Baltimanual :: The Music Scene

In terms of hipster cachet, Baltimore has, in the past several years, mowed down just about every burg in the country shy of Brooklyn, NY. Art-schoolers such as Dan Deacon and Ponytail have blasted off on trajectories that don't show any signs of weakening; dream-pop bands Wye Oak and Beach House have ascended more slowly, but nearly as high, relatively free of the hype network; after more than two decades of growth and evolution, Baltimore club-and DJ Class and Blaqstarr in particular-has taken on the mainstream market, fists raised; hip-hop keeps on with rappers like Ogun, Mullyman, Labtekwon, the Get 'Em Mamis, E Major, and a hungry, talented line at every rap battle in the city. Actually, fuck hipster cachet: There isn't another city with a more exciting music scene. Period.

Above: Sonar; Left: Zodiac

If Baltimore music history triggers "Frank Zappa" in your mind, be wary: "born in" does not equal "cultivated their art and thrived here." Avant-garde composer Philip Glass was also born in Charm City. He, however, did squeeze in a few formative years at the Peabody Institute, a prestigious music school in Mount Vernon. He joins other notable Peabody alums such as opera composer Dominick Argento, pianist Andre Watts, and Tori Amos, who was expelled at age 11. The Peabody Orchestra, founded about a decade after the Institute in 1866, would become the first professional orchestra in the country, giving way to the progressive and immensely popular Baltimore Symphony Orchestra in 1896, currently under the direction of conductor Marin Alsop.

On the Pennsylvania Avenue corridor in West Baltimore, now just another pitted stretch in a rough neighborhood, jazz thrived through the 1950s. Brother and sister Cab and Blanche Calloway got their start in Baltimore, as did jazz drummer Chick Webb. Billie Holiday spent her very early years here before moving to Harlem, though she returned to play in area clubs. Around the same time, doo-wop made its mark in the city with bands such as the Orioles and the Cardinals.

A sort of shadow partner to Washington's hardcore culture, Baltimore bred volcanic bands in the early '80s such as OTR and Fear of God, which in turn paved the way for Baltimore's glimmering star of upturned punk-cum-shamanic folk-rock, Lungfish, in the 1990s. In the late '90s and 2000s, through a small venue known as the Red Room and, eventually, the renowned High Zero festival, Baltimore became one of the nation's hotbeds for experimental and improvised music.

Also in the '80s and '90s, in clubs such as Fantasy, Odell's, and Paradox, Baltimore was gestating what's become perhaps its most distinctive sound: Baltimore club. House music has always been a cornerstone of the city's culture and older generations remember a time when house dwarfed even hip-hop in clubs. House music-here a mixture of Chicago-bred deep house, Detroit techno, and slicker European styles-was just a fact of life: Saturday night meant 4/4s and a dance floor.

In the early '90s a handful of local DJs-Frank Ski, KW Griff, Scottie B-started working in a hybrid style of house that stripped the music down to a bare breakbeat, a chopped and looped vocal sample, and maybe a shuffling snare. The music was as raw as it gets, mixed on the fly by DJs using the same basic structure. As a generational changing of the guard took place, Baltimore club started to replace house in the city's clubs and became just as ubiquitous. For the better part of a decade, club thrived until gaining national currency through out-of-town DJs such as Diplo and Switch.

Labels such as Mad Decent, Flamin' Hotz, and others put club on the hipster map, but it hasn't been until the past year that club reached the mainstream. Credit DJ Class' unexpected hit "I'm the Ish" with at least some of that. The track has gotten treatment from Lil Wayne, Kanye West, and a sea of others since its unveiling. Club young gun Rye Rye, considered by many to be a M.I.A. protege, also released a major-label record this year, capitalizing on momentum started several years ago with the ubiquitous, viral "Shake It to the Ground."

Who's Who

By no means comprehensive, a quick primer on some of Baltimore's finest:

Scottie B: One of Baltimore club's founders and still one of its most active practitioners.

Celebration: Soulful, ornate local indie-rock institution.

Double Dagger: Brutally sincere, artful hardcore band.

Ecstatic Sunshine: A shimmering experimental pop band true to its name.

Future Islands: Bouncy synth-pop band fronted by a vocalist pitched somewhere between Jack Black and Meatloaf.

Get 'Em Mamis: Female rap duo out of Westport making huge waves in the city.

Lafayette Gilchrist: Jazz pianist who bridges Baltimore's rock and jazz scenes with a fire-breathing take on traditional jazz.

Daniel Higgs: Erstwhile Lungfish frontman channeling bright spirits with a banjo.

Misery Index: Baltimore's death-metal ambassador to the world.

Joe Nice: Baltimore's dubstep ambassador to the world.

Ultra Naté: Baltimore's house diva and maven of the Deep Sugar party.

Caleb Stine: Country/folk songwriter who seems to play constantly.

Wye Oak: Unflaggingly pretty dream-pop duo named after Maryland's state tree.

Where To Hear

An die Musik (409 N. Charles St., [410] 385-2638, andiemusiklive.com): Intimate, wood-floored room in midtown specializing in jazz and some classical.

Caton Castle (20 S. Caton Ave., [410] 566-7086, catoncastle.com) A real-deal, intimate-as-they-come jazz club located inconspicuously behind a packaged goods store in West Baltimore.

Club Reality (2623 Washington Blvd., [410] 644-9668): A smallish hip-hop-centered club-one of only a couple-in South Baltimore.

8X10 (10 E. Cross St., [410] 625-2000, the8x10.com): A long-lived tiny rectangle of a venue heavy on local and touring jam bands.

5 Seasons (830 Guilford Ave., [410] 625-9787, the5seasons.com): Baltimore's ground zero for local club and hip-hop, hosting numerous open mics and MC competitions.

Fletchers (701 S. Bond St., [410] 558-1889, fletchersbar.com): Fells Point space for teen punk and emo shows.

The Hexagon (1825 N. Charles St., hexagonspace.com): Tiny collective-run venue with a great smoking patio in back. Expect a lot of noise and art-school-type performances.

Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall (1212 Cathedral St., [410] 783-8000, bsomusic.org): This state-of-the-art venue is home to the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Accommodates other classical performances, large pop acts, and stage events.

Merrriweather Post Pavilion (10475 Little Patuxent Parkway, Columbia, [410] 715-5550, merriweathermusic.com): This is actually a place, not just an album title. A large amphitheater half an hour west of Baltimore, it hosts the very big names: the Rock the Bells and Warped tours, Phish, Allman Brothers Band, etc.

The Ottobar (2549 N. Howard St., [410] 662-0069, theottobar.com): Baltimore's classic indie-rock club. A downstairs space with an upstairs bar that regularly features DJs and dirt-cheap drinks. Recent concert highlights: Love Is All, the Ex, the Lemonheads, Animal Collective.

Paradox (1310 Russell St., thedox.com): A strictly dance venue in a warehouse district of South Baltimore. Primarily Baltimore club and house music. Home to Ultra Naté's stellar Deep Sugar party.

Rams Head Live (20 Market Place, [410] 244-1131, ramsheadlive.com): Very large venue embedded in a downtown nightlife theme park. Short on soul, but books big-name acts such as Modest Mouse, Decemberists, etc.

Recher Theatre (512 York Road, Towson, [410] 337-7178, rechertheatre.com): Suburban venue heavy on high school-type punk and emo performances with an occasional big-name indie (Hold Steady, say) or metal (Meshuggah) act.

Red Room at Normals Books and Music (425 E. 31st St, [410] 243-6888, redroom.org): This bookstore back room hosts weekly improv/experimental jams from local left-field royalty and touring musicians.

Sonar (407 E. Saratoga St., [410] 783-7888, sonarbaltimore.com): A cavernous former parking garage down the block from City Hall that shifts modes between rock, dance, metal, punk, and indie like it ain't no thing. One of the best places-arguably the only-to hear national hip-hop acts, courtesy of enthusiastic promoters such as Busy Bee.

Talking Head (407 E. Saratoga St., [410] 783-7888, sonarbaltimore.com): Small rock club in a back room of Sonar, accessible by a separate, alleyway door. Specializes in metal, punk, and indie. With $3 Pabst tall boys, the Head also has about the cheapest booze you can get at a venue in Baltimore.

The Windup Space (12 W. North Ave., thewindupspace.com): A large, airy bar in the Station North Arts District that books everything from Baltimore club DJs to free jazz to local rock.

Where To Buy

Dimensions In Music (233 Park Ave., [410] 752-7121, dimensionsinmusic.com): Chaotic three-level historic shop specializing in house and Baltimore club. Geared toward DJs.

Normals Books and Records (425 E. 31st St., [410] 243-6888, normals.com): Large, predominantly vinyl record store specializing in rock and jazz.

The Sound Garden (616 Thames St., [410] 563-9011, cdjoint.com): An extensive used and new CD, DVD, and vinyl record store notable for being one of the few music shops to expand in the past few years.

True Vine (3544 Hickory Ave., [410] 235-4500, thetruevinerecordshop.com): Vinyl and CD boutique for adventurous music fans run by local experimental music cornerstone Jason Willett.