Hampden Fest 2007: September 15; Free MP3s From Bands Playing The Festival

As always, hosted by Atomic Books, get ready for this year's Hampden Fest on September 15. The fest runs 11-7 on the Avenue. Tons of great Baltimore bands, many of which have been reviewed here at AGT!


***STAGE SCHEDULE!***
CITYPAPER STAGE (36th & Roland Ave)
11AM - Private Eleanor (read a review of Sweethearting)
12PM - Payola Reserve (read a review of 200 Years)
1PM - Caleb Stine & The Brakemen
2PM - The Jennifers (read a review of Colors From The Future)
3PM - Impossible Hair
4PM - The Oranges Band
5PM - HAMPDEN IDOL

PATUXENT PUBLISHING STAGE (36th & Chestnut)
11AM - Stalking Horses
12PM - Water School
1PM - Frenemies
2PM - Television Hill
3PM - Arbouretum
4PM - Chelsea Graveyard & The Screams At Midnight
5PM - June Star
6PM - The Beltways

ATOMIC STAGE (36th & Falls Rd)
11AM - Baby Aspirin
12PM - Jason Dove
1PM - Secret Crush Society
2PM - Double Dagger
3PM - The Ubangis
4PM - Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad (read a review of Brian Adam Ant's Separation Celebration)
5PM - The Barn Burners
6PM - Electric Junk Band

Free MP3s:
The Jennifers - "Lion In Winter"
The Payola Reserve - "Henrietta"
Private Eleanor - "Temporary Homes"

Catch The Jennifers at Sonar Tonight

Be sure to catch The Jennifers tonight at Sonar. Tickets are $8, but you can buy them in advance directly from the band for only $6.

Should be a great show, as the band gets ready to go on tour. The band is looking for help booking the following cities:

-Durham, NC
-Chapel Hill, NC
-Atlanta, GA,
-Asheville, NC
-Richmond, VA

If you have some connects, send them to me and I'll pass the info along!

Read a review of the latest album from The Jennifers, Colors From The Future.

This Weekend at Ottobar: J. Roddy Walston & The Business, The Jennifers, Impossible Hair, Soft

J. Roddy Walston & The Business, currently one of Baltimore's finest and most-loved around the indie nation, are playing The Ottobar in Baltimore on Saturday, June 9, along with The Jennifers (read a review of Colors From The Future, their latest). Also playing: Impossible Hair and Soft.

I recently received J. Roddy Walston & The Business' latest album, Hail Megaboys, and plan to have a review posted here in the next week or two.

Album Review: The Jennifers - Colors From The Future; Free MP3

Baltimore indie pop stalwarts The Jennifers have been making music as sugary sweet as the gumdrops on the cover of Colors From The Future since 1994, when they released Nine Days Wonder.

Kicking off with the power pop Dorian Gray allusion "Mrs. Gray", Colors is lyrically amusing, with simple rhymes but a wit that has its home in the quirky city of Baltimore. Allusions to XTC obvious and ubiquitous, the songwriting is much comparable to Robyn Hitchcock (read Any Given Tuesday's review of Hitchock's latest, Ole! Tarantula, here). Like Hitchcock, The Jennifers offer up alt-pop with tongue-in-cheek, obvious yet ambiguous lyrics. And try "Queen of Eyes" for The Jennifers' take on one of Hitchcock's songs.

"Fell In A Hole" offers up Dick Dale guitar, and "Starfleet Academy" is an atmospheric dream pop change of pace. When "Oh Caroline" comes through the speakers, consider yourself challenged not to move a head or foot to the sound.

The longest track on the album, "Lion In Winter", is probably the most unique. Blues guitar and near-whisper singing lead into the chorus, followed soon after by an interlude with bridge and break lasting for several minutes before returning to the delicate twee pop that the Jennifers are so adept at expounding upon.

MP3 Download: "Lion In Winter"

Click on the album art to purchase.