We know D.C. Get our free newsletter to stay in the know.
Over four albums, New York’s Five Chinese Brothers have honed a country, pop, and polka blend that lands them well ahead of much of their alt-country brethren. The Brothers’ melodies range from Bachman Turner Overdrive-style rockers to simple strum-and-yodel love songs, and their lyrics ramble from Cezanne to daytime TV. Their latest, A Window Shopper’s Christmas, arrives just in time for the holidays. Songs such as “Missing Miss December,” “Dept. Store Santa Claus Strike,” and “Honky Tonk Christmas” (“We’ll go out drinking, come back stinking, when we make it home/We’ll be out gallivanting, just you, me, and Santa, underneath the mistletoe”) may just become seasonal classics. The Brothers keep a working-class show schedule in the Big Apple but only occasionally make it to this area. Catch them with Mount Pilot at 9:30 p.m. at Iota, 2832 Wilson Blvd., Arlington. $5. (703) 522-8340. (Paul Demko)