If you're looking for some cool things to do this weekend, we've got a few suggestions for you, starting off with The Sweetlife Festival. Presented by Sweetgreen, the local gourmet fast food salad chain, in partnership with the 9:30 Club's IMP Productions, this hip annual festival an impressive lineup, from many on-the-verge acts, including Kendrick Lamar, Foxygen, Holy Ghost!, Lindsey Stirling ... [Read]

The little ensemble Animal Collective, originally from Baltimore but now spread out around the world, years ago became the big kahuna in the indie-rock universe, merging noise-pop with African polyrhythms, psychedelic sounds and other non-melodic musical eccentricities. The band closes out the season at the local venue that became the namesake for its last studio album, all as part of ... [Read]

The mostly genteel Canadian balladeer Sarah McLachlan comes to town on a national tour featuring local symphony orchestras reinterpreting her hits in classical style. For the D.C. area show at Merriweather, she's tapped the Strathmore-based National Philharmonic. Thursday, July 5. Doors at 6 p.m. Merriweather Post Pavilion, 10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, Md. Tickets are $41 to $96. Call ... [Read]

Merriweather Post Pavilion kicks off its 2012 season with its annual Sweetlife Food and Music Festival, sponsored by delicious local salad chain Sweetgreen and headlined by Swedish electronic whippersnapper AVICII, rapper Kid Cudi and indie darlings The Shins. Also on the bill: Fun., Zola Jesus, Ben Browning of Cut Copy and local band BLUEBRAIN offering a DJ set. Local farmers ... [Read]

Singer-songwriter Neko Case may be just the opening act, but she has every bit as much, if not more, appeal than Kentucky hippie rockers My Morning Jacket. The Alexandria native has become a superstar in indie/hipster circles, and the appeal is easy to hear, whether on her solo work, such as 2009's Middle Cyclone, or her work in the Canadian ... [Read]

She may have only come in third during the first season of the USA Network's Nashville Star, in 2003, but Miranda Lambert is arguably the biggest star to emerge from that reality series (certainly bigger than Buddy Jewell or John Arthur Martinez, the two to defeat her). All three of her critically trumpeted albums since have gone platinum, in part ... [Read]

The Virgin Mobile FreeFest Presented by Kyocera was announced today by Sir Richard Branson, founder of the Virgin Group, who delivered the message via a video posted on Virgin Mobile Live's Facebook page. The free, Billboard award-winning festival, known for breaking from traditional music events, will feature two Main Stages and a Dance Forest. Scheduled to perform on the Main ... [Read]