Photos: Cotton Jones, The Christmas Lights, The Owls Go

Photos by Chrissy

Disclaimer: I ruptured my ear drum Friday night, and still do not have proper hearing ability. This was my first show back in action. My thoughts are right ear biased.

A decent turnout arrived for Monday night's lineup at the Ottobar which boasted Cotton Jones, The Christmas Lights, and The Owls Go. I missed most of the openers, but showed up in time to catch the lead singer of Owls Go singing through a phone headset. Certainly caught my attention, and seemed worth arriving in a more timely fashion.

The Christmas Lights were more than likely the first band I've ever seen coming out of the Frostburg music scene. Not entirely sure there is enough action to constitute a scene in Frostburg, but dudes did a nice job representing either way. High energy key synths paired with some solid beats made a quality pairing to the lead singer's restrained yet often eratic bursts of energy.

Also hailing from the far western hills of Maryland, Cotton Jones provided the evening's nightcap. Bringing their wide array of psychadelic country to display for us city folk, their live sound was indeed pleasant. Maybe not full of as much southern comfort as Paranoid Cocoon, but entertaining and enjoyable nonetheless. Paul McCartney covers and all, a quality performance all around.

Free Brian Adam Ant Mixtape

Local post-folk singer and songwriter Brian Adam Ant recently got out of his element and put together a free mixtape.

Children Eating, volumes 1 and 2, were recorded using a 4-tack cassette recorder, sampler, and his record collection. Very minimal digital editing was applied, providing an organic listening experience for all.

Download both eclectically hand-picked volumes for free right here:

Children Eating Vol. 1
Children Eating Vol. 2

The tracks used for the tapes can be found below, and be sure to check out Bmore Music's interview with Brian Adam Ant, and last summer's listening party.

Vol. 1
animal collective-summertime clothes
kate bush-runnin up that hill
Busta rhymes- put your hands where my eyes could see
Bonnie Prince Billy- Wolf Among Wolves
Funkadelic- Back in our Minds
Paul McCartney- Momma Miss America

Vol. 2
Wu Tang Clan
Buddy Rich
The Beatles-Tomorrow Never Knows
Papa M
Animal Collective- Also Frightened
Sly And The Family Stone- Higher
Elvis Presley- Mystery Train
Brian Adam Ant- Dig A Hole

Tonight: Cotton Jones

A more than pleasing soundtrack to your Monday evening, Cotton Jones plays Baltimore tonight. The group returns to their native state of Maryland, bringing their ever evolving sounds of folk, pop, alt-country, and woodsy psychedelia.

Originally Michael Nau's side project to Page France, Cotton Jones recently dropped their debut under this moniker via Suicide Squeeze. Paranoid Cocoon is a pretty solid affair, and floats along like a stroll through the forest to grandmother's house.

The band swoons the Ottobar tonight, with support deriving from the Owls Go and the Christmas Lights.

Photos: Wavves, Vampire Hands, Blood Baby

Photos by Chrissy

Last night's show at the Zodiac was aurally solid, and quite fun. Wavves displayed his west coast no-fidelity surf pop with pure enthusiasm that made it impossible to stand still. Nathan Williams proved he deserved the ridiculous amount of hype he's gotten as of late, and his catchy as hell tunes translated even more infectiously live.

Vampire Hands were an extremely pleasant surprise, and made me wonder why I've never checked them out. They rocked moveable psych-infused tracks that left you feeling giddy and nostalgic, and I myself hope to be getting my non-vampire hands on some of their records ASAP.

Gawk at Chrissy's photos above, and definitely check either band out next time around.

Free Show: Wavves and More!

I think the flyer pretty much speaks for itself on this one. But if you need more insight, expect no-fi surf pop anthems, crunchy post psychadelic rock tunes, and more!

Also, come tonight to determine the fate of the crying kid to the left on the surf board. Will he survive? Will he drown? Will he be eaten?

The Zodiac has your answers tonight. Expect our photo review right here tomorrow.

Dinosaur Jr. Stomping Baltimore in May

One of the most influential alternative rock bands of our time, Dinosaur Jr., will be gracing the Ottobar with its presence on May 2nd. To say that this is a show that most will be amped about doesn't do justice to the anticipation currently building.

Recently signing to Jagjaguwar, Dinosaur Jr. are recording a new album that will be out on June 23rd. Farm will be their second album after their revival, as the band's last recording before 2007's Beyond was their 1988 LP titled Bug.

Most concur that the epic trio has picked up where they left off in the late 80's, and their upcoming release titled Farm should hopefully follow suit. The band will be giving away a free 7 inch each night of the upcoming tour. This limited freebie features a live cut from the new LP, and "Tarpit" off of their classic You're Living All Over Me.

Expect detailed coverage of the gig here in May, but I wouldn't dilly dally too long on grabbing tickets for this one. Check here for some live studio footage of the band.

Completely Unrelated: Where The Wild Things Are

This has nothing to do with Baltimore really, but I know we all adored this book growing up. The movie looks fantastic based on the trailer, but we have to wait until Fall to screen it. And need not worry, this post does indeed have some music related content...

The Arcade Fire tune "Wake Up" is featured in the trailer, and truly makes a great accompaniment. I'm sure I'm not the only person really looking forward to this one.

Tonight: Titus Andronicus / Here We Go Magic

Garage anthem drunkards, Titus Andronicus, will be soulfully blasting ears at the Ottobar tonight. Fairly recent signees to XL Recordings, the New Jersey band now shares a label with Radiohead & The White Stripes. Decent company to keep, I'd say.

Their debut album with XL screeches along like a Saturday night out when you were 18 and sneaking into your favorite college bar, with seven too many shots of whiskey in your tank. While there are glowing moments, its mostly just a night of fuzzy awesomeness paired with noisey ambitions.

Seemingly an odd match, Here We Go Magic will share the bill. Luke Temple's new band sounds like some dreamy and interesting psychadelic folkish music. Not sure if it will do much to prepare you for the headliners, but should be solid and pleasant nonetheless.

New Celebration: Electric Tarot

Continuing the evolution of the methods of our musical intake, one of Baltimore's best bands is releasing their new workings in seemingly clever fashion. Celebration's Electric Tarot website is now up and running.

As previously mentioned, the band will be releasing free MP3's via their site as they record them. They are accepting donations along the way, and will release the full set on vinyl upon completion of the endeavor.

While this is an ideal new take on the process, if these release plans completely blow your mind you probably either A) don't follow current music or B) work for a major label. However if the music does, that's alright. These 2 new gems are right along par with the steady and luminous growth of Celebration over the past few years.

Since their s/t debut, the band has melodically rocked our world in a jubilantly atmospheric manner. Katrina Ford's vocals continue to brilliantly dominate, and one can only assume the new jams illuminate even heavier live.

They just played SXSW, but check back for updates on future shows. Stream Celebration's new songs on my yellow playlist to your right, or download them right now.

Panda Bear's People Party

For their "One Week Only" feature, P4K is now offering live footage of Panda Bear's 2007 summer tour. While the DIY video of Panda Bear, WZT Hearts, Eric Copeland, and Tickley Feather performing live is pretty great, this tour documentary has already been made available for free.

Mike, of EatTapes, originally created the documentary with full intention of giving it away as a free DVD. While complications got in the way of allowing it to be a physical release, Mike hi-jacked the power of the "internet" to implement his original intentions.

Go here, for several ways in which to download this free DVD of Panda Bear and friends playing live. The highlight of the film is Panda Bear's 2007 homecoming show at the Ottobar. Next time you can catch him there is May 10th, as he will be performing with the full collective of animals. Tickets are all kinds of gone for this one though.

New Arbouretum Video

Never got a chance to post this one when it debuted last week, but here's the new and ultra creepy Arbouretum video. The video is for the song "Down by the Fall Line", off their spectacular new Song of the Pearl.

Arbouretum rock the Zodiac next Friday, with Happy Salmon and The Existencils opening. Next up for the band is a tour with Love as Laughter followed by a tour with Band of Horses.

Be sure to check our photo review from their show a few weeks ago at the Talking Head.

Animal Collective 3LP Box Set!

Animal Crack Box is Catsup Plate's 3LP box set of early Animal Collective material. Consisting of early hard-to-find gems like Campfire Songs and Danse Manatee, to say that this box set will be in demand is a glaring understatement.

The set will be limited to 1000 pressings, and will be available exclusively via Fusetron.

You can also auction for the set right here, which benefits Doctors Without Borders.

Animal Collective will be in their native land of Baltimore May 10th, and in DC May 11th. Both are ridiculously sold out so start searching here if you wish to attend. (via TMT)

Diplo x Switch = Major Lazer

The creation of Major Lazer was announced back in 2008, but the project's highly anticipated debut album is tentatively expected to drop June 16th on Downtown.

Major Lazer is the culmination of two of the world's most renowned DJs, Diplo and Switch. Philly by way of Baltimore by way of everywhere club genius Diplo seems to always have 900 things up his sleeve, but this project consisting of tweaked-out dancehall grooves has garnered the most anticipation of late.

The LP was to be Guns Don't Kill People-Lazers Do, but some debate over the title has recently been shared. Regardless, the album features Diplo and Switch standards M.I.A. and Santigold, and might even be cooler than a 1993 laser tag birthday party.

More Double Dagger Shows/Cover Art

Cover art for Double Dagger's More was revealed today, and is looking to be pretty much on par to any high expectations. Lofty hopes are probably the case considering Nolen and Bruce both teach design at MICA, and are resposibile for Post Typography.

The album is still due out May 5th via Thrill Jockey, but dude's have a busy week planned of wildly unrestrained post-hardcore fun. I admit, I still don't know how to effectively classify their utter awesomeness. Which is obviously a redeeming quality of the trio.

Based on the new songs they've been playing live, More is looking to be pretty ridiculous. And considering they are mini-touring with Future Islands this weekend, I'd say attending one or all of the following would be wise:

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 18
Towson, MD / Celebrated Summer Records
w/ Masshysteri (from Sweden, ex-The Vicious), Deep Sleep
All ages! 8:00 PM. (limited capacity)

THURSDAY, MARCH 19
Brooklyn, NY / Market Hotel
w/ Future Islands, Teeth Mountain, Liturgy

FRIDAY, MARCH 20
Philadelphia, PA
Danger Danger Gallery
w/ Future Islands, +1 local TBA

SATURDAY, MARCH 21
Baltimore, MD / Zodiac
w/ Future Islands, Child Bite
21+ only. 9:30 PM. $3

Chain and the Gang / The Hive Dwellers

I wouldn’t normally be highlighting a show this far down yonder, but it’s a must after having just previewed one of K Records upcoming releases. Chain and the Gang’s Down With Liberty....Up With Chains will be unveiled in a few weeks on April 7th.

On repeat since I recieved it, this LP brings 40 kitchen sinks...and then some. The band is Ian Svenonius’s concotion; formerly of Nation of Ulysses, the Make-Up & Weird War.

Their mission:

"Everywhere that liberty goes, it leaves a path of destruction. Fast food, bad architecture, materialism, rampant greed, environmental destruction, imperial conquest, class struggle; these phenomena, when combined, seem to be synonymous with “Liberty.” So just as it’s called “liberty” when war and greed stalk the land, Ian Svenonius calls his band Chain and the Gang. Like a true chain gang, they’re on the road to confront and defy any freedom-lovers that come across their path." (via)

All agenda aside, the album rips raw bursts of rock, funk, sweat, blues, and pretty much anything else. It also boasts a ridiculous supporting cast including Calvin Johnson, Karl Blau, Nicolaas Zwart, and a whole lot more in typical K Records fashion.

Chain and the Gang’s April 28th gig at the Talking Head couldn’t come any sooner. Especially when considering Calvin Johnston’s new band The Hive Dwellers will also head the bill. Also supporting will be Mahjongg. Check back for more deets on this one.

New Rye Rye

Local teenage club banger Rye Rye's got a new track to shake stuff to. The new jam is called "Bang", and is freshly posted to her myspace page. Have at it here.

The song features the British/Sri Lankan phenom M.I.A., and sounds to be produced by Baltimore club extraordinaire Blaqstarr.

The track originally appeared on Blaqstarr's I'm Bangin 2 mixtape. Rye Rye bangs SXSW this week, and I'd expect more info soon on her debut LP which is currently in the works.

Shake Rye Rye's last video to the ground below, as always, complete with choreographed booty shaking set at the inner harbor's fountains . Pretty much always a crowd pleaser.

Thrushes / Baby Aspirin

Walls of sound via Thrushes can cap off your Guinness marathon this Saturday, as they will be headlining the Talking Head. Support derives from the heavy-hearted rock and roll of Baby Aspirin.

Baltimore's rulers of shoegaze, Thrushes should look to fill your dreams with a high voltage jolt of noise and pop. Baby Aspirin's s/t debut is a modern take on many familiar and important genres, and it only gets better live. Sandwiched between the two local acts is Let's Wrestle, some promising psychedelic pop from London.

The Pains of Being Pure at Heart got taken off this lineup, but are taking a raincheck until May. The show on Saturday starts at 9, which may or may not be the amount of pints you've consumed up until that point. Cheers.

Photos: Beach House, Vetiver, Sian Alice Group

Photos: Chrissy

Last night's show was fantastic on multiple levels. Beach House dominated our ears, and soul, as always. Vetiver proved that the semi-new direction they were headed was the right adventure for Andy Cabic to choose. And, Sian Alice Group did a wonderful job priming the crowd for the headliners.

I wasn't sure what to expect from Vetiver's live performance, but I certainly got what I had hoped. Andy Cabic's voice translated well to a live setting, hitting all the necessary marks and then some. His songs were well-accentuated by the band, adding even more emphasis to each songs' ups and downs. Looking forward to the Record Store Day 7 inch, featuring the catchy-as-hell song they closed with.

Oh, Beach House. I've ranted and raved about them before, and last night's show was just another notch under the belt. The new songs are absolutely amazing, somehow adding even more depth and energy without tampering with their simplistic and mystical sound. Their stage presence has grown epically, creating a whole new dynamic to their already breathtaking performance. Perfect Wednesday evening all in all.

Beach House & Vetiver, Tonight.

Don't think twice about whether or not you should be attending tonight's show at Sonar. Epic pipes, top notch songwriting, monstrous keys, you get the picture.

Vetiver just relinquished Tight Knit, probably Andy Cabic's most succinct collection of tunes to date. Looking forward to hearing some live, and hopefully getting some old favorites tossed in the mix.

This is Beach House's last show until they head to Texas. Do I even need to say anything else about the local duo to convince you to grab tickets? I'm guessing not.

See you there. Check for pics tomorrowish.

Baltimore @ SXSW

The organized chaos that is South by Southwest gets going in less than 2 weeks. Bmore shall be wholeheartedly represented, with the range of local musicians heading down running the full gamut. Flocking south to Austin, Texas will be local flavors of hip hop, dream pop, avant, freak folk, spazz rock, club, and bit-pop.

SXSW attendees can look forward to highly anticipated new music showcased by Beach House, and performed by the teen club phenom that is Rye Rye. Below lies your friendly guide to Baltimore's representation of official shows at the annual music conference, complete with dates and venues. Start packing folks:

Adventure:

Thursday, March 19 10:00 p.m.

Volume (614 E 6th St)

Beach House:

Thursday, March 19 1:00 a.m.
Volume (614 E 6th St)

Friday, March 20 8:45 p.m.
Cedar Street Courtyard (208 W 4th St)

Saturday, March 21 6:00 p.m.
Auditorium Shores Stage (Lady Bird Lake) (Riverside Dr & S 1st St)

Blaqstarr:

Saturday, March 21 12:00 a.m.

Friends (208 E 6th St)

Chavy Boys:

Saturday, March 21 1:00 a.m.
Friends (208 E 6th St)

Ecstatic Sunshine:

Thursday, March 19 8:00 p.m.
Volume (614 E 6th St)

Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez:

Thursday, March 19 9:00 p.m.
Volume (614 E 6th St)

Jana Hunter:

Saturday, March 21 8:10 p.m.

Beauty Bar Backyard (617 E 7th St)

Ponytail:

Saturday, March 21 12:00 a.m.

Club de Ville (900 Red River St)

Rye Rye:

Wednesday, March 18 8:00 p.m.

La Zona Rosa (612 W 4th St)

Thursday, March 19 12:00 a.m.
Aces Lounge (222 E 6th St)

Old People Eat Animal Collective for Breakfast

Danny Greenwald's If You Cry Wolf

A welcome addition to Baltimore's extensive gazey scene, Danny Greenwald is formally introducing himself to the world today. In a less expansive introduction, I first mentioned Danny a few weeks ago when he appeared on a free compilation of traditional covers. Among the likes of Wye Oak, members of Arbouretum, Deer Tick, Phosphorecent and Caleb Stine, he was a more than hopeful addition to the mix.

Danny Greenwald is releasing his freshly pressed EP today, with an album release party on College Park's WMUC to be broadcast tonight. Credit the local folk-gaze enthusiast for the EP's wide array of instrumentation. But much appreciation is also due to Wax and Wane's Ari Schenck, the engineer behind the EP's brilliant mixing and mastering.

Having previewed the album over the weekend, If You Cry Wolf provided me with a plethora of comfortable sounds and thoughts far too familiar to most of us. It is an inspiringly overcast affair that your ears will most certainly thank you for. The album implicates much to come from Danny, with some local shows already in the works.

I highly recommend tuning into WMUC's Teenage Riot at 8 pm this evening, as it can be streamed live right here. Below are 2 exclusive sample's off the EP, "For the Both of Us" and the introspective "Reigns on 95". Enjoy, and tune in tonight.

Photos: Double Dagger, Sick Weapons, New Flesh

Photos by Chrissy

Excellent show at the Zodiac last night, the pictures above pretty much tell the story. Double Dagger absolutely killed it, blasting through some ridiculously promising new material and some old favorites. Sick Weapons were great as well, and should be added to the top of your local must see band list. And New Flesh put on a ryhthmic display of energy, with their drummer stealing the show. Fun night all around.

Double Dagger's More is looking to be one of the year's most anticipated local releases, and will hit us May 5th via Thrill Jockey. Don't plan on missing their next show around town at the Zodiac on March 21st, with Future Islands teaming up the bill.

New Celebration!

Since their amazingly textured and brilliant The Modern Tribe, Celebration have been fairly quiet up until now. The band just posted 2 new tracks that are now currently streaming in all their glory over at Holographic Resonance.

Other than the fact that the 2 new songs are awesome and show much hope for what is to come, the band also announced that they are ditching the typical release format for their new project. Celebration will release new songs on their site each month as they create them. And better yet, the MP3s will be available as a free download.

When they have enough tracks, they'll put them all on vinyl for those of us who "want something to hold". Go stream the new jams here right now, and look out for free downloads of more new Celebration in the near future.

Surprise! Animal Collective @ The Ottobar

A hometown show has just been added to Animal Collective's tour with Grouper. Bmore's biggest experimental pop folk band will grace the Ottobar's presence on May 10th. Details on how to get tickets, straight from the source, are below. Godspeed.

2 TICKET LIMIT!
NO RESERVED TICKETS
CASH ONLY!
Tickets will ONLY be available AT OTTOBAR
WED MARCH 4th- 9pm-midnight
THURS MARCH 5th- 6-9pm
FRI MARCH 6th- 6-9pm
WED MARCH 11-13th- 6-9pm
WED-FRI THEREAFTER, 6-9pm

Photo Review: Arbouretum, James Blackshaw, Meg Baird

Arbouretum's CD release party for their phenomenal Song of the Pearl was last night at the Talking Head. Incredible shots were captured, and are yours for the viewing above.

Opener James Blackshaw displayed his inner and outer acoustical genius, plucking his way through the kind of set that makes you wonder if it is even possible for someone to be that amazing at guitar. His songs were well-structured, and certainly left folks wanting more from the British virtuoso.

However the night belonged to Arbouretum, as the crowd grew once the headliners took stage. Their new LP sounds larger than life, but seeing the band live is huge on a whole other level. Dave Heumann's voice is godlike, while Corey and Steve's guitars create sounds that would seem more at place on the peak of a mountain. Daniel Franz is a ridiculous drummer, and his beats bridge the gap between all the talent onstage.

If you missed last night's incredible show, your next chance might be when Arbouretum hit the road with Band of Horses. The tour makes stops in Virginia at the Norva on June 10th and in Baltimore at Rams Head on June 12th. Tickets may be selling fast too.

Thank You / Mi Ami

Experimental rythyms and noises galore stomp your ears at Floristree next Monday. The bill boasts local trio Thank You and California's Mi Ami. Both acts have been touring nationally together, and should be enough alone to get you out of the house on a Monday.

But wait, there's more. Support derives from Bmore's avant acapella act Lexie Mountain Boys. Also opening is Birth Control, who sport a few members from Pissed Jeans. Show is on March 9th at 9 PM and should set you back just a few bucks.

J Roddy Daytrotted

DC9 was celebrating it's 5 year anniversery Saturday, but I made the trek down to DC with an ulterior motive. J Roddy Walston and the Business were opening the party, and my need for whiskey-soaked piano rock had ensued.

Unfortunately, as I walked up the steps to DC9 that night, J Roddy were closing up their set. The odor of sweat and booze permeated the walls of the sold out affair, and all signs pointed to me having missed another great J Roddy performance.

Daytrotter must have gotten word of my tragic lateness, as they conveniently posted a stellar J Roddy set the following morning. The set consists of 4 free MP3s, and are yours for the taking right here. 2 of the tracks are unreleased and include "I'm Going Out".

Catch the band on their home turf at the Ottobar March 28th with Egg Babies. Mr. Roddy also informed me of a free gig the following night with The Hold Steady at the Recher Theatre. Expect full details later in the month on both of these gigs.