Photo credit: Christopher Tidy So I've been MIA for a while. What of it? I was forced into hibernation to concentrate on my career for a bit, and now I've emerged stronger than ever! I recently accepted an intellectually exhilarating postdoc position at MIT in Boston, so Aural States HQ and the bulk of my written content will be shifted to the scene up north when I move come January. However, I'm still planning on keeping some eyes and ears open and on the ground for Baltimore-DC area scene, the crucible of Aural States. But we'll discuss [...]
Photo credits: Josh Sisk First and foremost, Whartscape 2010 was hot - weather reports read that temperatures fell steady at 100 degrees all weekend. In effect, the parking lot that harbored Whartscape's outdoor performances became the modern urban desert. Shade grew more valuable every second, and patrons found themselves willing to pay most anything for a bottle of water. Feeling overzealous, a friend and I initially laughed about purchasing a 30-pack of Deer Park to share between the two of us; half of it had been killed off by the end of [...]
Photos by Shantel Mitchell I have to admit, this was my first year attending Whartscape . It's been one of those events that I've always wanted to attend, but ended up never making it out. This year, I vowed that I would go, even if it ended up being 100+ degrees outside! Saturday was HOT. There was no other word to describe the day. However, I left Whartscape thinking, "Wow, that was really fun!" even though I don't handle heat well. I was able to see Double Dagger , Dan [...]
Do you know what I love about Baltimore? We have our own water-front concert pavilion right in the middle of the harbor. It is the perfect place to see a show, and there is plenty to do before or after you hit the venue. This Monday night, you can catch Counting Crows performing with Augustana and NOTAR for The Traveling Circus & Medicine Show . This is promised to be a special night because, unlike traditional shows, there is no "opening act." All acts perform throughout the [...]
This debut album by Steve Hudson (piano) and Jody Redhage (cello), Zack Brock (violin), and Martin Urbach (percussion) will tickle the fancy and delight. It's not the jazz I'm used to listening to [see Tomasz Stanko Quartet] but it's an imaginative and joyful romp through a lovely mélange of instrumentation. Catch them on their next trip to Baltimore when you can hear them live. These Brooklyn-dwellers would, I think, eagerly pop in at Metro Gallery for a gig, as well as return to the fantastic An Die Musik. [...]
Words and Photos: Greg Szeto This is kind of shameful to admit, but I think this might be my first show outing in over 3 weeks. Science is an unforgiving mistress, and a stickler about intellectual monogamy sometimes. Nonetheless, I'm very glad I chose this particular show to venture out. I'll try not to dwell on the oppressive cons of the night (mainly the sauna-like heat-sweat-humidity bog that left a film on my camera equipment). Instead, I will say that this was a triumphant Baltimore return for native sons (and daughter) [...]
Leila Josefowicz kicks arse. She broke out the "Violectra" for John Adams ' Dharma at Big Sur and you're glad she's Kerouac… rather than someone declaiming in best Beat tone Jack Kerouac's words over the music. (That was Adams' first idea for this orchestral work. Thank God Adams saw Tracy Silverman playing electric violin at an Oakland jazz club). It's the sole reason that Leila's Violectra came into being. It was born to play this concerto. Dharma at Big Sur is a violin concerto about arrival. It's about [...]
MP3: Small Sur - Weeds Just so everyone knows that I haven't been completely resting on my laurels in regards to Aural States and affiliated enterprises, I come to you with an offering. I'm very proud and excited to present to you, reader, the track "Weeds." It serves as the opener, and first single, from our label's third record: Small Sur 's Bare Black EP. With this EP, Small Sur take their music to new heights of beauty by laying [...]
MP3: Moss of Aura - Cowboy For the sound achieved by Future Islands , the importance of William Cashion's rolling bass and Sam Herring's impassioned vocals cannot be overstated. Both are incredibly important elements that have made the group one of Baltimore's best and were critical in producing the band's best album to date, this year's In Evening Air . But, with all due respect to them, the synthesizers and programming of J. Gerritt Welmers are the New Wave straw that stirs their "post-wave" drink. His [...]
Thibaudet is certainly the man for the job to enthrall and conductor Hans Graf contained the drama in excellent precision - without which we all might have drowned under the flood of French music: Debussy , contemporary composer Guillaume Connesson , and Ravel . Guillaume Connesson peppers his work with influence from the more daring French greats that came after Debussy and Ravel, Messiaen and Dutilleux, blending them into an enveloping cinematic sweep of an orchestral whole. This work: The Shining One , draws inspiration from [...]
DOUBLE DAGGER - "No Allies" from Matt Porterfield on Vimeo . Today is the last day to leave a comment on our Masks review as part of the Double Dagger Does Europe contest. The guys hopped across the pond yesterday, premiering the above video for "No Allies" on the site for influential British music illuminati, NME . The video was directed by Matt Porterfield ( Metal Gods , Putty Hill , Hamilton [...]
So I feel bad for leaving the site dormant for a bit while I get my act together. Therefore, I've arranged a little well-timed contest. The local punk mavens in Double Dagger are kicking off a European tour next week. Also, our most frequently heard voice of Thrill Jockey, Paco Barba, is leaving the esteemed label. As a parting shot, he sent over 5 copies of the limited, hand-screenprinted 183 x 253 poster for Masks (pictured to the right) for us to give away. Entry is simple: head [...]
MP3: Future Islands - Tin Man This album is one of the most anticipated releases from a local artist in 2010. The anticipation is partly because, ever since their transplant here from North Carolina, Future Islands ' rapturous live shows have caught on like wildfire, and partly because it serves as their debut on Baltimore fetishist label Thrill Jockey (who I hear may have signed yet another prominent Baltimore musician's solo efforts). I am a bit ashamed to admit that I underestimated Future Islands. Frankly, I couldn't have imagined they [...]
MP3: Future Islands - Tin Man This album is one of the most anticipated releases from a local artist in 2010. The anticipation is partly because, ever since their transplant here from North Carolina, Future Islands ' rapturous live shows have caught on like wildfire, and partly because it serves as their debut on Baltimore fetishist label Thrill Jockey (who I hear may have signed yet another prominent Baltimore musician's solo efforts). I am a bit ashamed to admit that I underestimated Future Islands. Frankly, I couldn't have imagined they [...]
People often ask me how I do so many things at once. There are two answers to that question: 1) very carefully, and 2) sometimes I don't. Right now, answer number 2 is in effect. When life offers you some momentum, you run with it as fast and as far as you can. And that's what science has done recently, offered me a glimmer of light. And for the next few weeks, I want, and need, to focus on chasing that down as hard as I humanly can. To facilitate that, the posting frequency here at Aural States [...]
Photo: Valerie Paulsgrove Words: David Carter Celebration played a superb free show at The Patterson in February, courtesy of The Creative Alliance . I set out for this event early, or so I thought, until it became clear that the nearest parking space to this mobbed venue was a good mile away. So, I sadly missed their opening set, an acoustic percussion-centric jam in a densely crowded front gallery area. Happily, I did get the entirety of this electric set on the back stage. In keeping with Celebration's insistence [...]
![Interview: The Oranges Band (w/ Roman Kuebler) [Part 2]](http://cdn.elbo.ws/posts/2499169_lg.jpg)
MP3: The Oranges Band - Art Star from The Oranges Band Are Invisible (2008) If you haven't read part one, check it out . And celebrate The Oranges Band tonight at Comet Ping Pong or the Ottobar on Satuday. Here's part 2 of my interview with The Oranges Band's lead singer, Roman Kuebler. A couple things of note: for our DC readers, the band will be bringing its anniversary celebration to Comet Ping Pong tonight. On the [...]
Note: We apologize for the massive gap between updates. We have learned that wireless internet is a rare and valuable commodity not readily available in all places. Because we never knew just when we'd have access to internet next, we decided to hold off on posting our tour diary until we arrived back home. Day #3 - Kitchener, Ontario (Continued) Only in Canada Danko Jones couldn't make the Kitchener [...]
MP3: Soft Cat - Silver Babies Sun Soft Cat plays the Windup Space tonight with Secret Mountains , European Swans and Shaun David Gould . Doors at 8:30pm, Show at 9pm. $5 cover, 21+. Soft Cat is a project with a remarkably mature sound given its relatively short existence. Formed in 2009 by Neil Sanzgiri ( Talking Tiger Mountain , Voot Cha Index ), he wasted little time in recruiting a [...]
Conductor Hannu Lintu , borrowed by the BSO for the night from Finland's Tampere Philharmonic Orchestra , earned rave roars from the audience for his execution of Beethoven's Seventh . But don't let that fool you… this man makes the case for modern music. It's no accident then that he shared the night with Scottish percussionist Colin Currie . I saw Colin Currie play a tour de force solo show back in December '06 – thanks to the Shriver Hall Concerts. His arsenal of percussive equipment [...]
Aural States
Lana Del Rey - Without You (Kill Paris Remix) [Dubstep]
Download: James Blake Live Album (Unofficial)
Miike Snow - “Paddling Out” Jacques Lu Cont Remix (MP3 Stream)
Iron & Wine and Patty Griffin
New single from Gemini Club
