So I was asked to do a weekly update for BYT on all the goings-on in Baltimore. This will usually hit on Mondays, but I got notice on this little project a tad bit late so you’re getting it mid-week this time around, so deal.

Here are the events coming this weekend that you might find worth your while to make the post-rush hour hike up 95/295 into the Greatest City in America.

Thursday March 27

Matt and Kim, The Death Set @ Lo-Fi Social Club
If you want to see what the big deal is with Baltimore’s much-publicized wackiness and general ability to go bonkers without regard to personal safety, you need to be at this show. The Death Set infuse their brand of punk with a frenetic, neurotic and just plain joyous spazz-and-twitch energy. Take the Wham City mentality for a taste test before it’s grand re-opening as a venue next month with HEALTH and a host of Baltimore’s finest (Ponytail, Ecstatic Sunshine, Videohippos). And really, I don’t need to say much to sell Brooklyn’s Matt & Kim; just listen to them. Even though they are playing in your neck of the woods on Saturday, this show should be so electrically charged it’ll make Saturday’s show seem like a neutron.  Get pumped  with some samples here.

Friday March 28

Raveonettes, Thrushes @ the Ottobar
You might be asking yourself…why leave DC and not wait for the Raveonettes to come down to the Cat? Well, mainly for Thrushes. One of Baltimore’s best right now, they deliver the most gorgeous, lyrical and emotionally resonant fuzz-rock you are likely to hear for a long time to come; the crash of their wall-of-sound approach is like standing under a waterfall. Experiencing their music is like evaporating the intensities of love and heartache into a cloud and letting it envelop you.

Birds of Maya, Sonadors @ the Talking Head
Not so into the Raveonettes or Thrushes, that’s OK. Just for you, here’s a great show with a completely different feel. Baltimore dreamers the Sonadors exchange the experimental impulses of their previous incarnation as Hymnen for more traditional pop sensibility and song structure to create their oft-majestic, moody rock. Afterwards, Philly’s Birds of Maya delivers their own fiercely grooving, blues-informed take on punk.

Saturday March 29

Microkingdom, OAK, Novelist @ the Talking Head
Get your fill of darkness this weekend with OAK’s punishing doom metal. Then stick around to have your aural palate completely cleansed first by the expansive atmospheric rock of Buffalo NY’s Novelist followed by the psychedelia-flecked free jazz of Microkingdom, comprised of some of Baltimore’s finest musicians. This also happens to be Microkingdom’s debut LP release show.

Sunday March 30

Vinylmore Toy Exhibit @ Atomic Pop
The DIY toy community has exploded in recent years fueled by the success of companies like KidRobot and vinyl DIY toys like the Munny/Dunny series. Respect the day of rest and come see the Vinylmore toy exhibit at Atomic Pop before it closes at the end of the month. It’ll be worth it. Then get back home in time to trek over to RnR Hotel for the Caribou/Fuck Buttons show.

Hope to see you around the City That Reads.

BELIEVE, hon.

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