Best of Baltimore-Part II

I am going to continue my series looking at the breadth of music and bands in Baltimore. Today I will focus on three different bands and styles. I want to reiterate and let you know that I do a lot of merch work for these people and consider them all friends, but as you will hear they are all excellent musicians first, for the purpose of this blog. I want to repeat that they are not all available in your local independent music store, but if you click on the highlighted name you will be led to their web sites, which will tell you how to purchase their music.

The first person I am going to focus on is ellen cherry (yes it is in lower case letters). ellen is another Baltimore based singer-songwriter who is also an amazing human being. I must tell you that I am in love with the sound of her voice. It is so pure and honest that I am inspired every time I get to listen to her. When you hear the clarity of her voice you know you are in the right place. ellen grew up in Texas and has been recording her own music since 1997.  She worked and did music until 2004 when she decided to pursue music full time. She hasn’t looked back since and we in Baltimore are very happy. She has her own recording studio and label; Wrong Size Shoes. I can tell you that she has a love for shoes and has bought me sneakers to show her appreciation for working her shows. I wear those gray Converse All Stars as my lucky merch table shoes every show I work. ellen has scored films, licensed her music to television shows, written a promotional song for a local news station, and been an artist-in –residence for local art organizations. She has recorded 5 albums of her own music. I love her album (New) Years which meshes her love of music and history. She took different historical events from different years and wrote songs about events. This is “2003: I Hope To Dream Of You Tonight”:          

The next band I want to introduce you to is Small Sur. It is hard to put a label on their style. I call it “slo-coustic”. All I can really tell you is that it is beautiful. The core of the band is Bob Keal who writes and sings the songs. The band plays in different forms but most include Andy Abelow on sax/banjo/keys and Austin Stahl on drums. They create dreamy and peaceful folk music that takes you along with it, in a meditative flow. I love experiencing the minimal sparse arrangements that let you reflect on the sound and takes you to a place that Bob wants you to experience. Bob grew up on a farm in South Dakota and lived for a time in California and you can hear the natural landscapes that influenced him in the music he creates. After college he came to Baltimore through an AmeriCorps assignment and has never left. We are a better city for this. Please relax , take a deep breath and enjoy this video.

The last band I am going to focus on today is the Americana roots-rockers June Star. They are led by Andrew Grimm who formed the band in 1998. He named it after a character in a Flannery O’Conner short story. This fits the band to a tee in that Andrew’s lyrics are very literate. He writes stories that could stand on their own, but thankfully puts them into his music. Stories about love, loneliness, struggle and triumph liter his music. He sings his songs with a drawl that emotionally fits the images of his lyrics. The band June Star has seen many people go through it in its existence.  Many players have passed through the band, learned from it, and moved on to form their own bands. June Star can play as a full 6 piece band or as a two piece with acoustic guitar and the extraordinary pedal steel of Dave Hanley. I enjoy all versions of June Star but for me personally the June Star of Andrew and Dave is my favorite. I feel this version brings out the true meaning of Andrew’s incredible lyrics. June Star has released eight albums as a band and Andrew has released other solo efforts. He is a prolific writer and observer. I love that he can go and play whatever the occasion calls for. He can open for rock bands coming through town or play a solo date at a house concert. The constant is you get his finely crafted songs that stick with you long after the show. Here is a video of "Undertow" from the newest album Slow Dance:

I hope this short series on Baltimore music has given you a good insight as to what is going on in our fine city. The past four bands I have chosen are only the tip of the music scene here. I have tried to show you different styles of music through these four bands. Trust me in that there are many more and from time to time I will share others with you.

Update: Two of my favorite bands that I have previously written about, have just released new albums. Jukebox the Ghost has just released another amazing album titled Safe Travels. They are traveling the country to support the album. I encourage you not only to pick up the album, but support them by seeing them live when they come to your area. Tell them Fletcher sent you. Also another of my favorites Langhorne Slim has also put out a fine new album titled The Way We Move. He is also touring this summer supporting the new disc. Two great bands that I hope you can support.

The Best of the Scene-Baltimore

We in Baltimore are fortunate to live in a city with a great music scene. A few years ago Rolling Stone  magazine named Baltimore the “Best Scene” in the country.  I know I am prejudiced (I live here) but I agree with the Rolling Stone declaration. We do have an amazing music scene here. Ten years ago this may have not been a correct statement, but today I believe that we do have a flourishing scene. We have many smaller venues that have opened up the past five years or so. Many of these venues support local bands writing and playing original songs or smaller touring indie bands. We have also had some larger clubs open that support a variety of larger touring acts. Ten years ago the larger touring acts wouldn’t come to Baltimore, but now many of these acts want to play here. A lot of this is because Baltimore supports all kinds of local music. It is a city that encourages the type of creativity that allows a band to be itself. Because of this attitude we have had a number of bands over the past five years signed onto major labels and are doing very well. The list ranges from Dan Deacon to Wye Oak to J. Roddy Walston to Beach House. All very different musically and style wise from each other, but all have the same roots and support in Baltimore. The signing and success of these bands has brought many music people and labels to Baltimore to check out the music and try and sign some new bands.  Lower Dens and Future Islands  are two bands that have been recently signed to larger labels.

I have had the fortune of working the merch table for many of these bands. Today I want to share some other bands currently working out of Baltimore who I think you should pay attention to. This represents a shift in our blog because all the bands we have previously written about, you could go to any good independent music store and purchase. These next bands you would have to dig a bit deeper to find. I will highlight their web sites so if you interested in buying their music, you can do so from their websites. I will also give a disclaimer in that all of these are bands I have worked on multiple occasions and all of them I consider friends. For you however, they are great musicians who are very talented and creative. They will also show you the depth of the music scene here in Baltimore.

The first Baltimore musician I want to highlight is singer –songwriter Caleb Stine. I feel Caleb is the heart and soul of the Baltimore music scene. He tirelessly helps others in the beginnings of their career. He offers advice, encouragement, and support to all who ask for it. He has helped a number of local bands by having them open for him and introducing them to the venue owners. Having Caleb’s stamp of approval can go a long way in this city. However, he is first and foremost a remarkable musician. Caleb is one of the most honest songwriters out there. This Colorado transplant has written songs about things he cares about whether it is homelessness or a lost love. His songs are deep, honest, and thought provoking. Enjoy a song from his last album “I Wasn't Built for a Life Like This” titled My Service Isn't Needed Anymore:

While his main style is Americana and folk, he is much more. He has played with a full band, solo, and plays with other groups as a guest artist. He spent part of last year in an Off-Broadway show in NYC about Woody Guthrie and has even worked with a local hip-hop artist Saleem Heggins. WTMD radio put these two together and challenged them to write 4 songs in 6 weeks. They not only did it successfully but put a full album together called "Outgrown These Walls". Their collaboration has produced one of our cities favorite songs titled (of course) Baltimore. Enjoy.

I hope these two videos show Caleb’s diversity. Who would have ever thought a singer-song-writer and a hip hop artist would ever get together and write music. They not only put out a album but have become the best of friends. This is who Caleb is in his heart and soul. He is always looking to the next musical step that makes sense for him. We are fortunate to have him in this city.

My next post will be a Part II  and look at some other Baltimore bands you should know about.

The Shins- Not So Simple

The Shins  became well known due to a line in the 2004 movie Garden State  when Natalie Portman turns to Zach Braff and says “this song will change your life”. That is a lot of pressure for any song, but “New Slang” gained a whole lot of new fans and exposure for this band. I will admit to not knowing a lot about this band until I heard the Garden State soundtrack. I have been a huge fan ever since. The front man and songwriter James Mercer, has created his own sound that combines great melodies and a refined production. They had not put out an album in five years until the newly released Port of Morrow. A lot of fans couldn't be happier to have them back.

The Shins were formed in 1996 as a James Mercer side project. They became a full time band in 2001 when they were signed to the SubPop  label. They released Oh, Inverted World the same year to great critical acclaim. The band moved from Albuquerque, New Mexico to Portland, Oregon and lost some members along the way. They recorded the much-admired follow-up Chutes Too Narrow in 2003. Between two highly regarded albums and the Garden State soundtrack, the band was at another level. The band then went back into the studio and recorded Wincing the Night Away in 2007. It was largely a solo James Mercer recording, for the band underwent some more personal changes. I loved this album. It was my favorite album of 2007 by far. It even got a well earned Grammy nomination. After touring the album the band went in different directions. Mercer teamed with Danger Mouse in 2010 and released an album under the name of Broken Bells . It was quite a surprise to hear last year that Mercer was putting more Shins music together with Port of Morrow, which was just released. He has a new backing band but the music is as incredible as it has always been. It was released on Mercer’s own label Aural Apothecary. Please enjoy the single from the new album “Simple Song”

I am thrilled that Mercer has decided to put out some new Shins music and I hope that the next record doesn’t take another five years. Many fans can’t wait that long. I encourage you to listen to the band “that will change your life”.

Update: One of my favorite bands and people, Harper Blynn has just released a new album. It is fantastic and available for free on their web site if you click the link on their name that I provided. Even though they are offering it for free, you should donate to the cause. They have just come off the road opening for Ingrid Michaelson and I am positive that they now have a whole new legion of fans.

Larry adds:   If you are interested in learning more about what is going through James Mercer's head as he crafts his songs check out this terrific article in which he explains his thinking regarding each  Port of Morrow song.

No Joke with this band- Ha Ha Tonka

I first met the band Ha Ha Tonka on possibly one of their worst nights ever. They had been on one of their long tours across the country that a band needs to do to make a living. The van they had used on the tour had died a few days earlier and was 5 states away. They had put all of their equipment and bodies into the vans of the other bands on the tour. As you can imagine they were at the end of their patience. They had to make a decision as to whether to put a lot of money into the van or start the process of buying a new one once the current tour finished. I had been contacted by their manager Frank Hill to work the merch table for them in Baltimore. They had so much going on that I just tried to stay out of their way. I had never heard their music but figured that the show that evening wouldn’t be very good, with all that was on their minds. I thankfully couldn’t have been more wrong. From the moment they got on the stage, all that mattered was their music. From their kick ass songs to their beautiful harmonies they had the crowd right with them. They gained a number of fans that evening and a lot of respect from me.

The band formed in 2004 in Springfield, Missouri and are named after a state park in the Ozarks in Missouri. In 2007 when they signed with Bloodshot Records and released Buckle in the Bible Belt and followed it up with Novel Sounds of the Nouveau South in 2009. Their music combines elements of Americana, Southern Rock, Folk and some twang of Alternative Country. This is combined with a lot of sweet four part harmony. Usually during their shows they will lay down their instruments and send chills up your spine with their voices. But trust me these guys can rock and lay down a strong beat. They have toured with bands like Langhorne Slim and the Old 97’s. Their newest album Death of a Decade is their strongest to date. It really shows off their musicianship and diversity in their roots. It was one of my top 5 albums of last year. I know it is good because I am still listening to it months later. The songs build you up and take you with them. Enjoy this video of “Usual Suspects” from Death of a Decade. I chose this video to show off their harmonies but trust me this song can also rock out. Enjoy.

I have had the privilege of working the merch table for this band a few more times since we first met. Not only are they incredibly talented, but they are some of the nicest people I have ever worked with. They are always so gracious and I feel lucky to know them. They also have my favorite band tee shirt ever. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of their music and make sure to see them live when they come to your town. They write great songs and put on an amazing live performances. Everyone I have ever told them to see their shows, has agreed that their live show is outstanding (and usually end up buying a tee shirt because they are so cool).

Update: Two of my favorite bands have released new albums recently. Delta Spirit released a self titled album even though it is their 3^rd release. Heartless Bastards just released Arrow. Both are amazing and worth the purchase. You won’t be disappointed if you like either of the bands.

Old Friend, So Beautiful

When I started playing guitar in 1970, the first two songs I painfully (I can still feel my calluses burning) attempted to play with the record spinning were Paul Simon's "A Most Peculiar Man" and "Richard Cory," songs with which I could keep up with the basic chord changes....

I've been a devoted fan of Paul Simon's music ever since. All of Simon & Garfunkel's albums  had a huge influence on me.  From their work, I learned the importance of crafting intelligent lyrics with flowing melodies and beautiful harmonies. After their break-up, I continued to follow Paul Simon's music.  However, after his brilliant Graceland, I began to lose touch with his work.

I was optimistic about his 2006 release, Surprise, a collaboration with Brian Eno, another artist I've admired for a long time. However, I found the music disappointing.  It was not the best work of either artist.  To me this album sounded forced because their styles are so different.

So I ignored Paul Simon's April 2011 So Beautiful or So What release until December when it started showing up on several Best of 2011 lists that I respect.  Still, not tempted enough to purchase it for myself, I purchased it as a gift for my wife, an even more devoted Paul Simon fan than I am.

It's a wonderful album.  If I had a chance to redo my top 10 of 2011, it would be a part of that list (sorry, I don't know which album I'd drop).  Paul Simon's songwriting is in top form, and includes a new and most welcome edge. Simon, getting up in years (aren't we all), deals with heavy subjects, such as the question of the existence of God, with a whimsically dark humor.  Musically, the album brings in a cornucopia of the sounds of world music, all performed by top-notch studio musicians.  Further, the songs on the album are well designed with regard to placement, so that the songs flow musically well from one song to the next.

Enjoy the title cut, "So Beautiful or So What":



The lesson I take away from this experience is that while I enjoy hearing new young voices, I should never assume that the voices of mature "old  friends" no longer have anything to say musically.