Charm City Reverie

But who wants this town to look like the Inner Harbor?

2012-02-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

Some thoughts from a write up in Esquire, which seems timely, since I am currently re-watching the Wire.

last of the tight wiggers

2010-11-18T12:02:00.000-08:00

Come support your local white rap scene with at least a modicum of self-aware humor.

Mickey Free will be performing at hipsta-stomping ground, and home of the amazing Elvis pancake, Golden West Cafe tomorrow night.

ok

2010-11-18T11:11:00.000-08:00

Not trying to keep Bmore bashing, it's just that I laughed so hard (out loud nonetheless) when I read this:

Surely we can do better than "a blank area in the national consciousness"?

on learning to cope with editorial input

2010-11-10T09:08:00.000-08:00

An ego is a fragile thing.

But don't dish it out if you can't take it.

BaltiHate

2010-11-04T17:27:00.001-07:00

I know this blog’s title contains the word reverie, which most English speakers consider to be a fairly pleasant, upbeat word, but today I want to talk about the darker episodes in which most of our lives are spent. The world is a nasty place kids, and we’ve all got to put up with the bad much more frequently than we get to enjoy the good, so today I want to talk about something we can all relate to in one way or another: Hate. But more specifically, I want to talk about the purple and orange tinted, natty-bo and crab cake flavored, chain smoking and damn hard working Hate, that permeates from every pore of this city that so loves to refer to itself as charming.

I want to discuss the sort of hate that makes it completely socially acceptable to loudly disrupt an entire bar every single time some man on the television running with a ball does something you deem worthy of shouting and pounding the table over. Because hey, it’s football season, and any body foolish enough to venture out to any bar should have heeded the warning inherent in the fact that there are NO BARS in this entire city without televisions. I’d like to talk about the sort of douchebaggery that causes astoundingly massive amounts of people who fail to notice that if they parallel park less than four feet away from the car in front of them, MORE CARS CAN PARK ON THAT STREET. I want to consider the sort of slow burning and misdirected rage that inspires an Olympic gold medal winning swimmer to think that a casual phone snap of his visage is grounds for threatening a girl half his height that he will “knock you to the ground bitch.” And let’s not forget the quiet seething that might cause a buzz-cut, and cargo-shorted, thirty something man to regale an audience with a tale of drunken bar brawling masquerading as literary finesse whose sole moral is to punch home the fact that all the “scenesters” running around station north today owe their brilliantly commercialized and soft existence to the original bad-asses who paved the way for the burgeoning Baltimore music scene by getting into knife fights with homeless men outside of the Ottobar. You know, before it was “cool and mainstream.” And of course there’s the sort of animosity that can only truly find its release in a crowded impound station after a Raven’s game and subsequent Fed Hill towing raid where self-proclaimed “hard working” denizens can lament how the whole unfortunate situation must have been caused by “the Democrats yo, they tax the air you breathe, man.”

I could go on, of course. I could go on until not one of you cared to keep reading, and I had exorcised myself right into a blackout over the insufferable and grotesque pointlessness of it all. But I’m not going to do that; not to you, my minuscule following of readers, and not to myself. Instead, I’m going to attempt to shake off this months-long avoidance party and do my best to find new things that aren’t hate-obsessed, or sports-related. And I’m writing about my aspirations here, dear readers, to attempt to encourage you to do the same. I implore you to find (or start) other Baltimore blogs that aren’t solely concerned with bashing anything pleasant or new or different in this town, especially non-locals. I encourage you to give Erik a break, and make comments on Midnight Sun that aren’t completely dumb (grammar, whaa?), irrelevant (Bad Religion has nothing to do with Matt & Kim), or spitefully humorless (anything anyone writes about Justin Beiber is meant to be somewhat sarcastic). Maybe if we started being slightly less knee-jerk defensive, and taking ourselves a little bit less seriously, others might be inspired to do the same. (...)

Well, maybe at least we can all feel a little better about the whole thing. I’m guessing on some level that’s all that really matters.

extracuriculars

2010-11-04T15:16:00.000-07:00

Feel the Hate, Charmers.

I know I've been neglectful, but we've all got to start back somewhere. More on hate to come.

photograph locally

2010-06-18T10:58:00.000-07:00

As I was too busy dragging myself through last Saturday's torrid heat on the Epic Misadventure that is apartment hunting in Baltimore (more on that later) to actually make it to Hon Fest this year, I was looking for a good source for a visual recap to quench my summer thirst for shticky trashiness. Luckily, a friend pointed me in the direction of glorious local photographer John Waire, whose pictures from Hampden last weekend made me simultaneously sorry I had missed the festivities, yet not actually feel that bad about it. Something inside me can't help but think these shots might be better than the real deal.

because sometimes love can be innovating

2010-05-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Charm City Reverie’s favorite local muralist/artist, and previous post subject, Michael Owen, is staging a comeback this summer, after a long winter’s exodus in Miami (yeah, I know, whip out the Kleenex) with upcoming additions to the Baltimore Love Project among other adventures in artistry in our fair city. Appropriately timed as a symbolic kickoff, the Baltimore Love Project and Innovate Baltimore are holding the first annual of what they’re calling Innovate Love; a benefit themed art auction next Saturday the 22nd at Silo Point. Original pieces by over forty artists exploring the “Innovate Love” theme, such as the Whitney Sherman work pictured above, will be auctioned off while guests enjoy hors d'oeuvres prepared by Chef Frederick "Mookie" Hicks, sets by DJ Terry Thompson, and entertainment from another Charm City Reverie vet, Super Art Fight. Sounds like a wonderfully sensory-overloaded way to spend a Saturday night. For more details, to buy tickets, and to read more about the ways in which these programs are striving to make Baltimore a more aesthetically pleasing and united community, check out their site.

i'd pitch a tent under that tree

2010-05-03T06:54:00.000-07:00

So I love Red Tree. It's the kind of place where you can wander in on a boozy brunchy Sunday and find the perfect gift for that semi-uninteresting but obliging event, you know, a wedding shower for someone who's easily offended. It's also the kind of place that can make the possibly irritating event of shopping for said shower gift less grating, due to the soothing smell and prettiness of EVERYTHING in the store. And even if you can't buy anything for yourself (because you know, you have to spend money on someone who is still deciding to get married DESPITE the current divorce rate, which is what, like 95% or something?) you can get some creative and crafty decorating inspiration, for laters. See pics below:

But maybe you've never thought of going to Red Tree for more humorous presents. They've actually got an AMAZING collection of awesomely offensive and one of a kind cards, which kind of make even an unsuccessful trip worth it. My favorite was a nearly illegible breakup card in a blue inked cursive, on a folded up handkerchief. (For crying!)

And the greatest possibly unknown thing about Red Tree: they carry some of the more daring pieces from the MAFIA jewelry line. By which I mean, maybe you walked in to buy a vanilla candle for your mother, and left with the RADDEST, and admittedly frightening, deer skull necklace you've ever seen.

Their other non-scary jewelry is nice too.

lime is the new green

2010-04-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

So it’s Earth Week, Earth Day being Thursday the 22. In an effort to try to amp up my environmentally friendly quotient, I stopped by the Urb Ag Gala at St. John’s on Friday night to catch some music, art, and of course food. The event was put on by the Baltimore Urban Agricultural Task Force to “Celebrate the beginning of another explosively fruitful growing season” in Baltimore and spark interest in the local sustainable food community by showcasing growers of various sorts and their products in a casual and welcoming setting.

What would that entail exactly? Well for instance there was a silent auction featuring bidding objects varying from local galley copies to compost tea. (!) Some honey, lots of dirt, some acoustic guitars and of course, bongos. Yes, there were a lot of dreads, and yes everyone was super nice and helpful. The food was spectacular and completely worth the donation, and it’s been a really long time since I lounged away a Friday night on a couch listening to a singer/songwriter in a church surrounded by actual vegetation.

So if you’re a little creeped out by the idea of compost tea (what is it, really?), but are interested in the idea of sustainable food growing and consumption, the task force seems to me like a great place to start

because I'm a lot cooler than you thought I was

2010-04-15T16:35:00.000-07:00

Yeah so, the REAL reason I've been neglecting CCR is because I spend my weekends hanging with adorable Swedish rock stars, in addition to the asshole American ones. Go here to read an interview my friend and I conducted with indie dance rockers Miike Snow a few weeks ago. And feel free to comment if you're bored.

my words fall like DOMINOS

2010-04-07T13:37:00.000-07:00

There is a fluid but staunchly defended line between “indie rock” and “ROCK.” And while there are a few successful acts that deftly navigate this precarious divide, they seem to do so at the risk of isolating one or both sides of their fanbase in their blanket efforts of appeal, particularly when it comes to touring, which is where most bands are making their monies these days, I hear. Nothing kills the buzz of seeing a band you’re really into quite like realizing a lot of people you might find morally bankrupt on a few different levels are standing next to you, supposedly being emotionally transformed by the same artistic endeavor as you. Integrity is a matter of taste, and while you can get by patting yourself on the back that you “get it” on a level that Sum 41-loving, squealing blond chick cannot possibly comprehend, it doesn’t mean you want to blow your hard-earned cash and workday hangover watching her bop around to Your Jam.

Of course, if you are the band whose show is in question, you probably feel a little differently about the situation, even if on a personal level you agree with me about that blond girl. Fans are fans, let’s not overthink this. But when it comes time to put on a show, there are some decisions that have to be made.

Why am I philosophizing on about things I know nothing about? Well I have been mulling over this topic ever since attending The Big Pink concert last Thursday at Ram’s Head Live. Let me unpack that statement a bit. For those of you unawares, The Big Pink are an electro-rock-indie-pop outfit from somewhere in the UK, who released a debut album last year of beautifully ambient yet beat-heavy BritPop called A Brief History of Love. Within that genre-straddling description, there are more than a few places where the band could have gone wrong. But my whole point here is that they didn’t. Even the poison-toothed gatekeepers of all things self-loathingly indie over at Pitchfork gave the album and impressive, if absurdly precise, 8.2, declaring it “way better than it needed to be.” And without ignoring the more obvious incongruities, they further observed that “In spite of the IMAX-ready sonic presence of previously released singles…History rarely feels something other than hand-crafted,” and even “still sounds surprisingly nuanced in headphones.” All of which is to say, yeah, there’s some obvious and easily accessible aspects of ROCK to The Big Pink, yet enough substance under all this shiny and loud surface to categorize them as Indie Good. So, you know, if you’re the kind of person who has a blog, and listens to Animal Collective, and rides around on your fixed gear in dangerously skinny jeans, you don’t have to be embarrassed if someone gets a peek at your ipod while you’re rocking out to “Dominos.” Speaking of which:

So that is the gist of it. (And yes the drummer was the same from the video, and yes she was hot and scantily clad on stage.) Now here’s my beef. I have never before in my life, been more disappointed by a band’s performance than I was last Thursday. At first I readily blamed the venue. It was Ram’s Head after all. The last time I even set foot in the place was at a Killswitch Engage show years ago, that I had agreed to attend during a frantic barter with a metal head friend who wound up having to rescue me when I foolishly went adventuring in the mosh pit. But that’s the kind of band and show I would expect to see there, so I was not overly surprised by the low turnout last week, whose lack of spacial occupancy probably did not help the resulting sound either.

The sound. Was. Terrible. Sign language and texting were the only realistic means of communication, ANYWHERE in the building. And the bass drowned out any hope the uniniated had of deciphering the words. Had this been my first exposure to The Big Pink, I would not be writing this post, that’s for sure. Afterwards, I played their album for my concert companion, who had gamely agreed to go despite having never heard of them before that fateful evening, and who was also beyond dubious at my insistence that it was in fact the SAME band we had just heard. That’s HOW DIFFERENT they sounded. To illustrate my point, here’s a clip from the big “Dominos” finale.

Along with the addition of the seizure- inducing strobes, it’s fairly difficult to figure out what is even going on there. Rock concert or techno-experimental ritual sacrifice? It’s hard to say. Like I said, I was pretty ready to heap a steaming pile of sharp-tongued blame on Ram’s Head’s head (HA), but then I heard from a friend who had seen their performance up in New York at Webster Hall, and she had pretty much the same experience, which means the band was DOING THIS TO THEMSELVES. As unreal as that conclusion seems to me, it is the only one that follows logically. But then, further adding to this mysterious mystery, I found this clip of them performing “Dominos” (yes, again! Consistency in all things!) on something called Later With Jools. (?) And as you can hear for yourself below, they sound a lot more like the band I was expecting to hear last week.

So what gives The Big Pink? Were you trying to cater to the perceived Baltimore demographic by amping up the sound to epic metal show proportions? But if so, you MUST have realized your audience in NY was not going to be gagging for a big ol Rock show. And why would you even want to hide your sound like that anyways? You made a well-received album. I can appreciate not wanting all of your shows to sound EXACTLY like they do on the recordings, but really, there are more worthwhile derivatives to explore. I’m just saying.

Anyhow, I think it’s safe to say I will not be going back to Ram’s Head anytime soon.

this ain't lambchop

2010-03-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

I’m going to go ahead and make it official, Tuesdays are the new Thursdays. My evidence for this trend generalization? One of the most interesting events I’ve been to, since I became a reviewer of charm, happened last night in West Baltimore. The Black Cherry Puppet Theater usually caters to a much younger demographic (ie: the more standard audience for a puppet show), but last night adults and twenty-something hipsters alike packed the unique space for a trio of performances.

The evening started off with my favorite piece by Savannah Reich, Beastie was a wonderfully weird and humorous duo performance highlighting the disconnect and tiered nature of modern human interaction, especially as it effects the relationship between the “animalistic” barista and the typical popped-collar Bro. But underneath all the socially fabricated differences, aren’t we all just better-coiffed beasties? And ultimately we’re every bit as dangerous as a wild woman with a collapsible laundry hamper.

The second performance was a jarring exploration of personal identity through physical expulsion by Rebecca Nagle. And by that I mean, a girl literally vomited all over herself. If that’s not artistic integrity, I don’t know what is.

And finally the puppets. RPM Puppet Conspiracy, who are touring around the east coast with their new, politically irreverent show The Only Good Corporation Is an Undead Corporation, noisily regaled us with zombie puppets whose visual grotesqueness did not disappoint. As for the plot, I think the tagline sums it up well, "Corporate America. It's alive and endowed with the rights of humanity, but can it also get the flu? Chicken pox? Zombie virus?" I’m betting you can guess the answer.

Though I didn’t actually get to try the pizza, I heard rumors of rave reviews at Zella’s Pizzeria, which is on the same block as Black Cherry, and was gamely offering a “Puppet Special.” Their drinks and hummus, however, were quite good, and I’ll give them a proper write up whenever I make it back, which will hopefully be soon.

uber-badezimmer

2010-03-04T14:20:00.001-08:00

There are lots of reasons to find a neighborhood tavern appealing. A few that I consider noteworthy:

-an at least adequate selection of things on tap, preferably local

-ambient lighting/atmosphere

-a somewhat interesting mix of people

And really, most of these things are somewhat negotiable and relative, to well, various timing and location factors. All of this is to say, a bar's bathrooms, barring the unbearably disgusting (unless it's divey-graffiti-dirty enough that it just hasn't been painted since maybe Debby Harry peed there back when she was touring, and you'd probably get high if you were to snort whatever you scraped off the top of the toilet back, cause you know, then it's all intentional and edgy,) do not generally affect me enough to motivate any crossover feelings towards the bar as a whole experience. Until now...

Well, no not REALLY. But I was quite pleased when I discovered that the bathrooms in Hamilton Tavern are wallpapered with pages and pictures excerpted from some appropriately gendered classics, Austin, Bronte and the like for the ladies, and none other than Bukowski himself for the gents.

I mean, I've heard of much less compelling reasons to call a spot cool.

Also their fried pickles are pretty sweet.

There's lands, there's peoples. It's Tuesday night, I'm not Talking About Lost

2010-03-03T19:22:00.000-08:00

Guest post today by Nikc Miller, covering the Ottobar show for me from last night. (I gotta work occasionally ya'll know) Read him here.

There's something about Tuesday night, out of any weeknight, where an abundance of drink specials meeting premature midweek ennui sets up the perfect match for discovery. There's this special lack of expectation that doesn't exist on a Friday night and it simply states "You don't HAVE to have fun, there will be other chances." It is my belief that in this environment you can become completely free. Unfortunately, no one I invited out last Tuesday seems to share my beliefs so I had to go out alone.

I chose The Ottobar for two reasons: First, I had to pay my friend Brian Adam Ant a visit. And by pay a visit, I mean go check out his new band Lands & Peoples. The band has been around long enough to cut a short EP. Brian is a brand new addition to the group. The second reason was to give this Canon Vixia HF S20 camera an honest test run before I write my review of it.

I waltzed (figuratively) into The Ottobar on this rainy Tuesday night and hand the doorman a $10. In a moment reminiscent of the song "Pollo Asado" by Ween, he asked for my ID, checked it, reached into the till, and handed me back a $10 bill. Score: Free show!

I meet up with Brian and ask what his band sounds like, because I haven't even done this basic research on my own. He blurts out "We sound like Grizzly Bear!" I appreciate his bluntness and excitement. Not too much time passes and I reach my perch to shoot their entire set.

Lands & Peoples works for me for 3 reasons:

1. My friend's in the band. I'm not going to pretend like this doesn't bias my opinion of Lands & Peoples; it does. But given an honest assessment, I wouldn't waste time writing about them, or putting the video I shot on YouTube if I thought they sucked. For the record, Brian has always been the type of friend-musician that's actually good. Not the friend-musician people just put up with.

2. They really do sound like Grizzly Bear! I like Grizzly Bear. And for such a young band it's quite okay with me if they wear their influences on their sleeve, especially since they do it so well.

3. They knew their limitations and transitioned smoothly. They played for just the right amount of time, not wearing out their welcome at all. Since I was holding a video camera the entire time, I was extremely lucid of their set's length-to-excitement ratio.

So there you are tired Tuesday working people. I gathered the info about the Canon Vixia video camera that I needed for the review, visited with a friend I hadn't seen in a while, and listened to a young band that promises to deliver some very exciting material in the months to come. That's how you get after it.

tales of the endless

2010-02-26T08:22:00.000-08:00

There is an old legend, whispers of which are oft heard in the darker recesses of Harford Road, of a large and welcoming land sprinkled with christmas lights and sparse kitsch, where the jazz flows as freely, though possibly more softly, on Sunday morning as it does on Friday night. In this wondrous world children can frolick in an astroturf playland while those more matured among us enjoy ENDLESS mimosas and bloody marys with our brunch. That are served in pint glasses, or pitchers, if you're really ready to go for the gold.

Oh, and also, there's this picture of Kenny Rogers to look at, which I realize is a little dark (mostly due to all that endlessness mentioned above) BUT, it's black VELVET:

The Parkside, a weekend morning reverie to behold.

Hella Hyphe

2010-02-18T10:31:00.000-08:00

When facing what potentially appears to be the worst blizzard to hit Baltimore for the past million years or so, or if you prefer everyone's fave new buzz word SNOWPOCALYPSE, Charm City Reverie recommends getting the hell out of Dodge and booking it to that other "City By the Bay" : San Francisco. Perfect for someone dying for a weather break and change of pace, without the stress of a mid-winter bikiniline exposure, SF offers a variety of options for the discerning and non-discerning tourist alike. This past week happened to be this Charmer's third and decidedly best trip to the "Paris of the West," and I'm feeling thus adequately equipped to extend a few recommendations to the rest of my snowbound kindreds:

-tackle the obvious: rent a real bike,(not one of the dumb ones right at the bridge with the bike equivalent of a fanny pack on it) and cross the Golden Gate. The experience of biking over the Pacific Ocean is vastly different than over any old river (the East River for example) and totally worth the weirdly precarious sensation and the view from the other side.

-Check out the California Academy of Sciences. The exhibits are awesome, the rain forest is somehow actually more humid than the city itself, and the Planetarium offers some wonderfully mind-blowing shows, usually narrated by Sigourney Weaver, which is always fun. And when you're done, hop across the lawn and go to the top of the Observatory for a wonderful 360 full shot of the city.

-A little further into the park, is a wonderful little pond where you can rent peddle boats and paddle around this huge and luscious hill, straight out of Mirkwood or something (ahem), while strangely aggressive, weird black ducks quack at you.

-Brunch, drinking, and unique shopping in the Mission, the Williamsburg of the West, lots of graffiti to check out, as well as Dave Egger's pirate/tutoring/store thing, 826 Valencia, if you're into it.

-Eavesdrop on a mindnumbingly repetitive "impromptu" bongo session amongst stoners on Hippie Hill

-If you're lucky enough not to be stuck indoors, waiting for your damn passport cause you were stupid enough to lose your liscence immediately after going through security, take a tour of Alcatraz, apparently the night ones are the creepiest/best. Also you take a ferry over and back, and a little birdie told me there may be drinks sold on board?

-Retreat into the apex of your childhood on the Seward Street Slides:

-In between shopping for the perfect bong on Haight Street, stop by Alembic for an astoundingly delicious cocktail, or three. I recommend the Vasco De Gama, for those who like their Bourbon.

-Make sure to thoroughly wash the crack residue off your hand when a self-proclaimed "vinyl revolutionary" insists on greeting you like a king in between rants, while you wait for your bus.

-If you still have that bike, check out the Sutro Baths, where you can climb a cliff overlooking some very epic wave-crashing-into-rocks action, and ponder the ruins of some crazy Victorian Bathhouse contraption that burned down (while being demolished?) in 1966. Also there's a little cave to explore, but I don't recommend exploring it if you're wearing inappropriate shoes, such as ballet flats. Those little pieces of gravel are betches.

-Learn to throw around the following words in casual conversation: janky, Tenderloin, compost, and hyphe.

-Spend an afternoon drinking Frenet, preferably out of a teacup complete with saucer, accompanied by your favorite chatting companion, while watching RuPaul's Drag Race, and blogging the best lines.

-And finally, make a special trip to Haight-Ashbury local dive, Trax, and sip a wonderfully cheap drink while attempting to crack the top score at Word Dojo(only the best bar game EVER). If you do, send me a pic, and you'll win my unwavering respect and resentment. But watch out for a skinny Greek kid in pink sunglasses who is most likely already parked on that particular stool, whiskey in hand. He can get pretty testy if you try to bust in on his game, but mention Charm City Reverie, and he might just grant you an attmept.

midway between here and kind of drunk

2010-02-15T15:15:00.001-08:00

If one random evening, you happen to find yourself on route 40, right north of White Marsh, in Joppatowne, with enough time and interest in experiencing a little of that Harford County culture you may have heard about, I recommend stopping by Midway Discount Liquors. Ostensibly a run of the mill rt 40 flurouscently bulbed liquor warehouse, one only need enter to realize this place is so much more. The excessively charming older man working the register was overwhelmingly pleased by any young man who chose “decent” wine, which should not be all that surprising considering the excellent variety of choice wines for which they also provide a plethora of discounts and promotions, especially if you sign up for their email list.

But the real magic of Midway is where the store merges ever so garishly into one of the diveast bars I’ve ever been in. On the right, across from the bar, the stools in front of the slot machines are most likely already full, and all around the periphery are giant stacks of beer cases. And the drinks doled out by the welcoming and deep-voiced bartenderess were about the cheapest I have encountered, well, maybe ever. And finally, it’s the kind of establishment where you can come out of the restroom and discover your drinking partner embroiled in a conversation actually about cow tipping. No Joke kids.

It's the finding that's the hard part

2010-02-01T13:24:00.000-08:00

LOSING YOURSELF IN THE 21st CENTURY at MAP
Exhibition:  February  4  –  March  27,  2010 
 
Event Schedule:
February 4:  Opening Events 
4 pm: LY Artists and Curators present the project
5 - 8 pm: Reception and Gallery Talk 

The exhibition features new work by young U.S. based women artists working in interactive and performative media to explore the idea of “self” in the 21st century. Their projects reveal how new media, information systems and consumer culture encourage personal expression at the same time they diffuse our sense of self and control our behavior. The artists alternately embrace, critique and transcend contemporary female identity.

The project was developed, and the artists chosen, through losingyourself.com, where you can view the submitted artwork and accompanying blurbs for a tantalizing preview, as well as artists' bios. I plan on looking into if Susan Lee-Chun sells any of the clothes from her pieces. That plaid Roman soldier business looks Awesome.

explorations of that elusive, new American Dream

2010-01-28T07:50:00.000-08:00

A young man dies of a heroin overdose in an abandoned house in Baltimore. On the eve of his funeral, family and friends gather to commemorate his life. Their shared memories paint a portrait of a community hanging in the balance, skewed by poverty, city living, and a generational divide, united in their pursuit of a new American Dream.

That lovely bit of morbidity is the synopsis for a new project from local film maker Matt Porterfield. Putty Hill came about in the aftermath of financial fallout and subsequent production delay for Matt's original screenplay opus, Metal Gods. In an impressive show of determination, Matt utilized many of the actors he'd formed relationships with while preparing for filming, and created a smaller project inspired by the "Baltimore suburb wild with unkempt hedges, disheveled lawns and porches, yards full of car parts and swimming pools," where he grew up.

What started out as one line of dialogue and 15 precise shooting locations, developed into a completely unique combination of improvised details and sincere emotional connection. "Neither wholly fiction or documentary, but constantly switching between the two in a seamless, freeform fashion, the film is at once about the characters and the actors playing the characters, about a real and fictive Baltimore, about a story invented for the screen but true to life..."

Though I have not seen any of Porterfield's full features to date, the incredible trailer for Putty Hill, along with the flabergasted press he's gotten, and his wonderfully revealing and articulated interview responses have thoroughly won me over.

Porterfield and co are currently trying to raise enough money to cover the costs of finishing Putty Hill in time for its worldwide premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival on Feb. 18. In that vein, there will be a special sneak peak screening next Monday, Feb. 1, at the Charles at 9:00pm, followed by a short Q & A with the main man himself. If you can't make it, check out the film's website, again here, where you can donate directly, watch the trailer, and download the press packet which contains a fabulous interview with Mr. Porterfield by Joel Lovell of GQ.

marmadukes and the fortuitous power of google alerts

2010-01-26T11:10:00.000-08:00

So, Super Art Fight 6 was pretty much the most randomly exciting thing I've had the pleasure of running across in quite some time. If you want a very detailed rundown, with official results and contestant interviews, check out the official Blog. I find it worth noting that the audience decided to crown the first ever lady champ of Super Art Fight, so congratulations Jamie “Brawlin’” Baldwin. Way to bust right through that glass ceiling with sharpie in hand.

No word yet on where SAF7 will be held, though I heard rumors of intentions to attempt a jump up to that haven of arty weirdness Brooklyn, NY. (In which case you can be sure that I'll be covering it.) But I'm sure all will be revealed on their blog as it becomes solidified. In the meantime, Super Art Fight will be making an appearance at Katsucon 16, in National Harbor, MD on Sat, Feb. 13. If you happen to be in the area and would appreciate "a fan convention for multicultural enthusiasts and entertainment," then you can catch SAF among other anime artistic explorations.

Being completely enraptured, and sans a real camera, I didn't take many pictures, but here's the idea.

And those practically indistinguishable figures on the stage would be The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad, who did a pretty spectacular job of maintaining my attention during breaks between fights. To better understand the musical and image philosophy behind DMFS's particular brand of horse-head-and-cape-wearing-goof-rock, guitarist and sometime singer Nikc [sic] Miller granted me an exclusive interview between sets.

Nikc is pictured the Sizzle shirt above giving his interpretation of a gang symbol for the feed management site Feedburner, of which he spent a fair amount of our time together discussing. (That and his mentionings in person and in the comments of this blog concerning google alerts have led me to theorize about his actually working for Google in a niche-focus-to-mainstream cross over promotional marketing campaign.)

But besides that, I learned of the multiple and overlapping side projects of the band members, including a duo charmingly called Wild Bonerz and the kiddie-friendly cover band Hilltop Hightops, the latter of which accompanied a great story about playing at the Science Center on New Years Eve and getting asked to turn it down by perplexed visitors. And that might be even funnier to anyone who witnessed the DMFS's second set bit with the taco bell burrito and song-request-wrapper.

But then somehow, the winner was announced, the band had to pack up, and I had to finish my whiskey and soda in the ever shattering glare of end of closing time bar lights, before heading into the dreary black night, vaguely confused, highly amused, and entirely entertained. Until we meet again, Charm City Revelers.

In the meantime, it looks like Dirty Marmaduke has another show at the end of February, and there's lots to read on their blog, where you'll find gems such as: "MacLeod reminds us that while playing a rock festival for 60,000 people is cool, having health insurance when you're 38 years old KICKS ASS."

this is what combative art looks like

2010-01-21T08:52:00.000-08:00

So if you're into comics/graphic novels/stories which are drawn, then you should check out Super Art Fight, the "Greatest Live Art Competition in the known universe," this coming Saturday night at Ottobar. In this sixth competition four artists must cover a blank canvas with their dueling illustrations, while the audience looks on, ultimately deciding the winner based on demonstrated skill, wit, and gumption. (Or you know, whoever inspires them to cheer the loudest.) And then there is the Wheel of Death that directs the process every so often with specific elements/themes/topics to be incorporated into the designs. Brutal, I know.

There will be live music from The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad. (Don't you just want to know what that band will possibly look/sound like? You do.) Show's at nine, doors at eight, tickets are $10. Promo video below.

Incidentally, one of the MCs for Super Art Fight is Ross Nover, a sometimes design teacher down at American University, where we know all the really great graphic designers come from, who also has a webcomic that I really enjoy.

Kindle Can't Give You This

2010-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

Ukazoo Books, over in Towson right across from the mall, and that new part of the the mall in particular, has none of the diminutive, dusty smelling, and tucked-away-charm associated with most used bookstores. Well, it probably does smell a little bit like dust, since the endless rows of books lining its walls are still used, and often older than I am, but any effort to that effect is negating by the overwhelming spaciousness of their store. Truly, this place put Barnes and Noble to shame! And I mean the one just a stone's throw away hugging the traffic circle a little further up Dulaney Valley Rd.- as in the big one, with the elevators.

If I still sound a bit slack-jawed, it's because I've never been in such an impressive used bookstore, EVER. And I certainly wasn't expecting on finding such a seemingly prosperous one lurking on the edges of Baltimore City during an Amazon/Walmart bidding war on new titles and the year of the Kindle. I seemed to be the only person browsing the stacks during my visit, though it's difficult to be sure, but also it was near closing time on a random, cold Tuesday, so that observation is hardly informative.
The vast expanse of sections was nearly daunting. Though I mostly stuck to the fiction & literature part, both the science fiction and children's areas were nearly bursting with selections.

And speaking of Barnes and Noble, you know how you're always stumbling across pale teenagers lurking near the bottom shelf while they sit and read for hours because the store doesn't really care that much about the loitering, but doesn't want to actively encourage it by providing too many places to sit outside of their Starbucks rip-off-cafe? Ukazoo WANTS you to stay, and they provide FREE tea and coffee and FREE wi-fi, and tons of cushy seating to PROVE IT. It seemed as though every couple of feet I encountered another inviting mini-living room, and I worked hard to resist the urge to gratuitously lounge in every seat, in search of maximum reading comfort. They even invite local artists to hang their stuff on the walls. I don't know how else to say this: Ukazoo is just about the closest I imagine any serious reader has come to heaven. And, after a visit, if you feel like maybe you just haven't done quite enough to stand up for the tangible transcendence of the physical art experience in this age if digital immediacy, you could walk a couple of feet down to one of the remaining Record and Tape Traders and pick up a CD (remember those?) or, even BETTER, something like Dylan on vinyl.

And So We Are Here

2010-01-03T20:28:00.000-08:00

For the first time ever, possibly, I rang in the New Year in Baltimore, and drink free, actually. I'm not even sure which of those is more surprising, or indeed which should make me feel worse. And it went off pretty well. Sonar did not disappoint, though I have neglected her for months. There was the always truly surprising and hefty mix of people, despite the dismal almost-freezing-drizzle. And yet the dance floor crowding was just right. The experience inspired me to resolve to sooner rather than later, like maybe to The Anvil Experience on the 14th, cause that would be CRAZY.

I suppose in a less optimistic mood, I could have had a less pleasurable time, but someone complimented me on my dancing, Bad Romance made an appearance, and only one drunk guy tried to grind with me. I'm not exactly sure what this might bode for the year now cresting the horizon, but I'm leaning towards on the up.

Happy New Year to all! May your failed resolutions not encumber your conscience to the point that you cannot make more this year! I'm pretty sure the whole business we're celebrating this holiday for is something like hope.

And booze of course.

Urban Outfitters

2009-12-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

At least they make a vague effort at winning over their local market. And who knew the one in harborplace was that HUGE? I think it's bigger than the one on Broadway.

Ode to good old American trashy cheer!

2009-12-15T10:51:00.000-08:00

O Hampden! How bright your lights stream into the dark Baltimore night. Thank you for adding just the right touch of pleasure and irony to a winter's evening.

It truly is an unimaginably overwhelming experience, and worth the effort. I suggest getting a drink, or three, first, Rocket to Venus is across the street basically where you could also get a delicious fried pickle!!!!! Then get up close and personal with the delirium of lights. Save the first, and brightest, house for last though. Then spend a moment on the porch pondering the rows and rows of dolls and animatronic santas and angels as they quietly squeak their motorized cheer. Soooo creepy.

hark, felt and pottery and the like

2009-12-08T10:15:00.000-08:00

I had never been in St. John's Church, where Holiday Heap was held this year, but I would definitely go back for any events they might have in the future. I hear they do shows here sometimes as well. So here's a small taste of how pretty and festive the whole thing was, helped I'm sure by the snowy atmosphere, which did not deter quite a few people from showing up, and I was there late, so hopefully the morning crowd was even better. I'd share what I got, but that would ruin some of my surprise Christmas intentions.

And these houses across the street from the church were just too perfect not to be added to this photographic review.

Sometimes Baltimore feels like a movie, from the 90s.

crafty

2009-12-03T08:37:00.000-08:00

OOOOOH. So after you gorge yourself on experimental art, give your analytical and interpretive skills a break by blowing some cash at the Holiday Heap 2009 indie craft fair this weekend at St. John's Church. The event is hosted by Charm City Mafia, and will be going on this Saturday from 10-5. It looks like there will be at least forty vendors there, a few quality repeats from Crafty Bastards in DC back in October I think. At least I recognize Spaghetti Kiss, where I got this hoodie:

what to do...

2009-12-03T08:17:00.000-08:00

In my traversing of the interwebs to find something interesting and art-related in our fair city this coming weekend, I came across this little gem of blog, which I felt should be shared. BmoreArt provides a really thorough overview of what's going on in the visual arts in Baltimore, for those of us not lucky enough to be at ArtMiami right now, ahem. Seems like a good time to drop by the Creative Alliance to see the newest of their mini installations: "Minument", artist Matthew McConville's re-imaging of the downtown monument to Roger B. Taney. And/or to check out this month's performance of Los Solos Series, an "innovative monthly performance series of solo performances by groundbreaking female artists." I'm particularly taken with this week's performance title; Animalia, Stories of Collapse, Calamity and Departure, perfect for a Friday night.

So now, we all have a great blog to getting event ideas from, when i am being lazy. And for no particular reason, other than I love this building and taking pictures of it, the as-yet-undeveloped warehouse in Brewer's Hill:

a great place to hide those hungover red eyes

2009-11-26T10:17:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago when there was still such a thing as sunshine, I dropped by Meli patisserie and bistro in Fells Point for brunch. It was my first time there and I was fairly surprised by the swanky lounge-atmosphere. There was even a jazz band playing complete with a huge standup bass. The food was excellent, and decidedly cheap. Which you can read extensively about here. The portions were a bit on the smaller side, which suited me perfectly well, and accounted for the pricing.

Anyhow, it's a perfectly wonderful place to go sip martini's in the downstairs lounge, where on this particular Sunday there was some sort of sale going on with fur coats, jewelry and purses, and some confused waiter tried to give me a mini crabcake when I dazedly exited the bathroom. And speaking of that bathroom, my main reason for recommending you try out Meli is that there is no exaggerating how cool the sink mirrors make your eyes look. I don't know what exactly it is about the old-Hollywood-style bulbs around the circular mirror dynamic that caused my baby blues to shimmer in such a mesmerizing way, but it was enough to cause me not to notice another lady in the room until she was awkwardly inserting herself at the space next to me. Of course, this could all be my vanity speaking. Check it out for yourself.

NY Mag

2009-11-18T08:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, this article is extremely annoying on many, many levels. New York publications need to stop writing about "hipsters" and "scenes" and all this like they're some recently discovered lost tribe. It's annoying and lazy. They are turning Brooklyn into a petting zoo, where confused tourists now wander looking for this land of milk and honey overflowing with cute, young, creatives. Anyhow, what really gets me, and why I'm posting this, is they are implying that all of these bands were made in Brooklyn, which is false!

Animal Collective may very well reside there now, but they are Baltimore sons. I mean their last album was called Merriweather Post Pavilion! All the Brooklynites blaring that cd must think it's some ironic circus reference or something. And the Dirty Projectors have been all over, but definitively started in New Haven. There is nothing really to be done about this. I just felt there should be a little more rage exerted.

rocketeering in hampden

2009-11-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

Ultimately, Baltimore is a tacky town, endearingly, occasionally ironically, but still essentially tacky. The unofficial (really?) mascot is a bright red crab covered in dirty looking seasoning, which matches the reddish brick hue uniformly engulfing every neighborhood; the state flower, growing all over the place, is a vibrant yellow black eyed susan, which incidentally corresponds with the yellow checkered crest of the Calvert family dueling it out on the state flag with the red and white crest of some other old english family. Cultural city stereotypes typically involve chubby women with beehives saying hon, and the portrayal of a dying police force in the Wire. One could even debate the aesthetic value of that giant ode to Washington on N Charles Street.

All of this is to say, when searching for the hipster heart of Charm City, expect no less than a chrome finished space, resplendent with aqua colored booths, and themed after a failed backyard launch of a homemade rocket to Venus, back in the thirties. Rocket to Venus reminds me a lot of Pete's Candy Store, only with more space and stitch. The art was intriguing enough in its own right, and flowed well within the space. I didn't get a chance to try the food, but I hear it's quite delicious. I would like to go on about how much of a relief this bar felt to me, but that would really sort of defeat the purpose. Oh, and bonus points for selling late night bottles of wine to go.

2009-11-06T11:51:00.001-08:00

Since I seem to been wandering into bookstores left and right lately, here's another good find. Salamander Books over in Hampden was a great little place with a well curated, and organized, selection of used books. While I mostly stuck to the literature section, possibly the smallest, I was really impressed with the art selection. This would be a perfect place to find a gift book for a photography or architecture buff. Or you know, anyone who likes interesting things. They were all well priced and in great shape.

And the owner, I'm assuming he was the owner, was very friendly and chatted with me for a while. Mostly he was trying to convince me of how much better my life would be if I stayed in Baltimore and met other New York ex-pats, but I appreciated his enthusiasm and loyalty. Also I think you can order from them at Abebooks.com, if you don't have time to drop by 36th Street. Happy Reading.

Betty Friedan over Coffee

2009-11-03T20:18:00.000-08:00

When I first moved to New York, for brunch I would occasionally find myself coaxed out of my hungover-Brooklyn-haze to a cafe in the east village so well known for its coffee that it had seen it financially feasible to paint a truck with their psychadelic organge logo and park it outside of a busy subway stop in the heart of NYU territory, only a few blocks away from their actual restaurant just to sell coffee. And I've never even bothered to stop because there is always such a long line. Anyhow, brunch at MUD is basically the closest I've ever consistently been to the whole dreadlocked, bellbottomed, psychadelic, east village hippie vibe I've been pretty much since I graduated college. It's just never resonated with me the way it does with other, less apathetic people.

That being said, I was thoroughly refreshed to randomly turn a corner in the decidedly revolutionary-unwelcoming Mt. Vernon, and happen upon Red Emma's Bookstore Coffeehouse. Red Emma's is exactly the kind of vegan friendly watering hole any good urban center needs to fuel upstart marginalized thinkers. Entering the basement level shop takes the visitor into a dark, and un-airconditioned, large open room with a few tables for leisure reading and writing, which all of the table occupiers seemed to be doing anyhow. The small, but purposefully stocked shelves are towards the back, with enough intriguing titles to steer my eye away from the coffee and food bar, which I sadly had no time for. The menu of the day boasted some appealing vegetarian dishes, including a quiche. In my opinion the most impressive part were the three computers set up for internet access, in case you happened to find yourself inspired sans computer, because not expecting everyone to have a laptop or iphone on hand is truly a lost courtesy, and the magazine/journal section, with a large and rare spread of titles. Drop by for an inspiring dose of gritty energy.

Pizza and Jazz

2009-11-02T09:14:00.000-08:00

Dearest readers. I apologize profusely for my inexcusable disappearance. Sometimes life gets a little too busy to keep up with things we are unfortunately not paid to do! Anyhow, I'm working to get back on form. So let's begin.

First of all, really uncharming weather we've been having lately. I was unable to attend the lantern parade and festival due to the weather postponement, so I can't say whether or not it was awesome, but hopefully a few people were still able to enjoy it. So that Saturday night, after the torrential downpour had stopped, I went to a concert at Joe Squared on North Avenue instead. Besides just serving delicious thin crust pizza, Joe Squared has a bar, with a stage area where they display local art and musical talent pretty much every night. Check out their calendar page for upcoming shows and events.

The band I went to see was jazz-rock outfit BKER fronted by local muralist Michael Owen and his seductively voiced wife Shelley. Personally, I've never really been a fan of jazz, my tastes generally run in the opposite direction of anything that smooth, but BKER was entirely engaging, due to their fusion of the jazz sound with some rock energy. Some songs actually made me want to jump around in that flailing manner I call dancing. And Shelley's voice truly is irresistible. I recommend seeing them if you get a chance. They can frequently be found at musician-welcoming watering holes around town.

When not playing with his band, Michael can be found working on his most current mural project over on the Eastern Avenue stretch of underpass wall between Highlandtown and Greektown. Not only is this the MICA alum's largest project to date, but it is also the largest ever attempted by Baltimore's mural program. Michael decided to go with the theme of a parade, showing the lower haves of walking figures emblematic of the communities the underpass is uniting. In addition to numerous other murals around the city, and also in other cities, you can catch Michael's smaller paintings and other fine art, and works on his own self-iniated Baltimore Love Project. He is quite literally spreading the love through his design of hands spelling out the word love on 20 walls in the city. So keep an eye out, or contact Michael if you're interested in volunteering.

Brunch!

2009-10-18T19:28:00.000-07:00

Not that Miss Shirley's needs any more publicity, from anyone, whatsoever, but still, I ventured there for the first time on Saturday morning, and was (...!) not disappointed. I did feel the decor left a little to be desired; the bright colored walls and small prints of Baltimore scenery did little to inspire a sense of unique space, though they were not, well, horrific. The food, however, was every bit as good as advertised, though the sheer volume of choices was beyond overwhelming. I recommend using the inevitable waiting time to peruse the oversized menus, and if you're still a bit lost, then consider the corn cakes eggs benedict, which was a wonderfully simple yet surprising twist on the typical benedict concoction, employing this crazy sauce to augment the basic and sour premise of poached egg, corn cake, and hollandaise. Also scrumptious was the side of potato pancakes, served with sour cream (le sigh) which chives!

If you like your breakfast sweet, and are feeling adventurous, go for the Coconut Cream-Stuffed French Toasts. It consisted of two huge slices of french toast, stuffed with a fluffy creamy, cheesy filling with a hint of coconut, and bruleed bananas on the side. I am not typically a pancakes/waffles/french toast kind of brunch girl. I prefer my breakfast to be manly, with eggs, lots of melted cheese, and heavy meat. But this dish truly impressed me and my jaded taste buds. Sadly my dining partner and I had drank a little too much the night before to find the idea of alcohol so early in the morning to be at all appealing, but their cocktail menu had a few additions to the typical brunch fair that I can't wait to try on guaranteed future visits. (Julip, yes please.)

And the shoes...

2009-10-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

The visceral pleasure of walking into a superbly planned shoe boutique is not to be underrated. Poppy and Stella provided me with just such an experience when I ducked into the cozy and welcoming space on a cold and rainy evening. Located on South Broadway at in Fells Poiont, Poppy and Stella has an expertly curated selection of what we generally refer to as accessories;jewelry, purses, scarves, etc... and of course shoes. I was pleased to note that they carry one of my favorite brands, Sam Edelman, as well as Jeffrey Campbell, Modern Vintage, and Naughty Monkey among others. Though I left only with the jewelry in the picture above, a gift, I completely plan on returning sometime this week to purchase these beauties:

And here's some more shoe porn:

Ambient Dining in Canton

2009-10-18T11:43:00.000-07:00

The wonderfully atmospheric Annabel Lee Tavern is located at the corner of Clinton And Fleet streets in Canton. Named after Poe's last poem, the restaurant makes its namesake abundantly clear, with stuffed ravens adorning the bar, and the entire back wall covered in lines of poetry complimenting the large picture of the great man himself.

The food was as surprising as it was delicious; I enjoyed a crab ravioli special topped with craw fish while my friend savored her spinach and portabello burrito. The drinks also did not disappoint, and the beer selection is small but precise and includes, aptly, Raven Lager and Resurrection, from that other Balitmore fave: Brewer's Art. Annabel Lee's is a wonderfully cozy place to go for an intimate meal, but sadly, is hardly the undiscovered gem I would prefer. Get there at an unusual dinner time or be prepared to wait.

this girl is making me boy crazy

2009-10-14T21:38:00.001-07:00

OK, so I'm going to embrace the inevitable, and break from the strict theme of my blog, BUT for a GOOD cause. And while she's not something fun to do in Baltimore, her blog is certainly a great way to spend some time on any given day, anywhere.

I am in love with Alexi Wasser. I was skeptical at first, as you just can't always trust recommendations you read on random blogs these days. (irony! Get it?) And her site is called imboycrazy, and does involve a lot of pink. But I'm an adventurous gal, and I have a lot of down time on my hands, which is all to say; i was hooked on the first post. Alexi is endearing to a dangerous degree, and she looks like Zoey Dechanel only funnier, crazier, less pretentious and annoying. Every post is dripping in an astoundingly welcome sincerity that catches the reader off guard, and makes her, laugh, like out loud! By herself! It's amazing. She always seems to be almost walking a line, like if she wrote just one quarter inch to the right, I could and definitely would, hate her. Her romantic/life advice is not new or particularly analytical. But that's sort of why it works. She can say the most surface and obvious thing, yet she does it so magnificently, so utterly sincerely that you can't help noticing the truth lurking behind the cliche. she says something silly, something I would ordinarily disregard, then follows it, possibly in the same sentence, with something so purely wonderful and simple and lovely and un-fucking-pretentious, that I can hear it exactly as if she were speaking with her eyes wide and her adorable lisp. And it melts me.

Like I said, I am madly in love with Alexi Wasser.

Pit Beef

2009-10-12T09:18:00.000-07:00

So I first heard about this place on some show on the Food Network, Guy Fiore was talking about how Duff from Ace of Cakes took him there, and it was his top sandwich or something. If anyone cares to look into that. But more importantly, when I visited it myself, I decided that it was one of the best sandwiches I had ever had. Chaps Charcoal Restaurant, is a little off the beaten path, over on Pulaski Highway a stone's throw from 895. And while going there is really a fabulously John Watersesque experience, (for instance, Chaps shares a parking lot with The Gentleman's Gold Club, which is apparently a great place to get started in porn!)any reservations you may have had will fly right out of your head once you get ahold of their gratuitously meat-heavy concoctions. I got the Louie, which was amazing, but so was everything else purchased by my party and tasted by me. The fries were also excellent. Go hungry, is all I recommend.

Haunted Poe

2009-10-12T08:06:00.000-07:00

First of all, I am going to address the fact that I do not claim to have "discovered" anything I post on this blog, as in like found something previously unknown, that none of you average citizens could have found on your own due to my astounding skills of cool. (Though they are tremendously impressive) This blog is supposed to be more about the rediscovery of Baltimore as an interesting city to explore culturally, which is why I ask for suggestions, and truly mean of any sort. And yes, this note is specifically addressed to someone, and she knows who she is, ahem.

Anyhow, this post is again concerning an awesome looking event in a sister city-that great haven of brotherly love and sunny comedians: Philadelphia! Brat Productions is a theater company formed in '96 and has developed "a reputation for experimentation and bravado. Brat explores new plays and re-envisioned classics, collaborates with emerging local and national artists, and produces work in non-traditional venues." For Halloween, they created a new twist on the haunted house, turning a warehouse in south Philly into an interactive ghoulish extravaganza involving performances of Poe's more famous pieces. The show is from 7:00-9:30 Thursday through Sunday until Nov 1, with an extra Tuesday and Wednesday show the final week. Hopefully I'll be able to check it out while it's running. But again, a nice alternative to the average Halloween event.

Lighting Up Patterson

2009-10-10T10:39:00.000-07:00

So Saturday Oct. 24, there will be a Lantern Festival from 3-9pm and parade & show 7:30pm. It will be the 10th anniversary of this "live, monumental, projected fairy tale," where anyone can participate with their own lantern. To quote the website:

Live Music! Beer Garden! Hayrides! Crafts for sale!

There are free workshops going on for the next few weeks, where you can work on your lantern in good company The parade video looks really sweet, and it seems like a good way to build up your anticipation for All Hallows Eve the next weekend.

DC Day and Night

2009-10-06T11:01:00.000-07:00

So for anyone who couldn't make it down to Crafty Bastards this weekend, I have a nice little recap for you, as encouragement to go next year,or check out some of the vendors online, cause it was super amazing and well worth the effort. I would say it was at least as large as the Renegade Craft Fair, which is an awesome series of events that happen every year in a few different cities (New York's takes place in Williamsburg, Brooklyn). And I definitely saw a few of the same vendors from this year's, which happened up there in June, at Crafty Bastards. There were lots of the quality kinds of stuff one would expect; jewelry, screenprinted shirts, posters, knits, and handmade yarn, with a few interesting surprises. Here's a little photo montage:

This was a really incredible game/doll thing made out of felt:

Jewelry made out sprockets (well they looked like sprockets):

T-shirt with rampaging panda screenprinting:

Rack of leather cuffs:

Way cooler than a tumi roller:

What I bought for myself, Buffalo!

So if any of this piques your interest, you can still find all the vendor info here, see more pics, see who won the craftiest bastard contest, when they announce it, and check out the limited time crafty bastards etsy store, so you could easily purchase cool stuff and pretend that you were there.

Since I was already in the area, I figured it was a good time to finally check out the Rock and Roll Hotel on H street, which I'd been meaning to get around to for years. So H street is supposed to be the Williamsburg/Bushwick of DC or something, for the usual reasons that any neighborhood in any city becomes the new hip place to be. And considering how post-apocalyptic the looooong-ass walk from the Union Station metro stop was, it all made perfect sense. I'd been to the area about two years ago to stop by the excellent and really-awesomely-weird Palace of Wonders, which is a bar/venue with an actual creepy collection of oddities, burlesque shows and the like. Anyhow, we hung out upstairs at the hotel where a DJ was playing one of the better sets I've heard anywhere in a long time, kind of exactly what one would expect to hear at an indie bar (Miike Snow, Passion Pit, Santogold, mixed in with more "guilty" faves). He was also super nice, appreciating our enthusiasm for his musical repertoire and loaning my flailing brother some sort of glowing cube to dance around with. (Sadly I did not get a pic of this because, well, I'd had quite a few and was doing my best not slip on the crowded dance floor.) Rather a few more bros than I would like to see, anywhere, but compared to most other DC hotspots, quite the hipster haven. And though, my compatriots and I planned poorly and were not able to take advantage, there is a free H street shuttle that goes to Gallery Place stop about every hour, which I recommend in lieu of aforementioned walk.

So, yeah, Go DC!

Bacon Peanut Butter Burgers and Will Hoge

2009-10-03T09:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm sure it sounds pretty gross at first listen, in fact I know it does because before losing my bacon peanut butter burger virginity, I too was a skeptic. No more my readers, no more. The Abbey is a little "burger bistro" that really just kind of seemed like a pub, tucked into a corner of Federal Hill, albeit one that was pleasantly sparse for a Friday night especially considering the street crowd outside. In addition to the aforementioned burger I enjoyed, The Abbey has quite an impressive list of unusual meat and complimentary condiments, including ostrich, wild boar, and a pretzel bun, which you can either customize exactly to your liking or take on one of their cleverly assembled suggestions. They also had vegetarian options and an impressive beer list.

See how wonderfully satisfied this up and coming local med student looks while enjoying an Abbey delight:

But enough about food. I also discovered a wonderful little place only a few feet away from the Abbey called The 8x10, a wonderfully small venue, I'm guessing, ostensibly named for its small size, with a relaxed torn-jeans-and-corduroy kind of atmosphere, though I suppose that could have more to do with the band than the actual staging area as the singer was actually wearing jeans and corduroy blazer, but either way, awesome little place. Will Hoge is a soulful, bluesy rocker from Tennessee who sounds how you would expect a good singer/songwriter rocker from the south to sound, a little Bob Dylan, a little Tom Petty, a little jammy. He even kind of looked to me like a slightly roughed up Jakob Dylan (though it's been a while since I've seen Jakob so maybe they just kind of look similar these days?) This was my first introduction to Will's music, but I found it compelling, with enough get-up-and-go for me to dance to. And speaking of which, I'm going to throw in here, Kudos Baltimore for not being exclusively full of lame-ass concert goers, unlike some other cities I'm familiar with. And while no one else at the show was getting down quite as hard (or wildly limbed) as I was, the general feeling of piercing hatred was absent. Well, excepting the first row that was entirely composed of rather bland girls clustering the stage to oogle the performer in his rocker glory. They weren't too happy with me and my flailing, but I mean, who does that, really?

Why Is FiFi in New York?

2009-10-02T11:47:00.000-07:00

So there are a few things going on in this post. First of all, if you are ever in Baltimore in May, do not miss this. I am tragically saddened that I did not know of this race's existence before today, because WOW. Now, for anyone unfamiliar with all of this, FiFi, a giant pink tulle poodle, first stole the show in 2001, has been the reigning queen of the Balitmore art scene ever since, and become a veritable mascot for The American Visionary Art Museum. She even has her own facebook page and twitter account. (Yes I am now following her.) Anyhow, the really interesting part of this story is that when I saw her on some page about art in Baltimore, I realized I had, in fact, partaken of this visage before, in a photo spread in Harper's Bazaar. (Which was for some intelligence-insulting piece about how you should not be ashamed to go designer-label-shopping during a recession because it's good for the economy or some other blatant bullshit, but still, go FiFi!) So after some digging, I unearthed this awesome bit of information; Bergdorf Goodman put up a window and in-store display in July inspired and sponsored by AVAM. And among some of the borrowed artwork was a statue of Divine and a scaled down reproduction of FiFi. I'm sorry I missed the display, as I'm completely impressed when anyone in Manhattan deigns to acknowledge that other cities/towns/people exist, and also because it just looks like it was pretty sweet. But cruising up Fifth avenue to admire shop windows was never really my thing anyways.

Crabby Mary!

2009-10-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

Ok, so I know everyone already has their favorite place to get crabs, this is Baltimore, of Harbor fame for Christ's sake, and my choice is hardly novel (though it is at least not fucking Phillips) BUT I'm going to put in a vote for Obrycki's. There are many reasons why I could gush on and on, like a tremulous teenage girl on the night of her first glimpse of real trumpets and fireworks love, when the whole world breaks open wider than she could have imagined; and she is practically high, quaking on the astounding beauty of infinite possibility. But I'm going to stick to one:

The Crabby Mary

If you like a good bloody mary, and honestly you really should, and a little of Obrycki's seasoning, which is incidentally not just Old Bay, and a motherfuckingcrableg, well here you have it, the perfect amalgamation of all three, and you have deliciousness.

Oh, and the crabs are wonderful and reasonably priced as well.

Crafty Bastards

2009-09-30T12:44:00.000-07:00

I realize this is a Baltimore blog, but since DC is really only a hop and skip away,and because this looks so damn awesome, I'm going to post it anyways. Crafty Bastards is what appears to be a Brooklyn-quality craft fair (hipsters take their crafts SRSLY up there kids)going on in Adams Morgan this Saturday from 10-5. You can check out the vendor list and get maps and directions and whatnot here. There will be the usual jewelry, art, clothes, home decor etc... Urban Outfitters will be sponsoring a contest for the craftiest bastard, shockingly enough, and hopefully the place will be packed with all the plaid and skinny jeans DC is so desperately in need of. In my humble opinion.

The vendors all look pretty cool, but I'm especially excited for Giant Dwarf, Bright Lights Little City, and The Hand of Fatima Design.

Local Filmsters

2009-09-30T11:39:00.000-07:00

Here is a really beautiful short film by current Hopkins senior Carlos Valdes-Lora. Prologue is the first part of a series he's currently working on, shot here in Baltimore. He has some other pieces up on vimeo as well. I recommend keeping an eye on this talented and imaginative local son.

Lowlight

2009-09-30T11:23:00.000-07:00

In a new spin on turning lemons into lemonade, Ottobar is canceling its Super Fun Dance Party this Friday night due to a planned electricity outage. So instead drop by upstairs after 11 to bask in the novelty of partying by candlelight. Sounds like a good time to me.

American Visionary Art Museum

2009-09-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

Despite its small size and infrequently changed exhibits, I find the American Visionary Art Museum to be one of my favorites, and certainly my favorite in Baltimore. I never get tired of the whimsical joy to be experienced from walking into the thoroughly mosaic-ed building. And I usually manage to hold onto that feeling throughout my journey up the ever spiraling hallways. The exhibits and works themselves are always engaging, usually curated around themes and motifs instead of particular artists, and always employing a fascinating variety of mediums, giving the viewer a highly tactile and interactive experience. And I always wind up losing a great deal of time in the gift shop, a wonderfully irreverent and cluttered space filled with fun knickknacks and good reads. Their new exhibit, "Life, Liberty & the Pursuit of Happiness" is opening this weekend, and I'm sure will be as good as its predecessors. If you find yourself with nothing to do this Friday night, around 7:00 I suggest attending the preview party. It's only $20 and is free if you're a member. There's nothing quite like a little booze with your art to really get the conversation flowing.