Dustin Wong’s performance at the August 12th microshow was one of the most engaging we’ve seen. Known primarily for his role in Ponytail, he’s been gaining momentum as a solo artist and Thursday’s set was a testament to his massive skills as a composer and guitarist. His solo music is a study in patterns and signal theory. His methodology is formulaic, almost mathematical, but the result is anything but expected. He builds each song or sequence by layering simple melodies and rhythms, adding one layer, looping it through his corral of pedals, then adding another. He repeats and tweaks until it reaches a swaying, hypnotic, yet thoroughly musical, cacophony. Then he abruptly stops and immediately enters into a new, suddenly quiet and uncluttered, layer. Before you realize he’s ended one song, he’s off into a new sequence.

The approach itself isn’t entirely novel. His real genius lies in his ability to edit, to pick through a seemingly infinite combination of variables, and to write and combine numerous songlets without ever sounding redundant or trite. His music draws at times from Philip Glass and Raymond Scott and hints at subtle Japanese Gagaku themes in the layering. Download the tracks from the show and we think you’ll be amazed as we were that all this came from one dude and a guitar.

Techincal info: U87/SM57 on front cab (1176), Sennheiser 441 on rear, AT PZMs for room.

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What’s not to love about Weekends? Two super nice guys. Awesome music. No egos. Luscious distortion. And a good time always.

Brendan and Adam from Weekends came in a week or so ago for their microshow. They have a pretty stripped down raw sound to begin with, however somehow they achieved and even more stripped down sound. Only equipped with acoustic guitars, a keyboard, floor tom and some percussion, they still put down an awesome show, gave us some new songs and covered a song from Baltimore’s Romantic States.

Be on the look out for their next LP on Baltimore’s Friends Records.

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Mr. Moccasin came in last week for a microshow. They stripped down to a four-piece. Hanna on vocals, Jared on guitar/vocals, Chris on guitar/stylophone and Christiana on drums/vocals.

The band totally brought it. And brought something a little different than their typical live show including a stylophone and a few new tracks fresh off their killer music making machine. An awesome time was had by all. Highlights include Black On Black, Himalayan Marmalade and Ari Schenck’s Ah Well.

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It’s taken me a few days to digest last week’s microshow with Yeveto. Despite Amy’s “bregnancy prain”, Russell’s 64k memory and Ben’s proposed digital drum kit, Yeveto put on a stellar show. Spinal Tap was known for their “punctuality” – Yeveto should be known for being the most well-rehearsed. And in the best way possible, between arrangement, setup and performance. I can’t thank them enough for being such a well-oiled machine. Oh and playing incredibly moving instrumental experimental film music! Thanks!

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Wow. What a religious experience. The performance by Ms. Sara & The Help absolutely filled the room. Everyone in the room was simply swimming in their music and loving it. Literally, at one point, we were trying to figure out who in the audience was singing back-ups because the vocals just seemed to come from everywhere.

The Help was John Caplan on acoustic and resonator guitar and Jay on acoustic guitar and banjo. The guys also sang harmonies. There’s really not much else that can be said. You have to hear it for yourself. What a wonderful night of sick vocals, harmonies, stringed instruments galore, virtually all new songs and a few covers of fellow Baltimore artists.

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Last week we were joined by Cutthroat, one of do-gooder label For The People Entertainment’s most prolific hip-hop artists. Accompanied by Oba on guitar and Tron on everything else (conga, keys, percussion), Cutthroat performed songs from his previously released Words Can’t Explain It: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 2.5, and Chapter 3; as well as his collaborative album Silent Flutes. He also performed songs from his forthcoming release Word’s Can’t Explain It: Chapter 4.

Cutthroat is a musical phenomenon that blends backpack hip-hop with lyrics pushing listeners to explore their higher consciousness. From growing up in Severn, MD to spending time in his true home Puerto Rico’s Ponce corridor to tackling the streets of Baltimore’s worst neighborhoods, Cutthroat has both socially and lyrically shed light on problems faced by people on a global scale.

This microshow is a prime example of why we do this. Taking excellent music out of its familiar territory and trying something different. Thanks to Ali, Atman, Tron, Oba and Andy for really stepping this up!

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