Pleasant Livers
Whartscape
MICA Parking Lot (North Ave)
Baltimore, MD
July 11, 2009

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1. MP3: Big Headed Baby
2. MP3: Do The Wally
3. MP3: Sizzle In My Pants

Notes:
Outdoors show/Stage B
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Photo credit: Dorret
Sick Weapons
Whartscape
MICA Parking Lot (North Ave)
Baltimore, MD
July 11, 2009

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1. MP3: Today I Listened to Born Against
2. MP3: If You Love Me Take Me To The Hospital
3. MP3: Jackson Bad Dog
4. MP3: I Want My Brains Back
5. MP3: Love Me
6. MP3: Orgy on the China Train
7. MP3: I Get Fucked for the Fuck of It*

Notes:
Outdoors show/Stage B
*Ed Schrader cover
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The Woes
Whartscape
MICA Parking Lot (North Ave)
Baltimore, MD
July 11, 2009

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1. MP3: Sunset
2. MP3: The Secret
3. MP3: Let Me Ride

Notes:
Outdoors show/Stage A
Audience very chatty
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My Whartscape didn’t start until the third quarter of the evening’s festivities at the BMA. As far as Friday goes, some ludicrous logistical issues had me caught up until nine o’clock when the original plan was to arrive shortly after noon. Here’s a short rundown of what I caught on Friday Night.  Greg also popped in, and was there for a significant portion of the daytime.  All photos are his, and his segments will be in yellow.

The day was gorgeous on the steps of the BMA.  The trappings serene, with hanging greenery framing the walls of the museum behind the performers.

I was very excited to see Black Vatican, but they seemed a bit lost in this setting. Their music didn’t really connect for me.  Their spaced out garage jams felt small, tinny and overprocessed, like bits of metal rattling around a tin can.

Wye Oak however, performed a riveting, ascendant set while being dressed to impress.  They confidently lead off with a brand new track followedby a pair of tracks off The Knot and one from debut If Children showing off their new level of epic layering and big sound.  Keep an eye out for my review of The Knot.  I say without hesitation or reservation that it is easily one of my favorite albums of the past decade.

Read the rest…

Weekends
Whartscape
MICA Parking Lot (North Ave)
Baltimore, MD
July 11, 2009

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1. MP3: Roommate
2. MP3: Totem
3. MP3: No More Bands
4. MP3: Rain Girls
5. MP3: Pay-Per-View Dads
6. MP3: Home Alone

Notes:
Outdoors show/Stage B
Audience very chatty
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Just thought this deserved posting.  Our Wye Oak love continues unabated (wait til you see all the superlatives I hurlat upcoming album The Knot) with this brand spanking new track, live from Whartscape 2009 in front of the BMA:

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MP3: Untitled New Song – Wye Oak, Live from Whartscape 2009 (by the Baltimore Taper)

Jenn & Andy also won the awards for Best Dressed and Artist Who Is Most Likely To Play As The In-House Band For A Church.

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MP3: DD/MM/YYYY – They

Anyone who showed up to last year’s Whartscape knows that DD/MM/YYYY kill onstage, same goes for those who saw them on tour with Videohippos in May. This bunch of experimental-rocking Canadians dropped their fourth release, Black Square, but only a few months ago. I thought it was pretty great. My email account caught up with theirs for a few questions fairly recently, here’s how it went down:

1. You guys were at Whartscape last year; care to describe the experience as a band?

-Whartscape last year was amazing. We got to see the killer whales, bird names, mae shi, and thank you.

2. What’s the biggest reason why everyone should go to Whartscape?

-so they can get freaky deaky to all the good bands playing.

3. What sort of reputation does Baltimore hold in Toronto, is it accurate?

-There are a lot of fans of all things baltimore in my group of friends. Personally, I think of it as a city without a large culture industry which allows creative people living there to not think about what is cool or contemporary and just do what they do which then makes it cool and contemporary. All the referentiality of extant culture without too much self consciousness that a larger city might breed. You will have to tell me if it is accurate.

4. If Baltimore were a comic in the New Yorker, what might be the caption?

-”I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.”

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MP3: Double Dagger – Vivre Sans Temps Mort from More Record Release Show, Live @ Floristree

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

11. NO THROWING DRUMS INTO THE AUDIENCE

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

Nolen: Last year when loads of teenagers and local hipsters in often
intentionally-ridiculous outfits looked at me funny coz I had on white
pants and a polo.

Denny: When I stupidly threw that drum into the crowd last year. Good
thing there’s a rule about that this year. But I felt like total shit
after it happened. Also the first Whartscape where Kevin (from
Videohippos/Blood Baby) was rolling around on this really tall ladder
hooking stuff up admist the swarming drunk crowd.

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

Nolen: The Dan Deacon Ensemble, coz even though Denny plays in it, I
still haven’t seen it live. They’re one of the only bands I’ll have
time to see as well because this is our last day of tour so we’re
getting to town after most of it’s already happened. As always I’m
stoked for Future Islands, too.

Denny: My bed, because I’ve been on tour for a long time and psyched
to nap it up in my own linens. Honestly, I can’t choose one thing,
there are a lot friends of mine that I’m excited to see play. Big Bear
should be sick, I haven’t seen them play since 2005, which also was
the first show that I saw Dan Deacon. It was a tense situation, but
that’s another story… I’m also excited to see if Narwhalz will
actually play beyond 2 minutes this time. I’m bummed I will miss the
New Flesh though.

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

Nolen: Sweaty. Sweaty shows are good shows.

Denny: Festivus. Because it’s for the rest of us.

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

Nolen: Because they’ve asked us every other year and it’s always been
one of the most fun shows of the year.

Denny: You mean when they myspaced us? Yeah, it’s definitely a great
homecoming show. If we we said no, we would be total chumps.

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MP3: What Cheer? Brigade – Saiyan re Saiyan

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MP3: What Cheer? Brigade – Malaguena

Let my bias be known: I am a recovering marching band addict.  Tuba (not sousaphone mind you, those are for wusses) for three years, trombone for one.  It’s hard for me to watch groups like What Cheer! Brigade or Mucca Pazza and not get so amped that I want to run home and get my tuba.  They’ll likely be candidates for an exuberance award for this weekend.

Trumpeter Cordey checked in with us:

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

This will be our first Whartscape! All 18 of us! We are a big, fat 18-piece brass and percussion band from Providence, Rhode Island. Our music is a mix of Bollywood pop, traditional Balkan brass, New Orleans wango-chango, noise and metal, crabcore, etc. Although we are listed as a “marching band,” I hesitate to say we are one – we’re more like a mobile, party unit.

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

I don’t know where the rest of my bandmates stand on this one, and it’s kinda hard to check in with all one-million of them. We’ll only be around on Saturday, so I’m gonna say I’m most excited to see Ponytail, C Spencer Yeh, and Ed Schrader. Haven’t had the chance to see them before. I’m also excited to see my friends EAR PWR again. HOLLA!!!!

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

Friends!  Whartscape, like life, is about playing music with your friends and for your friends. And this year it seems that everyone involved is a friend or a friend of a friend. Although it may seem that Whartscape carries connotations of cronyism, that’s okay – nothing is at risk here (except for potentially bad music).

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

The lineup is killer; it shall be a blast. Everyone involved gets to play for new audiences, and everyone involved has the chance to be that new audience for everyone else involved. It’s kinda like that vicious cycle that goes: “I eat because I’m sad; I’m sad because I’m fat; I’m fat because I eat,” but instead of gaining weight, we’re all gaining, uh… fun!—

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MP3: The New Flesh – No Expectations

Baltimore punks The New Flesh will tear your ears off and spit in them if given the chance.  And I highly recommend letting them.

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

Seeing sunglasses and consuming energy drinks.

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

Microkingdom, Pleasant Livers, Zomes

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

Sounds

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

An offer I could not refuse

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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.