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Note: Some tracks not posted by artist request.

MP3: 1. Elder Days (3:28)
MP3: 2. Ohhhhh pt 1 (6:45)
MP3: 3. Ohhhhh pt 2 (3:00)
MP3: 4. Sea Stones (4:48)

Total time: 18:02

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter (carteriffic@gmail.com)

This is a belated posting of an experimental set by Melissa Moore entitled “Wake-making: Ceremony of a Polyrhythmic Biogram.” Her stage setup was a melange of homebrew electromechanical devices; a wavering turntable, a collection of flapping electro-kinetic sculptures on automotive jackstands, a Frankensteinian tableau of electronics, and Melissa sprawled on the floor in the center of it all. She continually rearranged the interconnections between these elements with alligator clips, funnelling signals through tortuous mazes of wire. After settling the circuits down to an autopilot drone, she takes up the guitar and adds pensive, improvised lo-fi meandering to the formula. The overall effect is like a distant African shortwave station struggling to be tuned in across an ocean. Unconventional and dreamlike.

Melissa Moore
The Windup Space
January 14, 2010
Baltimore MD, USA

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. Wake-making: Ceremony of a Polyrhythmic Biogram (36:26)

Total time: 36:26

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

This performance is absolutely transcendant. I am still in a state of disbelief. What we have here is J. Robbins on guitar and vocals with his friend Gordon Withers on cello, playing acoustic arrangements of amazing songs from current and previous bands that have been blessed by the presence of Robbins (Burning Airlines, Jawbox, Channels, and current project Office of Future Plans). Just press the play button, I won’t bore you with how mesmerized I am by this music.

I will note, though, that my spartan portable stereo miking setup is normally something of a compromise for recording larger bands, where a multitrack recording would be superior, but is nearly ideal for an intimate close-up acoustic performance like this. Deeply felt thanks to everyone who combined forces to bring this into being. If you are not already listening and your eyes are still open reading this drivel, you are wasting valuable time and energy.

This performance came about thanks to the efforts of Story/Stereo music co-curators Chad Clark and Matt Byars (whose label West Main Development will be releasing the full set properly later this year).

J. Robbins and Gordon Withers
Live @ Story/Stereo in the Writer’s Center
February 19, 2010
Bethesda MD, USA

J. Robbins – guitar, vocal
Gordon Withers – cello

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. Outside the Aviary (Burning Airlines acoustic) (2:03)
2. The Deluxe War Baby (Burning Airlines acoustic) (3:56)
3. Desert Sea (Jawbox acoustic) (3:21)
4. Spoiler (Jawbox acoustic) (2:50)
5. 68 (Jawbox acoustic) (3:21)
6. Green Glass (Jawbox acoustic) (4:46)
7. The Escape Engine (Burning Airlines acoustic) (2:54)
8. Your Several Selves (Office of Future Plans acoustic) (2:44)
9. Scissoring (Burning Airlines acoustic) (4:02)
10. Static (Jawbox acoustic) (5:18)
11. Savory (Jawbox acoustic) (5:05)
12. Lucky Lamb (Channels acoustic) (3:22)

Total time: 43:43

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, EQ, compression, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Photo credit: David Carter

Lake Trout is a longtime Baltimore institution. They do not gig nearly often enough as of late, so I was most pleased to have a rare shot at recording one of their shows in mid-January. James has been in the UK working on an upcoming UNKLE release for many months but returned to Baltimore for this excellent set. There is a new Lake Trout release on the horizon as well, with recording sessions scheduled this month, and plans to work with producer Dave Fridmann this spring. This is a great ride, with some tracks familiar from past Lake Trout recordings and some that more recently evolved out of the Big In Japan side project. The sound quality was impeccable, thanks in no small part to the miking and mixing skills of local studio legend Steve Wright. Don’t skip the hard-charging set closer, “Lies.”

Lake Trout
Ottobar
January 16, 2010
Baltimore MD, USA

James Griffith – bass
Ed Harris – guitar
Mike Lowry – drums
Matt Pierce – keyboard, flute
Woody Ranere – guitar, vocal

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. Untitled (5:27)
2. Riddle (4:36)
3. Say Something (6:52)
4. New Thing (5:32)
5. All Day Long (6:36)
6. Queens (4:36)
7. I Was Wrong (4:50)
8. Shiny Wrapper (6:31)
9. Mockingbird (5:13)
10. What You Need (6:42)
11. Stutter (5:40)
12. Pill (4:48)
13. Factory (6:19)
14. Banter/Yelling (4:31)
15. Lies (8:58)

Total time: 1:27:19

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, eq, comp/limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Photo: Linda Kokenge

Avec is four-piece rock band from Baltimore with a punchy individualistic sound, formed in 2003. They delivered a memorable set Saturday night at Ottobar. There are some real gems here from If I Breathe I Fall Asleep (2005) and Lines (2007), along with a slow surfy instrumental you need to hear called “Ouija Boyfriend.”

Outstanding.

Avec
Ottobar
January 16, 2010
Baltimore MD, USA

Shawna Potter – guitar amd vocal
Brooks Harlan – guitar and vocal
Adam Yeargin – bass
Scott Tiemann – drums

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. Man In Space (3:58)
2. House (3:49)
3. In Character (4:51)
4. Deceptive Cadence (5:36)
5. Bozarth (5:46)
6. Ouija Boyfriend (4:52)
7. Beat of Pulse (4:53)

Total time: 33:44

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Photo: David Carter

The Multiphonic Choir played Thursday night at The Windup Space. They were there to resolve a critical shortage of music “based on the cryptic and taboo-breaking geo-political philosophy of AFRO-GERMANICISM”. This is an experimentally-minded outfit with five saxes, an electric bass, and a drumkit, all of whom were on the stage in last month’s Baltimore Afrobeat Society shows. It’s adventurous music with some great moments and a baffling blend of free jazz, neoclassical, afrobeat and krautrock influences. We also learned a little about The Kingdoms of Elgaland-Vargaland and Neue Slowenische Kunst along the way.

The Multiphonic Choir
The Windup Space
January 14, 2010
Baltimore, MD, USA

John Berndt: Alto Sax, Rhythm Prism, Band Leader
Chris Pumphrey: Alto Sax
Rose Burt: Baritone Sax
Tiffany Defoe: Tenor Sax
John Dierker: Tenor Sax
Dan Breen: Electric Bass
Paul Niedhardt: Drums

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. Introduction (Berndt) (1:24)
2. Lagos-Badden-Badden (Berndt) (14:44)
3. In The Deep (Berndt) (8:56)
4. Watusa (Sun Ra) (4:01)
5. Musicalawi Silat (Daktaris) (8:00)
6. Banter (Berndt) (2:33)
7. A Sharper Nimbus (Berndt) (10:13)
8. Neon Lights (Kraftwerk) (7:53)

Total time: 57:44

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Photo: David Carter

Solar Powered Sun Destroyer is a DC band, captured here in an opening slot for Sainthood Reps and Caspian at The Red & The Black. Only about a half hour of music here, but they have a very nice genre-defying sound going. Track 3, “Some Assembly Required,” is especially fine. Solar Powered Sun Destroyer will be appearing again at The Rock and Roll Hotel in DC on Friday February 5.

Solar Powered Sun Destroyer
The Red & The Black Bar
January 8, 2010
Washington DC, USA

Justin Horenstein – guitars
Jimmy Rhodes – drums
Dave Davies – guitars
John Kniep – vocals, guitars
Ross Hurt – bass

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. Ender (3:21)
2. On the Shelf (5:19)
3. Some Assembly Required (4:44)
4. More or Less (6:20)
5. Ghost Light (4:54)
6. Intromission (1:33)
7. The Roulette Year (4:40)

Total time: 30:51

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Photo: David Carter

Caspian is a fierce instrumental rock band from Boston. Their three electric guitarists generate a wide range of textures, from sparse orchestral passages to volcanic blasts of distortion. The entire band has a cohesiveness that only occurs in nature after relentless rehearsal and touring. In this set, recorded at Washington D.C.’s The Red & The Black Bar on January 8th 2010, we get five tracks of strong material from their recently released Tertia, and three from 2005’s You Are The Conductor. Caspian’s kinetic presence made that crowded little space very happy. After this mini-tour of the east coast, a more extensive US tour is planned, with a date shaping up for a show at The Black Cat this March.

Caspian
The Red & The Black Bar
January 8, 2010
Washington DC, USA

Philip Jamieson – guitar
Erin Burke-Moran – guitar
Jonny Ashburn – guitar
Chris Friedrich – bass
Joe Vickers – drums

Streaming player:

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MP3 links:

1. The Raven (7:20)
2. Malacoda (7:50)
3. Of Foam and Wave (7:42)
4. Quovis (1:10)
5. Further Up (4:22)
6. Further In (3:56)
7. Ghosts of the Garden City (9:30)
8. Sycamore (10:41)
9. Happy Birthday (0:50)

Total time: 53:21

ZIP links:

Entire set in mp3 format
Entire set in FLAC format

Lineage:

AKG 414 mid/side pair -> Zoom h4n 48/24 -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter(carteriffic@gmail.com)

Editor’s note: We are proud to welcome new contributor/taper David Carter to our ranks at Aural States, with his new column Livewire, featuring live recordings of shows around the area.

Photo: Frank Hamilton (2007 performance)

The Baltimore Afrobeat Society plays the music of the late Fela Kuti, a hugely influential Nigerian musician and pioneer of the afrobeat genre. I have loved Fela’s music for many years, and could go on about how his music makes me feel. But a more interesting introduction would probably be Bootsy Collins’ first-hand account of going to Africa as a teenager with James Brown, and meeting the man in person.

Fela had such a unique vision and approach, blending traditional African influences and passionate political invective with western instruments and sheer manpower. I find The Baltimore Afrobeat Society’s renditions of his songs amazing. Their carefully rendered, yet loose and free channeling of Fela’s spirit is energetic, vital, and just plain fun. This is a local treasure, and a testament to the magnitude of the Baltimore scene that feeds into this monster quasi-annual event.

Enough of that, however; let us chairdance. For THREE AND A HALF HOURS.

The Baltimore Afrobeat Society
12/12/2009
H&H Building, 5th Floor
Baltimore, Maryland

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MP3:

1. MOP (24:39)
2. Shakara Oloje (21:54)
3. Teacher Don’t Teach Me Nonsense (27:21)
4. Coffin For Head of State (30:41)
5. JJD (18:42)
6. Colonial Mentality (19:17)
7. Original Sufferhead (33:54)
8. Zombie (21:40)
9. Open & Close (12:03)

ZIP:

baltimore-afrobeat-society-12-12-2009.zip (400MB)

Band:

Chris Pumphrey (leader & alto sax)
Rose Hammer (baritone sax)
John Berndt (alto sax)
John Dierker (tenor sax)
Calvin Tullos (tenor sax)
Tiffany DeFoe (tenor sax)
Ben Forstenser (tenor sax)
Mike Cerri (trumpet)
Chris Manthorne (trumpet)
Geof Manthorne (trumpet)
Tom Boram (vocals, piano)
Shawna Potter (vocals & dancer)
Katie Pumphrey (vocals & dancer)
Tara Cariaso (vocals & dancer)
Freda Mohr (vocals & dancer)
Dan Breen (bass)
Erich von Marko (guitar)
Matthew Dickinson (guitar)
Chris Donoghue (guitar)
Mike Wright (drums,percussion)
Zak Fusciello (drums,percussion)
Steve Windows (percussion)
Moziah (hand drums)

Lineage:

AKG 414 pair (mid/side) -> Zoom h4n 48kHz/24bit -> Nuendo (stereo encoding, EQ, limiting) -> MP3

Recorded by:

David Carter (carteriffic@gmail.com)