Friday, April 23, 2010

Clusterf*ck: Shows in Baltimore this Weekend

height_nuclearpowerpants
There's a lot to do this weekend, so let' get to clusterf*cking. This one is a bit of a Friends Records edition, as bands from all three of our upcoming LPs are playing shows.



Tonight, the Hexagon is stacked so grab a six pack or flask of your favorite spirit and get ready for a pretty diverse bill. Baltimore's Weekends, Jones, and Talk to Animals, are paired with DC's BLDGS and Boston's Bone Zones... yes, the name's Bone Zone. This party will run ya six beans, and as always the Hexagon is BYOB. See you there.

Sonar is sporting a massive one tonight as well, with the biggest ambient soul project in all the land coming to town. Taxlo's got The XX, but unfortunately if this is the first you are hearing of it you're out of luck. This one's sold out, but there's an after party at Sonar with Jamie from The XX DJing that does not require a ticket to the show. The after party starts at 10 PM.



Saturday night you'll likely want to be in the Annex/Copycat corridor. Height with Friends and Nuclear Power Pants bring the veggie oil fueled bus back to Baltimore, playing a big 'ol homecoming show at The Good Son with AK Slaughter, Gavin Riley, and Drew Swineburne. Nuclear Power Pants will also be releasing their new cassette single for "Uh Oh Maxi". And, Height's new LP will be ready for your turntables in just a couple weeks.

<a href="http://friendsrecords.bandcamp.com/track/raingirls-short">Raingirls (short) by Friends Records</a>

Over at Pet Cemetary, there's another massive lineup with Weekends, True Womanhood, Ava Luna, Cop Magnet, and Silent Whys. A lot of these folks have releases with the Baltimore digital label Environmental Aesthetics, and also a lot of these folks are awesome. There is one more show in the vicinity, with Nothingberryplasma, Total Bolsheviks, Andrew Bernstein, and Comeback Ranch all playing over at The F401tress.



Oh and hey, you've got two more swell options Saturday night with Rapdragons playing their release party for Ten Stories Highjacked, and the Oranges Band playing their 10th anniversary show at the Ottobar.

<a href="http://friendsrecords.bandcamp.com/track/sri-aurobindo-soul-vibrations-of-man">Sri Aurobindo - "Soul Vibrations of Man" by Friends Records</a>

If you survived Saturday night's ambush, then Sunday's got a stellar free show upstairs at the Ottobar. Sri Aurobindo and Jack Chick play El Suprimo's 7th birthday party. Get psyched.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

And...The Station North Spring Music Festival! Come out and support the neighborhood! See below for details.

BREAKING NEWS: The amazing Nicole Atkins will now also headline the festival this Saturday. Also, we've just signed up rising star Holly Miranda as well!

"A big voice full of longing and Loretta Lynn elegance, and slightly surreal folk-pop songs...swooping croon and dreamy melodies."
- Rolling Stone Top 10 Artists to Watch

HOLLY MIRANDA
"Unleashing the ferocious power of a hurricane...(she) seemed to swallow the place whole...Miranda’s voice was smoky and laserlike...she conjures a whole range of possibilities: a less fearful Cat Power, a more substantive Feist, a Norah Jones with actual feeling."
- New York Times

Come join us for amazing music, food and art on a beautiful spring afternoon. We'll have music from national, regional and local acts, plus local restaurants and craftspeople. The festival runs from 3 pm-9 pm, and then all the venues in the neighborhood will have even more fun for you. Other details to come soon!

Bands playing on the main stage from 3 pm to 9 pm, set times TBA. Baltimore DJ Pablo Fiasco will be spinning throughout the day as well:

Think About Life (Montreal)
Disco House/Thrash/Pop
“High energy band from Montreal with a reputation as Canada’s premiere party group…Everyone is praising their second album Family, released in 2009, as the band’s feel good breakthrough. The single Havin’ My Baby was chosen by Pitchfork as “Best New Track.” CBC called Think About Life a band to watch in 2010.


“Frontman Martin Cesar only helped galvanize a crowd looking to dance with arms flailing….Cesar gestured like an indie rock David Byrne and was a mesmerizing force of nerdish nature.. It's mature dance music with a hint of humour, and what's essentially the best Montreal-based album of 2009 now has a live show as correspondingly impressive.”
- Chart Attack.com

Noon: 30 (Washington, DC)
Indie Rock/Alternative
"The DC stalwarts came onstage, and from the first note lead singer Blue S. Moon hit, the crowd settled in awestruck at the raw punk power and well honed grooves of the trio.... These three women sounded absolutely massive and desiring of world domination by the end of the set, and created plentiful new fans by the end of the evening.” - The Couch Sessions

""Orphane," which drops yearning, quasi-devotional vocals over a pounding, post-punk rhythm section. “So don’t leave me baby/I have no mother,” sings vocalist/bassist Blue S. Moon while drummer Vivianne A. Njoku and guitarist Aissa Arroyo-Hill put down a solid bed of propulsive beats and droney guitar. It sounds like Pylon dropping in to le – Washington City Paper

Scotch Bonnets (Baltimore)
Ska/Reggae

“With Lady Hatchet hitting the guitar, CJ Diachenko tickling the Wurlitzer, and Sister Merf pumping the Leslie, these three Baltimore/DC reggae sisters bring the good love-vibe with their original rocksteady and soul-flavored sound.”
- Thes4m.com

Bearkat (Maryland)
Folk/Rock
“Impressive songwriting chops…a set strong on intelligence and short on the pretension that sometimes affects (Fiona) Apple… the next female singer-songwriter phenom - it’s not even a question of “if”, but of “when.” – Gogoray.net

J+B Blues Project (Virginia)
Blues/Rock
"Despite playing only for four years, these boys sound as though they started straight out of diapers." – WTJU radio

PARTICIPATING RESTAURANTS include:
Nevis200 Cuisine, LADC Catering, India Tandoor, Mama Saray + Cazbar!

CALL TO ARTISTS AND VENDORS:
If you're interested in a booth at the festival, please send an e-mail to Andy@CyclopsBooks.com. Food booths cost $200; art/craft/non-profit booths cost $50. Space is limited. You'll be promoting your own work, and you'll be supporting Station North, a non-profit group that helps create cool events like this in the best neighborhood in Baltimore!

Brett said...

oh snap, I also missed Owen Pallett (formerly Final Fantasy) at the Metro Gallery Saturday night, starts at 8 PM.