Hey gang! So there was only one show this week to report which I’ll cover as usual, however we’ve also entered a new year and I thought it’d be cool to make a post looking back at some of the highlights from 2016. So first here’s my write up on last Tuesday, then we’ll jump to the year end wrap up. Let's go!
12/27/16 - Cascading Elephants // Seesaw Offenders // Clean Breast // Shady Lady
Tuesday was the last show of the year for the pizza basement, hosting a lineup of local EDM and indie electronica. Annapolis band Shady Lady opened the show with a quick set of fuzzy power-pop that showcased some nice guitar work over classic hard grooves. Solo project Clean Breast then took the stage for a interesting set of synth design, indie dance beats, and sax vamps that worked as a nice transition between the opening rock band and the rest of the electronic musicians. Young dubsteppers Seesaw Offenders joined us Downsquares for their debut performance, showcasing a high energy set that felt reminiscent of a sugar rush while watching Saturday morning cartoons; sweep filters rampant throughout their rapid fire set of twisted arcade jams. Lastly we had the return performance of Ben Parker and his solo project Cascading Elephants, whose thoughtful arrangements and attention to sound design was not only the highlight of the evening, but a perfect way to close to the year.
2016 In Review
There was certainly times when it's felt like 2016 was the longest year ever, but as crazy as things seemed to get it was still an incredible year for music. Almost a thousand bands made their way to North Avenue this year to perform at Joe Squared’s new venue space, and since June I’ve been trying to provide a weekly write up of my experience running the sound there. I generally try to remain positive in my analysis, however It’s hard to keep finding different ways to say how awesome stuff is week after week, often finding myself using adjectives like “killer" and “radical" over and over, or trying to sum up a band’s sound in a few short phrases. But putting this blog together wasn’t so much about my writing ability as it was a way to catalog of all the incredible talent that I’ve gotten to see throughout the year; a snapshot of this amazing community of artists and a spotlight on just how diverse and unique this city really is. Just about every style of music you could think of made it’s way to Joe’s this year and helped to keep things interesting as well as keeping me on my toes. Don’t get me wrong it wasn’t always easy or fun. There was times I was too drunk, or pissed off, or heartbroken. Maybe a band rubbed me the wrong way for one reason or another or some dummy from the crowd was trying to tell me how to do my job. Shit happens, but that doesn’t negate the fact that running sound at Joe Squared this year has been an incredibly fulfilling experience I’m grateful to be a part of.
Best of 2016
Looking back there was all kinds of music from around the world that came to Joe’s to rock out and scarf down, however there was a few performances that stuck with me more than others. Here’s a brief rundown of my favorite acts that played Joe’s in 2016 -
Jared Leibowich - July 13th
It wasn’t difficult to pick a favorite artist that came through Joe’s doors this year. Not only was Austin, TX's Jared Leibowich band my favorite to run sound for this year, but his album “Welcome Late Bloomers” was by far my favorite of 2016. Jared’s music creates a lush dreamscape that speaks to the heart of the introvert - one that yearns to be free and experience life untethered. Not only is it honest, it’s also catchy as hell and incredibly sharp. I’ll definitely be on the lookout for what Mr. Leibowich has for us next, and I strongly recommend you do the same. Favorite tracks are “And You’re Always On”, “Fantasyland”, and “Early Morning Sunrise”
Gleasons Drift - July 30th
Pottsville, PA’s Gleasons Drift is a bar band. They’re not trying to reinvent the wheel, but what they do they do extremely well. Very catchy guitar rock that harks back to not only Springsteen and Petty, but more contemporary acts such as Southern Culture on the Skids and The Black Keys as well. Hope to get these guys back Downsquares real soon!
Not Blood Paint - August 8th
If I was to give a “most likely to succeed” award out it would have to go to New York’s Not Blood Paint. These theatrical maestros have found a way to almost seamlessly blend irreverent art rock and heavy metal into a powerfully beautiful showcase of songwriting and musicianship. To be perfectly honest, the show was running late and I was growing impatient. When that happens it’s easy to write off what a band’s about to do, but once these guys began playing all of that went out the window and I fell in love, as did many of the other people in the crowd. Some of the most fun and best music Downsquares all year.
Captain Morris - September 16th
Captain Morris is the brainchild of Baltimore’s Daniel Neiman, a brilliant young songwriter who encourages an audience to participate in his shows with interactive set designs and improvisational challenges. His ambitious blend of retro song arrangement and modern sound design is some of the coolest stuff I’ve heard in a long time, and for someone as young as Mr. Neiman, about as impressive as it gets.
Alex Cameron - September 16th
The next artist I want to mention that really left an impression on me this year was Australia’s Alex Cameron, who’s found a way to fuse a Nick Cave-esqu poetic voice with minimalist goth electronica to create a strange new sound that's not only reminiscent of the 1980’s, but also a fresh take on modern edm. It might not exactly be for everyone, but I still recommend giving Mr. Cameron a listen if only to hear what Henry Rollins has described as “…right out of a David Lynch hell dream!”
Lastly, I definitely need to give a special shoutout to Baltimore’s own The Stents. Not only do these fine gentleman provide some of the best garage and surf rock around, but they’ve also introduced me to so many other great bands from around the world. Yes, I said world! Orlando’s The Woolly Bushman, New York’s The Jay Vons, & Japan’s Gorilla are just some of the incredible bands The Stents and Hidden Volume Records have brought down to the pizza basement, and next week they’ll be back with yet another fresh lineup for the people of North & Charles, a guaranteed good time!
Thank You!!!
I want to give a quick shout out to Timm Winslow and Ambyr Deanna Hodges of OKAY Recordings. Timm and Ambyr bust their asses to help promote local music and they do it because they love this city and want to do what they can to help artists connect with each other and succeed, so seriously big thanks go out to them! If you need to book a show, get some merchandise, do some recording, or connect with other bands out of state, then these are the people to talk to, so hit them up! http://okayrecordings.com/
Big thanks to Joe Squared of course! Without Joe’s, I wouldn’t have too much to write about would I? Besides that the Joe’s team are just about the coolest coworkers I could’ve asked for, and helped provide some of the most fun I had all year! You guys rock, and I’m looking forward to whatever antics lay ahead in 2017.
The Bands & YOU The Reader
Obviously a big thanks goes out to all the bands who played Downsquares this year. These artists, many of whom were on the road, lugged their gear down our stairs and gave it their all on stage regardless of the audience. Some of my favorite shows happened with almost no crowd present, and I feel that’s a testament to these bands and the dedication they have to their art. Outside of the talent themselves, I want to thank you guys for taking the time to read this blog. I really wasn’t sure what I was doing when I started this thing, I probably still don’t, but the feedback I’ve gotten from you guys has really helped motivate me to keep putting these together. So thank you, and I hope to continue providing weekly content for you to enjoy, or at least occupy you while you’re in the bathroom.
So I think that’s it, 2016 has ended and we’re off to another year. As the great LeVar Burton would say, don’t take my word for it; scroll through some pictures, click on some links, and listen to these artists that help breath some life into this city with their music. My only regret is I didn’t start this blog sooner to cover the first half of the year, but I’ll definitely keep it going as long as there’s bands out there playing for pizza. Happy New Year and as always I’ll be back next week with more tales from the pizza basement. Seeya!
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