Photos / Review: Whartscape 2010 Sunday

While most reports of this year's Whartscape might first call to mind the blazing heat wave, only on Sunday did the weather actually affect the musical happenings. A major storm's wind took control of the massive tarp over the the main stage, lifting it high up near the roofs of the buildings and then slamming it back down on the stage. Many might blame the vibes of Little Howlin' Wolf's set for the storm, and I'm guessing the band would probably consider that a compliment.


The heavy rain began, the music halted, and folks scattered - but those who stayed were treated to an epic rain dance performance starring Adam Endres and April Camlin. The music at Current Space was announced to be canceled for the day (even though Ducktails and a few others still performed for a small crowd outside after the storm) and Sonar was named the new location for the lineup of Beach House, Celebration, Health, Wye Oak, Deakin, and Lower Dens. Many kudos to those who made a shift like this happen with such short notice.


The change allowed for more people to come see these acts, but also forced a handful of bands to move to the H&H bill that night. The vibe at Sonar was at times a bit off when compared to the usual Whartscape aura, but all of the performances were beyond spectacular. Celebration and Wye Oak's new material showed much promise for their new LPs in the works, and Lower Dens nailed a set chock full of the amazing material off their freshly released Twin Hand Movement.


Firemen were visible towards the end of the evening, a presence that lead to the hasty halt of Beach House's set. After responding to a pulled alarm over at the show going on simultaneously in the Club stage, the Baltimore City Fire Department shut down Sonar smack in the middle of Beach House's set - sending the packed house home or onward.


The H&H bill was heavily beefed up that night by adding Future Islands, Prince Rama, and Talk Normal to the 5th Dimension lineup after the storm changed plans. This allowed Future Islands to close out Whartscape 2010 for those who made it into the 5th Dimension space. Their set was nothing short of legendary, and the crowd stormed the stage during the last song. The band was also joined by Katrina Ford of Celebration, whose soaring vocals contributed to another amazing rendition of "In The Fall".



THANK YOU WHAM CITY FOR 5 YEARS OF WHARTSCAPE.

More from Valerie's photo set after the jump.

Lower Dens


Wye Oak


Deakin


Celebration


Health


Beach House


Prince Rama


Talk Normal


Future Islands



Photos by Valerie

Photos: Whartscape 2010 Saturday

Saturday's Whartscape festivities were filled mostly with sounds of the rock and roll variety, and were considered by most to be the best part of the weekend fest. Ending the outdoor portion of the day with Dan Deacon and his ensemble, No Age, Arab On Radar, and Lightning Bolt proved nothing short of epic.


In addition to this killer foursome of sets, we saw a pretty astounding batch of songs from Double Dagger. Nolen made his usual threat to the photographers, however this speech stood out when he quoted something Ellie from Sick Weapons once said, "seems like a show doesn't happen in this town unless there's a photographer there".


Saturday also featured a great set from our favorite Detroit band, Child Bite - whose new LP is pretty fantastic. Ponytail's set was also worth noting, especially with rumors swirling regarding the band's current status. The day also opened up with some Ponytail, as Dustin Wong joined the Rapdragons for their song that samples his guitar part.

Get Valerie's full photo set from Saturday after the jump.

Child Bite


Lord Scrummage


Thank You


Double Dagger


Ponytail


Dan Deacon


No Age


Arab On Radar


Lightning Bolt



Photos by Valerie

Photos: Whartscape 2010 Friday

Last weekend's fifth annual Whartscape was likely the last, but the festival more than certainly went out on a high note. Over 100 acts descended upon a Baltimore parking lot and warehouse, all made possible by the folks at Wham City.

Friday's lineup sported a good deal of hip hop from the more mainstream sounds of the Get Em Mamis, to the off-the-beaten-path vibes of Height with Friends, and even to the jaded blunt-smoked rambles of Lil B. Friday also featured some rock and roll of the more noisey variety with killer performances from Teenage Souls and Weekends.


However the highlight of the day had to be Oxes, who presented Whoxesscape. The seldom seen and freshly reformed trio played inside the window in front of Current Space, which overlooked Howard Street. This allowed whartscapers, random pedestrians, and light rail riders to hear and watch the band at random moments throughout the day. At one point Marc Miller and Nat Fowler took advantage of their wireless guitars, bringing them out on to the street in the middle of a song. This made for some precious moments and interesting encounters to say the least.

At night there were also options, ranging from the lush soundscapes of Avocado Happy Hour, to the bewildering guitar chops of Dustin Wong, to the lo-fi sonics of Romantic States. Valerie was there to capture as much of the event as she could, and her shots from Friday are after the jump.

Javelin


Get Em Mamis


Lil B


Freddy Jones


Romantic States


Avocado Happy Hour


Polygons



Photos by Valerie

The Art Department - "Second Nature"

I know at least a couple handfuls of folks around town that have been eagerly anticipating the new Art Department LP, a release that's been in the works for a good bit of time. The band and GenPop Records are now happy to report that Paperwork/Birdwork will be released on August 15.

Lead singer Jonathan Ehrens kindly passed along the album to me yesterday, and gave me the go ahead to premiere a track. I chose the fifth song on the A side of the record.



Like the rest of the jangled pop we've come to know and love from this band, "Second Nature" gets straight to business and cuts out all the middlemen. All notions are made clear in under a minute and 40 seconds, and I'll be damned if you didn't bob your head from the first second on. Jonathan mentioned that Birdwork and and Paperwork were two distinct sides, and this track seems to be the high point of some incredibly reflective melodies found on the A side of the record.

This 12 inch record will play at 45rpm, and will soon be available for preorder at GenPop. Look for more on this release in the coming weeks, as it will likely be put on regular rotation for the weeks to come. Get the full track list after the jump.

The Art Department
Paperwork/Birdwork
GenPop Records 2010

Side A
1. Let's Imply Stuff
2. I Am Yr Censor
3. Get On
4. Not Called The Shots
5. Second Nature
6. Axe To Grind

Side B
7. We Are In Court
8. Standin' Around
9. Carolyn
10. Nothing With Ain't
11. Small Net
12. Pains Me

Teeth Mountain - Teeth Mountain Reissue

For those that haven't quite yet experienced the free-formed percussive drone that is Teeth Mountain, their debut LP isn't a bad place to start. While they're best served in a live setting, their 2008 long player that came out on SHDWPLY has been worn pretty thin by my record needle with spin after spin over the past couple years.

As the original LP is currently sold out, WTR CLR has recently announced the CD reissue of this killer release. With the original artwork in tact via DVD case form, WTR CLR continues to focus on the quality of each release's packaging and art.



"Ghost Science" is the fifth track on the LP, a looping and meditative romp that stampers into an eventual eruption - an explosion of the warped and synthetic variety. Flute-like whistles screech until they eventually give way, sending you right back to the ground in which the short journey began.

Snag the album here, where you can also download and hear "Harh Tanz".

JUNE 2010
WTRCLR007
TEETH MOUNTAIN - SELF TITLED CD (RE ISSUE)
Duration _ 28:10

1. INTRODUCT
2. BLACK JERUSALEM
3. KEINSEIN
4. SPIRALS
5. GHOST SCIENCE
6. SOFT BEAST
7. 13
8. HARH TANZ
9. MALAMUT

Fourth Annual Baltimore Rap Round Robin

The fourth annual Baltimore Rap Round Robin has been announced, and it will take place at Floristree on August 7th. This has been super fun over the past several years.



In case you're not familiar - all performers will be setting up around the space, and will participate in a traditional round robin set. Just like year's past, 2010's lineup heavily spotlights some of our favorite local wordsmiths and beat-makers.



Food For Animals, AK Slaughter, Rap Dragons, Height With Friends, Mickey Free, King Rhythm, The Plural MC, PT Burnem, and Jones will all be performing. Peep a video of Height with Friends from the event three years ago after the jump.

Update: Whartscape Sunday

Whartscape's original plans changed due to a storm. New plans via Wham City...

O.K. We have good news! The doors at Sonar (407 East Saratoga Street) will open at 6 and will feature the following lineup: Lower Dens, Wye Oak, Deakin, Celebration, & Beach House. At 10:30, the doors to the H and H open. The following bands have been added to the H and H: Prince Rama, Future Islands, Talk Normal, & Health.

See ya there!

Whartscape 2010 Starts Today

Hey folks, Whartscape starts today. If you're familiar with this site, you know how excited we get this time of year... and this year's no exception. With this being the biggest and likely the last Whartscape ever, this weekend is sure to be pretty special.

Bmore Musically Informed will do our best to cover the event in pictures, and we'll attempt some live coverage via twitter as we're hi-jacking the Friends Records twitter account all throughout Whartscape. Here's a heap of tracks in our playlist from local bands playing this weekend.



































Get a map of all the Whartscape locations compliments of Dina after the jump.

Winks Cassette

Winks is Chase from INEVERYROOM with some help from Adam of Weekends. Chase sent me their first release at the beginning of this year, an album recorded mostly on a karaoke player by himself last Winter in Remington.



"Gold Mine" is the first track on the debut, jaded pop haze recalling a time when Chase just lost his job and considered it better to record some new music than to just get drunk all the time. When I first asked him about the release, he said it was like "you found it in the trunk of your dad's Camaro that has been sitting in the garage since 1984, while a depressing prom was going on in the garage".

The album never got released on cassette as intended, so Friends Records is re-releasing an updated tracklist of the Winks debut this weekend at Whartscape. Friends Records will also be releasing the new Winks album early this Fall, which was mostly recorded yesterday by Ben Bass at his studio in the Annex.

The album will be made available digitally for free this weekend, and the cassette will be available at the Friends Records tent at Whartscape, and then online next week.

Winks
FRCS004
Friends Records 2010

Side A
1. Gold Mine
2. Port Antonio
3. Weed Makes Sex Weird
4. Human Noises

Side B
5. Prons
6. Fred Flintstoned (In Honor of Bongy Rubble)
7. X-Mas
8. Stoned and Throned

OXES added to Whartscape 2010

Dan Deacon just announced that Oxes have been added to Friday's Whartscape bill. The Baltimore trio has reformed to perform a special installation, dubbed Whoxescape.

Straight from Dan...

Oxes presents Whoxescape: The Baltimore band Oxes (August 16th 1998 - ????) has temporarily reformed to present an in progress work as work. Throughout the day on Friday, Oxes will be structuring improvisations, veiled behind a curtain inside the Current Space, and then intermittently revealing themselves to present the pieces to both the expecting and unexpected public. This (com)posing will be presented as an installation and will examine the (un)relationship between Whartscape festivalgoers and the typical working class Baltimore citizens that frequent MTA public transportation.

As if Whartscape wasn't already epic enough this year.

THURSDAY JULY 22
CHARLES THEATER

5pm – 12am

MINK STOLE (LECTURE)
NAI CAMEYAK Q&A
SHANA MOULTON
BEN COONLEY
RAM ONES
BRYAN ZANISNIK
PETER GLANTZ & THE IMAGIN ARY CO
BENJAMIN BEAST
ERIN GLEESON
MASON ROSS
A FUNNY CLOWN
ALAN RESNICK
BLUE LEADER
APRIL CAMLIN
DANIEL HIGGS
LIZ DONADIO
SANTA DADS
ADAM ENDERS
JOHN PILSON
10 MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL
UNSADDEST FACTORY
R.M. OBRIEN
MARTIN & LAWRENCE
SANTA DADS
BALLSOROY

FRIDAY JULY 23
CURRENT SPACE

12pm – 10:30pm

SPANKROCK
LIL B
SCOTTI B
ERIC COPELAND
GET EM MAMIS
DJ DOG DICK
HEIGHT
JAVELIN
SO PERCUSSION
CLUB LYFESTILES
LORD SCRUMMAGE
RAPDRAGONS
OFIRE
NEEDLE GUN
WE USED TO BE FAMILY
AMI DANG
CUP CACHE
TEENAGESOULS
PLURAL MC
WITCH HAT
WEEKENDS
SMALL SUR

H&H BUILDING
10:30pm – 2am

PICTUREPLANE
TEEN GIRL FANTASY
YIP YIP
CHANDELIERS
DAN FRIEL
DJ YO YO DIETING
BIG DIGITS
CULLEN STALIN
DEEP IN THE GAME
NADASTROM
ADVENTURE
MOSS OF AURA
JARED PAOLINI
LESSER GONZALEZ ALVAREZ
DUSTIN WONG
MICKEY FREE
ABIKU
GRAVEBANGERS
NARC
ROMANTIC STATES
AVOCADO HAPPY HOUR
POLYGONS
400 CLOAKS

SATURDAY JULY 24
CURRENT SPACE

12pm – 10:30pm

LIGHTNING BOLT
ARAB ON RADAR
NO AGE
DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE
PONYTAIL
DOUBLE DAGGER
ZACH HILL
THANK YOU
ED SCHRADER
CHILD BITE
ALTERED STATES
DREW SWINBURNE
SUPER VACATIONS
THE CONVOCATION OF
ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
AMIL BYLECKIE BAND
BEASTMASTER
SMALL SUR

H&H BUILDING

10:30pm – 2am

UNIVERSAL ORDER OF ARMAGEDDON
SICK WEAPONS
TWIN STUMPS
MAGNET CITY KIDS
THE NEW FLESH
LANDLORDS
DOPE BODY
HOLLYWOOD
NARWHALZ (OF SOUND)
DREAM HOUSE
PC WORSHIP
SEWN LEATHER
TEETH MOUNTAIN
SOCIAL JUNK
LAZY MAGNET
DUST
MELISSA MOORE
OWEN BRITEMAN
CHILD BRIDE
GAY BOMB
KAFFE MATTHEWS
TWIG HARPER
ANDREW BERNSTIEN
SEYJANO
DJ JOHN EATON
DJ ALEX DONDERO

SUNDAY JULY 25
CURRENT SPACE

12pm – 10:30pm

BEACH HOUSE
HEALTH
XIU XIU
DEAKIN
TALK NORMAL
CELEBRATION
FUTURE ISLANDS
LOWER DENS
WYE OAK
DUCKTAILS
PRINCE RAMA
QUIET HOOVES
IN EVERY ROOM
PEARLY
FARMS
INOCULIST

H&H BUILDING

10:30pm – 2am

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
BURNING STAR CORE
ZOMES
JASON URICK
KOEN HOLTKAMP & CHRIS FORSYTH
FAMILY BATTLE SNAKE
LEPRACHAUN CATERING
LITTLE HOWLIN’ WOLF
THE CREEPERS
DINOSAUR FEATHERS
ARCHER TWINS
HUME
LONNIE WALKER
ART DEPARTMENT
BOBBY
EAR PWR
BETHANY DINSICK
CASTANETS
LIVING THINGS
CORAL LEGS
HUMAN HOST
THE DODGERS

Teenage Souls - "Ice Floe"

Our neighbor Justin over at WTR CLR sent over a handful of tracks from some of his upcoming releases. Amongst reissues and new things from CEX, Teeth Mointain, and Holy Ghost Party, WTR CLR has a new Teenage Souls album in the wings.

Teenage Souls is the solo project of DJ Rice, a ridiculous drummer and an all-around inspired musician. If you've ever seen Teenage Souls perform, you've likely felt what its like to go from feeling totally claustrophobic to being completely set free all in one melodic haze of a sound.



"Ice Floe" will be on the upcoming WTR CLR cassette titled Panecakes. Having seen DJ perform live, I had always wondered how his energy would translate to headphones. However, the seamless yet never ending layers of "Ice Floe" rage with ease. There's even remnants of a pop song buried underneath all this glorious noise, one that's marched on with armies of steal drums and washes of avant rhythms.

This tape will be out in the next couple of weeks, and you can catch Teenage Souls perform this weekend at Whartscape on Friday during the day outside. The lineup for the outdoor portion that day also includes Rapdragons, Weekends, Height, Get Em Mamis, Witch Hat, Lil B, and more.

INEVERYROOM - INEVERYROOM

Whartscape is almost upon us ladies and gentlemen. This week over a 150 of the world's finest music acts will converge in Baltimore, with much thanks to the efforts of Wham City. This year's fest features the reunion of Universal Order of Armageddon, a Q&A with Ian Mackaye, and a good look at some of the best new bands in Baltimore.

Friends Records is sponsoring this year's Whartscape, and releasing some new titles from bands in town that we're pretty excited about. One of these releases is the debut from INEVERYROOM, a new seven track album from the vibed-out tribal guitar/synth trio. This release is the culmination of a constantly evolving tour CDR the band has been working on for the past several years.



"Untitled" is the last track on the cassette, a song that might recall a romp through a sweaty jungle that was likely the result of a bad trip - similar to INEVERYROOM sets experienced at the Annex.

INEVERYROOM plays Whartscape on Sunday at the outdoor stage at 1 PM. Friends Records is making this cassette available first at Whartscape, and will sell whatever copies are left online afterwords. The album will also be available digitally on a pay-what-you-want basis.

FRCS003
INEVERYROOM
Friends Records 2010

Side A
1. Waves Stood Still
2. Little Nums
3. In Thought

Side B
4. Strange
5. Celebration
6. “EM E GEE”
7. Untitled

Whartscape Out of Towners: Arab on Radar, Javelin, No Age, Teengirl Fantasy, Lil B, Oneohtrix Point Never, Lightning Bolt, + more

poster by Nolen Strals

While here we usually tend to focus on the local talent for Whartscape, this year sports a whole lot of amazing sounds from outside of Baltimore. I put together a bit of a sampler to help folks get a feel for a taste of this year's Whartscape, but in no way does this cover all the touring acts that will be performing.


Javelin - Snoop 2


No Age - Ripped Knees


Lightning Bolt - Colossus


Teen Girl Fantasy - Portofino


Arab On Radar - God Is Dad


Oneohtrix Point Never - Laser to Laser


Lil B - I Got Bitches

The rest of the week we'll likely be focusing efforts on the ongoings of Baltimore natives playing the 5th annual Whartscape. Friends Records is stoked to be a part of this year's event, and will have a tent set up each day with new releases available that will all be featured this week. Look for some sounds and the details regarding the new INEVERYROOM album later today.

THURSDAY JULY 22
CHARLES THEATER

5pm – 12am

MINK STOLE (LECTURE)
NAI CAMEYAK Q&A
SHANA MOULTON
BEN COONLEY
RAM ONES
BRYAN ZANISNIK
PETER GLANTZ & THE IMAGIN ARY CO
BENJAMIN BEAST
ERIN GLEESON
MASON ROSS
A FUNNY CLOWN
ALAN RESNICK
BLUE LEADER
APRIL CAMLIN
DANIEL HIGGS
LIZ DONADIO
SANTA DADS
ADAM ENDERS
JOHN PILSON
10 MINUTE PLAY FESTIVAL
UNSADDEST FACTORY
R.M. OBRIEN
MARTIN & LAWRENCE
SANTA DADS
BALLSOROY

FRIDAY JULY 23
CURRENT SPACE

12pm – 10:30pm

SPANKROCK
LIL B
SCOTTI B
ERIC COPELAND
GET EM MAMIS
DJ DOG DICK
HEIGHT
JAVELIN
SO PERCUSSION
CLUB LYFESTILES
LORD SCRUMMAGE
RAPDRAGONS
OFIRE
NEEDLE GUN
WE USED TO BE FAMILY
AMI DANG
CUP CACHE
TEENAGESOULS
PLURAL MC
WITCH HAT
WEEKENDS
SMALL SUR

H&H BUILDING
10:30pm – 2am

PICTUREPLANE
TEEN GIRL FANTASY
YIP YIP
CHANDELIERS
DAN FRIEL
DJ YO YO DIETING
BIG DIGITS
CULLEN STALIN
DEEP IN THE GAME
NADASTROM
ADVENTURE
MOSS OF AURA
JARED PAOLINI
LESSER GONZALEZ ALVAREZ
DUSTIN WONG
MICKEY FREE
ABIKU
GRAVEBANGERS
NARC
ROMANTIC STATES
AVOCADO HAPPY HOUR
POLYGONS
400 CLOAKS

SATURDAY JULY 24
CURRENT SPACE

12pm – 10:30pm

LIGHTNING BOLT
ARAB ON RADAR
NO AGE
DAN DEACON ENSEMBLE
PONYTAIL
DOUBLE DAGGER
ZACH HILL
THANK YOU
ED SCHRADER
CHILD BITE
ALTERED STATES
DREW SWINBURNE
SUPER VACATIONS
THE CONVOCATION OF
ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM
AMIL BYLECKIE BAND
BEASTMASTER
SMALL SUR

H&H BUILDING

10:30pm – 2am

UNIVERSAL ORDER OF ARMAGEDDON
SICK WEAPONS
TWIN STUMPS
MAGNET CITY KIDS
THE NEW FLESH
LANDLORDS
DOPE BODY
HOLLYWOOD
NARWHALZ (OF SOUND)
DREAM HOUSE
PC WORSHIP
SEWN LEATHER
TEETH MOUNTAIN
SOCIAL JUNK
LAZY MAGNET
DUST
MELISSA MOORE
OWEN BRITEMAN
CHILD BRIDE
GAY BOMB
KAFFE MATTHEWS
TWIG HARPER
ANDREW BERNSTIEN
SEYJANO
DJ JOHN EATON
DJ ALEX DONDERO

SUNDAY JULY 25
CURRENT SPACE

12pm – 10:30pm

BEACH HOUSE
HEALTH
XIU XIU
DEAKIN
TALK NORMAL
CELEBRATION
FUTURE ISLANDS
LOWER DENS
WYE OAK
DUCKTAILS
PRINCE RAMA
QUIET HOOVES
IN EVERY ROOM
PEARLY
FARMS
INOCULIST

H&H BUILDING

10:30pm – 2am

ONEOHTRIX POINT NEVER
BURNING STAR CORE
ZOMES
JASON URICK
KOEN HOLTKAMP & CHRIS FORSYTH
FAMILY BATTLE SNAKE
LEPRACHAUN CATERING
LITTLE HOWLIN’ WOLF
THE CREEPERS
DINOSAUR FEATHERS
ARCHER TWINS
HUME
LONNIE WALKER
ART DEPARTMENT
BOBBY
EAR PWR
BETHANY DINSICK
CASTANETS
LIVING THINGS
CORAL LEGS
HUMAN HOST
THE DODGERS

Jason Urick - This Is Critical

It's no secret that Jason Urick has been a huge inspiration to us and those around us. When he says something is critical, you should probably go ahead and listen.



"Invisible Map" is the B side on the new This Is Critical 7 inch by Jason Urick that's out on Fan Death Records next week. One of our favorite musicians paired with one of the best local labels is a win/win, and I'm stoked to get my hands on the wax next week. You can catch Jason play tonight at the WICV broadcast booth at Artscape with Dustin Wong.



When you're finished, head over to see Height with Friends & AK Slaughter at the Annex. Tomorrow night, stumble by the WICV booth again for Brendan Sullivan and Winks.

Tonight: Microkingdom, Lone Wolf & Cub, Slowjerks

Tonight the Metro Gallery's got you covered with Lone Wolf & Cub coming into town from Chicago, joined by Baltimore's Microkingdom and Slow Jerks. Preparations for the new Microkingdom LP are underway, and announcements regarding the record are coming soon via Friends Records.



This is the unmastered version of "Aire Metale", the second track on Three Compositions of No Jazz. The art above is the back cover of the LP, just passed over to me by Chris Day. Chris is designing the entire package for this record, and is resident of Open Space and member of Witch Hat.

The show tonight starts at 8 PM, and will run you a similar 8 dollars.

Photos: Future Islands Acoustic Set @ Metro Gallery

Last Saturday night, Future Islands played their first ever acoustic set at the Metro Gallery here in Baltimore. The show was the opening reception for Wild Nothing, an awesome photo exhibit that was curated by Elena Johntson and Natasha Tylea.

The band played all acoustic, with Gerrit Welmers on a grand piano, William Cashion sporting an acoustic bass, and Sam sitting down while singing. They were also joined by a cellist, another acoustic guitar, and drums. The set started off with "In Evening Air" leading into "In The Fall", both title tracks off of their debut set of Thrill Jockey releases. Capped off with a stunning version of "Little Dreamer", Saturday night was further evidence that this isn't your ordinary synth pop band.

Future Islands just finished recording a brand new song, one that will be appearing on their upcoming Friends Records split 7 inch with Lonnie Walker. Look for details on that release in the coming months, and be sure to check them out on Sunday at Whartscape.

Check out Valerie's full photo set after the jump.














Photos by Valerie