You know what? We haven’t done a good job at giving some love to Cafe 611. Therefore: Today’s video. Here is Vital Remains with “Dechristianize.” These dudes have more than 44,000 likes on Facebook, so they win Facebook. They will also be at Cafe 611 tomorrow night with a slew of other bands. It appears as though these guys have no problem melting faces, so if you’re looking for something to do on a Friday night and you want your face melted … .
October 2015
The Cajun Country Revival. Have you heard of it? Well, it’s coming to The Opera House over in Shepherdstown tomorrow and it features the Foghorn Stringband. The fun kicks off at 8 p.m. and it promises to be a hell of a night of ruckus, fun, and more ruckus. We recently caught up with Caleb Klauder and Nadine Landry, who both play in the group, to talk about what “Ass kickin’ redneck stringband music” really means, who we should be keeping an eye out for in the future, and how these guys were way ahead of the curve when it comes to the mainstream’s recent Americana boon. Enjoy!
Your website describes you as “Ass kickin’ redneck stringband music.” Can you elaborate on what exactly that means?
Caleb Klauder (vocals, mandolin, guitar): First off, bio descriptions are funny and usually too short. This one is old and reflects an attitude that the band started with, which pretty much was and still is, no-frill-hard-driving fiddle music and songs from the southern Appalachian region. Redneck because most of our influences were probably considered that because of their lack of interaction with the modern city culture. We take a lot of influence from that and don’t pretty up our music for the sake of show biz. Ass-kickin cause we play it hard with drive even though it can sound sweet at times. Stringband, cause that’s what we are.
You guys started in the late 1990s and early 2000s, long before the recent boon in Americana/stringband/country music occurred with bluegrass entering the mainstream. What’s your take on the genre’s popularity these days? Do you guys feel like you were ahead of the curve?
Klauder: I definitely feel like we were ahead of the recent curve, yes. Many of us were playing this music in other bands before Foghorn started. I didn’t know anyone my age who played this music when I got interested in it. I was kind of an oddball among my friends when I started. I like the fact that it’s coming back stronger now. At its core, it’s folk music and that’s something this country needs way more of. There are so many new interpretations of it and Foghorn definitely has its own voice and sound as a band. I think we are still unique-sounding in the touring mainstream world. We keep it traditional.
What’s your impression of Shepherdstown and The Opera House? I think you’ve played there before, so do you have any memories of it? If you haven’t played there before, what do you look forward to the most about both the venue and the town?
Klauder: I can’t recall ever playing at the Opera House in Shepherdstown. I look forward to it like any other show. I’m interested in meeting new people, hearing their stories and visiting a new part of America. It’s a huge and diverse country; it’s nice to learn about it first hand.
Nadine Landry (guitar, upright bass): It is always nice to go to a new place and meet people who share a common appreciation of traditional music. Everytime we play a venue for the first time, we connect with people and it creates a bigger web across the planet, building a like-minded community.
What are some of your career’s favorite, most accomplished memories so far?
Klauder: Being the first American band to play at the Rainforest World Music Festival in Malaysia. We were told by the American ambassador there that we did more for American relations than he could ever hope to do. This wasn’t long after 9/11 and some positive American experiences were very important at that time. Also playing with the likes of Joel Savoy, Marc Savoy, Ann Savoy, Jesse Lége, Dirk Powell, Kevin Burke, Tim O’Brien and Garry Harrison. There are too many more to name. Learning and growing from amazing musicians as we travel has been a highlight.
Landry: We just got to play at the gigantic Roskilde festival in Denmark. A packed crowd was dancing and singing along to our music. At one point I looked up and a thousand people had their hands shaped like a heart — that was awesome! Sammy and I also got to play with Jesse Lege and Joel Savoy as the first Cajun band in Mainland China last year for an upcoming American Routes radio show with Nick Spitzer. Pretty unreal!
Who were some of your biggest influences and why?
Klauder: This list is way too long. Everyone along the way has been a huge influence. Each for their own take on music and life. Some you’ll know and some you won’t. Some are alive and some have passed on.
Landry: The list is huge! But I would have to say first the Carter Family, Hazel Dickens and Alice Gerrard, the Stanley Brothers, Wanda Jackson and The Balfa Brothers.
You guys get out on the road a bit. Where are some of your favorite places to play and why?
Klauder: Ireland, because they have the best musical attitude. Alaska and Louisiana, too, because they celebrate community and they understand the need for good music, food and friends.
Landry: Totally with Caleb on that one! I’ll add Australia to the list because it was unbelievable to go so far from home and feel so much love from Down Under! They sure showed us a good time!
Through all your travels so far, can you give us some names of some musicians/artists who we might not already know of, who we should keep an eye on?
Klauder: Brett Ratliff, Todd Grebe, Kelley Breiding, Andrew Marlin (Mandolin Orange). This list could be so long.
Landry: The Cactus Blossoms, The Nordic Fiddlers Bloc, De Temps Antan, Anna and Elizabeth.
And finally, what can we expect from your set at the Opera House?
Klauder: Foghorn will be playing a variety of songs from all of our albums. We don’t use a setlist, as it just limits us and doesn’t let us respond to the vibe and energy of the moment. You’ll hear everyone in the band sing. You will hear some duets and some a-cappella singing. You’ll hear some vintage fiddle tunes and some antique ballads (as Carter Stanley would say). We will also collaborate with Joel Savoy and Jesse Lege for some traditional Cajun music. Jesse is a legendary Cajun accordion player and a powerful singer. We perform with them often and perform some of the songs in French and English.
Landry: Nothing makes us happier than hearing people shouting requests! We tailor each show to its audience, creating a unique experience everywhere we play. Each audience is different – why shouldn’t every show be?
This is one of our favorite photos from Saturday. Check out what went on behind that huge stack of speakers inside the 200 East Art Haus each time you walked in to shake your money-maker (what a great phrase that is). Also of note: This post is not brought to you by Pioneer, even if you think it might be. Photo by Chris Sands. He’s the best Chris Sands in the world and you can follow him on Instagram here.
We’re still reeling from Saturday, but as for the current day … what’s up tomorrow night? Not A Planet is set to take the Cafe Nola stage. They’re from Ohio and they’ve opened for the Presidents of the United States Of American and Stone Temple Pilots. That’s impressive, right? Right. The fun starts at about 9:30 p.m. Get out and fight those midweek blues.
Photo by Chris Sands. He’s the best Chris Sands in the world and you can follow him on Instagram here.
We don’t want to belabor the point too much. We also don’t want to run through another list of things that we walked away with after Saturday’s Frederick Fall Festival. And God knows we’ve already waxed sentimental about everything leading up to the event. But we’d be remiss if we didn’t at least acknowledge what went down. I mean … man.
Like, really. Man.
There aren’t enough thank-yous in the world to truly express our gratitude for this small city’s support. Without it, 7/11 doesn’t happen. 8/8 doesn’t happen. 9/5 doesn’t happen. And holy cow, 10/10 could have never even been dreamt up. You guys have established Frederick as an amazing tiny place on the globe that stands toe to toe with any other emerging artistic community around. It’s easy to take that stuff for granted and it’s easy to dismiss it, arguing that it’s not worth the work, not worth the time, not worth the money, not worth the attention.
But if there’s nothing else that these past four months at 200 East have proven, it’s that every drop of blood or tears is worth it, as long as people like you continue to support these local artists – musical or otherwise. Don’t lie: The City of Frederick has some pretty great stuff. Those bands you saw on Saturday deserved to be on that stage. That art you saw hung in that building deserved to be pondered. Those DJs you danced to inside deserved your attention.
And that’s not even close to being all. There are tons of other local musicians, local artists, local everything that we hope to collaborate with sooner rather than later. Many of them, we saw in the crowd on Saturday. And, conversely, should the situation present itself, we know that the same people on stage Saturday will eventually be out in the crowd to support the people who were cheering them on somewhere else down the line. That’s why we’re here. That’s what makes this possible.
For now, though, there are a few people who absolutely need to be recognized. That compilation you heard in the studio area? All of the credit in the world goes to Derek Salazar for essentially living in that old crusty room for a summer, working with every soul we could fit in it and making sure we got it done on time (a few flip-outs along the way, notwithstanding). And then there’s Ryan Nicholson, whose help and support and advice through all of everything has been invaluable. It also doesn’t hurt that we love their band, Heavy Lights, who we also can’t thank enough for playing Saturday.
And speaking of that, the other two local bands – Seaknuckle and Old Indian … how great were they? It was important to us to have Seaknuckle open the show, considering how they essentially helped open the building back on July 11 (we’ll have a review of their CD, “Get Over It,” later this week). And then Old Indian? Shoot, those guys are the best, and we feel honored to have this be one of their final shows before taking a break.
Another band who doesn’t get enough credit from us? Silent Old Mtns. There wasn’t an event that at least one of them didn’t help us out with. We owe them 20,000 somethings for all their hard work and support. From bartending to spotting to cleaning up to just generally being fantastically nice people, our love for them knows no bounds. We can only hope to plan some amazing things with them somewhere down the line.
You also can’t forget Flying Dog. We had an idea and they helped us see it through. It’s one thing to offer support and belief, but it’s another to blindly listen to some guy who’s losing his hair and sweats through his clothes half the time (AKA, the person writing this). They’ve been a tremendous help all summer and without their guidance and collaboration, who knows how far we could have taken it?
Oh, and about how far we’ve taken it? It’s true: The first Frederick Fall Fest was the largest private event ever held within the Frederick city limits. We made history. Or, more accurately, you made history. So now? Well, now, we’re going to take some time to try and figure out where the hell we go and what the hell we could possibly even follow that up with. But in the meantime … THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU and THANK YOU.
Indeed, let the record show that on Saturday, October 10, 2015, Frederick, Maryland, had itself a night. And it was all thanks to you.
We’ll spare you all the typical preaching: It’s Frederick Fall Fest weekend. It all comes down to this. Literally. The 200 East Art Haus will then shut down until 2016. Of all the things we’ve ever asked you to support, this one takes all of the cake (and even some doughnuts). 4 p.m. Seaknuckle. Old Indian. Heavy Lights. J Roddy Walston & The Business. A DJ stage. Two Teks. Secret Panda Society. The Normal Trade. Statik Skye. Rhill. 25 bucks. A free CD compilation. Flying Dog beer. A pop-up art mart. The largest event someone has ever tried to put on in city limits (or so the city told us today). Can we do it? We’ll find out. For now, though, all eyes are on Saturday. We’ll see you there, right?
THURSDAY
Who: Bluegrass With Eric Knowles and Friends
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Valley Jazz Jam
Where: The Main Cup
When: 7:30 p.m.
Who: The Howard Burns Trio
Where: Isabella’s
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: Bushwallers
When: Sign-up begins at 9 p.m.; play begins at 10 p.m.
Who: Nathan Kalish
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Sacred Groove
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Open Mic
Where: The Furnace
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Monocacy Jazz Quartet
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
FRIDAY
Who: Paul Brosseau
Where: Elk Run Winery
When: 6 p.m.
Who: Rose Colored Lasses
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Freddie Long BAnd
Where: Hard times Cafe
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Sticktime
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Mister F
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: 49 Cent Dress
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Rhin and Friends
Where: The Opera House, Shepherdstown
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Stolen Moments
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Who: John Durant Sr.
Where: The Main Cup
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: Prophets Of The Abstract Truth
Where: Ayse Meze Lounge
When: 6 p.m.
SATURDAY
Who: Don Annonio
Where: Beans In The Belfry
When: 2 p.m.
Who: Traditional Folk Song Circle F.A.M.E.
Where: Dublin Roasters Coffee
When: 2 p.m.
Who: Frederick Fall Fest featuring J Roddy Walston & The Business, Heavy Lights, Old Indian, Seaknuckle
Where: 200 East Art Haus
When: 4 p.m.
Who: Caroline Ferrante and the Whole Magilla
Where: Beans In the Belfry
When: 7 p.m.
Who: Liz Springer Band
Where: Hard Times Cafe
When: 8 p.m.
Who: Peyote Junction
Where: The Furnace
When: 8:30 p.m.
Who: Everrise
Where: Champion Billiards
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Adrienne Smith and Some Guy Matt featuring Ponyboy Blues
Where: Cafe Nola
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Jack Funk
Where: Olde Towne Tavern
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Super! Thanks For Asking
Where: Bushwallers
When: 10 p.m.
Who: Hard Swimmin’ Fish
Where: JoJo’s Tap House
When: 9 p.m.
Who: Jason Ager
Where: The Frederick Coffee Company
When: 8 p.m.
Note: The below story was written by Cassandra Mullinix and appeared in today’s 72 Hours. You can check out all the great stuff she has going down on her Facebook page, or, if you’re so inclined, you could follow her on Twitter.
If you haven’t been introduced to the new and improved, bigger and badder Frederick music scene, at events such as the Flying Dog Summer Concert Series or the shows at the 200 East Art Haus, you might want to make Frederick Fall Fest on Oct. 10 your inaugural event. The collaboration between Flying Dog and Frederick Playlist will feature three prominent local bands — Old Indian, Heavy Lights and Seaknuckle — and Flying Dog concert favorite J Roddy Walston and the Business.
On top of live music outdoors, the event includes access to the indoor art gallery and tons of local vendors, but one of the coolest features is that with every ticket sale, guests will receive a free compilation CD produced by and featuring local Frederick musicians. Event proceeds will also benefit the Frederick Arts Council as a kick back to the community.
The compilation CD was quite an undertaking for the 15 local bands that contributed in the short few months between the album idea and its execution. In fact, the idea for a compilation has been tossed around before in the local music community but has never come to fruition quite like now (there was once a holiday compilation, a couple years back).
Whether the song was old or new, each band lovingly chose pieces that represent Frederick as much as their own individual style. The compilation spans diverse genres in the local music scene and was engineered by local artist Derek Salazar, of Heavy Lights.
“When I was approached about being the engineer and mixing the compilation, it sounded like the perfect opportunity to get to know more people in the area,” Salazar says, “and it sounded like it could be a very special thing.”
Typically a recording engineer or producer only has one band to work with, but in this case Salazar had 15. “It was nice because every day was something new. A lot of the time, it’s just about meeting new people, figuring out what they’re going for, then trying to dive right in.”
Salazar and Heavy Lights bandmate Ryan Nicholson pieced the studio together from scratch with a lot of help from local friends who let them borrow sound equipment. They used a space in 200 East Art Haus and completely transformed it into a working recording studio to help promote Frederick’s best new local bands at Frederick Fall Fest.
To give you an idea of how special the project was and why this freebie is actually priceless, it felt fitting to share the stories behind each artist and song.
In the order they will appear on the CD compilation:
OLD INDIAN, “TRI-DENIM.”
It’s a newer song and marks a transition in style for the heavy, skater-influenced rock band. The band says “it’s definitely our most rock ‘n’ roll song” and continues, “this song is actually one of our first songs with a cool chorus.” It’s a high-energy song full of guitar riffs connected by a melodic chorus. At their recent shows, they usually play it as the closer.
NEW GOD, “FRIENDS.”
This song was originally titled “I don’t want to be friends no more” — an indication that this song is a little different from the generally warm and happy themes of the duo’s layered harmonies and electronic sounds. New God dusted this track off the shelf because it was an odd-ball that hadn’t fit into any of their previous recordings and needed a home. New God says it’s about “that greater experience of having friends in your 20s and 30s and the funny signifiers that you start to see when you realize this relationship is winding down.”
J BERD, “TOAST.”
J Berd, one of the local hip-hop artists featured on the album, says, “The first verse is me walking into any random happy hour and the second verse is using all the names of Flying Dog beer.” He came up with this song just for the compilation and worked with two collaborators, DJ Blaze Daily, who made the hook, and Louis Luyo, who made the beats to the track.
GREG BENDER AND THE HI-TOPS, “RESTLESS.”
Although not a current resident of Frederick, Greg Bender is definitely part of Frederick’s music scene roots, having been a prominent figure at Café Nola and playing with beloved jangly folk band Cotton Jones. This track is a dreamy feeling groove with a Motown throwback vibe. There’s also lots of cowbell!
SILENT OLD MTNS, “TRENCHES.”
Frederick’s pioneer indie folk rock band is back to creating new music, but this track was actually a rarity that lead singer Andrew Brohmal would break out occasionally at open mics a while back. Silent Old Mtns’ Sam Whalen says, “While we were on hiatus for a spell, it was the song that would get stuck in my head the most.” The band is honored to be playing together again and to make it on the compilation. From the band perspective, Whalen says, “It’s been great to work on a song that’s been stewing for so long. Each of us in the band has more time and experience that we’ve put into the song.”
CHESHI, “TO LOSE.”
Cheshi is a nose bleeding new local rock band with fresh and powerful feminist vocals. This was the band’s first real recording session together. Ashli Cheshire says, “I honestly wasn’t even expecting to be a part of it so the sheer fact of that, I was like, we have to step it up.” The sound is different from Cheshire’s solo work under the same name. This track is more upbeat. As to the theme of the song, she says, “A lot of the song is about not being afraid of things behind you or in front of you, but to keep pushing on … to be the best that you can be and not worry about it.” It’s fitting for a compilation of up-and-coming artists.
HEAVY LIGHTS, “CYNICAL.”
It’s a newer song, but the indie pop band has performed it live for about a year now. The band originally recorded it with Kenny Eaton at Mystery Ton but for various reasons hadn’t really wrapped their heads around the track and how they wanted it to sound. So they decided to do it all over again from the top.
THE PLATE SCRAPERS, “ANCIENT MYSTERIES.”
The Plate Scrapers are a fun and spirited local bluegrass band, and the only bluegrass band to be featured on the compilation. They took this opportunity to record a song that lyrically was a bit of an odd ball. The song came about from spending so much time in a van over the past year, as the band has taken on a handful of East Coast tours. Derek Kretzer says, “We listen to a lot of alternative media, where there’s like, conspiracy theories and a lot of researchers searching all kinds of crazy stuff, so the song is about that infinite quest of knowledge.”
TIME COLUMNS, “BODY OF ASH.”
Frederick’s math rock band took this opportunity to be more free form than usual. The band says the song started with a jam and was written within an hour. The band has been working long and hard on their upcoming album, but when it came to this song, the band said, “Let’s just take a break and do a song as fast as we can and make it awesome.”
LIZZY SILARD, “FEVER DREAMS.”
Lizzy is a cellist originally from Frederick but who’s done some traveling and spent time collaborating with artists in San Francisco and Los Angeles. About five months ago, she collaborated with Derek Salazar in Heavy Lights and came up with the vocals for “Fever Dreams”; then they revisited the song for the compilation. She likes experimenting with sound. “It’s a lot less acoustic and a lot less folky than the other stuff that I’ve written. It’s a lot of synth and ambient, spacy stuff going on.”
SEAKNUCKLE, “CHOKE SLAM.”
The band says, “In a weird way, it was a special song because it was a song that we really never put a lot of intellectual work into — it was just a fun party song — but because it’s so fun and tight and simple, we started loving it, and once we heard about the compilation, it was a really easy decision as to which song to pick.” The high-octane pop rock band also warns: “Be prepared for the intro because the intro is all of us screaming the name of the song right before it starts playing. We made that up on the spot.”
BIG HOAX, “BIG JAY.”
This is kind of a sentimental song for the Americana band that spends a lot of time playing in Baltimore and D.C. It’s a song that was written for lead singer Luke Alexander’s little brother. Luke explains, “Jordan kind of looses his head a little bit at times and you have to tell him to wake up, so at the end of the song everyone joins in on the chant “Won’t you stay awake, Big J,” and it’s fun. It can definitely get to be a rowdy song, and we wanted to capture that live feel when we did the recording.” For this song, the band invited a bunch of friends, family and even random fans from their Carroll Creek show to join them in the recording studio. “We let people do their thing. There was some yipping and some hollering, and PBR cracking and the chant at the end.”
KABOB-O-TAJ, “WHETHER.”
The four-piece jam band typically releases an album with songs by each member, to reflect all of them. To avoid the battle of whose song makes the cut on the compilation, everybody wrote a section in the nearly 4-minute song.
KATIE POWDERLY, “BENEATH BLUE LIGHT.”
The Americana artist moved to Frederick in 2013 and soon after wrote this song that she thought would be perfect for the compilation. “I was walking up Market Street right across from the Record Exchange and I just had a flash of inspiration for this song, and so I always say this song is about Market Street and downtown Frederick.” It’s her most requested live song, and she’s excited to release it in advance of her upcoming album.
RETRO RICOLE FEATURING ERIC FRENCH, “FAR BEAUTIFUL.”
Eric French brought the song to Ricole not too long ago, looking for some inspiration to complete it. It sat for a little while until the compilation opportunity came up. “I thought the music would sound great on this compilation, so I decided to write some lyrics and sent it back to him,” says Ricole, a hip-hop artist who’s collaborated with artists spanning lots of genres.
This could be the very last Video Of The Day in the history of Frederick Playlist. So, why not go out by posting a song from the band that will headline our biggest event to date? Check out this amazing version of “Heavy Bells,” because if this doesn’t get you inspired to come on down Saturday afternoon, then nothing will. T-minus 48 hours.
“OK. So, we do it, and even if nobody makes any money, at least we can look back and say we did something really cool.”
That was what Will Randall, the vice-president and chief operating officer of Randall Family LLC, the company that owns this newspaper, said in a meeting earlier this year. Hearing as much come out of his mouth was beyond a relief. The point behind the project wasn’t to make money. The point behind the project was to bring Frederick together.
And now, after too many false starts, humorously absurd disagreements and a shouting match or three, that project — the “it” in Will’s phrase — could officially move forward.
Local artists could turn random walls into extravagant pieces of art. Local bands could practice in empty, abandoned rooms that they would eventually trick out to make their own. A studio, complete with recording gear donated by local recording studios, could be erected, all to produce a CD in collaboration with Flying Dog Brewery aimed at showcasing great local talent. Boards could be nailed into the walls so locally produced movies could be shown. The Seed Of Life Cafe could serve food made from local agriculture. An all-local art gallery — showing everything from a full-scale bear made of yarn to a photo of a dead deer — could be curated.
“I’m just going to call it the Playlist Funhouse,” Ryan Nicholson, leader of the local band Heavy Lights, eventually told me, while referencing our all-music website Frederick Playlist. But he was wrong.
The name was the 200 East Art Haus. And finally, a year after I first wandered into that empty warehouse at 200 E. Patrick St. — the former home of this newspaper — and walked out with an idea that I would inevitably fight for, yell for, cuss for, sweat for, bleed for, throw things for, and expose every single awful quality I have as a human being for, Will Randall, the only one who mattered, mercifully gave his stamp of approval.
This thing could now come to life. And it was time to get to work.
POWER STRUGGLES
Saturday, July 11, was the first event. Seaknuckle headlined the show in conjunction with the release of their first LP, “Get Over It.” Roswell Kid, who have since landed a spot on tour with the Get Up Kids (i.e., they are far more popular than the money we could afford to give them suggested) filled in the second spot. Silent Old Mtns., after taking a break for a couple years, opened the musical portion of the evening.
To make things interesting, we organized a beer pong tournament beforehand (using only water), all while playing only local music through the speakers. The crowd nearly rebelled when the drummer for Seaknuckle was part of the team who won the pong tournament. “It was rigged!” some shouted as the rest of his band laughed.
That was the least of our problems, though, until Lane Fields, the other, better (see: more reasonable) half of Frederick Playlist, came up to me, using a fast, terse walk.
“All the power on that side of the building just went out,” she explained, pointing at unlit Christmas lights on our bar and the Seed Of Life Cafe that all of a sudden lost its ability to do business.
“Oh,” I thought. “That’s right. This is an old, abandoned building, isn’t it?”
We eventually figured out how to get through the night, but our next event, just three weeks away on Aug. 8, loomed. Our first-ever Best Of The Best Fest was slated to commence during daytime hours — complete with a battle of the bands that would require power for five acts throughout the afternoon — and another concert was on the books for that evening. It would feature Giraffes? Giraffes!, Time Columns and Kabob-O-Taj.
The problem? The sound crew we hired only brought one sound system. This meant that we couldn’t begin to set up the night’s concert inside until the music outside was finished. In one of my completely thought-out, highly intellectual moments of the past several months, I scheduled the final band outside to go on at 6 p.m. while advertising that doors for the inside concert at night would open at 7 p.m.
Again: Completely thought-out. Highly intellectual. And overwhelmingly dumb.
It might have worked if the sound company we hired would have brought two sound systems, like they had promised, but at that point, it didn’t matter. There I was, yelling at the sound engineers, who in turn, yelled at local band The Few to get off the stage after an unfairly shortened set, to transport the equipment up the stairs and to the inside concert hall, where, by then, I was yelling at members of the bands performing that night, who were (rightly) annoyed that they probably weren’t even going to get a sound check in before the doors were supposed to open.
And my feet were covered in bleeding blisters. And a sunburn I acquired through the day was paralyzing.
So. One more time: Completely thought-out. Highly intellectual. Overwhelmingly dumb.
We instituted a few changes for the next event, the Block Party on Sept. 5, bringing on a new sound company, and lining up a night that most embodied the true eclectic essence of what the 200 East Art Haus was supposed to be. The day began with local films from 72 Film Fest organizers, who screened a best-of slate. A local rock band, The Milestones, then took the stage before Roy Ghim, who has been kind enough to lend a helping hand through all of this, screened one of the year’s more buzzy films, “Ex-Machina.” And then a gigantic slate of local hip-hop talent took the stage for about four hours to showcase a side of the Frederick music community that doesn’t get the exposure it deserves.
“We did it,” I remember Lane telling me at the end of the night after another grueling 15-hour day.
“Not yet,” I said. “We still have 10/10.”
THE END OF THE BEGINNING
A key component to everything that’s occurred at 200 East has been Flying Dog Brewery. Chip Watkins, the company’s de facto events guru, has played two key roles in all of this. 1) He’s talked me down from countless ledges, and 2) He believed in the idea. The idea that something like this could exist in Frederick. The idea that something like this could work.
Which is why one of the most exciting things to come out of the old News-Post building will be a compilation that’s included with the price of admission to Saturday’s first-ever Frederick Fall Fest. Each song was recorded in the building with the engineering help of Derek Salazar, whose work ethic could never be paralleled. The rules were simple: Come record a song. It had to be a song never recorded before. No over-thinking. No post-production. No over-dubs. Make it raw. Make it count. We were lucky enough to get 15 artists to agree to be featured on it, ranging in all types of genres, from hip-hop to bluegrass to rock to folk.
That CD, however, will be only one in a long list of exciting things happening at 200 East Art Haus this Saturday. Heavy Lights, Seaknuckle and Old Indian — three of the bands featured on the compilation — will be opening for J Roddy Walston and The Business on an outside stage that is brand new to the 200 East equation. Meanwhile, a slate of local DJs, featuring Two Teks, Secret Panda Society, The Normal Trade, Statik Skye and Rhill, will perform on our inside stage all day.
A new art gallery featuring the work of students or alumni of Towson University, Shepherd University, Frederick Community College, Hood College and the University of Maryland will be on display in our normal gallery space. The studio in which we recorded the music compilation will be open for all to see, complete with photos of the recording sessions on the walls. A pop-up art mart will be erected outside with the help of the great Goodloe Byron. A wide array of all-local vendors will be present. And, of course, Flying Dog will have its full slate of brews on tap for everyone to drink.
At the risk of putting too fine a point on everything, it all comes down to this. After the lights go down Saturday night, the 200 East Art Haus will take a break until early next year, when we hope to come back with a stronger, larger, more eclectic slate of events. We’ve been scraping our way through the summer to see if something like this could even work, and with the help of, literally, each aspect of Frederick’s artistic community, it’s been proven that not only can it work, but it can thrive.
How do we know? We saw members of local bands help us as they carried out garbage for events at which they weren’t even booked to play. We saw local artists film videos in some of the many hideaway rooms that the building offers. We walked through hallways to see a mother painting an illustration on a random wall as her child watched in awe. We watched as crowds gathered and supported their friends, supported this scene. We lived for what this building could become. We watched other people live for the idea that this old abandoned building could be a new center of art and culture and music that helps bring the people of this county together.
So, Saturday? Well, in essence, it will be the culmination of a months-long celebration of Frederick, Maryland. Or, perhaps Saturday will be, with a little bit of luck at least, something cool, even if nobody makes any money.
We’ll see you there. And thanks for helping make this dream a reality.