Run DMT added to Release Show Tonight!

We are pleased to announce a special surprise for tonight's Height with Friends record release party, as Run DMT has been added to the bill. He will be opening up the affair.



Friends Records will have copies of Bed of Seeds available on vinyl, and copies of our first compilation available on cassette tape. See ya at the Hexagon.

2010 Whartscape Lineup

Our favorite weekend of the year is back in full force, seemingly bigger and better than ever. Whartscape goes down in Baltimore at various TBA locations from July 22-25, and you can stay tuned here for all the details. The lineup was just announced, and can be viewed in all its glory after the jump.

TRAVELING ACTS:
ARAB ON RADAR
BIG DIGITS
BURNING STAR CORE
CHILD BITE
CORAL LEGS
DEAKIN
DINOSAUR FEATHERS
DUCKTAILS
EAR PWR
FAMILY BATTLE SNAKE
FARMS
GAY BOMB
HEALTH
HUME
INNOCULIST
JACK TOFT WITH THE VEGETABLES
JAVELIN
KOEN HOLTKAMP
LAZY MAGNET
LIGHTNING BOLT
LIL B
LIVING THINGS
LONNIE WALKER
LORD SCRUMMAGE
NO AGE
ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
PC WORSHIP
PRINCE RAMA
SEWN LEATHER
SOCIAL JUNK
SUPER VACCATIONS
TALK NORMAL
XIU XIU
YIP YIP
ZACH HILL
+more TBA

BALTIMORE ACTS:
ADVENTURE
ALTERED STATES
AMI DANG
ART DEPARTMENT
BETHANY DINSICK
CARLY
CHILD BRIDE
CUP CACHE
DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE
DJ DOG DICK
DOOR
DOPE BODY
DOUBLE DAGGER
DUSTIN WONG
ED SCHRADER
FUTURE ISLANDS
GRAVEBANGERS
HEIGHT
HOLLYWOOD
IN EVERY ROOM
JARED PAULINI
JASON URICK
JIMMY JOE ROCHE
LESSER GONZALEZ ALVAREZ
LITTLE HOWLIN' WOLF
LOWER DENS
MICKEY FREE
MOSS OF AURA
NARWHALZ (OF SOUND)
NEDDLE GUN
PARDALINCE BIRD
PEARLY
PLURAL MC
PONYTAIL
RAP DRAGONS
SICK WEAPONS
TEENSOULS
TEETH MOUNTAIN
THANK YOU
THE CONVOCATION
THE CREEPERS
THE NEW FLESH
TWIG
VIDEO HIPPOS
WYE OAK
ZOMES
+SECRET GUESTS
+more TBA

Arbouretum - Couldn't Hit It Sideways

A new Arbouretum release snuck up on the interwebs a few weeks ago, compliments of our blog neighbors/friends Aural States. The release comes via Aural Slates, the blog's digital label that also has a new Small Sur EP in the works.

This is the label's second release, and the first of the live-recorded variety. It's only one track long, but that track clocks in at over 50 minutes. The recording is taken from a live Arbouretum set that went down last month at Granfaloon here in Baltimore.

The release is titled Couldn't Hit It Sideways, and you can snag the digital copy from Aural Slates right here. Its a pretty heavy improv, one that's of the style that we've come to know and love from Arbouretum. The release was recorded and mastered by David Carter, an excellent newish taper that's based here in Baltimore.


Speaking of Arbouretum, don't sleep on the recording we posted of their set at our first curated show back in January at the G Spot. Grab that here.

Video Premiere: Future Islands - "As I Fall"

Directed by Mary Helena Clark

Our Midwestern buds over at Thrill Jockey just sent over this brand new Future Islands clip for us to premiere, for the last song on In Evening Air. While each and every song on In Evening Air can make you cry, dance, and ponder life, "As I Fall" is certainly one of the sadder moments of the record.

This clip, directed by Baltimore's own Mary Helena Clark, portrays that sadness quite well, and one-ups it with heavy layer of haunting darkness. See for yourself above, and check out Future Islands' remaining tour dates with Lower Dens (who I featured last week) after the jump.


May 25 - Eureka, CA @ Lil Red Lion
May 26 - Portland, OR @ Rotture
May 27 - Ellensburg, WA @ Raw Space
May 28 - Seattle, WA @ KEXP Live on-air performance at 12 noon
May 28 - Olympia, WA @ Northern (w/Long Mornings)
May 29 - Seattle, WA @ Sunset Tavern (w/Long Mornings) EARLY SHOW, STARTS AT 6PM
June 1 - Denver, CO @ Rhinoceropolis (w/Pictureplane)
June 2 - Kansas City, MO @ The Foundation Room
June 3 - Bloomington, IN @ The Bishop
June 5 - Chicago, IL @ The Hideout
June 6 - Detroit, MI @ Majestic Cafe
June 7 - Toronto, ON @ Double Double Land (w/Romo Roto)
June 8 - Montreal, QC @ The Green Room
June 9 - Burlington, VT @ The Monkey House
June 10 - Dover, NH @ The Brickhouse
June 11 - Boston, MA @ Brookline Cable Access
June 12 - Brooklyn, NY @ Silent Barn
June 13 - Baltimore, MD @ Penthouse

Run DMT, Winks, Emily Reo, Blissed Out, Prince Rama Of Ayodhya @ the Annex Thursday

A few weeks ago, Chase (Winks and In Every Room) hit me up about a huge show his friends were throwing. That goes down this week, as the Annex hosts Prince Rama Of Ayodhya, Run DMT, Blissed Out, Quiet Hooves, Winks, Emily Reo, Attached Hands, Rabbit Punch, and Dark Sea Of Awareness this Thursday night.





If reading this lineup and hearing "Spruce Bringstein" by Run DMT and "Sometimes I Can Fake a Smile" by Winks doesn't get you all hot and bothered, you'll need to check out the following video for "Above Ground and A Golden Cloud" by Emily Reo.



This is the last show for the current residents of 4W, and it starts at 9 PM.

Nuclear Power Pants - Uh Oh Maxi

Last year Nuclear Power Pants unleashed Wicked Eats The Warrior on Wham City Records, and have since been a stampede of impressive live shows throughout the country. Last month they toured with Height with Friends, a tour that was in support of a new cassette from the crew.

The Uh Oh Maxi tape is the latest release from Nuclear Power Pants, and just like their last LP, its one that you're going to need to go ahead and snag a copy of. The new tape comes at us via Really Coastal, and is limited to 125 copies.

The release features the album version of "Uh Oh", accompanied by several remixes and alternates that are more than worth your ears. For me, the highlight was the first track on the B side, the "Vibrating Strings" version of "Uh Oh. Peep it.



This extended version of the original is a bit of a throwback, with enough soul to make your mama's mac 'n cheese look like Easy Mac. The tape also features another killer remix from Jones, and also a remix from Drew Swinburne who mastered the whole release. Grab a copy from Really Coastal right here.

Uh Oh Maxi

A
Uh Oh
Screwdriver (Drew Swinburne Remix)
Destroy Destroi (More Light!)

B
Uh Oh (Vibrating Strings)
Teeth of a Lion (Jones Remix)

Tonight: Dope Body, Orphan, The Convacation

poster by Andrew Laumann

Tonight. Free. 10 PM @ Dionysus



Dope Body, Orphan, The Convocation.

DOPE BODY "BEAT" LIVE AT THE BUTCHER SHOP BOSTON, MA from andrewlaumann on Vimeo.

Video: Pontiak - "Second Sun / Beach"

Pontiak dropped a new LP on Thrill Jockey this week, dubbed Living. I just picked up a vinyl copy of the record earlier this week, and from the first couple of spins I am already convinced this might be their best yet. From the super heavy low-end, to the haunting psychedelic soundscapes, to the blissful acoustic sonics that bridge it all together... this record is brilliantly dense in all the right ways.


While I'm still digesting Living, the band just released a video of two of the tracks, "Second Sun" and "Beaches". The cloudy ambient guitars of "Second Sun" is pictured with roads and greenery, while the psych folk of "Beaches" is played while the sun sets.

Pontiak are now finishing up a tour with Arbouretum, here's the itinerary.

May 20 2010 9:00P	Hideout with Arbouretum & Bitchin Bajas (CAVE)	Chicago, Illinois, US
May 21 2010 9:00P	Bourbon Street with Arbouretum	Columbus, Ohio, US
May 22 2010 8:00P	Secret Art Space with Arbouretum	Bethlehem, Pennsylvan, US
May 23 2010 9:00P	Great Scott with Arbouretum & High Aura’d	Boston, Massachuse, US
May 24 2010 9:00P	Santos Party House with Arbouretum & CoConuts	New York, New York, US

Lower Dens - Twin Hand Movement

Ever since her split release with Devendra Banhart, I have been an avid follower of Jana Hunter. There's No Home has been my slumber-time fallback for years, and will likely continue to be for the foreseeable future. Jana has since been playing with a full band backing her, and we here in Baltimore have watched the project steadily grow.

The band has now seemed to reach a full-on bloom, and also now has a name - Lower Dens. Even more importanly, Lower Dens has an album in the works with a proper release date set for July 20th. Twin Hand Movement will be released via Gnomonsong, and was recorded by Chris Freeland, mixed by Chris Coady, and mastered by Sarah Register (Talk Normal).

A friend left a cassette copy of Twin Hand Movement over at my house a few weeks ago, and it has yet to leave my tape deck. I was recently given the MP3s of the full album, but can't seem to stop hitting rewind on the warm and full sounds that the tape has blessed me with over the past few weeks. Twin Hand Movement is the real deal, full of Jana's silky smooth vocals that are now backed with heavy but calming bass lines, psychedelic guitar bliss, and carefully placed percussion.



"Hospice Gates" is the first single to hit the interwebs from the album, and is the tenth track on the release. It is a stellar example of how Jana's previously hushed and mellow psych folk has been rejuvenated into a more jangly form of folk-pop that is rich in texture and big on sonics. The album as a whole goes down smoother than milk, and it's been amazing to watch such a beloved project flourish into such a beautiful recording. July 20th can't come soon enough.

Lower Dens are out on tour with Future Islands, the remaining dates are below.

5.20 San Diego, CA - Tin Can Alehouse
5.21 Los Angeles, CA - Sync Space
5.22 Los Angeles, CA - The Smell
5.24 San Francisco, CA - El Rio (early)
5.25 Eureka, CA - Lil Red Lion
5.26 Portland, OR - Rotture
5.27 Ellensburg, WA - Raw Space
5.28 Olympia, WA - Northern
5.29 Seattle, WA - Sunset Tavern (early)
6.1 Denver, CO - Rhinoceropolis
6.2 Kansas City, MO - The Foundation
6.3 Bloomington, IN - The Bishop
6.5 Chicago, IL - Permanent Records (In-store @ 5pm)
6.5 Chicago, IL - The Hideout
6.6 Detroit, MI - Majestic Cafe
6.7 Toronto, ON - Double Double Land
6.8 Montreal, QC - Green Room
6.9 Burlington, VT - Monkey House
6.10 Dover, NH - Brickhouse
6.11 Boston, MA - Brookline Cable Access
6.12 Brooklyn, NY - Silent Barn
6.13 Baltimore, MD - Penthouse

Video: Double Dagger - "No Allies"

New video from Double Dagger, directed by Matt Porterfield. I've seen these guys in a basement before, and watching this is almost as fun. Dudes are touring Europe right now, go see 'em if you are reading this across the pond. Tour dates are after the jump.

May 18 2010 8:00P	Cargo w/ Real Estate + Ganglians	London, UK, UNITED KINGDOM
May 19 2010 8:00P	Whelans Upstairs w/ Guilty Optics	Dublin 2, Ireland, IRELAND
May 21 2010 8:00P	Kavka w/ Cola Freaks + Fossils + more tbc	Antwerpen, BE, BELGIUM
May 22 2010 10:00P	Fleche D’Or w/ Juliette Lewis and The Licks	Paris, FR, FRANCE
May 23 2010 4:00P	Sinxen Vlas Vegas w/ Trans Am+ Zu + many more / FREE!!!	Kortrijk, BE, BELGIUM
May 24 2010 8:00P	Le Grillen w/ Trans Am + Psychic Paramount	Colmar, FR
May 26 2010 8:00P	About Blank	Berlin, DE, GERMANY
May 27 2010 8:00P	Atari	Leipzig, DE, GERMANY
May 28 2010 8:00P	Klub Kisielice	Poznan, Wielkopols, POLAND
May 29 2010 2:30P	Free Dim Fest @ C.E.S.T.A. w/ Le Singe Blanc + Don Vito + more!	Tabor, CZ, CZECH REPUBLIC
May 30 2010 8:00P	Zeughaus	Passau, DE, GERMANY
May 31 2010 8:00P	Rhiz w/ Jakuzi's Attempt + Le Singe Blanc	Vienna, AT, AUSTRIA
Jun 1 2010 8:00P	Kafe Kult w/ Brushes Held Like Hammers	München, DE, GERMANY
Jun 2 2010 9:00P	Cairo w/ tba	Würzburg, DE, GERMANY
Jun 3 2010 8:00P	~VENUE CHANGE~ The Great Räng Teng Teng	Freiberg, DE, GERMANY

Photos: Wye Oak / Lands & Peoples @ Ottobar

Last Friday night Wye Oak played a homecoming show after national tours with Lower Dens and Shearwater, and their arrival back home was greeted graciously. Lands and Peoples and Ami Dang opened up the affair, which went down at the sold out Ottobar.


Lands and Peoples put on yet another brilliant display of sonically-rich folk pop, and listening ears welcomed their sounds in awe and with gratitude. Their set clocked in at an ideal 30 minutes, and was capped off by a stellar rendition of "In Living Colour".


Wye Oak killed it, seemingly eager to play to a packed club full of friends and close followers. This was the celebration of their new EP, a five song gem now out on Merge that was produced by Chris Freeland and Mickey Free in their studio outside of Baltimore. Andy and Jenn invited Lands and Peoples to join them for a song, a cover of Rod Lee's infamous "Dance My Pain Away".

Get the full set of photos compliments of Valerie after the jump.

Wye Oak






Lands and Peoples









Photos by Valerie

Video: Height with Friends "Dreams Don't Always Come True"

official premiere over on Weekly Tape Deck

We are proud to present the first video in the Friends Records catalog, a beautiful piece put together by Sukkatash and Baltimore's Sarah Milinski. The video is for the third track on Bed of Seeds - "Dreams Don't Always Come True" by Height with Friends.

Bed of Seeds was made available on vinyl today, and starting this week you'll be able to find it at record shops in Baltimore and at the Friends Records website. The LP comes with a free MP3 download, but the album is also available digitally a la carte. Friends Records is also streaming Bed of Seeds in it's entirety over on it's bandcamp page.

The video will also be screened at the record release party, which goes down at the Hexagon on Friday May 28th. Support will derive from Weekends, PT Burnem, Lord Grunge of Grand Buffet, and more. Bed of Seeds will see a more widespread release after the show here in Baltimore.

Height with Friends
Bed of Seeds

2010 Friends Records
FR004
500 copies
140g vinyl

(side A)
1. Bed Of Seeds

2. No Way To Win

3. Dreams Don’t Always Come True

4. Deep In The Dark

5. Link Wray

(side B)

6. Cold Crush

7. Calvacade Lagoons

8. I’m Shook

9. Windpipe
10. Where No One Can See
11. Seeds Reprise
12. Druid Hill Lake

Interview: Deakin // Josh Dibb

In 2010 Josh Dibb began performing live under the solo moniker Deakin, also "Deacon", with his first show here in Baltimore at the Ottobar on January 1st. Taking a step back from Animal Collective for a little while, Josh has been brewing some sounds of his own.

Earlier this year we posted the audio from his Ottbar set back in January, and I recently had a chance to catch up with Josh. We talked about his amazing trip to Africa, ODDSAC, and Dan Deacon's polite request to change his name back to Deakin from Deacon...

Brett: Seems as if it’s been a crazy year for you so far, how the heck are ya?

Josh Dibb: It has been a crazy year. In a really good way. For me the decision to go to africa was sort of a moment of psychological cliff jumping that i had been shying away from for a few years. I've really been pushing myself to take on tasks and challenges that have seemed beyond my spiritual means if that makes any sense. Aside from my solo shows in africa, europe and the u.s., I have been putting a lot of time into touring with ODDSAC which is a movie that we made with Danny Perez over the last few year. In february I spent much of the month working on music and getting ready for an installation piece that we did at the Guggenheim in March. Since then I have been either on tour for ODDSAC or working on music and recently i have been helping other people record and mix their records. It's been incredibly busy and doesn't seem to be slowing down. I'm happy for that. I feel that i don't really have enough time to do it all. I prefer that feeling over feeling like i have more time than i know what to do with.

It’s been a couple months since your first solo show in Baltimore, were you happy with how that night turned out?

Absolutely. my expectations were low in many. Not in a bad way. I just never have played by myself before and all I really wanted out of the night was to get through my set. It was great to play with all the people who played that night. and it was an auspicious place and date to play that show. So i was really happy about that.

Do you have names yet for any of the songs played that night?

I don't have names yet. I am still treating the songs that i am playing as rough idea or outlines and i don't necessarily see them as completed enough ideas to give them names. I want to keep them in a bit of an amorphous state so that i can find whatever comes out of them more naturally.

Dan Higgs is clearly an inspiration for a lot of us, what does his music mean to you?

Well... to be totally honest, my knowledge of Dan overall is pretty limited. I'm not actually very familiar with lungfish and I've really only seen Dan play live a handful of times in the past few years. To me he represents an idea of how to play music which celebrates the humility of the process. I've had some good conversations with him about the idea of being a conduit. not a new idea to art by any stretch, but watching him and listening I have found that that idea is transmitted pretty directly. not even in the music specifically, but in the energy that he brings to it. I have found for myself that the more rigid i get about how exactly what i do is supposed to happen the less i find true joy in the process and the more... rigid i feel the music becomes. I revere both the idea of mastery in the sense of knowing how to construct and compose a song as well being the selfless and thoughtless conduit. I try and search for the balance between those two. I have been excited at dan's shows because they really open up that second door for me. remind of something pure about music.

What else has guided you through your own music process as of late? How have these influences changed since recording with Animal Collective?

It's a very personal journey and one that i don't necessarily feel equipped to explain in this format. but i think that generally it just has to do with trying to make sense of my own sense of self and the way that that interacts with my interpersonal life. I have always spent a lot of my mental and emotional energy trying to make sense of my relationships and the relationships of people around me. I was forced for a number of reasons in the last 5 years or so to really take a hard look at the behavior of my own mind. there are so many things that i found myself doing unconsciously that were in many ways working against the goals i have. So i think my music comes either from the place of trying to figure these things out and also is in and of itself a way to experiment with my own will to achieve. hmmm.... these are difficult things for me to describe. I don't feel i am the most eloquent at saying some of these things. I find that i am more inspired or driven to create from this world i am speaking about though than i am from direct musical or artistic influences. though of course... there are many of those too.

After the Ottobar show you headed out on quite the journey, tell us about it.

I traveled to Mali to play at the Festival Au Desert in Tombuctou. It was an incredible experience. I had never been to africa before and only briefly spent time in any developing country. It was an incredibly moving experience to see that part of the world. the standard of living there is very different from our own and to see that firsthand is overwhelming at times. it felt very strange and uncomfortable at times to see in the eyes of the people that woudl approach me what i represented. what it meant for me to be there. the resources that it took to make it happen. I am incredibly happy that i had the guidance to put so much energy into using my trip as an opportunity to raise money and awareness for the area that i was travelling too. it certainly felt more balanced than if i had not. I found an organization in Mali called TEMEDT that does work to raise awareness about class inequality and slavery in Mali as well as very hands on and direct work with newly freed slaves. i felt that in the end, my trip to Mali was far less about the music i played there than it was about the education i was getting about the reality of things i had only read about. but in the end.... I was in Africa for only nine days. I flew in and of Bamako. I drove in a caravan on a two day journey from Bamako to Tombuctou. I spent three days at the festival and then drove back. I saw some amazing music. My favorites being Khaira Arby, Super Khomeissa, Koudede, Terakraft.

How was the festival in Mali?

It was both way more like any festival i have been to in europe or the US than i was prepared for and also nothing like it all. It took place in Saharan dunes just outside of Tombuctou. There was one stage. maybe about 8000 people, the majority of whom were from Mali. It was very organized considering, but that still meant a level of chaos that is difficult to describe. the music ranged from the tight and professional bands like Tinariwen, Amadou and Miriam, Bessekou Kouyate to some really raw and incredible local bands. We lived in tents on the sand for three days and saw a lot of amazing music.

How has your set evolved over the last few months?

well.... to be honest... I don't know. I have "written" a few more songs. I have changed parts of the old ones. I have gotten tighter and also learned how to be looser. I think my voice is improving in the sense that it is more reliable to do things i imagine. I still feel very shaky about it though. the first month or so of shows i played, I felt very locked into certain things because i felt that my setup and the way i wanted things to go meant i needed to follow certain specific rules as i played or it would all fall apart. but i am beginning to feel the space in the things. I feel more comfortable guiding the chaos that i have setup. I would like to be playing more than i have been, but I have been incredibly busy with AC related things like ODDSAC and the Guggenheim project and the recording that i have been doing for other people. I am feeling that this summer is the time to really make some headway on evolution.

You changed your name back to Deakin, any particular reason?

My name has been "Deacon" "Deakin" "Deaken" depending on which release you reference. I had gone with Deacon initially when i was setting up these shows and whatnot only because it was the original spelling. But Dan Deacon got in touch with me and said that he felt that it would cause some confusion. he politely asked if i would spell it another way. so I went with Deakin.

What are you working on now?

The last month or so i have been helping some Paw Tracks bands record and mix. I just finished a remix for Pantha Du Prince. Now i have a little bit of time to start working more in my own music for the coming few month. I have plans to help a few other people record during that time and will probably have to do some more traveling for ODDSAC. I am going to begin working on a book and record that is related to my trip to Africa. the idea has evolved considerably since i first proposed in on Kickstarte in December. My new plans will involve a lot of work but I am pretty psyched about that too. it looks to be a busy 2010 through and through. thank god.

When can we expect to see/hear more of your work?

I couldn't say. Soon?

Clusterf*ck: Wye Oak, Lands and Peoples, Food For Animals, Rapdragons, Megapolis

Tonight Wye Oak is back from their massive North American tour, and are playing a homecoming show at the Ottobar with some stellar support. Ami Dang will open, and the always amazing Lands and Peoples have a set in store as well. Lands and Peoples recently contributed a brand new track to the Friends Records compilation.



Saturday night the Penthouse is sporting a killer rap show with Food For Animals, Rapdragons, Lexx, and alot more. Open mic challenges are promised, and battles will likely ensue. Bring your party hats and show up around 9 PM for this one. This track is also from the Friends and Friends of Friends comp, a completely radical Jones remix of a brand new Food For Animals jam that will be on their next LP.



Get all the details and ongoings of Megapolis after the jump.

Megapolis is going on alllllllll weekend long, and features a ridiculous amount of sounds of all varieties. It takes place at various Station North locations, and is more than worth checking out. Here's the full schedule compliments of the Megapolis site:

Saturday May 15

10:30am – 11:15pm
PANTMRSI! – Andrea Silenzi
@ front of Hexagon Space, 1825 N. Charles St

From the Ground Up: Making Music with Free Software – Patrick McNameeKing
@ Hexagon Space (Stage), 1825 N. Charles St

Sounds of Grief – Ian Nagoski
@ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave

Atari Punk Consoles – Justin Sabe (RSVP Required)
@ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave

How to Score in Radio – Lawrence Lanahan & Bruce Wallace
@ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St

(10am-1pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver
@ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

11:15am – 12pm Sounds of Grief – Ian Nagoski (continued) @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Atari Punk Consoles – Justin Sabe (continued) (RSVP Required) @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave How to Score in Radio – Lawrence Lanahan & Bruce Wallace (continued) @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St (10am-1pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

12pm – 1pm Lunch break! also: (12:30pm-2:30pm) Studio Tour – Neil Feather (RSVP Required) leaves outside the Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave (10am – 1pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

1pm – 1:45pm Graphic Score Improvisation Workshop – Benjamin Miller @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave (1pm – 1:30pm) Getting Closer – Jenny Asarnow & Eitan Isaacson @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave (1:30 – 2:30) Oversharing on the Radio – Benjamen Walker @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Contact Mic Construction – Ed Bear & Dan Fishkin (RSVP Required) @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave Artist’s Guide to Useful Technology – Hans Tammen & Adam Rokhsar @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St Parachute Dance – Sharlene Leurig & Thomas Deuel @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave wake-making installation activation – Melissa Moore @ Hexagon Space (Gallery), 1825 N. Charles St

1:45pm – 2:30pm 21st Century Composition – Benjamin Miller @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave Seeded Plain – Bryan Day & Jay Kreimer @ Hexagon Space (Stage), 1825 N. Charles St A Thousand Voices installation walkthrough – Ioana Jucan, Quyen Ngo, & Ryan Lester @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave Artist’s Guide to Useful Technology – Hans Tammen & Adam Rokhsar (continued) @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St (1:30 – 2:30) Oversharing on the Radio – Benjamen Walker (continued) @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Contact Mic Construction – Ed Bear & Dan Fishkin (continued) (RSVP Required) @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave

2:30pm – 3+pm Concert Earth – Naomi Lucille Kagaya & Stephanie Smith @ Load of Fun Gallery, 120 W. North Ave

3pm – 3:45pm Knitting Jam – Laure Drogoul @ Hexagon Space (Gallery), 1825 N. Charles St B’more Soundwalk – Bonnie Jones & Suzanne Thorpe @ front of Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave The Sounds of Sex – Zachary Kent @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave DIY Transmitter – Brett Ian Balogh (RSVP Required) @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave Locally Toned – T. Foley @ front of Load of Fun Gallery, 120 W. North Ave WikiMixing – Brendan Baker @ WYPR 2216 N. Charles St (3pm – 4pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ front of Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

3:45pm – 4:30pm Hans Tammen Endangered Guitar / Adam Rokhsar Video (Performance) @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave Third Sight-seeing: Aesthetic Adventures in Sensory Substitution – Myroslaw Bytz & Nick Heling @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Book Odds REMIX – Roman Mars @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St Vocal Transformer – Daniel Fishkin & Kenji Garland @ Hexagon Space (Stage), 1825 N. Charles St DIY Transmitter – Brett Ian Balogh (continued) (RSVP Required) @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave (3pm – 4pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ front of Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

4:30pm – 5:30pm Reception! Installation activation w/ food and drink TBA… @ Load of Fun Gallery + Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave Tickets: $10 regular (plus entry to Kubin) / free for weekend pass-holders

5:30pm – 7pm FELIX KUBIN, brought to you by the Associations of Independents in Radio and Goethe-Institut Washington @ Load of Fun Theatre (LOF/t), 120 W. North Ave Tickets: $10 regular (includes reception before) / free for weekend pass-holders

9pm – 2am (8:30pm doors) LUCKY DRAGONS VISTAS HERBERT ECKHARDT JASON SLOAN, STEVE BRADLEY, BON CHAMPION AND DAVID FONG DJ TRENT of WFMU DJ DUBBLE8 @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave Brought to you by WLOY Loyola Radio Tickets: $10 regular / free for weekend pass-holders The Shortwave Shindig – David Goren with Easy Sonic Living @ Hexagon Space, 1825 N. Charles St Tickets: Free to the public

Sunday May 16

10:30am – 11:15am WikiMixing – Brendan Baker @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St (11am) Daishadokyo: A River Koan Performance – Geodesic Gnome @ leaves from front of Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Documentary Square Dance – The Place + Memory Project / Big Shed @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave DIY Transmitter – Brett Ian Balogh (RSVP Required) Brought to you by Piscis @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave (10am – 1pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ front of Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

11:15am – 12pm Group Interactive Biofeedback Performance – Eric Lindley @ Hexagon Space, 1825 N. Charles St Practical Cognitive Processes for the Audio Maker – Nick van der Kolk @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St DIY Transmitter – Brett Ian Balogh (continued) (RSVP Required) Brought to you by Piscis @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave Documentary Square Dance – The Place + Memory Project / Big Shed (continued) @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave (10am – 1pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

12pm – 1pm Lunch break! also: (10am – 1pm) Silosphere – Rebecca Bray & James Bigbee Garver @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

1pm – 2pm DAVID KESTENBAUM @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Brought to you by Transom.org Tickets: $5 regular / free to weekend pass-holders

2pm – 6pm Nelson’s Electric Chaircut – Nelson Loskamp @ front of Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave

2:15pm – 3pm Matt Sterling (Performance) @ Hexagon Space, 1825 N. Charles St The Cinema as a Concert Hall for the 21st Century – Alexis Bhagat @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave Three Algorithms: Strange Connections Between Logic, Disorientation, and Experimental Music- John Berndt @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Atari Punk Consoles – Justin Sabe RSVP Required Brought to you by Piscis @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave Exquisite Puppies: An Interactive Experiment – Dennis Conrow & Jesse Dukes @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St Parachute Dance – Sharlene Leurig & Thomas Deuel @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave

3pm – 3:45pm The Thunder Wheel Array – Neil Feather (performance) @ Echo Gallery, 20 W. North Ave Locally Toned – T. Foley @ front of Load of Fun Gallery, 120 W. North Ave The Cinema as a Concert Hall for the 21st Century – Alexis Bhagat (continued) @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave Three Algorithms: Strange Connections Between Logic, Disorientation, and Experimental Music- John Berndt (continued) @ Cyclops Books, 30 W. North Ave Atari Punk Consoles – Justin Sabe (continued) RSVP Required Brought to you by Piscis @ Baltimore Node, 120 W. North Ave Exquisite Puppies: An Interactive Experiment – Dennis Conrow & Jesse Dukes (continued) @ WYPR, 2216 N. Charles St

4pm – 6pm CLOSING RECEPTION Featuring selections of works created during the festival weekend folled by a performance by: ARRINGTON DE DIONYSO’S MALAIKAT DAN SINGA @ Windup Space, 12 W. North Ave Tickets: $5 / free to weekend pass-holders

8pm – ? (7:30pm doors)

2640_MOVE_MUSIC – Timothy Nohe, Renée Brozic Barger, Tiffany DeFoe, Meghan Flanigan, Carol Hess, Francesca Jandasek, Clarinda Mac Low, Luca Marini, Catherine Pancake, Nicole Shiflet, and Stephanie Yezek
@ 2640 Space, 2640 St Paul St
Tickets: $10 general / $8 student / free to weekend pass-holders

Clusterf*ck: Thursday Night Edition

Oh hey, it's Thursday in Baltimore. There's a lot to do tonight, so let's get to it. I'll start with the band that I can't even seem to go a week without mentioning, Weekends.

Mobtown Studios invited Adam and Brendan to come in and participate in their Microshow series, and you can catch this one tonight at 7:30 in Charles Village. The show is free, but you'll need to RSVP here as spots are very limited. Last I checked in, spots were filling up real quick.

Floristree's got a super massive one tonight, as Pontiak comes back around these parts and is joined by Arbouretum, Jason Urick, and Human Host.

Pontiak just dropped yet another LP on Thrill Jockey, titled Living. Arbouretum just released a digital live nugget over on Aural Slate this week. Couldn't Hit It Sideways is a live recording from Granfalloon from a set last month. Throw in Jason Urick and Human Host, and you've got yourself an epic.

The Penthouse Gallery is also sporting a fine one this evening, with New Yoga, Hounds of Hate, and Post Coast (Zach Utz from Dope Body). This one starts at 9 PM.

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!