Enjoy these tracks off their 2007 LP Catharsis in Crisis and read on for the full festival line-up.

MP3: Old Time Relijun - Indestructible Life

MP3: Old Time Relijun - Veleno Mortale

Straight from the horse’s mouth:

“Some of the most intense new music being made anywhere, on everything from oboes and one-of-a-kind instruments to the human body itself… unforgettable performances.” -The Washington Post

“A fertile laboratory of musical possibility without equal.” -Signal to Noise Magazine

“So highly singular that it corresponds to nothing that has been heard before.” -Maryland Public Television

Baltimore’s High Zero Festival—one of the longest running and most successful festivals of experimental improvised music in the country and what City Paper called “one of Baltimore’s great cultural treasures” and Baltimore Magazine called “Best Music Festival”—is entering its tenth year.The critically acclaimed festival pulls out all the stops presenting six days of inspired live music featuring special programming legendary performers such as 1st generation Fluxus artist Olga Adorno from France, minimalist icon Tony Conrad from Buffalo, Baltimore conceptualist Jennifer Graf Sheppard, and visionary Philadelphia film-maker Peter Rose, as well as the freshest homegrown & international improvisers—all in the town Rolling Stone calls “The Best Music Scene” in the country. And it is.

The High Zero Festival gathers avant-garde musicians each year from around the world for a series of concerts featuring startlingly new ad hoc collaborations, virtually taking over the city. This year’s festival will open with a special works by Adorno, Conrad, and Rose, beginning with a special opening concert at the Fox Court of The Baltimore Museum of Art, followed by five days of intensive improvised music concerts featuring artists from as far away as Africa and Japan at Theatre Project and all over the city, including numerous street performances.

Attendance of the High Zero Festival in previous years has been exceptionally high for this non-commercial music, with the festival frequently selling out. A weekend pick in the New York Times and regularly covered by major European and U.S. magazines, the festival is an outgrowth of the vital weekly Red Room performance series at Normals Books and Records, which since 1996 has presented roughly 700 concerts of experimental music in Baltimore, making it one of the longest running series of its kind in the country.

For more information contact:
High Zero Foundation, Inc.
info@redroom.org
Phone: 443 414 5414

Whartscape 2008’s Friday show was at the 2640 Space, a church undergoing renovation assisted by the Red Emma’s collective. In exchange for their services, they get to hold events provided there is no alcohol sold/drunk on the premises…house of God and all.

This year’s line-up has more variety with a less shotgun-based approach of toss whoever, together whenever (as intimated by Adam in our interview). And what more perfect theme for the 2640 Space than a night focusing on folk, performance art and generally softer music and calmer music than the electronic spazz rock Wham City is better known for. The hallowed and empty space, presided over by stained glass cut with sacred and holy images, is one cavernous room. An orator’s dream, as well as any musician or vocalist.

Unfortunately, the crowd was somewhat stubborn and unwilling to let the music get in the way of their socializing. Sets from gentle giants like singer-songwriter Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez were effectively destroyed by idle and not-so-low chatter. In fact, things got so bad that Dan Deacon himself went on stage before the chamber-ensemble-like Golden Age, and implored people to take their conversations outside, rightfully labeling those who didn’t “idiots.” This lack of focus on the music proved detrimental to many performances of the night, most notably Lesser Gonzalez and Wheatie Mattiasich. This was not helped by the fact that sound was spotty at best. Feedback from too-live mics was all too frequent, a recurring problem that reached its apex mid-day Saturday and miraculously cleared for all of Sunday’s sets.

As I walked in, Santa Dads were on stage with their blurred vision of performance art and music. An all-too-seldom experiment these days, as they are rarely seen playing shows. The most engaging thing about them initially is their costumes (Connor Kizer’s Hobbes cat-suit and Josh Kelbermann’s Santa’s Helper outfit). But as the performance wears on, the haphazard, whimsical nature of their music and the intentness of their performance recalls memories of an older era, one from history texts and cartoonish images. Where the poly-talented extroverts produced microcosmic escapism for small groups of eager on-lookers in small towns and villas around the world. Santa Dads are time-lost, traveling entertainers struggling to adapt to modern notions, but ultimately deciding to drag us back into theirs.

Wheatie Mattiasich appeared to have some interesting things going on in the subtle folds of their wide-open, fragile folk music. Andy Abelow backed them up, creating a tense, shrouded aura about their music. Sadly the aforementioned din of the crowd, combined with some uncooperative soundboard settings, crippled the set to muddy, near inaudibility.

Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez, however, probably had the hardest time. Lesser’s intimate performance approach, more addressing a campfire than rocking the audience from the stage, is probably one of his greatest strengths. It works extremely well with his gentlly cascading falls of guitar notes, plucked and twanged with effortless ease and fantastic sound. But the din of the crowd was just too much, along with some mood-breaking clatter from Arbouretum setting up. Another sin of the 3 stages in a crowded room: someone is always hauling around and noisily setting equipment up. Lesser, while visibly dismayed and frustrated, persisted on trying to sustain that impeccable mood he was constructing. Kudos for that. Again, though, a ruined set from the combination of bad sound (inopportunely feedbacking mic) and a casual audience of those concerning music secondly.

Home-town heroes Arbouretum took the stage next. Theirs was the first time I lamented the brevity of sets during Whartscape. Things were run like clockwork and each artist got their 20-30 minutes and promptly ended, switching gears to the next.

Dave Heumann and crew’s music was not meant to be rushed. They are undoubtedly a force of nature; thus, when they only got the chance to stretch their wings for 3 (I think) songs, it felt almost criminal. But what a set of songs. A huge, lush sound that grows to impossible and awe-inspiring heights (much like the population of their namesake), they were the first artists of the night I heard that had a great sound board and really exercised the fantastic new JBL PA’s. Things soared and really made use of the vaulted church ceilings. “Flood of Floods” is likely to be Arbouretum’s opus and calling card for a long time to come, a smoldering number that blooms and blooms as it progresses, spiraling guitar riffs leading the listener on an expansive journey towards one big cathartic jam.

Golden Age followed with their much more classically-influenced set. Much like a chamber ensemble, they employed a sizable traditional string section, horns including sax and trombone, percussion as well as a mini-choir for vocals. Diverse instrumentation with fantastic arrangements. Beautiful moments of both fullness and sparseness. Eclectic sounds with a bit of a penchant for the abstract and contemporary, but never at the expense of coherence. Dan Deacon showered them with praise, saying they have a huge dynamic range. And this couldn’t be more true. It’s a shame many others chose to ignore this and chatter on through. This set, much like Arbouretum’s, deserved a much longer play-time to build up a true experience, rather than just a sampling.

At this point, I had given up. Jana Hunter’s set seemed well-received, but the crowd white noise was inescapable and stole much of her thunder. When her music swelled, things were fine but as soon as any nuance or subtlety was attempted, the crowd roused back up. Which is an absolute shame because I was so looking forward to her set. Luckily, I was definitely able to pull a few jewels out of the performance.

Finally, Beach House. I’ve gushed over Alex and Victoria before. I’ll do it again. I was unfortunate in that I missed their previous 2640 gig opening for Grizzly Bear. And their set matched my expectations for them playing their sparkling, dilapidating pop in such an acoustically gorgeous setting. The crowd also, finally, packed in and shut the hell up. By this time, 2640 was capacity plus and sweltering. Rivaling heat levels of Floristree 2007. But it all felt miles away as soon as Alex and Vic opened up and dropped us awash in their glorious visions. Victoria’s voice soared as expected, like a skilled gymnast playfully flitting about their the air, catapulting and doing acrobatics both bewildering and wonderful. When she opened up near the end of the set, hairs stood on end and bones vibrated to the marrow. She could have easily shattered a wine glass. She has an absolutely angelic voice.

Which is not to say that Alex is in any way less of a star. When he and Victoria both pull vocal duties, the effect is enthralling. His guitar work, as ever, was expressive and tight. I only wish each time that they could amp him up a little more. The warm blues-and-soul flecked drawl of his reverb-and FX heavy lines are absolutely essential, in my mind, to really anchoring the mystique of their sound as well as the pacing. Ultimately, it provides a great complement to Victoria’s vocals. Despite minor cracks, their performance was an absolute gem, electrifying the room and lifting everyone into the clouds.

She carried a mysterious, almost mythic quality about herself and her craft to some of us club music fanatics outside of Baltimore. We’ve always known that she had the ability to make and break artists in her city, and that she held it down on 92Q radio, but until this past weekend, I don’t think we knew the first thing about her. Her Dj sets at the My Crew Be Unruly party at the Paradox, and at the Artscape festival the next day (with DJ Class) were nothing short of incredible. Friday night at the Dox was so devastating in fact, that her jaw dropping set actually had Diplo nervous about following her, and I’ve NEVER heard him admit anything similar of the sort before then. He and I literally talked about her all day yesterday. The conversation was something to the effect of “Isn’t K Swift the most awesome person in the history of awesomeness?!” and then we’d compare notes about how effortlessly cool, and what an immensely talented dj she was. Shawn Caesar says she couldn’t stop talking about how excited she was to have been spinning with Diplo, and how much she was looking forward to working with all of us in the nearest future…WTF? THIS ISN’T FAIR!

Shawn, Scottie and the rest of the Unruly fam, I have no idea what yall are going through…especially Shawn because I know you were as close as family to each other. Your loss is our loss, and what this beautiful and talented woman brought to the table can not ever be replaced. She was a pioneer in her field and she expanded that vista almost every day to include more and more successes. I’m so sorry, Baltimore. We love you!

Rest In Peace K Swift, The Queen Of Baltimore and Club Music worldwide.

A bass hovers at odd intervals, directing tempo and time signature changes. Drums gallop and change velocity at unexpected intervals, the complexity of their phrasing often giving the appearance of polyrhythms that ought to send Vampire Weekend back to the shade of a Nantucket elm where they belong, so they can listen to Jimmy Buffet and wonder what would have happened the night before if only that prep school girl hadn’t been distracted by her friends from out of town on the way home from the Sigma Chi semi-formal.

In short, Skeleton is one of a select few releases this year by a band who find a happy middle ground between knowing how to play their instruments and perfoming songs that don’t demand to be played at medium-low volume in your bedroom with the blinds drawn and the door shut tight. Best comparison is a math rock-y version of the Minutemen, or perhaps a more minute version of Polvo. The production, the lyrical attention, the tendency to package their music in segments known as songs make Abe a bit more approachable than their stinky L.A. peers.

On-stage at Floristree July 9, the day after their CD hit stores, they were chatty with the audience, speaking with the excited-without-being-high-strung eloquence of the L.A. skate-punks of yore. The guitars exhibited dimensions that extended past the in-your-faceness of No Age (the headliner). And while both bands were birthed in the same concrete swamp that is L.A., they don’t have much in common besides the sense that they’re both reaching for the same thing.

In reaching up off the “Dead City/Waste Wilderness” pavements, both bands sound like elements of the city street that have been vaulted into the ionosphere to collide with whatever strange and alien particles exist up there. Abe Vigoda hasn’t been heard by very many people yet, but the tour and simultaneous album release should bolster their status to the point that by the end, we may be wondering who the real headliner is.

Let’s face it, Nouns is a slightly above average loud rock CD released in a time when most of what is currently released as indie would have passed for adult alternative ten or fifteen years ago, and that — not the content of the music — is why it garners such critical priase. No Age played a killer show, don’t get me wrong, but overall Abe Vigoda has a far stronger CD. Even if LPs aren’t exactly the height of music fashion these days, you have to be able to aptly pull off a studio recording if you plan to extend your audience beyond the set of people who can see you perform live. It may be that the indie press jumped too soon for the ageless wonders; the ancient, droopy, Abe Vigoda may just be the long-runner when people consider the lo-fi resurgence of 2008.

Watchmen is, in my eyes, one of the greatest works of fiction in any genre. Following the tortured existence of superheroes in an alternate reality 1985 Cold War USA, characters such as Rorschach, a vigilante force-of-nature whose only superpower seems to be tenacity and resilience, make the work truly engrossing. It puts brutally realistic and flawed characters in extremely unrealistic situations, while addressing universal themes and philosophical struggles.

One of the few works truly deserving the descriptor epic (it would seem I am in good company, as Time magazine agrees in its All-time 100 Novels feature in 2005). The news-stand meta-commentary and analysis running concurrently with the main storyline. Intrigue. Love. Death, unceremonious and final which is such a rarity in the graphic novel/comic book genre. For me, this work is probably the most compelling argument for the validity and power of the graphic storytelling medium, proving that it is just as valid as any other method of storytelling and can carry as much weight. In fact, the visual elements by Gibbons are so well done, so integral to the pacing and meaning of the work, it’s hard to imagine ever writing this story without the aid of visuals. Which bodes well for the film adaptation forthcoming from 300 director Zak Snyder. His attention to detail and fantastically accurate reproduction of scenes from the graphic novel onto the big screen will likely be a big asset.

If you saw The Dark Knight this weekend in a mainstream theater, then you’ve already seen this and probably though “WTF is this about?” If you haven’t then please, take a gander at this.

Now start salivating and praying this is more substance and less flash than Hollywood is used to.

Kidding aside, Baltimore is busting at the seems with live music this weekend. Also running, and partially funded by Artscape, is High Zero’s Exotic-Hypnotic Festival of experimental improvisational music. It takes place at the University of Baltimore’s Student Center Performing Arts Theater, 21 W. Mount Royal Ave., 5th floor.

I will not sleep for the next four days.

Here is a quick rundown of non-Whartscape events the Aural States reader my find interesting:

Friday, July 18

Daniel Higgs-2pm. Exotic-Hypnotic Festival. Higgs is a Baltimore legend, having fronted Lungfish. His recent solo work has focused on the jaw harp.

Blaqstarr-8:30 pm. Artscape, DJ Culture Stage. This Mad Decent DJ/producer brings the new sounds of Bmore Club

Joan Jett and the Blackhearts-8:30 pm. Artscape, Saturn Stage. Back in the day, for those of us that grew up in this city, Artscape provided the perfect venue to get ridiculously wasted starting in the early afternoon. Then watch aging bands at night, and secretly enjoy the set. If I were still 16, I’m sure that would be the case with this upcoming Joan Jett performance.

Roberta Flack-8:30 pm. Artscape, Mainstage. Worth a mention.

Dave Nada-9 pm. Artscape, DJ Culture Stage. This is just really a warm-up for both Blaqstarr and Dave Nada for what is to come later that night…

Unruly and Senari present: My Crew Be Unruly feat. Scottie B, K Swift, Diplo, Blaqstarr, Dave Nada, King Tutt, Say Wut, etc. Paradox (1310 Russell Street) This is a who’s-who’s of Baltimore Club Music, and will take place at legendary venue. A nice way to blow-up your night after Beach House at 2640. The party goes until dawn.

Saturday

Thank You- 1pm. Exotic-Hypnotic Festival. Catch Thank You, in case you can’t see them at Whartscape.

Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Open Rehearsal- 1:30 pm. Artscape, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall. The BSO is a valuable cultural asset of Baltimore, so take advantage of this.

Thrushes- 3 pm. Arstscape, Metro Gallery. Aural States’ love of the Thrushes goes back. We also love Sarah and the Metro Gallery, too.

Free BSO concert- 3 pm. Artscape, Meyerhoff Symphony Hall.

Peabody Consort- 5pm. Exotic-Hypnotic Festival. This is Peabody’s early music ensemble. How does this fit into an experimental improvised music festival? Well, to start, the continuo does improvise upper register parts in the figured bass line. Early music is also full of cadenzas. And as far as being experimental, the theorbo is such an weird instrument, it might as well be experimental.

Scottie B, K-Swift, Rye-Rye- 5pm. Artscape, Main Stage. In case you missed them the night before.

Audrey Chen and Takuro Mizuto Lippit- 6pm. I am really excited to see this performance. Audrey Chen plays the cello along with electronics. As a cellist, myself, I completely believe that the cello is one of the most expressive instruments ever created. It is an instrument that is timeless, and perfectly suitable for cutting-edge experimental music.

Mike Doughty-7 pm. Artscape, Saturn Stage. The former front man for Soul Coughing. I think you either love him, or hate him (or at least his solo work). A perfect fit for the WTMD crowd.

After Now Ensemble- 7pm. An ensemble that plays contemporary works. We need more of these. I wonder if the fact that people, especially young people, are interested in hearing new “art music” works performed will ever get through to the BSO higher-ups.

Rusted Root-8:30 pm. Artscape, Saturn Stage

SUNDAY

Nathan Bell-12pm. Exotic-Hypnotic. This former Lungfish member make amazingly beautiful banjo music, but not the fast tempo, moonshine-runner-gunning-it-down-a-country-road soundtrack. Instead, blissed out, but also isolated and remote. Imagine if Aphex Twin picked up a banjo to do Selected Ambient Works II.

Caleb Stine and the Brakemen-5:30 pm Artscape, Metro Gallery.

The Wailers-6:30 pm. Artscape, Main Stage.

Ecstatic Sunshine-7 pm. Exotic-Hypnotic.

The Clipse-7:30. Artscape, DJ Culture Stage.

For those of you who might have missed it, we did a series of small interviews (min-terviews) with notable ne’er-do-wells who are performng Whartscape, asking the same 5 questions and seeing who tolerated us enough to get themd one; it was called Countdown to Whartscape.  Here they are, rounded up for your enjoyment and edification:

T-7 Andy Abelow

T-6 Arbouretum

T-5 WZT Hearts

T-4 Parts & Labor

T-3 Ponytail

T-2 Thank You

T-1 Jana Hunter, DD/MM/YYYY, the Creepers

T-0 Cex and Dan Deacon, Matmos

So, who did you like best?  Find anything interesting and informative, or maybe downright shocking?

On a Sunday, I was curious to see what crowd would show for this rainy summer night of punk-ish madness. Sonar introduced Ratsize, leading the show with a loud, messy performance, including a cover of the Adolescents’ “No Way”. Lead vox Pat Martin put on a pretty good show, ramming into the crowd and spitting beer on himself, but the band lost momentum when they paused between songs. Right when you got a steady beat, hyped up and ready for more, the song would end and they’d take a minute to recall next-up on the set list. Maybe it was just Pat getting some Oxygen after choking himself with the mic cord.

Next up was Vincent Black Shadow, and I’m not sure if it was the gangly long-haired bassist rocking out across from me, or the loogie that hit me around the third song, but something about this act was disgustingly exhilarating.

Adam (lead vox) had the perfect voice for this band, along with the killer back-up that built up and broke down in a way that Ratsize would have benefited from. The tempo would change, progressing in different directions to leave the audience suddenly satisfied and itching for more. I’d have to say that VBS was my favorite performance of the evening, if they would just keep playing! Stopping between songs watered down the energy.

Oh, Jay Reatard. Finally, the three join us on stage (something new, as the others played right on the floor). Accompanied by a big afro-ed man on the bass and a drummer, someone who plays all the way through for once- no hesitation. Each song piled on the other and the crowd seemed to respond with absolute gratification.

A pleasant surprise, Jay Reatard’s performance is much more animated than the singles they release on iTunes and Myspace. He sings loud and the music seems more violent, but the voice is never “screamy” which, I believe, allows it to stand out against the rest of the line-up tonight. Definitely more than I expected, I was into the idea that you gotta see him live to understand what he’s really all about.

Alex’s Take:

There can be a mistaken belief that in order for music to be considered “good” it must be innovative. In fact this is often the exception, rather than the rule. If it ain’t broke then don’t fix it. Jay Reatard doesn’t tweak the well-worn conventions of lo-fi garage punk much, but damn it’s still good. His music is the kind of stuff that begs to be experienced live, or at least that was my thinking. But before getting into the mop-headed Reatard, let’s start with the other bands.

Rat Size was actually much better than the average opening band. Again, no new aural ground was broken. This band, like Jay Reatard dwells in that overlapping territory of garage/lo-fi/punk/early hardcore. Gang vocals abound, and who doesn’t love choruses that everyone can sing along to? I would call this a whiskey and coke (not the mixed drink) kind of band, or at least I think that was the aesthetic they were trying to carry. Before one song the singer announced, “This is a song about being a fucking train wreck.” But watching a band do the whole rock train wreck thing during a set seldom works. The set would have worked better if the songs were delivered in rapid succession. Instead, there were extended breaks between songs so beers could be downed, and breath could be caught. Why such the rapid heart rate guys?

The highlight of Rat Size’s set was the cover of the Adolescents’ classic “No Way.” I wasn’t kidding when I said nothing new was presented. The band has an upcoming show at the Nerve Center, which should be a prefect fit of band and venue. Who knows, maybe get some kids skating on the mini ramp?

Vincent Black Shadow, or at least Baltimore’s version of that band (“We’re from Hampden!” yelled singer Adam Savage to clear up any confusion with another band with a very similar name) was up next. The focal point, or I should say vocal point, of the set was Savage’s voice. The dude is a virtuoso of screaming, yelling, grunting, etc. He has the ability to completely change the timbre of this voice instantly. The rest of the band provided much more than a mere base for the vocals. As far a musicianship Vincent Black Shadow blew away the rest of the bill, but than again, Jay Reatard isn’t try to get noticed for his guitar playing.

I’m not quite sure how to categorize VBS. Metal? Not really, though there are some build-ups, and breakdowns. Punk? I guess as an influence, but what rock music made after 1980 isn’t influence by punk? Grindcore? VBS has got screaming, but the songs clock in at about 4 minutes, not 30 seconds. I guess the point is that music shouldn’t be about taxonomy, or systematics. A rose is still a rose, and sweaty, longhaired dude screaming is still awesome.

The key word for Jay Reatard’s set was urgency. He took the stage while everyone was still talking and just started playing with no introduction. The pacing for his set? Urgent. The entire set was one long salvo of sonic shelling. No break between songs, save for screaming out titles (other bands take note!)

I couldn’t tell, and I still as off writing, haven’t made up my mind as to whether Jay Reatard sense of speed was a product of his song style, or because he literally wanted to get the fuck out of there. Maybe both? There was no engagement of the audience by Reatard. At best he seemed disinterested, at worst condescending. This could be part of the act though. I’ll give him the benefit of doubt.

The set was performed on the stage, while the prior two acts had been on the floor. This fact combined with Jay’s I’m-just-here-to-play-my-songs attitude meant the 4th wall was firmly in place. This and the knowledge that audience members venturing to close to Jay might get punched in the face, and have the video run on the Internet. Only one kid did a stage dive, and he launched his body from stage right, well away from a wrathful Reatard. All these factors, and the fact that it was Sunday night, meant that the crowd energy was lacking.

I think it’s a simple function; the energy produced during the set equals that of the performer and the audience combined. However, the crowd’s energy is proportional to that of performer’s. But the performer is affected, too, by the audience’s vibe.

In short, I was really surprised by the lack of enthusiasm on all sides during the Jay Reatard set. Sonically it was all there, but a show isn’t just about listening intently, it’s about getting into that all out aural state of consciousness.

When I first was making a decision about whether or not to take job offers in Toronto and Baltimore I told my grad students in a class at the Art Institute about the tossup and one of my super energetic and hilarious students from Baltimore started ranting about Wham City and how righteous the scene here was and telling me that I should skip Toronto. I took her advice and haven’t regretted it. (Sorry Toronto!)

The show we are playing takes place on my birthday so it mostly means Happy Birthday! Aside from that, it’s the fest that we missed last year because we were moving and now we get to play in the sweet spot with some of my favorite people from this city. Being on a bill with Leprechaun Catering and Nautical Almanac is intimidating.

More than I can say in a questionnaire.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

You’re never going to top “The City That Reads” for Baltimore.

I would wear a snake costume because Baltimore has been a skin-shedding place for me.

For the last day of our Countdown min-terviews, we’ve got some heavy-hitters including Mr Green-skull himself, one of Wham City’s patriarchs, Dan Deacon, homegrown electronic music royalty Cex.

Read on!

MP3: Dan Deacon - Wham City

Dan Deacon

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

it’s like an abusive marriage, split personality disorder, and mutual masturbation all at once.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

right now it’s melting my brain. i (and several other wham city members) have been working around the clock for weeks working out everything with the venues, 75+ bands, the city, PA rental places, build stages, making t-shirts, and countless other things. i just hope people have a laid back good time and don’t get pissy.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

baltimore is a rad place but i wish it wasn’t filled with so much despair, sadness and poverty. as i am writing this you can hear sirens, gun shots, and helicopters going off out my friend rose’s window. i’d like to start getting more involved in local politics in the near future. it seems like as the economy is getting worse you can feel the city growing more and more angry and desperate. the city has been pretending to clean itself up for some time.

the community and small town feel of the city is the best part. it’s hard not to walk down the city and run into someone i know. also, max is a rad dude.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

“greatest city in baltimore”

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

it would be a sharks corpse and i would be dead.

Cex

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

I think Wham City is sweet, like the reincarnated souls of the Muppets looking for love and purpose in a post-Jim Henson America.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

This year Whartscape honestly seems perilously encumbered this year. Personally, I think the perfect show has exactly 2 bands on the bill. I don’t know how anyone could stand so uch live music in such a short period of time without Adderol or some kind of short-term memory inhibitor.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

It’s a magick town, maybe the most magickal in America now that Nawlins is sunk. I wish it weren’t so segregated, though, and sometimes I think it’s pathetic how few orgies there are here.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

Whartscape: The “Infinite Jest” of Music fests.

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

I would wear that SWAT-like uniform-complete with baton and shield-of an Internal Reaction Force officer at Guantanamo Bay, with a piece of duct tape over the name badge on my breast.

BONUS ROUND: What do you think of the Dan Deacon/Gregg Gillis/ Spank Rock trio?

I’d be shocked if any of these 3 put aside their main hustle to really focus on the supergroup…but if they did, I bet it could easily reach the levels of Temple of the Dog. Or that band that had Krist Novoselic and one of the Kirkwood Brothers and Sublime’s drummer. Or Coverdale/Page or The Firm.

-Remaining tickets will be sold at the door on a first come first serve basis (duh)
-If you plan on attending getting a ticket in advance is highly suggested
-All Show Pass is $40 (6 shows, 77 Performances)
-Individual Day tickets are $12
-more info on tickets and other at whamcity. com

WHARTSCAPE 2008 SCHEDUAL OF EVENTS:

THURSDAY: CHARLES THEATER, 1711 N Charles Street
6:00 Missoula Oblongata (Baltimore + CT)
7:00 Rick Royer (Baltimore)
7:30 Ben Heresey (New York)
8:00 Blue Leader (Baltimore)
8:20 Teeth Mountain (Baltimore)
8:40 INTERMISSION
9:00 Leprechaun Catering (Baltimore)
9:20 Mark Hosler (of negativland) (Asheville, NC)
10:20 Ultimate Reality (Baltimore)
10:55 Nautical Almanac (Baltimore)
11:20 Matmos (Baltimore)

FRIDAY: 2640 SPACE, 2640 Saint Paul Street
6:00 A Murmered Tale (Baltimore)
6:45 Eagle Ager (Brooklyn)
7:05 Andy Abelow (Baltimore)
7:25 Matteah Baim (New York)
7:55 Santa Dads (Baltimore)
8:15 Wheatie Mattiasich (Baltimore)
8:35 Lesser Gonzalez (Baltimore)
8:55 Arbouritum (Baltimore)
9:25 Golden Age (x-more dogs)(Baltimore)
9:55 Jana Hunter (Baltimore)
10:25 Beach House (Baltimore)

SATURDAY: NORTH AVE LOT, 131 W North Ave
12:00 DOORS
12:40 King Cloud (Baltimore)
1:00 Smarts (Baltimore)
1:20 Benny Stoofy (Scrummage University)(Detroit)
1:40 Air Waves (Brooklyn)
2:00 Ed Schrader (Baltimore)
2:20 Facts (Baltimore)
2:40 Perm Hurdeler (Glasgow)
3:10 Food For Animals (Baltimore+DC)
3:30 Wzt Hearts (Baltimore)
4:00 The Creepers (Baltimore)
4:30 Lexie Mountain Boys (Baltimore)
5:00 Ecstatic Sunshine (Baltimore)
5:30 Bird Names (Baltimore)
6:00 Eyeball Skeleton (Baltimore)
6:30 DD/MM/YYYY (Toronto)
7:00 Mae Shi (Los Angeles)
7:30 The Deathset (Baltimore)
8:00 Killer Whales (Chicago)
8:30 Thank You (Baltimore)
9:00 Oxes (Baltimore)

SONAR, 407 E Saratoga St
11:00 Human Host (Baltimore)
11:25 Blood Baby (Baltimore)
11:55 Nuclear Power Pants (Baltimore)
12:15 Videohippos (Baltimore)
12:45 Celebration (Baltimore)

SUNDAY NORTH AVE LOT, 131 W North Ave
12:00 DOORS
12:30 Moss of Aura (Baltimore)
1:00 Jones (Baltimore)
1:20 Witch Hat (Baltimore)
1:40 Hearts of Darknesses (New York)
2:00 Teenage Souls (Baltimore)
2:20 Thrust Lab (Baltimore)
2:40 Ear Pwr (Asheville)
3:00 Kyle Mabson+Mincemeat or 10 Speed+Narwals (LA, Philly, Richmond)
3:40 White Williams (New York)
4:00 Adventure (Baltimore)
4:30 Club Lifestyles (Baltimore)
4:55 Future Islands (Baltimore)
5:25 Height (Baltimore)
5:55 Dan Deacon (Baltimore)
6:40 Trey Told ‘Em (Gregg Gillis + HOD)(Pittsburgh + New York)
7:00 Grand Buffet (Pittsburgh)
7:30 Double Dagger (Baltimore)
8:00 Parts & Labor (Brooklyn)
8:30 Ponytail (Baltimore)
9:00 Black Dice (Brooklyn)

ANNEX THEATER>
11:00 Shams (Richmond)
11:20 Smart Growth (Baltimore)
11:40 Ninjasonik (Brooklyn)
12:00 Mark Brown (Baltimore)
12:20 Teengirl Fantasy (Oakland)
12:40 Egyptrixx + Alias (Toronto)
1:00 Wet Hair (Iowa City)
1:20 Sewn Leather (1980’s)
1:40 DJ Dog Dick (Baltimore)
2:00 Who Is The Tunafish Man? (Deacon + Girltalk + Spankrock)
Dawn: Cex (Baltimore)

MONDAY YOUR HOUSE/APARTMENT
Noon Death and Exhaustion

Jana Hunter

First up is Jana Hunter, fairly recent Texan transplant to Baltimore, serving up some delicious, jangling, startlingly transparent and moving music. She was also the first bold soul to call us out on our slightly sarcastic costume question #5. Listen to some tunes and read on, intrepid web surfer!

MP3: Jana Hunter - Valkyries
1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

my boyfriend is in wham city and my roommates are in wham city and wham city was the first place i came to (almost) when i stayed in baltimore so i know nothing else of your town.

i don’t know anything about whartscape. there’s whartscape paint all over my house. sounds like a terrible vision of a land filled with warts. i’m really excited.

i’m adjusting.

baltamart

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

i hate this question. sorry.

Thanks Jana!

DD/MM/YYYY

Next up, DD/MM/YYYY who wowed me with a stellar show opening for Dan Deacon at Sonar earlier in the year. Matt King takes a moment to do our min-terview series.

MP3: DD/MM/YYYY - Imagine!

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

Whartscape means playing with most of our favourite bands in one day. the video hippos, the killer whales, thank you, the deathset, and maeshi. too bad we’ll be missing shams, narwhals, double dagger and ponytail.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

Baltimore the city is a place where you can find so much beauty in its weird little filthy corners. To us, Baltimore means we get to play with an interesting band, hang out with awesome friends, and pressure the ecstatic sunshine dudes to let us crash in their loft for a day or two.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

Baltimore= it’s DIVINE! Wham City= everythings $acred Whartscape= better than a pimple in your nose.

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

goth. because deep down, there is always darkness.

Thanks Matt! Finally, ever since interviewing Adam (Endres, Wham City), I have been intensely intrigued by a project with fellow Whamster Connor Kizer (Santa Dads) he described loosely as disturbing love songs, called the Creepers. Here’s a video of the concept. And I can honestly say I can’t wait to see them do this.

Download the whole set as a ZIP archive in MP3 or FLAC audio format.

You can also download or stream Abe Vigoda’s set from this same night, right here.

No Age

Floristree

Baltimore, MD

July 9, 2008

Source: Peluso CEMC6/ck4(card)>PS-2>AD-20>NJB3

Transfer: NJB3>PC>SF-7>Wav>FLAC

Taper: Jeff Mewbourn (jm292@yahoo.com)

http://baltimore-taper.blogspot.com

1. MP3: Miner

2. MP3: Here Should Be My Home

3. MP3: Every Artist Needs A Tragedy

4. MP3: My Life’s Alright Without You

5. MP3: Boy Void

6. MP3: dialogue

7. MP3: Cappo

8. MP3: Teen Creeps

9. MP3: Dead Plane

10. MP3: Sleeperhold

11. MP3: Eraser

12. MP3: Brain Burner

13. MP3: Every Artist Needs A Tragedy

14. MP3: Ripped Knees

15. MP3: Male Masturbation

16. MP3: Everybody’s Down

Notes:

Lineup:Abe Vigoda>High Places>No Age

SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC

First photo: TNV, the rest: No Age

The Baltimore/DC area has had the good fortune in the last two weeks to host the shining stars of the lo-fi resurgence that’s hit the streets in the last year or so — No Age, who appeared with fellow Pitchfork heroes Abe Vigoda and the High Places, as well as Matador’s hippest recent find, Times New Viking, joined by Titus Andronicus and True Womanhood. While I enjoyed the openers at both shows, they don’t have the same profile as No Age and Times New Viking, although Abe Vigoda might be on the way, Titus Andronicus and True Womanhood are only just getting started, and The High Places’ pop tendencies don’t really fit the sound of the scene. But how do the two headliners stack up against each other, and what do they have in common with the recently reunited (with one notorious exception) set of bands whose style this lo-fi revolution is so reminiscent of?

Before anyone outside of L.A. saw either band live they had to contend with their “studio” recordings, and purchasing Rip It Off and Nouns on the basis of various indie-media slobbering, our expectations were perhaps raised unduly high. Then, after tearing up your fingernails getting the CD out of the wrapper there’s the marketing to deal with. The Times New Viking cover, with its sloppy appearance, creatively punctuated song titles, and a big Matador flag on the disc itself, is clearly referencing the best band Matador ever signed, and that’s even before you hear the white-hot 2-minute bursts of energy that are, for lack of a better word, called “songs.” And just as Pavement’s early recordings swept away the legions of Post-Punk mopers with an exciting, spontaneous sound, Times New Viking threatens to turn the collective indie gaze away from the Post-Punk/New Wave revival that has dominated indie aspirations for the last three years, and that’s fine because everyone knows we don’t need another Does It Offend You, Yeah album.

Nouns’ packaging also immediately established indie-cred with a booklet that is as thick as any of their 90s forefathers’ reissues: 71 pages of Smell pictures, sweet record collections, a Dan Deacon concert, and a money shot from Touch & Go records. All these extra-curricular additions threaten to subvert the music itself, which in the case of both bands doesn’t leave much of an impression upon first hearing beyond being noisy and difficult. But good music demands some kind of effort on the part of the listener so we stuck with them and it turned out that on subsequent spins, Times New Viking has some killer grooves and some punchy rock songs with all the requisite chord changes. And No Age, while certainly being a little weirder in terms of song structures and textures, managed to worm their way into the subconscious with a bellowing, primitive roar, while, esatblishing a Sonic Youth like penchant for locating the subtle beauties inside this cavalcade.

Rock and Roll Hotel, where Times New Viking played, is basically a several-layered bar in a mediocre-to-below-average neighborhood in D.C. It ‘s meant to look kind of sleazy, but clearly they sank a lot of money into the place, and it pays off with the cool themed rooms upstairs and what I’ve heard is good food, but those are secondary attractions when TNV is playing. Much stronger live than on record because their sounds are so much simpler, they actually give the appearance of being a rock band and not three people playing into a dictaphone. Without the walls of overdriven hiss and static that cover up probably half of the possible wavelengths on their debut, the riffs sounded like the great, classic early-90s pop/rock riffs that Guided by Voices and Pavement had originally milked from 70s classic rock B-sides and album tracks. Clearly the meters-in-the-red effect of the CD is, unlike early Pavement and Sebadoh, a deliberate effect, and not just the result of low-budget recording equipment. Certainly this isn’t the first time in music that one person’s mistakes or limitations became someone else’s gold, but TNV is beyond imitation. Rip it Off is to Slanted and Enchanted what the Jesus and Mary Chain was to the Beach Boys and Burt Bacharach— a deliberate deconstruction of some of rock music’s most beloved icons.

No Age was similarly revealing live. The comparatively pristine Nouns is constructed with so many layers washing against each other, the production almost reminded me of the also recently re-united My Bloody Valentine, a sound which is simply impossible to acheive live with two band members. So No Age opts for a more organic, perhaps more amateurish sound on stage, but also reveal themselves to be more forward-thinking, as feedback drones clash with minimalist jams and repeating riffs that managed to escape monotony by way of their nascent enthusiasm. While they lack some of the rock’n’roll muscle that Times New Viking possess but choose to ofuscate, No Age demonstrate a curiosity about individual sounds and textures that may give them a bit of an edge for today’s avant-garde audience. Not to mention that Floristree is probably the coolest place to see a band in Baltimore, or perhaps on the East Coast for that matter, especially for $5.

Currently both bands are in their infancy and, though it’s cliched to say so, only time will tell whether they continue to make interesting music. I don’t see either band making concessions to the mainstream; in fact their recording approaches could be a benefit in a world where the CD format has lost much of its value and almost all of its respect (unless you’re Radiohead, for whom market forces don’t apply). I do think both bands could do with a bit of focus. No Age’s two man assault was cool in the hollowed-out industrial building called Floristree, but if they don’t find a little more of a voice within all that sound they’ll soon be considered a flash-in-the-pan.

Similarly, Times New Viking will have to exercise some control over their monitors if they hope to maintain their current level of excitement; let’s just hope a clean up doesn’t produce anything comparable to JMC’s Darklands. Just as Sebadoh, Pavement, Cat Power, Guided by Voices, and (unfortunately) Liz Phair struck out for new directions when they realized they could produce more ambitious music, I expect these guys (and girl) will get tired of two chord bashers and make something more tonally varied. Thing is, the one continually alluring aspect of the first wave of lo-fi bands were the lyrics, even from the start, and I can’t help but think that for two acts touted as the voice of my generation, I have a tough time making out what they’re saying. And while no one can claim to understand all the meanings to Pavement or Silver Jews songs, theres a lot of people for whom those words mean a great deal. I only hope that in our ultra-self-aware indie atmosphere these bands can manage to get out some captivating words instead of resting in a noisy, but nonetheless comfortable detachment.

Their special sauce? A particularly dis-equilibrated, frenzied mix of blistering punk guitars, electronic noise and melody, driving, demonic rhythms, primitive vocal utterances and a slew of other madness-cultivating sounds. It would seem manic is the new black this season. And everyone wants in.

Thankfully, I bought into it ages ago. So I have no qualms loving on Thank You. Jeff McGrath took some time to partake in our little min-terview series. Read on and enjoy this track!

MP3: Thank You - Empty Legs from Terrible Two

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

I think it’s great, however, I may not have a total grasp on what it exactly is…but it seems like a good thing to me.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

I think it’s great, so many great bands and a really nice gesture moving the whole thing.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

I think it’s great, the sound of the word “Baltimore” is really nice. I’ve always thought so, but aside from that it’s a terrific place to live and always has been. I don’t think you can remove the city as an influence from the music and art that it’s people create, which is a given of metropolitan cities. That’s not to say that things here sound or look alike, just that there is some shared feeling or thread which is really inspiring.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

Baltimore: A word with a nice ring to it.

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

If it was required, I may have to be disqualified. Or I may dress up as Jason Urick from WZT Hearts dressed as Dracula.

Whatever.

Today’s mini-terview: Dustin Wong of Ponytail.  If you haven’t already, pick up Ice Cream Spiritual and read our review.  It’s a killer album.  Enjoy this cut and read on for Dustin’s answers!

MP3: Ponytail - Celebrate the body electric (it came from an angel) from Ice Cream Spiritual

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

Wham city is a group that really helped us out when we were starting out as a band.  They are kind of a dysfunctional dad.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

Whartscape is a ton of fun and chaos, it goes by so quickly, like a bullet.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

Baltimore is a comfortable scary place.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

yes, did! see #3.

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

we would be in cat suits, very cute.

And stay tuned tomorrow, as our Whartscape mini-terviews continue with Dustin from Ponytail in the spotlight!

Take everything- alternative, independent, scream-o, metal, electronic, and mash it into one nasty Science Project of chaotic, yet completely accepted sound. Some may call it “new-wave”, some “post-punk, experimental, underground math-rock”, but whatever the label, unclassifiable sounds are overflowing the headphones of today’s listeners.

Measured against big names Animal Collective and Deerhoof, Baltimore’s own Ponytail emerges from the smoke after three years with the eight-track long Ice Cream Spiritual. Kamehameha, their first album released in 2005, never got weird enough for me. Its sound was too safe, too easy to handle.

Using the familiar mixture of chaotic Orangutan wails and electric riffs, Ponytail’s new album takes their sound to a riskier level, collaborating more instruments and making the music more than just a background beat. It’s a schizophrenic Karen O singing lead vocals for Lightning Bolt, then coming back down to a grungy garage Mudhoney punk, progressing in a way that made all this nonsense tolerable.

The roaring gibberish belongs to vocalist Molly Siegel, accompanied by Dustin Wong, Jeremy Hyman and Ken Seeno (all MICA graduates). Although Siegel’s screams can not literally be translated, her verses have their own way of communicating. Lack of any “real” words leaves more room for interpretation. The voice is given a new purpose, where speech has no boundaries or language but is used, instead, as an instrument. It’s like recalling a dream the morning after, nonsense sounds impossible to decipher, yet the point comes across just fine.

With that said, the nonexistence of meter and lyrics put that much more emphasis on the sound itself, an issue noticeable in their first album and still present in this one. Some tracks remain unmoving, not making the turn as an effective, mood-altering song. Tracks such as “Die Allman Bruder” become a little too repetitive. All of a sudden the chaos is overbearing…in an irritating way. Compared to cuts like “Celebrate the Body Electric (It Came From an Angel)” that give you the screeching of Siegel until you want out, sending her calls in waves, then cutting them with tranquil instrumental indie-rock to give you a break. The poetry of tracks like these never became too much to identify.

What Ponytail attempts to convey (if we can even tack down what it is they are trying to convey) is not only effective and original, but completely appropriate and fitting for this unclassifiable “mash-up” of sounds all at once. What these artists come up with from album to album is born unexpected and genius every time; a cell that breaks off and morphs into something totally new. The sound is more developed and mature. As so many attempt to master it, a crazy singer with a back-up band is anything but impressive. It takes movement and emotion; something the listener can grab onto. Ponytail has found their sound on Ice Cream Spiritual.

I look forward to hearing what Ponytail brews up next.

You would be hard-pressed to pick an artist more emblematic of this than Brooklyn’s Parts & Labor. Bearing the marks of hardcore, punk and experimental tendencies, their sound has grown from mostly instrumental to encompass more harmony, more vocals and even horn passages, making them one of the most vital and bright iterations of noise-and-drone inspired music extant.

Parts & Labor will be electrifying your ears outside on North Ave for the last day of Whartscape. Be there. Listen to these tracks and read on for their answers to our pre-packaged Whartscape mini-terview.

MP3: Parts & Labor - Fractured Skies from Mapmaker

MP3: Parts & Labor - Voltage from Rise Rise Rise

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

Said feelings are warm and fuzzy. It means people we like are doing good creative things together in Baltimore.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

Fun.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

It’s a city between Philly and DC where a bunch of our friends live.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

Go Whartscape, it’s your Whartscape, we’re gonna party like it’s your Whartscape.

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

Divine

Read on as laptop extraordinaire and Floristree-resident Jason Urick takes time to reflect on our Wham and Whart questionnaire.

And enjoy these tracks off their 2007 Carpark release, Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones.

MP3: WZT Hearts - Hearth Carver

MP3: WZT Hearts - The Den

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

the name Wham City first and foremost makes me think of the old cruddy/beautiful Copy Cat space and all the great times that were had there, secondly it makes me think of all the great new friends I made when that force descended on Baltimore 3-4 years back.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

absolute insanity/fun, overload of good music and good times. Last year was a blast and I expect this year to one up it! OXES!

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

Baltimore means home to me… I’ve been here 8 years but it feels like a lifetime, both in the good and bad ways. But beyond all Baltimore means friends! there are so many great/talented people here per capita that it’s almost overwhelming.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

Dude, Where’s My Head?

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

Home Orioles jerseys with the last name Higgs on the back numbered 777

Get it?

Full interview from that meeting, consisting of things not related to Wham and Whart, coming in the next few days. Keep an eye out for their limited edition split LP Kale with friends Pontiak, featuring some John Cale covers, a couple Arbouretum originals and Pontiak’s entire album Sun on Sun. Album drops July 22…

But for now, on to the Wham City reflection and some fancy, Arbouretum-approved music!

MP3: John Cale - Gideon’s Bible from Vintage Violence

MP3: Arbouretum - Buffalo Ballet (John Cale cover) from Kale split LP (to be released 7/22)

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

At first I didn’t know what to make of it. There were all these people that I didn’t know that had these bands, and they were all much younger than me. It was cool that they were getting a lot of people out to the shows, and everyone seemed to be having a really good time, but I was just really unfamiliar with all the people involved.

I’ve gotten to know some of them a little better. It seems like there are some really good people involved. They have got some really good ideas. I’m also really impressed with their organizational abilities.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

I know very little about it. That’s the thing that the Wham City people organize that runs parallel to Artscape, right? It runs on the same days, but it’s like ” We’re going to take our scene, and do it over here.” Maybe they feel like the large organization is too big, and that they need to do something different that runs concurrently.

That’s cool.

I didn’t go to Whartscape last year. I don’t really know much about it. I’m really unfamiliar with it, but I’m happy they invited us to play.

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

Oh, umm…it’s a nice town. It’s a nice place….not too expensive, not very pretentious. The not very expensive aspect helps

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

Ok. Umm…”Baltimore: a pretty good place to live”. How about that? That’s what they should say on the park benches.

And it’s not the greatest city in America. You could have New York or San Francisco competing for that. Great also implies bigness, and we don’t really have bigness here…not that big. People try to talk about Louisville—I saw a Louisville t-shirt that said, “Louisville: The Greatest City in America.”

It’s also a pretty good place to live, but it’s not the greatest city in America.

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

A costume? What kind of costume would I have? I would dress as Klaus Kinski in Aguirre: The Wrath of God. I don’t know why. I just think he looks bad-ass, and really intense in that Klaus Kinski way. And you get to have a sword.

Download the whole set as a ZIP archive in MP3 or FLAC audio format.

Abe Vigoda
Floristree
Baltimore, MD
July 9, 2008

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

1. MP3: Intro
2. MP3: Don’t Lie
3. MP3: Cranes
4. MP3: Live Long
5. MP3: Animal Ghosts
6. MP3: Dead City
7. MP3: Bear Face
8. MP3: Jammer
9. MP3: Hyacynth Girl
10. MP3: Skeleton

Notes:
Lineup:Abe Vigoda>High Places>No Age
SUPPORT LOCAL MUSIC

Andy Abelow is all the fuck over the Baltimore scene, loosely dubbed “the Greatest Scene in the World” or “the Scene that Reads” by Rolling Stone. Like many in the musical circles of Charm City, he is an artistically polygynous multi-instrumentalist…going it solo as well as performing with many other acts including Jana Hunter and Bob Keal-fronted Small Sur (whose delightful debut album drops later this year).

If all this wasn’t enough, he clearly counts Elvis Perkins (one of my favorite artists to emerge in the past 10 years) as a source of inspiration.

Andy performs his fractured oft haunting take on folk rock at the 2640-situated Friday night show during Whartscape. A slew of other folk-influenced rockers fill out the bill including Jana Hunter, Beach House and Arbouretum. A show that likely shouldn’t be missed, sure to be filled with transcendent moments of beauty and clarity. Plus 2640 Space is sweet.

MP3: Andy Abelow - Not of this world

MP3: Andy Abelow - Waking up with easy eyes

Enjoy this music from Mr Abelow and read on to his answers!

1. Describe your feelings on Wham City and what it means to you?

I admire how the collective has matured over the years, becoming a malleable monster of creativity. It’s a pleasure to collaborate with such talented, funny, and motivated people.

2. Describe your feelings on Whartscape and what it means to you?

I moved back to Baltimore one year ago after a 3 year period of rambling up and down the east coast. (Before that MICA)

Whartscape was the first “show” that I came to in Baltimore after my return. It was so awesome, and so fun to see the culmination of what my friends and friends to be had been up to. I wished to play the next years Whartscape, and here I am!

I will be playing in a total of 6 different acts, 5 of which are on Friday at 2640. In addition to playing my own set, I have several parts in A Murmured Tale, and will accompany Wheatie Mattiasich, Golden Age and Jana Hunter on various instruments. On saturday I will be playing saxophone with Ed Schrader for a couple of songs in his set. I didn’t expect that I would be so heavily participating in this years festival, if even at all; but I’m psyched for the challenge of keeping my focus throughout the night. I would recommend for the Friday show that everyone get there on time in the beginning (5:30 doors, show starting promptly at 6pm) because the first act of the night is a wonderful musical (A Murmured Tale) that you wont want to miss if you buy or bought tickets to this night. A Murmured Tale is a stunningly beautiful original adaptation of the pre-Disney version of Little Murmaid - complete with haunting, refreshing songs and whimsically dancing, sea-clad beauties. Needless to say, this is only one out of eleven stellar acts performing that night. So stick around folks!

3. Describe your feelings on Baltimore and what it means to you?

Baltimore is the place of old and new friends. It used to feel like a trap, but now it feels like a nice springboard. Perched above a giant ocean of opportunity.

4. Come up with a snappy tagline/mantra/motto for one or more of the following: Baltimore, Wham City and Whartscape.

“The Long Island Iced Tea of Artscape spin-offs”

5. If all Whartscape performers were required to don some sort of costumage, in the spirit of Baltimore, Whartscape and Wham City, what would yours be and why?

I feel like everyone should just wear the outfit that makes them feel the most comfortable and resilient at the same time. I don’t have an exciting answer for this one. Personally, I’ll probably wear a Toga. KIDDING!