Since The Anthem opened its doors in Washington, D.C. almost exactly one year ago, many big-name artists have graced its stage. There were the memorable opening night performances from rock royalty the Foo Fighters, epic theatrics from Phoenix and The Killers, intimate nights with Tegan and Sara and Erykah Badu, and memorable moments with legends like Bob Dylan and David Byrne.

Well this weekend the Southwest waterfront venue is going to add another unforgettable act to its roster as Florence and the Machine graces the stage Friday and Saturday. Supporting their fourth studio album High as Hope, which has been dubbed by critics as a “quieter” release compared to previous work, the band is playing D.C. this weekend as a part of a 23-city tour.

With Florence Welch and her indie-rock bandmates playing right in our backyard, we wondered how they have influenced the career of Baltimore musicians since they burst onto the scene more than a decade ago.

“We’ll never forget when we first heard her on the radio,” said Britt Olsen-Ecker, who founded the band Outcalls with fellow trained opera singer Melissa Wimbish. “We weren’t together, but we had similar reactions, like, ‘Who is this person singing right now?’ It was intoxicating and so different than anything we’d heard until this point.”

Over the years, the band has become known for their hypnotizing live show, with Welch commanding the stage with her powerful vocals and ethereal presence. She even managed to fill the entire space with her energy when the band opened up for U2 during their 360 Tour at M&T Bank Stadium in 2011.

“I saw her at the Hollywood Bowl and witnessed her physical magic,” says Baltimore native Lauren Ruth Ward, who released her first, full-length record Well, Hell this past spring. “I was inspired to say the least. I love to dance and, at that time, [guitarist] Eduardo [Rivera] and I started co-writing and, with him writing the guitar parts, I became hands free. What I saw was a woman singing her stories, emoting freely and that’s what I wanted for myself . . . When I am performing with just a wireless microphone in my hand, I truly feel my freest.”

Similarly, Outcalls feels inspired by both Welch’s skills and undeniable force while on stage.

“We love how Florence sings without restraint,” Wimbish said. “Her approach to vocal technique seems fearless and we try our best to remind ourselves of that fearlessness when we begin writing new material.”

Then, of course, there is Welch’s undeniable force as a powerhouse female in the indie/pop scene. As Will Hermes of Rolling Stone wrote in his review of High as Hope, “Florence Welch is the big sister you wish you had.”

“She represents girl power,” Olsen-Ecker said. “Women are the future of the industry and are here to do more than just sing and dance.”

Read more about The Anthem and its surrounding attractions in our D.C. Travel Guide in the upcoming November issue.

A lot has happened for Baltimore native Lauren Ruth Ward in a few short years. After moving to Los Angeles in 2015, she has received glowing write-ups in the Los Angeles Times, become engaged to lauded indie singer LP, and now released her first, full-length record, Well, Hell, filled with raspy vocals and Americana-tinged rock melodies.

Before her show at the Ottobar on Saturday, we talked with the singer about her musical upbringing, being compared to Janis Joplin, and finding an unlikely matchmaker in WTMD’s Sam Sessa.

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You lived in California for three years but are from Baltimore. Were you making music here as well? I’ve only been an active musician for about three years. I played guitar as a hobby and sang at some talent shows in high school, but then didn’t touch the guitar again until I turned 18. At 21, I started writing songs again. At the time, I had a partner and we had a little folk band called Whet Whiskers. We were inspired by the Hagerstown band Cotton Jones. We played maybe 10 shows, at friend’s house parties and local restaurants. It was cute. But they were no more than diary entries and having sweet old friends who would say, ‘Oh, play us one of those songs.’ Now it’s very serious, like morning, noon, and night.

What was your musical upbringing like in Maryland? Oh, my sweet parents. They love music. I got a lot of disco and R&B from my mom, and a lot of classic rock and Motown from my step mom and dad. My first memories are being in my dad’s truck, every other weekend when he had us, playing the most random rotation. He loved ’80s glam rock—White Snake, Poison, Mötley Crüe, Aerosmith—and then he’d turn on The Jackson 5, The Carpenters. Even The Cranberries and Garbage. I embraced all of the bands, and especially loved ’60s and ’70s bands like Fleetwood Mac and The Doors.

Is it strange to be compared to a legend as iconic as Janis Joplin? It’s the coolest fucking thing in the world. Like what compliment would you want? That one, right there. But I don’t consciously or subconsciously embody any one legend.

Janis’s lesser known songs have that Americana edge to them. Folk music, by definition, is folklore. I love telling stories and that’s just how I write. When I first started making music, I was definitely a singer-songwriter, a folk player. But now, there’s just a band behind me and it’s a whole other thing.

How did you find out you were a performer? A wireless microphone. I’ve always loved dancing, and I had already started jumping into the crowd, using the longest microphone cable we could find. I’m not reinventing the wheel but my intention is to convince the people who like dance music that they also like rock and roll.

Why Los Angeles?
It sounds kind of cheesy, but I feel like California chose me. I felt a calling, which I’d never felt before. At the time, I was getting an itch to really do music. It happened a couple of times before, but I never fully scratched it, and then it would come back tenfold. Finally I was ready to make a move and take it seriously. There was a super sweet supportive manager who was interested in me out there. My life had gotten complacent in Maryland, and in California, I could feel my brain changing. I knew that this place was going to make me grow. I didn’t have any music out yet, but before long, my manager put me in writing sessions and I released a five-song folk EP in fall 2015.

Now you’ve got your first full-length album, Well, Hell. How did that all unfold? I’d say my big break was any time a booker who didn’t know who I was put me on a show. They thought I was going to be something, and when something like that happens, you start to believe in yourself.

You’re also now engaged to the artist LP. You met her in Baltimore? I met her at Canton Waterfront Park at WTMD’s First Thursdays on June 5, 2014. This is so small-town Baltimore. I had put a couple of songs up on a Soundcloud, and then Sam Sessa hit me up on Facebook, asking me to be on his radio show, the Baltimore Hit Parade. I was like, ‘Oh my god, absolutely!’ Afterwards, he asked if I wanted to be a VIP guest at their next First Thursdays. I was living in Patterson Park at the time and I looked at the lineup and realized, fuck yeah, LP is playing! I’d been listening to her music for about three years at the time. I went there to go see her and almost missed her. I caught her last two songs and then there I am, just sitting in the back of the VIP section, and she comes over to me and we start talking. All the while, all these people kept coming up, being like, ‘Excuse me, would you mind taking a photo of her and I?’ Which is total foreshadowing to my life now. [Laughs.] But when we finished up talking, she asked if I wanted to take a photo, so now I have this selfie from the first day that we met.

That’s a truly Baltimore story. Sam Sessa is your matchmaker. Mhm, and he knows it! Then I met her again in L.A., just two days shy of a year later at the Roosevelt Hotel.

In full circle, you’re now returning to Baltimore, with your own Live Lunch at WTMD and now this weekend’s show at the Ottobar on Saturday. What do you miss about this city when you’re away?
I miss my family, and all the people, and the overall energy. I actually just recently found a bunch of old photos from when the Ottobar had that black-and-white photo booth. I used to go to there all the time, ever since I was 14. But my nostalgic spots are Fells Point and Hampden. I always have to go to Bertha’s, and visit my friends at Brightside Boutique. I’m just excited to walk around. Baltimore is full of so much life and culture and history and good food. And, of course, there’s the music scene!

With spring officially upon us, it’s time to start looking ahead to outdoor concert season. Each year, that starts with First Thursdays, presented by Towson’s alternative radio station WTMD.

From May through September on the first Thursday of the month, music lovers from near and far flock to the Canton Waterfront to hear a mix of local and national talents perform against the backdrop of the Baltimore harbor. Last year, the beloved monthly music festival grew from one to two stages, now including six bands and drawing thousands of attendees.

This year, 89.7 FM kicks things off on May 3 with an all-star lineup, featuring alt-rock legends Belly, who will be headlining in celebration of their first new album in 23 years, as well Philly rockers Low Cut Connie, D.C.’s roots band The Nighthawks and blues group Tom Principato Band, as well as Baltimore’s own soulful Ursula Ricks Project.

Throughout the rest of the summer, the series will highlight big-name acts like charismatic indie-soul quartet Lake Street Dive, soul sensation Bettye LaVette, and former Black Crowes bandmate-turned-Southern solo artist Jackie Greene. Local artists like power pop singer Andy Bopp and Cali-by-way-of-Ellicott City native Lauren Ruth Ward will also be in tow, plus indie darlings like Richmond pop singer Natalie Prass, San Francisco folksters The Family Crest, and L.A.’s electric Lo Moon.

The event will now include 15 food vendors, including Asian street-food eats from Ekiben, creative ice cream flavors from Taharka Bros., and farm-to-table fare from Wild Thyme. 

As in past years, the concerts are free and rain or shine. Music starts at 5:30 p.m.

See the full lineup—as of press time—below:

May 3: Belly, Low Cut Connie, Loma, The Nighthawks, Tom Principato Band, Ursula Ricks Project

June 7: Family Of The Year, Typhoon, Jessica Lea Mayfield, Danielia Cotton, Natalie Prass, Lauren Ruth Ward

July 5: Lake Street Dive, Andy Bopp, Van William, The Glorious Sons, etc.

Aug. 2: Bettye LaVette, Lo Moon, The Family Crest, The Legendary Shackshakers, Dave House & The Mermaid, etc.

Sept. 6: Jackie Greene, Daniel Nicole, etc.

In the latest iteration of The Big Baltimore Playlist, we found five local songs ranging from futuristic rap and high-flying post-punk to shimmering, nostalgic New Wave. Check back each month for new top songs of the moment, and follow our Spotify playlist as we continue to build a soundtrack for our city. 

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“DaWon” by Abdu Ali

From his Bmore Club roots to his punk-infused noise-rap, Abdu Ali continues to experiment and evolve, with this new single off his upcoming FIYA!!! mixtape being nothing short of rebirth. Expanding on his energetic work that came before, the young artist brings fiery (and at times NSFW) verses that traverse a transcendent discovery of self through a swirling dystopian soundscape. He proudly rejects sympathy for the struggles he’s overcome, let alone the city from which he was born, with his Baltimore roots imbuing every inch of this frenetic, futuristic sound. If you missed last week’s explosive performance last week with a full band at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., be sure to check it out to see what Abdu is all about.

“Riddles” by Ed Schrader’s Music Beat

So we know we included Ed Schrader and Delvin Rice in January’s BBP, but watch the music video for the title track off the band’s boisterous new record, and you’ll quickly see why we have to give the post-punk duo a little back-to-back love. This song is an exuberant feat, but its infectious film incites some serious FOMO, as, simply put, making it had to be so much fun. With twinkling piano and an urgent, anthemic chorus, hometown heroes like Dan Deacon (who co-wrote and produced the album), Manny Williams (aka DDm of Bond St. District), and Lexie Mountain (of Scroll Downers) play dress-up, dance, and sing along. Keep your eye on the Music Beat—with recent features in Rolling Stone, Pitchfork, and Spin, these local dudes are on the cusp of something big.

“Sheet Stains” by Lauren Ruth Ward

We just caught wind of this Ellicott City native, whose earthy, boot-stomping rock rolls like old wheels down a dusty back road. Fittingly, she’s recently relocated to California, where the sunny Golden State has infused her forthright, vintage-tinged folk sound. With brash lyrics and hearty, husky vocals, Ward is as much an East Coast songstress as she is a West one, with maybe even a hint of Southern belle. Think Janis meets Dolly meets Florence. And this single, off her February Well, Hell will have your toes tapping along. Her fearless sense of style with force you to follow her wherever she goes next (The Los Angeles Times and Nylon are already groupies). In fact, on April 28, you can catch her back in Baltimore at the Ottobar .

“Half A Heart” by Mark Renner

This song, or better yet, this album, is one of the great comeback stories of the past decade. In the ’80s, there was a little-known Baltimore County musician by the name of Mark Renner who was said to have made music with the moody likes of Ultravox and Cocteau Twins—and who himself was as talented as any one of those British indie big-weights. Culled from Renner’s 1986 All Walks of This Life, this jangly track, recorded in Scotland with the guidance of Big Country’s Stuart Adamson and re-released this spring, is being brought back to life for the sole purpose of appreciating this masterful musician whose songs never made it out of the shadows. (Though, as a painter and printmaker, he is well regarded for his prolific art.) With driving drums, shimmering guitar, and buoyant synth, Renner’s soft, distant baritone will leave you haunted, and hungry to hear more.

“Winning” by Peso Da Mafia

Last summer, Baltimore got a viral dance moment, but it wasn’t from Future Islands’ sultry Sam Herring moves. Instead, it was from the young guns of Peso Da Mafia and their shimmy-shaking breakout, with “Money Man” now reaching more than 3 million views on YouTube. A month ago, they released this highly anticipated follow-up, featuring that same confident, come-up attitude and an infectious slow-burn beat, equipped with an even catchier Mike Jones tribute at the chorus. You know the one. With shout-outs in XXL and Complex magazines, and a spot on this year’s lineup at SXSW, the group is one of the next big rap acts to come out of the Baltimore scene.