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MP3: The Clash – I Fought the Law

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MP3: Operation Ivy – Here We Go Again

Baltimore City looks to be pursuing further action on the Live Entertainment License legislation.

The main perk is that officially recognized venues will no longer be required to stay in designated entertainment zones; on paper this should stimulate and encourage this sector.

But there are a number of corollaries to that main thrust which may actually threaten many of our beloved and established DIY spaces.  These stipulaions range from the douchebaggery of new annual fees, ambiguous investigations on the “moral character” of involved parties, and all sorts of logistical bureaucracy (plans for cleaning, parking, safety etc) to the bizarre, such as designations of non-participatory dancing.

This is all rather shocking and dumbfounding until you realize that the amount of communication between the legislators and the venue owners and operators who run affected businesses has been slim to none.

But it’s officially crunch time, and two organizational meetings for any community members interested in voicing their concerns on the bill have been scheduled in Station North this coming Monday, Mar 16.

Meeting #1 is at the Metro Gallery, 4PM.

Meeting #2 is at the Hexagon, 7PM.

All Photos: Josh Sisk

Dance—some Western creation myths favor a divine utterance rendering the visual (the Logos; Let there be Light!) Other traditions have the world arising from sound. But in the context of this article, one might find it enlightening to consider Shiva Nataraja and his dance of the 108 poses that engendered mortal existence. This belief, popular in Southern India, combines both the visual (dance) and the aural (rhythm) in a powerful synergistic way. Paradoxically, Shiva Nataraja’s swaying cosmic body forms both the Lasya, and the Tandava–the creation of the world, and the destruction of the world. Dance is literally the beginning, and the end. According to this Tamil belief, dance is not just a thing of beauty, or entertainment, but also the primal force of existence.

Why then Puritan America’s generalized abhorrence of dance? Why does dance music, and what follows—dancing to that music—carry such a heavy stigma in this country?

Read the rest…

When so-called “important” bands posthumously reissue their albums, there’s not always a lot to be said about them.  This is usually because the band doesn’t have any more to say the second time around and only further cement their place in the back pages of online music chronicles.

Thankfully, the same cannot be said of Matador’s reissues of the Pavement catalog, most obviously since the band has released as much new material in the 2000s as in the 90s. 95% of which sounds like it could have been created yesterday and all of which is better than anything actually created yesterday.

Amazingly the band’s first three reissues had B-sides that matched the quality of the songs on the original albums.  This shouldn’t be surprising since, like the kid in high school who claimed never to study but still managed straight A’s, Pavement never put that much of themselves into any one recording.  Most of the material was composed and recorded in a few takes, which is the case with many “slacker” bands, but the quality of the music is profound given its loose, free-flowing vibe.  I feared that the more concentrated, mature sounds of Brighten the Corners might result in a dilution of the quality of its B-Sides (as was the case with some of the second disc of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain’s: LA’s Desert Origins), but they are simply reflective of the album cuts–focused, restrained, more curt and confident than Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain. Read the rest…

So I just wanted to say a quick thanks to everyone for getting us City Paper’s Best of Baltimore – Best Local Music Blog award in both the editor’s picks and the reader’s poll.  When I started this whole thing in the end of January, I would’ve never imagined that things would pick up so fast.  I am really happy with the way things are going and proud of our content and the staff I’ve accumulated.  The fact that we have covered nearly every genre imaginable (jazz, classical, R&B, Bmore club, electronic, dance, reggae, ska, punk, pop, rock, metal, indie, folk, country, bluegrass, musicals, soundtracks) is in itself, a miraculous feat.

Despite this wide coverage, we have always strived to bring quality over quantity.  We have never been content with spamming MP3s or regurgitating press releases like some silly PR mouthpiece as CP rightfully called out the infuriating majority of the indie blogosphere.  I firmly believe that the Hype Machine fueled, hits-driven culture is crippling and dangerous for music and artists in general, creating a vicious cycle of hype and backlash that is stifling for someone trying to do something grander than crank out a few populist, floor-filling bangers (but don’t think I don’t enjoy ‘em).  I liken it to the news media and their complicity in ruining politics and news coverage in general with reactionary pandering and the rise of pundit and talking head culture with firm opinions built upon shallow knowledge and ignorance.

Our goal has always been to provide accessible, intelligent writing to introduce readers to new music or recast old favorites in new and insightful light, while also offering more in-depth coverage like our rather exhaustive interviews, picking artists to wee bits for the obsessive/compulsive music geeks out there.  That’s always been how I’ve wanted to distinguish us.  And I’m glad it shows, at least to some extent.

Stay tuned as we’ve got a wealth of stuff planned going into the fall and winter, and we’re working hard to bring some special things to the table as we approach our 1 year web-birth day in the winter.

In the mean time, here’s a small offering of quality audio from some other winners of Best Of awards.  Congrats to every in the music scene who won this year, including but not limited to institutions like Jeff the Taper, the Ottobar and TaxLo.

Oh and one more thing.  To celebrate, we’re running a small giveaway for one copy of Ice Cream Spiritual, the latest release from Best of Baltimore 2008′s Best Band, Ponytail.  Just comment this post or email us for entry!

Thanks again, and keep reading!

Best Band – Ponytail

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MP3: Ponytail – Sky Drool

Best Upgrade – Wye Oak

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MP3: Wye Oak – If Children Were Wishes

Best Summer Jam – Mullyman “Party Walk”

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MP3: Mullyman – Party Walk

Best Song – DJ Excel feat. Pastor Manning “That’s What A Pimp Does”

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MP3: DJ Excel feat. Pastor Manning – “That’s What A Pimp Does”