Pete Harper and Jason Blynn perform as Pete and J, and they’re two guys with a serious Simon and Garfunkel problem. Considering that most of their New York City contemporaries infuse folk music with elements of psychedelia, however, a duo that simply wants to recapture the cleaner melodies of “The Sounds of Silence” is a welcome change. Better, Pete and J’s performances deviate from the velvet couch scene’s more sedate tendencies. The jury is still out on which member of the duo will be hailed as the influential songwriter and which one will be mocked as the coattail-surfing punch line. For J’s sake, let’s hope his amber Afro isn’t a bad omen. Pete and J perform at 9:30 p.m. at the Red and the Black, 1212 H St. NE. $8. (202) 399-3201.