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Vivian Girls, Tyvek, Baby Venom @ Ottobar

[Author's Note: this is a dual review. Alex is doing part one, and I'm finishing it up. let us know your thoughts, plz. thx!]

ROUND ONE – ALEX MUDGE

Opener riot grrl group Kill Meow, were, well named Kill Meow, and sold thongs at the merch table. I guess that speaks for itself.

Baby Venom, as I have said before, was a surprising treat to stumble upon. I had doubts about the live show, and there were some slips-ups (a pedal failed, some awkward transitions, but nothing that couldn’t be fixed). As a whole the set was impressive. Perhaps that is not the right word—the set was endearing.

Read the rest…

Sound Off!: Baby Venom

Check out Baby Venom along with the Vivian Girls (already shouted-out) October 1 @ the Ottobar.

We here at Aural States receive a surprising amount of music to review, or at least I find it surprising given that our blog hasn’t existed for more than a year, and our original goal was to possibly get into some shows for free. And, as has been stated before, a surprising amount of that music is decent, but most of that music comes through online promotions companies. Sometimes we are given music directly from an acquaintance, or someone that somehow knows about our involvement with Aural States.

These encounters make me cringe, because I usually have a pre-existing relationship with the person, and I don’t have the nerve to honestly tell them what I think if the material is poor. I generally try to avoid these situations. So when my friend Dave (Coldspring Lane food service unite!) gave me a CD-R of his band’s EP, I was bracing for the worst. But I should have known better. Baby Venom has a solid pedigree. Needless to say, I was surprised (there is that word again) by the inventiveness of the group. Read the rest…

Vivian Girls are all over this town…

We’ve extolled the virtues of Vivian Girls here before.  In case you were hesitant to take advantage of their show at the Nerve Center, you are gonna get a boatload of new chances to experience them in the coming month, starting this Wednesday at the Ottobar with locals Baby Venom.

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MP3: Vivian Girls – Blind Spot (Daisy Chain cover) from the I Can’t Stay 7″

Tour dates & video for “Tell the World”:

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Baltimore’s best show all year (according to a guy you don’t know but should trust)

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MP3: Vivian Girls – Where do you run to

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MP3: Crystal Stilts – The Sinking

On Friday, August 15th, Baltimore’s Nerve Center in Remington will host the best lineup on a bill I’ve seen here (given I’ve only lived in Baltimore a year): Vivian Girls (Brooklyn), Crystal Stilts (Brooklyn), Witch Hats (Australia), Pygmy Lush (Virginia), and Mr. Moccasin.

I don’t know much about the latter two bands so I’ll skip over them but that doesn’t even matter.

Vivian Girls and Crystal Stilts have (justified) hype buzzing all around them. I was fortunate enough to see both of them in Brooklyn a few weeks ago. Vivian Girls, taking their name from Henry Darger’s million page manuscript, are a 3 piece all female group that sounds like Y Pants or The Raincoatsplaying 60’s girl group songs. Their recent debut LP sold out fast, but you can find it on eBay for $80 or wait for it to be re-released by In The Red in the fall.

Unfortunately, I am also going to compare Crystal Stilts to their influences, but when you sound like a perfect mix between Joy Division and Velvet Underground, you can’t go wrong. Witch Hats will get my lazy comparisons as well to great bands of the past: The Scientists, Scratch Acid, Six Finger Satellite.

It is a shame that Baltimore rarely gets bands like these to come through and all on one night. The Nerve Center, arguably the best venue in the city, is a punk(row)house that hosts a plethora of bands spanning many genres and every show is a party. So be prepared to actually have fun, and if you don’t know where the Nerve Center is, your ass better call somebody! (I only know by sight)