Favorite Baltimore Shows of 2009

We went to a lot of shows in 2009, covering as much live music as humanly possible. I decided to list 10 sets that stand out in my mind, only qualifier being that it had to have been covered on bmoremusic.net.

This left out a few sets that would have surely made it, but I still think this is a solid representation of how much fun I had in Baltimore this year. I didn't rank these, because well... who cares. They were all fantastic, and here's to many more.

Extra Golden at Floristree

Floristree was nice and sticky that night, as this collaboration of musicians from both DC and Kenya took it by storm. I believe the singer's feet in this photo never actually touched the ground throughout the entire set, tons of energy.

Animal Collective at the Ottobar

Animal Collective were once just a couple dudes that went to The Park School of Baltimore. In 2009 Merriweather Post Pavilion jump-started their voyage of world domination, and this was their first night of a massive tour. This was easily one of the biggest shows at the Ottobar this year.

Sick Weapons at Hampdenfest

While this may not have even been Sick Weapon's best set I saw this year, this set was priceless. Seeing toddlers dance around to Sick Weapons was pretty much the coolest thing I saw all year, and Ellie honking the horn instead of cursing appeared to be an epic test of will on her part.

No Deachunter at Sonar

When Dan Deacon, Deerhunter, and No Age all started playing a unified song at once from different ends of the room at Sonar to start this show, it pretty much sealed the deal of making it to this post. This Round Robin style show was a whole mess of fun.

Celebration at Load of Fun

This was the "Earth" show for their element series, a string of shows here in Baltimore that took place throughout the year and included some great ones. You can still download the full set audio right here.

The Jesus Lizard at Sonar

A kick ass performance by a legendary band, enough said.

Sri Aurobindo at the Metro Gallery

This was the album release party for Return into Earth, an epic 30 minute journey of a track. This set captured what that release was all about, and was easily one of the best improvs I witnessed all year.

Ponytail at the Ottobar

Another mind blowing set from Baltimore's favorite pixie dust-infused rock band. New material was played, and showed sure signs of the next album being just as good as Ice Cream Spiritual.

Future Islands at Floristree

This was quite possibly my favorite Future Islands set ever. The energy was fierce, the sound was booming, and the trio was tighter than ever. Look for gigantic things to come from these guys in 2010.

Dan Deacon w/Ensemble at Whartscape

This set managed to embody all that is right with music here in Baltimore, and package it in a one hour chunk of music and fun. This was one of the many highlights of Whartscape 2009, a festival that truly represents how it feels to be a part of community like Baltimore. Every single person in that North Avenue parking lot that night left the show smiling, and with good reason.

Photo Review: Dan Deacon / Deerhunter / No Age Round Robin

Photos by Chrissy

Three of the biggest genre-leading projects in music today took Baltimore by storm Friday night. With a collaborative round robin style promised, anticipation and hype would have been glaring understatements.

Dan Deacon was in the back of Sonar, No Age took the floor on the side, and Deerhunter set up shop up on the main stage. When their collaborative set took off with all 3 bands playing simultaneously, PBR-induced waves of "Hell Yes" washed over the masses.

The euphoric noise hitting the crowd in a surround sound feel was the intro to Deerhunter's LP Cryptograms, and lead into them rocking the title track off their fantastic 2007 record. Bradford Cox and company sounded terrific all night, as tracks like "Nothing Ever Happened" swirled with faded pop bliss. These guys are easily one of the best live indie bands today.

Dan Deacon's last outing at Sonar was a bit of a debacle, but thankfully the crowd had no choice but to respect the synthed electronic genius with him being on a raised platform. Friday night was nothing but love, as the hometown crowd danced and surfed their way through his portions of the set. Familiar favorites were played, and he even took a stab at some Bromst material without the ensemble.

No Age sparked the rowdy type, with their noisey pop punk played nice and loud for the kids. While I lost a beer or two getting in the mix of things during their turns, certainly no complaints from my end. The evening rocked something for everyone, with never any moments of boredom. Despite a few glitches expected with the first night on a tour of this nature, each of the artist's efforts flowed seemlessly into the next one's. And at times, with the help of everyone.

This tour is sure to get its fair share of press, and I for one hope it helps to get the round robin style to become more of a trend. Forget the whole headlining hierarchy. This was just two dudes from L.A., a band from Atlanta, and someone who calls Baltimore their home, all playing music and loving it.

Ticket Giveaway: Dan Deacon / Deerhunter / No Age

Oh man. This one week tour was announced a couple months back, originally not plotted to roll through these here parts. Surpise! Just announced last weekend, next Friday Sonar welcomes the Dan Deacon/Deerhunter/No Age Round Robin to Baltimore.

This one is an ADD-friendly, round robin style setup, with the artists circling the crowd and taking turns doing their thing. Also promised are collaborative performances, offering a chance to catch one of a kind joint ventures likely to never be seen again. So if you've ever wondered what Deacon's electronics sound like jamming out to "Nothing Ever Happened", or how Bradford Cox's vocals might spruce up "Ripped Knees", this could be your night.

This is only hitting a few select east coast-ish cities, including a stop the next day in New Jersey at a hotel with a giant pool shaped as an airplane. That show's got a pool party, we get something even better. One ticket gets you into all three rooms that night, including the Taxlo dance party and the Talking Head.

The Talking Head has a superb lineup with Future Islands, Sick Weapons, The Art Department, and Love or Perish. I've already gabbed about how sick three of these bands were at Whartscape, and Future Islands just put out an absolutely stellar double a-side 7 inch called Feathers and Hallways. If you feel like dancing, the club room's got Dave Nada, Cullen Stalin, and Simon Phoenix.

You officially have no excuse not to be there, mainly becuase there's something for everyone. And also, because I am giving away a pair of tickets. Blast an email to bmoremusicallyinformed@gmail.com, letting me know who you want to see the most that night. I'll pick a winner at random next week, and get their name on the list. Be sure to check your email Thursday morning the 30th to see if you've won. See you there!

The Premiere Hotspot of Medford, NJ

Chances are you've heard that Dan Deacon will be touring with Deerhunter and No Age this summer. Turns out the tour will be a week long and starts August 1st.

There is also the good chance that you have never heard of any of the venues being played that week.

For us boh-drinking folk, looks like the closest spot to catch this will be the first night which takes place at the Flying W Airport and Pool of Medford, New Jersey. Yup.

The uber sweet plane shaped pool is pictured above, and seems to be the main attraction at this South Jersey resort. With the tour being played out round robin style, I propose Deerhunter set up on the left wing, No Age on the right wing, and Dan Deacon on the tail of the aircraft.

Best pool party at an airport ever.

Photo Review: Baby Venom @ Hexagon

Photos by Chrissy

In a night of show hopping, we were able to make it for the front end of Hexagon's bill. I have been meaning to catch Baby Venom since hearing a couple tracks several months ago, and man am I glad I finally made it out to one of their gigs.

The musical chair loving trio consisting of Dave, Sarah, and Nathan, all proved their natural ability to craft and perform catchy lo-fi pop songs. Heavy synths rule this band, with the majority of its sound deriving from two sets of keys and drums. All members took turns on each instrument, and the song writing was on par with the rest.

In fact, the set showed a ton of build and the ability to transcend feels from beginning to end. The songs at the start of the set displayed their almost folkish synth pop tracks, that of which highlighted the band's quality knack for song writing. As the set wore on the songs were soaked with more of an Octopus Project meets Future Islands aesthetic, which showed to be a pretty much flawless combination. However, the band's own unique vibe shined through most heavily.

I spoke with Baby Venom recently, and they informed me they'd be opening for Deerhunter in Europe. Expect more deets on that soon, and hopefully some word on plans for a release. Here are some tunes to sample for now, "Frank" and "Take Out Breakfast".

Bradford Cox <3's Halloween

Mr. Cox is a busy dude. Since 2007's epic Crypotgrams, Bradford has put out endless demos on his blog, dropped an LP on under his Atlas Sound moniker, and just this week released another critically acclaimed Deerhunter album.

Microcastle/Weird Era Cont., complete with spooky glass-eyed cover art, has even helped garner Radiohead comparisons to the band. Bradford continues to post Atlas Sound jams, with recent tracks encompassing the festivities of this week's holiday.

Deerhunter are in the area next week, rocking the Ottobar November 3rd and playing the Black Cat in our nation's capital on election night. Times New Viking support with extreme lo-fi pop music on both occasions.