Here's what's hot and coming to the Baltimore/DC area over the next two months:
6/4 Deftones, The Fall of Troy@ 9:30 Club
6/5 Two Gallants, Les Claypool @ Rams Head Live
6/7 The Cinematics, The Bravery @ 9:30 Club
6/8 EL-P, Hangar 18 @ 9:30 Club
6/8 Kenna, Nelly Furtado @ Patriot
6/9 Califone, Bitter Tears @ Rock and Roll Hotel
6/9 RJD2 @ Starscape (read a review of RJ's last visit to Baltimore)
6/9 Loney, Dear, The Sea & Cake @ Black Cat
6/10 Architecture in Helsinki @ 9:30 Club
6/10 As Tall as Lions @ Rock and Roll Hotel
6/10 Electrelane @ Black Cat
6/12 Favourite Sons, Voxtrot, Au Revoir Simone @ Ottobar
6/13 Voxtrot, Favourite Sons, Au Revoir Simone @ Black Cat
6/13 Feist, Grizzly Bear @ 9:30 Club
6/15 French Kicks, Bon Savants @ Rock and Roll Hotel
6/16 VHS or Beta @ Rock and Roll Hotel
6/19 Great Northern @ Black Cat
6/19 Illinois @ Rock and Roll Hotel
6/20 The National, Talkdemonic @ 9:30 Club
6/21 Panda Bear @ Ottobar
6/21 Wilco @ Merriweather Post Pavillion
6/22 Shiny Toy Guns, Stars of Track & Field, The Hourly Radio @ Sonar
6/23 Bryan Scary @ Velvet Lounge
6/24 Lovedrug, Sparta @ Black Cat
6/28 The Fray, OK Go, Mae @ 9:30 Club
6/30 The Polyphonic Spree @ 9:30 Club
JULY
7/3 Morrissey @ Rams Head Live
7/5 The Fiery Furnaces @ Black Cat
7/7 Tortoise @ Black Cat
7/17 Dirty On Purpose, The Besnard Lakes @ Black Cat
7/20 Violent Femmes @ Power Plant Live (FREE: learn more)
7/23 The Ponys @ Black Cat
7/25 James Morrison @ Verizon Center
7/27 Paid Dues International Hip Hop Festival: Brother Ali, Hangar 18, Sage Francis, Mr. Lif, Living Legends and more @ Pier Six Pavilion
7/28 The White Stripes @ The Patriot Center
AUGUST
8/07 Ra Ra Riot, Tokyo Police Club @ Black Cat
8/21 Wolf Parade @ Black Cat
Showing posts with label RJD2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label RJD2. Show all posts
Monday, June 04, 2007
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
Starscape Festival 2007 in Baltimore: Disco Biscuits, Brazilian Girls, RJD2, and more
On June 9, head to Fort Armistead Park here in Baltimore, MD for the Starscape Festival. The show runs from 2PM - 6AM with four areas of music, featuring:
The Disco Biscuits
Brazilian Girls
RJD2
Brothers Past
Pasadena
Richard Humpty Vission
Christopher Lawrence
Bassbin Twin
Scott Henry
Proxxy & Lantern
Leko
DJ Sun
Buster
Joe Kopasek
Justin Peak
Mark G
DJ Craze with MC Armanni
Ed Rush & Optical
The Beatnuts
Adam F
Evol Intent
Reid Speed
Roc Raida
Robot Death Squad
Rev E
The Cannon Boys
Akshun Jackson
Bobby Jae
Murmassa
The Pietasters
Big In Japan
All Mighty Senators
Opposable Thumbs
Late Night Breakfast
Sonic Soul & Innasound Collective
Lovegrove & Adam Auburn
Chris Bulla
Ed Ridgely
DJ Sun
Cool DJ Willie
J Gray
X-Faction
B-Side
Tickets are on sale now, and cost $45 in advance.
Thursday, March 29, 2007
Concert Review: Happy Chichester, Busdriver, RJD2 - Sonar, Baltimore, MD 3/25/07; Interview With Happy Chichester
In one of the most eclectic evenings one could spend listening to live music, Happy Chichester, Busdriver, and RJD2 rocked Sonar here in Baltimore this past Saturday, the last night of the current leg of their tour.
Opening up the show was Happy Chichester, performing his early-evening solo act before a modest audience of scenesters. It would be reasonable to expect an audience to wonder just what a man with a guitar performing an alt-country song called "Silent Movie", complete with harmonica, was doing opening for RJD2. Fortunately for Chichester, his obvious glee when he performs is infectious, and rubs off on the audience. And in case just having fun playing music isn't enough, in a nod to hip-hop heads in the crowd Happy broke out the beatbox on "Me And My Machine", and emulated a didgeridoo during the course of his set. Setting down the guitar, Chichester went on to perform the single from Lovers Come Back (Read a review of Happy's new album, here), "Artificial Fanfare (Music In My Head)", as well as "A Man Needs An Airplane", (kind of) dedicated to the girl in the audience with the airplane earrings. Just as demonstrated on Lovers Come Back, Happy Chichester is a multi-talented musician, and his live set this night is telling of why his live concert bootleg, Live At The Aladdin Theatre, became its own form of underground currency, selling on eBay for as high as $50.
After his set, I had the chance to speak with Happy about the tour and what it's been like traveling as a solo act for the first time, as well as opening for RJD2. Happy admitted that the tour's lineup was obviously somewhat eclectic (Happy's brand being markedly different from Busdriver's maniacally uptempo hip-hop and RJD2's similarly uptempo hip-hop/techno sound), but noted that Baltimore was a city where music fans appeared to be very open to broad ranges of sound.
Discussing performing in different cities, Happy explains that cities have their own persona, and that some cities "like Austin and [based on tonight] Baltimore" are cities that love music and where artists love to come and perform for such a fun and receptive crowd. Having spent the previous night in DC at the 9:30 Club (which Chichester describes as one of the "best places play" anywhere), I explained that Baltimore often was treated as DC's ugly cousin, which he admitted he had heard but reiterated how impressed he was with this night's crowd and how well received he felt by them.
Happy went on to share a small piece of his personal history, being born in Braddock Heights, Maryland, and how special this show was to him, returning to Maryland as a solo artist for the first time. With this brief conversation, and Happy's touching remarks about Any Given Tuesday's review of Lovers Come Back, I left Happy to relax a bit before coming back to the stage with RJD2 as a member of his full band.
Next to take the stage, Busdriver immediately changed the tone of the evening with his uber-speed rapping and ultra-weird stage persona, complete with party hats. After all, it's a party, right? From the piano hook and crowd call on "Avantcore" to the delectable strangeness of "Casting Agent And Cowgirls" and reggaeton beat of "Kill Your Employer", Busdriver by design is meant to mess with your head. Personally, I'm convinced it's all that reverb in the second microphone. Though if Busdriver had delivered on the guitar solo "with my tongue around the frets" that he mentioned, that would probably do the trick, too. Hopefully he'll continue making his mark on hip-hop so it can bounce back from abysmal sales and return to a glory of producing cutting-edge sounds. Busdriver has streaming audio on his MySpace, and MP3s on his site.
By the time RJD2 took the stage, the crowd had already broken loose with the electric boogaloo during the Busdriver set (which one of my accompanying friends, Tim, described as "Lenny Kravitz with crack"), and they were hungry for RJD2 plus his full band. Switching instruments during the set like pop stars switch wardrobes, RJD2, Happy Chichester, and Derek DiCenzo moved around the keys, the strings, and the decks like dervishes, before moved behind the decks and beat machines and cut loose. Complete with makeshift video screen featuring cut scenes and a close-up on RJD2's fingerwork, the crowd got live with RJD2 following up on two very capable opening acts and the full band set.
RJD2's tour will continue with Happy Chichester and Busdriver (who will drop off to be replaced by Pigeon John in late April) next month:
Wed 04/11/07 Starlight Ballroom Philadelphia PA ***
Thu 04/12/07 The Crazy Donkey Farmingdale NY ***
Fri 04/13/07 Webster Hall New York NY w/ Happy Chichester
Sat 04/14/07 Middle East Downstairs Cambridge MA ***
Sun 04/15/07 Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton MA ***
Mon 04/16/07 La TuLipe Montreal QC ***
Tue 04/17/07 Phoenix Toronto ON ***
Wed 04/18/07 Magic Stick Detroit MI ***
Thu 04/19/07 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights OH ***
Fri 04/20/07 Metro Chicago IL w/ Happy Chichester
Sat 04/21/07 First Avenue Minneapolis MN ***
Sun 04/22/07 The Picador (formerly Gabes Oasis) Iowa City IA ***
Mon 04/23/07 Birdys Indianapolis IN ***
Wed 05/09/07 Fox Theatre Boulder CO **
Thu 05/10/07 Bluebird Theatre Denver CO **
Fri 05/11/07 Abbey Theatre Durango CO **
Sat 05/12/07 The Clubhouse Tempe AZ **
Sun 05/13/07 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach CA **
Mon 05/14/07 Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles CA **
Tue 05/15/07 Mezzanine San Francisco CA **
Thu 05/17/07 Wonder Ballroom Portland OR **
Fri 05/18/07 Neumos Seattle WA **
Sat 05/19/07 The Nightlight Lounge Bellingham WA **
** w/ Pigeon John & Happy Chichester
*** w/ Busdriver & Happy Chichester
Thanks to Tim and SideRhodes Photography for the awesome photographs.
Opening up the show was Happy Chichester, performing his early-evening solo act before a modest audience of scenesters. It would be reasonable to expect an audience to wonder just what a man with a guitar performing an alt-country song called "Silent Movie", complete with harmonica, was doing opening for RJD2. Fortunately for Chichester, his obvious glee when he performs is infectious, and rubs off on the audience. And in case just having fun playing music isn't enough, in a nod to hip-hop heads in the crowd Happy broke out the beatbox on "Me And My Machine", and emulated a didgeridoo during the course of his set. Setting down the guitar, Chichester went on to perform the single from Lovers Come Back (Read a review of Happy's new album, here), "Artificial Fanfare (Music In My Head)", as well as "A Man Needs An Airplane", (kind of) dedicated to the girl in the audience with the airplane earrings. Just as demonstrated on Lovers Come Back, Happy Chichester is a multi-talented musician, and his live set this night is telling of why his live concert bootleg, Live At The Aladdin Theatre, became its own form of underground currency, selling on eBay for as high as $50.
After his set, I had the chance to speak with Happy about the tour and what it's been like traveling as a solo act for the first time, as well as opening for RJD2. Happy admitted that the tour's lineup was obviously somewhat eclectic (Happy's brand being markedly different from Busdriver's maniacally uptempo hip-hop and RJD2's similarly uptempo hip-hop/techno sound), but noted that Baltimore was a city where music fans appeared to be very open to broad ranges of sound.
Discussing performing in different cities, Happy explains that cities have their own persona, and that some cities "like Austin and [based on tonight] Baltimore" are cities that love music and where artists love to come and perform for such a fun and receptive crowd. Having spent the previous night in DC at the 9:30 Club (which Chichester describes as one of the "best places play" anywhere), I explained that Baltimore often was treated as DC's ugly cousin, which he admitted he had heard but reiterated how impressed he was with this night's crowd and how well received he felt by them.
Happy went on to share a small piece of his personal history, being born in Braddock Heights, Maryland, and how special this show was to him, returning to Maryland as a solo artist for the first time. With this brief conversation, and Happy's touching remarks about Any Given Tuesday's review of Lovers Come Back, I left Happy to relax a bit before coming back to the stage with RJD2 as a member of his full band.
Next to take the stage, Busdriver immediately changed the tone of the evening with his uber-speed rapping and ultra-weird stage persona, complete with party hats. After all, it's a party, right? From the piano hook and crowd call on "Avantcore" to the delectable strangeness of "Casting Agent And Cowgirls" and reggaeton beat of "Kill Your Employer", Busdriver by design is meant to mess with your head. Personally, I'm convinced it's all that reverb in the second microphone. Though if Busdriver had delivered on the guitar solo "with my tongue around the frets" that he mentioned, that would probably do the trick, too. Hopefully he'll continue making his mark on hip-hop so it can bounce back from abysmal sales and return to a glory of producing cutting-edge sounds. Busdriver has streaming audio on his MySpace, and MP3s on his site.
By the time RJD2 took the stage, the crowd had already broken loose with the electric boogaloo during the Busdriver set (which one of my accompanying friends, Tim, described as "Lenny Kravitz with crack"), and they were hungry for RJD2 plus his full band. Switching instruments during the set like pop stars switch wardrobes, RJD2, Happy Chichester, and Derek DiCenzo moved around the keys, the strings, and the decks like dervishes, before moved behind the decks and beat machines and cut loose. Complete with makeshift video screen featuring cut scenes and a close-up on RJD2's fingerwork, the crowd got live with RJD2 following up on two very capable opening acts and the full band set.
RJD2's tour will continue with Happy Chichester and Busdriver (who will drop off to be replaced by Pigeon John in late April) next month:
Wed 04/11/07 Starlight Ballroom Philadelphia PA ***
Thu 04/12/07 The Crazy Donkey Farmingdale NY ***
Fri 04/13/07 Webster Hall New York NY w/ Happy Chichester
Sat 04/14/07 Middle East Downstairs Cambridge MA ***
Sun 04/15/07 Pearl Street Nightclub Northampton MA ***
Mon 04/16/07 La TuLipe Montreal QC ***
Tue 04/17/07 Phoenix Toronto ON ***
Wed 04/18/07 Magic Stick Detroit MI ***
Thu 04/19/07 Grog Shop Cleveland Heights OH ***
Fri 04/20/07 Metro Chicago IL w/ Happy Chichester
Sat 04/21/07 First Avenue Minneapolis MN ***
Sun 04/22/07 The Picador (formerly Gabes Oasis) Iowa City IA ***
Mon 04/23/07 Birdys Indianapolis IN ***
Wed 05/09/07 Fox Theatre Boulder CO **
Thu 05/10/07 Bluebird Theatre Denver CO **
Fri 05/11/07 Abbey Theatre Durango CO **
Sat 05/12/07 The Clubhouse Tempe AZ **
Sun 05/13/07 Belly Up Tavern Solana Beach CA **
Mon 05/14/07 Henry Fonda Theater Los Angeles CA **
Tue 05/15/07 Mezzanine San Francisco CA **
Thu 05/17/07 Wonder Ballroom Portland OR **
Fri 05/18/07 Neumos Seattle WA **
Sat 05/19/07 The Nightlight Lounge Bellingham WA **
** w/ Pigeon John & Happy Chichester
*** w/ Busdriver & Happy Chichester
Thanks to Tim and SideRhodes Photography for the awesome photographs.
Thursday, March 22, 2007
Album Review: Happy Chichester - Lovers Come Back
Happy Chichester, from Columbus, Ohio, has been buzzing around the scene for quite some time. He may be best known as a member of Howlin' Maggie, whose single "Alcohol" hit Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart as well as the Modern Rock chart. You may also know Happy from his work with the Afghan Whigs. Regardless, Happy has released a full-length solo album, Lovers Come Back, aptly released on Valentine's Day this year. Lovers was a long time coming, with songs dating back in original composition up to 20 years ("A Man Needs An Airplane").
The songs on Lovers are an amalgam of songs telling different stories, creating a tale which is very much influenced by, and pays homage to, Columbus. From the pop-rock single "Artificial Fanfare (Music In My Head)" with its sing-along chorus to the more political and strained but equally catchy "Lost Connection", the songs are the product of a career with many bands but with one common demoninator: Happy Chichester from Columbus, Ohio. Even if the lyrics tell their different tales, the music itself speaks about a living, breathing city that means almost as much to Chichester as his wife, Laura, for whom he wrote the simple heart-on-sleeve piano track "Lover".
A multi-tasker of a musician, Chichester plays the mass of the instruments on the album, but enlists scene musicians like Foley (who plays bass on "You're Blowin' My Mind") and Barry Hensley (who plays pedal steel guitar on "Lover" and "Silent Movie"). With Lovers Chichester is demonstrating that Columbus is "a musical community rich in talent, experience, and generosity."
Critically, Lovers Come Back comes out clearly as a labor of love. Eclectic in its composition, Lovers broadly sweeps across the spectrum from rock ("Lost Connection") to alt-country ("Silent Movie") to Motown soul ("You're Blowin' My Mind"). Although disjointed to the point of confusion at times, that seems to be part of the point. This album is Chichester's musical biography, and with his vast background of musical alliances, it is only right for him to sail the seas of musical genres on his LP. He does so with an artist's ear, which is severely lacking in much "popular" music, and has delivered an album long overdue from this talented artist.
Happy Chichester is playing at Sonar in Baltimore this Saturday, March 24 (check here around Monday for a review) after a show at 9:30 Club the night before. Happy is opening for RJD2 and is a guest member of RJ's band for the duration of the tour. Also playing is Busdriver.
Visit Happy's website to buy the album.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
New Releases for Tuesday, March 6, 2007: Air, Arcade Fire, Korn, RJD2, Albert Hammond Jr., Chimaira
Today's suggested pickups for new releases:
Air - Pocket Symphony: French electronic duo returns with another dose of minimalism.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours To Keep - Fans of The Strokes, buy up.
Chimaira - Resurrection: Because the world needs metal. Lots of it.
Korn Unplugged: I thought this would be absurd. But I caught a listen of a few tracks, and it's a very well-done improvisation of the album material, haunting at best, intriguing at worst.
RJD2 - Third Hand: Lots of buzz for RJ lately. This is why.
Air - Pocket Symphony: French electronic duo returns with another dose of minimalism.
Arcade Fire - Neon Bible
Albert Hammond, Jr. - Yours To Keep - Fans of The Strokes, buy up.
Chimaira - Resurrection: Because the world needs metal. Lots of it.
Korn Unplugged: I thought this would be absurd. But I caught a listen of a few tracks, and it's a very well-done improvisation of the album material, haunting at best, intriguing at worst.
RJD2 - Third Hand: Lots of buzz for RJ lately. This is why.
Tuesday, February 20, 2007
RJD2 Exclusive Mix on URGE's Digital Decks; Catch RJ at 9:30 Club March 23
For those of you who use MTV's URGE, there is a 52-song DJ mix from RJD2. The mix is part of the Digital Decks series featuring mixes from the world's top DJs. Here's the tracklist:
John Williams (Guitarist) "Excerpts of Spanish Guitar" (London)
Ray Charles "Mississippi Mud" (Rhino)
Pierre Groscolas "Dans Un Mois Ou Dans Un An" (Trema)
Little Beaver "Funkadelic Sound" (Soul Jazz)
Junior Parker "Love Ain't Nothin' but a Business Goin' On" (Simitar)
Johnnie Taylor "Somebody's Getting It" (Columbia)
The Gaylettes "Son of a Preacher Man" (West Side)
Floyd Jones "Sweet Talkin' Woman" (Testament Records)
Muddy Waters "Big Leg Woman" (MCA/Chess)
Sly, Slick and Wicked "If This Ain't Really Love" (Ju-Par)
Heaven & Earth "I Can't Seem to Forget You" (P-Vine)
Rasa"Chanting" (Hearts of Space / New Earth)
Ted Taylor "It's a Funky Situation" (Jewel)
Freddie North "Love to Hate" (Mankind)
David Peoples "Got to Get My Broom Out/ Inst." (Saru)
Ground Hog "Bumpin'" (Gemigo)
Daisy Door"Du Lebst In Deiner Welt" (Ariola)
Eleventh Hour "Hollywood Hot" (20th Century)
The J.B.'s "Gimme Some More" (People)
Alex Williams "The Thrill Ain't Gone" (Soultrack)
Konks "Master Cylinder's Jam"
Chaka Khan "Best in the West" (Reprise)
Georgio Moroder "Knights in White Satin" (Oasis)
People's Choice "I Likes to Do It" (Phil L.A. Of Soul)
Mickey and His Mice "Crackerjack" (Marti)
Charles Wright & The Watts 103rd St. Band "Spreadin' Honey" (Warner)
Dick Oatts "South Paw" (Steeplechase)
Cookie Roberts "The Black House"
John "Jellybean" Benitez "The Mexican" (EMI American)
Donald Austin "Crazy Legs" (Eastbound)
Simtec & Wylie "Do It Like Mama" (Shama)
Tommy Ridgly "Pretty Little Mama" (Blue Jay)
Reggie Griffin "Mirda Rock" (Sugar Hill)
Instant Funk "Go for Yourself" (TSOP)
Belladonna "Lunar Funk"
Hall & Oates "I'm Sorry"
Ray Charles "Georgia on My Mind (RJD2 Modulation & Remix)" (Rhino)
Otis Redding "Otis Breakbeat"
RJD2 "Someones Second Kiss" (Def Jux)
Soul Position "Candyland" (Fatbeats/Rhymesayers)
Starborn Hair Advert "Dewolfe (Remix)"
Linda Jones "Can You Blame Me?" (Neptune)
Tweet "Turn da Lights Off (Tweet Loop)" (Atlantic)
Leela James "Music (Remix)" (Warner Brothers)
RJD2 "Work (Remix)" (Definitive Jux)
RJD2 "One Day (Remix)" (Def Jux)
Soul Position "Huddle Formation (Remix)" (Columbia)
UTADA "Devil Inside (Remix)" (Island)
RJD2 "Rain (Remix)" (Bustown Pride)
The Go! Team "Huddle Formation (RJD2 Remix)" (Memphis Industries)
RJD2 "Get off My Spaceship, Bitch (Breakdown)" (Def Jux)
Looks like a pretty tight mix of old soul, blues, funk, and plenty of RJ's own cuts. Check out the mix here.
RJD2 will be at 9:30 Club on March 23 with Busdriver and Happy Chichester.
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Coming To 9:30 Club In March: Cold War Kids, RJD2, Lamb of God, and more
Coming to the 9:30 Club in March:
3/23 RJD2 w/ Busdriver & Happy Chichester
3/24 Super Diamond
3/25 Butch Walker and the Let's Go Out Tonites w/ The Honorary Title
3/26 Lamb of God w/ Trivium, Machine Head, Gojira (earl show, 6:30pm Doors)
3/28 Cold War Kids w/ Tokyo Police Club
3/29 Ted Leo and the Pharmacists w/ Love of Diagrams
And keep your eyes open for TV On The Radio and Blonde Redhead at 9:30 in April.
R
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