Show Stories

This Show Stories page is the product of a somewhat arbitrary–albeit intense–desire to document the culture surrounding DIY musical performances in the Central Baltimore area.

In April of 2008, Rolling Stone Magazine cited Baltimore city as home to the “Best Underground Music Scene” in the United States, and in fact, the Central Baltimore area is home to many of the musical acts and venues that seem to be responsible for catching the nation's attention. Needless to say, this was exciting to fans and musicians alike, as the two are often considered synonymous when dealing with underground music. Locals who had been trying since high school to make a name for themselves and their music, immigrants from bigger cities or smaller towns who sensed Baltimore's artistic fertility or just got lucky in landing themselves here–they were all finally validated by the music industry, and maybe even one step closer to discovery.

Of course, we have heard this story before. Most of those artists are–let's face it–doomed for certain rejection. At best, Baltimore's underground scene (at least the small portion that has been blessed with Rolling Stone's recognition) is headed for one of those early 90s, Seattle-type discoveries, and who's really interested in all that exploitation, monotony, and inevitable decline of artistic vision/value?

This page is concerned with the stories of a culture that exists on the fringes of all that hype. It consists of people who have buckled down to the lives they have chosen to live, rather than wondering what could be better or different with a little bit of money and recognition. It consists of bands whose idea of “making it” means playing the same ten or fifteen songs to the same forty or fifty friends who flock to the same four or five venues every weekend, just looking to be together.

The author has:

• rehashed events which have nothing to gain from being rehashed,
• brought characters to light who would much rather remain shrouded in the comforts of annonymity,
• written about places which typically prefer not to be written about,
• mentioned bands which may or may not be worth mentioning.

Within these stories:

• Names have been changed,
• Geography has been manipulated,
• Truth and Continuity have not been given appropriate consideration,

all of which has been done intentionally, in order to authentically express the nature of the culture to which these stories belong.