So I’m alive and well in Boston, just not so well with the having of free time. Fortunately I was able to help finance one last project out of Baltimore, putting one of its criminally underappreciated bands on wax for the first time. I’m happy to say Lo Moda tracked a 4 song 12″ EP limited to 300.

If you are in the area, be sure to drop by Windup Space tonight for the release show tonight with Monster Museum.

Enjoy this last track off the EP, and check out the page at Aural Slate Recordings for more info on the release as I get a chance to put it up.

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MP3: Lo Moda – People Who Like Carolling

Lo Moda is one of the most mature projects on the Baltimore music scene in the sense that their music has transcended all those worries of early musicmaking, growing into something that is unique, complex and constantly evolving organically. Weird, experimental, “art-school” without any of the pretentious baggage that so often comes with that in youth.  For more in-depth on the process and history, check our interview.

Sadly, they had to pull out of Whartscape, but lead singer Peter Quinn (Candy Machine, INK) weighs in on the situation with some good news for those of you stuck in DC:

hey man, i love whartscape. we had  to back out of this year’s due to scheduling miscommunicaitons. but as a caveat, we’re playing the fringe in DC that night as well. my favorite whartscape memory is two years ago seeing double dagger rock it and see nolan leap on top of the crowd on the first note.

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MP3: Weekends – Pay Per View Dads

Local duo Weekends is Adam Lempel and Brendan Sullivan, and their self-titled debut CDR has gotten a lot of play in my deck.  Great experimental rock that has always proven a rollicking good time live.

Adam Lempel

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

my friend neil getting hit in the head with double dagger’s tom. this is our first time playing so we’re pretty excited. and we’re playing on saturday which is brendan’s birthday.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

talk normal

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.

that would be impossible

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

uhh… it’s whartscape!

Brendan Sullivan

1. What is your most vivid memory of Whartscapes past? If this is your first time playing/attending, explain yourself/selves!

Also when my friend Neal’s head collided with double dagger’s tom.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?

Maybe the Dan Deacon Ensemble

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.

?

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?

We probably asked them before they asked us.

This past Tuesday night, Sarah Williams and the Metro Gallery opened up the Dead Air Video Exhibit (curated by Kristen Anchor of the Degenerettes). The exhibit is essentially an audiovisual eulogy to what was supposed to be the end-date for analog TV broadcasts. The impending switch to digital has largely been delayed due to inefficiency on the part of institutions, corporations and individuals.

Nonetheless, everyone still celebrated with some great music and interesting exhibits including old clips from AtomicTV and various other channels, including a fairly awesome TV stuck in a table and assorted stacks of TVs broadcasting looped TV clips.

Jeff the Taper was also in attendance.  After the jump, check out some photos from the night.  You can also click each performer’s name to skip to the live audio.

Edie Sedgwick

Read the rest…

Lo Moda
Metro Gallery
Baltimore, MD
February 17, 2009

Photo credit: Greg Szeto

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Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC
Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC

Stream and download individual MP3s after the jump.

Read the rest…

In characteristic style, Lo Moda delivered a transcendant performance (probably the best I’ve seen from them).  A live show unlike any other tonight or anywhere, a unique alchemy of musical talents specific to a time, a place and a set of extremely talented and diverse individuals.  

Treasure this.

Lo Moda
Aural States Fest
Sonar-Club
Baltimore, MD
January 30, 2009

Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(cards)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3
Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC
Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)

Download the full set formatted as: MP3 or FLAC

Stream and download individual MP3s after the jump.

Read the rest…

Wye Oak is already posted, and over the next 11 days we’ll be posting the rest of the live audio and tons more coverage from our first annual Aural States Fest! Thanks for coming out!

All photos: Shantel Mitchell

OK, I am sure I am not alone in thinking that this was one of the best shows that I’ve been to in awhile. Not only did this show run so smoothly with both stages in action at all times, but it was also a night filled with some of the best bands from Baltimore and DC. I mean, 12 bands on two club stages over a period of about 6 hours – for only $10 bucks: who could want for more? Well, there was also free coffee (thanks to Zeke’s Coffee in Parkville) and door gifts for those who came early – filled with vinyl, CDs, books, and other goodies (thanks to Soundgarden, Atomic Books and a slew of record labels).

This was the perfect event. If you were there, I am sure you are agreeing with me and if you weren’t, well then you missed an awesome show! Here are my photos from the evening. I was able to get all of the bands but two: Title Tracks and Hollywood (so sorry!). I picked out a few from each band. If you want to check out everything, you can see them here.

Andy Abelow

Andy Abelow, a solo artist who also performs in Small Sur started the evening, featuring accompaniment by Austin and Bob from Small Sur, Caleb Stine, John Varrone and Bethany Dinsick.

Read the rest…

OK everyone, gather round! The line-ups and venue info are all finalized. Here we go:

January 30th (Performance Night) @ Sonar Club Room/Talking Head Club

$10 // 2 stages // Doors 630PM // Music 730PM // Tickets

Free grab-bags including CDs, MP3s, merch & Video Americain rentals. Handed out to paid entrants starting at doors until supplies run out.

Arbouretum

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MP3: Arbouretum – Buffalo Ballet

Wye Oak

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MP3: Wye Oak – For Prayer (Live)

Lo Moda

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MP3: Lo Moda – Buildings Dansante

Pleasant Livers

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MP3: Pleasant Livers – Destroy Tokyo

HOLLYWOOD

Sri Aurobindo

Small Sur

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MP3: Small Sur – Roots

Andy Abelow feat. Caleb Stine, Austin Stahl, Jamie Saltzman, Brendan Sullivan, Bethany Dinsick

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MP3: Andy Abelow – Inside This Calm 

Title Tracks (ex Q and Not U, Georgie James)

Imperial China

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MP3: Imperial China – Mortal Wombat (Live)

Caverns

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MP3: Caverns – Brodown High Noon

CANNOT BE STOPPED

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MP3: CANNOT BE STOPPED – Dull Fangs

January 31st (Dance Night) @ Whole Gallery

Donations

CEX

Craig Sopo

Garret McIndoe

Luckily, my editor is on in-between semester break. Otherwise, I’m sure he would be in T.A. mode and grade my late post accordingly…

However, I dragged my feet somewhat deliberately. What’s the point of a 2008 summation if you don’t have at least a little critical distance between current time, and the past year? One doesn’t write a book report until the book is actually finished. A conclusion about a hypothesis can’t be reached until the experiment is actually completed. You don’t say, “Wow, baby…that was some good sex,” until the deal is sealed–unless you’re an ego-tripping moron with a teenager’s maturity level.

January 29, 2008 was my emergence from the world of sub-par print music journalism into the realm of much more serious online music writing. I don’t take credit for the upgrade; that goes solely to Greg Szeto, the music editor at my former publication, and the founder and managing editor of Aural States. I know good coat tails when I seem them, and I was really excited to jump into this venture with Greg. 

The results have been unthinkable, really. Much of the work I’ve felt the best about, and been the most proud of in the past several years has been for Aural States.
For me, 2008 has been a year of amazing music–recorded, live, and starting recently, making it again. To be accurate this journey’s proper beginnings are in the fall of 2007, but isn’t it weird how events usually arise from prior events in sequential order? Event chains, I think they are called.  I have been into music all my life, but 2008 is unique in the fact that I actually, in some small way, took a spot in a broader network of music, and culture-of-music people. I began blogging, and people were actually reading what I wrote.

This status of blogger doesn’t feel quite like it fits yet. Around Baltimore, indie/hipsters types (definitely loaded words, which are commonly mistaken for being synonymous with “music types”) don such close-fitting clothes. Perhaps, feeling as though this is a role I need to grow into is a healthier stance, than having skin-tight clothing restricting, and inhibiting movement (read: critical movement, and development).

Also, clothes being the signifiers that they are designate people into one group. I personally don’t fit into one single group musically, and probably not socially, either. From my understanding (and I think it’s an accurate understanding) the same goes for Aural States. To be clear, this does not mean AS has to be everything musically to fulfill our eclectic mission statement, but we simply need to be who we are, and only who we are.

And who are we? Music geeks: pure, unabashed, genuine music geeks.

My (Highly Subjective) Most Memorable Live Performances of 2008 (in no order, and it’s more than 10)
Read the rest…

Photo credit: Greg Szeto

Baltimore delivers another strong evening of music and live performance to my senses.  This time, the occasion is a trifecta of new releases on Peter Quinn’s (Lo Moda) record label Creative Capitalism: Lo Moda’s sophomore LP Replica Watches, Miracles’ Colony Collapse and a new release from Thrust Lab.

I swear the boys in Thrust Lab must machines…because I think they play at least 2 shows a week.  Read the rest…

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MP3: Lo Moda – Anonymous Cats

Lo Moda are a rarity around these parts.  An unrelenting entity of intensity, something more unique, more thoughtful and ruminative, than the vast majority of other artists currently operating in our regional sphere.

Their music is truly emblematic of the futility of standard genre classification in modern music, as your brain contorts itself reaching for synonymous elements here and noting parallels there, struggling to find the precise verbiage to describe something that at its core, can only speak for itself.  It’s about the alchemy of artists coming together and organically creating, the push-and-pull of each individual settling into an equilibrium not unlike sediment gently falling onto the ocean floor.

The members of Lo Moda cover a wide range of ages, but their artistic maturity is matched perfectly.  Their minimal sound is one of the most enrapturing I’ve ever come across.  It would be a mistake to miss their show tonight at the WindUp Space.  They are celebrating the pending release of their latest album, Replica Watches along with Thrust Lab, and Miracles.  Thank Peter Quinn and the rest of the band for generously sharing the track “Anonymous Cats” (above) exclusively with us at Aural States.

I took some time earlier this week to visit the Quinn residence and chat with Lo Moda in a free-for-all interview.

Aural States: How did Lo Moda come about?

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