Sorry for the laxness of the Re-Up. I blame Bonnaroo combined with my inefficiency. I hope no one needed to go into rehab for Bmore withdrawal symptoms. You could pick worse weeks musically to make the trip up to Bmore. Highlights include Ladytron/Datarock and recent personal faves Religious Knives fronting a bill chock full of musical eccentricity.
Big ups to anything I haven’t picked out; drop the details in the comments.
Monday June 23
Karmella’s Game, Unwed Sailor, Sybris and Eureka Birds @ the Ottobar
It’s Monday. You need an energy boost to get you through the week. It rarely comes as concentrated as the sugary, synth-n-keys heavy pop of Karmella’s Game. Here they are, perched atop a damn diverse bill.
Wooly Mammoth @ the Talking Head
DC’s Wooly Mammoth doesn’t play nearly enough shows in the area. Their alchemy with all things good in classic, psych and stoner rock as well as heavy metal make me all fuzzy-warm inside…but maybe that’s just the bluesy side coming through.
Tuesday June 24
Jimmie’s Chicken Shack @ Sonar
Say what you will about JCS, it’s a lot harder to argue with a benefit show for the shelter for homeless women in Baltimore. If you’ve walked around Bmore, you know we need it.
Wednesday June 25
Nernes/Skagen @ Scarey Studios
Get your noise on with Norwegian duo Nernes/Skagen. It’s supposedly their final tour. Wish I had known about all the others before this one.
Friday June 27
Saw the lads from across the pond Ladytron deliver a decent, drippingly electro late-night set in the guest/press area of Bonnaroo after Pearl Jam. I am comfortable with endorsing them now. And Norwegians (they really love Bmore this week) Datarock make this a get-here-early event. I’ll try not to rub it in anymore that we in Bmore get their only non-Pavilion stop in the metro area.
Saturday June 28
Kite Party @ Lo-Fi Social Club
PA’s Kite Party deliver some of the most upbeat, happy garage rock I’ve heard in ages. For that alone, they are worth checking out. Plus the Lo-Fi is a great venue that has been undergoing some chaotic management drama, and attempting to pick themselves back up. Kudos for that.
Thievery Corp, TV on the Radio, Ladytron @ Merriweather
This bill doesn’t really need any pimping out. If you are excited by it, you likely already have tix. And it still seems weird to me when I see Thievery fronting huge venue bills like this. But hey, props to DC kids.
Sunday June 29
Religious Knives, Woods, Pocahaunted, Lexie Mountain Boys @ Scarey Studios
Brooklyn’s Religious Knives bring it big, spacey and fuzzy with warm psych-jamsters Woods. Lexie Mountain Boys reppin it with strong local support in the form of their unpredictable experimental-sans-instruments music co-mingled with performance art.
the hold steady @ rams head live friday june 27th
June 23, 2008 at 4:06 pmR.L.- I was debating putting that show in, but man I hate the Hold Steady.
Also, on the Rams Head beat, I missed the decidedly awesomer metal bill of fake-band Dethklok and the very real Chimaira on Thursday!
June 23, 2008 at 4:23 pmdon’t let any pitchfork writers hear you say that, or they’ll have you shot.
June 23, 2008 at 4:27 pmI whole-heartedly support Greg’s hatred of The Hold Steady.
June 23, 2008 at 4:40 pmLadytron is DJing at Redeem (across from the Black Cat) after the show. I’ll be there as well DJing from 12am-2am. There will be free booze. If you want in before 1am you have to have either a Ladytron ticket stub or a Bliss dance party hand stamp (Black Cat backstage, $7) otherwise RSVP here: http://www.uptheantics.com/ladytronDCRSVP.
John - I am shocked you aren’t a Hold Steady fan
June 23, 2008 at 4:50 pmOMG! I hate the hold steady too.
I used to think I just was kind of “eh” about them, but I think I was just trying to be nice. It really WAS hate.
OMG I HATE THE HOLD STEADY TOO. We need to form a club. Seriously…h8 h8 h8 h8
June 23, 2008 at 4:56 pmI saw them at the Ottobar. And I just felt like I was listening to good bar rock. That was it. And I will never like his lyrics/vocal stylings. Ever.
I am all for the Just-Say-No to the Hold Steady Club.
As for the P4K writers, I am sure we can heal all wounds by jointly fawning over the new Sigur Ros CD and US tour.
June 23, 2008 at 5:34 pmi’m making the trek up to Baltimore on Friday for Ladytron
and then the New Order/Duran Duran/Cure/Depeche Mode party afterwards at Ottobar
cool that Ladytron is djing Redeem
will have to hit that up after Bliss on Saturday
The Hold Steady are nowhere near as distasteful as the venue which hosted them!
June 23, 2008 at 9:07 pmThe Hold Steady is pretty fucking terrible. The opening band, Birds of Avalon, is really fucking killer. They’re definitely worth a trip to Baltimore.
June 24, 2008 at 3:06 pmI saw Birds of Avalon open for Ted Leo and the Thermals in NYC at the Pool Party last summer. They weren’t horrible.
Also, this show just in:
Saturday, June 28th
at the Talking Head
407 E. Saratoga St.
Baltimore, MD 21202
Toxic Pop and Wallride Records present:
Double Dagger (7″ release show!)
The Swims (PA psych-pop)
Sleepwall (LI post-hardcore, 7″ release show!)
Clint Maul (Richmond country/rock)
Head Home (MD psych-rock)
doors at 6pm, show at 6:45pm
all ages
$8 or free with Insubordination Fest wristband
info: mike@headcold.net
Also on Friday - the TaxLo DJs (including myself!) return to Sonar for a party in the club room, following (and during!) the Ladytron show.
June 23, 2008 at 3:15 pm