump, minimal original members, minimal dancing, but plenty to dissect.)

By Chis Klimek

There's no foolproof test for diagnosing musical overconfidence, but hiring Alejandro Escovedo as your opener is a definite risk factor. Ecovedo is a songwriter's songwriter, an alt-punk-country-etc. warrior who nearly had to die of Hepatitis C six years ago to begin to get his due.

Among the acts who covered Escovedo's songs to help fund his medical care is Los Lonely Boys, a Texas trio comprised of brothers Henry, JoJo, and Ringo Garza, Jr. They kicked off their headlining Acoustic Brotherhood tour at the Birchmere last night with a jovial 105-minute set that left no question as to their musicianship, their showmanship, or their filial fellowship.

(After the jump, Los Lonely Boys show their musical dexterity and Escovedo triumphs on raw emotion.)

By Juli Thanki

Tom Russell played Jammin' Java Saturday night, fresh off his appearance on "Letterman." He taped the same day Dave made his big announcement, which led to an astronomical ratings boost, a fact Russell noted with delight. The singer-songwriter-author-criminologist is on tour celebrating the release of his new record "Blood and Candle Smoke." Strumming a battered guitar, he delivered two sets of highly literate folk music, referencing everything from the New Testament to the works of Graham Greene.

(After the jump, reverent silence and story time.)

By Mike Joyce

Christian Scott, the young but seasoned New Orleans trumpeter who performed at the Kennedy Center's KC Jazz Club on Saturday night, invites comparisons with Miles Davis, especially when playing a muted horn in a minor blues or modal setting. But no one ever accused Davis of being a chatterbox onstage. During his quintet's opening set, Scott quizzed the audience on the Constitution, recalled why he left Prince's employment -- too much posturing, it seems -- and told several amusing anecdotes about his bandmates only to dismiss some later as untrue.

(Read the rest of the review after the jump.)

Want to know what the music landscape will sound and look like in a few years? A decade? Two decades? Then the Future of Music Policy Summit, kicking off on Sunday at Georgetown University, is for you.

This year's summit hosts a boatload of speakers and panelists, including Daniel Ek (founder and CEO of Spotify), Senator Al Franken (being interviewed by R.E.M. bassist Mike Mills), Bob Boilen (host of NPR's "All Songs Considered"), Wayne Kramer (guitarist for garage rock icons MC5), Mac McCaughan (frontman for indie rock stalwarts Superchunk/founder of Merge Records), Seth Hurwitz (9:30 club owner/chairman of I.M.P.), Brian Message (Radiohead's manager), Greg Kot (music critic for The Chicago Tribune) and many others.

(Read more after the jump.)

By Sarah Godfrey

Remember Reggaeton? A few years back, it was an industry sensation -- nowadays, not so much. But just because reggaeton has gone the way of baile funk, Miami bass, and a slew of other genres that have enjoyed temporary periods of crossover appeal, doesn't mean it's not thriving. In fact, shaking the dubious distinction of being pop culture curiosities seems to be working for reggaeton stars Wisin y Yandel.

(Read the rest of the review after the jump.)

By David Malitz

What makes the songs by Wavves (aka 23-year-old San Diegan Nathan Williams) stand out on record is the abundance of pop hooks that fight through the fuzz of his lo-fi home recordings. But it was an unexpected thrashy punk energy that made Thursday night's show at Rock and Roll Hotel genuinely jolting. Williams sang - well, warbled - about topics such as boredom ("So Bored") and emptiness ("No Hope Kids"), but there was nothing lackadaisical about his blur of a 35-minute set.

(Read the rest of the review after the jump.)

The Kanye West/Lady Gaga "Fame Kills" tour, which was shaping up to be one of the most bizarre and confusing pairings in recent memory, has been canceled. Not postponed. Not rescheduled. Canceled. No official reason was given, although rumors are flying around that West will be checking into rehab for alcoholism, in wake of his MTV VMAs stage crashing incident. So don't be sitting at the computer at noon on Friday trying to get tickets for the originally scheduled Dec. 30 show at Verizon Center.

Gaga, of course, did her pants-free thing at Constitution Hall the other night. And even if we didn't get the tour, at least we got this (NSFW!) tour trailer.