Small Sur - Daytrotter Session

The Midwest's most consistent outlet of cozy music session downloads, Daytrotter, dropped a late Christmas present for ears abound. Small Sur, one of Baltimore's finest folk projects, recently stopped by and played some tunes.

With four songs in total, the session consists of two unreleased tracks, and two off of We Live In Houses Made Of Wood. Both of the new songs will appear on Small Sur's next full length in 2010.

Hear one of the new songs and link to the full session download below.


One of the more familar tracks, "Sea Stones", is one of the session's many bright spots. With a two minute intro of soft and hypnotic hushed noise, this one entrances you rather quickly. When Bob Keal's voice soaks in, complete bliss ensues, and you are quickly reminded of the beauty of 2008's We Live In Houses Made Of Wood.

"Ohhhhh Pt. 1 & 2", lumps two consecutive album tracks into one MP3. Andy Abelow's sax work at the end of "Pt. 1" is incredibly enchanting, and provides the perfect segway to the latter half. These songs have aged well since their birth over a year or so ago, much like the rest. Their is a steady flow throughout the whole session, reminiscent to walking through a creek in late September.



Above is one of the new tracks, "My Elder Days". This song cements proof that Bob's 2010 release is something to be excited for, slowly crawling from a gently swaying melody to a bubbling sunny burst of folk pop perfection.

Austin Stahl's drumming in this performance is also worth noting, tastefully scattered in all the right places. Also, proving music of this variety sometimes does need elements of formal percussion. These four tracks are a fantastic representation of Small Sur, and downloading it here via Daytrotter of course comes highly recommended.

Small Sur croons the Sonar club stage January 19, opening for Vetiver. Recent Sub Pop acquisition Avi Buffalo, and locals Secret Mountains are also part of this stellar lineup.

Clusterf*ck: Shows in Bmore This Weekend

Ever since Fall started, weekends in Baltimore have been stockpiled with stellar shows to attend. Tough choices have been made, and there are more yet to be. I'm sure as heck not complaining about living in a city where choosing between this many shows is sometimes considered a problem.

Yeah, we got other problems too, but this is a music blog. Tonight TAXLO is throwing another one of their mega parties, with Peaches, Ponytail, and Men at Sonar. Now, you won't find too many Peaches tracks on my iTunes, but I'd sure as hell go to check out what their live spectacle is all about.

Ponytail, is a band that needs no more endorsement from me. Their last show at the Ottobar was considered by some to be epic, and I thought they rocked some faces off an eager crowd. Not to mention, I'm not sure I got across off how amazing Dustin Wong was at Soft Fest. Dustin performed guitar compositions similar to what is on Seasons, an album that he had written on the back about how playing the songs live would require at least seven times the sets of hands to perform. Plus, most know Molly Siegel, Jeremy Hyman, and Ken Seeno are going to bring it just as hard.

The Zodiac also hosts a good one tonight, of the more relaxed variety. Lizz King is performing a rare acoustic set, with Andy Abelow and Golden Ghost on support. You can still snag Andy Abelow's excellent set from Soft Fest via MP3 or FLAC.

Tomorrow night the Hexagon's got a pretty kick ass show, as Imperial China, The G, and Compression all play some tunes. I got the chance to speak with Pat from The G last week, in an interview fit for a D.A.R.E. commercial. Dan Auerbach of Black Keys fame is also in town, headlining a big show at Sonar.

Saturday night is yet again stuffed, but MT6 Fest only happens once a year. This year it goes down at the Hexagon, with two stages and the usual cast of misfits. Highlights include Abiku, Bad Liquor Pond, Herioin UK, Newagehillbilly, Needle Gun, and a whole lot more.

Another event on Saturday that is totally worth stopping by is a gallery opening at Open Space. The collection is being dubbed Ordinary Spectacles, which among many others, features the works of Steve Keene. Steve Keene is responsible for a whole mess of album artwork, including some of Pavement's cover art.

Yes, there are more choices on Saturday, with Surfer Blood hitting the Ottobar opening up for Art Brut. Last but not least, Time New Vikings brings its no-fi pop to the Talking Head with Mr. Moccasin running support.

Live MP3s / Photos: Andy Abelow at Soft Fest

More live sets and photos from Soft Fest, as the multi-faceted Abelow showed off Sunday night with Sianna Plavin. The set featured some of the area's finest folk pop ditties, songs accented with choice Americana and careful detail.

You can take a gander for yourself, and peep some video from the set after the click.

Andy Abelow has a show November 12 at the Zodiac with Lizz King and Golden Ghost. Until then, take a listen to his set as Soft Fest.

Andy Abelow (with Sianna Plavin)
Taped by David Carter
Lineage: AGK 414s > Zoom h4n 48/24 > Cubase 5 > flac/mp3
Soft Fest 10/25/09
Baltimore, Maryland

MP3s: http://www.filebox.com/hpd2ehzhqnjr
FLACs: http://www.filebox.com/si218e8srhai

Setlist:
Ease On Out Now
Old Willow Blues
Playin' the Fool
Soft Song of the Sun
The Birds (a Sianna Plavin song)
Sky of Blue


Photos by Valerie

Bring Pillows: Soft Fest

Another weekend in Baltimore, and yet another heap of shows to choose from. One event certainly stands out, spanning both Saturday and Sunday. Soft Fest features some of the areas finer mellifluous tunes.

Both days get going at 6 PM and run until midnight, with over ten acts each night all worth checking out. Organizers promise other activities of a more humbled variety, including chess tournaments, silent films, and Tom Selleck. Yup.

I was even told that the entire space would be lined with blankets. All mellow vibes aside, there's some pretty extraordinary talent lined up. Start clicking below:

Saturday
6:45: Run DMT
7:00: Semya
7:20: Holy Ghost Party
8:00: Each Others
8:20: The Bow Legged Gorilla
9:00: Turquoise Cats
9:20: Soft Cat
10:00: Poor Mouth
10:20: Avocado Happy Hour
11:00: Dustin Wong
11:20: M.C. Schmidt

Sunday
7:00: Daytime
7:20: Comeback Ranch
8:00: Bethany Dinsick
8:20: Happy Family
9:00: Andy Abelow
9:20: Lands and Peoples
10:00: Pilar Diaz and Lindsay Rowzinski
10:20: Secret Mountains
11:00: John Somers and Liz Meredith
11:20: Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez

I've highlighted a bunch of these artists before, as a lot have contributed some of the more beautiful tracks from within 695. Dustin Wong's magnificent Seasons has found its way to my turntable often, an LP drenched in unique textures and layers.

Avocado Happy Hour are currently working on their next album, with much to look forward to. They kindly sent me over a couple live tracks from an acoustic set they did at Sonic Circuits. Below is "Sitting Down", performed with a vibraphone, marimba, glockenspiel, and Amanda singing through a megaphone.

Happy Family had an EP titled Sound Farm that had me pretty excited s few months back, with one of the catchier floaty bedroom pop jams I've heard. Check out "Cups" below.

And Lands and Peoples have shown much promise, as their hand-sewn sleeved EP is lush with dreamy folk pop sure to have you thinking of some of the better acts possessing similar sounds. Check out EP standout "Bad Habits".



There are others playing that I've pointed out before, and many of which I hope to recommend in the future. Stop by and stay awhile on Saturday or Sunday, or both. I've been asked to provide you with this email address, in case you need to know the location of said gathering. With a flyer like the one below, and Tom Selleck promised to be in attendance, showing up is a no brainer.

Aural States Fest

The Aural States Fest is this weekend. Friday night @ Sonar feautures some of Baltimore's finest: Arbouretem, Wye Oak, and Small Sur. The 2 staged event also boasts Caverns, Imperial China, Lo Moda, Hollywood, Pleasant Livers, Andy Abelow, and Cannot Be Stopped. Hot damn.

All for only 10 bucks, its a pretty ridiuclous and diverse bill all around. Get there early enough on Friday and you might get a free goodie bag with CDs, MP3s, and merch. The fun continues Saturday night at the Whole Gallery with CEX and Craig Sopo.

Click here for free MP3's of the bands.