Approximat​e Infinite Daydream

One of the best parts about Baltimore's music scene is the abundance of variety and creativity when it comes to different genres and sounds. Contemporary ambient music is a genre that's been particularly bountiful as of late around town, and Approximat​e Infinite Daydream is a new series that aims to highlight this burgeoning realm.



Created by Matthew Papich (Co La, Ecstatic Sunshine) and Neal Reinalda (Daytime), the concept is not your typical concert series. All of the performers will be solo acts, and all of which are of the more ambient and experimental variety. Also important to note - these shows will not take place in typical concert venues, but rather in more common spaces not generally used for shows. Current planned sites include Fox Court at the BMA (The Echo Spot), Gottlund Verlag HQ in rural Kutztown PA, the Soft House, and more.



As for the music and the specific concept behind this series, Reinalda states "Many of the practitioners of this new music are interested in creating music for specific contexts, often domestic. This tendency follows a certain tradition related to Ambient Music, and more specifically, to Eric Satie’s “Furniture” or “Furnishing” music. As dictated by Satie, this music is intended to function in a space as background, unobtrusive yet distinct. The sound is constructed to play a role in, and transform its’ surroundings, sometimes even evoking a specific mood or feeling. Our goal is to explore the role context plays in relationship to this music, specifically the role of domestic space and time and its relationship to various forms of visual and aural works."



Artists involved include Eachothers, Bear & Pieces, Comeback Ranch, Jared Paolini, Narc, Dead Drums, Co La, Daytime, Dustin Wong, Ken Seeno, and Gem Vision, and more. The series starts with a book release/primer on April 28, and you can RSVP right here.

Tonight: Doug McCombs (Tortoise) & David Danielle, Eachothers, and Jared Paolini at the Golden West

flyer by Chris Day



Tonight the Golden West sports a solid bill too with Tortoise's Doug McCombs and David Danielle. Opening the show will be the always excellent Eachothers and Jared Paolini. Take a listen above to a taste from Eachothers' Elopement which came out last year.

Photos: Holy Ghost Party, Weekends, Limb, Jared Paolini

Last Saturday night Floristree hosted a night filled with noise, haunted pop, fuzzy melodies, and kids climbing up the walls like spiders. That last one is a true story, Limb were straight crazy. See for yourself below, and get the full set of Weekends, Limb, Holy Ghost Party, B L A C K I E, Salamander Wool, and Jared Paolini after the jump.

Limb




Holy Ghost Party


Jared Paolini


B L A C K I E


Salamander Wool



Photos by Valerie

Holy Ghost Party - "Shit House Luck"

The flier above is for a show Holy Ghost Party are playing this Saturday night at Floristree, along with Weekends, Salamander Wool, Jared Paolini, and B L A C K I E.

Baltimore's Holy Ghost Party is a duo that sports two familiar faces - Zachary Utz and David Jacober. You would likely recognize these dudes from their harsher and louder music outlet, Dope Body. Holy Ghost Party is a whole other story, one that gets going properly this summer with an official EP dropping on WTR CLR.

The EP is titled Prog Parents, and David passed along a copy to me the other day. It has been on super-heavy rotation since, with its infectiously hooked pop songs wrapped in layers of twisted sound and melody that are poised to entrance. Hear for yourself.



"Shit House Luck" is the second track on the forthcoming EP. It features an almost tropical vibe, morphed and blended with tamed noise and some pretty heady vocals. The only thing that even remotely resembles Dope Body throughout these tracks are their signature industrial guitar sounds, yet with Holy Ghost Party they are used more as a percussive element or to add a more layered feel.

I'd be sure to look out for the proper release of Prog Parents this summer, as these guys show a ton of promise for good things to come. The release will be limited to 100 copies on WTR CLR.

Here's some live footage of Holy Ghost Party from last summer, and as you can see/hear their sound has evolved quite a bit since then.

Tonight: Celebration at Load of Fun

In a week packed with not-miss shows, this one stands above the rest. If you've caught any of Celebration's amazing local performances this year, you'd understand.

Celebration have been churning out their Baltimore Elemental Series all year long, with each show being pretty special in its own right. The series started with Fire at the Windup Space, then Whartscape was the Water installment, their outdoor show with Beach House was Wind, and tonight at Load of Fun is Earth.

This isn't just a big show for Celebration, as Videohippos have something new in store. Premiering tonight with two new members, the band is working to become more live with no prerecorded beat or melodies. Videohippos now also feature Jared Paolini, and Benny Boeldt AKA Adventure. Both new members rock pretty fantastic solo efforts, and should certainly aid in Videohippos becoming even more of a force.

The show tonight also features the psych drones of Indian Jewelery, rounding out a pretty stacked bill all around. This one will run you just $10, and doors are at 8:30.

Photos: Future Islands / Lonnie Walker / Small Sur

Zodiac had a nice one last Thursday, with the very busy Future Islands headlining the affair. Some fellow Carolina boys dubbed Lonnie Walker performed, along with local talents Small Sur and Jared Paolini.

Chrissy captured the last three acts below, in what was an incredibly solid show. Bob Keal's Small Sur was yet again comfort music at it's best, painting tales of nature ideal for an early fall night. Andy Abelow's accompanying sax shined through quite a bit, and the new tracks played were certainly promising.

Having never heard these guys before, Lonnie Walker were a more than welcome surprise to the evening. They rocked country drenched Americana with a heavy guitar presence.

Aural States dug them too, and I couldn't help but notice the heavy Pavement influence in some of the songwriting and vocals. But, I guess not too many artists aren't influenced by Pavement these days. Look for more good stuff to come from these guys.

Another Future Islands show, and another hell of a good time. These guys continue to grow tighter as a three piece, and continue to be one of the more fun local bands to catch live. It's impossible to stand still as they pair their ridiculously catchy synth beats with Sam's totally theatrical vocals. Disco ball and all, this was just another stellar performance under their belt.

Look for a ton to come from Future Islands in the near future, some of which we're hoping to premiere right here. Dudes are working on a remix project, a split release with Lonnie Walker, and are right in the middle of churning out their next full length.


Photos by Chrissy