Patrick Park - Everyone's In Everyone

Newly released on Curb Appeal Records, Patrick Park's Everyone's in Everyone is full of somber emotion in the timbre of Park's voice, but also thrives on bright guitar tones and the occasional piano. You know how they say as one life ends, a new life begins? Well, in the world of insightful-man-with-guitar, this saying works. Jeff Buckley may no longer be with us, but Patrick Park rises like a phoenix from the ashes and carries on. Dare I say it, but "Stay With Me Tomorrow" takes me to a place where I can almost think I'm listening to a discontented James Taylor, as Park's unadorned, yet passionately pleading, voice runs 3:35 over 12 strings and a Hammond organ.

Everyone's In Everyone takes a focal shift away from the introspective and purging LP Loneliness Knows My Name, decidedly standing up and getting on with things rather than continuing to dwell on "Time For Moving On", outwardly criticizing the brutality and violence of war on "Pawn's Song", and exploring the interconnectivity of mankind on the title track, "Everyone's In Everyone". Beyond the audible brilliance of Patrick Park's voice, he blends both acoustic and electric guitars to near perfection.

Everyone's In Everyone demands you to step outside ourselves ("Here We Are") and really think about what it is to be alive in the world we live in. I, for one, am glad to have Patrick Park's music to listen to while I do it.

Patrick Park plays tomorrow and Wednesday night at The 8x10, supporting Grace Potter & The Nocturnals (read a review of This Is Somewhere).

Click the album art above to purchase.

Van Halen Announce Reunion Tour Dates

It's official: Van Halen will reunite, with Diamond Dave on vox and Wolfgang Van Halen holding down the low end in Michael Anthony's place. Earlier plans for a reunion were tanked by Eddie Van Halen's rehab stint, but he's clean and ready to rock!

Tour Dates:

Sep. 27 - Charlotte, N.C. @ Bobcats Arena
Sep. 29 - Greensboro, N.C. @ Coliseum
Oct. 01 - Philadelphia @ Wachovia Center
Oct. 07 - Toronto @ Air Canada Centre
Oct. 10 - Cleveland @ Quicken Loans Arena
Oct. 14 - Indianapolis @ Conseco Fieldhouse
Oct. 16 - Chicago @ Allstate Arena
Oct. 18 - Chicago @ United Center
Oct. 22 - Auburn Hills, Mich. @ Palace of Auburn Hills
Oct. 24 - Minneapolis @ Target Center
Oct. 26 - Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center
Oct. 28 - St. Louis @ Scottrade Center
Oct. 30 - Boston @ TD Banknorth Garden
Nov. 03 - East Rutherford, N.J. @ Continental Airline Arena
Nov. 13 - New York @ Madison Square Garden
Nov. 20 - Los Angeles @ Staples Center
Nov. 23 - Glendale, Ariz. @ Jobing.com Arena
Nov. 25 - San Diego @ Cox Arena
Nov. 27 - Sacramento, Calif. @ Arco Arena
Nov. 29 - San Jose, Calif. @ HP Pavilion
Dec. 01 - Portland, Ore. @ Rose Garden
Dec. 03 - Seattle @ Key Arena
Dec. 05 - Vancouver @ GM Place
Dec. 09 - Edmonton, Alberta @ Rexall Palace
Dec. 11 - Calgary, Alberta @ Pengrowth Saddledome

Sorry, Baltimore, you'll have to head to New York or Jersey to get your fix.

Source: Reuters

Any Given Tuesday Episode 4: Egg Babies Orchestra

Episode 4 of Any Given Tuesday is a companion podcast to the SENcast video available on www.senbaltimore.com. Visit with the Egg Babies Orchestra before they go on stage at the Ottobar, and stick around for the tunes!

Download Episode 4 of Any Given Tuesday

Concert Review: Marilyn Manson, Slayer, and Bleeding Through - Merriweather Post Pavilion, July 30, 2007

Out came the metal this past Monday at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. Bleeding Through, Slayer, and Marilyn Manson joined forces to conjure up what Bleeding Through's Brandan Schieppati appropriately referred to as "a mother's worst nightmare."




This writer last saw Bleeding Through at Ozzfest 2006, from a slight distance and through a cloud of second stage dust. My #1 showmate and I remember being thoroughly rocked by their set that morning, but on this night we were essentially unmoved. Maybe it was the respectable vantage point, but the band just did not come off as convincing enough. Layers of distortion covered up bland power chords and a vague odor of fear that the audience might find out these hardcore metal kids are from Orange County. Image missteps aside, the band rocked hard enough on tracks like "Love Lost In A Hail of Gunfire", but they simply lack the credibility of Hatebreed or their showmates in Slayer. With all that, this band's drummer was a flurry of incredible fills and pounding bass. Definitely the driving force behind the sound of the band.



No identity crises for Slayer, however, who have not lost a step since Reign in Blood. The alternately dueling and supporting thrash guitars of Jeff Hanneman and Kerry King are, without hesitation, astoundingly ferocious in sound and exquisite in technique. Thrash and speed might be lost on a generation of metal fans, but this tour could breathe new life into the band's fan base, selling a lot of copies of Christ Illusion (read a review of Slayer's latest) or giving an astounding history lesson in American metal. Opening the dusty coffers to bring out "Mandatory Suicide" and the seminal "Angel of Death" (which really pleased a rabid fan behind me, who I think could not believe someone as nerdy as me was all that into the band) and exploding with current tracks including "Cult" and "Jihad", this was the loudest set I have ever heard (the bass from

Dave Lombardo's dual kick drums was blowing my hair back), and Tom Araya made it nearly communal in his affectionate thanks from the crowd. For a band with such vitriolic lyrics and furious sound, they seemed like pretty nice guys!



A different story for Manson, who, first of all, took way too long to come out on stage, and proceeded to engage in constant self-love (thanks, Ginger, for that phrase, and for encouraging me to believe that Slayer is iconic, not cliche) by sticking his hands in places I shudder to imagine, before wiggling his hands over the crowd in what struck me as the most awful of fluid-swapping experiences for the GA crowd. Regardless of his lack of consideration for sanitation concerns, Marilyn Manson is a top-notch showperson. The stage appears from behind the screen enveloped in fog, with electric candles all over, and an absolute rock star in full regalia, slinking up the stage and crawling before his worshippers. The costume and set changes between songs made the show feel like a rock opera, or at least a pop concert, as giant chairs, pulpits, and other objets d'art mingled into the milieu. Sticking to standards like "The Beautiful People", "Disposable Teens", and the current glam-rocked "Heart-Shaped Glasses", all renditioned fantastically, the back catalog stayed pretty much closed on this night, as only one song from Portrait of an American Family comes to memory, left behind for the call-and-response (Irresponsible Hate) anthems of MM's repertoire. Tiring was the penchant for dropping the microphone after every song (don't the sound guys know to turn the mic off as the song ends so we don't have to hear the thud?), but fascinating was the larger-than-life persona of a performer who should give a lot more credit to his band than they currently get. The man-droid poses took the attention off the band's capable performance and cast it upon the conceded star who, love him or hate him, cannot fail to mesmerize and enthrall.

Dashboard Confessional Solo Tour

Dashboard Confessional solo again? You bet:



09/14 - Rochester, MI - O'Rena Athletic Complex

09/28 - Baltimore, MD - Rams Head Live!

09/29 - Nofolk, VA - Norva

09/30 - Raleigh, NC - Meymanid Concert Hall

10/02 - Atlanta, GA - Center Stage

10/03 - Nashville, TN - Ryman Auditorium

10/05 - Orlando, FL - House Of Blues

10/08 - Austin, TX - La Zona Rosa

10/09 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live

10/10 - Dallas, TX - Palladium

10/12 - Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues

10/13 - Tempe, AZ - Marquee Theatre

10/14 - San Diego, CA - SOMA

10/16 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre

10/17 - Los Angeles, CA - Orpheum Theatre

10/19 - San Francisco, CA _ Warfiled

10/20 - Portland, OR - Wonder Ballroom

10/25 - Denver, CO - Ogden Theatre

10/16 - Kansas City, MO - Uptown Theater

10/29 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues

10/30 - Chicago, IL - House Of Blues

11/01 - Toronto, ON - Kool Haus

11/02 - Pontiac, MI - Clutch Cargo's

11/03 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall

11/05 - New York, NY - Webster Hall

11/06 - New York, NY - Highline Ballroom

11/08 - Worcester, MA - Palladium

11/09 - Worcester, MA - Palladium

11/10 - Atlantic City, NJ - House Of Blues

11/12 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

11/13 - Philadelphia, PA - Electric Factory

11/14 - New York, NY - Blender Theater At Gramercy

I tried to buy tickets for Ram's Head Live!, but it says they are not available, nor is the show listed on the RHL site. Tickets abound for the Electric Factory shows.

Other shows to see at Ram's Head Live! in the future:

Feist - September 11

Kings of Leon w/ Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - October 3

Wilco Announce Millenium Park Benefit Concert

While news of my Chicago vacation fades into oblivion, let's hit this one tidbit: Wilco have just announced that they will headline a September 12 show at Millennium Park's Frank Gehry-designed Pritzker Pavilion.

Kristen and I floated past the Marina Towers (architect Bertrand Goldberg. We're architecture dorks in my house) from the cover of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot several times on the L, but never got close enough to the buildings to get a fantastic photo like the above. Those buildings were like the phantom of Chicago when we were there. . .always fading in and out of view! And all the time we spent on State Street, we never made it to that part of State Street.

Presale is happening today for the show. Proceeds benefit Chicago Coalition For The Homeless.

Pelican at Bowery Ballroom Tuesday Night

Post-metal band Pelican will be performing Tuesday night at Bowery Ballroom in NYC with Earth and Priestbird. Sure, it's not Baltimore, but Pelican is from Chicago and I was just in Chicago. And they are awesome. If you're in NYC, go.

Tickets are $15 advance at Ticketweb.com.

Free Show Tonight: The Country Devils at Austin Grill in Canton

Tonight the Country Devils are playing a free show @ Austin Grill in Baltimore (2400 Boston Street) w/ friends & special guests Little Country Giants from Rome, GA. The Little Country Giants' latest album is called Sing Pretty For The People and features John Neff from Drive By Truckers on lap steel. Music runs from 9-12. Get in on it, Baltimore!

Salim at Sonar with Talib Kweli Next Friday, July 27

I have to give huge love to Salim (read a review of Hip Hop Revisited here) because he just got booked to open for Talib Kweli at Sonar here in B-more on July 27. Tickets are $20 in advance, $25 at the door.

Be sure to check out Episode 3 of the Any Given Tuesday podcast which features Salim, too.

Dan Deacon Played Pitchfork Festival in Chicago This Weekend, Failed To Have AGT Lovefest

It is worth noting that my Chicago vacation coincided with the Pitchfork Music Festival, which I did not attend. Why? One reason is that Pitchfork is an online zine that you love or hate, and I generally hate it. I just can't get down with their whole hipster agenda. Sure, I would have loved to have seen Slint, Cat Power (still listening to The Greatest, Chan. . .brilliant record!), etc., but I don't think I could take 3 hours (not to mention 3 days) with a bunch of white belts and pencil jeans. And hearing a bunch of suburbans and middle-class urbanites getting live with Clipse and drug violence . . . I'm getting ill.

Brooklyn Vegan, however, has an interesting article about the Fire Marshal shutting down Dan Deacon and Girl Talk because their sets drew massive crowds. Cool pictures of the Deac on BV, looking a bit rotund and without his usual uber-geek glasses (see above and at BV's site. . .how about that gingerly redhead looking enamored with Dan Deacon?). It's alright, Danners, I'm four-eyed and kind of round myself. But there I was, in the Chi, and another person was there reppin' Balto, and you left me hanging, Dan. You left me hanging and didn't get in touch so we could hold hands and walk through Millenium Park together. See if I come to your set at Whartscape this weekend!

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.

Updated and Revised Artscape Schedule

More developments in the Artscape schedule. Artscape will be held in Baltimore from Friday, July 20 to Sunday, July 22. Some serious developments, like Lupe Fiasco and Keyshia Cole being added to the main stage on top of Burning Spear, who was previously announced.

I tried to give credit to local artists, but if I missed you, let me know and I will update.

Here's the latest schedule:

Main Stage
Friday, July 20
4pm To be announced
5:30pm Gordon Chambers
7pm Nuttin' But Stringz
8:30pm The Isley Brothers featuring Ronald Isley

Saturday, July 21
1:30pm To be announced
3pm Marcel & The Truth
4:45pm Emily King
6:30pm Lupe Fiasco
8:30pm Keyshia Cole

Sunday, July 22
1pm To be announced
2:45pm Clarence "Bluesman" Turner
4:30pm Ryan Shaw
6pm Burning Spear

Festival Stage
Friday, July 20
5:30pm The Bridge (Baltimore)
7pm Martin Sexton
8:30pm Los Lonely Boys

Saturday, July 21
12:30pm Matt Wigler
2pm The Crawdaddies (Maryland)
3:30pm Far From Earth (Baltimore)
5pm To be announced
6:30pm Avett Brothers
8pm To be announced

Sunday, July 22
12pm Winner of the Billie Holiday Competition
Winner of the Cab Calloway Competition
1:30pm Archie Edwards Barbershop Players
3pm Los Hermanos
4:30pm The Greencards
6:30pm Sam Bush

University of Baltimore Stage
Friday, July 20
12pm Baltimore Islanders Steel Band
1:30pm To be announced
4:30pm Damsels
6pm Soul'd Out
7:30pm Elikeh Band (Maryland)
9pm June Star

Saturday, July 21
12pm Deanna Dove
2pm Wes Tucker & The Skillets
3:30pm Kirsten Thien
5pm Wendy McIntyre
6:30pm Santa Mamba
8:30pm Rob Thorworth (Baltimore)

Sunday, July 22
12:30pm Neenah Taylor
2pm JaneilaSoul Afrique
3:30pm Smooth Play
5pm The Hint (Maryland)
6:30pm Fools & Horses

DJ Culture Stage
Complete schedule for this stage is forthcoming.

Free MP3: The White Stripes - "Icky Thump"

Coming on June 19, Icky Thump from The White Stripes. Don't let the silly name fool you, this song is riff-tastic, and Jack White has proven once again that he is a guitar-lick machine. If you aren't playing air guitar when you hear this, you've got issues.

**UPDATE 7/22/07 - Dead Link**

Click on the album art to pre-order the album, and get your Stripes at the Patriot Center on July 28.

Upcoming Shows Courtesy of Filter Magazine

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

Tonight at Fletcher's: Circa Survive MySpace Secret Show

Tonight at 6PM, doors open at Fletcher's for Circa Survive. The show is FREE, and it's all ages. Also playing: Cages and Except After Sea.

Thanks to Joe at Instrumental Analysis for tuning me in to this today.

The Cure To Announce North American Tour

While The Cure have already agreed to a few US festival dates this year (Download Festival and the already-passed Ultra Music Festival), it would appear there is a 19-date North American tour in the works.

Lord Baltimore Recording Grand Opening, Saturday June 16: Print This Page For Priority Access

Lord Baltimore Recording, home of Thrushes and WZT Hearts, is about to celebrate its Grand Opening! And what better way to do so than with an awesome party? Sets from Baby Aspirin, Thrushes, The Death Set, and one more band TBA, not to mention free food! The sets will all be recorded live, so your screaming voice will make itself part of the permanent record of the event.

If you are interested in attending this FREE event, print this page and bring it to the event as your invitation to ensure priority access. And shoot me an email (blawk359 at gmail dot com) or leave a comment so I know to say hello to you there!

What: Lord Baltimore Grand Opening w/ live music and free food
When: Saturday, June 16 at 5:30 PM
Where: 100 E. 23rd Street, Baltimore, MD (Home of Lord Baltimore Recording)
Cost: FREE (if you print this page and bring it as your invitation to make sure you get in)

Thrushes to play The Annex in Baltimore this Saturday

Thrushes will be playing a new Baltimore venue this weekend, since the Lo-Fi Social Club is in the midst of finding out its fate (good luck to the club, everyone is pulling for you!). The details:

The Annex

419 E. Oliver Street, 3rd Floor (use outside stairs).

Starts at 9pm

Check out Any Given Tuesday's review of Sun Come Undone, Thrushes' debut album, and download Episode 1 the Any Given Tuesday podcast, featuring an interview with the band.

Tonight at Baltimore's Bedrock: No Second Troy

I got an email last night from some neighbors down in DC: No Second Troy. If you're in Baltimore tonight looking for a nice show, head over to Bedrock (near the Hippodrome) and check these guys out.

Give No Second Troy's music a listen on their MySpace.