So there is this little thing called Artscape coming up. Apparently it runs Friday to Sunday. I guess they are trying to compete with Whartscape?

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:

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So Whartscape is here. If you were smart, you saw Matmos last night. If you are smart, you’ll be seeing Arbouretum and Beach house headline tonight’s lush 2640 bill.

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?

Alexa’s Take:

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.

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

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.

This is it. It’s here. Whartscape 2008 kicks off tonight at the Charles Theater with a spectacular, Matmos- headlined line-up and we hope everyone makes it out.

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!

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MP3: Dan Deacon – Wham City

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Now you can plan your time tables between Art and Whart!  Have at thee!  Any bets on what the circles vs triangles thing signifies?

-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:

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We’re winding down here and it’s time for the deluge of min-terviews and more. Today we’ve got Jana Hunter, DD/MM/YYYY and the Creepers featured.

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!

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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.

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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

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Another new contributor! Welcome Zack Turowski! His first piece is a double-header review of Times New Viking @ RnR Hotel in DC and No Age @ Floristree here in good ol’ Bmore. You can also download live audio of No Age’s set.

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? Read the rest…

Thank You are currently well-poised. SIgned to Thrill Jockey like Arbouretum, Pontiak and so many others, they recently released their J. Robbins-produced latest effort Terrible Two to warm reviews from all the typically curmudgeonly outlets (I’m looking at you Pitchfork).

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!

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MP3: Thank You – Empty Legs from Terrible Two

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