Thursday, Feb 16 FoodBarDC recently declared its independence from upstairs neighbors Cobalt and 30 Degrees Lounge, and while we wait to see if the restaurant can finally — finally — do something with that awesome corner space on 17th Street, we’re looking forward to tonight’s debut of Thursday Night Trivia . If the questions on the Web site are anything to go by, this is our kind of arcane trivia night: Where are the Haversian Canals? Which war ended in 1856 with the signing of the Treaty of Paris? (Answers are at the end of this column.) Three rounds of trivia begin at 8 p.m. There’s a $4 entry fee for each team of 2 to 4 players, but winners receive cash, bar tabs and other prizes. You may recognize host and DJ Edward Daniels from his gig running karaoke at Freddie’s Beach Bar in Arlington. Let’s hope he’s just as good with the trivia game.Long-distance relationships can be a hit-or-miss affair. Thankfully, jangly pop quintet the Apparitions are showing no signs of strain yet. Primary singer/songwriter Mark Heidinger just moved to D.C. from Lexington, Kentucky, where his four bandmates remain. The inter-band dynamics remain interesting: Heidinger handles vocal duties on about two-thirds of the group’s songs, which milk its three-guitar attack to create sunny tunes in the vein of Ok Go and Fountains of Wayne. Bassist Robbie Roberts looks sort of like, well, the Band’s Robbie Robertson in one of his beard phases. He doesn’t have the magnetic on-stage persona that Heidinger has, but the four dynamic songs he sang that evening were the best of the set. Plus, he sings on “God Monkey Robot,” which is now entering its second month of non-stop play on David’s iPod.Joining the Apparitions on a ridiculously crowded five-band bill at DC9 is the latest proof that a ridiculous band name will indeed get you recognized. Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is perhaps the silliest of the “phrase band” trend sweeping the indie scene (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, Say Hi To Your Mom, She Wants Revenge, etc.) and it’s a lot more likely to draw the attention of bloggers than your usual The (Plural Noun) method. To the Missouri group’s credit, it plays delicate, shambly indie pop that brings to mind the work of early Beulah, Of Montreal and the less bizarre bands that were a part of the Elephant 6 collective.

There’s another stacked show a few blocks away on the Black Cat ’s backstage. If you’ve always loved bands like My Bloody Valentine, Slowdive and the Jesus and Mary Chain but missed out on the chance to see them in person, just close your eyes tonight and you’ll be able to replicate the U.K.’s late ’80s shoegazer scene. Headliners Alcian Blue has long been a favorite for its shimmering soundscapes, double guitar assault and atmospheric keyboards. Tonight’s openers, Ceremony and A Place to Bury Strangers , both feature former members of Fredericksburg, Va. noise merchants Skywave and continue to make dark, sonically intense drone rock. Expect an evening of drum machines, moody vocals and songs good enough to cut through possibly ear-shattering volume.

Friday, Feb. 17 If you didn’t get enough warmth in your heart earlier this week, reprise the sentiments tonight at Constitution Hall with two acts who have penned some of the best hip-hop and R&B love songs of the past five years. If you think ditties like R. Kelly’s “Sex in the Kitchen” fit into that category, you’re immediately required to listen to Floetry and Common ’s duet “Superstar.”

Take a titan of the dance music world and strip away the trappings of the massive nightclubs that are often the only places where you can hear hallowed bosses of the turntables: No drunken fools mashing your feet and busting your groove on the floor; no egregious cover charge and chain-gang line outside; no requirement to wear fancy clothing that will just get smokehoused; a sound system properly tuned to the type of music being played. This can be your Friday night. House music legend Tony Humphries plays D.C. Sanctuary , and you want to be there.

Saturday, Feb. 18 It’s been a while since we’ve heard from one of our favorite local acts, Los Hermanos Rodriguez , and it seems like most of the band’s time over the past couple of years has been spent building up its label District Records instead of working on new material. We say that because the three LHR songs featured on the new “District Records: Volume One” sampler are the same three songs we’ve been rocking out to over here for the past three years or so. They still have that edgy, pre-Nirvana, SST/Dischord feel, which just makes us wish there was some new stuff. Perhaps there will be when the Los Hermanos hit the stage at Chief Ike’s Mambo Room tonight to celebrate the release of “Volume One.”. It will be a long evening with seven bands (all featured on the compilation) scheduled to perform; besides LHR, we recommend the Alphabetical Order , who will probably make you say, “Hey, these guys sort of remind me of Hum … and I kind of liked Hum!” and the Nuclears , who won the D.C. portion of the Little Steven’s Battle of the Bands in 2004 before being disqualified for being too young. The Nuclears kick things off at 4 p.m., with a new band scheduled to hit the stage at the top of the hour until Trip Lizard at 10 p.m. And not to detract from the bands, but now the possible highlight: There will be free pizza and $2 beer specials