When Lu Sevier found a group of guys who liked the same kind of music she liked, with whom she had a connection, and with whom she could make music, it was not something she was going to let get away from her.

Re-runs still occasionally play of La Caraqueña’s appearance on “Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives,” a Food Network TV show that highlights the best in each category at restaurants across the nation. It’s probably the restaurant’s location that landed La Caraqueña on the show and earned it the somewhat dubious distinction of a dive – it’s situated in a ground-level corner of the Stratford Motor Lodge motel. If the word “dive” conjures up thoughts of dingy interiors and questionable grub for those who’ve seen the show and want to check out La Caraqueña, though, any such concerns are quickly put out of mind with a visit to this Latin American restaurant.

You could pick up an album by The Infamous Stringdusters at an indie record shop. You could download a few tracks online. You could even catch their new music video on YouTube. But the real deal, says upright bassist Travis Book, is what happens when he and his string-picking bluegrass brethren get on stage. “You can only get the real thing in one place,” Book said, “and that’s wherever the five of us are.”

Almost, Maine is a town of just that: Almost. Almost love, almost heartbreak, and almost getting concussed from several hits to the head with an ironing board. This adorable winter’s evening was Falls Church High School’s production of “Almost, Maine.”

The show formerly known as Santa Jam returns to the State Theater next Thursday for a night full of blues tunes and good will. Now known as Winter SOULstice, the 16th annual benefit concert and toy drive will feature music from Mark Wenner of the Nighhawks, Linwood Taylor, Cathy Ponton [...]

Bronx Pizza and Subs joined the many restaurants that populate Clarendon Boulevard this summer, and has since been serving pizzeria favorites with big nods to New York City just steps from the Clarendon Metro station. The restaurant seems a playful ode to the pizza capital. Hanging meats and cheeses fill [...]

It’s easy to call Black Taxi indie-rock. It’s a broad field though, says keyboardist Ezra Huleatt, but they fit somewhere in there. The band’s music has been described as dance-punk, grit-pop, and other such mash-ups that try to define what they do, and has evoked comparisons to a diverse set of acts that includes the Talking Heads and Red Hot Chili Peppers. From a band whose members tap into such varied backgrounds and influences, it’s easy to see why pinning Black Taxi down to a genre is tricky.

If Colin Martin has his way, someday he’ll be entertaining audiences on the Second City stage or live from New York on “Saturday Night Live.” But for now, the J.E.B. Stuart High School graduate is working on his acting chops at The College of Wooster, his latest step toward an acting career.

Earl’s Sandwiches didn’t go far for its second location. It is right across from the Ballston Metro station in the spot that once housed brgr:shack, only a mile from Earl’s first site near Clarendon.The sandwiches at the Clarendon restaurant are the stuff of much praise from both gourmets and bargain-seekers, and diners at the new place will be treated to a menu not unlike the original.

Erick Baker is coming to Jammin’ Java next Wednesday with a pretty big seal of approval from his Knoxville home base. According to Knoxville’s Cityview magazine, he’s the best singer-songwriter around. Knoxvillians voted him to the honor, and Baker is still amazed by the news last month that he was [...]