Moss of Aura - Wading + Release Show

It's no secret that Baltimore's perennial art-pop force Future Islands and all of its components are complete obsessions of ours, and we are beyond stoked to be bringing the first proper Moss of Aura LP to life on vinyl, cassette, and digitally very soon.



The new LP is titled Wading, and above is the first heard single dubbed "Titan". Moss of Aura is the solo synthscapes of Gerrit Welmers, the entity behind all of the keys and beats found within Future Islands' work.

Moss of Aura is used as an outlet for decompression and reflection between life on the road, and Wading was composed and recorded while Welmers was home in Baltimore in between some extensive Future Islands tours. Though Wading is open for interpretation, it will transport you somewhere. Choose your own vacation, if you will.



The release party for Wading is Wednesday, August 31 at Floristree in Baltimore with White Life, Breeze and Schwarz. There will be 50 exclusive test pressing copies of Wading on vinyl available for the first time at this event, so be sure and snag one. Wading also includes a set of five postcards, one of which is personalized for the record.

Order your copy of Moss of Aura's Wading right here from Friends Records.

Tonight: Compact - A Tape Culture Night

Tonight there's an event at the Windup Space that looks to bode well for analog enthusiasts. Lexie Mountain is presenting Compact, a free-form tape culture night.

Starting at 9 PM, anyone and everyone is invited to come and bring their cassettes. The event is meant to share collections and/or catalogs, buy or trade tapes, and have the chance to play them live on the decks in a "freedom format". Lexie also proclaims, "ALL TAGS NO GENRES! ANYTHING EVERYTHING GLOBAL PARTY PORTABLES!"




Friends Records will be in attendance. We're bringing our tape dubber and cassette making supplies, and we'll be, yes... making tapes. Friends Records just announced the release of Moss of Aura's new LP, and also the re-release of all five of his prior albums on cassette. Tonight we'll be making the first two titles, Circle in the Corner and Rushcrusher. Zu Shapes' Merigold EP will also be available for the first time.

The event tonight starts at 9 PM, is at Windup Space, and is free.

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"

Show: Moss of Aura, Dead Drums, Hear Hums, and Say "No!" To Architecture at Metro Gallery

 photo by Valerie Paulsgrove

This Wednesday night the Metro Gallery hosts a fine batch of local friends and travelling sounds with Moss of Aura, Dead Drums, Say "No!" To Architecture, and Hear Hums.



Moss of Aura is the ever-growing work of Gerrit Welmers from Future Islands. Welmers is currently putting the final touches on his first proper release, more details on which are TBA for now. Wednesday's show will provide a nice look at some of the new jams.



Dead Drums is another fine solo project I've gushed about plenty before - ambient pop excursions by Caleb Moore of Lands and Peoples. His latest release came via Bathetic.



Hear Hums are an experimental pop outfit from Florida, who I was first clued into by Jheri down at Get Off The Coast. Crash Symbols released their album called Psych Cycles last Fall. Say "No!" To Architecture are coming to Baltimore from New York, and promise to bring with them a noisy blend of vibrations and percussive guitar-work.

The show on Wednesday starts at 8 PM, and you can RSVP right here.


 flyer by Caleb Moore

Tonight: Pantha Du Prince, Moss of Aura , The Sight Below

Tonight the Ottobar will host a rare performance by German electronic musician Pantha Du Prince. Joining this electronic import will be Moss of Aura and The Sight Below.




Pantha Du Prince released Black Noise last year via Rough Trade to much acclaim, an LP that sported the track above which features Panda Bear. Moss of Aura (Gerrit Welmers of Future Islands) is currently finishing up his forthcoming LP, more details are TBA.

The show starts at 8 PM, will cost you twelve dollars, and you can RSVP right here.

Video: Moss of Aura live at Windup Space

With a big ol' hat tip to Guy Werner, above is some brand new Moss of Aura played live by Gerrit Welmers a few weeks ago at the Shark Tank album release show.



The above video was found over at Guy Werner's new site, where he's been posting live audio and video of sets he's been capturing. Push Record Play has the rest of the evening's affair documented as well, including sets from Ed Schrader's Music Beat and Shark Tank. The Moss of Aura live video above is a brand new jam from the Future Islands synth-beast, a part of a batch that Gerrit is currently working on. Stay tuned.

Clusterfuck: Shark Tank, Weekends, Moss Of Aura, Winks, Arbouretum, Raindeer, Secret Mountains, Holy Ghost Party

 flyer by Patrick Byrd

I haven't done a Clusterfuck post in a while, but this weekend's abundance of shows is calling for it. I've already highlighted the majority of these shows, so we'll keep it short and sweet as a friendly reminder of what you can treat your ears to this weekend.



Tonight the Windup Space is where you should be, as Shark Tank will be rocking their record release show with Ed Schrader and Moss of Aura. More info right here.



Tomorrow night sports a bill curated in full by yours truly, as Weekends, Raindeer, Winks, and Holy Ghost Party take over the Golden West. These are some of my absolute favorite new bands from Baltimore, and I'm stoked to bring them all together for one bill. This one's just $5, more info on the affair can be found right here.





And last but not least, Sunday night's got a killer show as well, as everyone's favorite doom-folk outfit will be celebrating their new record upstairs at the Ottobar. For their record release show, Arbouretum will be joined by Secret Mountains, making this more than worth not paying for. Yup, this one's free, and it starts at 9 PM.

Rapdragons - "Natural Born Chillers" ft. Moss of Aura

Here's the thing about Rapdragons - you probably wish you were doing what they did. With Baltimore's scary-diverse breeding grounds of aural wealth at their disposal, dude's are capturing the jams we all love and turning them into party anthems. Next up for 'em, a new one with a  Moss of Aura (Gerrit Welmers of Future Islands) beat to back...



The music comes compliments of Moss of Aura's Still Parade, a sold-out CDR of some of Gerrit's finest work that came out towards the end of 2009. This Raprdragons song is the title track on their forthcoming Natural Born Chillers EP, which drops this March. As you may have guessed, this forthcoming release sees the Rapdragons riding the chill-wave with music from Small Black, Neon Indian, Memoryhouse, Panda Bear, and Toro Y Moi.

Get all the Rapdragons you need from LTD Comp.

Clusterf*ck: Shows in Baltimore this Weekend

I haven't posted a clusterfuck column for a long time, but this weekend's abundance of scheduled shows is plenty enough reason to bring it on back into rotation.

Tonight Floristree is hosting an event that features a piece put together by Limb drummer Joshua Cordova and his friend. Cordova recently moved up here from Texas, and organized a bunch of amazing Baltimore musicians to help him execute the vision. The bill of artists involved speaks for itself and includes Jack Topht, Jared Paolini, Dave Jacober, Zach Utz, Jonathan Valdez, Kate Silver, Chris Day, Shaun Flynn, and Neel Pert.




The Good Son is hosting a killer one tonight, with Rapdragons, Moss of Aura, Flesh Epic, Romantic States, and Archer Twins rounding out a heavy bill. This show features all three members of Future Islands, each in a different side project.



Flesh Epic is Sam Herring and his brother Joel's hip hop outfit, and Joel just got back from a tour in which he was part of the Height with Friends lineup. Moss of Aura is Gerrit, whose epic synth-scapes we've raved about plenty before, and Archer Twins is William's new project. Throw in Rapdragons and Romantic States, and you've got yourself a nice little Friday evening.








Saturday night the Hexagon's got a bunch of promising bands from the Underwater Peoples record label. Expect some catchy and mostly jaded pop from Andrew Cedermark, Tennis, Airwaves, and Family Portrait. This one gets going at 10:30.

Clusterf*ck: Future Islands, Small Sur, Winks

Lots of good sounds in town this weekend, folks. Tonight the Windup Space will surely treat you well, with Moss of Aura, Lo Moda, and Ghost Life all helping to celebrate the release of Small Sur's new EP. The new release comes compliments of Aural Slates.



Bare Black is a three track EP soaked in all the beauty and warmth of Small Sur's prior work. "Weeds" is the first track on the disc, and is offered as a free download over on their site. Bob Keal, Andy Abelow, and Austin Stahl continue to sit among the top of a blossoming variety of lush folk music here in Baltimore. Small Sur seems to master subtle drones, simple and addicting melodies, and the heartbeat of nature pumping through each croon more and more with each release.



Also, Moss of Aura is always a good reason to attend anything.



Tomorrow night the Metro Gallery plays host to Wild Nothing. Curated by Natasha Tylea, this installment will feature thirteen artists displaying summer-inspired photos. The opening is free, and features Future Islands' first ever acoustic set. The closest we've ever seen them play acoustic was the living room session we recorded last Fall. "Swept Inside" above and "Walking Through That Door" below are both from that session.



Also Saturday, the Annex plays host to Winks, Applemouth, Space Tigers, Ben Lorber, and Christopher Adams. This show was listed as "The Lighthouse Returns to Babylon" in an email I recieved, but I have no idea why.

Rapdragons - Ten Stories Hijacked

Rapdragons just dropped their second official release, Ten Stories Hijacked. This is the Ten Stories High remix project, where Nick Often and Greg Ward asked a bunch of friends/local sound-makers to help out on each track. Download it for free now.

Naturally, Nick and Greg's friends are all heavily stocked with skills for making beats, and the ones that aren't make up for it with natural musical vision. Remixes were limited to tracks off of Ten Stories High, with contributions from a wide range of musicians based in Baltimore. The lead track is below, a killer contribution from Schwarz.



This release is pretty stacked, and also includes a remix from Future Islands synth wizard Gerrit Welmers under the moniker of his rad solo digs - a Moss of Aura track I featured back in February. Gerrit's cut is definitely a highlight of Ten Stories Hijacked.



The release also sports remixes from Weekends, Polygons, Lexx, Jones, Cex, Eachothers, and more. Get the full scoop straight from the man himself after the jump.

I recently checked in with Nick Often about the new release, and he told me what was up with it amongst other Rapdragons business and things in the works...

Ten Stories Hijacked hit may 5th after a rolling internet release featuring one track a day. the album is 15 total tracks (10 tracks + Bonus Pack 01, which is 5 bonus tracks). Bonus Pack 02 will hit this summer (but not before Featuring Baltimore) with exclusive tracks and featuring a remix sent to us at rapdragons@ltdcomp.combetween may 05, 2010 and june 30, 2010

The record has a bunch of different flavors, but it's all Baltimore. Since we're doing the Featuring Baltimore project and we're the ones picking the songs, I'm cutting them up, and we're writing the new words and concept, we wanted to do sort of the inverse of that for Ten Stories Hijacked, where the musicians are more taking what we've done, and putting there spin on it. Fittingly, we worked mostly with laptoppers and electronic artists that have had some experience working with vocal tracks or manipulating sound in a recording environment. In the future, we hope to work more directly with musicians of all stripes, and to find new modes of collaboration.

Featuring Baltimore: The Mixtape is due June 08.

chyea!

Friends and Friends of Friends: Moss of Aura, Brendan Sullivan, The Violet Hour

Friends and Friends of Friends was released for free yesterday, 60 minutes of new music somehow rooted in Baltimore by Friends Records. I'll be featuring a handful of tracks each day all week, and today we're really excited to present you with new sounds from Moss of Aura, Brendan Sullivan, and The Violet Hour.

Moss of Aura is Gerrit Welmers, a fellow who is largely responsible for the Future Islands LP that's about to drop in a really big way - In Evening Air. One-third of Future Islands, Gerrit has been putting out releases under the Moss of Aura moniker since 2006, and there's a batch of CDRs I highly recommend perusing here. Below is a brand new track from Moss of Aura called "Generations", which will be blasting side A of our cassette off into 80s montage wonderment.



Listen to new tracks from Brendan Sullivan and The Violet Hour after the jump.


Brendan Sullivan is 1/2 Weekends, and has a plethora of tapes under his belt under his own solo moniker. Many of said recordings are worth a super heavy gander, and "Young Thunder Pt. 1" is alot like some of the new sounds heard in his stellar set played after Male Bonding at the Golden West a few weeks back. This is part one of two of a piece, on a release that's currently TBA.




The Violet Hour opened up our first show back in January, after releasing their brilliant debut in 2009. This is a brand new song from Beth Varden and Andriana Pateris called "Echoes", which will hypnotically and beautifully close out side A of the tape comp. We're really stoked for more to come from The Violet Hour, and also quite excited for a tape Beth is working on with Lost Ghosts Records.

True Womanhood - Basement Membranes

True Womanhood are playing en EP release show here in Baltimore at the Golden West tomorrow night with Moss of Aura, Rapdragons, and INEVERYROOM.

The much regionally-hyped DC band dropped their debut recently, a digital EP with Environmental Aesthetics. The trio consists of Thomas Redmond, Melissa Beattie, and Noam Elsner, and they've only been around a little over a year now. Basement Membranes was recorded at Death by Audio by David Levin (A Place to Bury Strangers) and at J. Robbins' studio in Baltimore.

The new EP is the much fuller form of the four song demo they've had at shows over the last year (which came in an awesome old school floppy disc sleeve), and features six tracks at just over 25 minutes. Not just fuller in length - the production fronted by the choice individuals noted above is definitely noteworthy.

The bands take on melodic gloom pop uses sounds and textures of all varieties, all of which are tweaked and leveled to a listen that is interesting to say the least. Guitar drones and drums are mixed in with samples and croons, churning a stew of cohesive melodies and almost haunted sounds.

"Dignitas" is a personal favorite, track three on the digital EP. This is by far the darkest of the bunch, with layers of ghosts paired with entrancing sonics that build throughout. I'd love to see this band take this darkness even farther in prior works, as this one's just got that tribal/cult feel that's tough not to be drawn to.

As long as this band sounds even remotely the same as they do now, there will surely be Radiohead comparisons. This is largely due to the vocals which are very reminiscent of Mr. Yorke, but the melodic twists of pop song structures bare close resemblance as well. While this is probably a good thing for the band's success, it's almost close enough in sound to the point of flaw.

Regardless, this EP is great and I'm eager to see what's next from True Womanhood.

Clusterf*ck: Shows in Baltimore this Weekend

Hey, there's a lot to do this weekend. Let's get to it.

Tonight if you happen to come across Oliver and Guilford, you've got two options. Penthouse Gallery is offering The Great Valley, Brendan Sullivan, Bear & Pieces, and Sun on My Head. Bear & Pieces has a new tape almost ready which I am stoked for, but here's "Falling Down" off of Brendan Sullivan's Wooley Eyes tape.



Just around the corner is another fine bill. Moss of Aura, Power Animal, Winks, and Semya all play in the Annex. Just like the show in the Penthouse, there's a couple artists playing this one that you'll hear new things from on a compilation I'm putting together for Friends Records. Look out for details on that soon, but for now, get Winks' "Weed Makes Sex Weird" stuck in your head.



And last but not least, Friday night the 5th Dimension has a big one at the H&H put together by True Vine and Aural States. Matmos, Konk Pack, and Leprechaun Catering will all blast you with electronic stimuli, for just a $5-10 sliding donation. Jason Willett shared some Konk Pack sounds at Aural States earlier this week.

See what's going on Saturday after the click.

Saturday night the Ottobar has New York's Vivian Girls, with Vermont's Happy Birthday, the United Kingdom's Wet Dog, and our very own Weekends. Vivian Girls were pretty good last time they were around these parts with Ariel Pink. Details on the new Weekends LP will soon be available, which was mixed and mastered by Rob Girardi. It will be called Strange Cultures, and you can expect to hear things from this record very soon. This one's off their debut:



Down at the Annex, you can catch Videohippos, Nuclear Power Pants, Fang Island, and The Chinese Stars. Nuclear Power Pants are about to set off on tour with Height with Friends, and Videohippos just got back from a tour. Add the much hyped Fang Island and the always great Chinese stars, and you've got yourself a show.

Also, don't forget about the Publications and Multiples Fair on Saturday and Sunday.

Tonight: Scout Niblett @ the Golden West and Washed Out / Small Black @ Floristree

FEEL IT ALL AROUND from Northern Lights on Vimeo.

There are two fantastic shows tonight in Baltimore, both at the Golden West and down at Floristree. Each should provide sounds and vibes to suit any mood.

At Floristree, catch Washed Out with Small Black, Pictureplane, and Moss of Aura. Washed Out and Small Black are on their way to SXSW for some hotly anticipated performances, spreading haze-wave vibes to ears abound. Washed Out has a tour CDR that you can grab tonight, but check out track seven off of it here. Next time you'll be able to catch Washed Out in Baltimore is May 8 at the 2640 Space with Beach House.

Read on for all the details on tonight's stacked Golden West lineup.



I've been pretty stoked for Scout Niblett to come to town, and of course I'd recommend a bill that's got two of the bands from our G Spot show back in January playing it. Arbouretum's closing set that night was killer, and tonight's show will provide a first look at a newly shuffled lineup for the doom folk crew. The lineup is now Dave and Corey with Buck Carey and Matthew Pierce.



Another reason why I'm blatantly partial to tonight's Golden West bill - Sri Aurobindo are opening. Friends Records (debuting soon) is releasing their debut LP, Cave Paintings in a couple months. This is being sent off to get pressed this week, and you'll soon be able to hear some tracks via the interwebs. For now you can settle for a live recording of "Soul Vibrations of Man" below, but better yet get to this show around 10 tonight.



Scout Niblett has released six full lengths since 2001, the most recent, The Calcination of Scout Niblett, just dropping on Drag City. Expect minimalist guitar music with a lot of soul, coming from a women that has indulged in her fair share of Mudhoney and Nirvana. Grunge-folk? Yes please. Up top is a video for a song she did with Bonnie Prince Billy.

Tonight: Double Header in Hampden

There are two great shows tonight, taking place at both Jesus Camp and the Golden West. However instead of having to choose between them, you can check them both out back to back without missing a beat or hopping to another 'hood.

The first show goes down at Jesus Camp in Hampden, and starts at 8 PM. Mississippi's Junk Culture comes to town, leading a bill with Adventure and Moss of Aura. This will prove to be a fine exhibition of electronic stimuli - as synths, glitches, bits, and beats should all have you feeling pretty good for an early evening affair. If Gerrit (Moss of Aura/Future Islands) is still offering his Still Parade CDR, you'd be a fool not to grab it. This one is upstairs at Jesus Camp, use the fire escape.

When that's all said and done, walk on down the street to the Golden West where you'll find Lizz King, The Demon Beat, and Hammer No More Fingers. This one starts at 10 PM, and should cap off a nice little Wednesday. Eat some tater tots and be musically blessed by the always wonderful Lizz King, as she returns from her first national headlining tour. If you have yet to check out her debut, All Songs Go to Heaven, get on that. You can scoop the vinyl/MP3s over at Ehse Records, and peep the love-fest review posted on Aural States yesterday.

Choose one, or choose all. Happy hump day. Videos after the jump.

Rapdragons - "She Got Me" (Moss of Aura Remix)

Rapdragons dropped a single yesterday, a remix of a seasonally relevant cut off of their debut, Ten Stories High. "She Got Me" is re-worked by Moss of Aura, side project of Future Islands' Gerrit Welmers.

If there was a ballad on Ten Stories High, it's "She Got Me". Moss of Aura turned the laid back sing-a-along album version into a vibe more congruent with the epic synth soundscapes found on his Still Parade CDR.



Take a listen above, and get fresh details on new Rapdragons releases below.


"She Got Me" is the first single for Ten Stories Hijacked, a remix album that will be released digitally on April 20th. Ten Stories Hijacked will feature all of the original vocals from Ten Stories High, but set to new beats by "Baltimore's dopest laptoppers and beat-makers". This will be a free release on Ltd Comp.

More big news, the highly anticipated Featuring Baltimore album now has a release date set. It will drop on June 8th, and will also be a free digital release compliments of Ltd Comp. We offered a live couch session sampler of tracks from this release back in November, including the debut of the Ponytail-sampled "Early for Work".

Featuring Baltimore will sample only local bands, and will also feature other rappers and singers from the city that reads. Bands to be sampled include but are not at all limited to The Agrarians, Beach House, Dope Body, Future Islands, Teeth Mountain, and Weekends.

Rapdragons have some out of town shows with Dope Body and Eachothers this week, and are part of a great bill here in April that includes Moss of Aura, In Every Room, and True Womanhood at the Golden West.

Photos: Lonnie Walker, Moss of Aura, & Veelee

Last Friday night The Good Son hosted a North Carolina invasion of sorts. Lonnie Walker and Veelee both call North Carolina home, and Gerrit Welmers of Moss of Aura is originally from the state.

All three acts made for a super fun Friday evening, and each brought something different to the table. Moss of Aura's dramatic synth bangers continue to impress me, and look for some thoughts on the CDR he's been offering coming here soon. I dug Lonnie Walker back when they played the Zodiac with Future Islands, and they rocked their whiskey-soaked Americana just as hard this go around. Veelee were a welcome surprise, a duo with a pretty big sound that's got a free EP you can snag right here.

Peep Chrissy's set of these three acts after the jump.

Moss of Aura




Veelee




Lonnie Walker





Photos by Chrissy

Photos: Height with Friends @ Hexagon

Saturday night the Hexagon hosted a pretty rad lineup as Height with Friends, Moss of Aura, Food For Animals, Mickey Free, and American Folklore all performed. You can find a handful of these fine artists at upcoming Baltimore shows, starting with Moss of Aura who plays this Friday night at The Good Son with Lonnie Walker and more.

Mickey Free plays our show at the Ottobar on January 31st, with Get 'em Mamis, AK Slaughter, Rapdragons, PT Burnem, Jones, and Cullen Stalin DJing the affair. Height and all of his Friends play the night before, and is one of the 19 acts performing at Aural States Fest. We'll soon have some news regarding the follow-up album to Height with Friends' Baltimore Highlands, and some music to share.

Valerie's photos of all of Saturday's acts are after the jump.

Height with Friends




Food For Animals




Moss of Aura




Mickey Free




American Folklore





Photos by Valerie

Clusterf*ck: Shows in Baltimore this Weekend

This weekend is the first clusterf*ck of 2010, and likely to be the first of many here in Baltimore. While there are a hefty amount of musical things to choose from, schedules don't get really cluttered until Saturday night.

Saturday night also plays host to a football game, as the Ravens battle a team that stole football from Baltimore just a month after I was born. Man, was I one pissed off little dude.

Find out what else is up in the city that reads this weekend after the click.

The highlight of Friday night is in Hampden, where the Golden West is offering "Freak Rock on the Cheap". For just three dollars you get three great rock bands, including Vincent Black Shadow, Hollywood, and Pilgrim. Not a bad way to spend three bucks on a Friday, and all three bands should be sure to get your ears nice and blasted.

Another option Friday night is at the Ottobar. Psych rock is bountiful with Bad Liquor Pond, The Flying Eyes, Whoarfrost, and Deaf Scene all sharing the bill. This one starts at 9 PM and is all ages.

Height with Friends is at the Hexagon Saturday night, and as if his supporting cast wasn't already strong enough the bill also includes Moss of Aura, Food for Animals, Mickey Free, and American Folklore. Look for some super exciting things to come from Height with Friends in 2010, as I'll have some info on this for you in the coming months.

Also Saturday, you can catch Dope Body and Sick Weapons at the Penthouse Gallery. Both acts are quickly becoming among some of our favorite live bands in Baltimore, and this show should prove to be a good time. If you need your eardrums damaged at an even higher level on Saturday, hit up the Zodiac to catch the dark metal Brooklyn band Liturgy.

Sunday night also has a good one at the Penthouse Gallery, as Jason Urick and Ecstatic Sunshine help you wind down after a fun weekend. This is their tour send-off show, before they head up to NYC and onward to tour Europe together.