Editor’s Note: This info just in, straight from Wham’s resident info-master Dina Kelberman.

Check out our awesome Countdown to Whartscape 2008 interview series here.

>>>We are goons. This information may change often.<<<

For 4 years now Wham City has been organizing the WHARTSCAPE. What started as a summer warehouse party turned into a much bigger, multi-day outdoor festival with thousands of bands, performers, and folks traveling to Baltimore from all across the US and Europe.

Since, we organize this festival out of pocket and in our spare time, it is important for us to keep it comfortable and enjoyable for us to do. One thing we talked about at the end of last year’s festival was shrinking it down slightly and having it feel more community based and familiar.

This year isn’t focused around headliners, but mainly performers and friends that make up the community we tour, work and live in.

~

We are also greatly reducing the number of MEGA-PASSES (the ticket that grants you entry to every show and every day).

ONLY 300 Mega-Passes will be sold; this is the only guarantee that you can see all the shows.

Tickets will be sold to the individual shows, but it is strongly suggested that you buy a Mega-Pass, as it saves you money and assures you take in the entire poo-poo.

Whartscape will take place July 10-11-12 at the Baltimore Museum of Art, Maryland Institute College of Art Studio Center Parking Lot, and Load of Fun.

We will begin selling tickets at 12 Noon, Monday, June 29^th.

MEGA PASS – $45

INDIVIDUAL DAY – $18

~~~IMPORTANT TICKET INFO (PLEASE READ!!):~~~

Only the Mega-Pass guarantees entrance to the nighttime events at Load of Fun, which has a much smaller occupancy than the MICA parking lot. Anyone without a Mega-Pass will get in on a first come, first serve basis. There is a very strong likely hood we will sell out of Mega-Passes, which will mean the nighttime portion is also sold out.

The strength of the mega-pass is truly mega.

~

Here are the 130 acts performing at this years Whartscape:

Adventure
Air Waves
AK Slaughter
Alexis Gideon
Allen Cordell
Ami Dang
Andy Abelow
Annex Theater
Art Department
At the End of Infinite Rope
Bad Brilliance
Barky
BDRM PPL
Beast Master
Bedlam Theatre
Big Bear
Bird Names
Black Vatican
Blood Baby
Blue Leader
Booge Border
Butt Stomach
C Spencer Yeh
Cars Will Burn
Celebration
Chandeliers
Charlotte and Joe
Child Bite
Child Bride
Clarissa Gregory
Connor Kizer and Adam Endres
Crazy Dreams Band
Dan Deacon Ensemble
Dan Higgs
DDMMYYYY
Despot
DJ Dog Dick
Dope Body
Double Dagger
Drip House
Eagle Ager
Ear Pwr
Ed Schrader
Eric Hnatow
Funny Clown
Future Islands
Gary War
GDFX
Golden Birthday
Grasslung
Hair Police
Height
Hooliganship
Human Host
Infinity Window
Jana Hunter
Janitor
Jared Paolini
Jason Willett
Jimmy Joe Roche
John Eaton
John Weiss
Justin Frye Meat Wallet Bells Pieces
Killer Whales
Kokomo
Leprechaun Catering
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez
Little Howlin Wolf
Liturgy
Living Things
Lizz King
Lo Moda
Lonnie Walker
Lord Scrumage
Magnet City Kids
Mark Brown
Married in Berdichev
Mason Ross
Melissa Moore
Meredith Moore
Mickey Free
Microkingdom
Milton Melvin Croissant III
Mincemeat or 10speed
MNDR
Narwalz
Nate Boyce
Nautical Almanac
Needle Gun
Nobel Lake
Nuclear Power Pants
Olaf Breuning
Peter Glantz
Pleasant Livers
Plural MC
Polygons
Ponytail
Quiet Hooves
R.M. O’Brien
Rap Dragons
Roto Romo
Rotten Milk Band
Santa Dads
Schwarz
Sewn Leather
Seyjano
Shams
Showbeast
Sick Weapons
Silk Flowers
Small Sur
Smartgrowth
Smarts
So Percussion
Soft Pink Truth
Something by Dina Kelberman
Spellcaster
Talk Normal
Team Robespierre
Teen Girl Fantasy
Teeth Mountain
Thank You
The Creepers
The Degenerettes
The New Flesh
The Title Sounded Better in French (Lola/Anna)
The Woes
Trockeneisis
Truth Serum
Twin Stumps
Videohippos
Vincent Black Shadow
Weekends
What Cheer Brigade Marching Band
Witch Hat
Wolf Eyes
Wye Oak
Y2KEITH
Yoshi Sodeoka
Zomes
Bands We Forgot
And More!

May the days be bright and clear and the nights dark, dark, dark…

Straight from Double Dagger’s Nolen Strals:

Sonar
Main Room

EYES NIGHT 18th of DECEMBER, THURSDAY
FEET NIGHT 19th of DECEMBER, FRIDAY

$8 or $15 for a two day pass

EYES NIGHT Read the rest…

All photos and words courtesy of our in-house photog Caleb Moore!

Dear Baltimore,

Love of my life. Dastardly deamon of colors, body odor, and DIY artstuffs. Shitstorm of creativity and inspiration. A mistress after my own heart, and many many others.

I want you to know I will be bringing many friends to share your scarred, beautiful body. We will feast on it.

You’ve taught me so many things in my one short year as your humble resident. I don’t know where to begin. This was a truly epic, exhausting weekend for all; Whartscape being a most inspiring cavalcade of electronic wizardry, acoustical sublimation, and performance arting.

This is an event that makes dealing with your less attractive qualities ALL WORTH IT. This is why you are being seen (for better or worse) as a mecca of art and music, right under NYC! A cheap, dirty, violent, spastic mutation of your aforementioned big brother.

Whartscape is a culmination of the spirit, energy and honest artistic effort that you are becoming known for.

I just wanted to say thanks for everything, and fuck the police.

From,
Me

◊

TO THE READER:

Miscellaneous Items of Interest (in no particular order):

• Where did all of these attractive people come from? Where are you all hiding? (I’m talking to you, girl with the red patent leather fanny pack and checkered ray bans)
• Greg Gillis’ side project– Why, Why, Why is that girl in the band? What did she do exactly? Play off beat on purpose and “sing”? Whose girlfriend is this? Am I supposed to be asking these questions? Is that all a part of the master plan?
• Ray bans are getting a bit out of control in this town. For that reason, I will cry a single tear.
• EAR PWR will save the free world.
• Beach House has saved my soul. And they are the cutest band alive.
• That kid with the rash on his arms and the crazy eyes. I don’t want to say anything else because he might actually be special.
• Double Dagger– while throwing a tom into the crowd might seem like a good in the heat of the moment, the kid that got hit in the head with it will likely disagree. Control the rage, or instantly lose the respect of potential fans. Ed. Note: Actually, I am pretty sure I saw the big guy after the set and he seemed damn happy to meet Double Dagger. The bleeding head just seemed to irritate him. I could be wrong though…
• Ed Schrader should always wear a leotard.
• Narwhalz (of sound). The hater that we loved to hate love. Please come back and talk more shit about our town, you kicked so much ass.
• There’s NOTHING gay about interpretive dancing.
• Why is White Williams such an ambivalent hard ass (see below)? And since when does he play droney electronic ambiance?
• Baltimore is SMALL. I mean SMALL. Don’t make enemies here.
• Chruches get really dank and sticky when you cram 300+ hipsters into them.
• Lizz King, props to you for being neck-down-naked and melting your own face off almost.
• Creepers.

◊

ON TO THE PHOTOS!
These are in no order whatsoever (kind of). Please enjoy, and buy me a detachable flash for xmas. Read the rest…

Wham City has unquestionably changed the landscape of Baltimore music forever. So in anticipation of Whartscape 2008, we sat down with one of WC’s original members, Adam Endres (of Blood Baby & the Creepers) to get a little history lesson and peek into what exactly is driving the Wham City train, and where they are heading.

Aural States: I wasn’t quite sure if we should start with Whartscape history or Wham City history first.

Adam Endres: It probably makes sense if I do a modified, abbreviated history of Wham City. We all moved here in that first summer (2004) from Purchase College where we met.

AS: Who were the core members that formed Wham City at Purchase? You and Dan (Deacon)?

Read the rest…

MP3: Ponytail – Jammin’ on a major scale
Editorial note: There has been some dispute over the information posted here, but we merely presented information we were told at the time of interview. A full transcript will be posted shortly.

Apparently there are some massive changes underway so we have removed the previous information at the email request of Wham City, received 0133AM 06/30/2008 :

we are having a meeting right now, will know everything ASAP.

sorry for the miscommunication.

if you could please remove that post or something to the like, it would help us a great deal. we are getting flooded with emails from bleep. thank you,

meredith moore

We completely understand the uncertain nature of booking an event such as Whartscape. and the changes in venues will be immediately reported as we are made aware of them. Keep on keepin on.

Update 06/30/2008 1052AM: Hmm, here’s what the Myspace bulletin says this morning, and it looks pretty similar to what we initially reported. Check it after the jump:

Read the rest…

This just in – Wham City is still kicking ass and taking names.

Hot off the heels of the announcement of Whartscape 2008′s initial line-up, we find news in the inbox that recent Wham City/Bmore-by-way-of-North Carolina resident Adventure (aka Benny Boeldt) just signed up with Carpark Records and will issue his self-titled debut LP this September.

Adventure joins up with a slew of other Bmore and Wham City notables on DC-based Carpark, including one of the Wham-crew patriarchs, Dan Deacon, Beach House, Video Hippos, Ecstatic Sunshine and WZT Hearts.

Enjoy this cut off the self-titled LP. And be sure to stop by Benny’s show at the Talking Head on June 5.

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Adventure – Battle Cat

Oh boy, get your armor on. This is gonna be intense in the best way. I am going to Bonnaroo, but honestly, I will probably have a much better time when Whartscape rolls around.

I personally cannot wait.

From Myspace bulletin this morning:
Read the rest…

The Death Set are about to make Baltimore’s next major foray into the happy areas of indie minds everywhere with their release of their debut LP Worldwide (after 3 EP releases).

If you’ve ever wished for an ass-load more drum machine or laptop-sourced glitchiness with your punk music…you need to be into this band. Originally hailing from the Gold Coast, Australia, Johnny Siera and Beau Velasco hoofed it to our shores a few years ago, landing first in Brooklyn, then high-tailing it to our fair, charming city and buddying up with Wham City, Dan Deacon and their ilk while residing and recording in the Copy Cat.
Read the rest…

B-more’s own Wham City member of some repute, Dan Deacon, has decided to post his entire back catalog online for the teeming masses of the net.

Downloads here. I recommend navigating by FTP.

Just MP3 format though, not FLAC.

Deacon is on tour in the land down under until early March, when he returns stateside for a few festival dates including Coachella. Check the video from one of Deacon’s frantic live shows after the jump.
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