Herb Alpert @ the Birchmere.

Herb Alpert and Lani Hall.

This was a fun show. I was probably the youngest person in the room by several decades, besides the Birchmere staff. Herb was in a great mood, and great form. Him and his wife performed a variety of original duets, spanish ballads, and traditional classics. Totally not a show I would normally go to, but fun!

february assignment round-up.

Black Milk.

Detroit rapper Black Milk.

David Allan Coe

Outlaw country star David Allan Coe.

Vanity Theft.

California pop punk band Vanity Theft.

Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.   Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.

Rosie Ledet & the Zydeco Playboys.

arboretum.   secret mountains.

Arboretum & Secret Mountains @ the Ottobar.

Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Tyler The Creator

Odd Future / OFWGKTA
Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Domo Genesis   Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Tyler The Creator
Odd Future / OFWGKTA / Tyler The Creator

I scored the assignment of shooting the up and coming hip-hop collective Odd Future Wolf Gang Kill Them All’s sound check at the U Street Music Hall. This was the same day as the announcement that XL Recordings would be releasing Tyler’s next record. It was pretty funny to watch these guys soundcheck… whatever greater success is coming their way, at this point you can tell the whole thing is just a huge amount of fun for them. They raced around the empty venue goofing off, played almost a full set during sound check, and generally horsed around the whole time. Fun experience, cool kids.

EYEHATEGOD at Sonar.

EYEHATEGOD.
EYEHATEGOD crowdsurfing.   EYEHATEGOD crowdsurfing.

Last week EYEHATEGOD played a blistering set at Sonar. I’ve seen this band a half dozen times but they are always awesome… one of my favorite bands that are still playing. Brutal, dissonant, nihilistic sludge metal. Highly recommended. Weirdly enough, TONS of people were stage diving, I guess because it’s fairly easy to in the club room. Not the kind of music I normally associate with stage diving, but it was a fun show anyway.

Integrity + Haymaker @ Sonar (+ Pizza crowdsurfing)

Integrity - pizza crowdsurfing!
Haymaker.   Haymaker.

The other day I was able to see Integrity, a band I have loved for years, play at Sonar with Haymaker, a Canadian band I’ve liked for years, and who apparently have never before played in the States, which seems crazy to me! I also caught the above photo of a gentleman crowdsurfing WHILE eating pizza. Amazing.

Simon Phoenix Bday bash w/ Dave Nada, Stereofaith

Dave Nada.
Simon Phoenix bday @ Golden West

Simon Phoenix celebrated his birthday saturday night at the Golden West, and it was a blast… the Golden West is turning into a great, multi-faceted place for shows, the new management and the booking staff over there are among the best things to happen to the Baltimore music scene in quite awhile.

See the whole photo set here