Mixtape: Happy Whartscape 2009!

With about 29 different artists, this playlist only represents 20% of the bands playing.

Photos: Locrian at the Talking Head

Photos by Chrissy

The only way to describe last night's performance by Chicago's Locrian, is intense. In all senses of the word, this set was surely not for the faint of heart.

With more fog than I've pretty much ever seen used, Andre and Terence tore through a journey of sonic metal drudgery. Locrian started with blasting noise which lead down to a quiter synth, only to be overtaken by some hefty guitar riffs, that eventually took off like a helicopter. Definiltey take a listen to their most recent release, Drenched Lands.

I unfortunately couldn't hang around for the awesome noisey punk of the New Flesh, but check out some shots of them opening for Double Dagger here. Also, they'll be playing Whartscape on Saturday in the MICA parking lot next to Joe Squared.

Handsome Furs at the Ottobar

Need a break from Whartscape this weekend? Didn't get a megapass to get you into LOF? Need somewhere to scurry off to after Ponytail kills it? Head north up Howard Street to the Ottobar.

Montreal's Handsome Furs will be gracing Remington with their presence.

Fresh off the release of their second full length with Sub Pop, this husband/wife duo should serve as a pretty fantastic alternative to all the other madness this weekend.

Dan Boeckner, the husband, is the more reasonable voice of the indie mega group Wolf Parade. It's not that Spencer Krug's medieval croons are unreasonable. It's just that when combined, Boeckner's verses come off as the more balancing voice of rationale. However, both sport some seriously intrigueing pipes and side projects.

Describing the Handsome Furs as Wolf Parade with dance beats instead of live drums wouldn't be completely ludicrous. The duo sports soulful vocals and heartfelt lyrics, as Dan Boeckner's songwriting is yet again the highlight of their most recent release Face Control. Their newest LP includes many of the fantastic and quirky choruses that Boeckner began to master on his other band's Apologies to the Queen Mary.

The new album is also far more dynamic than their previous effort, with the rhythms and beats being far more varied. Though, Face Control focuses on the simplistic much like it's predecessor Plague Park. Blending more smoothly with some stellar guitarmanship, the drum machine sounds much more at home on this affair.

Not sure what to expect from their live show, but based off their two LPs this one seems worth the trip. The show is on Saturday at the Ottobar. Doors are at 9 PM and tickets can be purchased here for 10 bucks.

Random Whartscape Spotlight: Gary War

This year's Whartscape mostly focuses on artists from around the 'hood, but also welcomes those from round yonder as well. Gary War fits the yonder category with perfection, as his origin seems to go unknown.

Permanent residence or not, Gary War is a ridiculously busy entity. Dude's got a bunch of tapes and vinyl already released with Shdwply and Sacred Bones, and more on the way with Woodsist.

It seems apparent that his nomadic behavior reigns true in both physical space and aural recordings. His debut full length dropped on Shdwply last year, titled New Raytheonport. Completely drenched in lo fidelity neo-pop, this LP was one of my favorite releases of last year that for the most part went completely overlooked.

Ariel Pink helped produce New Raytheonport, and it's incredibly easy to tell. Like Pink, Gary War's ability to write psychedelic dream-tone jams seems to flow effortlessly. This collection of synthy lounge tunes is truly unique, and feels as if it could have come out of three different decades...all at once.

You can download the album for free or buy it (recommended) over at his blog, along with a bunch of other releases of his. Gary War plays Whartscape during the day on Sunday at the MICA parking lot.

Tonight: Ganglians at the Golden West

Head to the Avenue tonight to hit up an evening of bubbly psychedelic folk pop from Woodsist imprint Ganglians. One of the many hyped lo-fi artists resonating from the NYC label, Ganglians are a glaring highlight of the bunch.

As much I hate to play the often used Beach Boys comparison card, I have to. Monster Head Room just has way too many Smile-esque qualities going for it. It's not just the vocal harmonies of "Voodoo" that help to reminisce, the LP is packed with loopy and subtle sound effects often resembling the psyched out works of Smile.

Ganglians are playing tonight at the Golden West, with Jana Hunter and Adam Endres DJing the affair. Show starts at 10 PM and tickets are just five bucks.

New Rye Rye Video: Bang

Rye Rye has grown up pretty quick, and is clearly poised to blow up completely. Being the first artist signed to MIA's label N.E.E.T., this eighteen year old Baltimore resident will likely be banging the world over in the coming months.

"Bang" was the first heard taste from the debut LP, and is now the first video for the upcoming album. With a beat that even your grandmother would tap her feet to, it's no surprise that the video features all kinds of folks getting down.

The neon glowing dance party takes place underneath Russel Street at Paradox. The locally flavored moves are set to a much more dimly lit setting than the daytime fountain dancing of "Shake it to the Ground", a song that is also produced by Blaqstarr.

The video is directed by MIA, and Rye Rye's debut release date is still TBA.

Third Annual Baltimore Rap Round Robin

What better way to start celebrating your country's independence than being bombarded by the entirety of Baltimore's most interesting rap acts.

The third annual All Rap Round Robin goes down this Friday at Load of Fun. The event features nine acts of the most unique left field blends of hip hop our fair city has to offer. This year's lineup, which will come at you rapid-fire round robin style, includes:

Food For Animals
Height
AK Slaughter
King Rhythym
Jones
Mickey Free
The Plural MC
PT Burn 'Em
Rap Dragons

Jones just dropped his debut solo full length, titled Jones Jones Jones. You can snag the MP3s for free right here, or go grab the limited vinyl copy that boasts custom spray paint art unique to each sleeve. Jone's slow delivered flow and minimalistic psych-soaked beats can also be caught at this year's Whartscape.

Tickets for the round robin this friday at LOF are only 5 bucks, show starts at 10.

With much thanks to Jeff, take a gander at the audio from 2007's event below!

Locrian: Drenched Lands

Often some of the best records are the ones that manage to scare that crap out of you.

Chicago-based Locrian have been creating noise since 2005, with a couple handfuls of cassettes, CDRs and records already under their belt. Their newest release is dubbed Drenched Lands, and just dropped via At War With False Noise.

Heavily soaked in dark ideas and droning aspirations, the album seems to soundtrack long forgotten urban landscapes. One might throw the classification of black metal into the mix, but ambient noise is prevalent and melodic tones build to grandiose heights.

Walls of heavy electronics and doom-filled fuzz break way to epic guitar squalls that are certainly the band's strong suit. Quieter sonic moments round out an album that's steeped in gloom, showing signs of hope. Drenched Lands masters slow and steady inclinations of noise, and is absolutely necessary to listen to in its entirety.

You can catch Locrian open up for The New Flesh next week. They play the Talking Head on July 8th. The album is available now on compact disc, and will be released on clear vinyl on July 15th limited to 200 copies.

Photos: Weekends at the Talking Head

Photos By Chrissy

Chrissy was at the Talking Head Monday night to capture new local favorite Weekends in all their glory. She said they rocked, but unfortunately were cut extremely short due to breaking both of their guitars.

Need not worry, because Weekends are playing a few more shows in the upcoming weeks. You can catch them at Saturday's day set of Whartscape, and at Exotic Hypnotic the following weekend.

Quartet Offensive: Carnivore

A year or so in the making, Quartet Offensive offer some familiar faces, but some not so traditional tunes. Their debut record Carnivore officially drops next month.

The nasty upright bass skills of Peabody graduate Adam Hopkins have poured out of varying outlets around town. John Dierker has played with the likes of Lafayette Gilchrist and Microkingdom. And the beats and guitar derive from Nathan Ellman-Bell and Matt Frazao of the hip hop outfit Soul Cannon.

Together, they've constructed Carnivore. The album is a journey into the free jazz world, with plenty of rock along the way. Dierker's reeds often dictate where a song might head, but once the crew is in full swing there's no telling where you'll end up.

Tracks like "The M.B.S." begin in control with Frazao's riffs blending seamlessly with the woodwinds. But once the beats get off rhythm, spacey sonic landscapes take over and unwind into a beautiful commotion. Carnivore is one of the more interesting local releases so far this year, as these guys should be at the top of your lists of artists to check out.

The record will be relinquished on Friday July 10th, with a CD release party being held at the Windup Space. You can also check them out at the aforementioned festival Exotic Hypnotic on July 18th.

Tonight: Eagle and Talon

I admittedly don't know a ton about Eagle and Talon, but I've heard comparisons to the Breeders which is enough for me. A first listen shows off some super catchy post punk that ain't too shabby.

Another tidbit of info I'm good for, they are offering their new full length Thracian for free on their website. The offer only lasts until July 1, an apparent ode to Canada Day. They are from LA, but lets just go with it for now.

Eagle and Talon are playing tonight at the Hexagon with Werewolves at 9 PM.

Artscape: Exotic Hypnotic

One of the events coordinated for this year's Artscape is shaping up to be pretty great. Exotic Hypnotic is a three day mini festival within Artscape curated by the people that bring us the fantastically off-kilter High Zero festival every year.

It takes place July 17-19 at the University of Baltimore Performing Arts Theater. The event sports a truly eclectic and unique lineup. Avant garde might take the forefront, but the pop-minded individuals are not forgotten. Some of the highlights include Weekends, Lo Moda, Quartet Offensive, Cex, Childe Bride, Il Culo, and a ton more. The local jazz legend Lafayette Gilchrist will be playing solo piano on Sunday.

A few names I didn't recognize certainly caught my eye. The Multiphonic Choir will play on Friday and provide the sounds of a "5 saxaphone hybrid Fela Kuti with German electronic music". And the "Indian classical meets contemporary electronics" of Calusari will play Sunday afternoon. Count me in.

This is part of Artscape, so tickets are zero dollars.

RIP

To the man whose music was probably the first I popped in the cassette deck, and danced in front of the mirror to...

Whartscape 2009 Lineup (Updated)

Aural States got the full scoop today, and Wham City now has the official details posted. Here are the basics.

This year one day passes are 18 bucks and a full festival MEGA pass is 45. The Mega pass guarantees access to every event, which is important considering the night events at Load of Fun are first come first serve AFTER Mega pass holders get in. Load of Fun is small.

There will only be 300 mega passes sold. Mega pass and individual tickets will be sold via Wham City's site on June 29th at noon. Shows will take place at the MICA art studio lot, the Baltimore Museum of Art, and Load of Fun from July 10-12.

But more importantly, the music. There are over 130 bands playing:

Adventure, Air Waves, AK Slaughter, Alexis Gideon, Allen Cordell, Ami Dang, Andy Abelow, Annex Theater, Art Department, At the End of Infinite Rope, Bad Brilliance, Barky, BDRM PPL, Beast Master, Bedlam Theatre, Big Bear, Bird Names, Black Vatican, Blood Baby, Blue Leader, Boogie Border, Butt Stomach, C Spencer Yeh, Cars Will Burn, Celebration, Chandeliers, Charlotte and Joe, Child Bite, Child Bride, Clarissa Gregory, Cliff Evans, Connor Kizer and Adam Endres, Crazy Dreams Band, The Creepers, Dan Deacon Ensemble, Dan Higgs, DDMMYYYY, Despot, DJ Dog Dick, Dope Body, Double Dagger, Drip House, Eagle Ager, Ear Pwr, Ed Schrader, Eric Hnatow, Funny Clown, Future Islands, Gary War, GDFX, Golden Birthday, Grasslung, Hair Police, Height, Hooliganship, Human Host, Infinity Window, Jana Hunter, Janitor, Jared Paolini, Jason Willett, Jimmy Joe Roche, John Eaton, John Weiss, Justin Frye Meat Wallet Bells Pieces, Killer Whales, Kokomo, Leprechaun Catering, Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, Little Howlin Wolf, Liturgy, Living Things, Lizz King, Lo Moda, Lonnie Walker, Lord Scrumage, Magnet City Kids, Mark Brown, Married in Berdichev, Mason Ross, Melissa Moore, Meredith Moore, Mickey Free, Milton Melvin Croissant III, Mincemeat or 10speed, MNDR, Narwalz, Nate Boyce, Nautical Almanac, Needle Gun, Noble Lake, Nuclear Power Pants, Olaf Breuning, Peter Glantz, Pleasant Livers, Plural MC, Polygons, Ponytail, Quiet Hooves, R.M. O'Brien, Rap Dragons, Romo Roto, Rotten Milk Band, Santa Dads, Schwarz, Sewn Leather, Seyjano, Shams, Showbeast, Sick Weapons, Silk Flowers, Small Sur, Smartgrowth, Smarts, So Percussion, Soft Pink Truth, Something by Dina Kelberman, Spellcaster, Talk Normal, Team Robespierre, Teen Girl Fantasy, Teeth Mountain, Thank You, The Creepers, The Degenerettes, The New Flesh, The Title Sounded Better in French (Lola/Anna), The Woes, Trockeneisis, Truth Serum, Twin Stumps, Videohippos, Vincent Black Shadow, Weekends, What Cheer Brigade Marching Band, Witch Hat, Wolf Eyes, Wye Oak, Y2KEITH, Yoshi Sodeoka, Zomes, Bands We Forgot!, And More!

Got that?

Celebration: "Open Your Heart"

A new card has been dealt by Celebration, as their Electric Tarot project keeps on rolling. This is the third installment in their effort to release free MP3s of songs as they write and record them via their own website.

"Open Your Heart" shows off the more subtle side of Katrina's voice, and her ability to flex her pipes even when the song is more relaxed. Paired with ghostly harmonies and some organ action, the track's infectious melody grows upon each listen. "Open Your Heart" is just another beautifully atmospheric track under the band's belt.

Looks like Celebration have some more tunes ready to share, but have been limited by technology. Katrina Ford also stated she would be happy to make fans a CD if they sent her a CDR, and would even provide some "purty" art.

The psychedelic video for the track can be viewed above, and and be sure to hit up their site for the free download of all three tracks so far. The songs are also now available as FLAC files as well. Stay tuned for some upcoming East Coast shows from the band.

Photo Review: Spank Rock and the Black Lips at Sonar

Photos by Chrissy

Friday's show at Sonar had all the ingredients for a beautiful disaster. My after work happy hour may limit the details of the night, but fun was had and music was played.

The best recalled news of the evening had to be the fact that Spank Rock mentioned he was working on a new album. It's been since 2006 since we've seen a full length from him. He put on a fun show, and the crowd seemed way more into him and Ninjasonik than the headliners.

The highlight of the night had to be Johnny Siera of the Deathset showing face. They all rocked "Negative Thinking" together, a song that only people without a soul don't get amped for. I also recall a Matt & Kim jam being played, pretty sure it was "Daylight". Spank Rock and Ninjasonik seemed to dig poppy east coast electro punk, but still repped their own brand of hip hop pretty solid.

The Black Lips were alright. They played what most would want to hear, including personal favorite "O Katrina!". But, the band just didn't seem that into it. There also appeared to be some tension on stage, as someone I was with noticed a couple of the members fighting with each other in between songs. Either way, the performance was a bit forgettable and was certainly without any of the antics that used to be a part of their shtick. Perhaps this is why the band seemed so bored.