Ponytail's new record, Do Whatever You Want All The Time, is out now. The video for "Honey Touches" recently surfaced, a short where a dude conquers a whole lot of fruit.
Ponytail's Do Whatever You Want All The Time is now available via We Are Free.
A few weeks ago I gushed about Ken Seeno's release with NNA Tapes, and here I am again with a new release from the Ponytail guitarist. Sample "Spirit of '77" below.
"Spirit of 77" comes later on in Ken Seeno's new tape, likely at a time when you've stepped through the open window and are amongst the clouds. Not to say that the entire cassette doesn't make you feel as if you've been lifted into the stratosphere, because it really does. But, while other melodies feel more personal and enclosed, "Spirit of '77" delivers the feeling of endless possibilities and truly open skies.
This album was actually recorded before Invisible Surfer On An Invisible Wave, marking this as Ken's solo debut. The familiar signs of Seeno's rock band Ponytail are present here and there, but Open Window finds him exploring vastly different and more cavernous avenues. Ken Seeno fills these empty spaces with simple and and hypnotic beats, experimental melodies, and entrancing synths fit for the cosmos.
Buy the cassette from WTR CLR, or download the whole thing for free right here.
"Easy Peasy" is the opening track of the forthcoming Ponytail LP, a record that will likely make a lot of noise in a bit of a quiet period for the local spazz-induced art rock force.
Ken Seeno, who has recently spawned a wealth of radical new solo sounds, kindly passed along the new Ponytail LP to me a few weeks ago. It hasn't stray far from my ears, as Do Whatever You Want All The Time appears to be a stellar follow-up to Ice Cream Spiritual.
While similar hyperactive passages and exploratory guitar noise are implemented, the new work seems to find the band honing in on a much more focused mission. Their goal again is to spread an incredibly positive feeling in the form of textured guitar wizardry, percussive vocals, and mind-numbing drum beats. However, this time that objective is complimented with a plethora of softer and more melodic moments.
A more diverse pallet is certainly drawn from on this record, but "Easy Peasy" proves that the same sugar-coated and lovable sound is what still drives this Baltimore band. The new LP is out next month on We Are Free, and don't sleep on the teaser video.
Even though Ponytail have currently disbanded, they have a new LP coming soon. Recored prior to their break-up, Do Whatever You Want All The Time is due this spring.
Above is a teaser video for the record created by Dustin Wong, a spastic collage of sights and sounds that are meant to embody the new LP. While this video may not make much sense to me in a few days, it makes perfect sense to me now as I am currently fading in and out of delirium with a nasty case of the flu. Plus, any video with Brian Billick blowing kisses is ace in my book. Hat tip to Altered Zones for the preview video.
Do Whatever You Want All The Time is out April 12 via We Are Free.
More often than not, album titles have little to do with the actual sounds and frequencies that emanate from the grooves of the record or tape that it labels. However Ken Seeno's new album, Invisible Surfer On An Invisible Wave, is not one of those occurrences, as the album drifts and dashes through salt water and curling waves that could only exist in some sort of unobtainable fantasy land. Check out "The Ocean After a Storm" below.
Ken Seeno is originally from Ponytail, Baltimore's favorite spazz punk purveyors of melody that are currently on hiatus. You've heard me rant and rave about Ponytail's Dustin Wong, and now you'll likely hear me go on and on this year about another member's solo work. Ken's work is shown in a different light, one that shines from deeper in the cosmos down on unknown landscapes and exotic habitats.
It feels innately spiritual, the kind of music that throws you deep into a daze, but never once allowing you to take your mind off the sounds you're hearing. This particular release does an excellent job in capturing complex and intimate ideas using incredibly simple synths and melodies that cascade and scatter like skipping several rocks across a lake at the same time. It's ideal for late night zone-outs, but as hard as it is to imagine right now, I can see it working best on a hazy summer evening.
Get Ken Seeno's Invisible Surfer On An Invisible Wave from NNA Tapes.
Dustin Wong plays this Friday night at the G Spot in Baltimore for our Hallowen show along with Celebration, Sri Aurobindo, and Microkingdom. Tickets can be found here.
With much thanks to David Carter, I'm pleased to offer a recording of Dustin Wong's performance this past Saturday at the Metro Gallery as part of the Iraqui Student Project's benefit show. This was the first of two shows Dustin played that night, and provides excellent documentation of just how magical his performances can be. Stream the set in full below (available to stream for a limited time).
While I can't say I witnessed this set, I saw him close out Soft Fest later that evening. More on that amazing event to come, as we'll be featuring some coverage in the near future. The recording of his Metro Gallery set earlier that night finds Dustin in top notch form, blasting through a jam rich in familiar sounds from Infinite Love. It's been amazing to watch his live show grow and transform over the past year, transcending the mind-melting melodies and aura of past projects like Ecstatic Sunshine and Ponytail. One can only expect more great things to come from this guitar mastermind.
Baltimore's favorite spazz-core rock band played Whartscape this year on Saturday outside the Current Gallery, all while rumors swirled regarding the band's status. Word on the street was that this might be the last Ponytail set for the foreseeable future, and as it turns out those rumors had some truth behind them.
All this aside, Ponytail played a very solid set that was full of new material and some old favorites. The set was closed out with "Die Allman Bruders", and you'll find Guy Werner's recording of the last song below.
I spoke with Dustin Wong yesterday via email, who was kind enough to confirm and explain the current status of Ponytail. Here's what Dustin had to say...
"The set at Whartscape would probably be the last show in a while. Everybody is off going about their own endeavors, which is really exciting, I think. Ken's writing his own music and Molly is on a journey to find her self and Jeremy drums for the Boredoms now. I think its really good, and if by chance the scattered happens to gather again, it would be another interesting experiment."
Dustin went on to share my excitement for his upcoming solo record on Thrill Jockey, and was kind enough to let me provide this last audible reminder of how amazing this band has been over the years. Look for more to come on Dustin and Ken's solo projects, and many thanks to Ponytail for all the awesome shows and vibes they've provided to us here in Baltimore and beyond.
From the first time I met Nick Often and Greg Ward of Rapdragons last year, the two Baltimore rappers were enticing me with a local-oriented project they had in the works. The project is titled Featuring Baltimore, and it will be officially released for free tomorrow via their very own LTD Comp.
Featuring Baltimore is a full length mixtape, where in which each song samples from a different Baltimore artist. The result of Nick and Greg's superior taste in local music and knack for beat-cooking is 16 tracks of hip hop ready for any summer party. Hear a taste below.
"Dragon's Heart" samples "A Dog's Dick" by Lower Dens, one of the standout tracks on the new Lower Dens LP that drops later this summer. The Rapdragons take on the jam capitalizes on the killer bass line found in the original, and of course adds on top verses of Nick and Greg's party rap that Bmore has come to know and love.
The full release can be downloaded for free on LTD Comp tomorrow, and features samples deriving from The Agrarians, Beach House, Double Dagger, Future Islands, Ponytail, Weekends, Baby Venom, Dope Body, Arbouretum, Secret Mountains, Mr. Moccasin, The Art Department, Lo Moda, and more. Peep the full track listing below.
Rapdragons - Featuring Baltimore (LTD Comp.)
01 Early for Work (samples Late for School by Ponytail)
02 Come Harvest (samples Growing Season by Secret Mountains)
03 Plot Twist (samples Shakescene by The Agrarians)
04 Trivial Prey feat. Rebel Conscious (samples Grave Hunter by Mr. Moccasin)
05 Camp Everywhere (samples Camp Nowhere by Weekends)
06 Real Summer (samples False Spring by Arbouretum)
07 Memory (samples Vision by Dope Body)
08 Manifest (samples Camouflage by Double Dagger)
09 Bury (samples Dig by Blood Baby)
10 Rap'n'Roll feat. AK & Hanna Badalova (samples Rock'n'Roll by The Art Department)
11 Slick Rick (samples Eyepatch by Baby Venom)
12 I Went to Her feat. Seven (samples You Came to Me by Beach House)
13 Constant Metropolis (samples Istanbul by Lo Moda)
14 Dragon's Heart (samples A Dog's Dick by Lower Dens)
15 Big Dreamers (samples Little Dreamer by Future Islands)
16 Gotta Go feat. Hemlock Ernst (samples Cannot Move by Existencils)
Both Chrissy and Valerie helped build a pretty elaborate portfolio of photo sets from shows in Baltimore this year. Chrissyalready sharedher top memories, and here are Valerie's top ten favorite photos she took in 2009, with her thoughts on each shot.
I've been shooting for Bmore Musically Informed since April, and I've loved being a part of it. I have met so many awesome people over the past several months. Similar to Chrissy, I chose the following based on the experiences tied to the show and on the photos themselves. 2009 hosted some of the best concerts I've ever been to, I can't wait to see what 2010 will bring 10. The Faint at Sonar This was the first show I shot for Bmore Musically Informed, and even though I have taken many better pictures since this one, I feel it is an appropriate place to start.
8. Carsick Cars at Open Space I love taking pictures like this. I have no idea if anyone else likes them as much as I do.
7. Dustin Wong at Soft Fest I really like the tone and composition of this photo, I think it conveys the way everyone felt that night. Soft Fest was a brilliant idea, and one of the singers during the night (although I forget who) put it perfectly: "I have never seen an audience at a show be so quiet, for so long, for such good reasons."
6. Ponytail at the Ottobar I have no idea how I survived this show, or how my camera survived it. Ponytail fans are dangerous.
4. Le Loup at the Ottobar Le Loup is one of my favorite bands, and they played beautifully at this show. I love almost all of the shots from this night.
3. Lightwriting with A.K. Slaughter Hanging out with Aran and Emily of A.K. Slaughter in a creepy alley, while they figured out a way to vomit light in photographic form. What else can I say?
2. Celebration at Load of Fun Celebration playing in an ice cave. Everything about this night was fantastic.
1. Future Islands at Floristree Probably one of the best photos I've ever taken. Sam is so theatrical when he performs, it's easy to get good shots of him.
On Saturday, Floristree hosted an epic matinee show, giving Baltimore a damn good reason to come out as early as 4 PM. Double Dagger, Videohippos, Ponytail, and Ecstatic Sunshine each played two sets. Multiple stages were in play at the H&H, and the early evening show also included video shorts from Mark Brown, Evan Devine, Matt Porterfield, and Robby Rackleff.
While some might have been skeptical of the idea of a matinee show, especially of such epic proportions, the general consensus was highly positive. It gave you something super awesome to do at 4 PM on a Saturday, it allowed you to go to 2 full shows in one weekend day, and when it was over it was only 7 PM... plenty of time for activities!
Full 90-shot photo set of all bands compliments of Valerie and more words after the click. Double Dagger took yet another show by storm, no surprises here. At least one brand new song was played, a track that was also rocked at the Jesus Lizard show that featured the lyrics, "If you lived two lives, which do you call home?" This will be their last show for at least three months, so hopefully we all got our DD fix this weekend.
Ponytail are on the heels of putting together their next LP, and the second set they played on Sunday featured pretty much all new songs. Based off these tracks, more big things are most certainly coming from this local force. A lot of the new songs really took advantage of Dustin Wong's freak-of-nature guitar chops, and provided a few more mellow and intricate melodies and loops.
This was Videohippos second performance since adding Jared Paolini and Benny Boeldt, the first one being their set opening up for Celebration at LoF a month or two back. The new additions have turned this spaced out electro pop group into a whole new entity, and I for one am stoked at the new and more organic material to come. Look for a podcast session of a private performance Videohippos played for us last week to come here at bmoremusic.net in the near future.
Ecstatic Sunshine is always a treat, and Sunday proved no different. Matthew Papich transcended beautiful looping landscapes, much like what you'll find on his new album Yesterday's Work. I picked up a copy of the freshly released Yesterday's Work at the show, and have been spinning it ever since. I was warned by some folks on Beatbots that I may have released my top 20 Baltimore albums list too early, and they were absolutely correct. Expect a feature on this piece in the near future.
Full Flikr set of the entire show is here, and the flash gallery is below.
This weekend isn't so much a clusterfuck, as their seems to be a pretty clear path of adventures to choose. These particular adventures also happen to be some of the raddest in awhile.
Friday night, I suggest kind of sort of taking it easy. There's a lot ahead of you, and burning out too quickly this weekend will result in failure. However, with a 25 piece band covering Fela Kuti tunes for the masses, this might prove difficult.
The Baltimore Afrobeat Society is holding their yearly event at the H&H, dubbing it this year the "Fela Anikulapo Kuti Dance Party". This is always a great event, and provides plenty of an ass-shaking good time. The event is kindly asking for 10 bucks, and the show starts at 11. Sleep in late after this one, as Saturday will provide a full day's worth of awesomeness. Saturday is the epic throwdown at Floristree, with four of Baltimore's biggest bands on one bill. Double Dagger, Ponytail, Videohippos, and Ecstatic Sunshine will all melt faces in grand fashion. This is a rare matinee show, with doors opening at 3 PM and the show starting at 4 PM.
Each band will perform two sets, with video intermissions in between each set compliments of Mark Brown, Evan Devine, Matt Porterfield, and Robby Rackleff. This show has absolutely zero potential of sucking, and might prove to be one of the more epic lineups of 2009. Double Dagger even promised a taco cart in an email yesterday... a taco cart people!
After having your mind completely blown all afternoon, head to the Zodiac to continue adventuring. SHDWPLY heavyweights, The Super Vacations, will be in town with labelmates Gary War. More on their new jams here, and opening will be the always entrancing Lands and Peoples.
If you are still alive after Saturday, and man will you hope you will be, this Sunday proves not just to be the day of rest. Jesus Camp (megachurch in Hampden) is throwing their first big big show, with Future Islands, Javelin, Grandchildren, Mark Brown, and 400 Cloaks (Meredith Moore, Andrew Burt). This lineup is stacked from start to finish, and should prove worth heading out on a Sunday. Javelin is responsible for one the best remixes on the new Future Islands remix 12 inch by Free Danger, and the rest should keep it more than interesting as well.
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.
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.
Bmore Musically Informed recently had the privilege of recording an intimate performance with Rapdragons. Greg Ward and Nick Often invited us over to the Copycat, and tore through six live tracks which we recorded, videotaped, photographed and absorbed in all fashions of the sort.
These tracks will eventually be a part of a brand new podcast program, which will debut sometime in the very near future. Until then I've got four of the tracks for you to download now, some of which are exclusive premieres, and all of which will appear on Rapdragons' Featuring Baltimore project.
After the click, you'll find four new jams that sample some choice local flavor including Ponytail, Weekends, Secret Mountains, and The Agrarians. Hearing for yourself below comes highly recommended. Rapdragons just dropped their debut LP a month or so ago, and are already deep in the works of their next project. Aptly titled Featuring Baltimore, this release will only sample bands that are familiar with Natty Boh. From what I've heard so far, this is going to be an all-around good time and I am quite stoked about the idea of this release.
Lucky for us, Greg and Nick let us hook up some gear to their PA, and record four of these new tracks a few weeks ago. These were performed in front of an intimate crowd at the Copycat, most of which gathered on the couches surrounding them as they performed. Thanks to our sound guy that night, Charlie Hughes, the quality of these recordings came out damn near perfect.
The track list is below, and includes an exclusive premiere of the Ponytail sampled "Early for Work". All four jams are quite excellent, and should be a good taste of whats soon to come from Rapdragons. Indulge below, and you can catch these guys at the Zodiac on Saturday.
via Bmore Musically Informed, and other local friends and outlets
Track List: 1. Plot Twist (samples "ShakesScene" by The Agrarians) 2. Come Harvest (samples "Growing Season" by Secret Mountains) 3. Early for Work (samples "Late for School" by Ponytail) 4. Camp Everywhere (samples "Camp Nowhere" by Weekends)
Ever since Fall started, weekends in Baltimore have been stockpiled with stellar shows to attend. Tough choices have been made, and there are more yet to be. I'm sure as heck not complaining about living in a city where choosing between this many shows is sometimes considered a problem.
Yeah, we got other problems too, but this is a music blog. Tonight TAXLO is throwing another one of their mega parties, with Peaches, Ponytail, and Men at Sonar. Now, you won't find too many Peaches tracks on my iTunes, but I'd sure as hell go to check out what their live spectacle is all about.
Ponytail, is a band that needs no more endorsement from me. Their last show at the Ottobar was considered by some to be epic, and I thought they rocked some faces off an eager crowd. Not to mention, I'm not sure I got across off how amazing Dustin Wong was at Soft Fest. Dustin performed guitar compositions similar to what is on Seasons, an album that he had written on the back about how playing the songs live would require at least seven times the sets of hands to perform. Plus, most know Molly Siegel, Jeremy Hyman, and Ken Seeno are going to bring it just as hard. The Zodiac also hosts a good one tonight, of the more relaxed variety. Lizz King is performing a rare acoustic set, with Andy Abelow and Golden Ghost on support. You can still snag Andy Abelow's excellent set from Soft Fest via MP3 or FLAC.
Saturday night is yet again stuffed, but MT6 Fest only happens once a year. This year it goes down at the Hexagon, with two stages and the usual cast of misfits. Highlights include Abiku, Bad Liquor Pond, Herioin UK, Newagehillbilly, Needle Gun, and a whole lot more.
Another event on Saturday that is totally worth stopping by is a gallery opening at Open Space. The collection is being dubbed Ordinary Spectacles, which among many others, features the works of Steve Keene. Steve Keene is responsible for a whole mess of album artwork, including some of Pavement's cover art.
Epic is often an overused term when it comes to describing a live show, but having seen Ponytail a bunch and going to loads of other shows, epic is the only way to describe Friday night at the Ottobar. See for yourself above, as Valerie captured each and every energy-filled moment in stellar fashion. Hear for yourself below, as the Baltimore Taper has provided us with the exclusive live recording of the show in MP3 and FLAC format. This show had been rescheduled twice, only adding to the hype and anticipation of one of Baltimore's most beloved local talents. Dustin Wong, Jeremy Hyman, Ken Seeno and Molly Siegel were all greeted by a an eager crowd, and fed off the onlookers exuberance throughout the entire action-packed set. Euphoria was reached via blissful guitars, heady drumming, and the shrieks and chants of the always colorful Molly Siegel.
This was easily one of the best sets I've witnessed all year, and you'd be a fool to not take a listen for yourself below. Jeff's recordings are lacking two of the songs, both of which are new tunes that will be featured on the new album. Look for Ponytail's next effort to hit us on We*Are*Free sometime in 2010, and based off the new tracks played Friday night... you can commence salivation.
Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3 Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com) Sound: Adam Cooke
With an extra huge thanks to the Baltimore Taper, below is the Crazy Dreams Band's entire performance from Friday night free to download. Having only seen them a handful of times, this was certainly one of their better performances. While their avant stoner rock sludge might not have fit with the energy of the rest of the show, Lexi Mountain ensured that things stayed interesting at the Ottobar. Crazy Dreams Band were slotted before the headlining local heavyweights, and personally I would have liked to have seen Dope Body in this slot to help keep people amped and lively. Nonetheless, Crazy Dreams Band put on a driven and creative set, and remain a band that I will continue to enjoy seeing as they evolve. Download the set below.
Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3 Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com) Sound: Adam Cooke
Courtesy of the Baltimore Taper, you can download the audio to DJ Dogdick's entire set at the Ottobar Friday below. Dude played a set chock full of avant-club-pop-noise, soaked in all kinds of weirdness. He seemed to be enjoying himself, with a crowd that half of which appeared to have no idea how to react to such noisey fun. The highlight was definitely my personal favorite, "High Dive", complete with an intriguing verbal freak-out that almost resulted in playing the tune all over again... which most certainly wouldn't have complained about. Noised-out jams like "Grease That I Got" were pretty solid as well. Experience the complete set via MP3 or FLAC below.
Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3 Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com) Sound: Adam Cooke
Above is the first set of last night's local stampede at the Ottobar, free to download courtesy of the Baltimore Taper. Dope Body provided thrash wave comradery for the Friday crowd, and if you missed out or would like to reminisce, please indulge above. Jeff has been kind enough to let me exclusively release the entirety of last night's show via MP3 or FLAC files, which includes what has to be one of the most epic Ponytail sets I have ever witnessed. Check back here for the audio and photography (compliments of Valerie) from Crazy Dreams Band, DJ Dogdick, and Ponytail sometime tomorrow.
Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3 Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com) Sound: Adam Cooke
Another solid show is going down Friday at the Talking Head with Deleted Scenes, Soft Cat, and more. If you choose the Talking Head show, check back here at bmoremusic.net for the audio from the stellar Ottobar lineup courtesy of Jeff. Shit hits the fan Saturday, with three quality shows to choose from. The Baltimore Taper is throwing his 5 year anniversary party, and inviting some his favorite bands to help celebrate. Heroin UK, the Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad, and more will all grace the Metro Gallery's presence. Rumor has it, this is the DMFS's last show of the year.
Sonar also has a stellar one, with local hero's Double Dagger headlining a show that includes the LA noise-wavers Health. Health are fresh off the release of Get Color, a much more focused affair than their last. And last but not least, Nuclear Power Pants is having an album release party at Floristree Saturday night. You can check out some positive reception for Wicked Eats the Warrior over at Beatbots and Aural States.
