The Hexagon has a bit of history.  For those unaware, in a previous life the much beleaguered space was home to the Lo-Fi Social Club’s disastrous attempt at becoming a legitimate, traditional venue.  Needless to say, this fell flat due to its proprietor taking the equivalent of Sherman’s march through the arts community, leaving a reputation with an aftertaste somewhere between two-week old flat beer and swamp water.

Lucky for everyone four plucky friends (Josh Atkins, Karl Ekdahl, Miguel Sabogal, and Matt Sterling) decided to take over, and oh how things have changed.

With more than a little sacrifice and effort, the growing community has established a viable, intimate venue with a unique atmosphere that is proving to be a gem in the burgeoning Station North Arts District.  But alas, times are tough and business tougher, so they are making a thrust to move the venue into non-profit territory to open themselves to alternative, more philosophically amenable funding sources to help stabilize the space and expand its mission.

This Saturday night, the monthly BOLT! Dance Party is hosting a 1 year anniversary party for the Hexagon, and doubles as a fundraiser.  Proceeds will help pay for the application to gain non-profit status.  Surely not to be missed, the night features New Yorkers Ava Luna, Polygons (Sabogal and Atkins’ electronic project), DJ Lemz and James Nasty.

Josh was kind enough to answer some questions on past, present and future of the 6-sided beast.

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This is just a quick note to say thanks to the editors of Baltimore Magazine for awarding us with a spot in their City Guide 2009 as one of the top Baltimore-centric Corners of the Web and now including us in their Best of Baltimore 2009, designating us Best Arts Blog (we didn’t even pay for advertising, because we don’t have any!). We’re all really flattered and gratified that you think so highy of us.  Here’s the full recap of what they had to say:

In recent years, Baltimore has become an explosive center for new music, garnering national and international attention, but until Aural States, auralstates.com, launched last year, there was no single website that effectively captured the enthusiasm and dedication of the city’s music obsessives.  Founder Greg Szeto and like-minded writers post audio and epic reviews from shows, endlessly promote local bands, and, to celebrate the site’s first anniversary in January, hosted the city’s best new festival, Aural States Fest, featuring hometown standouts Arbouretum, Wye Oak, and Caverns.

While we might not post as frequently as your average blog, we try to make every post (except maybe ticket giveaways, we figure brevity is the best option there) passionate and possessing some depth beyond the superficial that largely seems to pervade the entire sector of “new media.”  We figure if someone can take the time to make the music, we can take the time to write about it in more than a couple paragraphs.  We hope we can continue doing this for a long time to come, and provide a meaningful and distinct voice in the discussion of all the amazing music going on in our wonderfully flawed city.

Thanks to all the readers, everyone who has and continues to contribute content in the form of words or photos, and most of all thanks to everyone in the music community, the people who run all the amazing venues in the city, and the labels and artists who take time to chat and let us plaster their MP3s and photos all over the ‘net.

Other notable music-related winners include Nolen and Bruce from Double Dagger as Best Dynamic Duo (Batman + Robin suits at the next show?), Carl Grubbs as Best Musician, Kathy Fahey (artist for many a beautiful show poster, the show/compilation The Birdwatcher’s Companion and Wye Oak’s If Children among many other things) for Best Artful Design, the BSO’s Marin Alsop and An Die Musik’s Henry Wong as MVPs (Visionary and Jazz/Classical, respectively) and the Baltimore Round Robin as Best Tour.

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MP3: Beach House – Saltwater from Beach House (2006)

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MP3: Celebration – Open Your Heart from Electric Tarot (2009)

Contest is over!  Tough choice, but the winner is Meryl, because we at Aural States wish every venue could be all ages.

Guess what? Thanks to Sarah (owner of the Metro Gallery), we’ve got a pair of tickets to her awesome outdoors double-header of Beach House and Celebration at said venue on Aug 7th.

Comment here with a compelling reason or story for why you need this gorgeous outdoor show in your waning summer weeks. It really is that simple. Winner will be picked Aug 5th and notified by email (or phone if you give that).

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MP3: Golden Birthday – Exposed from Infinite Leagues

Golden Birthday are first of all, a pop band. Going further in depth, they’re one concocted from equal parts Beach House and My Bloody Valentine. Now what does that tell you right off the bat? That they took the perfectionist’s complexity away from shoegaze’s pristine arrangements? That they stripped down, packaged, and re-marketed dream pop, ready for mass consumption? You’ll have no part of that, surely. Who would? I mean, what kind of self-satisfied schmuck would willingly support the bastardization of these two distinct artforms?

I am. Their Whartscape ’09 set was a double-underlined, circled, paged-folded, and sticky-noted highlight. I was found among the fluid mass of festival-goers, all of us flailing limb over limb in reaction (not to be confused with cooperation) to the sound waves, as if the music was just as involved with our movement as muscles and bones were. The brand of bass driven funk-pop they displayed live however, does not appear on their debut album, Infinite Leagues. Rather, it’s been mysteriously replaced with the dream-gaze that I spoke of previously.

What Golden Birthday have made is an album that begs to be felt. Even though few of the lyrics break away from their all-encompassing progressions, you always know what they’re trying to express. Example: “Exposed.” All words aside, I know it has something to do with love, and it’s not a cheerful anecdote either. The track shows what these Chicagoans do best, the mindless repetition of simple pop melodies, unintelligent fuzz bordering every edge. Heartfelt textures and the uncanny ability to evoke empathy. Is it good? Well, I’m 12 full listens through and I’ve never once wanted to turn this record off.

I was busy being behind the lens for this show, so I called in a favor from guest celeb-writer Benn Ray of Atomic Books and the Mobtown Shank to weigh in on this show.

All photos: Greg Szeto

Full live audio by the Baltimore Taper can be found at Bmore Musically Informed. Here are the best/choicest cuts:

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MP3: Half Japanese – You’re Gonna Miss Me (frikkin sweet 13th Floor Elevators cover!!!!!!!)

MP3: Double Dagger – The Lie / The Truth from More (2009)

Double Dagger’s set brought forth their army of teen fans – slam-dancing and moshing and enjoying the punk rock like anyone with youth on their side should. Confused aging hipsters who were obviously there to see Half Japanese curiously formed a perimeter. It was easy to see they were not familiar with Double Dagger and their fans, but these guys all had a glimmer in their eyes – they remembered punk shows of the ’80s and early ’90s.

You could see them slowly winding themselves up to jump into the fray…and eventually they did.

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In addition to the Stoop Storytelling Series, you can catch Caleb live at the Golden West this Sunday Jul 26th with DC’s These United States.

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MP3: Caleb Stine – Welcome to Rock and Roll

Country artists generally fall into two easily distinguished categories: the dominant is radio-fried country which is potentially more derivative than Top 40 pop in its most egregious recycling of predictable elements into formula.  Then you have the others, who remember that at one point in its history, country derived from true rural traditions of folk and Old Time music.  Generally speaking, it’s clear from the first note whether you are dealing with mere contrivance or something natural and organic.

With Caleb Stine, you never question his sincerity.  Every word and note feels like a naked, soul-bared moment. Caleb’s music is something like an oasis here in Baltimore, intensely warm and personal moments amidst the stark cold and disaffection of fast-paced urban life.  Instead of focusing outward on bewildering experimentalism, he focuses inward on stellar, precise and intimate songwriting.  From the piercing gaze Caleb shoots from the cover down to his steady cadence and tempo, his unfaltering vocals, everything about Eyes So Strong And Clean (his first solo outing, though many Brakemen make appearances) compels you to take pause, to contemplate and reflect.  And this time, packing a bit more punch thanks to a brand-new electric Epiphone.

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MP3: Cursive – Art Is Hard from The Ugly Organ (2003)
MP3: The Love Language – Nightdogs from The Love Language (2009)
MP3: Deleted Scenes – Ithaca from Birdseed Shirt (2009)

Commenter Emily is the winner!  Check your email!

There’s this great show coming up at the Ottobar.

A little label called Saddle Creek has some band called Cursive that is coming through town, with phenomenal openers The Love Language and DC-locals Deleted Scenes.

Thanks to Monozine, we’ve got two pairs of tickets to giveaway to the two most creative and compelling commenters on this post. Have at it.  Winners will be chosen at 5PM the day before the show.

Enjoy some excellent video footage shot by N.O. Smith. Check out his Vimeo or Youtube for more!

NO Smith: These are some videos I shot over the weekend at Whartscape. I tried to shoot as many full sets as I could, and get at least a song or two of some other sets. Exhaustion prevented me from filming everything that I wanted to, but I think I got some good stuff. A personal favorite is the Dog Dick set. That might be my favorite set I’ve ever filmed.  Another gem I have is a video of a dude groovin hard to Boogie Boarder. Imagine Denny Bowen but more bro and strung out looking.

Photo credit: Flickr user Dorret

Hunting for safety from the sun’s rays made me feel something like an animal Sunday. I was leaning against the old rusted fence in the MICA parking lot, watching Santa Dads do their own thing–and it is totally theirs to keep, when I became aware of all the Wham City members working their butts off in the draining heat. I remember running into (who I believe was) Stefani Levin of Wham City at the Load of Fun on Saturday night. She was clearly fatigued, and (not knowing who she was) I asked “hell of a show, right?” She exhaled loudly and replied, “I’m working.” You might imagine what hell organizing and executing this monstrous Whartscape must have been. For those of us who attended, I think it’s time to give a quick thanks to the people that put this rad fest on.

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We are giving away a pair of tickets to Saturday’s show @ the Talking Head with DC’s Rattler. Comment with some sort of euphemism about how hard Dysrhythmia rocks.  Winner chosen on Friday.

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MP3: Dysrhythmia – Sleep Decayer

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MP3: Dysrhythmia – Appeared at First

Dysrhythmia play dissonant (sometimes), technical (sometimes), catchy (always), progressive, metal-influenced rock music. Everyone says their music is really hard to describe but this not true. Imagine the cover of Joe Satriani’s Surfing with the Alien. Now imagine that cover colliding with a strange dimension and becoming a bizarre, dark cubist rendering of the Silver Surfer. And then imagine that as a piece of music. That’s what they sound like.

It is tempting to describe their music in terms of the clichés symptomatic of “progressive” and “experimental” music that they manage to avoid: Words like “restraint” come up a lot in reviews. Their music provokes comparisons to other heavy instrumental rock groups like Don Caballero, and avant garde jazz guitarists like Bill Frisell and Sonny Sharrock. Comparisons to jazz and experimental rock are well motivated and seem accurate, but they are belied somewhat by the emotional payload of Dysrhythmia. To the extent that the terms “technical” and “experimental” suggest music that is interesting but that you cannot get down to, disregard those terms in reference to this band. One reviewer suggests that their special appeal consists in the fact that they make music that is challenging but enjoyable and emotionally stirring. I concur, and for me this puts their albums in a very special category alongside jazz and metal classics like A Love Supreme and The Sound of Perseverance.

Individually the members of Dysrhythmia demonstrate incredible technique and musicianship. However, on their records you will not hear anything showy that might make you exclaim “That drummer rules!” even though drummer Jeff Eber is awesome. More often than not, you will hear deceptively simple musical ideas explored and developed in a way that makes you pay attention.

On their earlier recordings (especially No Interference which I’m listening to as I write this) guitarist Kevin Hufnagel uses a warm, twangy, Strat-y sound which makes for an organic and live-sounding listening experience. His playing never really sounds “technical,” although he is playing complicated parts. Listen to one of the long trance-y songs (e.g. “Let You Fall” from No Interference) for some tasteful and subtle guitar (no 64th note triplets, but that is what we have Necrophagist for). Their two most recent albums Barriers and Passages and this year’s Psychic Maps sound more metal than their first three. I like former bass player Clayton Ingerson, but Colin Marston definitely brings something cool to the mix (to my ear a heavier sound). All their recordings have a tight, collaborative feel and emanate musical hyper-competence and a magical energy.

I have never seen them live and I am really excited.  You should be too.