Top Baltimore Albums of 2011

2011 has come and almost gone, and with it came another hearty selection of music releases from Baltimore. While we lost some historic bands this year (Double Dagger, Ponytail, Thank You), 2011 continued Baltimore's outpour of quality records.

Narrowing this down to a list was difficult - taking into account vinyl wear and tear, digital play counts, love, and the release's meaning to a continually thriving scene.

There is one release from a Swedish band. This gets a pass because the record features a lineup with lead vocals from Daniel Higgs. It also gets a pass because it's amazing. Also, there are a handful of records on here that I helped release via Friends Records.

Here are my top 25 music albums from Baltimore, Maryland in 2011.

25. Daytime - Daytime's Serendipity
24. Each Others - Lately Now
23. Roomrunner - Roomrunner
22. Holy Ghost Party - Holy Ghost Party
21. Vlonde - The Grief of O
20. Romantic States - Still Petals
19. Inflatable Mattress - Pumped Up
18. Arbouretum - The Gathering
17. Dog Leather - Greezy Man and Stinky Man Meets Smutty Ranks On Tarantula Hill
16. Ken Seeno - Invisible Surfer On An Invisible Wave
15. Witch Hat - Brown in a Dog
14. Adventure - Lesser Known
13. Skull Defekts - Peer Amid
12. Moss of Aura - Wading
11. Run DMT - Dreaming


10. Zomes - Earth Grid


9. Thank You - Golden Worry


8. White Life - White Life


7. Co La - Dial Tone Earth


6. Ponytail - Do Whatever You Want All The Time


5. Microkingdom - Three Compositions of No Jazz


4. Dope Body - Nupping


3. Wye Oak - Civilian


2. Future Islands - On The Water


1. Celebration - Electric Tarot: Hello Paradise

Compilation: Friends Records 2011

Friends Records has been collecting songs since the beginning of 2011, and the result is a 30 song compilation full of new and exclusive tracks from Baltimore, Maryland.


Friends Records 2011 is out tomorrow, a free digital and limited double-cassette release available Thanksgiving Day. Citypaper premiered the opening track, a new Celebration song called "Sure Shot" that was recorded in the band's own Night Worm Studios.



Mark at YVYNYL uncovered another preview last week, Weekends' "Basement Fuzz."



The compilation was mastered for cassette by Rob Giradi at Lord Baltimore, and the artwork for the double-tape packaging comes compliments of Will Pesta.



The track list of this annual affair boasts a hefty supply of Baltimore heroes, with an unreleased Future Islands song recorded for KEXP, a recently recorded Dan Deacon track, the debut of Jenn Wasner's (Wye Oak) Flock of Dimes, new explorations by Jason Urick, a stark reminder of the return of Oxes, a lost gem from Dustin Wong and Molly Siegel, a new-anything wonder from Matt Papich's Co La, and more.



It also sports an Arthur Russell cover by Soft Cat, fresh digs from Holy Ghost Party, a hearty dose of sugar by Will Pesta's Inflatable Mattress, a new live jam from Lands and Peoples, some exclusive hard-nosed tomfoolery from Witch Hat, another psychedelic gift from Secret Mountains, and a lot more. Check out the entire track list below.

Side A
Celebration - Sure Shot 4.37
Future Islands - Tomorrow (Live @ KEXP) 3:31
Weekends - Basement Fuzz 2:08
Microkingdom - God's Total Woman 5:28
Moss Of Aura - Post 4:22
Jason Urick - Woman (For Jah Shaka) 6:58

Side B
Oxes - Hiawatha (Live @ WNUR) 4:51
Witch Hat - Break Interstate Park 5:28
Violet Hour - Absence Of Limbs 5:47
Sri Aurobindo - No Coincidence 3:29
Lonnie Walker - Inside Factories 3:49
Height With Friends - Mustard Seed 2:08

Side C
Soft Cat - This Is How We Walk On The Moon 3:36
Lands and Peoples - Memo (Live) 3:35
Flock Of Dimes - Prison Bride 2:54
Beth Varden - I Can't Stand 5:59
Brian Adam Ant - Psychic Assassins 2:23
Secret Mountains - Weepy Little Fingers 6:18
Buhloones - Something Else Exchange 2:13
Holy Ghost Party - Breakfast 3:26
Beyond Say - Bowl Of Water Moccassins 3:37

Side D
Dan Deacon - The Token Circle High 1:23
Co La - Visions Of Excess (Wet Version) 6:26
Jake Lingan - Hair Trigger 3;42
Vlonde - Love Theme 4:55
Avocado Happy Hour - Tactic 4:19
Dustin Wong and Molly Siegel - Untitled 1:52
Chase O'Hara and Amy Reid - Love You In Summer 2:43
Inflatable Mattress - Fantasy Motorboat 2:22
Neal Reinalda - Sunset In Baltimore 5:10

Get the double-cassette or free digital download right here on Thanksgiving.

Guest Post: Katrina Ford Occupies Baltimore

"Great Pyramid" is the final statement on side A of Celebration's most recent LP, Hello Paradise. The band channels a card in the tarot that deals "the boss, the king, male influence and authority, planning, building, construction, seeking stability, ambition and confidence, tradition, order, and structure." The song begins with a simple question, “Hey Kingdom, where do your ambitions lie?”



It concludes with Katrina Ford demanding you to "stand up, to the top." Last weekend Ford's band, Celebration, were asked by Occupy Baltimore to play at McKeldin Square, the site of Occupy Baltimore's encampment. The Baltimore Police Department got wind of the performance, and shut it down before it could even take place, threatening to confiscate instruments and "remove" individuals that performed.

Now more than ever is a good time to "stand up, declare damn! God damn! I’m alive!” To be alive is to be free, and we can all at least agree on the right to freedom. Right?

The following is an open letter to the universe from Celebration's Katrina Ford.


OWS! Occupy! Occupy! The idea is grand and hopeful, it has crept in and gained momentum and support from across the globe. I feel my depression finally lifting. OWS to me, is a tribal community of care in a world I thought had forgotten how to dream big. The cat is out of the bag, on the street, and the world is watching!

I believe the more it is resisted and evicted the more it will grow, which is beautiful and scary to me. Beautiful because of the utopian ideals that it represents, to see people sharing and believing that we can make a better life for ALL,  not just the 1%. Scary because the resistance has shown it's true colors, and they are violently violating the law they represent, AND they have weapons.

As I watch video after video of these brutalities I ask,  Where's the humanity? Has basic human rights gone straight down the tube?!

A month ago, representatives from Occupy Baltimore contacted us and asked us to come down and play. We had been to Mckeldin Square a few times over the past few weeks and wanted to help. It's cold and sometimes boring standing around waiting for a wave. We hoped by bringing some dancing and music we'd give them some much needed entertainment and something to bounce around and warm up to. So we agreed on a date and started to plan our equipment to fit the space and energy limitations.

The Baltimore Sun announced our upcoming performance, which alerted the authorities. A week before the day, Occupy Baltimore was told by the city that no generators could be used for the performance and that they would require them to have security for the event. So at the news we scrambled to find a battery powered version of us.

On the day of the show, police showed up to the encampment and told Occupy that if we brought in any PA it would be confiscated. Furthermore, if anyone performed they would be "removed." So we left our bongos and pump organ at home and showed up empty handed. We had to at least explain to our friends why we couldn't play.

After an hour of standing around and asking ourselves questions like "if I clap my hands is that performing?" or "will they arrest me if I sing and stomp on the street?" We saw the humor in it and felt like the heroes of Footloose. Then I began to see the gravity. We dared not challenge it at the request of Occupy, they felt like their relations with the city had been good but strained and didn't want to push it.  We had all but given up, then at some point two of the officers walked over to bridge the gap, so we thought.

It ended up being a dodgy conversation on what kind of music will be played and what equipment they allowed. Basically it was micro diced until we were left with no real option. They didn't want us to make any noise, we had no permit to.

We feeling somewhat of a coitus interruptus, pulled together a renegade performance at Holy Frijoles later that night.  As for playing directly for Occupy we are still waiting word to see if we can perform SOMETHING for the big day this coming Saturday and I'm still determined to bring a little celebration to the movement.

I am part of the 99% and I am behind it 100%. ---K. Ford

Show: Dan Deacon, Celebration, Matmos

photo by Eye Bodega

The Dan Deacon Ensemble has fluctuated in size and dynamic since it's original Bromst components several years ago. On Friday, December 16 in Baltimore, a new ensemble will be unveiled. The new five piece will make its debut at the Ottobar on the just announced triple-threat bill that also includes Celebration and Matmos.





Dan writes that this ensemble will include Denny Bowen, Dave Jacober, Chester Gwazda, and Jordan Casey - to which he aptly described as "champions." A completely warranted statement with this new double-synth, double-percussion powerhouse that includes members of Double Dagger, Dope Body, and more. Deacon is currently engulfed in writing the next LP, and this show looks to be a good introduction to what's next.

Toss in the city's finest psych-soul warriors Celebration, and local legends Matmos, and you've got yourself a big one. Tickets go on sale today over at the Ottobar.

Go: Future Islands & Celebration

On Saturday in Baltimore you can go see two bands that will likely be responsible for the best two records to come out of town this year - Celebration and Future Islands.



Next week marks the release of On The Water, the third long player from Future Islands. Words can only begin to describe the magnitude of this record, churning feelings and evoking a sense of consciousness that's found between the perfect balance of sheer joy and utter despair. Throw in a guest appearance by Wye Oak's Jenn Wasner, Denny Bowen laying down live drums, and beyond-perfect production by Chester Endersby Gwazda, and dudes have created a masterpiece. Future Islands play their only in-store performance of their massive upcoming North American tour tomorrow at 5 PM at Sound Garden.



Celebration relinquished their first LP in a number of years earlier in 2011, a nine song affair titled Hello Paradise. Not only was each song perfect in just about every way, but the statement made in the story behind the record highlights just about everything wrong with today's music industry. Celebration are putting on an intimate performance at The Metro Gallery on Saturday night with Lands and Peoples before they head out on the road for a southern tour with Arbouretum later this month.

View tour dates for both Future Islands and Celebration after the jump.

Clusterfuck: Scapescape, Dope Body, Autograph Playhouse, Death Set, more

With the recent closure of the Hexagon, and the close call at Sonar, Baltimore should revel in any announcement of a new space for art to inhabit. The Showtime Theatre on 25th street is re-opening as the Autograph Playhouse this weekend.

The same B.R.O.S. that presented us with Grundlehammer are back with two new rock operas scheduled for the next three weekends, titled Amphion and The Terrible Secret of Lunastus. More details are here, and tickets are here.



Dope Body celebrates the release of Nupping Friday night at Floristree with a Baltimore heavy sound dream team that includes Double Dagger, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, and an all-too-rare appearance by Butt Stomach (Dan Deacon and Kevin O'Meara's noise outfit).




The big event this weekend is Scapescape, a festival that goes down all day Sunday at the G Spot and Ruintown. Festival organizer Dave Underhill was originally asked to have his band play the G Spot for what could be a final farewell to the space, but he ended up booking over 20 other bands to play as well. The result is a wide offering of some of Baltimore's best sounds with Dan Deacon, Celebration, Arbouretum, and Microkingdom all headlining the affair. RSVP and get more details right here.


And if all that weren't already enough, Approximate Infinite Daydream begins this Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This show includes Comeback Ranch, Jared Paolini, and Vlond. The event is free and takes places during regular hours at the museum.


Lastly, the Death Set is back in town for the first time since dropping their new record. They play the Windup Space on Saturday night with Win Win and Future People.

Mixtape: Baltimore: Spring 2011

  art by Caleb Moore

This morning I posted a new seasonal mixtape on Impose, titled Baltimore: Spring 2011.


DOWNLOAD: [SIDE A] Baltimore: Spring 2011
1. Zomes - "Openings"
2. Weekends - "Home Alone (acoustic)"
3. Ken Seeno - "Cedilla in My Monogram"
4. Lands & Peoples - "Sexting"
5. White Life - "Real Things"
6. Eachothers - "Wild Yonder"
7. Microkingdom - "Aire Metal (Chopped and Screwed)"
8. Ponytail - "Honey Touches"
9. Adventure - "Feels Like Heaven"
10. Daytime - "Life / Afterlife (edit)"
11. Ecstatic Sunshine - "Hello Money"


DOWNLOAD: [SIDE B] Baltimore: Spring 2011
1. Celebration - "Only The Wicked (acoustic)"
2. Zu Shapes - "Olivia"
3. Moss of Aura - "Charter"
4. Winks - "Slap Me Choke Me Cum On You"
5. Dope Body - "The Shape of Grunge To Come"
6. Inflatable Mattress - "Green Tea Girlfriend"
7. Thank You - "Pathetic Magic (Dan Deacon remix)"
8. Avocado Happy Hour - "Daytime Television"
9. Gem Vision - "Untitled 1"

Video: Celebration - "Kilamanjaro"

A new card in Celebration's Electric Tarot has been dealt, this time coming in the form of a video for Hello Paradise closer "Kilamanjaro". The video is by Sophie Hamacher.



Hamacher's video is for the The Moon card in the Electric Tarot, and features footage from the band practicing in the depths of the G Spot for our Halloween bash last year.

Celebration's Hello Paradise is out now on Friends Records.

Transmodern: Church of Om Boom Drum Drone

The eighth annual Transmodern Festival starts today in Baltimore. The carefully curated and exponentially uninhibited multi-venue event continues throughout the weekend.

In addition to a plethora of other exhibits of visual, performance, interactive and other types of art, Celebration will be playing Saturday night. They will also present the Church of Om Boom Drum Drone on Sunday during the Pedestrian Service Exquisite.



On Saturday night at Floristree the band will be performing as a three-piece. The set will exclusively consist of songs from their debut LP, and brand new unreleased material.

The following day Celebration will lead the Church of Om Boom Drum Drone, a temple that contains "om for spirit, boom for sound, drum for rhythm, and drone for tonal harmonic connection." Katrina Ford describes the interactive gathering as:

A tribal revival to cure the modern meltdown of the void, the disconnection from the energy between us, beyond culture and beyond religion. A gathering to break the barrier of language through bone and antler technology, celebrating the Magdalenian Revolution…to invoke musical and non musical energy exchange. A reconnection in a sacred environment (temple cave), through guided meditation,tonal improvisation and rhythmic psionic resonation. Aura, aural, oral, choral and vibrational chant and dance to freely interpret what the trance of communal transcendence could be. MICROCOSMIC TO MACROCOSMIC (SEE MAHARISHI EFFECT) IN THE SPIRIT OF:Haitian carnival style RA RA music Poly-rhymic shamanic drumming Dionysian hypnotic inducing rituals of dance and music Sympathetic magic through animal calls Ecstasy of whirling dervishes Carnatic and Gamelan style micro-tonal expression I hope to return the war cry with the warrior call for peace, light and love, by removing the hard shell of modern artifice and social constraint with a musical return to primal liberation in the future presence of a “now”.

The Transmodern Festival begins today and continues until Sunday, May 1st.

Giveaway: Celebration & TV on The Radio+ photos from Celebration's release show @ 2640

Photos of Celebration's recent album release show from our own Valerie Paulsgrove got lost in the SXSW shuffle last week, but today I've got those and more good stuff to share.



Celebration have just announced a string of new tour dates, as they'll be supporting their friends TV on The Radio in a few weeks. It's a weekend tour that hits Philadelphia, Charlottesville, and Baltimore. The Philly date is Friday, April 8 at the Electric Factory, the stop in Charlottesville is Saturday, April 9 at the Jefferson Theatre, and Sunday, April 10 Celebration play a hometown show at Rams Head with TV on The Radio.

I've got a pair of VIP passes to give away to someone for the Baltimore show. To enter, singer Katrina Ford has devised a contest. Email a photo you took of something you consider "MAGICAL" to bmoremusicallyinformed@gmail.com. It doesn't need to be fancy, a camera phone photo is preferred, and please keep the file sizes small.



A few weeks ago Friends Records hosted Celebration's release show at the 2640 Space with Future Islands and Arbouretum. The old church was transformed into our own Hello Paradise, and a cosmic evening of some of our favorite Baltimore bands ensued.

Celebration LP Release with Future Islands & Arbouretum

Tickets are going quick, so we advise you to order them in advance right here.

Tomorrow night, Saturday, March 5th, join us at the 2640 Space to help commemorate Celebration's first proper LP in over three years. Opening will be some of Baltimore's finest in Arbouretum and Future Islands. All three acts have new music to be played.

Future Islands are amidst recording their next release, and will be playing a handful of freshly written new songs. Arbouretum have just relinquished The Gathering via Thrill Jockey, which very well might end up being the band's best LP. Celebration have been brewing Hello Paradise over the past three years, a record deeply rooted here in Baltimore. The results are now available to the world digitally and physically.

Hello Paradise consists of nine songs, all of which are a part of the first installment of the Electric Tarot. Each song will be given away for free online, and accompanied by a video. Below is each current song, its meaning in the tarot, and all available videos.

"What's This Magical" // The Shaman

Consciousness, ego, a sense of self, the animus, focused attention,magical powers harnessing the energy of nature, seeing beyond the physical, in communion with spirit, mage soothsayer seer and seeker. Learning to harness the power of manifestation.

"Junky" // The Hermit


Rest, retreat, meditation, withdraw, silence, solitude, vision quest, guru, guide, introspection, time management, journey within, leaving the physical behind, letting go.

"Honeysuckle Blue" // Alchemy

COMBINING RESOURCES IN NEW AND DIFFERENT WAYS, CONSOLIDATION, MIXING HARMONIOUSLY, BLENDING, BEING HEALED, FINDING THE CURE, MODERATION,CHANNELING OPPOSITE ENERGIES AND FINDING WHAT WORKS.

"I Will Not Fall" // The Fool

Beginning anew, Embarking on a journey, A leap of faith, Free spitirted, Acting on impulse, Trust in the universe, Vagabonding, Choises you make appear foolish, Being guided from above, Blind faith.

"Great Pyramid" // The Emperor


The boss, The king, Male influence and authority, Planning, Building, Construction, Seeking stability, Ambition and confidence, Practicality, Control and discipline, Leadership, Tradition, Order, Structure, Status quo.

"Open Your Heart" // Judgement

Judging or being judged, Accepting past mistakes, Guilt and forgiveness, Rebirth, Resurrection, New life, A second chance, Responsibility, Apology, Repentance, Hope, Reconciliation, Salvation, Sins forgiven, Release, On the road to healing.

"Shelter" // The Lovers

Recognition of duality, Thinking about your relationship, Love, Desire, Sexuality, Bonding , A choice, Romance, Hearts exchange, Wanting to merge with other, Divine union, Partnership.

"Battles" // Strength


TO BEGIN AGAIN, LUST FOR LIFE, AWARENESS OF PHYSICAL NEEDS, DATUN INNER WARRIOR, SAMURAI, JEDI, LOVE IS THE SOURCE, DAN TIEN, SEAT OF POWER, COMPASSION AND PATIENCE, DISCIPLINE, KINDNESS.

"Kilamanjaro" // The Moon


Self deception, Illusion,Waxing and waning of emotion, Dreams, Memories, Subconscious, Facing you fears, Nightmares, Different sides of you crying out, A karmic relationship, Loosing touch with reality.

Celebration - "Kilamanjaro" Hello Paradise - Electric Tarot Out Today

An album that has been almost three years in the making -- Celebration's Hello Paradise - Electric Tarot is officially out today. Friends Records and Celebration are giving away the entire LP digitally online for free, and offering the chance to purchase the record on vinyl -- the band's first physical offering since 2007's The Modern Tribe out via 4AD.

Fader just premiered the last remaining card to be dealt for this LP, which came in the form of the last track on the album, "Kilamanjaro". A fitting capstone to this grandiose affair, "Kilamanjaro" is an epic psych rock ballad that churns your deepest illusions and glorifies your most vivid dreams. Hear for yourself.



"Kilamanjaro" represents the The Moon card, which singer Katrina Ford's painting below depicts. Katrina illustrates this card as "Self deception, Illusion,Waxing and waning of emotion, Dreams, Memories, Subconscious, Facing your fears, Nightmares, Different sides of you crying out, A karmic relationship, Losing touch with reality." 



Celebration play tomorrow, February 4 in Philadelphia at The Ox, February 19 in Brooklyn at Death By Audio, and will have their release show for Hello Paradise on Saturday, March 5 at the 2640 Space in Baltimore with Future Islands and Arbouretum.



This record comes wrapped in a gate-fold jacket that includes 150 gram vinyl, a CD of the album, and an insert which contains the key to this tarot spread. Check it out here.

Friends Records Update: February 2011 LPs from Microkingdom, Celebration, Weekends

Friends Records has had a busy start to 2011, so here's a status update on some things to let you know what we're up to. We have three full length records that will be out by the end of the month (one already is), and a healthy dose of awesome shows plotted.



Microkingdom's Three Compositions of No Jazz dropped a few weeks ago, and copies on white or black vinyl are beginning to trickle on to turntables as we speak. We pressed up 250 copies of each color, accompanied by packaging that features mind-numbing artwork by Chris Day of Open Space / Lost Ghosts Records / Bear & Pieces acclaim.

Microkingdom's next show is February 19 at Death by Audio in Brooklyn with Celebration.


Celebration's Hello Paradise will be officially unveiled this Thursday, February 3. The last song card to be dealt in the Hello Paradise portion of the Electric Tarot will be given out, coming in the form of "Kilamanjaro" which represents The Moon in the tarot deck.



The first few copies of the wax will be available in Baltimore stores only on Thursday, then up in Philly on Friday, February 4 at their show at The Ox with Sun Airway and Golden Ages. All pre-orders begin shipping next Monday, February 7.

Celebration play in Philly February 4, NYC February 19, and in Baltimore on March 5 for the LP release show with Future Islands and Arbouretum at the 2640 Space.



In a few weeks Friends Records will FINALLY be releasing the first album in our catalog - FR001: Weekends' Strange Cultures. This my friends, will be a happy occasion, as the release has been twisted and turned through production delays but will now see it's actual physical inception on vinyl. Look for more details on this in the coming weeks.



Weekends play Baltimore on February 12 at Golden West with Winks, Holy Ghost Party, and Raindeer. They also play DC February 23 with Lower Dens and Secret Mountains.

Celebration Microshow

A couple weeks ago Mobtown Studios hosted a special performance by Celebration, part of their awesome Microshow series that happens once a month. 5/6 of the current full Celebration lineup performed, but did so in a stripped-dowb acoustic fashion. The result was almost 40 minutes of some of the most elegant and pristine sounding Celebration jams to ever grace our presence. Here's a brand new song called "Only The Wicked"...



In addition to breaking out some older songs like "Pressure", and some current ones from the forthcoming Hello Paradise LP like "Open Your Heart", a handful of never before heard songs made their debut. It was a chance to see the future of the Electric Tarot, and boy does it's fortune sound impressive. This one's called "Don't Stop Dreaming"...



A nine song set was played, and the whole thing is available to hear in full over at Mobtown Studios. I recently wrote a more detailed piece on this show and my relationship with Celebration, which you'll be able to read on Thursday over at What Weekly.

Celebration's new LP is called Hello Paradise, and is available in about a week or so.

Video: Celebration - "Honeysuckle Blue"

Celebration's Hello Paradise - Electric Tarot is just days away from it's official vinyl release, which means the full LP is almost available for free digitally online. One of the last tracks to be unveiled comes today via the full moon, and is called "Honeysuckle Blue". In addition to offering the MP3, YVYNYL and Friends Records are premiering the new video for the song created by Baltimore's own Miranda Pfeiffer.



"Honeysuckle Blue" represents the Alchemy card in their Electric Tarot deck, which is depicted up top in Katrina Ford's painting. Miranda Pfeiffer was asked to illustrate the themes that come with this card, and she chose to do that by highlighting the relationships we have between two separate urban environments. Here's Miranda's take:

“This animation was made using a stop motion process. While the Soft Cat video capitalizes on freeze-frame images juxtaposed with fluid animated movement, in this animation every hand-drawn frame is included so that all of the every motion is fluid. I used many different mediums to get a range of blacks from the colors. Some of these materials were ball-point pen, sharpie, graphite, chalk, and sum-i ink. I drew on both sides of frosted papers like vellum and tracing paper to get additional differentiation among the shade. This added a depth from the paper in the image.

The song itself was inspired by the tarot card, Alchemy, which illustrates two seemingly absolute opposites merging together. The video compares two aspects of Baltimore, interior and the exterior spaces. Because of the desolate nature of this city, a lot of social interaction occurs inside. For example, at night, there are places in Baltimore that aren’t safe to walk through alone. Because Baltimore has very few open spaces that are accessible and inhabitable by all its dwellers, residents often form special relationships with their apartments, with large-converted warehouses, and with interior spaces in general. The couple in the video is an average example of this kind of citizen.

Still, the interiors and exteriors reflect one another. Though seemingly opposite, the little room in the animation is similar in nature to the shots of the exterior city. In the video, all of the exterior shots show some form of plans made by humans that didn’t turn out like society imagined. The roaches reflect a sense of wilderness inside man’s habitat and man’s failure to truly plan a city. Simultaneously, the roaches traverse both the inside and the outside…the only creature able to fully do so. Because of the nature of the exterior spaces, the inside is also somewhat barren and scary. The female character cuts her hand when sawing a log…presumably one that came from the outside. Time is a theme. In the interior this is shown through the many clocks on the wall, ever ticking. In the exterior, the moon’s changing state represents another kind of cyclical time.

There’s a lot of charm in this world. It’s not an overwhelmingly bad place. Even the ugly bugs when viewed with a little tenderness are actually pretty endearing.”

Celebration's Hello Paradise will be available on vinyl with CD at the end of January.

Shows: Katrina Ford DJ Set, Cool World, Happy Family

Highlighting just a few ongoings this weekend, starting tonight at Club Phoenix where Cullen Stalin's Ice Age takes over. This week he's got Katrina Ford (Celebration) guest DJing, along with Door as well. Expect sounds of the dark, bizarre, rare, proto-industrial, positive punk, minimal synth wave variety. Free before 11 PM and just $2 after.





The flyer above was just passed along to me from Mike of Run DMT acclaim who promises "a psyched out other world party/show/psychedelic experience." He's throwing a pretty radical show at the Penthouse Saturday night that features Providence's Cool World along with a surprise set from Winks and also sets from Happy Family and Costume Box (a project from DJ Dog Dick). This probably starts around 10 PM.

Show: Celebration, Future Islands, Arbouretum Hello Paradise Album Release at the 2640 Space

original painting by Katrina Ford

GET TICKETS HERE RIGHT NOW, OR AT RED EMMAS STARTING JANUARY 6.

Celebration have been working on the follow up to 2007's The Modern Tribe for three years here in Baltimore, an LP that is to be the first installment in their Electric Tarot.



The first set of nine songs is called Hello Paradise, and it will be released on vinyl via Friends Records in January of 2011. The band will celebrate their new record release at the 2640 Space in Baltimore on Saturday March 5 at 8 PM. Celebration's psychedelic soul enforcers will be joined the post-wave synth cries of Future Islands and the storytelling doom-folk of Arbouretum. Three of Baltimore's best on a massive PA at the Church.





Tickets for $10 are available online right here, and will be made available at Red Emmas in Mt. Vernon on Monday, January 3. More details on this and Hello Paradise to come...

Celebration - "Battles"

Last night a new card in Celebration's Electric Tarot project was dealt by WICV Radio's Secret Pizza. The card was Strength, and came via the new song, "Battles". Above is a sun-lit photo of singer Katrina Ford's painting - her rendition of Strength in the tarot deck. Katrina has painted nine cards over the past few months, all of which are to be shown on the inside of the gate-fold sleeve the vinyl LP will be packaged in.



"Battles" is the eighth song on the forthcoming Hello Paradise LP, and is among the newer batch that was recorded at Night Worm Studios and mixed at Wright Way Studios.

In the Electric Tarot, "Battles" represents the card for Strength. Katrina's painting depicts a pale horse in what seems like an impossible quest. While some of the odds against him are unclear, and others are devious, the horse shows determination through patience and composure through structure. "Battles" withstands the resolve in one's heart.

BATTLES by CELEBRATION (lyrics by KATRINA FORD)

I feel the force
all at once
to ride this lightnin' down
on a pale horse ride right noooooooooooow

IF IT'S NOT IN YOUR HEART SAY IT RIGHT FROM THE START NOW
AND IF IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD RUN TO ME INSTEAD LOVE

THERE'S NOTHING HERE TO SEE

IF IT'S NOT IN YOUR HEART SAY IT RIGHT FROM THE START NOW
AND IF IT'S ALL IN YOUR HEAD RUN TO ME INSTEAD LOVE

CHANGE, CHANGE COULD BE FINE
JUST GUARANTEE I DON'T LOSE MY MIND
THERE , THERE WILL BE BLOOD
THERE WILL BE BLOOD BETWEEN THE LINES

OH, SO I DRINK THE VINE, BATHE NAKED IN SUNSHINE
OH WHY MUST BATTLES TAKE SO LONG?

I'LL BE STRONG
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT WE'LL BE AS ONE
LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE SO LONG
I'LL BE STRONG [x2]
TONIGHT'S THE NIGHT WE'LL BE AS ONE
LOOK TOWARDS THE FUTURE STRONG
WHY MUST BATTLES TAKE SO LONG?
I'LL BE STRONG...

Pre order the forthcoming Hello Paradise right here via Friends Records.

Photos: Celebration, Sri Aurobindo, Microkingdom, Dustin Wong

Many thanks to those that came and experienced our show Friday, as Celebration, Sri Aurobindo, Microkingdom, and Dustin Wong made for an eclectic night of sounds.

Also, apologies to those that got turned away, as a capacity crowd filled the confines of the G Spot. Moldy old slides created spooky psychedelic imagery that was projected on all of the walls of the space, including the stage. Dry ice fell from the rafters, but most importantly... each band played their heart out to an eager crowd.

Our favorite photographer Valerie was there to capture it all, full set after the jump.