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An Hour of Kindness: Episode 4 – Polygons

Interview: The Hexagon (w/ Josh Atkins)

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MP3: Ava Luna – Neptune from Tales of a New York City Pedestrian (2005)

The Hexagon has a bit of history.  For those unaware, in a previous life the much beleaguered space was home to the Lo-Fi Social Club’s disastrous attempt at becoming a legitimate, traditional venue.  Needless to say, this fell flat due to its proprietor taking the equivalent of Sherman’s march through the arts community, leaving a reputation with an aftertaste somewhere between two-week old flat beer and swamp water.

Lucky for everyone four plucky friends (Josh Atkins, Karl Ekdahl, Miguel Sabogal, and Matt Sterling) decided to take over, and oh how things have changed.

With more than a little sacrifice and effort, the growing community has established a viable, intimate venue with a unique atmosphere that is proving to be a gem in the burgeoning Station North Arts District.  But alas, times are tough and business tougher, so they are making a thrust to move the venue into non-profit territory to open themselves to alternative, more philosophically amenable funding sources to help stabilize the space and expand its mission.

This Saturday night, the monthly BOLT! Dance Party is hosting a 1 year anniversary party for the Hexagon, and doubles as a fundraiser.  Proceeds will help pay for the application to gain non-profit status.  Surely not to be missed, the night features New Yorkers Ava Luna, Polygons (Sabogal and Atkins’ electronic project), DJ Lemz and James Nasty.

Josh was kind enough to answer some questions on past, present and future of the 6-sided beast.

Read the rest…

Countdown to Whartscape 2009: T-2 Santa Dads | Polygons | Needle Gun

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MP3: Santa Dads – Lion Song

A friend of mine uses three categories to sort his record collection: “rock”, “pop,” and “weird shit.” Santa Dads’ Anima Mundi is definitely one for the “weird” rack, but nobody said nuthin’ ‘bout that being a bad thing. Enjoy some ukulele-beatbox songsmithing as you read on, dear audience.

(Josh, the uke-playing half of the duo, loves caps lock, apparently.)

1. What sort of headgear would Whartscape wear if it were a person?

- AN ARROW STRAIGHT UP THROUGH THE HEAD

2. Name 3 words that describe Wham City.

- FREE ETERNAL TROUBADOURS

3. What personal connection do you have to Baltimore as a city?

- BORN IN ITS BURBS – LIVED AROUND THIS SHIT 85% OF MY LIFE – DEVELOPMENT OF INSPIRATION AND IMAGINATION THRIVES IN AN ENVIRONMENT THAT IS VACANT, CHEAP, AND, THEREFORE, PROUD OF IMPOVERISHMENT, VIRILITY, AND ADAPTABILITY

4. Is Whartscape like Christmas to you guys, (do you wear santa hats for it)?

- WHARTSCAPE IS LIKE THE INVERSE OF CHRISTMAS BECAUSE WE ARE THE TOYS THAT MUST PACKAGE OURSELVES AND GIVE COMPLETELY TO SOME CHOSEN STRANGERS, ONLY TO HAVE ALL OF OUR WORK TORN TO PIECES AND OURSELVES DEVOURED BY OUR THANKFUL MASTERS. NO SANTA HATS; WE WEAR THE SHACKLES OF OUR NECESSARY TRUTH. JUST KIDDING, YEAH, CHRISTMAS IS GREAT!!

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MP3: Polygons – Miami to Key West

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MP3: Polygons – Potential

If you were to interpolate that electronic music meisters Polygons have some connection to the Hexagon, you would be dead on.  Not only are the duo of Josh Atkins and Miguel Sabogal 2/3 (the other 1/3 being Karl Ekdahl) of the crucial reshapers of the old Lo-Fi space into a vibrant, collective-run venue.  They also somehow find time to drop nuggets of organic electronic goodness.  Check some of the tracks from their forthcoming album.

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Miguel Sabogal

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

Whartscape 2009 is the first time that Polygons is playing. We’ve experimented with electronic music for quite some time but only started gigging under a name as of this year. As a show-goer this would be my 3rd Whartscape. Usually more bands than you can see are playing so stating a favorite moment is a bit tough. Perhaps it should be the bright image of Dan Deacon’s trippy green skull above the audience at the Floristree. That picture ended up as a screensaver on my cell phone until it broke.

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

I’m most excited to see Chandeliers play this year. They are from Chicago and have played the Hexagon a few times this past year. They are by the most exciting live electronic band I’ve seen so far.

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

Recalcitrant

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

Both Josh and myself are friends with a person in Wham City. She had been to a few of our shows and is really supportive of our music. That’s how we got the offer to play this year. We said yes because we want to make people aware that the music we make is completely improvised. I’m personally fond of any opportunity that presents itself in which we can play our music loud and with a lot of bass.

Josh Atkins

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

Polygons has not played Whartscape before. However, two days before Whartscape last year my friend DJ invited me to play guitar and synth in his band Teenage Souls. He writes these really incredible, but super intricate electronic pieces and typically plays solo drums along to them. I remember practicing with him for the first time the day before his slot and it sounding great, but I felt like I had no idea how to remember all the changes in his songs. The next day we woke up super early, practiced again, and then carted all our gear over to the Whartscape stage. Sunday at Whartscape last year was one of those sweltering hot Baltimore days and setup was a whirlwind because the stage was being assembled as we loaded our gear onto it. I think we ended up playing two improvisations and two of his compositions that day. I got really nauseous from the heat right after we took down our gear and had to go home. I ended up passing out all afternoon and didn’t get back until the middle of Double Dagger’s set. I did get to see Denny chuck a drum into the audience which was equal parts horrifying and punk-as-fuck.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?
Equally excited for Chandeliers, Liturgy, Beastmaster, Soft Pink Truth, Leprechaun Catering, Wolf Eyes, DJ Dog Dick, and Nautical Almanac.

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.
Chaos. This is about as DIY as festivals of this scale get. Pretty much anything can happen for better or worse.

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?
Who wouldn’t say yes? We don’t have any egos to stroke. Great festival, great bands, great people running it = no brainer.

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needle gunTeen noise-niks Needle Gun should not be overlooked.  Their age belies their impressive experience and aggressive experimentalism.  Their inclusion amongst the vast and diverse MT6 roster speaks volumes.

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

I only went to whartscape 07, got to do some improv with human host during the day, do not remember most the bands that day but the location and weather were super rad, the show that night at floristree from my memory was super crowded and hot, first time ng playing whartscape though.

2. Who are you most excited to see this year?
Infinity window and C Spencer plus the local goodies

3. Choose one word to describe whartscape, and what it means to you.
“Gathering” hopefully it will be much like the gathering of many many juggalos looking for the same stage with a miller or bud in their hand

4. When Wham City came calling and asked you to play, why did you say yes?
good bands, good freinds, why not?