So, this was an insanely hyped show. Cut Copy touring on the heels of their latest, quite fantastic LP. Black Kids riding the blog-o-sphere hype wave. Ponytail just rocking it the fuck out and keeping it Bmore. But my foot is fucked, so I am only here for Black Kids and Ponytail.

Photos: Black Kids from Josh Sisk, Ponytail from Ryan Detter

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Black Cab Sessions knock it out of the park again. And where I was on the fence about Lykke Li before this video (though I really liked “Dance dance dance”), I am squarely in the happy, grassy knoll on one side of the fence where you support the artist now. She’s just grand and Swedish. You know how good those Swedes are with the pop. She goes places with her voice and music that I think Kate Nash should have gone after to make a more compelling musical vehicle for her.

Check after the jump for the video.

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“That’s the way it is all through the States,” says Duffy Driediger, vocalist/guitarist of Ladyhawk, his irritation only slightly tempered by resignation after playing to an audience of around a dozen at Washington’s DC9 on May 11.

Dutifully, the four-piece had gone in front of the nearly empty room and laid down a rock solid barrage of gritty yet hook-filled numbers from their second full-length on Jagjaguwar, Shots, capped with the anthemic “The Dugout” from their self-titled debut, which the band (and they’re right) seems to hold out as a striking gem inexplicably languishing in the gravel bed of modern rock. A lot like Ladyhawk itself.
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Oh man, so that’s why I was feeling so off-balance at Ft Reno last summer.  Apparently, it’s due to ARSENIC IN THE SOIL.

BYT reports here.

NBC4 reports here.

WaPo blog reports here.

I hope this shit gets cleared up.  Soon.

This intrepid writer busted his foot while at this show. Jeff the Taper nearly killed himself by a bludgeoning to the head.

But you know what? Totally worth it. Monday night, Bmore again proved its mettle.

This show was a veritable who’s who of Baltimore (and even some DC) regional booty-movers-and-floor-shakers: Emily Rabbit, Dave Nada, Cullen Stalin, Scottie B, Blaqstarr, Rye Rye, it just goes on and on. Check after the jump for full review, more pics, and an Old Haunts track.

All photos: Josh Sisk

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Everyone give a warm welcome to James Rodd, our newest contributor. This is his first piece, on what he believes drives pop music and culture. It is also our first staff op-ed article, falling under the series State of Mind. Enjoy, and feel free to comment in agreement or disagreement.

All my life I have heard people, whether it be the media or someone else, say that popular culture is cyclic and repetitive. Basically this means, things that were once “in” and fashionable will come back full circle at some point and be “in” and fashionable once again.

I don’t agree with this at all. In fact, I sincerely hope it is a fallacy because I am not looking forward to seeing my pre-middle aged ass in spandex or leather pants again, reliving my metal head days ca. 1987 – 1995.

Here’s how I see it: pop-culture is an amorphous shape.

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So there’s this band called Snowden that made quite a good impression on me at the Talking Head a few years ago. They already get massive bonus points for naming themselves after a character in Joseph Heller’s Catch-22.

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Snowden – Anti-Anti

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Snowden – Innocent Heaven

Do NOT miss this show.  This line up is going to explode Sonar from the inside out.  This is not hype, this is fact.  I have never been to a tame Death Set show.

Enjoy this Bonde do Role remix.

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Bonde do Role – Melo do tabaco (A-Trak remix)

Holy shit. What a show. Set list, courtesy of cure-concerts.de. That’s right. An over 3 hour show. Fan-fucking-tastic. Review for BYT is up here. One of the best shows I’ve ever seen. Enjoy this Cure cover from WHY.

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WHY – Close to me

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OK, so we drew some numbers from a random number generator and assigned winners for the Thrushes giveaway.

Grand prize – Brady Salzman
First prize – April Gray
Second prize (2) – Asa Eisenhardt, Paul Timer

Hooray, check your emails and respond if necessary with info. Don’t miss the show and be a sore loser. Tomorrow night @ the Metro Gallery. Check the flyer at your right for more info.