Tonight: Compact - A Tape Culture Night

Tonight there's an event at the Windup Space that looks to bode well for analog enthusiasts. Lexie Mountain is presenting Compact, a free-form tape culture night.

Starting at 9 PM, anyone and everyone is invited to come and bring their cassettes. The event is meant to share collections and/or catalogs, buy or trade tapes, and have the chance to play them live on the decks in a "freedom format". Lexie also proclaims, "ALL TAGS NO GENRES! ANYTHING EVERYTHING GLOBAL PARTY PORTABLES!"




Friends Records will be in attendance. We're bringing our tape dubber and cassette making supplies, and we'll be, yes... making tapes. Friends Records just announced the release of Moss of Aura's new LP, and also the re-release of all five of his prior albums on cassette. Tonight we'll be making the first two titles, Circle in the Corner and Rushcrusher. Zu Shapes' Merigold EP will also be available for the first time.

The event tonight starts at 9 PM, is at Windup Space, and is free.

Photos: Sun Araw at the Ottobar

A few weeks ago, one of my favorite artists making music right now made a tour stop in Baltimore at the Ottobar. Sun Araw came to town from California, and was backed with a band marking the first tour of The Sun Araw Band. A new LP is due out on Cameron Stallones' own Sun Ark Records, and the show featured a preview of the new tracks.

Cameron and crew sounded huge on the booming system at the Ottobar, having only seen him perform once before at a small bar in Texas. The set was one of my favorite so far this year, a psychedelic whirlwind of new age dub and deconstructed jams that seemed to go on into eternity. The night was also blessed by a heavy psych set from Run DMT.

Peep some shots by Valerie Paulsgrove below, and the full set after the jump.

Semya - "Spectral Growth Reel"

Last week Richard over at Rose Quartz pointed out a new track via Altered Zones by Baltimore's own Semya. It's called "Spectral Growth Reel", check it out below.



This new offering from the Wigflip cohort Semya (the same dude who makes beats under the Lexx moniker) is a brilliantly lit-up affair. With new age hums and off-kilter warbles that could cast a spell over just about anything, this sun-drenched stunner shows much promise for the forthcoming full length. "Spectral Growth Reel" starts out with subtle tones and warm vibes, only to let up and drift off deep into a realm of weird and cosmic sounds. Some resemblance of a beat can be found throughout the haze, starting out in the distance but eventually becoming the focal point as the song fades off into space.

The new cassette is out on Matthewdavid's label, Leaving Records, in July or August.

Tonight: Lichens, Soft Circle, Zomes, Eachothers

Giveaway: Animal Collective at Merriweather Post Pavilion

If you read this, or you know me personally, you might know that I grew up in the outskirts of Baltimore in the suburban wonderland that is Columbia, Maryland. I have been attending concerts in Symphony Woods ever since my parents brought me to Merriweather see the The Beach Boys as a child.



In 11th or 12th grade my friend introduced me to Animal Collective, and told me it was the craziest band he ever heard. It blew my mind, and I found myself digging up as much as I could about a band that was from my own home state. It was a welcome departure from the rest of the music being shoved down my impressionable throat, and little did I know it would soon be shoved down others' throats by the masses.



Years later Animal Collective released an album titled Merriweather Post Pavilion, a record that catapulted them into alternative culture stardom. Since the record was released, fans residing in the Mid-Atlantic region have been asking one thing - When are Animal Collective going to play at Merriweather Post Pavilion???



Our question is now answered, and July 9, 2011 is the date. Animal Collective will headline Merriweather Post Pavilion on July 9th, and opening will be the deconstructed noise that is Black Dice. I've got a pair of tickets to give away for this event. Send an email to bmoremusicallyinformed@gmail.com with ANIMAL COLLECTIVE in the subject line. In the body describe what this show might mean to you, if anything at all. We'll pick a winner a few days before the show. Tickets are also available right here.

Future Islands - "Before The Bridge"

Bmore Musically Informed has been on hiatus for about a month now, but I can no longer hold in all the good musical things that are coming out of this town. I still need employment, but I was offered some paid freelance work recently, so this will have to suffice enough for me to start blogging again. Thanks for all the kind words, help, and encouragement in regard to my search for work - it really means a lot.

One of the best things that happened while I stepped back from the blogosphere was a fresh track from one of my favorite bands in the world right now - Future Islands.



You can read more about "Before The Bridge" over at my post on Impose, but here's the basics. It's the A-side of a new 7" out on Thrill Jockey on July 19, which is limited to just 750 copies. It's the first new song to be heard since "The Ink Well", and it's drenched in promise of more amazing things to come from this Baltimore trio.

Pre-order the new 7" from Thrill Jockey Records right here, and peep some live footage of Future Islands playing the 2640 Space for Celebration's LP release show below.

Clusterfuck: Scapescape, Dope Body, Autograph Playhouse, Death Set, more

With the recent closure of the Hexagon, and the close call at Sonar, Baltimore should revel in any announcement of a new space for art to inhabit. The Showtime Theatre on 25th street is re-opening as the Autograph Playhouse this weekend.

The same B.R.O.S. that presented us with Grundlehammer are back with two new rock operas scheduled for the next three weekends, titled Amphion and The Terrible Secret of Lunastus. More details are here, and tickets are here.



Dope Body celebrates the release of Nupping Friday night at Floristree with a Baltimore heavy sound dream team that includes Double Dagger, Ed Schrader's Music Beat, and an all-too-rare appearance by Butt Stomach (Dan Deacon and Kevin O'Meara's noise outfit).




The big event this weekend is Scapescape, a festival that goes down all day Sunday at the G Spot and Ruintown. Festival organizer Dave Underhill was originally asked to have his band play the G Spot for what could be a final farewell to the space, but he ended up booking over 20 other bands to play as well. The result is a wide offering of some of Baltimore's best sounds with Dan Deacon, Celebration, Arbouretum, and Microkingdom all headlining the affair. RSVP and get more details right here.


And if all that weren't already enough, Approximate Infinite Daydream begins this Sunday at the Baltimore Museum of Art. This show includes Comeback Ranch, Jared Paolini, and Vlond. The event is free and takes places during regular hours at the museum.


Lastly, the Death Set is back in town for the first time since dropping their new record. They play the Windup Space on Saturday night with Win Win and Future People.

Dr. Unk

I first received word from Dr. Unk back in March, in an email that read "AND JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS OVER." The email went on to ask, "WHAT IS THIS GARBAGE?" Only to reply, "EXACTLY!" The mix attached was titled Dr. Unk's Guilty Pleasures.

Rising from the graves of lost pop songs and exposing current pop trends for what they really are, Dr. Unk creates future dance music excavated from our everyday culture.

It's important to note that Dr. Unk is Baltimore's Neal Reinalda, a resident of Open Space who has made a habit out of creating art out of other people's disposable waste. Reinalda is also responsible for the ambient sound collages under the Daytime moniker, but its the visual work that shines a light on the ideas behind Dr. Unk.

All undertones aside, Dr. Unk's steady outpour of mixtapes are mostly perfect for the dance floor, with enough sludge and digital mayhem layered over top to keep you're ears purring into the wee hours of the night. Download Dr. Unk's entire catalog below.


DOWNLOAD: DR. UNK’s GUILTY PLEASURES VOL. 1


DOWNLOAD: DR. UNK’s GUILTY PLEASURES VOL. 2


DOWNLOAD: DR. UNK presents: ALL SCREWED UNCHEWED

Video: Lower Dens - Take Away Show

The French video blog La Blogotheque recently posted their encounter with Baltimore's Lower Dens, which took place down in Texas for SXSW. La Blogotheque caught up with Jana Hunter and her band after a hectic schedule of shows, just in time for a couple of low-key renditions of "Deer Knives" and "Tea Lights" under the Austin trees.

Giveaway: The Sun Araw Band and Run DMT

The L.A.-based psychedelic dub-warper Sun Araw is coming to Baltimore in June, part of an East Coast tour that debuts Cameron Stallones' new full band. Under the new moniker The Sun Araw Band, Stallones and crew will be previewing cuts from a forthcoming 2xLP via Woodsist to be titled Ancient Romans.



Streaming above is "Bump Up", a single from Sun Araw's most recent 7" disc from Monofonus Press last month. Here's a cut from a recent EP, Beach Head:



The Sun Araw Band will be joined by Run DMT and M. Geddes Gengras on Sunday, June 5 at the Ottobar. We've got a pair of passed to give away to this compliments of Unregistered Nurse, so shoot an email over to bmoremusicallyinformed@gmail.com with SUN ARAW in the subject and your favorite dub song as the message body.

Video: Dope Body - "100 Mile"

The first video from Dope Body's fantastic new Nupping LP has surfaced, and comes in the form of a short for "100 Mile" directed by Theo Anthony. Take a gander above.

The video entails an old man's birthday that takes an interesting twist after he's presented with the cake. The party quickly turns into a wilderness adventure complete with pyrotechnics, blood, and some sort of creepy rabbit/wolf creatures. The style of the film reminds us of watching music videos on MTV after school in 1995, much like some of the sounds that emanate from the rest of Dope Body's new record out now on Hoss.

Theo's last video was also Baltimore-based, a short for Future Islands' "The Ink Well".

Mixtape: Baltimore: Spring 2011

  art by Caleb Moore

This morning I posted a new seasonal mixtape on Impose, titled Baltimore: Spring 2011.


DOWNLOAD: [SIDE A] Baltimore: Spring 2011
1. Zomes - "Openings"
2. Weekends - "Home Alone (acoustic)"
3. Ken Seeno - "Cedilla in My Monogram"
4. Lands & Peoples - "Sexting"
5. White Life - "Real Things"
6. Eachothers - "Wild Yonder"
7. Microkingdom - "Aire Metal (Chopped and Screwed)"
8. Ponytail - "Honey Touches"
9. Adventure - "Feels Like Heaven"
10. Daytime - "Life / Afterlife (edit)"
11. Ecstatic Sunshine - "Hello Money"


DOWNLOAD: [SIDE B] Baltimore: Spring 2011
1. Celebration - "Only The Wicked (acoustic)"
2. Zu Shapes - "Olivia"
3. Moss of Aura - "Charter"
4. Winks - "Slap Me Choke Me Cum On You"
5. Dope Body - "The Shape of Grunge To Come"
6. Inflatable Mattress - "Green Tea Girlfriend"
7. Thank You - "Pathetic Magic (Dan Deacon remix)"
8. Avocado Happy Hour - "Daytime Television"
9. Gem Vision - "Untitled 1"

Show: Roller Ehse

The good folks of Ehse Records have become known not only for their genre-defying assortment of Baltimore sounds pressed to wax, but for their events such as Ehse on Ice which brought noise acts to Patterson Park's friendly neighborhood ice bubble.

Trade in your ice skates for something more seasonal this Friday at Roller Ehse. Lexie Mountain writes of an event not-to-miss, a night that leave's your rollerskating soundtrack to the professionals. Lexie details the evening's entertainment below:

Ami Dang + Amulets: Amulets is Kate Levitt of Teeth Mountain, Dan Deacon Ensemble. Ami Dang is a Sikh shredder. Sitar, voice, electronics, and drums come together in new weird world tribe vibe. NEVER CUT YOUR HAIR AGAIN!




Editor's note: play all three above at the same time for an approximation of Ami Dang + Amulets

Adventure: Super group with the super sound. Blowin subs from The Smell to the Soft House. Bumpin' and spacin' all the way with Benny Boeldt, Mark Brown and Dave Fell. Music to hold hands to, with the wind in your beard.

Ich Auch: Karl Ekdahl and Logan Terkelsen all-improvised analog synthesizer and aucoustic drums duo, with a sound ranging from up-beat psychedelic electronica to atmospheres of minimal ambience.

DJ TEAM SECOND COMMUNION: Amy Harmon and Lexie Mountain chant down the wheel in the sky for Roller Ehse AKA XANADON'T using the ancient shaking wands available to human life: cassette, LP and dirty hands. Classic non-hits, steamy sweet anthems, gems from forgotten eras. It'll be here and so will you!

Skates and admission is $3 / $5. The event starts at 9:30 PM at Shake and Bake.

Video: Bethany Dinsick - "Bad Lil' Boy"

It's been two years since Bethany Dinsick released her delicately beautiful Bottle Tree. However, a few weeks ago Dinsick disclosed to me that she'd have the album's first video ready soon. Sure enough, Bethany sent over the short for "Bad Lil' Boy" today.

The song was produced by Chris Freeland, who also co-stars quite youthfully in this colorful affair. Bethany also stars in the short, which was directed by Eric Alexandar Gonzalez. Filmed in Brooklyn Park, Chris plays the "bad 'lil boy" while Bethany is the girlfriend in this psychedelic take on Romper Room meets Fresh Prince of Bel Air.



The short also features dancers Pilar Diaz, Monica Mirabile, Caroline Marcantoni, and Katherine Ralston. Bethany promised more soon as she gears up to work on new music.

Daytime's Serendipity

Friends Records continues its takeover of the Windup Space tomorrow with Run DMT, Microkingdom, Beyond Say, and Daytime. RSVP here, and to tonight's show here.

Sometimes when Daytime performs live, a large inflatable balloon is set up to encompass the crowd. This environment emulates how Daytime's recordings can make you feel.

Daytime's sound has always been deeply inverted, yet is still inflated with enough space to take you deep into the stratosphere. His newest release, Serendpity, is out soon.



Streaming above is "Blindspot", which makes up Side A of the forthcoming tape. Neal Reinalda describes this release as "Disney-Nirvana covered in syrup", perhaps an apt perspective to the new sculptured sounds. While it's most certainly ambient music, the presence felt appears to come from great distance - an intangible cosmic whirlwind that's impossible to ignore. There is something very commanding about Daytime, as Serendipity's ambiance remains inadvertently universal yet demandingly distant.



Daytime performs tomorrow at the Windup Space, pre-order the new tape here.