Two bands that are known as pioneers in their respective genres are coming through Baltimore this weekend, along with some Scandinavian metal at Golden West and some indie acoustic rock at Joe Squared. Friday night at Ottobar is going to be a long one for the security staff. Two bands that came to define street punk and Oi are playing, so plan on seeing lots of boots, shaved heads and Cocksparrer T-shirts. Not only are The Business (not to be confused with local favorites J Roddy and the Business) playing, but Iron Cross as well. Personally, I’m not big into either of these bands a whole, but…

This week is heavy on the natural disasters in the Mid-Atlantic, what with a hurricane and an earthquake within a few days of each other, and good thing for us there’s a soundtrack to match all weekend long. BiMA is this weekend, aka the Baltimore Music and Arts Festival, much of which is taking place in North Baltimore. The BiMa Festival started on Thursday and runs through Sunday, encompassing 11 venues, including Joe Squared, Ottobar, Wind Up Space, Frazier’s, Charm City Art Space, The Depot, Golden West, Hour Haus, Cyclops Books, and the Sidebar. Most of these places are within walking …

Two more weeks of summer remain (unofficially, I know). While the city is putting the finishing touches on Pratt and Lombard streets for the Baltimore Grand Prix, the rest of us are focusing on putting the finishing touches on our summer. Saturday is Super Art Fight 11 at Ottobar, one of the most bizarre, yet entertaining events of the summer. Events like this are what makes Baltimore unique, one of the many direct influences of having a major art school in the city. Artists gather to defend their titles, show off their creativity, and face The Wheel of Death. It’s impossible for me to tell …

This week is jam-packed with quality things to do. The Wind Up Space is closed through Monday for its summer holiday, but no worries, Golden West, the Bell Foundry and Ottobar more than pick up the slack. As I mentioned last week, Insubordination Fest kicks off this weekend at the Ottobar, and serves as almost a bookend to May’s beginning of summer Death Fest. Much of the same crowd will be in attendance for the three-day festival that began Thursday night, and the same approach applies of packing as many bands into three days. That’s about where the similarities end, however. Instead of …

Baltimore in July is hot in more than just the literal way. True, it is days on end of 100 degrees weather with 80 percent humidity. But it’s also hot in the figurative sense, because this week Baltimore is white hot with things to do, places to be, people to see, and summer nights to be filled with some great live bands. This Friday, the Wind Up Space houses the last of the shows that were scheduled for the Hexagon before the venue's demise. A trio of Baltimore bands—Red Sammy, Sal Bando, and Soon Clyde—will be performing. Saturday night I plan on being at the Ottobar for Rad Bromance. It is…

It’s Artscape Weekend, always scheduled in mid-July for one all-around sweaty experience. However, if weatherman Bob Turk is to be believed, it’s not going to be a weekend of solid triple-digit weather, as was the case last year, and the year before that. This year, you might actually enjoy lingering at some of the booths and listening to some of the bands instead of whining about how hot it is as you and your friends wilt in the sun. The first Artscape was held in 1982 making this year the event's 30th anniversary. All of Charles Street along Penn Station will be dedicated to bringing back …

Well, there’s no denying it. It's summertime in Baltimore, where the heat and humidity is so oppressive it feels like the entire city has taken up residence in someone’s mouth for three months.  Which leads to the real question: is there a way to survive summer in the city that doesn’t involve mass consumption of snowballs and/or investing in central air for your efficiency apartment? Luckily there is, and it comes in the form of this Saturday’s show at the Ottobar. Two of my favorite Baltimore bands (The Pilgrim and Oak) share the bill with Ilsa—a staple of DC’s nihilistic punk/metal scene—…

For the first time in what seems like forever, there is no reunion tour wheezing its way through Baltimore this weekend. It’s too early for Artscape, and Honfest, Charles Village Festival, and Sowebo Fest are in the past. So what is there to do during the first official weekend of summer, other than hit the pool during the day, the bars at night and the pool again on the way home? Check out a concert at Wind Up Space featuring Old Songs, Lurch and Holler, Tinklers and other local bands. Proceeds for the Friday concert, which starts at 8 p.m., go toward Shakemore Au Go Go, a Westminister music…

Well it has been two weeks since Death Fest, and in those two weeks I have given myself a small respite from metal. That rest is over. This Friday at Ottobar drone metal will pour out of Sunn amps in an echoing wave when Earth takes the stage. It has been years since I listened to Earth, and with Baltimore’s resident downbeat doom metal band Oak opening, I will know exactly what to expect. A lot of synonyms of the word “down” spring to mind. Formed in 1989 by Dylan Carlson, Slim Moon and Greg Baboir, Earth was an experimental doom metal band, taking repetitive, heavy, low, downbeats and …

Another week, another old school street punk band plays North Baltimore. After what seemed like a dearth of music from the age that defined the genre, this past year has seen legends of the underground, sometimes wheezing, most often killing it, make regular stops in Charm City. This Friday at the Ottobar it’s Vancouver’s Dayglo Abortions, who formed in the golden era of street punk, 1979-1981. As their name suggests, they are no strangers to offending parents, police and the Canadian government. Their often graphic cover art resulted in the band having to defend itself from several obscenity…

I realize that Maryland Death Fest at Sonar is in Central Baltimore and not North Baltimore. But when the country’s largest metal festival takes place in your city, it’s too big of a deal to ignore. This is the ninth year of Death Fest and each year gets bigger. This year, there are three stages inside and out, with more than 50 bands slated to perform from Thursday to Sunday. As oft noted, I’m a casual metal fan, however, I’ve comprised a list of some of the more noteworthy bands out of the mass of death and gristle themed offerings. My personal favorite band name? Impaled Nazarene. The band…

I’ve come to the conclusion that the rest of this month should best be designated as Metal May. This Friday Converge is playing at the Ottobar.  The Boston based Converge is one of the few significant hardcore metal bands that have remained active, steadily touring and recording, and more importantly, relevant for the past 21 years. Part of the reason Converge will more than likely sell out on Friday night, as it frequently does, is its approach to post punk hardcore and metal. In case you’ve been living in a monastery or otherwise outside of the post punk and metal world for the last 15 …

This is the first and only Friday the 13th of 2011, though there’s no reason to feel superstitious about heading out this weekend. There’s going to be plenty to do in this part of the city. Just avoid walking under ladders and opening umbrellas indoors. This Friday The Queers, another in a string of influential punk bands to recently come through Charm City, play the Ottobar.   The first incarnation of The Queers lasted from 1981 to 1984. Two years later, lead singer and guitar player Joe Queer, the only constant band member, reformed the band with all new members,  something that regularly …

It’s finally my favorite time of year—those few magical weeks before the heat and humidity of summer soar to oppressive heights and the evenings are peppered with short, spring squalls perfect to help my fledgling garden grow. Nestled in the spring breezes and stormy nights of early May is the Maryland Film Festival, and all weekend long you can catch various entries at the Wind Up Space in between catching some bands and some rays. The 13th Annual Maryland Film Festival began Thursday, and concludes Sunday. Among some of the offerings available for viewing at the Wind Up Space is Everyday …

Since I have a garden to start weeding preparation for summer flowers and tomatoes, and it's not going to weed itself, let’s get right to it. There are several good shows the first week in May, but before April comes to a close this weekend, Parts and Labor is playing Friday at Golden West. Formed in Brooklyn in 2002 by bassist BJ Warshaw and guitarist Dan Friel, Parts and Labor have toured with Battles, Deerhoof, and TV on the Radio.  Stylistically there are similarities between Parts and Labor and the aforementioned bands, however Parts and Labor manage to do something none of those bands …

April has been doing a good job of providing showers for those proverbial May flowers and even if Easter weekend isn't dry, it will be in bloom. Whether or not you celebrate Easter, its passing marks the unofficial beginning of spring, rebirth, renewal, renaissance—all that good stuff ... just in case you hadn't noticed the marshmallow and chocolate waterfowl and pastel-colored everything in the stores. I'm extremely excited because the Easter Bunny is bringing me exactly what I want this year, which is great because the last thing I got from him was Michael Jackson's Bad on cassette. …

Lately, April sunshine has stubbornly insisted on bursting through the rains of spring. And it's perfect weather for open windows in the morning and evening (so long as they're not thief, I mean, ground level) to let in the charged air after a storm. The Orioles are winning, and soon trees will be lush again. With the days growing longer and the nights milder it seems almost criminal not to go out and see a show, especially when the show is a short walk or bike ride away. This Friday at the Wind Up Space are the Silent Whys, The Great Unknown and A Cat Called Cricket. All three bands can be …

  I have officially put away my gloves, hats, and scarves, which probably guarantees one more freak snow or sleet storm, but I'm going to bet against the odds anyway. It's time to ease from jean jackets and zip up hoodies to shorts and bathing suits under your clothes just in case a swimming opportunity presents itself on the fly. Granted, this weather is still a few months away, but it's still warm enough most nights to walk or bike to shows, or at the very least have all the windows rolled down in the car on the drive there. On the flip side it's still cool enough out where one doesn't end …