Photos: Aural States Fest II

This year's Aural States Fest looks to be the last, and was yet again another great ode to regional splendor. Considering the cold white powder that fell from the sky all day long on Saturday, the turnout wasn't all bad and somehow the majority of folks involved still made it to Sonar.

Valerie snapped photos of acts she was able to witness, full set to follow.

Height with Friends


Lands and Peoples


Caleb Stine


True Womanhood


Dustin Wong


Noble Lake



Photos by Valerie

Photos: Noble Lake / Virgin Forest @ Talking Head

Photos By Chrissy

Above is the photo set from Thursday night's show at the Talking Head with Noble Lake and Virgin Forest. I unfortunately could not make it, but Chrissy wanted to pass along that the show was indeed fantastic.

To make up for missing out, I hit up Atomic Books yesterday to go grab Noble Lake's  debut album Heyday. Upon first few listens, the LP has the same comfy feel-good vibes that albums like Small Sur's We Live in Houses Made of Wood and Caleb Stine's I'll Head West Again also provide. Andy and Jenn of Wye Oak make for one heck of a supporting cast, as James Sarsgaard's song writing illuminates clean yet interesting and unique. The CD even comes cleverly packaged and wrapped in a poster, so go grab it.

Check back Monday for pics and words from Friday's show hopping, that included Baby Venom's stellar set at Hexagon and Extra Golden's ridiculously great show at Floristree.

Tonight: Noble Lake / Virgin Forest

Tonight the mostly local trio, Noble Lake, croon the crowd at the Talking Head. Opening will be Virgin Forest, a Brooklyn group who feature members of Phosphorescent.

Half of Noble Lake comprise of Andy Stack and Jen Wasner, who make up the entirety of Wye Oak. Andy plays mostly upright bass for Noble Lake, and Jen is known to rock either the banjo, guitar, or harmonium. As Andy's freakish multi-instrumentalist talents are evident in Wye Oak, same goes to show for the musicians of Noble Lake. James Sarsgaard makes up 1/4 of the outfit, and is the band's singer and songwriter.

The sound is a bit different from the lush and beautiful noise of Wye Oak , as Sarsgaard's country twang and rootsy Americana take the forefront. The trio released its first full length titled Heyday via Creative Capitalism last summer. And in related release news, word on the street is that Andy and Jen are currently working on their next Wye Oak LP for Merge.

The show tonight at the Talking Head starts around 8 and is similarly priced at 8 dollars. Young Sir Jim is also opening the affair. Expect beards, lots of them.

The Old Lonesome Sound

Splice Today clearly had an itchin for some good ol' fashioned country jams. The site recently put together a highly recommended free mp3 mixtape of traditional folk songs interpreted by tons of high caliber musicians.

A hefty bulk of the compilation is filled with Baltimore artists. Wye Oak's rendition of "Black is the Color of..." is eerily brilliant and freshly added to my yellow playlist. Other locals include Caleb Stine, Dave Heumann & Stephen Strohmeir, Danny Greenwald, Noble Lake, Walker and Jay, Tommy Tucker, and Payola Reserve. Notable artists from more distant lands include Deer Tick, Phosphorescent, and Headlights.

The mix is solid throughout, but one lesser known artist deserves your attention. Danny Greenwald is hoping to have his debut ready within the month. And if the demos I've heard are any indication, prepare your ears for a feast.

Mr. Greenwald was kind enough to let me stream a sample from the upcoming album. As for the release, College Park's WMUC is broadcasting a live CD Release show of Danny on March 9th at 8 PM. Stay tuned for more details.

Exclusively stream "Thats Not Very Nice of You" below.