Though the sitar doesn’t often appear in contemporary American music, Maryland musician Ami Dang strives to break the barriers between New Delhi and Baltimore by pairing the instrument with modern electronic beats and drones to create a distinctive new sound that she calls “Bollywave.” Her sitar shines with the help a looping pedal, creating a […]
How cool can a church get before it starts to ruffle some feathers? Christ Episcopal Church, which operates The Garage, an outdoor concert venue/art gallery (a super-cool combo if ever there was one), is pushing the boundaries of non-secular hip yet again by bringing back its Makers Series. The quarterly event features an evening of […]
John Colpitts, better known as Kid Millions, began his musical journey as a teenager in Connecticut, playing classic rock covers in a band named after a pancake joint in California. From humble beginnings in Lakeville, best remembered by Colpitts as the town where the little known classic psych-folk album Red Hash was recorded by Gary Higgins, the […]
There’s a new style of music dropping low in the hip-hop world. It’s called hype, and it has one purpose: to get booties moving. One talent behind the music is Kstylis, a rap master whose passion for bouncing backsides is matched by his love for a wicked beat. The self-proclaimed “king of twerk” combines powerful […]
Acoustic music is not traditionally known to have explosive energy, but that’s precisely where the members of Nickel Creek find their voice. For the past decade, the California trio has been redefining the perception of unplugged music in complex arrangements that are as full-bodied and powerful as their electric counterparts. The band’s newest album, A […]
An underground city exists within the deepest gold mine in the world, populated by an ice baron mayor, a dubious doctor, a woman who births animal parts, and other thrillingly nefarious characters. So sets the surreal scene for the Philidelphia-based Der Vorführeffekt Theatre’s new play Three Kinds of Wildness. Led by DIY diva Donna Oblongata, […]
By turns a screenwriter, off-Broadway playwright, and local children’s theater author, Peter Ryan found his latest creative sweet spot at the Holiday Inn on Fifth Street. “This is theater for people who get restless during normal theater,” he said of his latest show, The Club Ritz Caper, which performs in the hotel restaurant during dinnertime. “It’s […]
Rodney Crowell probably wouldn’t like you. Don’t take it hard. He doesn’t seem to like much—except for country music. The old school songwriter has recorded a handful of tunes that have had commercial success over the years, but he’s even better known for songs other people end up singing. Crowell’s penned tracks that have been […]
One of these days someone is going to have to write a movie that explores—purposely—the irony of making a film that uses cutting edge technology to tell an anti-technology story. Transcendence is not that movie. Its storyline, character arcs, and politics are so hopelessly muddled, it’s unclear what its makers were thinking. In fact, there’s […]
Trisha Orr’s complex, tour de forces of fabric, objects, and flowers have earned high critical praise for many years. They are beautifully rendered, dispassionate works, and they reveal very little about the artist except that she is technically gifted and admires beauty. Growing up in a demanding family and going to art school in the […]