About halfway through summer, many of us, especially with temperatures steadily in the nineties for a few weeks now, are readily looking toward fall. And with that, this week, comes the announcement of the hottest Halloween party in Baltimore, when Believe in Music teams up with the Maryland Science Center for its annual October bash.

For one evening, the exhibits—kid-friendly learning experiences on the likes of dinosaurs, space, and physics—transform into a full-on music festival on the Inner Harbor, featuring more than a dozen bands, a wild costume contest, and overflowing craft beer, all to benefit the educational center and local arts nonprofit.

The event, now in its eighth year, has just announced its 2019 lineup, featuring familiar faces who have performed at past parties, as well as exciting new acts. On Saturday October 26, some two dozen Baltimore artists will perform across multiples stages, from the planetarium to the rooftop to beneath a gigantic Tyrannosaurus Rex.

The main stage will feature big-name headliners: head-banging rock band J. Roddy Walston and The Business, beloved rap star DDm, and Talking Heads tribute group, Psycho Killers. Meanwhile, the Friends of Friends [Records] Stage will highlight rising DIY acts—post-punk duo Ed Schrader’s Music Beat, alt-hip-hop collective Soul Cannon, indie-pop singer Eyas, and electro-femme pair HexGirlfriends—while the planetarium will host a handful of techno and house, and dance music artists. As in years past, the Charm City Bluegrass Stage will be dedicated to Americana musicians, such as bluegrass rebels The Dirty Grass Players and folk-pop septet Haint Blue. And both DJs Rob Macy of Save Your Soul and James Nasty will be back on the ones and twos into the wee hours of the nights.

Exhibits will be open throughout the evening, as will the IMAX theater, where Future Islands bassist William Cashion and psychedelic electronic artist DeltaNine will curate immersive experiences.
Tickets usually sell out and are now on sale for general admission ($42) and VIP ($80).

In a way, the zig-zag-printed stage at the Windup Space is symbolic of the programming that the arts venue has become known for. One night you could be there to see a local band or comedy show, and the next you could be sketching live models or screening episodes of Twin Peaks in the dark.

This week, the haven for local creatives will celebrate 11 years of offering inclusive arts showcases in Station North. But, sadly, owner Russell De Ocampo recently announced that the space won’t be around for year 12.

“We’ve had the pleasure of sharing our love for the strange and beautiful things that Baltimore has to offer with our own special blend of programming,” De Ocampo said in a statement announcing a closing date of June 1. “We hope you found the things you were looking for and discovered some new things that you will never forget.”

Discovery was a huge aspect of the Windup ethos. Whether packed in shoulder to shoulder for a show or mingling freely at a gallery exhibition, regulars appreciated the versatility of the venue (which Baltimore named a “Best Bar” in 2010), and its ability to open their eyes to obscure art forms.

“Since Russell was so willing to bring in just about anything that people could get down to, we really leaned on the space for availability,” says Derek Vaughan Brown, a local singer and actor who performs at Windup monthly with the groups like the Baltimore Rock Opera Society and psychedelic punk trio Patterson Trash. “It wasn’t necessarily about monetizing for him, but about drawing all of those people in and letting them express themselves and use their voices.”

Veteran rapper Eze Jackson says that De Ocampo has been welcoming him “with open arms” for nearly a decade. Back when his band Soul Cannon was just starting out, Jackson struggled to find performance spaces in the area.

“At that time, it was hard for us to get booked and even harder for us to put together our own bills,” he says. “Other venues had trouble understanding us being on bills with punk bands or rock bands, and Russell was one of the first people to be open to any ideas that we thought were cool.”

In the years since, Jackson has appeared in front of the iconic red curtains countless times. Among the many Windup memories that stick out in his mind is a show that he curated with J. Pope and the late Derrick “OOH” Jones of hip-hop and reggae group Brown Fish in 2010.

Jackson has also performed there with the Baltimore Boom Bap Society, whose founders Wendel Patrick and Erik Spangler first met at one of the venue’s many free improv events. The duo later established a home for their live collaborative hip-hop showcases on the Windup stage.

“We just had one on Saturday and didn’t know that it was our last one,” Patrick says. “We’ve done individual shows at many places many times, but Windup has been our home for almost eight years and we’ve been proud to call it our home. I can’t really think of a space that I’ve been sad to see close like that.”

Brown sees the closure as yet another hit to the DIY arts scene, especially after the loss of The Bell Foundry, whose tenants were evicted in 2016, and Single Carrot Theatre—which recently vacated its Remington home.

“Those experiences are starting to vanish a little bit,” he says. “Something that Russell was always keen to support was this idea that you don’t need to figure out how to make money off of a project, as long as you’re not spending money to make it. For art kids in Baltimore, that’s perfect. There is something really beautiful about a small theater performing something in an inexpensive space.”

Now faced with the impending closure at the end of the month, regulars are beginning to contemplate what the local landscape will look like without the North Avenue gathering spot.

“There will never be another Windup Space,” Jackson says. “After you’ve been on the scene for so many years, you start to realize that’s the reality. Venues come and go, but I hope whoever gets that space understands its history and at least tries to keep up what it brought to the scene.”

De Ocampo’s Station North neighbor and close friend Sarah Werner, who owns Metro Gallery around the corner, took to Facebook to share her thoughts on the void that Windup will leave behind: “I can’t really imagine Station North without Russell,” she said. “Every bit of the Windup Space was an outpouring of his love for the artists and people of Baltimore.”

Even still, artists remain hopeful that Windup has paved the way for other spaces throughout the city to welcome works of all genres.

“I’d obviously love for other places and venues to maybe try to follow suit, but I don’t think it’s really a model that one would necessarily follow—it was just Russell,” Patrick says. “He had this place that he really wanted and he’s just such a caring and thoughtful individual. It really came out in the space.”

To give the club a proper send off, the next two weeks will be jam-packed with the diverse entertainment that Windup has become known for. Specifically, the final 4 Hours of Funk will happen this Friday, the Baltimore Record Bazaar is scheduled for May 19, one last “Whose Roll Is It Anyway” performance will happen on May 26, and Brown’s band Patterson Trash will host a “Living Wake” (complete with blacklight table tennis) on May 29. Locals are making plans to stop by in the coming weeks to have one last drink and honor the community that the Windup Space has built.

“I grew up watching Cheers,” Jackson shares. “And when Windup first opened, I actually lived right around the corner on Maryland and LaFayette, so I used to joke and say that Windup was my Cheers. I was Norm, and I would be over there every night. I’m sad to see it go.”

EAT

Jan. 27: Brunch N’ Chill

Prime Corner, 3400 Chestnut Ave. 11 a.m.-2 p.m. $25.

From sleeping masks and bath bombs to chocolates and coffee, products infused with CBD oil (aka cannabidiol, the second-most abundant compound found in marijuana plants) are all the rage. This Sunday, trade your usual mimosa-filled brunch for a plant-based breakfast at Hampden’s Prime Corner, and then spend the afternoon sampling CBD-filled treats from local purveyors, including lattes from Vent Coffee Roasters, donuts from Full Circle Artisan Palace, and ketchup from Secret Sauce Co.

DRINK

Jan. 25: Nepenthe Brewing Co. Opening

Nepenthe Brewing Co., 3600 Clipper Mill Rd. 4 p.m. Free.

After months of delays, this new Hampden hangout officially opens to the public on Friday. The facility (which includes a 160-seat taproom, a 10-barrel brewhouse, and an attached home-brewing shop) is an expansion of Nepenthe Homebrew, the beer-making supply shop that husband-and-wife owners Brian Arnold and Jill Antos operated in Woodberry for five years before moving to their new home on Falls Road. Joined now by Brendan Kirlin (formerly of The Wine Market and Le Garage), the co-owners are ready to open their doors. This weekend, fill a flight with samples of Nepenthe’s starting lineup of IPAs and saisons.

SEE

Jan. 25-27: Raoul Middleman: Watercolors & Monoprints

C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles St. Tues.-Sat. 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m.

At 84 years old, this born-and-raised Baltimore artist continues to create innovative artworks that exhibit renewed inspiration for his lifelong passions and subjects: burlesque, horses, and Charm City. Visit the C. Grimaldis Gallery to take in this longtime MICA professor’s latest series of inked mono-prints and impressionist watercolors, which will be on display at the Mt. Vernon gallery until February 16.

HEAR

Jan. 26: Super City, Chaunter, and Soul Cannon

Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St. 9 p.m. $12.

If we had to make a wish list concert lineup of some of our favorite up-and-coming local acts, it would look a lot like this Saturday’s roster at the Ottobar. With “freakwave” band Super City home from their nationwide tour and ready to rock the Remington club with tracks from their latest album, Sanctuary, along with sets from songwriting duo Chaunter and experimental hip-hop collective Soul Cannon, this is the definition of a can’t-miss show.

DO

Jan. 26: Baltimore Orioles FanFest

Baltimore Convention Center, 1. W Pratt St. 11 a.m. $6-12.

As the saying goes, there is no offseason in baseball. Put last year’s abysmal season in the past and kick off the Orioles’ 2019 season with a day-long celebration at the Baltimore Convention Center. Celebrate all the new changes the front office (and the players themselves) will bring to 2019 while enjoying Orioles-themed games, press conferences for kids, one-of-a-kind memorabilia for purchase, and autograph and Q&A sessions with select players from the team.

Visual Art

Raoul Middleman: Watercolors & Monoprints
An artist’s passions are explored with frenetic mono-prints and impressionist watercolors in this new show from Baltimore native Raoul Middleman at C. Grimaldis Gallery. From his studio 19 floors above the city streets, Middleman has documented the changes in daylight as well as changes in the skyline itself. Back on the ground, his inky depictions of horses and burlesque capture motion and beauty in two distinctly different venues. Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Jan. 17; on view during gallery hours Jan. 17-Feb. 16. C. Grimaldis Gallery, 523 N. Charles St.

Art and Healing with WombWork Productions
Explore The Walters Museum’s historic property at 1 West Mount Vernon Place, and enhance your experience of this storied residence with a performance from local social change theater group WombWork Productions. One of WombWorks’ goals is to use art as a method for healing, and this new work will seek to connect the present to stories from 1 West Mount Vernon Place’s past. 7-8 p.m. Jan. 24, The Walters Art Museum, 600 N. Charles St.

Music

BSO Pulse: Dan Deacon
Two forces of Baltimore’s music scene will combine their talents for one night only during the next iteration of the BSO Pulse series. Come early for Deacon-curated entertainment from Jamal Moore, Amy Reid, Stewart Mostofsky, Alex Silva, and Amanda Schmidt in the Meyerhoff lobby and stay to hear the world premieres of new compositions blending acoustic and electronic sounds. 6-10 p.m. Jan. 17, Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, 1212 Cathedral St.

Kentavius Jones Album Release w/ Brooks Long & Mad Dog No Good
An Eastern Shore native releasing his long-awaited album and the return of Brooks Long & The Mad Dog No Good? Count us all the way in. Join singer-songwriter Kentavius Jones as he celebrates his new album, The Bohemian Beatbox, at Creative Alliance. He’ll be joined by CA curator of special projects Brooks Long and his rock and soul band for a full night of homegrown hits. 8-11 p.m. Jan. 25, Creative Alliance, 3134 Eastern Ave.

Super City, Chaunter, and Soul Cannon
Embrace the “freakwave” sound of Baltimore’s Super City as they return home after dancing their way through the south. You’ve probably heard tracks off the band’s latest project, Sanctuary, by now, but nothing compares to experiencing these guys’ rock anthems and expert choreography live. Local acts Chaunter and Soul Cannon will also join the party at the Ottobar. Doors at 8 p.m., show at 9 p.m. Jan. 26, Ottobar, 2549 N. Howard St.

Theater

Thank You, Dad
His twisted legacy has been immortalized by filmmakers, songwriters, authors, and poets. Now revisit Jim Jones’ deadly Peoples Temple with the world premiere of this collection of three plays by Aladrian C. Wetzel. Performed by Rapid Lemon Productions Artistic Director Lance Bankerd, this trio of works based on the life of Jones will kick off RLP’s 2019 season, which explores the power of belief. Jan. 11-20, Baltimore Theatre Project, 45 W. Preston St.

Roald Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Dive into a world of pure imagination with Charlie, Willy Wonka, and the rest of Roald Dahl’s colorful characters in this musical based on the beloved work of children’s fiction. With colorful costumes, classic songs, and plenty of twists and turns, this tale is sure to be a delight for all ages. Just be sure not to slip Slugworth any trade secrets on your way out of the theater. Jan. 22-27, The Hippodrome Theatre, 12. N. Eutaw St.

Film

Who Will Write Our History
When lies and hate took over their world, a group of journalists, scholars, and community leaders fought back with the only weapons they had left—their words. This new documentary from Roberta Grossman exposes the secret band of writers known at Oyneg Shabes, who documented life under Nazi rule in the Warsaw Ghetto.

Drawing from the group’s writings, new interviews, dramatizations, and archival footage, Grossman has crafted a film that carries on the legacy of this brave group determined to ensure their stories would survive. The Who Will Write Our History screening at Landmark Theatres, Harbor East is one of several around the world that will take place as part of International Holocaust Remembrance Day. 1 p.m. Jan. 27, Landmark Theatres, Harbor East, 645 President St.

Literature

Roxane Gay With One N
Loyola University’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Convocation always brings incredible personalities with powerful stories to Baltimore, and this year is no exception. For the 26th annual event, author Roxane Gay will discuss feminism, body image, and social justice at Reitz Arena and end the evening with a book signing. Though the event is free, you’ll want to register early to secure your seats. 7-9 p.m. Jan. 22, Loyola University Maryland, 4501 N. Charles St.

This was a big year for Baltimore music. A decade after Rolling Stone dubbed our city the best music scene in the country, local artists continued to make great music—in some ways better than ever—and they got recognized for it, both through local listeners and on the national stage.

Locally, Baltimore artists released a record number of highly anticipated albums over the course of the last 12 months, and in doing so, also treated us to a heap of had-to-be-there concerts on our hometown stages, from Snail Mail making her debut at The Parkway to DDm transforming the Soundstage into a fashion runway to one very memorable night starring TT The Artist at Union Collective during our first-ever Baltimore magazine Music Festival. (Be on the lookout for its return in 2019.) Nationally, it seemed as if every time we went online, another local musician was being recognized by a top tastemaker, from The Fader and Vice (both thanks in no small part to True Laurels’ Lawrence Burney) to, yes, Rolling Stone, plus NPR, Billboard, and The New York Times, with one especially deserved piece on local artists of color. Hearing this music, seeing these concerts, and reading these headlines amidst the chaos of 2018 gave us a glimmer of hope.

Picking favorites from this past year has felt nearly impossible—we simply didn’t know where to begin, or end—so to help narrow our focus, we’ve chosen 20 songs off those aforementioned new albums, which includes everything from fresh-faced folk and up-and-coming hip-hop to the rebirth of indie veterans and the solidification of new rock stars. Hear for yourself, via our Spotify playlist below, but in this age of quick consumption, we encourage you to listen to these records in full, and to find your own favorites. And to continue to follow the local music scene, these artists and others, into 2019 and beyond.

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“Dive” by Beach House
We’ve learned to no longer sit on the edge of our seats for a Beach House album as over the last few years the duo has continued to drop a sudden new song here or full-blown record release there without so much as a whiff of Internet buzz. But their seventh record, aptly titled 7, did serve as a solid reminder of the band’s ability to surprise us. It’s a hazy, haunting evolution in their decade-long perfection of shimmering, fuzzed-out dream-pop, with the new songs bringing a fresh sense of urgency and innovation, as heard in this second single. It builds in Beach House’s signature slow-burning way before erupting in a potent moment of thunderous live drums and lustrous guitar. This newfound clarity only further cements Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally as indie rock royalty, in Baltimore and beyond.
Honorable Mentions: “Lemon Glow,” “Drunk In LA,” “L’Inconnue.”

“Feel Nobody” by Butch Dawson

One of the biggest breakthroughs of the year might belong to Butch Dawson (and one of the biggest oversights of the year likely belongs to leaving him out of our Music Issue’s list of top 50 bands to watch). This mosh-ready single off the West Baltimore rapper’s autumn debut, Swamp Boy, was undoubtedly one of the most beloved songs in 2018, bringing his punkish, smoke-swirled brand of hip-hop to the forefront of the local music scene. Dawson’s unbridled fire was also recognized by The Fader and that aforementioned article in The New York Times.
Honorable Mentions: “Division St. Blues,” “Liberation,” “Distances.”

“Hollow Imitation” by Caleb Stine
Long before the birth of the Charm City Bluegrass Festival and the region’s recent folk music renaissance, there was Caleb Stine, stoking the flames of his genre and its deep ties to Maryland through Americana tales over the course of the last two decades. But Moon, the rustic raconteur’s first new solo record in some time, turns its attention away from the road and religion, toward the ground-shaking, all-consuming power of love. This reverential ballad is Stine’s storytelling at its very best, with saturated imagery unfolding like an old film.
Honorable Mentions: “Higher Ground,” “Garden,” “Bodhi Tree.”

“Rude” by DDm
Okay, so we know this record hasn’t officially dropped, but anyone who’s seen DDm perform over the last several months has already fallen for the new tracks off his upcoming Soundtrack To A Shopping Mall, due out in the new year. DDm, aka Emmanuel Williams, aka Unkle Lulu, aka the Secretary of Shade, is the master of bona fide swagger, side-splitting braggadocio, and Beyoncé-worthy production, as showcased on this track. We can’t think of many (or any) other local artists who put on a performance quite like DDm; he brings it to everything he touches.
Honorable Mentions: “Ready To Wear,” “Try Me On,” “Forever 21.”

“Riddles” by Ed Schrader’s Music Beat
After a decade of cutting their chops and gaining a loyal following on the local scene, Ed Schrader and Devlin Rice finally got their national due this year, with the post-punk duo’s spring album, Riddles, via Car Park Records, lauded by the likes of NPR, Spin, and Rolling Stone. We could say it’s about time, but those years allowed ESMB to find new footing in this cathartic triumph, produced by friend and fellow local institution Dan Deacon. Out of 10 bold songs, this twinkling title track is the unrivaled star—swelling in synth-fueled emotion and ’80s-pop euphoria—speaking to facing your fears and, in turn, yourself. Just be sure to watch its Best of Baltimore-winning music video as well.
Honorable Mentions: “Kid Radium,” “Dunce,” “Tom.”

“Knock the Man Down” by The High & Wides
Yes, the city’s bluegrass scene has been growing like kudzu over the last few years, but few new bands have caught our eye—and ear—quite like this Baltimore-by-way-of-Eastern Shore string quartet. Their spring debut, Lifted, was met with critical acclaim for its reverence to, revolution from, and revival of the Americana genre; thought rooted in tradition, the band reimagines bluegrass for the 21st century. This track is all grit and gumption, from its jangly melody to its howling vocals and expert instrumentation—a back-woods boot-stomper for modern day.
Honorable Mentions: “Rake Out The Nails,” “Ballad of Caulk’s Field,” “Dark Blues.”

“Water” by Joy Postell
Diaspora, the full-length debut by Joy Postell, only affirmed what we already knew: the twenty-something soul powerhouse is a forerunner of the local music scene and a force to be reckoned with. Drawing inspiration from legends of the past (Nina Simone, Billie Holliday, Sarah Vaughn), Postell looks toward the future as a black woman in America in 2018, and each of the album’s tracks tackle the African-American experience, from freedom to love. With a rippling jazz melody and the singer’s mighty vox, this second single is an especially poignant portrait, presenting young black minds as the seeds of future change. Indeed Postell, also featured in the summer New York Times feature, is one herself.
Honorable Mentions: “Consciousness,” “North Star,” “Free Black.”

“1539 N. Calvert” by JPEGMAFIA
Heading into 2019, JPEGMAFIA is definitely one of the city’s—and country’s—top wavemakers, thanks to a record year riding on the success of his boundary-pushing spring Veteran, with fiery live performances at the likes of Afropunk and spots in a slew of end-of-year best-of lists from Stereogum to Pitchfork sold. Though he now lives in L.A., we continue to claim the rap provocateur as our own. After all, this first track off the sophomore record is an ode to the former Bell Foundry art space in Greenmount West that abruptly closed after the Ghost Ship fire in California. The murky melody is a no-holds-barred stream-of-consciousness, best listened to alongside its dystopian Last Supper music video featuring other fellow Bell regulars.
Honorable Mentions: “Baby I’m Bleeding,” “Rock N Roll Is Dead,” “Macaulay Culkin.”

“Assume The Position” by Lafayette Gilchrist & The New Volcanoes
There are few living legends left in Baltimore quite like Lafayette Gilchrist. The Baltimore-by-way-of-D.C. jazz and 2018 Baker Artist Award winner is revered by critics and listeners alike for his dynamic domination of the keys, easily recognized on his iconic scores in David Simon’s HBO series, from The Wire to The Deuce, but the. On his latest EP, Deep Dancing Suite, Gilchrist and his 10-piece New Volcanoes bring back the uncontainable energy of jazz-era improvisation with a dose of modern danceability. Notably, this long-held hit gets new life at nearly double its original length, where keys, brass, and percussion take part in a lively jive. The reinvention stands testament to the artist’s freestyle fluency and finesse.
Honorable Mentions: “Deep Dancing Suite,” “Ping Pong,” “Return of the Inchworm.”

“Where I’m Bound” by Letitia VanSant
In her spring album and follow-up to 2015’s Parts & Labor, Gut It To The Studs, folk singer-songwriter Letitia VanSant crafts a thoughtful opus on new chapters and change, with this first melody being a love letter to that of personal growth. On it, VanSant’s mellifluent voice rolls bright and clear along a hearty river of acoustic guitar, upright bass, and old-school fiddle, setting the stage for the rest of the record and embracing the yet-to-be-seen discovery that still lies ahead of her. In the end of both this song and the entire record, she emerges newly powerful and perceptive. We’ll be anxious to see how she channels that newfound purpose on her next release.
Honorable Mentions: “Gut It To The Studs,” “Wild Heart Roam,” “Sundown Town.”

“Winning” by Peso Da Mafia
Last summer, Northeast Baltimore rap group Peso Da Mafia launched onto the local airwaves and, shortly thereafter, national stage with their come-up single turned viral dance video “Money Man.” It would be a tough act to follow, but by early 2018, the trio would drop this sneak peek off their debut Never A Drought via Warner Music subsidiary Asylum Records. With more than a million Spotify listens and YouTube music video views for this track, it’s safe to say that their slow-burn beats, confident rhymes, and catchy hooks are in anything but short supply. And with slots at SXSW and the BET Awards preshow, plus shout outs in Complex and XXL, it seems the big-wigs are watching, too.
Honorable Mentions: “Money Man,” “TSAY,” “About Us.”

“Homeward Bound” by Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols
We’ve heard this ballad around the Fells Point dive bars for a few years, but newly produced on the fall full-length, Forgive, by Sean K. Preston and his band The Loaded Pistols, the country blues number has taken on new meaning. This song details the heartache, hard luck, and hungry dreams that it takes to be a full-time musician, and in term, captures the essence of one of Baltimore’s most dogged performers and true-blue, truth-speaking storytellers. After more than a decade on the local scene, this ballad and its accompanying record not only document but put on full display the hard-earned talents of Preston and his bandmates.
Honorable Mentions: “Last Call,” “Barnburner,” “Life’s a Bitch.”

“cherubim” by serpentwithfeet
This spring, the unexpected sound of serpentwithfeet, aka Baltimore native Josiah Wise, brought the country’s top music critics to their knees. The avant-R&B artist’s debut soil was considered a singular tour de force—absorbing in its theatricality, moving in its occult spirituality, liberating in its effusive emotion—transcendent of all boundaries. In short, it’s unlike anything anyone had heard, as showcased in this devastatingly intimate devotional. The holy roller brings the multitudes of love, specifically queer black love, to light, melodically marching uphill to the pedestal upon which we humans put our lovers, chanting a declaration of dedication through an intricately layered chorus of Wise’s vibrato vocals and soaring tenor with every step along the way.
Honorable Mentions: “whisper,” “bless ur heart,” “mourning song.”

“Play Hard” by Soul Cannon
Seven years is a long time for any band to not release new music but still maintain its relevancy in the music business. But rules don’t apply to the hip-hop collective of Soul Cannon, which remains a vital force on the local scene for its explosive experimentation and fiery live shows. And MC Eze Jackson and his three classically trained comrades have only solidified that status through this winter’s self-titled record on which the quartet continues to break new ground through old tracks and new. Exhibit A: this agile sprint of a song that we can’t get enough of, founded in the tight tango of Jackson’s urgent, poetic vocals and his bandmates’ wily, propulsive instrumentation. The band is a well-oiled machine that inspires any listener—music, writer, whoever you are—to play harder, too.
Honorable Mentions: “Hospital Records,” “F Sharp,” “Talk Less.”

“Pristine” by Snail Mail
We wish Snail Mail had been around when we were in high school. Has there ever been a band that so perfectly bottles the essence of the teenage heart? Have there every been any lyrics—“Don’t you like me for me?” or “I know myself and I’ll never love anyone else”—that so captured and catapulted out into the world the hidden thoughts and emotions of that tumultuous time of life? Maybe that’s why this has been the year of Lindsey Jordan, with the Ellicott City 18-year-old, her debut Lush, via Matador Records, and this first single featured in nearly every noteworthy publication and best-of end-of-year list on record. And rightfully so—Jordan is the brooding, heart-on-her-sleeve rock star we needed in 2018. And next year, too.
Honorable Mentions: “Heat Wave,” “Golden Dream,” “Full Control.”

“Vulture” by Super City
To get a dose of the infectious energy and undeniable chemistry of Super City, pick any song off their fall Sanctuary—the indie (or “freakwave,” as they’ve been called) quintet’s new fall record. Though not one of the band’s first singles, we find this breakneck anthem to be a good starting point. Co-frontman Greg Wellham commands the mic on this pop-punk-go-go melody, riddled with livewire guitar, punchy drums, and one epic buildup starting at the 2:25 mark as they swat away negative energy. For the full effect, see it live for their fancy, fame-worthy footwork. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: these are the local rock gods you need to know now.
Honorable Mentions: “Sanctuary,” “Artificial Sin,” “Ghosts of Love.”

“I Lost You” by Surf Harp
Eighties kids will feel instantly drawn to Surf Harp’s Mr. Big Picture. Maybe it’s because of the indie quintet’s visuals, reminiscent of the early Macintosh computers and MTV music videos of our youth. Likely it’s their post-punk-meets-new-wave sound, as creative and off-kilter as a Talking Heads hit. This band finds their own lane, though, with each of this spring record’s 10 songs keeping their own unruly pace. For us, this shadowy ballad felt like the album’s diamond in the rough, building from windswept melancholia into a swirl of momentum, spinning out before the story ends, leaving you wanting more.
Honorable Mentions: “D.I. Cig,” “Catholic Glass,” “Homework Program.”

“Payroll” by TT The Artist
We’d like to put it on record: Baltimore Club queen TT The Artist is one of the hardest working musicians in the business. In 2018 alone, she premiered the trailer for her upcoming directorial debut, Dark City: Beneath the Beat, a full-length documentary on the city’s music and dance genre of Bmore Club; she moved to L.A. and launched her all-women Club Queen Records, still with frequent stints back east for filming and fiery performances; and she dropped the label’s first Club Queens EP with New Jersey’s UNIIQU3. But one listen to her label’s first single—full of unabashed bravado, electric beats, playful creativity, and featured on heavy rotation this summer on 92Q—and you’ll see that TT is just getting started.
Honorable Mentions: “Off The Chain,” “Freaking in the Club,” “Fall Back.”

“It’s Okay” by Wume
We knew we couldn’t wait for new music from experimental duo Wume after their mesmerizing 2015 EP, Maintain, but this fall, their new full-length record left us completely dazzled. In a quest for deeper truths, Toward the Shadow, via Northern Spy, offers a moment of reflection and introspection. Combining sparkling electronics by keyboardist Albert Schatz and newly prominent vocals in the form of philosophical incantations by drummer April Camlin, the band takes listeners on a trip into even more immersive soundscapes, urging them to dig deeper, to push further, to shift and breakthrough, just like the band has. This track is a rejuvenating listen in the chaos of our modern times.
Honorable Mentions: “Shadow,” “Walled Garden,” “Ravel.”

“The Louder I Call, the Faster It Runs” by Wye Oak
We could feel something stirring in Wye Oak’s 2016 release of Tween. A transition. A simultaneous closure and commencement. A reawakening. And now, with this gorgeous spring record, it all makes sense, as the band has emerged as a stunning new version of itself—and yet after 12 years, we’ve maybe never felt more in tune with music by Jenn Wasner and Andy Stack. Out of a dozen deeply human songs, this title track is an illuminating crescendo, revealing the beauty of the journey toward yourself. We still find ourselves pouring over its lyrics for answers, ultimately finding some sort of solace in the song’s—and life’s—elusions. As Wasner concludes, “Sometimes it takes a long, long, long time,” and if Wye Oak’s long game is any indication, the wait is certainly worth it.
Honorable Mentions: “The Instrument,” “It Was Not Natural,” “Lifer.”

In the latest iteration of The Big Baltimore Playlist, we found five local songs ranging from barebones indie-rock and supergroup dream-pop to explosive, experimental hip-hop. 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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“Mirror Mirror” by Chaunter

Introducing Chaunter, the new Baltimore band you need to know now and the brainchild of art scene denizens Brooks Kossover and Jenghis Pettit. In the new year, the duo, with Kossover on vocals and flute and Pettit on guitar, will be releasing their debut album Dream Dynamics with an aspirational league of Baltimore heavyweights, from Dan Deacon to Sam Herring of Future Islands to Lower Dens’ Jana Hunter, as featured here on the record’s first single. Through this song and the rest of its idiosyncratic record, you drift through a mythical dream world. It unfurls in reverie—swirling in gauzy synth, smoldering with reverberating guitar, brimming with both Hunter’s haunting vocals and grand group harmonies—landing somewhere between the glory-days of Labyrinth-era David Bowie and the golden age of Baltimore DIY dream-pop.

“North Star” by Joy Postell

Okay, so by now you might be tired of us gushing over the new music of local neo-soul singer-songwriter Joy Postell, but too bad. We found the first singles, “Consciousness” and “Water,” off her full-length Diaspora debut to be moving portraits with true vision, which imbues the rest of the record. “North Star,” for example, could be seen as the album’s sleeper hit for its quiet disposition, sparse composition, and only minute-long length, but this breathtaking spiritual sets the stage for the entire record, transporting listeners to a midnight field beneath the big dark sky, perhaps in another era, perhaps right now, all the while preparing you to embark on a transformative journey. Postell’s vocals—exposed, ethereal, yet full of power—call for freedom and convey the strength within her music to find it.

“Pretn’d (Drew Scott Remix)” by RoVo Monty

In the 21st century, we can’t get enough songs about the misgivings of modern love, where lyrics help us make our way through the maze of dating in 2018. Take this slow-jam by R&B singer-songwriter RoVo Monty, in which the protagonist asserts his desires and demands in the face of the fair-weather relationship. Turning a common trope of unrequited love on its head, this track is about self-empowerment, through and through, with candid lyrics (“tired of knocking boots, how about you show me ’round town?”) calling it like it is. And calling out for a simple bit of chivalry. Founded in electronic melodies inspired by fashion, dance, and disco, Monty’s confident verses float over a lush, funky melody crafted by local beat master Drew Scott, featuring a fiery guest flow by no-holds-barred Baltimore rap favorite DDm.

“The 2nd Most Beautiful Girl in the World” by Snail Mail*

These days, no one does young heartache quite like Snail Mail’s Lindsey Jordan, the Ellicott City singer-songwriter who skyrocketed to indie stardom over the last year for her coming-of-age rock-and-roll. And with this cover of a 1990 song by the little-known Washington duo Courtney Love (no relation to the Hole frontwoman), Jordan might just have outdone herself. Compared to the original’s spunky post-punk beat, this stripped-down version features nothing more than a few reverberating strums of guitar and Jordan’s vulnerable vox, stretched out to its most elastic, emotive state, pushing and pulling at certain words like the tugs of memory at a broken heart. In the end, and especially on the live stage as we saw at the Parkway Theatre this summer, she reinvents the song as all her own.

“Play Hard” by Soul Cannon

We knew the long-awaited release of Soul Cannon’s self-titled album was going to bring the fire, and the experimental hip-hop quartet have more than delivered—on their new record, and especially in this potent time bomb of a track. As in all of the band’s music, “Play Hard”makes, breaks, and recreates its own rules from start to finish. The song is an urgent, unruly sprint, with frontman Eze Jackson speaking breakneck truth—a sort of poet-prophet—while the jazz-influenced instrumentation of his talented bandmates both keeps pace and inspires further pursuit. Rapping on the fleeting flicker of life, Jackson’s verses zig and zag, running uphill. At the song’s peak, with ascending runs of bass and an outright avalanche of drums, it’s as if they outrun death itself.

*Not on Spotify. We’ll add it to the playlist when it becomes available.

Soul Cannon

Soul Cannon (self-released)

If one band could be described as capturing the essence of Baltimore through sound, it would be the experimental hip-hop collective Soul Cannon. MC Eze Jackson and his Peabody-trained bandmates have been breaking musical boundaries in this city for more than a decade with their sonic hybrid fusing the likes of rap, rock, punk, jazz, and blues into a powder keg of NWA-meets-Rage Against The Machine fire. Speaking to everything from personal growth to politics, Jackson’s explosive vocals and breathless verses push the limits of tempo and power and encourage his bandmates’ livewire guitar, crashing drums, and glitchy electronics to play catchup. It’s this raw, unexpected energy that makes them so much like this town, refusing to back down or stay inside any lines. A mix of both new and old tracks, this long-awaited record bottles the band’s own inferno—a perfect introduction for the uninitiated, and a magnum opus for longtime fans. To see what we mean, simply start with “Play Hard.”

Sean K. Preston & The Loaded Pistols

Forgive (Rusty Knuckles)

Stumbling upon Sean K. Preston for the first time gives you a little taste of what it must have felt like for record execs to discover Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley. This rough-and-tumble raconteur happens to sound a little bit like both of those legends, but he is a man of his own talent, combining a medley of old-school genres—early rock-and-roll, roadhouse blues, honkytonk country—into something fresh and fierce in 2018. Preston has been one of Baltimore’s best-kept secrets for the past decade, bringing achy-breaky ballads, fiery barnburners, and bona fide musicianship to the city’s music scene. And it’s his honest-to-god storytelling—human tales, from hard luck to heartbreak—that we expect will put this new record, released via indie label Rusty Knuckles, on the map. Whether you’re from the Chesapeake, the Rockies, or the Rio Grande, you’ll swoon for old favorites, like the second track, “Homeward Bound,” and legacy-cementing newcomers, like the first single, “Last Call.”

See our full interview with Sean K. Preston.