College nostalgists can reminisce about late nights, the studying, er, cramming before an exam, the walks of shame from fraternity row, the sleazy professors, the close encounters of the bad kind with the cops—all to the tune of Ben Kweller, whose poster of the album Sha Sha was on the dorm walls of three of the six friends we had our first year in college. He’ll be performing at the Rock and Roll Hotel tonight with Australian folksinger Lawrence Greenwood, a.k.a. Whitley, as opening act.

On Wednesday, Canada’s all-star collective, Broken Social Scene, plays at the State Theatre in Falls Church. Brendan Canning and Kevin Drew front the ever-changing lineup of musicians, which has at one point or another included Feist, Metric’s Emily Haines, and Amy Millan of Stars. The latest from the band is a solo record from Canning, released under the moniker Broken Social Scene Presents . . . Brendan Canning, so expect Wednesday’s set to be heavy on these new tunes.

Also playing that night at the 9:30 Club is the Seattle rock band Minus the Bear, with the folksy Annuals as opening act. Both bands recently released new material—Annuals’ new album, Such Fun, is in stores now, and Minus the Bear’s EP, Acoustics, is available digitally.

Gossip Girl fans (and, really, is there anyone out there who isn’t a fan at this point? We’re actually forecasting a GG blacklash soon) will remember “Apologize” as the song playing in the background as Lily, after watching Dan whisk away a glowing Serena, reminisces about what she and Rufus could have had in the “Hi, Society” episode. Everyone else will remember “Apologize” as that song you could not escape from last year. Well, OneRepublic, the band behind the song, will be playing it (and, we assume, other songs—though we’ve never heard anything else from the band) at the Patriot Center on Thursday.

On Friday, the Ontario band Born Ruffians is at the Rock and Roll Hotel. The band first caught our attention with its cover of Grizzly Bear’s “The Knife,” and its straightforward power pop is the perfect fit for a fun Friday out.

Playlist no longer available. 

Schedule
October 21
Ben Kweller at the Rock and Roll Hotel
October 22
Broken Social Scene at the State Theatre
Minus the Bear and Annuals at the 9:30 Club
October 23
OneRepublic at the Patriot Center
October 24
Born Ruffians at the Rock and Roll Hotel

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