Tonight: Pontiak / Mondo Drag @ Golden West

The Golden West is featuring all kinds of psychedelics this month. Tonight's bill is no different, with Pontiak coming back to town with Mondo Drag and The Main St. Gospel.



Pontiak have been on fire over the last couple years, releasing four full length LPs on Thrill Jockey starting back in 2008 with Sun On Sun. The most recent, Living, hits on all the same heavy frequencies as the rest, and is one of the darkest of the bunch. Just like the others it was recorded by the band themselves, but took a bit longer with a four month recording process.



Mondo Drag harvest a sound not often brought to the table in 2010. Spacey and groovy psychedelic rock and roll that will have you recalling Hendrix, Cream, and the likes. They released a new album recently called New Rituals, which came out on Alive Records.

Tonight's show starts at 10:30 and is just six bucks.

Pontiak - Laywayed from Thrill Jockey Records 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

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.

Playlist: Blogtimore Pwns Weekend

There are about 30 acts playing this weekend on Friday at the G Spot, Saturday at Sonar, and Sunday at the Ottobar. Listen to 17 above. Get tickets here and here.

Top 20 Balimore Albums of 2009

This is Bmore Musically Informed's top 20 albums list of 2009 released by artists who call Baltimore home. Rankings were determined by vinyl wear and tear, iTunes play count, and placing a value on love. Intense moral and emotional qualms were reached when ranking number one through five.

Look for more locally-oriented lists regarding music here soon, and feel free to send in your own input. I tried to limit this list to mostly LPs, but there are a few worthy EPs thrown into the mix. 2009 was another fantastic year here in Baltimore, and here are the releases to prove it:

20. Bethany Dinsick - Bottle Tree

19. AK Slaughter - The Mixtape

18. Lands and Peoples - self titled EP

17. Nuclear Power Pants - Wicked Eats the Warrior

16. Dope Body - Twenty Pound Brick

15. Microkingdom - Spectacular Edges

14. Happy Family - Sound Farm

13. Caleb Stine - Eyes So Strong and Clean

12. The Violet Hour - The Violet Hour

11. Jones - Jones Jones Jones

10. Sri Aurobindo - debut EP and Return into Earth

9. Lo Moda - Replica Watches

8. Dustin Wong - Seasons

7. Pontiak - Maker

6. Jason Urick - Husbands

5. Weekends - Weekends LP and Suburban Dome EP
This was Weekends' debut LP, and I found it permeating my ears quite often this year. These guys played a hell of a lot of shows, and came hard each and every time. Both of these contain "riffs of pure joy", and have left me feeling this good every listen. I am excited to be playing a major part in their upcoming LP, a vinyl/digital release via Friends Records in early 2010.

4. Arbouretum - Song of the Pearl
Arbouretum have been a staple here as of late, and this is the most cohesive release of their career. The production on Song of the Pearl is impeccable, allowing every note Dave's vocals hits to flawlessly boom just as it does seeing them live. This is psychedelic doom folk at its best.

3. Wye Oak - The Knot
Andy and Jenn are likely going to be make a lot of amazing music for a long time to come. The Knot ensured my faith in this, as at times it does an almost perfect job of capturing Wye Oak's live performance, putting it into tangible form. This album possesses some of the most aurally beautiful moments Baltimore has produced this year.

2. Dan Deacon - Bromst
Without even bringing up what he means to Baltimore, just look at the facts. Dan Deacon built off of the hyperactive electronics of Spiderman of the Rings, and turned it into a mind-bending and blissful composition performed by a large ensemble of talented local musicians. One of my fondest memories of 2009 was Dan and the ensemble closing out Whartscape's outside stage, mainly due to my obsession with Bromst.

1. Double Dagger - More
There was no album that I found myself coming back to over and over again this year more than More. This is by far Double Dagger's most dynamic LP to date, and embodies a band that represents Baltimore to the fullest. This is a meaningful album by a meaningful band, period.

Photos: Pontiak / Sri Aurobindo / Spectrum

Photos by Chrissy

Pontiak, Sri Aurobindo, and Spectrum all blasted ears last Friday at Sonar. An aurally stimulating show all around, locals Sri Aurobindo and semi-locals Pontiak crunched away at fantastic sets that left ear drums a ringin'. With Pontiak's albums generally recorded in one fell swoop, playing live seemed to come off more than natural for the trio as they jammed ridiculously tight. Gawk at Chrissy's pics of the evening above, and be sure to check and of these guys out next go around.

Tonight: Pontiak / Sri Aurobindo / Spectrum

Killer lineup at Sonar tonight that features Sri Aurobindo, Pontiak, and Spectrum who sport Sonic Boom of Spaceman 3 fame. Faces might melt, amps could be blown, and crunchy psychadelic rock tunes will be bountiful.

Sri Aurobindo are one of Baltimore's best new bands, and if you didn't catch them here or at any of their other recent gigs, please do so tonight. Their debut EP was beyond fantastic, and features a handful of mildly noisey and heavily nostalgic jams that won't disappoint. It was limited to only 199 copies, and my guess is they are long gone by now.

I've allready splurged my love for Pontiak's new record, and look forward to seeing how the new tunes translate live. My only hope is that at least 2 amps are sacrificed, just as they were in the recording process of the new LP. If you haven't heard Maker yet, do yourself a favor and come grab a doom folk soaked copy tonight.

The fact that Spectrum will be performing some Spaceman 3 songs leaves me little else I need to say to convince you how great this one will be. I admittedly haven't heard any of their new tunes, but can't fathom how they could be too terrible. Show starts at 8.

Pontiak: Maker

Deep in the forests of Virginia reside three brothers and a 12 by 12 recording studio. The combination of such has produced Maker, Pontiak's latest release via Thrill Jockey.

This is Pontiak's 3rd album in a year, including their fantastic 12" of mostly John Cale covers split with Arbouretum titled Kale. The new LP is drenched with sweat, blood, and sludge, as only the heaviest of rock and roll records are. Two amps were blown throughout the recording process, but little does this describe the magnitude of Maker.

By far their most cohesive LP to date, Maker drudges along with anthem after epic anthem that scream sweet nothings into your ear. The record's title track is a 13 minute voyage of grand proportions, with gloomy solos to serenade throughout. The album is heavy in all regards, and should only be attempted to lift with a spotter. But, lifting on your front porch with a glass of bourbon might prove more effective.

Pontiak will emerge from the woods to bless Sonar with their presence on April 24th. One of Baltimore's best new psychadelic outfits, Sri Aurobindo, will be opening. Headlining the affair will be Spectrum, who sport Sonic Boom of Spaceman 3. Don't miss this one.

Peep Pontiak's new video for "Layawayed" below.

Arbouretem & Pontiak to Play Talking Head

Arbouretem will headline the Talking Head September 5th, bringing folk drudge jams to all. You know a band is going to be pretty impressive when they are lead by someone, Dave Heumann, who has played with both Will Oldham and Cass McCombs.

The band just dropped the previously mentioned Kale, a split 12 inch that features originals and John Cale covers from both bands. Pontiak rocks side B of the record, delivering a solid rendition of "Mr. Wilson" to cap things off.

Expect a quality show, with support from The Psychic Paramount and Sri Aurobindo.

Recent Informings

TV on the Radio announced the release of their 3rd LP earlier this week. Much to my pleasantry, it will be released September 23rd right after I go to this out west.

But for those that urn for more instant gratification, a whole lot has come out recently that's in need of your ears. Dr. Dog's newest release Fate is one of which described, and contains guitar pop keyboard goodness.

Menomena's Danny Seim released his 9th LP under the moniker Lackthereof this week. Most of his other releases, including numerous CDR's he passed out amongst friends, have been more sedated folksy endeavors.

Your Anchor displays loads of Menomena-infused jams that float along swimmingly. This is the first one that Barsuk has released of his, and certainly has my strong endorsed recommendation.

Thrill Jockey has dropped lots of love lately. Not only have they debuted the album from Baltimore's own Thank You, They also released Arbouretem and Pontiak's split vinyl action called Kale this week.

In addition to the previous two fine LP's, High Places' collection of singles 03/07 - 09/07 came out on the label Tuesday. This compilation includes experimental fuzz pop gems from 7" vinyls, and some other enjoyable tunes.

The Dutchess and the Duke's debut is also worth your short attention span. The album is full of tracks that sound like an infusion of Exile-era Stones and The White Stripes. Not too shabby.

Also, Bodies of Water's LP, A Certain Feeling, arrived this week. Think Fleet Foxes but infused with opera and soul, and somehow even better than I described. Check out their Daytrotter session right here.