Ken Kolodner first picked up a fiddle in 1977 with a simple goal: to play well enough to join others.

Then a newcomer to music, the Baltimore native learned by ear and from other musicians. He took a classical violin lesson once but—in what can only be viewed as a sign—it was disrupted by a home robbery. Nobody was hurt but, as Kolodner recalls, “That was the end of my violin lessons.”

But it didn’t stop his interest in music. He went on to attend workshops and festivals across the Mid-Atlantic. He sharpened his skills, learned another instrument—the hammered dulcimer—and formed Helicon, a beloved Baltimore-based trio that blended various musical styles, including Appalachian bluegrass and its predecessor, “old time,” aka early American folk music, often performed for rural dances and social gatherings.

Now 70, Kolodner has become a sort of elder statesmen of Baltimore’s old-time music scene—performing locally, giving lessons, and co-hosting jam sessions every other Tuesday at The Bluebird Cocktail Room with his son, Brad, 35.

“I had no vision of pulling together the community,” he says. “I was basically just playing.”

Today, the father-son duo organizes the Baltimore Old Time Music Festival, a two-day gathering of roots musicians from across the country. In its sixth year, it returns to the Baltimore Museum of Industry (BMI) on April 18 and 19.

“Last year, we sold about 1,200 tickets,” says Brad, a celebrated clawhammer banjoist in his own right. “We’re going to hit that again. We’ve [already] pulled in folks from 24 states.”

Baltimore has long been a hub for bluegrass and old-time music, though it’s never exactly been flashy about it. As the coal industry declined in the mid-20th century, Southern migrants traveled the “Hillbilly Highway” north, bringing their string instruments to working-class neighborhoods in Baltimore, whose residents fueled the city’s war-time industrial boom.

“Many Appalachian migrants were viewed as outsiders,” says Brad. “Their music and culture weren’t something they tried to commodify or promote.”

Instead, the music took off organically. Much of the scene developed in homes and corner bars, where workers performed until last call. Whether their musical circles were a distraction from the grind or a celebration of togetherness, the scene was participatory.

And it fostered some Americana greats, including West Virginia-born singer Hazel Dickens, who arrived in Hampden as a teenager, worked factory jobs by day and performed locally at night, her evocative voice carrying her all the way to induction into the Bluegrass Hall of Fame.

Dickens’ story epitomizes Baltimore’s industrious DNA. This month, the Old Time Festival will take place where workers once hauled crates for Platt & Co. Oysters, a canning giant in the 1880s, when it employed some 30,000 people. Nearby, the Domino Sugars sign will twinkle, a storied reminder of the industry that has hummed along the Patapsco River.

It’s that same spirit that remains alive in the city’s creative community today. “You can have a good quality of life and make a living as an artist here,” says Brad. “Baltimore probably has the largest and fastest-growing old-time music community in the country.”

The festival reflects that momentum. Programming kicks off on Thursday, April 17, with a honky-tonk dance party at Waverly Brewing. Friday night brings a kickoff concert at the BMI, followed by Saturday’s all-day main event.

Attendees can enjoy stage performances as well as hands-on workshops with teaching artists and living room-style jams where people can play alongside the very musicians inspiring old-time’s new directions, like headlining act New Dangerfield, a string band reviving Black folk traditions.

“It’s a testament to what’s happening here,” says Brad. “Old-time music will never die. We’re just the current incarnation—but it’ll go on long after us.”

Horse Lords

The Common Task (Northern Spy Records)

Over the last decade, Horse Lords has become known, both locally and in the likes of The New York Times, for defying expectation. The avant-garde quartet makes daringly expansive, intellectual, experimental music that bucks standard song structures and punkishly pushes sonic limits, while also inciting their listeners to dance. Each composition is in a constant state of forward movement, though toward what, we haven’t always been completely sure. Perhaps until now. Never shy about their self-described radical politics, the band’s new record points directly to a “utopian, modernist ideal,” tipping their hats to progressive (if not explicitly socialist) philosophies. Whatever your political leanings, it’s an intricate album filled with momentum and possibility, continuing their quest of making music for “the liberation of mind and body.”

Ken & Brad Kolodner

Stony Run

On their fourth studio album, Ken and Brad Kolodner make it clear: The family that plays together stays together. The canon of Americana music has long been passed down the generations, but these 12 tracks showcase not only the father-son duo’s familial bond but also their unique musical chemistry and mutual inspiration. It’s their most creative recording yet, charting new territory on robust original tunes, like the effusive title track, inspired by the waterway that ripples between their Baltimore homes, as well as through evolving techniques, such as unlikely instrument combinations and added emphasis on Brad’s warm vocals. They also pay homage to artists of the past through inventive takes on traditional folk and bluegrass classics. Along the way, the Kolodners, already important fixtures on the local scene, show their staying power.

With postponed or cancelled concerts being announced across the city, we’ve expanded the latest edition of The Big Baltimore Playlist to include 10 songs by local musicians to listen to right now, ranging from punk-infused hip-hop and dance-worthy pop music to meditative soundscapes. Check back each month for new top songs of the moment via our Spotify playlist and continue to support hometown acts by purchasing their music or merchandise.

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“Woke Me” by Chiffon
This beloved experimental R&B duo (now trio with the addition of bassist Will Ryerson, also of Other Colors) is back with their first new single in five years off their upcoming four-track EP. It’s a dreamy, seductive slow jam featuring sparkling layers of digital beats and singer Amy Reid’s ethereal vocals speaking to long-distance romance. All the more fitting a listen in an era of social distancing.

“Become A Mountain” by Dan Deacon
This might be the most inspiring song of 2020, with electronic maestro Dan Deacon guiding us toward a triumphant awakening on his new album, Mystic Familiar. Amidst swirling synth, building piano, and orchestral peaks, it’s chock full of advice about opening up your imagination and finding your inner strength, making it one we’ll likely turn to for a long time to come.

“Our Pathetic Age” by DJ Shadow ft. Samuel T. Herring
Somehow we missed this song when it was released last fall, but earlier this week, thanks to WTMD’s Baltimore Hit Parade, we discovered what instantly became one of our new favorite tracks of spring. The Cali-based DJ Shadow enlisted Future Islands frontman Sam Herring for this nostalgic dance track, with a steady funk-infused disco beat grooving beneath his distinctive vocal croons. All we can say is, thank you.

“Raspberry Gun” by Dyyo
We told you last fall that this up-and-coming experimental rapper was one to watch, and his new exploratory album, featuring a full live band, drives that very point home. It’s a powder keg of kinetic tracks that fuse hip-hop with genres like grunge, punk rock, and jazz in an improvisational way. We particularly like this sixth track for its old-school flavor, free-flowing vocal play, crashing drums, and the occasional flutter of brass.

“Sweet June Nectar” by Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon
Listening to Jeremiah Lloyd Harmon’s original “Almost Heaven,” which garnered him national attention via American Idol, you knew the Catonsville singer-songwriter had staying power, and this second single off his upcoming debut album, Namesake, proves exactly that. With raw piano, reverberating strings, and soaring vocals, the feel-good anthem captures the essence of youth, young love, and warm weather—all things we’ll gladly repeat in our minds like a mantra for weeks to come.

“Black-Eyed Susie” by Ken and Brad Kolodner
This weekend, father-son acoustic duo Ken and Brad Kolodner released their new album, Stony Run, named for the Baltimore waterway that runs between their respective homes. It’s full of energetic originals and inventive takes on Americana classics, like this seventh bluegrass-inspired track. As Brad’s warm vocals move to the forefront, an unlikely combination of instruments, the hammered mbira and gourd banjo, craft a hard-driving tune that gives a glimpse into what could be the genre’s future.

“Day2Day” by Micah E. Wood ft. Bobbi Rush
Baltimore’s resident troubadour Micah E. Wood returns with a new single and love song we’ve been waiting for all along. With an infectious pop melody and airy R&B backup vocals from singer-songwriter Bobbi Rush, two of the local scene’s up-and-coming artists tackle the overwhelming uncertainty of new romance, rejecting the doubt induced by former heartbreak, embracing the healing powers of love. Through groovy guitar chords and an uptempo dance beat, its final lyrics leave you with an unwavering sense of hope.

“Cry Like A Baby” by Movakween
Singer-songwriter MovaKween makes music for spiritual guidance, and this new slow jam feels especially timely for its message: giving everyone the space to handle hardship in their own way and time. Speaking to love, specifically, she humanizes the pain that comes with its loss, as her honeyed powerhouse vocals reach new peaks over a smooth, sultry R&B melody that gives homage to the genre’s greatest hits. If you don’t already, consider Movakween an artist to know now.

“Mother” by Outcalls
This new track by Britt Olsen-Ecker and Melissa Wimbish contemplates a dynamic topic: motherhood, with distant, dream-like vocals asking a big, ambiguous question—“Better now, but better when?”—ultimately leaving the answer, too, up to listeners. Made in collaboration with singer-songwriter/producer Jennifer Pague of L.A.’s. Vita and the Woolf, it’s a spacious, surreal melody that builds with a staccato beat, lush synth, and the ladies’ always-impressive operatic pipes.

“We” by The Soft Pink Truth
Looking for a song to get lost in? Consider this new track from The Soft Pink Truth, the solo project of Drew Daniel from celebrated local experimental duo Matmos, a meditative gift in these strange times. Off the upcoming album, Shall We Go On Sinning so That Grace May Increase?, it’s a soft, sparse, sparkling soundscape, dancing between sublime minimalism and a trance-music rave, inspiring listeners to find moments of self-care and healing. It couldn’t have arrived at a better time.

Visual Art

Spring 2019 Design Soiree
For the past 15 years, the Design Soiree has given artists and creatives a change to interact, exchange ideas, and get feedback on their work. Reserve your spot early to experience the latest evening of artistic exchange at Y:ART Gallery. And don’t forget to bring some food and drink to share before you settle in to see presenters share their newest projects. Y:ART Gallery & Fine Gifts, 3402 Gough St. 7-10 p.m., March 20.

Logan Visionary Conference 2019: The Art of Parenting
Celebrate AVAM’s themed exhibition Parenting: An Art Without a Manual by soaking up some knowledge from a panel of luminaries including Dr. Daniel J Siegel of the UCLA School of Medicine and the Mindsight Institute, Alison D’Alessandro of the Baltimore Child Abuse Center, and Joe Jones of The Center for Urban Families. This yearly conference is free, but reservations must be made in advance. American Visionary Art Museum, 800 Key Hwy. 1-4 p.m., March 24.

Literature

Blythe Roberson: How to Date Men When You Hate Men
Join Blythe Roberson at Bird in Hand for a discussion of just how weird it is to date men in the modern world. The New Yorker and Onion contributor’s new book features such helpful sections as “Real Interviews With Men About Whether Or Not It Was A Date” and “Definitive Proof That Tom Hanks Is The Villain Of You’ve Got Mail,” so you know it’s sure to be a good time full of great advice. Bird in Hand Charles Village, 11 E. 33rd St. 7-9 p.m. March 9.

Confessionals: Writing the Hard Stuff
Truth hurts, so they say, but this MoonLit event seeks to help writers put their true selves down on paper and learn the importance of doing so. Local poet Ashley Elizabeth will help guide the group through readings, writing, and a discussion on truth-telling, and editing/workshopping will be available if time allows. Greedy Reads, 1744 Aliceanna St. 7-9 p.m., March 27.

Dance

Addict
Seven dancers will each portray a different experience with addiction in this performance in support of Helping Up Mission, a Baltimore nonprofit that provides for those dealing with homelessness, poverty, and addition. Featuring a live accompaniment from Two Rivers Chamber Music, Addict seeks to address the portrayal of addiction in media and how people are affected by society’s lack of understanding. Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St. 8 p.m., March 12-13.

Music

That’s What She Said
Grab your best girlfriends, because this women-powered night featuring some of the best voices in town is not to be missed. Electro-opera duo Outcalls, gloom-pop group $100 Girlfriend, and New Jersey rocking sister act Nalani & Sarina will join forces for one night only at Motor House for a no-boys-allowed evening of comedy and music. Motor House, 120 W. North Ave. 7-10:30 p.m., March 16.

Inaugural Baltimore Old Time Music Festival
A Friday night concert, a day of workshops and intimate performances from headliners, and a Saturday evening square dance will celebrate the Old Time music that made its way from Appalachia and cemented its legacy in Baltimore during the 20th century. This foot-stomping new fest at Creative Alliance will feature acts such as Ken and Brad Kolodner, Molsky’s Mountain Drifters, Corn Potato String Band, and The Local Honeys, who are sure to bring out the best of Old Time with fiddles, banjos, dulcimers, and plenty of dancing. Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave. Times vary, March 22-23.

Chaunter Dream Dynamics LP Release Party
Get acquainted with Baltimore’s latest cool kids at this release party for Chaunter’s new LP, Dream Dynamics, featuring the dreamy sounds of songwriting duo Brooks Kossover and Jenghis Manning-Pettit. Nerftoss, Infinity Knives + Randi, Frogohmine, and Matmos will get the evening started before Kossover, Pettit, and the rest of Chaunter take the stage to share their creative sound and impeccable style. Metro Gallery, 1700 N. Charles St. 8 p.m., March 29.

Film

The Case Against Adnan Syed
Part one of this four-part documentary series revisiting the murder of Baltimore County teen Hae Min Lee and the conviction of Adnan Syed for the crime premieres March 10 at 9 p.m. on HBO. The series, directed by Academy Award nominee Amy Berg, has been in production since 2015 and includes new evidence discovered by private investigators and interviews with friends, family, and people involved in the case over the past 20 years of uncertainty. Part 1 premieres on HBO 9 p.m. March 10.