Baltimore Goes to Austin: A SXSW 2010 Exclusive

There are times in this life when one is pulled in a particular direction for reasons unknown.  What Weekly’s spur-of-the-moment excursion to SXSW was one of those times. In the weeks leading up to our spontaneous adventure across the U.S. to the renowned South By South West Music Conference in Austin, Texas, we encountered a number of seemingly random coincidences that became the impetus for this issue. We’ll spare you the gory details and cut right to the chase.  Remember Joe Squared’s Miniskirt and Mustache party from last week?  It was there that our chance meeting with Cyclops bookstore owner, Andy Rubin, became the last in a succession of coincidences that nudged us over the Texas state line.

After the drunken spelling bee at Joe’s, it was decided: We were going to Austin in exactly five days. No badge, no bracelet, no press passes and no hotel reservations.

We caught up with Baltimore bands we had never before seen, including Wye Oak, Videohippos, Teeth Mountain and Bearkat.  We serendipitously ran into some other favorites such as Stephanie’s Id (Ashville, NC), and Man Man (Philadelphia).  We’re grateful to have been introduced to Boulder Acoustic Society, Pocahaunted, The Legendary Shack Shakers, Chuck Prophet, Elizabeth Cook, Uvumi.com, Music Fog and, finally, Baltimore House Studio where we found Baltimore natives living, playing and recording in Austin.

Incidentally, we met street performers, a balloon head, the drummer from Blink 182, a shirtless man begging for free hugs, a substance-abusing hotel concierge of questionable character, a cabbie we saved from mean people, and a hot tamale-making Madre.

Oh yeah, one more thingy.  We got about 30 hours of video footage to edit.  So if you get a hankerin’ to hear the music at South By, stay tuned.  What Weekly SXSW Videos will be released in future issues and on our Facebook page.

This isn’t Peter Cottontail hoppin’ down the bunny trail people, this is What Weekly.

The Big Picture

In the big picture above, Baltimore’s own Wye Oak at their Merge Records Showcase during SXSW at Cedar Street. These guys proved that it only takes two.  Andy Stack was playing the keys with his left hand and drums with his right hand and feet.  Jenn Wasner provides vocals and guitar.

During their performance, the phrase echoed, “Who is this? This is amazing.”   It occurred to us that we had to travel 1345 miles to Austin to see this Baltimore band for the first time, but you can be sure that we’ll be in the audience at future hometown performances.

March 24, 2010 | Issue 10

The Good Word.

Bmore Fiber

Ask Google to Invest Billions in Baltimore’s Future. Google is looking for trial cities for their new high-speed fiber optic network.

We think Google Fiber has the potential to change the face of Baltimore’s economy. This could be one of the most important investments in Baltimore ever. Thanks to Bmore Fiber.

If you want to help get Google fiber optic trial in your community, nominate Baltimore now.

Jenn Wasner’s sultry voice is reminiscent of Cat Power, albeit uniquely her own.  Add in beautiful, thoughtful guitar, moments of chaos, and a quiet sense of grace and you have one half of a band that’s going places.

Andy Stack’s display of ambidextrous, multi-instrumental wizardry was made even more brilliant by the fact that he made it look so damn easy.  With one hand manipulating his Nord Electro, and the other switching sticks and piloting a full set of drums, Andy Stack outdoes Def Leopard’s drummer by leaps and bounds.  Close your eyes and Wye Oak sounds like a four man band, with eight hands and lots of soul.  Bravo!

6th Street in Downtown Austin was in full-on festival mode, with hoards of people streaming down the street in every direction. The laughing crowds of people, costumes, colorful surroundings, and live music streaming from every bar, club, diner, coffee shop, taco stand and waffle house left little to be desired.

While this band has been one of our favorites for years, we had no idea when we walked into The Ginger Man on Lavaca that Stephanie’s Id would be there preparing for their set. This was a very happy “coincidence.” Stephanie’s Id is not from Baltimore, but we’d like to initiate the campaign to officially adopt the band.  Over the years, they’ve played many Baltimore venues and have garnered a loyal following in our fair city.  Go to the Stephanie’s Id Facebook Page and encourage them to play The Windup Space soon.

Here’s Chuck Lichtenberger and Stephanie Morgan at the Nine Mile Records SXSW Showcase.

Stephanie’s Id’s sound has evolved over the years from something near trip-hop to indie pop jazz soul. Imagine Portishead meets Bjork (yet happy and well-adjusted) and you’ll start to get the picture.

SXSW is the kind of event where you can finally check out that band you’ve been meaning to see for a dog’s age. For us, Man Man was one of those bands. If you like weird, circus and sequins, then you’ll love Man Man hailing from Philadelphia.  Here’s front man Honus Honus (“the High-August-First-Voice”).

Often referred to as Viking-vaudeville manic Gypsy jazz, Man Man left SXSW and, oddly enough, headed straight for Baltimore where they played Sonar with Ed Schrader.

We heard about Baltimore House Studio and Uvumi.com from a dear friend (Rob Leaman!) in Austin who attended one of their Live Sessions projects. The mission for the project is to promote indie music by providing fresh recordings, decent photographs and a front-page feature on Uvumi.com.

The Baltimore House is full of Orioles caps and Ravens swag and, not to forget, awesome transplants from Baltimore who moved to Austin. These guys insist on staying true to their Baltimore roots and it makes us proud that Baltimore is properly represented in the Live Music Capital of the World.

It wasn’t just the bars, clubs and restaurants that were saturated with music during South By; if you took a walk through any neighborhood, you’d find several sponsored house parties like the one we were invited to on Rainey Street where Baltimore House Studio teamed up with Nine Mile Records and Uvumi.com for a day party.

Here’s Ben Burdick, Drew Schlegel and Matt Hebert at Rainey Manor where there was no shortage of free booze, great music, BBQ and bangin’ tamales.

We love connecting with innovative people, which is why we were fortunate to have met Marshall Stokes and Michele Stokes of Uvumi.com. They’ve made it their mission to empower musicians by building a website that provides tools to help artists promote their work.  Uvumi (a Swahili word meaning “rumbling noise”) is a music discovery and promotion platform that has the potential to be a leader in online music promotion.

If you love music the way we do, check out their site and create a profile. Uvumi.com has big plans for the future and is open to talking to investors who can help them roll out their initiatives. We predict that Uvumi.com will become a major player in the rapidly changing music industry.

When indie music moves to the mountains and makes sweet love to gypsies, the outcome is something like Boulder Acoustic Society, complete with accordion, harmonica, banjo (sometimes played with teeth) and upright bass.  We’re surprised that the city of Boulder lets this band leave town for fear that they might not come back.  Boulder Acoustic Society puts a beautiful, new twist on old spirituals, inspires us to dance with contemporary beats and reminds us what heart is all about.

We strongly recommend catching Boulder Acoustic Society at The Metro Gallery in Baltimore this Sunday with Victoria Vox.  We’ll see you there…. on the dance floor.

You know him, you love him… Ladies and Gentleman, we present Andy Rubin of Cyclops Bookstore and 31 Tigers.  A big thanks goes out to Andy for his good company and the inside scoop on South By. Without him, we would’ve missed… everything. Hell, we wouldn’t have even been there.  Here’s Andy with Rick Pierik of Nine Mile Records.

As if there wasn’t enough live music at South By, the musicians were literally spilling out onto the streets, scattered amongst the festival goers. Efforts to find them a home were abandoned after the sheer number became overwhelming. This singer and harpist reminds us why we love street performers.

We believe that Baltimore could benefit from more street art and spontaneous public performances.  Perhaps we should start a We Want More Street Performers in Baltimore Facebook group and get the ball rolling. What do you think?

Here we have a  gang of wild tigers whose habitat has been overrun by hippies, hipsters, hiphopsters and hillbillies. Observe how they have been forced to assimilate to modern human culture and willingly pose for pictures with tourists in hopes of acquiring a free meal.

Did we mention hippos? Baltimore’s own Videohippos made the trek to Austin and brought with them the infectious indie pop dance music that makes them a club favorite wherever they go.  When they say ‘video,’ they mean it.  The music combined with the projections make for a psychedelic experience to be enjoyed with or without party favors.  We haven’t figured out the ‘hippos’ part, but we did see one of them in what seemed to be a lucedor mask, so it’s cool.

Who knew an unassuming coffee shop could be the front to an intimate, seemingly secret theater accurately named The Hideout?  The Hideout was our favorite surprise, and the band Pocahaunted, although not previously on our radar, was a fantastic find. The tribal harmonies, Siren undertones and witchy chanting felt like the soundtrack to a movie about Pagan rituals or Native American postmodernism.  Theatrical, enchanting and definitely worth a listen.

The reason we went to The Hideout was to witness Teeth Mountain, a band from Baltimore and well ahead of its time. Teeth Mountain seamlessly blends tribal drumming, analog synths, horns, bass and various other electronic elements.  If ever there was a band to represent the past and the future simultaneously in a distinct, all instrumental, display, it’s Teeth Mountain.  Teeth Mountain, like Wye Oak, is redefining the familiar structure of contemporary bands, which lends itself to a new kind of freedom in composition.  We are excited about this shift in music and look forward to hearing more.

We have discerned that Maryland is producing some of the most impressive music in the world.  Bearkat, from the Eastern Shore, is no exception.  Here is Bearkat with Luke Kalloch. She’s a charming storyteller, with a sense of humor, beautiful vocals and solid talent. We’re excited to discover songwriting of this caliber.  Rumor has it that she’ll be touring the East Coast in the Spring so keep an eye out.

And yet another unexpected turn of events… We found ourselves at Threadgills for the Music Fog showcase that included 45 bands over three days.   Music Fog is a video production company and blog focused on Americana music based out of Maryland. We ended up there not knowing that we were about to meet the legendary Jessie Scott, founding member of the Americana Music Association and partner at Music Fog.  Jessie was one of the first female air personalities on a major market Top 40 station in 1974. And she’s super cool. We love what they’re doing and see them as an inspiration for What Weekly.

Once again, let’s spread the goodness.

What Not To Miss This Week!

This week we highlight two unique events on opposite ends of the musical spectrum that we find particularly intriguing.

Tonight, March 24

IDM pioneers Aligning Minds, Kilowatts, and The Great Mundane bring their Vantastic Teleportour through The Hexagon tonight. We’re not sure when you’ll get the chance to see all of these acts on one stage in Baltimore again so if you need your electronica fix, you’d better get it now.

Saturday, March 27

Two time Baker Artist Award winner and former Patterson Resident Artist Shodekeh lights up the stage at The Patterson Theater Saturday night when he brings his latest installment of the Embody Series to The Creative Alliance. The Embody Series explores the possibilities of the vocal arts through several eclectic disciplines. This concert will feature the beat boxing and vocal percussion of Shodekeh, the throat singing stylings of Ian Hesford, tribal instrumentalist from Telesma and the operatic vocal acrobatics of Bonnie Lander. Each will perform a solo set and then all three performers will come together for a collaborative improvisational performance. Images created by Patterson Resident Artist Erica Hansen based on the vocal artists are projected on stage. The Embody Series is set to explore realms of musicality otherwise unexplored and each installment promises to be an event not to be missed.

Wednesday, March 24

Bachelorette, Surf City, Lands and Peoples at The Metro Gallery 8 pm
Live Indie/Psychedelic/Pop.

Aligning Minds, Kilowatts and The Great Mundane at The Hexagon 9 pm
Live electronica.

For more details, directions and events click here.

Baltimore Ducks Unlimited Annual Dinner and Auction at Little Havana’s 5:30 pm

Help support wetlands conservation in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed and across America. Enjoy delicious Cuban cuisine and fine cigars while participating in numerous raffles and auctions.

Acoustic Thursdays: at Peace & a Cup of Joe 7 pm
The Sound of Baltimore hosted by Marc Evans.

Cream Soda film debut at Landmark Theatre 7 pm
Writer/Director Jameel Saleem adapted his romantic life into a movie. It’s making its world debut in Baltimore this week. Who knew the Real World’s Tech Holmes was still at it?

Connie Imboden at The Baltimore Camera Club
A presentation of images from her new book, ‘Reflections, 25 Years of Photography.’

Hearts, Cards & Carnival at The Meyerhoff Symphony Hall 8 pm
This program in the late-winter carnival features concert presentations of two 20th-century American operas. One, by Samuel Barber, is sung over a game of cards in ten minutes, followed by a groundbreaking work by George Gershwin, mixing jazz, voice and Americana—laying the foundation for Porgy and Bess. The evening ends with Stravinsky’s ballet Pulcinella, its neo-classical music mirroring a puppet tale of madcap comedy.

For more details, directions and events click here.

‘Be Free’ 4 Year Anniversary at The Eubie Blake Center 7 pm
‘Be Free Fridays Live’ is happening March 26th, 2010@ The Eubie Blake Center 847 N. Howard St. 4th floor!!! Featuring: Jahiti of Brown F.I.S.H and Monica McIntyre (cellist from Philly)!!! Hosted By: LOVE the poet.

Extra Life, We Used to Be Family, Truth Serum and Mr. Moccasin 10 pm
Live experimental/post rock/hip-hop/Spanish pop.

Skatepark of Baltimore Anniversary Show at the Skatepark of Baltimore at 7 pm
Celebrate five years of working towards building a public skatepark in Baltimore. Proceeds support the construction of a public concrete skatepark in Hampden.
Featuring: HR and band, McRad, Pfisters and Omega Band.

‘Witness’ Featuring: Vincent E. Thomas and VT Dance at The Theatre Project 8 pm
For Vincent Thomas’s newest work, Witness, the award-winning choreographer contemplates acts of humanity in this deeply moving, multi-layered work, exploring simple truths in human behaviors and implied truths in human documents from the Pledge of Allegiance, Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Ten Commandments. “Witness” considers the ideals we seek and the philosophers and humanitarians we attempt to follow.

For more details, directions and events click here.

The Baltimore Fair for Contemporary Prints and New Editions at The Baltimore Museum of Art 10 am
14 major contemporary art dealers, galleries, and presses at the biennial Baltimore Fair for Contemporary Prints and New Editions.

Annual Street Performer Auditions at Harborplace Amphitheater 12 pm
Harborplace and the Gallery invites all performers of every genre to audition for a chance to join the Harborplace Street Performers.

Domestic Insecurities, Necessary Delights: work by Lori Larusso opoening reception at Jordan Faye Contemporary 6 pm

This exhibition encompasses two bodies of Ms. Larusso’s current work: a series of shaped paintings in the first, and the second which includes her Hot Beverage Series, It’s Not My Birthday, That’s Not My Cake, and Olives.

EMBODY: A Concert of The Vocal Arts at The Patterson Theater 8 pm
Former Creative Alliance resident artist Shodekeh hosts an exploration of human vocal possibilities through EMBODY, A Concert of The Vocal Arts. Featuring the Operatic Thrill of Bonnie Lander (Rhymes With Opera), the Cosmic Throat Singing of Ian Hesford of Telesma and the Heart Pounding Beat Boxing of Shodekeh. All are showcased in solo performances as well as a closing collaborative joint set!

‘Witness’ Featuring: Vincent E. Thomas and VT Dance at The Theatre Project 8 pm
For Vincent Thomas’s newest work, Witness, the award-winning choreographer contemplates acts of humanity in this deeply moving, multi-layered work, exploring simple truths in human behaviors and implied truths in human documents from the Pledge of Allegiance, Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Ten Commandments. “Witness” considers the ideals we seek and the philosophers and humanitarians we attempt to follow.

M. Takara 3, Lo Moda and Nathan Bell at The Metro Gallery 8 pm
Live IDM/Indie/Folk.

For more details, directions and events click here.

Victoria Vox and The Boulder Acoustic Society at The Metro Gallery at 7pm
Not to be missed. Enough said.

The Baltimore Fair for Contemporary Prints and New Editions at The Baltimore Museum of Art 10 am
14 major contemporary art dealers, galleries, and presses at the biennial Baltimore Fair for Contemporary Prints and New Editions.

‘Witness’ Featuring: Vincent E. Thomas and VT Dance at The Theatre Project 3 pm
For Vincent Thomas’s newest work, Witness, the award-winning choreographer contemplates acts of humanity in this deeply moving, multi-layered work, exploring simple truths in human behaviors and implied truths in human documents from the Pledge of Allegiance, Universal Declaration of Human Rights to the Ten Commandments. “Witness” considers the ideals we seek and the philosophers and humanitarians we attempt to follow..

The Hendrik Meurkens Samba Jazz Quintet at The Baltimore Museum of Art 5 pm
From tranquil Bossa Nova to burning New York Samba, The Hendrik Meurkens Samba Jazz Quintet explores the wide terrain of Brazilian jazz.

Last Sunday, Last Rites at The Baltimore Hostel 7 pm
Excellent cool cool cool show coming up! Be there and you can have beer! Gawk at Nik Korpon’s tattoos! Poke Pat King’s belly! Watch these cool cats read their literary masterpieces:
Ashlie Kauffman! Timmy Reed! Fernando Quijano III! Erik Pecukonis!

Dark Dark Dark with Bean at 2640 8 pm
Drawing heavily on Eastern European and early American music, Dark Dark Dark’s songs are beautifully haunting, themed with love and heartache, loneliness and hope, telling tales of ghosts, fermenting bodies and magical dreams.

Professional Soul at The Red Maple 9 pm
The best in modern hip-hop, R & B, reggae and neo soul.

For more details, directions and events click here.

Great Mutant Skywheel Reunion at The Quarter 8 pm
98 Rock presents noise in the basement with Great Mutant Skywheel.

No Rule: JACKIE O (KIDS/Sweatshop, DC) w/ Cullen Stalin & Scottie B at The Metro Gallery 10 pm

Dance Party.

For more details, directions and events click here.

Norah Jones at The Lyric Opera House 8 pm

Norah Jones is an American singer-songwriter, pianist, keyboardist, guitarist, and actress.

Out of Your Head Collective at The Windup Space 9:30 pm

The Out of Your Head Collective is an improvised music collective in Baltimore. Each Tuesday night at The Windup Space a new group is formed from the collective’s 30+ members to perform sets of never-before-heard improvised music.

DIG Dance Party at Joe Squared 10 pm

Funk dance party featuring: Landis Expandis and DJ Napspace.

For more details, directions and events click here.

Hive: An exhibition of Oliver Street Studio artists and Area 405 volunteers
HIVE showcases the energy and talent of 35 resident artists and volunteers that daily circulate the halls and studios of the 160 year-old, 66,000 square foot, artist-owned warehouse space. Closing reception March 27.

Wasteland at C. Grimaldis Gallery

Photographs by Lynn Cazabon, Christopher Myers, Leslie Furlong, Leland Rice, Dimitra Lazaridou, and Sofia Silver. An essay by Cara Ober will accompany the exhibition. March 3 – April 3.

Domestic Insecurities, Necessary Delights: a solo exhibition of work by Lori Larusso at Jordan Faye Contemporary

This exhibition encompasses two bodies of Ms. Larusso’s current work: a series of shaped paintings in the first, and the second which includes her Hot Beverage Series, It’s Not My Birthday, That’s Not My Cake, and Olives. Opening reception March 27. Ends April 25

Adornamental at The Silber Gallery at Goucher College

Adornamental features the work of seven artists who are breaking new ground in the decorative and ornamental arts. February 16- March 28.

Videopolis: Call For Submissions by The Metro Gallery

The Metro Gallery of Baltimore is currently accepting submissions for VIDEOPOLIS to be held on May 6th – 8th 2010. In an effort to further the appreciation of film in Baltimore and the surrounding areas the Metro Gallery will be presenting chosen works for free across the street from the Charles Theater during the Maryland Film Festival. Ends April 10.

For more details, directions and events click here.

What is What Weekly?
What Weekly is an email magazine chronicling the real Baltimore movers and shakers- not the corporations, not the politics, What Weekly spotlights the PEOPLE.  It’s one of the soon-to-be many platforms of the Baltimore Worldwide movement.

Why email? Disposable print media is wasteful and, with the advent and proliferation of the Internet, it can no longer be justified. Technology is a gift and a fun tool- let’s evolve and build things together.

If you want to be a part of the movement, you can send us your photos to publish, your events to promote and your ideas to talk about. Forward the email, start a movement. Your audience is the world, pass it on.

What’s the Goal?
One day soon you will hear a bit of news like this, “Email Magazine Reaches One Million People.” If we don’t do it, someone else will. We want to build the largest independent distribution channel in history and we’ll use it to tell the world what you’re doing. We want as many people as possible clicking on the links to your websites and ultimately taking an interest in the Baltimore Renaissance and its artists.

What is Baltimore Worldwide?
Baltimore Worldwide is a movement dedicated to uniting the creative community in and around Baltimore City and then sharing it throughout the world for the benefit of Baltimore and it’s people. The movement has already begun; we just gave it a name.

Using a multi-media platform, we want to put Baltimore on the map so it’s recognized globally for the artistic and intellectual hub that it is. We start by chronicling your amazing work.

We understand that the distribution of ideas is no longer bound by geography.  This paradigm shift allows for cultural movements to exist locally and globally simultaneously.  We can share everything, we can create anything and we can reach everyone. It’s time to do something with that power.

Baltimore Worldwide does not exist without you. You are the soul of this movement. Submit Your Idea.

What’s the Story?
From the rubble of the industrial collapse, the people of Baltimore have built a cultural bizarre. We believe Baltimore is experiencing a cultural, artistic and intellectual renaissance that coincides with the global shift in consciousness.

At the same time, technology has given us the tools to reach across oceans and to empower, respect and grow our own local community. It’s an exciting time in history.

With the convergence of world-class institutions, Johns Hopkins, Peabody and MICA for instance, blended with a do-it-yourself attitude and elbow grease of a hard knock society, Baltimore is now the stage on which you’ll see a fascinating and freakish renaissance.

We’re going to document it. And share it with the world.

What’s the Good Word?
We believe in spreading the good news, which also means spotlighting organizations that do good things. What’s the good word?