Hey, have you checked out our YouTube channel lately? We don’t talk about it much, but we occasionally upload a video or three in the darkness of the night and the videos chronicle some of the shenanigans we see going on in and around Frederick. Most recently, we posted the above video of The Milestones performing at the 200 East Art Haus here in town as part of our Block Party. Our next event is our biggest (and last for the year). October 10. J Roddy Walston & The Business. Heavy Lights. Old Indian. Seaknuckle. You have your ticket already, right?
September 2015
For those who haven’t already noticed, the fair is in full force. The music kicked off last night with the one and only Dwight Yoakam. From what we understand, he was a little prickly when it came to taking photos, but hey: If he’s mad that we’re posting it here, he can contact us at 1-800-dnt-care. Next up for fair music? The Roots & Boots Tour on Thursday. It will feature Aaron Tippin, Sammy Kershaw and Joe Diffie. You’re welcome. Photo by Bill Green. He’s got the greatest voice in the world and you can follow him on Twitter here.
You know we love us some Karen Jonas. That’s why we thought we’d repost this performance of “Country Songs” she gave in our super-secret offices earlier this year. She’ll be at The Blue Side tomorrow night (that’s Friday for all you particular people out there). You really, really, really ought to go. But that’s not the only thing that’s going on this weekend. In fact, it seems to be an unusually busy three days in and around the Frederick area. As we noted earlier today, Alive@5 might be over, but there’s one more event slated for that stage along the creek and it goes down this evening with the Brothers Osborne, who are coming off their tour with Darius Rucker to play a special, one-time Live Country On The Creek event. And what a beautiful night for that. Also, Ken and Brad Kolodner, who we questioned and answered this week, will be at the Lutheran church in Walkersville tonight. Yet for those of you who aren’t in the mood for either country or, of all things, the hammered dulcimer, L.A. Guns (remember them?!?!) will be at Champion Billiards tonight, ready to bring back all those great memories you made in 1987. Elsewhere, our friends in The Milestones, they who played our Block Party a couple weeks ago, will be rocking the Cafe Nola stage Friday night. And if that’s not enough, Freekbass, who we spoke with in May, will be freekin’ The Opera House in Shepherdstown tomorrow night, too (listen to The Local Playlist tomorrow between 1 and 3 to win tickets!). There’s Tomy “One M” Wright’s open mic tonight. There are the requisite jazz jams. There’s Miss Moses. There’s Safe Harbor. There’s Sucker Punch. There’s Muskrat Sally. There’s Warden. There’s C-9. There’s Guys In Thin Ties. There’s Cumberland Valley. There’s White House Effect. And then, there is our winner for best band name of the week, Mouth Breather. The Great Frederick Fair kicks off this weekend. Will you be checking out Jeff Foxworthy? You know, you just might be a redne — … ahh, never mind. The weather will be beautiful. There’s plenty of great music around. Don’t just sit at home, friends. Get up. Get out. Do something. Thank you, Macy Gray. Happy Thursday!
THURSDAY
Who: Live Country On The Creek Featuring Brothers Osborne and Wesley Spangler
Where: Carroll Creek
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: Bushwallers
When: Sign-up begins at 9 p.m.; play begins at 10 p.m.
Who: Ken and Brad Kolodner
Where: St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, Walkersville
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Open Mic hosted by Tomy Wright
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Valley Jazz Jam
Where: The Main Cup
When: 7:30 p.m.
Who: The Bob Boguslaw Trio
Where: Isabella’s Tavern
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: The Furnace
When: 8 p.m.
Who: L.A. Guns
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Safe Harbor
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY
Who: Miss Moses
Where: Big Cork Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Joe Murray
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Ronn McFarlane
Where: Elk Run Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Jimi Cupino Project
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Muskrat Sally
Where: The Main Cup
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: White House Effect
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: The Milestones, Ambersands
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Sucker Punch
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Cumberland Valley
Where: Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Sahffi
Where: Linganore Winecellars
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Brian Derek
Where: Red Shedman and Linganore Winecelars at the Great Frederick Fair
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Opposing Dilemma, Mouth Breather, The Meer, MidVale
Where: Cafe 611
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Freekbass
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Karen Jonas
Where: The Blue Side
When: 9 p.m.
SATURDAY
Who: Josh Bayer
Where: Elk Run Vineyards
When: 3 p.m.
Who: Catoctin Mountain Highway
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Street Noise Band
Where: The Furnace
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: C-9 with Scott Devers
Where: The Main Cup
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: The Few
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Driftwood Soldier, Smoke n’ Mangos
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: 2nd Sole
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Warden
Where: Olde Towne Tavern
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Drew Vervan
Where: Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Safe Harbor
Where: Red Shedman Farm Brewery
When: 4 p.m.
Who: Frank & Bobby
Where: Red Shedman and Linganore Winecelars at the Great Frederick Fair
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: UUCF Coffee House
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Guys In Thin Ties
Where: JoJo’s Tap House
When: 9 p.m.
You know, it’s almost a lost art now. Since the agro/alt/cookie-monster/hard-radio-rock boon of the late 1990s and early 2000s, it’s been taboo to enjoy bands like Breaking Benjamin or Linkin Park or Nickelback or Godsmack or insert-your-DC-101-act-here. They are butts of jokes. Most are dismissed as low-rent musicians. Some of them end up playing small-town dive bars just to make a living anymore (Saliva: Coming to a town near you!). A plethora of far too many reasons to list here has made it virtually impossible for artists like these to exist anymore with any level of credibility.
To their credit, local teen trio Marzy Maddox isn’t concerned with jaded naysayers. And with their most recent EP, “The Tragic Fate of Arthur Volunte,” they make the case for this type of music to be respected again somewhere within the hip annals of popular culture. There’s a reason bands like Chevelle can still make a living off bringing their music to the masses and these guys prove that said reason is enough to carry the genre into an entirely new generation of fans.
It begins with “Broderie Anglaise,” an uptempo track that owes as much to Coheed and Cambria as it does to Sevendust. Building to a structure with more crunch in it than a Nestle bar, drummer Colin Waddington provides more-interesting-than-you-think drum fills to help build an expectation for the song that ends up being met. Smartly laying out through each verse — allowing only drums and bass guitar to lead the way — shows how much these guys value mature songwriting. The result isn’t just competent; it’s excitingly fresh.
A lot of that success is credited to band leader Phoenix Johnson. With each piece of lyric, his voice sounds more and more like Taproot’s Stephen Richards, and that’s a good thing. It’s the same off-kilter whine that made the “Again and Again” singer so interesting nearly 20 years ago and it serves this type of music well. If nothing else, it announces Marzy Maddox as more than just another heavy-handed rock act.
Another piece of proof? Check out the two-song suite in the middle of the set, “Part I: Creation” and “Part II: Age Of Man.” Both tracks aim for simplistic grooves until the presence of a 6/8 time signature switches the feel enough to make things interesting. Credit needs to be given to these guys for knowing how to stray from the watered-down radio-rock formula in such fearless ways at such a young age. Plus, the transitions are as seamless as they could be, which is a hard thing to accomplish whenever predictability is the enemy. The songs’ angular nature never feels forced and, even better, enhances the performances more than complicates them.
Which is also why is seems so useless to growl as much as they do at times. “For Greetings and Goodbyes,” the EP closer, is littered with gratuitous background screaming that marks a sign of immaturity (which, to be fair, can be forgiven for obvious reasons). But sorry or not, Johnson’s croon is good enough to carry these guys as far as they want to go, so the silly howls turn out to be overextension at its worst, despite the well-thought double kick-drum patterns Waddington produces each time the introductory refrain comes around.
Conversely, the screams work best when they’re vague. A tiny bit of it creeps into “9450” with taste and purpose and the added touch helps make the song the set’s most impressive. Complete with a bridge that breaks down just the right amount, it’s the perfect mix of aggression and simplicity (despite some questionable lyric choices in verse two). The staccato guitar-turns during the song’s middle part don’t hurt, either. They earn the band praise for using their imagination at times when they probably don’t have to.
Yet it’s that attention-to-detail aesthetic that makes Marzy Maddox a promising young band and “The Tragic Fate of Arthur Volunte” a solid listen. If nothing else, it’s ambitious in all the right ways. It’s clear these guys take their craft seriously, and a cliche such as “hitting the ground running” doesn’t do them anywhere near the justice they deserve. Sure, they might not be tackling a genre of music that is respected much these days, but that doesn’t mean that what they’re doing is worthless.
In fact, it’s quite the contrary. Because without knowing any better, Marzy Maddox have successfully and impressively tapped into a scene that has, in essence, become a lost art. In some ways, they’re brave, a group of musicians who appear to love what they do, all cool-kids-criticism be damned. It takes courage to even think about going down that road, but it takes a certain level of raw talent to pull it off effectively.
Thus it must be said: Not all youth must always be wasted on only the young.
** 2 1/2 STARS OUT OF 4 **
Hey, did you know there’s a pretty big-deal country concert going on tonight along the creek? That’s right. Even though the official Alive@Five slate is done for the year, there’s one more event and it happens this evening. It’s called, creatively, Country Live On The Creek. It features the Brothers Osborne. Who are they? Well, duh. They’ve been touring with Darius Rucker and they are also about ready to go out with John Pardi. As we said: Big deal. Tickets are five bucks. It’s going to a beautiful night. What are you waiting for?
Well, this is fun. Check out Goodloe Byron working last night on some art to put in the windows at the 200 East Art Haus. What’s the art for? You guessed it: The Frederick Fall Fest, which is, in case you forgot, less than a month away now. You’ve got your ticket already, right? Photo by Chris Sands. He’s the best Chris Sands in the world and you can follow him on Instagram here.
Ken and Brad Kolodner, a father/son duo, will be performing at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church’s Parish Hall in Walkersville at 7 p.m. Thursday. The former is one of the most distinguished hammered dulcimer players around while the latter is a “rising star in the clawhammer banjo world” (or so says their website). We caught up with them recently to talk about what it’s like keeping the music in the family, what their goals are, and, of course, what we can expect from their performance Thursday night.
Your website says that Ken is regarded as one of “the most influential hammered dulcimer players and old-time fiddlers in the U.S.” How did you earn that title? What do you think sets you apart from other players?
Ken: I would not say that it is a “title” so much as a perception among players and fans of the hammered dulcimer! An enthnomusicality student did her master’s thesis on the playing of the hammered dulcimer and I was rated as the most influential player in the U.S. A hammered dulcimer trade magazine did a poll where I was ranked second. Not that anyone should ever believe one’s press clippings, but here are a few. Sing Out! magazine wrote in 2011 that “Kolodner is a world-class multi-instrumentalist.” The Irish Times said, “Ken Kolodner single-handedly rekindled my love for the instrument. He really understands its possibilities and never holds back. There really is beauty, diversity, and movement and he brings it out to the full.” Folk Tales Magazine said, “Without a doubt, Ken Kolodner is one of the hammered dulcimer’s top exponents, playing with a dexterity which would stun many a would-be hammerer.” And there are many similar reviews from The New York Times (“outstanding … soulfully beautiful”) and elsewhere. I suppose that I have made it my mission as a hammered dulcimer player to focus on playing “musically” and precision and to surprise the listener in terms of chord choices, syncopations, improvisation and the interpretations of the music. I am very willing to take chances.
For Brad — what’s it like playing with your father? Was music always something you knew you’d want to pursue because of the family or was it something that took time to warm up to?
Brad: Playing with my father is incredible! I’ve always had a warm relationship with him, but it is particularly fun to collaborate musically. We have very similar musical tastes and sensibilities, which makes playing together feel very natural. I didn’t always aspire to play the music my father played growing up. When I was 17, I finally realized how much fun old-time music was when I picked up the banjo at a music camp. Over the past few years, I’ve pursued music professionally.
What would be the ultimate achievement at this point in your careers?
Brad: It’s hard to quantify our “ultimate” musical achievements in words. Our primary goals are to make good music and have fun. Perhaps our ultimate achievement is to continue developing musically as long as possible and spread our music as far as we can.
Ken: Achievements can be measured in terms of awards, CD sales, the number of recordings produced, concerts played and so on. But I am with Brad on this. I look at success as continuing to develop your craft, sharing the music as performers and teachers, and building the music community around us. As part of that, I have the amazing pleasure of watching my son develop as a musician and a person. What more could I ask for than to play music professionally with my son?!
Who are some of your major influences and why?
Brad: On the banjo, my primary influences are Richie Stearns and Adam Hurt. Both players stretch the boundaries of the old-time tradition by infusing their own creative and musical sensibilities. Richie was my first teacher.
Ken: Every player with whom I have partnered over the years has significantly influenced my playing. Certainly, the guys in Helicon – Chris Norman and Robin Bullock – fiddlers Laura Risk and Elke Baker – and now my son! Brad, did you forget about me?! We would be here a long time trying to identify all that I learned and continue to learn from while sharing the stage with these folks. If I had to distill it down to one major concept, it is how to listen better. I am still working on it.
You’ve played some pretty impressive venues. Where are some of your favorite places to play (cities/venues) and why?
Brad: The Creative Alliance in Baltimore is always one of our favorite places to play. It’s in our hometown of Baltimore and the house is frequently packed for our shows. I’m also particularly fond of the backyard concert we do every summer in my parents’ backyard in Baltimore. Over 175 people cram into their backyard for a glorified “house show.” Outside of Baltimore, I’ve had the opportunity to play at the Kennedy Center, the Birchmere, and Strathmore. All three of those venues are top-notch.
Ken: Some of my favorite concerts been some of the more casual and small venues. In Maryland, certainly the Creative Alliance and the Avalon Theater come to mind. A few years ago, we played in a small church in Valle Crucis, North Carolina. It was so packed that half the audience had to sit outside of the church to hear us. The “backyard concert” is the shortest commute for me and so much fun. On the bigger side are shows such as Helicon’s Winter Solstice every late December. We have our 30th anniversary concert coming up this year and hope for 2,000 people to attend. I love performing at festivals as well (like Old Songs in New York). The diversity of type of venue really makes things interesting.
Could you give us some names of some great lesser-known original artists we might not already know? Who are you a fan of and who should we keep an eye on?
Brad: I’m a DJ for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country every Wednesday from 12 to 3 p.m. and Saturday from 9 p.m. to midnight. In the Frederick/Hagerstown area, you can tune in on 93.5 FM. I mention this because lesser-known yet wonderfully talented artists come to my attention on a weekly basis. Currently, I’m a big fan of Cahalen Morrison and Eli West, The Stray Birds, and I Draw Slow.
What does the rest of 2015 hold for both Ken and Brad Kolodner?
Ken and Brad: We have a busy fall so I’ll just mention the highlights. We play an Appalachian Festival in Frostburg on Saturday. Locally, we have a big concert the day after Thanksgiving with Brad’s new band, Charm City Junction, which fuses old-time, bluegrass and Irish music. The biggest concert of the year is on December 19 at Goucher College in Towson. This will be the 30th Anniversary of Helicon’s Winter Solstice and Ken & Brad will play a few tunes with Charm City Junction. Outside of the area, we’re playing the Savannah Folk Festival in early October, a concert series in Williamsburg, Virginia, in late November, and a mini-tour to the Phoenix area in December. We’re also working on piecing together music for our third studio album. We hope to begin recording in early 2016. Ken is also teaching – for three weeks – master classes for hammered dulcimer in Sandbridge Virginia. About 60 players attend, coming from 25 states, Russia and Canada. Our full calendar for 2015 and beyond can be found online at www.kenandbrad.com.
And finally what can we expect from your show at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church? Do you have any surprises in store?
Ken and Brad: Expect to hear some things you’ve probably never heard before. The banjo and hammered dulcimer are at the core of our show. We like to do a variety of textures just with those two instruments, but we also mix in a few songs, twin fiddles, guitar, the banjola, gourd banjo, and the hammered mbira. Don’t know what some of those things are? Well, I guess you should come and find out! You won’t be disappointed. We’re always looking to stretch the boundaries of traditional music while keeping your feet tapping and head bobbing.
It’s the first Tuesday in months that we don’t have a video teasing an actual event that’s going on in the next three days … but we do have a video teasing an event that’s going on within the next four days! Behold our Frederick Playlist Presents … performance of “Wasting Time,” as performed by Karen Jonas. She will be at The Blue Side on Friday for your entertainment, and we were even thinking about possibly stopping by to say hello. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, you should go!
We weren’t around town this weekend for the always-fun In The Street, but we heard it rained. Also of note: It rained last year, too. Either way, we thought we’d share this shot of The Dixie Power Trio as they performed Saturday. The best part of this is the fact that they are actually a quartet and not a trio. So, there’s that. Anyway, happy Monday! Photo by Graham Cullen. He’s amazing on all of our video work, and you can follow him on Twitter here.
In The Street. In The Street. In The Street. In The Street. And that’s pretty much your weekend. We made many a trip around town during last year’s event, but this year … well, we won’t be in the state of Maryland. Fear not, though, because there’s a ton of great greatness going on downtown as part of In The Street this year. To learn more about it, including schedules and the like, click here. Among the highlights for the day include Striking Matches (above), who we are familiar with for a handful of reasons (none too important to print here). If you get a chance, check them out. It’s free. It’s downtown. It’s Saturday. It’s a no-brainer. Elsewhere, Alive@Five seems to be a go tonight with Moondog Medicine Show, but that could change, of course (shoot – it might have already changed by the time we’re done writing this!). The Appleseed Collective, who we Q’ed and A’ed on this very website, will be at Cafe Nola this evening, so why not start your weekend early, damn it!?!?!? So many exclamation points. So many question marks. The Woodshedders and The Platescrappers will be in Shepherdstown on Saturday night, and we might only be saying that to try and remind you all that The Local Playlist can be heard on WSHC every Friday from 1 to 3 p.m. You’re welcome. A BIG DEAL metal show is going down at Cafe 611 featuring Napalm Death and Agnostic Front, among others. It’s just like, wow. That’s going to be a hell of a night. There’s Fuzzy Match. There’s Prophets Of The Abstract Truth. There’s the Lost Highway Honky Tonk Band. There’s The Furr. There’s DAPP. There’s the Dan McGuire Band. There’s the Valley Jazz Jam. There’s Last Dog Standing. And then, of course, there’s Old Lady Afro. Gotta love that. It’s going to be stupid busy around town all weekend. No reason to not check out some fabulous music at some fabulous places, free or not. Who needs the NFL when we have all these great shows?!?!?!?! Again with the exclamation points and question marks. Happy First Full Week Of September, friends. Find a street. Get in it.
THURSDAY
Who: Fuzzy Match
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Bluegrass with Eric Knowles
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Valley Jazz Jam
Where: The Main Cup
When: 7:30 p.m.
Who: Howard Burns with Shawn Dennison and Tim Jenkins
Where: Isabella’s Tavern
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Alive @ Five Featuring Moondog Medicine Show
Where: Carroll Creek
When: 5 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: Bushwallers
When: Sign-up begins at 9 p.m.; play begins at 10 p.m.
Who: The Appleseed Collective
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Josh Gray, Craig Donovan
Where: The Hill Chapel
When: 7:30 p.m.
FRIDAY
Who: Robert Sykes
Where: Big Cork Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Prophets Of The Abstract Truth
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Terry Gourley
Where: Elk Run Vineyards
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Paul Ivey
Where: JR Sports Bar
When: 7:30 p.m.
Who: Lost Highway Honky Tonk Band
Where: The Furnace
When: 8 p.m.
Who: John Zahn Band And the Not Dead Yet Band
Where: Cactus Flats
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: Old Lady Afro
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: The Furr, Lilac Daze
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Soul Gravity
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Napalm Death, Agnostic Front, Toxic Holocaust, All Out War, War Dying, Genocide Pact
Where: Cafe 611
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Encantada
Where: C. Burr Artz Library
When: 11:30 a.m.
Who: Harry Pritchett
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Local Yocal Vocal Band
Where: Linganore Winecellars
When: 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Who: Harvest Jazz Festival featuring Josh Bayer, Eric Byrd Trip and Ethereal Jive
Where: Elk Run Vineyard
When: Noon
Who: Traditional Folk Song Circle, F.A.M.E.
Where: Dublin Roasters
When: 2 p.m.
Who: Don Annonio
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 2 p.m.
Who: Freddie Long Band
Where: Bushwallers
When: 6:30 p.m.
Who: Blind Date
Where: The Furnace
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Lark Rize
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Black Magic, Last Dog Standing
Where: Cactus Flats
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: John Nichols Band
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Girls Night Out
Where: Olde Towne Tavern
When: 10 p.m.
Who: DAPP
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Dan McGuire Band
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: The Woodshedders, The Platescrapers
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Casey Cleveland
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Pete Looney
Where: Red Shedman Farm Brewery
When: 4 p.m.