A Baltimore Based Indie Music Blog
Tonight in DC the Black Cat has Tereu Tereu, Pomegranates, and iCarlos, I’m Pregnant. In Philly Johnny Brenda’s has The Ting Tings while the M Room has Bound Stems, Sunfold, and Darkroom. Enjoy!
mp3: The Ting Tings - Shut Up And Let Me Go
mp3: Pomegranates - In The Kitchen
Setting Sun began in 2001 in a San Francisco apartment by the one and only Gary Levitt. On June 10th Levitt released the third album from Setting Sun called Children Of The Wind out on Young Love Records. Collaborating on this album is label mate Erica Quitzow(who is the band Quitzow…more on her later) who plays all of the strings on the album. Quitzow, Levitt, and friends recorded Children Of The Wind entirely in their 19th century Victorian house. Out of their unique home recording environment comes a sometimes grand, sometimes hushed, sometimes eerie expanse of folk based songs. Though the production swirls from one emotion to the next, the one constant is Gary Levitt’s coarse yet fragile vocals (the closest I can relate to them is Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow). They sound good. As for the album as a whole, Children Of The Wind first came across as disjointed, but as I spun it ’round a few more times, I found the underlying current of Levitt’s spirited delivery powerful enough to hold together this diary of mystery and sentiment. Photo by Amber S. Clark
Calexico will be releasing their new album, Carried To Dust, on September 9th, and we’ve got the first track released for all you lovely readers to digest. Calexico wasn’t really on my radar until Martin Wenk joined Nada Surf on tour earlier this year, but now I’m definitely paying attention now. The new song is really cool; musically lush and complex with lots of building layers. Keep an eye out for the full album when its not seventy-bajillion degrees outside.
Mp3: Calexico – Two Silver Trees –> Website –> Buy
Many may recognize Albert Hammond Jr. as the guitarist from The Strokes. He’s also a pretty friggin great solo artist in his own right, and he’s just released Como Te Llama on July 8th via Black Seal Records following up his solo debut, Yours To Keep. Como Te Llama was recorded over 5 weeks at Electric Lady Studios and features a string quartet on many tracks and the bonus piano of Sean Lennon on the track Spooky Couch. Clearly Hammond Jr. has taken his song writing to that infamous ‘next level’, broadening his vocabulary of sound, yet not losing touch with what has got him to this point. This album continues his sound of music to crank loud on your hi-fi stereo exposing you to some deep 60s rock combined with the sheer joy often felt when listening to the Steve Miller Band or Matthew Sweet. Photo by Lane Coder
mp3: Albert Hammond Jr. - The Boss Americana
mp3: Albert Hammond Jr. - Rocket
Tonight in Baltimore Metro Gallery has The Extraordinaires, Vinny Vegas, Tavo Carbone, and The Garbologists. You have plenty of options if you’re in DC tonight. The Black Cat has Hymns and Timberwolf Diversion. The 9:30 Club has The Ting Tings. The Velvet Lounge has The Death Set and The Mae Shi, and finally DC9 has Sunfold.
mp3: Hymns - Time Told Me
mp3: The Ting Tings - That’s Not My Name
mp3: The Death Set - Had A Bird
Welcome to our newest writer, Corey. Heres his take on last Thursday’s Jukebox The Ghost and friends show.
This weekend’s best dish
Last night I went down to the Ottobar for one of the best lineups I’ve seen in a while. Jukebox the Ghost headlining supported by Laura Burhenn of Georgie James, Gary B. and the Notions, and Honor by August. The night started out mellow with Honor By August opening up to a small crowd still filing in, which picked up and got their feet tapping for the catchy tunes of Gary B. and the Notions. The crowd then got to relax for a bit with the smooth sounds of Laura Burhenn and Tom Hnatow. By the end of their set there was a sense of calm before the storm with people ready to hear the great Jukebox the Ghost. Their performance was nothing short of amazing, packed full of energy and even including four new songs!
Read on to fully devour the show
While it took years to finish their debut, These United States quickly set out to Kentucky just nine weeks after its release to start recording their sophomore album. Crimes, due out on October 7th on United Interests was recorded in six short days at Shangri-La Studios. They were nice enough to give us a taste with the opening track called West Won. Apparently going down south has had an effect on their sound, as the swooning sounds of Jesse Elliot’s croon now stand side by side with some hot and sweaty swash bucklin’ grooves. As you might have guessed they band is on tour forever. Here’s the most recent dates and that first track.
mp3: These United States - West Won
Fri. 8/08 IOTA Arlington, VA
Sun. 8/09 IOTA Arlington, VA
Tues. 8/11 Fort Reno Washington, DC
Thurs. 8/13 Gypsy Hut Cincinnati, OH
Fri. 8/14 The Hideout Chicago, IL
Sat. 8/15 Slowdown Omaha, NE
Sun. 8/16 Hi-Dive Denver, CO
Mon. 8/17 Kilby Court Salt Lake City, UT
Tues. 8/18 Record Exchange Boise, ID
Wed. 8/19 Caterina Winery Spokane, WA
Sat. 8/22 Dept. of Safety Anacortes, WA
Sun. 8/23 Sunset Tavern Seattle, WA
Mon. 8/24 Holocene Portland, OR
Wed. 8/26 TBA San Francisco, CA
Thurs. 8/27 Echo Curio Los Angeles, CA
Fri. 8/28 Plush Tucson, AZ
Thurs. 9/03 The Billiken Club St. Louis, MO
Sat. 9/05 Bear’s Place Bloomington, IN
Sun. 9/06 Magic Bag Ferndale, MI
Today is the final day of Wham City’s Whartscape on North Avenue in Baltimore. Swing on by to catch the massive line up of Black Dice, Ponytail, Parts & Labor, Double Dagger, Grand Buffet, Gregg Gillis (aka Girl Talk) & Hearts Of Darkness (he’s not playing Girl Talk stuff apparently), Dan Deacon, Height, Future Islands, Club Lyfestiles, Adventure, White Williams, Kyle+MM+Narwhals, Ear Pwr, Thrust Lab, Teenage Souls, Witch Hat, jones, and Moss Of Aura. If you happen to be in Philly instead of Baltimore you can catch a taste of Charm/Wham City with The Death Set and The Mae Shi playing the Barbary.
mp3: Dan Deacon - The Crystal Cat
Tonight in Baltimore Wham City presents Whartscape at Sonar and outside on 131 W. North Avenue (12pm-10pm). On North Avenue you can catch Oxes, Thank You, Killer Whales, The Death Set, The Mae Shi, DDMMYY, Eyeball Skeleton, Bird Names, Ecstatic Sunshine, Lexie Mountain Boys, The Creepers, WZT Hearts, Food For Animals, Dufus, Facts, Ed Schrader, Air Waves, Benny Stoofy, Smarts, and King Cloud. At Sonar you can catch Celebration, Videohippos, Food For Animals, Nuclear Powerplants, Blood Baby, and Human Host. The Metro Gallery is also having an Artscape event with Caleb Stine, The Jennifers, Hybrid Groove Project, and Payola Reserve. In DC the Black Cat has Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin, Bellman Barker, and Ha Ha Tonka while the 9:30 Club has George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic. In Virginia, Iota has Cobra Collective, Triggers, Nanuchka, and The New york Howl, and in Philly the Barbary has The War On Drugs and Black Dice. Wow.
mp3: Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - I Am Warm And Powerful
mp3: Bellman Barker - I Do I Do
mp3: Caleb Stine - Devil
mp3: Cobra Collective - Legionnaire
I can’t roller-skate (actually any skating - ice skating, skateboarding is just impossible for me). I can pretty much go in a straight line and ultimately go crashing into something (with hilarious consequences). But if I could manage to smoothly skate ’round the ol’ rink then Walter Meego’s Voyager would be the perfect soundtrack for a little hardwood floor four wheeled magic. About midway through Voyager I stopped to question if I had gone too far on the pop spectrum (was that top forty I saw in the distance), but then I was distracted again by the thick bass rolling down my back to the soles of my feet. Sure some of it is a bit of re-hashed disco, but there are some quality moments on Voyager that keep me coming back. If you’re ever in the mood to just skate or go crashing into a wall, Walter Meego’s Voyager might make the trip down a little nicer.
So there’s been some buzz from the collaboration of Zach De La Rocha(Rage Against The Machine) and Jon Theodore (The Mars Volta) with One Day As Lion. Recently signing to Anti-, they have an EP coming out next Tuesday. They’ve recently put up a preview track on their myspace called Wild International. It’s classic Zach rhymes, but his crunchy organ playing and Theodore’s drums are a great lo-fi change from the powerful music of Rage. Don’t worry it’s still the same intense lyrics and feel we’ve all come to adore from De La Rocha, and Theodore’s rhythms seem to be right on point with the message. Hopefully this will make up for the mysterious DJ Shadow collaboration that never seemed to find the light of day.
Recent Comments