Video: Avey Tare - "Lucky 1"

This week Paw Tracks dropped the first taste from Avey Tare's new solo album, and today we see the video for the Animal Collective member's song, "Lucky 1".



Abby Portner's visual interpretation capitalizes on the swamp-themed album, adding psychedelics fit for any late-night wetland experimentation.  The former Maryland resident's new album has been boasted to feature murky underwater sounds, and was recorded by Josh Dibb AKA Deakin. Alligators are also pointed out to have played a major role in the new record, one of David Portner's favorite animals.

Avery Tare's Down There hits shelves October 26 via Paw Tracks.

Tonight: Arbouretum, Pilgrim, Caltrop

Tonight the Metro Gallery hosts our favorite purveyors of guitar-driven doom folk, Arbouretum. They'll be supported by Baltimore's Pilgrim and North Carolina's Caltrop.



Arbouretum just finished recording their new full length, the follow up to Song Of The Pearl. The new record was recorded at Vacation Island in Brooklyn, and features the lineup of Dave Heumann, Corey Allender, Matthew Pierce, and Buck Carey. A new dimension of sound was added, with Matthew Pierce's keyboard coming into play throughout the recording process, which allowed room for more exploration of melody.

Thrill Jockey promises the new LP to blow some minds, and says to expect some new sounds to be heard soon. The show tonight starts at 8 PM, and costs eight dollars.

Rye Rye - "Sunshine" ft. M.I.A.

Baltimore's 19 year old Rye Rye was the first to get signed to M.I.A.'s imprint on Interscope, and her debut album Go! Pop! Bang! will finally hit streets early next year.



"Sunshine" is the second song offered off of the forthcoming record, and features vocals from M.I.A. The new track is a change-up from the dance numbers usually heard from Rye Rye, but her publicist writes of remixes in the works, so expect other versions that pack more of a fist. A video for the single is also promised.

The more chilled-out vibe comes complete with stellar production, helping achieve a silky smooth zone fit for a roller rink. In addition to Rye Rye's signature verbal onslaught, the young MC exudes a hearty helping of assurance and swagger. "Sunshine" is a well crafted chunk of pop complete with school girl drama, hand claps, and a mega-catchy bass line.

Go! Pop! Bang! will be released via N.E.E.T. sometime in early 2011.

Celebration - "Great Pyramid"

The ongoing Electric Tarot project from Celebration continues forward today, with a brand new card dealt. The new card comes in the form of the song, "Great Pyramid".



This is the first of a new batch of tracks that were recorded and produced a bit differently than the first four, with the help of neighbor Steve Wright from WrightWay Studios here in Remington. This will be the last track on the A-side of the Hello Paradise vinyl LP, which is now available for pre-order right here from Friends Records.

Celebration's next Baltimore show is the Friends Records Halloween show at The G Spot October 29 with Dustin Wong, Microkingdom, and Sri Aurobindo. Celebration also play in New York this Saturday, October 9th with Andrew Cedermark, Woodsman, and Updied Sound at Glasslands in Brooklyn.

Tonight: Ruiner, Double Dagger, The Spark, Never Enough, Sacred Love @ Charm City Art Space

poster by Nolen Strals

Tonight is Ruiner's second to last show ever, and it will take place at the venue where they had their first show ever, the Charm City Art Space. Opening the event will be Double Dagger, The Spark, Never Enough, and Sacred Love. The Spark and Never Enough played Ruiner's first ever gig at CCAS, and will both be reuniting just for tonight's show.



The show tonight starts at 7 PM, and Ruiner's last show is Saturday the 9th at Sonar.

Photos: Dan Deacon, Wolf Eyes, Get Em Mamis, DJ Dog Dick and Sewn Leather @ Rams Head Live

This show was weird from the moment it was announced, as Baltimore's warehouse party icon was set to play the corporate-feel confines of Rams Head Live. That's not meant to be a blow at either, as mad props go out to giving this idea a whirl... and even more props for letting DJ Dog Dick and Sewn Leather take the stage.


These dudes were undoubtedly the highlight of the evening, blasting the zone with a heavy dose of jaded noise-hop sludge that was louder than ever before. A half full venue stood dumbfounded - seemingly unsure of how to react to this undeniably entertaining tandem. Is there a proper way to dance to DJ Dog Dick? The world may never know, but certainly a question that's worth investigating further sometime.


Sound and noise was the theme of the evening, with some hip hop thrown in for good measure. The Rams Head sound system pierced noggins in ways that probably should have made ear plugs mandatory. Wolf Eyes and Dan Deacon took full advantage of this, with the latter displaying a handful of fresh new tracks with some serious promise.


Get the full set of photos by Valerie from this interesting affair after the jump.

Jake Lingan - Labor of Love

It's raining doom here in Baltimore right now, and I can't think of a better time to introduce a piece of work from a local native and Chicago transplant, Jake Lingan.



"Birthers" is the opening track on Labor of Love, over eight minutes of ambient soundscapes and effortless drone. "Birthers" feels like the calm before the storm, eventually giving way to pitch black clouds and harsh objects falling from the heavens. These objects are forewarned by calls from unknown beasts, and then take the form of severe noise that crackles static similar to raindrops.

The album was recorded in a high rise apartment in the loop of Chicago from January 2010 to March 2010, facing the monolithic Willis Tower. Lingan explains that the "building inspired me to make the music. I love how dominating that building is, and at night how the two white radio towers are lit, giving it a somewhat satanic look."

There are many influences at play when jumping into these recordings, but the sounds of Jason Urick are certainly the first to come to mind. This release comes in the form of cassette tape, and is available for order via Friends Records right here. The digital album will be available next week as well.

Show: Dan Deacon, Get Em Mamis, Wolf Eyes, DJ Dog Dick, Sewn Leather, and DJ Cullen Stalin

In the year's biggest what-the-fuck show booking so far, tomorrow night Rams Head Live will host Dan Deacon, Get Em Mamis, Wolf Eyes, DJ Dog Dick, Sewn Leather, and Cullen Stalin. This one is aimed at local collegiate study-folk, as a college ID will get you in for free. Others pay $10, and everyone gets a shot at a smorgasbord of electronic, noise, hip hop, club, and everything in between.

This will likely be the only chance you'll ever get to hear the melted and heavy noise of Wolf Eyes or the synthetic hip hop sludge of DJ Dog Dick at a venue in Power Plant. I've seen Max Eisenberg AKA Dog Dick perform a few times over the past couple years, and I stumbled upon his three track CDR a few months ago.



"Lap Dog" is the opening song off of Grease That I Got, and is by far the closest thing I've ever heard to a ballad from Eisenberg. Lofty synths and jaded beats give way to a warped R&B heartbreaker, all masked under Dog Dick's hazy vocals. This is followed by Eisenberg's signature abrasive and noisy beats in "New Swing Music", which then turns to the weirdo party anthem that is "Grease That I Got".

The show is tomorrow night, September 29, at Rams Head Live. Doors are at 8 PM.

Photos: Japanther, Dope Body, Blood Baby

Valerie went out and attended the mayhem that was the Japanther, Dope Body, Blood Baby show at the Penthouse last Thursday night. This was rumored to be Blood Baby's second to last show, and was fresh off Citypaper crowning Dope Body the best new band in Baltimore. Oh and hey, this here blog was voted the second best local blog in the 2010 Readers Poll, thanks folks!

More of Valerie's shots from last week's affair below and after the jump.

Interview / Contest: Dustin Wong

Dustin Wong's Infinite Love is out on Thrill Jockey next week, and is up for pre order now. A select number of folks who order the album will have a "golden ticket" within the record's packaging that will grant access to a special one-on-one concert with Dustin via video chat to be called Infi-NET Love.



Dustin Wong and Thrill Jockey were kind enough to give us a golden ticket to give away. Send an email to bmoremusicallyinformed@gmail.com with INFI-NET LOVE in the subject line telling us why you should get the ticket, and we'll pick a winner.

I recently had the pleasure of asking Dustin about the concept of his new solo album, psychedelic experiences, the LP's accompanying DVD, bands, and more...

BMI: Infinite Love is two tracks that both start and end in the same place, but each take their own course in getting there. Tell us about the ideas behind this concept?

DW: There is definitely an idea of fate and choice, but I'm also interested in the idea of conditioning.  Ideally I'm hoping that when one switches from a version to the other an effect similar to a malfunctioned escalator would occur.  If you've ever gone down or up a stopped escalator its so strange and its kind of a shock, the stairs looks like its actually moving and you end up stumbling.  It happens to almost everybody.  I want that shift in the listening ear.

With this new double LP the listener is meant to choose their own course, what advice would you give listeners when they make these choices?

My advice is not to alternate the 2 versions at first, I would get situated with one version.  Stay with it for a while and if you feel like you got a lot out of it switch to the 2nd version.  I think that shift will happen once you change.

The name of the album, Infinite Love, is a reference to a psychedelic experience of yours. Would you care to tell us about that experience?

I ate a good amount of mushrooms on my birthday last year.  It started fine and fun but after a while the trip started get really dark and heavy.  Me and my partner started to chant and sway around, Then I decided that I had to lye down.  I think I said something like, "I'm going to give birth".  So I was on my bed pushing like a pregnant mom would, flexing, then it was just peace, and I felt the love.  I kept on repeatedly saying, "infinite love, infinite love... ".  It felt like I could do anything, it was amazing.  I experimented with salvia for a month or two this year and that has been really insightful as well, very interesting stuff.

Soft Cat - "When My Brother Reaches Me"

For Neil Sanzgiri, Andy Abelow, Amy Marco, Sianna Plavin, Kate Barutha, Bob Keal, Brendan Sullivan, Adam Lempel, and Grey Haas, and all of us following - Wildspace may have been a long time coming. Since the record was unveiled at the beginning of the year, we've seen a couple videos and songs that showed promise of something special from Soft Cat. But, this week we now see the full release of this delicate folk pop album.



The sixth track on the full length,"When My Brother Reaches Me", is surely the most celebratory track of the bunch. This is the point in the album where time stops and allows you to focus on natural beauty and joy, which often goes unnoticed by the surrounding progression.

Soft Cat and Friends Records are offering the digital version of Wildspace on a pay-what-you-want scale, and the limited cassette version of the full length is also now available for pre order. You can also stream the record in full over at the Bandcamp page.

The band's next show is October 7 in Baltimore with Avocado Happy Hour and Bethany Dinsick. For those who pre order the release, the tape ships next month.

Clusterfuck: Pavement, High Zero, INEVERYROOM, XIU XIU, Death Set, Wavves, M.I.A., Christmas Island

Tonight the Metro Gallery welcomes back Xiu Xiu, who were supposed to play Whartscape but canceled after Sunday's storm. They'll be joined by the guitar and synth tribal glee of INEVERYROOM. This show starts at 8 PM and is 12 dollars.

High Zero is now going strong, with more performances scheduled all weekend long. I caught wind of of one of the awesome HighJinx events a few night's ago in front of the Charles, and I'd suggest looking out for those all weekend in addition to the main events each night.

Pavement is coming to Columbia, Maryland to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday as part of this year's Virgin Fest. They'll be joined by LCD Soundsystem, M.I.A. Yeasayer, Maximum Balloon and a lot more. This festival is dubbed "FreeFest", but those tickets are gone and you can now buy tickets here for $125 according to organizers.



Saturday night Taxlo takes over the Ottobar with Wavves, The Death Set, Christmas Island, and Popo. Afterwords they host M.I.A.'s DJ with "surprise special guests" upstairs. Conclude what you will, this one starts at 9:30 PM.

Tonight: Japanther, Blood Baby, Dope Body

Tonight you can get classy at the Penthouse with a triple header that's sure to make your ears spin in that good way. The bill sports Japanther, Blood Baby, and Dope Body.



If all goes well at the Copycat tonight, we hopefully all won't be ending abruptly while singing along "1,2,3,4 fuck the cops" like in "Radical Businessman". Tonight is also rumored to be the second to last Blood Baby show, and if you've seen this rare breed of antics and adrenaline before, you'll know this ain't to be missed.



Dope Body are fresh off being named "Best New Band" by the Citypaper, and I'd advise coming to get rowdy with them to celebrate. I've been hearing some really exciting things about recordings in the works for these dudes, so expect rad new things.

Fan Death Fall Mixtape

Baltimore-based Fan Death Records has continued to relinquish noisy and jaded sounds from the likes of artists mostly not from their home state. The most recent exception to this rule is an incredible seven inch from Baltimore mainstay Jason Urick.

Today the label put together a stellar Fall mixtape, highlighting some current sounds the label has to offer. Included in the mix is the A-side of Urick's recent 7 inch called "This Is Critical", a haunting wash of noise suitable for any variety of freak out.

The mix also boasts sounds from Puerto Rico Flowers, Screen Vinyl Image, Clockcleaner, Broken Water, Homostupids, and Lamps. Look for more great things to come from these dudes this coming fall. Take a listen to the mix which has taken over their site here.

High Zero 2010

All this week in Baltimore is High Zero, one of the country's premiere gatherings for improv and experimental sound. This is the event's 12th year of existence, with performances of all varieties happening all week here in town.

This year's High Zero brings in experimental musicians from all over the world including Hans Koch, Karen Borca, Wobbly, Tomoko Sauvage, Gary Smith, Ju Suk Reet Meate, Andew Neumann, Juanjose Rivas, Tuna Pase, and Keith Fullerton Whitman. These out of towners will join forces with some of Baltimore's finest experimental sound-smiths including Ami Dang (above), Drew Daniel, Dan Deacon, Owen Gardner, Marc Miller, Liz Meredith, M.C. Schmidt, Michael Muniak, Stewart Mostofsky, Ayako Kataoka, Shelly Blake-Plock, and Tiffany Defoe.

The main events will take place at the Theatre Project starting on Thursday, and sound installations will be presented at Gallery Four starting tomorrow. There will be a pre-festival concert called "Ghost Dancers" which takes place at the 2640 Space on September 22nd. There will also be "Hijinx" events, which are street performances that will take place all over the city. Keep updated on these impromptu events right here.

Get full details on the event here, and peep the main schedule after the jump.

Tuesday 9/21 at Gallery 4, H&H Building, 7:30
Opening of "Electric Petting Zoo," High Zero sound installations by Tristan Perich, Karl Ekdahl, and Julie Benoit
With an opening performance by:
- Tristan Perich, in duo with Tom Goldstein, on crotales, perform a hypnotic minimalist composition by Perich
- Ich Auch: First live performance of synth/drums improv duo with Karl Ekdahl.
- Salamander Wool Quartet. Carson Garhardt's music, in forst ever quartet format, with Dan Breen, Paul Neidhardt, and Walker Teret.
- Tristan Perich, 1 bit improvisation.
- Recommending donation for performance: $5

Wednesday 9/22 at 2640 Space; 8PM $5
Ghost Dancer's: An special atmospheric concert by Susan Alcorn (pedal steel guitar) and Claire Barratt (movement) at 2640 Space (2640 St. Paul St.).

Thursday 9/23, Opening Night at Theatre Project, 8;30, $12
Experimental performances with Shelly Blake-Plock, Ami Dang, Owen Gardner, Liz Meredith, Tuna Pase, Karen Borca, Tiffany Defoe, Shayna Dunkelman, Marc Miller, Michael Muniak, M.C. Schmidt, Dragos Tara, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Andrea Neumann, Juanjosè Rivas and Wobbly.

Friday 9/24 at Theatre Project, 8;30, $12
Experimental performance with Andrea Neumann, Tiffany Defoe, Hans Koch, Stewart Mostofsky, Karen Borca, Ami Dang, Ayako Kataoka, Tomoko Sauvage, Owen Gardner, Liz Meredith, Dr. Johannes Rosenberg, Drew Daniel, Dan Deacon, Tuna Pase, Juanjosè Rivas.

Saturday Matinee 9/25 at Theatre Project, 1PM, $12
Two special projects conceived and curated by Baltimore's Ayako Kataoka and Dan Deacon involving numerous High Zero performers.

Saturday Night 9/25 at Theatre Project, 8;30, $12
Experimental performance with Karen Borca, Hans Koch, Liz Meredith, Michael Muniak, Tuna Pase, Gary Smith, Shelly Blake-Plock, Dr. Johannes Rosenberg, Wobbly, Ju Suk Reet Meate, Marc Miller, Stewart Mostofsky, Tomoko Sauvage, Shayna Dunkelman, Juanjosè Rivas.

Sunday 9/26 at Theatre Project, 8;30, $12
Experimental performance with Keith Fullerton Whitman, Owen Gardner, Marc Miller, Gary Smith, Shelly Blake-Plock, Dan Deacon, Ju Suk Reet Meate, Ayako Kataoka, Hans Koch, Tomoko Sauvage, M.C. Schmidt, Drew Daniel, Shayna Dunkelman, Keith Fullerton Whitman, Wobbly.