The Baltimore Round Robin Is Nigh

You heard about it a few months back, and this weekend the Bmore Round Robin is all up in our NYC kitchen. Here's the rub:

Friday's Eyes Night includes Beach House, Jana Hunter, Wzt Hearts, Nautical Almanac, Lexie Mountain Boys, and more, and puts the focus on "a mixture of folk, noise, theatrics, improvisation-- music that is spiritual, dreamy etc."

Saturday's Feet Night brings music that you dance, thrash, or otherwise move around to and includes the Death Set, Double Dagger, Videohippos, Future Islands, Adventure and Deacon himself.

10/​17 New York,​ NY Le Poiss​on Rouge​ - EYES NIGHT
10/​18 New York,​ NY Le Poiss​on Rouge​ - FEET NIGHT

BUY NYC TICKETS NOW (only 15 bucks for both nights, top that)

Download a rad Round Robin Comp CD for free here.

Fresh samples:
Adventure - Wild Wild Ride
Smart Growth - Extreme Ballin'
The Death Set -Moving Forward
Double Dagger - We Are The Ones
Future Islands - Old Friend
Height - Mother Earth (Theme from Showbeast)
Jana Hunter - Paint A Babe
Beach House - Gila
Dan Deacon - Wham City
Lesser Gonzalez Alvarez - Mostly A Friend

And a message from Transportation Dept Mgr/folkstress Jana Hunter:

"For those of you interested in attending the Round Robin performances, there is this definite opportunity to get in sans paid ticket. We need oil to power our school bus. Bring us oil, get in free. Here are the details.

Waste Vegetable Oil (WVO) is the stuff that restaurants have used in their fryers. Most restaurants discard this stuff in barrels or incredibly disgusting dumpsters somewhere near their trash dumpsters. If you ask them about it, most of them are more than happy to give this to you, given that they normally have to pay a company to haul it away for them.

We ask that you bring at least 10 gallons (this is not hard to find; decent-sized restaurants throw out avg 50 gallons/week) in order to secure a guest spot, but write me regardless if you are interested in this super deal. Write me, I will write you back, we will get it figured out."

posters via Post Typography

Keep reading...

Collapse post

Beach House.TV

Great to see that not only is the Beach Heezy squad taking their music on the road this year, but people are filming and sharing it in crescenfresh ways. Here's "Holy Dances" via Pitchfork TV (holler at your boy Dan on the drums!)



"Heart of Chambers" performed at a faster clip in the back of a Black Cab - a great version with excellent video quality if you have the patience to let it load (I personally don't, but).



And you may remember four blog years ago when Alex and Vic wrote a special tune called "Norway" whilst on a train to Norway, which they then performed in the Norwegian train station for Norwegian TV:



Did you excel at your MICA Vincent Moon appreciation course? Are you buying an HD camcorder to be the Blogotheque of Bmore? Can you discern the difference between authentic raw video and crappy amateur video? (hint: HD). If so let us know, we'll arrange to get you filming privileges with the late night kitchen mic at Never on Sunday. I see Rye Rye spitting (not literally) over falafel and curly fries.

Keep reading...

Collapse post

Independence Day Friendstival Freeflow

This weekend the Pontiak brothers celebrated Amurica's bday with a down home BBQ/friendstival in the Blue Ridge farm countryside of Warrenton, VA, cramming a quaint field house (above) with performances from Field Athletics, Jones, Mickey Free, Height, Wye Oak, Arbouretum and a nasty closer from a shirtless, war-painted Pontiak (anyone have pics?).

Alex and Vic from Beach House and Bob from Small Sur were up in the cut for chillaxing purposes; freedom dogs, freedom pasta salad and freedom cupcakes were provided; and LED lights, sparklers and fireflies replaced fireworks and black foam snakes. No farm animals were injured, although I almost kicked a cat trying to get into my tent that I thought was a raccoon (the "meow" came just in time).

Earlier in the day Height, Bow (Mickey Free) and Jones stepped out in the corn to excercise the first.



Pick up Kale, the new Pontiak/Arbouretum split-LP featuring new material and covers of Velvet Underground cofounder John Cale via Thrill Jockey. Tracklist:

01 Arbouretum: "Time Doesn't Lie"
02 Arbouretum: "Buffalo Ballet" (John Cale cover)
03 Arbouretum: "Flood of Floods"
04 Pontiak: "Dome Under the Sky"
05 Pontiak: "The Endless Plain of Fortune" (John Cale cover)
06 Pontiak: "Green Pool"
07 Pontiak: "Mr. Wilson" (John Cale cover)


John Cale - All My Friends (LCD Soundsystem cover)

Keep reading...

Collapse post

The Ghosts of the Renderers

Although band comparisons and "sounds likes" usually work well because both readers and writers are lazy, there's not much merit in comparing, say, the lo-fi folk of Bmore's Beach House to Mazzy Star's early 90s dream pop. But if we're discussing bands that float along to their own blissed-out crystal persuasion, New Zealand's 90s underground staples The Renderers certainly deserve a seat at the table.


The Renderers - Million Lights

The Renderers are so old school it's tough to find many pictures or details, but the psychedelic southern twang and fuzz of "A Million Lights" (featured on a 1994 Merge compilation) is enough to classify them as kindred spirits of Bmore's Beach House. But like Mazzy Star, they approach failing relationships more directly ("If we've had the last good day between us, it must have been a long time ago") whereas Vic from Beach House might just be walking with a ghost.


Beach House - Apple Orchard (from Beach House)


Mazzy Star - Flowers in December (from Among My Swan)

Favorite Mazzy Star song? It's by the Chemical Brothers.


Chemical Brothers - Asleep From Day (feat. Hope Sandoval from Mazzy Star) (from Surrender)

Keep reading...

Collapse post

Beach House Contest Winner Announcement

Gather 'round kids, we've posted the winners for autographed CDs and a big cart of BH booty here:


Beach House Contest Winner Announcement

You can buy a copy of Devotion (Pitchfork liked it) or pick one up at their launch party tomorrow night at the G-Spot (show starts at 9). Need help finding the G-Spot? That's what we're here for. Thanks again to Beach House and Ian from Musebox for the goods.

Keep reading...

Collapse post

Beach House Contest

We're all eagerly awaiting the sophomore return from Bmore favorites Beach House next week - the first cuts from Devotion below are simply outstanding - and to celebrate, Alex and Victoria are bringing dusty prom dresses and fish bowls to a city near you.

Thanks to the kind folks from Musebox, they're also donating three autographed copies of Devotion to a few lucky BT readers, and for anyone close enough to attend their Bmore kickoff show on 2/28 at the G-Spot, a SUPER prize pack containing:

2 tickets to the 2/28 Baltimore show
1 copy of Devotion
$20 Gift Certificate to Sound Garden Record Store
$30 Gift Certificate to SaSa's Spa
$30 Gift Certificate to Crimson and Clover Florist
$30 Gift Certificate to Double Dutch Boutique

To enter, send an email to (contest is closed) or leave a comment below including your name, email and city/state.

All U.S. residents are eligible to win the CDs, locals are eligible to win the superschwag basket (must pick up at the show). We'll do random drawings from all entries next week.

Click here to see a full map of their tour stops, get a free poster by pre-ordering Devotion here, and be sure to check out solid openers The Papercuts. Let the contest begin!


Beach House - You Came to Me (from Devotion)


Beach House - Gila (from Devotion)


Beach House - Apple Orchard


Papercuts - John Brown

Keep reading...

Collapse post

Potent Postables

Occasionally we have lots of great music to bring you without any specific format, and when that happens, it's time for Potent Postables!








Locals first - we've been enjoying a few samples from Devotion, the sophomore LP from Bmore mazz-folk masters Beach House that should be available sometime next month (pre-order here). They also kick off a support tour Feb. 28 at the G-Spot, check their MySpace for more dates.

Beach House - Gila

---




















We first learned of DC residents Jukebox the Ghost from neighbors Instrumental Analysis last summer. Homeys have done well for themselves since with a fair amount of piano rock blog froth since; and word is their live shows bring more game than Scott Van Pelt, so. Additional tracks and balloon photos here.

Jukebox the Ghost - Hold It In (link via IA)
Jukebox the Ghost - Good Day (link via IA)

---

Who could argue Ezra Furman doesn't remind you of Clap Your Hands' Alec Ounsworth or old school Violent Femmes with an extra shot of rail-hopping Americana? He's much better than the last Ezra at least.

Ezra Furman - I Wanna Be Ignored
Ezra Furman - How Long Diana
Violent Femmes - Add It Up

Keep reading...

Collapse post

Whartscape Pt. 2: Mo' Artist Previews

Later in the week our new investigatory journalist Raven Baker will give you an even heartier helping of Whartscape - the origin and roots of its hideous name and the Wham City organizers behind all this nonsense - but today we'll crack into the long list of artists that call Bmore home and will, we assume, be simply rolling out of bed in their Umbros to perform this weekend. All illustrations courtesy of the talented folks at Baltimore production/record label Wildfire Wildfire.


Video Hippos won't know if you're warming up, starting to tap the feet. To gain the attention of the Kevin/Jim duo (with occasional function button twiddling from Wham fam member OCDJ) you must cause a real fit as they operate in a dark emergency room lit only by obscure cartoon noir. A big fat gask mask ensures drummer and animator Kevin O'Meara won't make himself sick with the beats, but you're on your own. Currently touring the neon green states with D. Deacon, and playing Saturday night at Floristree.

Buy their debut album Unbeast the Leash at the show.
Video Hippos - The List
Video Hippos - Kool Shades

We've all spent a few cloudless nights in vacant lots swigging NyQuil and using the B Heezy's witchy slide powers to seance mazzy stars, so, 'nuf said. They tour with Blonde Redhead in August so start perfecting your shoedaze now. Beach House plays Saturday afternoon at 120 North Ave. Buy their debut from Carpark.
Beach House - Apple Orchard
Beach House - Master of None
Beach House - Tokyo Witch


More:
Ponytail play Saturday night at Floristree. Not really our steez but you have to respect the yelling and the shouting and what not.
Ponytail - Lion Down



Ecstatic Sunshine play Friday night at Floristree. We're pretty sure they now make up one Voltron portion of The Death Set, so. Pretty solid choppin.
Ecstatic Sunshine - Little Big Dipper




You "may" have heard of Mr. Dan Deacon, who could eat Tang crystals and watch Rad with James Lipton as they both stare at the "classically trained composer with a Masters degree in electro-acoustic composition" nametag affixed to his ripe neon Daffy Duck tee. Get tickets to the Saturday night show, which also includes Spank Rock, at Wildfire Wildfire or Wham City before it sells out. Don't you want to be a part of the Flickr zone?
Dan Deacon - Wham City
Buy Spiderman of the Rings from Carpark.

Keep reading...

Collapse post