Justin Bieber's show tonight at the Maryland State Fairgrounds will be homecoming for his DJ, Taylor James.

James, 23, has been touring with Bieber ever since the boy wonder broke out last year. He's been chased by mobs of screaming teens, and had a front row seat for Bieber fever.

I profiled James, aka DJ Tay James, in today's paper. He came up interning at Baltimore Club label Unruly Records, and later spun for parties at the megaclub Love in Washington.

Over the phone, James seemed down to earth, despite all the craziness he has to deal with every day ...

Continue reading "Justin Bieber's DJ is from Bel Air, and other fun facts" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:39 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

In yesterday's paper, I reviewed Funky Buddha, the cool little basement bar which replaced Liam's Pint-Size Pub in Kumari's basement.

The happy hour prices stunned me and jmgiordano, who met me there. Between the two of us, we ordered three appetizers, two Heavy Seas Pale Ales (which tasted like they'd been sitting there a little while and lost some fizz) and two stiff Skyy Vodka and cranberries. The bill -- with tip -- was about $30.

Shazam!

By itself, Funky Buddha is nothing special. But manager Bonnie Roberts' warm, steady presence there pulls the bar together ...

Continue reading "Review: Funky Buddha and other basement bars" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:36 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

After all the controversy stirred up by my earlier post about the event promoters sending buses of college students to Mosaic, I felt a follow-up was in order.

I wasn't able to make it to Power Plant Live last night to see whether or not the GoodLife Boys brought buses near the downtown entertainment district as planned. And the GoodLife Boys couldn't be reached for comment today. But I did get a message from the event's Facebook page at 5:25 p.m. yesterday, which made it sound like the party was still on:

IF YOUR NOT TAKING THE BUS AND TAKING TAXI'S....ITS $10 AT THE DOOR.....BUTTTTT IF YOU BUY TAXI TICKETS YOU WILL GET IN FOR $5

An anonymous tipster sent me this photograph of a bus parked in back of Port Discovery, the adjacent children's museum across President Street (that's Port Discovery, the children's museum, in the background). The tipster said this was one of a few buses parked there. But, as Power Plant Live's spokesman Chris Furst (rightfully) pointed out, this one photo doesn't prove anything.

"That could have been any group," he said. "People use buses for millions of events. There's nothing I can do. It's not on our property." ...

Continue reading "Did GoodLife Boys send buses to Mosaic last night? Maybe." »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

Earlier this week, a conspicuous package arrived in the mail. It turned out to be a Tap-a-Cap Bottle Opener, courtesy of Pickled Parrot owner Gerry Balog. Great googley-moogley!

I first found out about these things a few months ago. But never in my wildest dreams did I think I'd have one of my own. You're a miracle worker, Gerry.*

Eager to test this amazing device, I dashed home. Editor Swift tried to follow me, yelling something about a deadline, but I outran him.

The genius of the Tap-a-Cap is that it not only removes the bottle cap, but it has a little magnet on the side which captures the cap. I don't know about you, but I've lost whole minutes of my life searching for rogue bottle caps.

Once home, I set the Tap-a-Cap atop a bottle of suds and gently but firmly pressed down ...

Continue reading "Review: The Tap-a-Cap Bottle opener" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:04 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

In but a few hours, you can be treated to the soulful, authentic sounds of the Holmes Brothers, along with the acoustic stylings of Baltimore singer/songwriter Ellen Cherry (pictured).

In a classic case of Free Makes Everything Better, tonight is the next-to-last installment of WTMD's First Thursday Concerts in the Park. 

Cherry goes on at 5:30 p.m., and the Holmes brothers will follow.

The show is held in West Mount Vernon Park, right by the Washington Monument.

(Handout photo)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Wild Willy's Rock House & Sports Saloon is set to open Sept. 18 near the Annapolis Towne Center.

The restaurant/bar, which will have live rock 'n' roll and country music on Fridays and Saturdays, will replace TK Sharky's, according to Courtney Smith, who is handling marketing for Wild Willy's. The new owner, Willy Koutroumpis, renovated the space and brought in a rock 'n' roll theme ...

Continue reading "Wild Willy's to open in Annapolis" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:56 AM | Permalink | Comments (10)
        

Though Nikc posted a link to this video under the original Septimius the Great thread, I thought it deserved its own special little spotlight.

Septimius The Great did indeed perform at this year's Artscape Festival, and what a spectacle it was.

There were three -- not two, not four, but three -- dancers who performed a choreographed routine. Septimius himself was front and center, in a body length white cape, singing (lip-synching, perhaps?) one of his singles. Check it out ...

Continue reading "Septimius The Great's Artscape performance video" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)
        

Promoters are once again busing in students from area schools for a weekly "College Night" at Mosaic, a lounge in Power Plant Live.

The event, called Thursday Night Banger, is run by the local event promoter GoodLife Boys. It began last week, and the next one is set for tomorrow.

"We take a bunch of college kids and bring them out there," said GoodLife Boys co-owner Nino Sylvia.

"Towson, Loyola, Hopkins -- we've got all the students coming out there. ... The ratio of girls to guys is ridiculous." ...

Continue reading "Promoters busing students to Power Plant Live for "College Night" (updated)" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (34)
        

Maximum Balloon (Dave Sitek from TV on the Radio), Sharam and Wolfgang Gartner have been added to this year's Virgin Mobile FreeFest lineup, organizers announced today.

They will perform in the Dance Forest, one of three stages at the free festival, which returns to Merriweather Post Pavilion Sept. 25.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 9:22 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

It's hard to keep a big bar down.

Canton Arts and Entertainment, the sprawling restaurant/bar complex/compound on Boston Street which closed for renovations, is back open again -- for private parties only.

CAE, as I shall now call it (because I'm sick of spelling that all out), could reopen full time if its application for a live entertainment license is approved.

Getting to the bottom of this whole ordeal was almost as labyrinthine as CAE itself. Take a deep breath and let's dive in together, gang ...

Continue reading "Canton Arts and Entertainment opens again! Sort of." »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (9)
        

Wonder why Lauryn Hill was two hours late to her Rock the Bells performance at Merriweather Post Pavilion this past weekend? She was getting a mani/pedi, according to the Washington Post. Wow.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 4:55 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

The dedication of the Frank Zappa statue, originally planned for the weekend of Sept. 18-19, has been consolidated to Sept. 19, organizers said today.

The day-long event will feature a symposium with Zappa's widow Gail, a free outdoor concert with Zappa Plays Zappa and Arbouretum, a dedication and afterparty.

"I think it will be easier for everyone," said organizer Sean Brescia. 

Here is the complete schedule, courtesy of Brescia ...  

Continue reading "Frank Zappa celebration consolidated to Sept. 19" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

What's on the menu at tonight's Budweiser Superfest at Pier Six Pavilion?

Soul, soul and more soul.

Singer Anthony Hamilton, who has been nominated for something like six Grammys, headlines the fest, which also features Kem, Jaheim and Raheem DeVaughn.

The action starts at 7 p.m. at Pier Six, and tickets are $43-$77.

(Photo by Jonathan Mannion)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:51 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
        

Brewer's Art is undergoing some minor renovations to its upstairs bar today.

And by "renovations," I mean they're putting a new floor in behind the bar.

"It's nothing flashy or glamorous," said co-owner Volker Stewart.

"You're stuck with the same old boring bar upstairs for now."

Heh.

(Baltimore Sun photo by Jed Kirschbaum)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (5)
        

Hogan's Alley, one of the last old-school Fort Avenue haunts, is up for sale.

Sherry "Pinky" Hogan, who owns the place along with her husband, a retired police officer named Girard, wants to keep the building but sell the business, she said.

"I'm tired," she said. "You know how you get worn out? That's exactly what it is. I'm tired and I don't want to deal with it anymore."

Hogan, who used to sell real estate, was showing a bar to some folks from out of town in 2004 when she realized she'd rather buy it herself than let them have it. So she did, and opened Hogan's. ...

Continue reading "Hogan's Alley is up for sale" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (16)
        

A little bar called the Funky Buddha has opened in the space beneath Kumari, where Liam's Pint-Size Pub used to be. 

According to Midnight Sunner ryan97ou, Funky Buddha serves $1 Bohs, $2 domestics and $3 imports during happy hour, and possibly all night on some nights.

I'm trying to get a hold of the bar to confirm.

UPDATE: I spoke with Bonnie Roberts, who runs the bar. According to her, appetizers are half price and drinks are two-for-one during happy hour, which is 5 p.m.-8 p.m. Mondays-Fridays. The food is from Kumari (Funky Buddha is way to small to have its own kitchen).

"It's very intimate," Roberts said. "Everybody knows each other." ...

Continue reading "The Funky Buddha has some great drink specials" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

Yesterday was the last day for Rafters as we know it, according to Sun crime reporter Peter Hermann.

The South Baltimore bar, famous for having Formstone inside and out, had a closing celebration last night, Hermann said. Rafters could be re-purposed and re-opened in the coming weeks.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (13)
        

I've always been wooed by women who sing in French.

Feist, Keren Ann and French chanteuse Marianne Dissard can all make my heart melt a bit.

I'm excited that Marianne Dissard is coming to The Ottobar tonight. Her new album will be out next year, and though I've never seen her live, I'd imagine it's a fun show.

Plus, the local group A Cat Called Cricket opens. Nice! Tickets are $10. The show starts at 8:30 p.m.

(Photo by Dave Good)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:06 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
        

Have you ever listened to Sound Opinions? It's a colorful, informative radio show done by music critics Greg Kot and Jim DeRogatis.

On the latest edition of Sound Opinions, Greg and Jim took a virtual tour through the music scenes of Baltimore, Memphis and Portland.

In the Baltimore segment, they speak to some schmuck named Sam Sessa, who writes about music for some rag or another. I think he might work at a radio station too ...

Continue reading "Sound Opinions features Baltimore bands, some dude named Sam Sessa" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 12:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (3)
        

Sun writer John-John Williams IV was at Rock the Bells last night. Here's his review:

Rock The Bells had the potential to be epic.

The tour, which came to Merriweather Post Pavilion last night, boasted some of hip-hop's most legendary acts: Lauryn Hill, Wu Tang Clan, Rakim, KRS-One, Snoop Dogg and A Tribe Called Quest.

Instead, the sweltering heat combined with over-the top waits between acts had a fair share of ticket holders ready to rock some of the artists' bells.

Hill, undoubtedly the night's biggest draw, was a lesson in dysfunction. It's been nearly more than a decade since Hill's uber-successful album "The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill," and Hill's recording hiatus fueled an undeniable buzz at last night's show.

So when it was announced -- just before she was about take the stage -- that Hill was in danger of not performing due to illness, it appeared the crowd was about to flip its collective lid. Audience members hurled boos, hisses and curses ...

Continue reading "Concert review: Lauryn Hill, Tribe & Wu Tang @ Rock the Bells" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:17 AM | Permalink | Comments (33)
        

You know it's bad when you're exhausted after a week's vacation -- and it's only Monday.

How was everyone's week? Did I miss anything super exciting? 

I spent most of the week being a tourist in Washington, seeing museums, eating at restaurants and relaxing to the maxing. 

One of the week's bright spots was the Newseum -- the museum dedicated to news of all stripes. Have you checked this place out yet? If not, you should. As museums go, it's fairly new -- it opened on Pennsylvania Avenue in 2008 ...

Continue reading "I'm back, and the Newseum was great" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
        

If you believe R&B singer Trey Songz, the neighbors know his name and he invented sex. 

Tonight, Trey Songz will be in Baltimore -- performing at Pier Six Pavilion. Monica opens. 

Sun freelancer Al Shipley interviewed T.S. and wrote this piece on him for today's paper, in fact. Shipley also wrote a short piece about some of T.S.'s more notable collaborations. Here's the link.

(Handout photo)

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
        

Marc McFaul (pictured), the manager of Ropewalk Tavern, bought Taps at an auction earlier this week, he confirmed yesterday.

McFaul paid $450,000 for the building and liquor license -- the whole shebang. That means McFaul and family (I like to call them the McFaul clan) will now have three South Baltimore bars (Stalking Horse, Ropewalk and Taps).

But McFaul isn't sure what he wants to do with Taps, he told me. He might transfer the liquor license up closer to Cross Street Market, or he might keep it at the corner of Fort Avenue and Charles Street.

In fact, McFaul wasn't expecting to own the place at all ...

Continue reading "Ropewalk Tavern manager buys Taps at auction" »

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:58 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)