This Sunday at The Annex, John of Environmental Aesthetics is throwing a show called Sunday Brunch. Taking place in 3E and 4W, 17 acts are slated to play from 2 PM 'til late.
With a wide variety sounds that are either based in the area or passing through Baltimore on their way up to CMJ, folks will have a plethora of vibes to take in with their eggs benedict and huevos rancheros. Be prepared for rock, warped R&B, psyched out electronics, Baltimore club, scuzzy post-folk, party rap, and plenty more.
There's a lot to do this weekend, so let' get to clusterf*cking. This one is a bit of a Friends Records edition, as bands from all three of our upcoming LPs are playing shows.
Tonight, the Hexagon is stacked so grab a six pack or flask of your favorite spirit and get ready for a pretty diverse bill. Baltimore's Weekends, Jones, and Talk to Animals, are paired with DC's BLDGS and Boston's Bone Zones... yes, the name's Bone Zone. This party will run ya six beans, and as always the Hexagon is BYOB. See you there.
Sonar is sporting a massive one tonight as well, with the biggest ambient soul project in all the land coming to town. Taxlo's got The XX, but unfortunately if this is the first you are hearing of it you're out of luck. This one's sold out, but there's an after party at Sonar with Jamie from The XX DJing that does not require a ticket to the show. The after party starts at 10 PM.
Saturday night you'll likely want to be in the Annex/Copycat corridor. Height with Friends and Nuclear Power Pants bring the veggie oil fueled bus back to Baltimore, playing a big 'ol homecoming show at The Good Son with AK Slaughter, Gavin Riley, and Drew Swineburne. Nuclear Power Pants will also be releasing their new cassette single for "Uh Oh Maxi". And, Height's new LP will be ready for your turntables in just a couple weeks.
Over at Pet Cemetary, there's another massive lineup with Weekends, True Womanhood, Ava Luna, Cop Magnet, and Silent Whys. A lot of these folks have releases with the Baltimore digital label Environmental Aesthetics, and also a lot of these folks are awesome. There is one more show in the vicinity, with Nothingberryplasma, Total Bolsheviks, Andrew Bernstein, and Comeback Ranch all playing over at The F401tress.
Oh and hey, you've got two more swell options Saturday night with Rapdragons playing their release party for Ten Stories Highjacked, and the Oranges Band playing their 10th anniversary show at the Ottobar.
If you survived Saturday night's ambush, then Sunday's got a stellar free show upstairs at the Ottobar. Sri Aurobindo and Jack Chick play El Suprimo's 7th birthday party. Get psyched.
The much regionally-hyped DC band dropped their debut recently, a digital EP with Environmental Aesthetics. The trio consists of Thomas Redmond, Melissa Beattie, and Noam Elsner, and they've only been around a little over a year now. Basement Membranes was recorded at Death by Audio by David Levin (A Place to Bury Strangers) and at J. Robbins' studio in Baltimore. The new EP is the much fuller form of the four song demo they've had at shows over the last year (which came in an awesome old school floppy disc sleeve), and features six tracks at just over 25 minutes. Not just fuller in length - the production fronted by the choice individuals noted above is definitely noteworthy.
The bands take on melodic gloom pop uses sounds and textures of all varieties, all of which are tweaked and leveled to a listen that is interesting to say the least. Guitar drones and drums are mixed in with samples and croons, churning a stew of cohesive melodies and almost haunted sounds.
"Dignitas" is a personal favorite, track three on the digital EP. This is by far the darkest of the bunch, with layers of ghosts paired with entrancing sonics that build throughout. I'd love to see this band take this darkness even farther in prior works, as this one's just got that tribal/cult feel that's tough not to be drawn to.
As long as this band sounds even remotely the same as they do now, there will surely be Radiohead comparisons. This is largely due to the vocals which are very reminiscent of Mr. Yorke, but the melodic twists of pop song structures bare close resemblance as well. While this is probably a good thing for the band's success, it's almost close enough in sound to the point of flaw.
Regardless, this EP is great and I'm eager to see what's next from True Womanhood.
This year's Aural States Fest looks to be the last, and was yet again another great ode to regional splendor. Considering the cold white powder that fell from the sky all day long on Saturday, the turnout wasn't all bad and somehow the majority of folks involved still made it to Sonar.
Valerie snapped photos of acts she was able to witness, full set to follow. Height with Friends
Last night's show at the Metro Gallery sounded great, with all 3 bands contributing unique vibes to an aurally pleasurable evening. Bad Liquor Pond's psych-soaked jams really do themselves way more justice live, and last night was a classic example of such.
Weekends set up on the floor, and attracted the largest crowd for the Wednesday night show. Displaying why they are one of the most fun bands in Baltimore, the duo blasted through a stellar set that solidfied faith in rock and roll, and left ear drums feeling fuzzy.
True Womanhood were an intriguing surprise, having only heard a few tracks prior to last night. I am certainly looking forward to what twists and turns the future brings to their psychedelic pop sound, and recommend grabbing their demo at their next gig.
Special thanks to Chrissy for the wonderful photography, as this was her debut covering for Bmore Music. Check back here often for more of her excellent local show coverage.
Heck of a triple bill this Wednesday at the Metro Gallery. Local ear-melters Weekends will be opening along with psych rockers Bad Liquor Pond. They will both be getting kids in the mood for True Womanhood, who shall bring their avant pop sound up from the depths of DC.
Bad Liquor Pond'sRadiant Transmission was a more than pleasant surprise this year, but their live show is where it's really at for the crew. As for Weekends, I've already shared a plethora of positive emotions as of late.
This is an evening you should not miss folks. Stream tracks below.
