John Saki of the Fells Point restaurant Louisiana bought the neighboring blues club the Full Moon Saloon a couple weeks ago.

Sun food czar Elizabeth Large wrote about Saki's culinary plans for the new club in last week's Table Talk. Here's an update on the nightlife side.

Saki plans to keep the same name, but redo the interior and exterior and bring in live jazz and blues bands. He wants to book regionally and nationally touring groups and pair them with local acts.

"We’re going to keep the music alive, but we’re definitely not going to keep it as a dive bar," Saki said.

The old Full Moon was the definition of a dive bar: a dirty blues joint where beer was served out of Coleman coolers and on a good night, two dozen people showed up to watch the band play. 

Ideally, Saki wants to re-open the Full Moon in six months. But you know how these things go.

Elizabeth and I will keep you posted.
 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:31 AM | Permalink | Comments (4)
                    

Sunday, the in-laws were in town, and we took the Duck Tour (totally unrelated to Monday's story about the amphibious vehicles, but an amusing coincidence).

While we were in Fells Point, I looked out the side and see, what else? Some guy walking around carrying a snake:

So besides history and trivia, the folks got a random slice of the city, too.

I was in the vehicle (which was creating quite a spectacle on its own) and didn't have a chance to talk to the man. Anybody know the story with this guy?

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 11:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

A while back, I asked Oranges Band guitarist/singer Roman Kuebler (pictured below) to send me a funny tour story. This is what he e-mailed me.

One night in Dallas, Tim Johnston [ex Oranges Band bass player] decided to play a tour prank on our friends and tourmates, Ozma. He was, surprisingly, very drunk by the end of the night and so failed to recognize that he was being far too stubborn about pulling off his stunt, which wasn't that cool to begin with.

Not wanting to be disturbed by a drunken Tim trying to noisily find his way back into our friend's place at some unreasonable hour, we told him that if he left to play the prank he couldn't come back and would have to sleep in the van.

When he left cursing us all we had assumed that he agreed to the terms but were surprised to find that he was not in the van the next morning. A couple hours had passed and still no word from Tim. We started to think that maybe he got arrested or ... who knows!

We finally did get a call from him. He was in Little Rock, Ark., which was where our next show happened to be. We found out that in his altered and angered state he decided that he did not need anyone telling him what he could and could not do and, therefore, decided to go home ... to Baltimore.

Tim went to the bus station in downtown Dallas, bought a ticket for Baltimore and climbed aboard.  In a cosmic twist, he woke up when the bus pulled into its first stop on the way to Baltimore: Little Rock, our next stop on that tour.

Being slightly less angered and much less altered, he decided to give the band a second chance and got off the bus to await our arrival, which wasn't until late enough that he got the whole day to himself to relax.

When we picked him up the next day the conversation went:

Roman: "Everything ok?"
Tim: "Yeah, everything's ok."

P.S. Tim got the majority of his bus ticket refunded, too!
 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:28 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

This man, Jim Lucio, has an awesome idea.

Lucio wants to create an ABBA tribute band with several obese musicians. It would be called FLABBA.

Problem is, no one wants to be in FLABBA. Lucio even held an open audition at the Ottobar, and no one came.

"Every person I've talked to that isn't overweight thinks it's an awesome idea," Lucio said. "Everybody that is overweight doesn't think it's an awesome idea."

Jim, if I were obese, I'd sign up in two shakes of a lamb chop. Since I am tragically slender, I must ask fat people everywhere to sign up by contacting Jim through his blog.

You see, FLABBA would not just be a hilarious tribute act. It would also be a social statement.

"It's kind of a reaction to the whole skinny thing, too," Lucio said. "How much does everyone want to hear about Nicole Ritchie and her ribs? This is just one flip side of that. ... A flab side of that."

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:19 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

I'm calling local bars and asking them to make me the perfect summer drink for a LIVE story. Any suggestions? Who should I call?

It can be specialty drinks the bar already makes, or a new concoction they've just created. I'm going to run the recipes in next week's LIVE.

And no, mojitos don't count.

However, I did hear from Mojito Steve that Vin in Towson makes a pretty delicious mojito. Anybody had it there? It costs $10. That sounds like a lot to me, but sometimes you've gotta pay top dollar if you want top quality.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

A report on last night's Better Than Ezra show, from LIVE intern Matt Vensel:

I arrived a little bit before 6 p.m. to check out the free Better Than Ezra concert at Power Plant Live. I’ll admit that I don’t much about the band other than their 1995 hit single “Good,” but it seemed like an interesting way to kick off my 25th birthday weekend. After wrestling with the idea to watch the show from the bar over at the Lodge Bar (something about taxidermy reminds me too much of my hometown in Western Pennsylvania), I grabbed a table at Mondo Bondo. Against the will of the event’s organizers who seemed hell-bent on me buying a Heineken or Dos Equis, I grabbed a Miller Light --and a Greek salad-- and waited for the show to begin. 

Shortly after 6 p.m., I got pump-faked by the opening act, Shane Gamble, who I thought was beginning his set. He started a few songs off with some sweet feedback and the blaring of the bass drum over the speakers. It turned out to only be a soundcheck. 

It was an interesting crowd to say the least. At first, it was mostly women and couples, except for a few packs of apparent bachelors. I even saw a couple of baby strollers. This made me wonder about the demographics of Better Than Ezra’s fanbase because I haven’t really heard from them in about a decade. However, once the dusk faded into darkness, the young twenty-somethings came out as expected. 

Gamble hit the stage again a little bit after 8 p.m., but this time it was for more than six minutes. At first, the crowd seemed indifferent to what was happening up on stage. I admit that I, too, was slightly distracted by the free beach balls flying around the Power Plant crowd. I’ll never cease to be amused by unsuspecting bystanders getting nailed in the head with beach balls. As it turned out, Gamble turned out to be pretty decent. His voice reminded me a lot of Rob Thomas and Lifehouse’s Jason Wade. He’s got a new CD entitled “Behind the Blue.” Check it out. I might. 

Better Than Ezra hit the stage around 9:30, and “Good” was the second song they played. I noticed a lot of fans get a look of surprise on their face because they actually knew some of the lyrics of the song, which made me think that there’s probably a reason we haven’t heard from them this millennium.  

The rest of Better Than Ezra’s set was all right, but I definitely wouldn’t pay money to see them in concert again. Gamble’s performance ended up being the highlight of the show. His music blaring from the speakers reminded me that it’s been a while since the beat of a live band dictated the beat of my heart. I definitely need to make it a point to head out to more shows this summer. 

Posted by Sarah Kickler Kelber at 12:52 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

I was standing in the bar of the Sunset Restaurant in Glen Burnie one recent Monday afternoon to pick up a takeout order, and the place was surprisingly full.

Some of the people at the bar were eating, but most were nursing glasses of scotch or bottles of beer. Most were quiet, although a few discussed sports while staring at a couple TVs on the wall above the bar. They looked to be in their 40s, 50s and 60s, and weren't too interested in talk.

I told Sun reporter Jacques Kelly about them, and he said those kind of people were "real drinkers." 

Kelly was right, but I didn't really get the full meaning of what he said until the next day. I had to go back to the restaurant on a Tuesday to pickup another takeout order for a photo shoot.

Some of the same people were there again, sipping the same drinks. Some were even in the same seats. And this is like 2 p.m. on a Tuesday afternoon. It was kind of sad.

I hope that's not me in 40 years. Real drinkers or not, I could think of a few better things to do with my retirement than sitting in a Glen Burnie bar all day.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Anybody else had a run-in with a bad bartender lately? I did -- with a whole staff of them.

Went to a bar the other night and ran into some particularly atrocious service. (I'm writing about it for next week's nightlife column.) I stood alone at one end of a bar with money in my hand while two bartenders, one manager and a bar back completely ignored me.

They saw me standing there, and only half of the bar seats were full. But they just stood at the other end of the bar -- some of them just doing idle chores or drinking water.

I eventually got so frustrated I walked to the outside bar. That's a story in and of itself. The whole tale will be in next Thursday's LIVE section.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:24 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

Anybody see last night's Wilco show at Merriweather Post Pavilion? What did you think?

I decided to go spur of the moment and was glad I did. It was the first time I've seen Wilco, and they delivered a solid set, starting with "A Shot in the Arm" off their album Summerteeth. We also heard "Hummingbird" and "Handshake Drugs," two of my favorite tracks off the last studio album, A Ghost is Born.

We had lawn seats, and it drizzled at first but let up after the first few songs. But we weren't too impressed with the sound quality. Maybe they kept it low because it was a Thursday night, and the neighborhood didn't want to be disturbed. I'm not sure. But the volume needed to be cranked up some where I stood. The keyboards were kind of hard to hear, too.

If one of your friends who loves Wilco went last night, he or she is probably going to tell you that they played three encores. This is misleading. The boys did about an hour set, took a short break, came back for another 20-minute set, and then did two more shorter encores. The last song was "What Light" from their new album, Sky Blue Sky.

I think this is the first tour where Wilco is playing larger venues like Merriweather. They didn't fill it last night, but I'd put the crowd at about 7,000. That's not bad. Front man Jeff Tweedy was in great spirits, teasing and joking with the audience.

Tweedy attracts ridiculously talented musicians, and this tour, the star is guitarist Nels Cline. A couple of the songs were shred-fests, but Cline kept most of his licks tasteful.  

So if you get the chance, go see these guys live. If last night was any indication, the rest of this tour is going to be really solid.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 9:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

If you're planning to skip out of work early today, head to Cross Street Market for their 1st Day of Summer Party.

A band is playing from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m,. and the Heineken models will be there from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Steamed crabs are only a buck each and oyster shooters are free for women. There are some pretty sweet drink specials too: $1 Heineken Lights and $1 domestic drafts from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

The party started today at noon and runs until 10 p.m. at South Charles and Cross streets.  

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:47 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

Press coverage usually comes in spurts. Right now, the music press is fixated on at least one member of the Baltimore arts and cultural collective Wham City: electro-composer Dan Deacon.

Deacon has recently made the New York Times, Spin, Rolling Stone, the LA Times and the front page of YouTube. Finally! He's one of the most colorful musicians (and crazy dancers) in the city.

At last check, the music video for "The Crystal Cat" had topped more than 185,000 views. It's off his most recent album, Spiderman of the Rings. Deacon, who is classically trained, once told me he tries to make music that he thinks he would have liked as a 5-year-old. This video is by fellow Wham City member Jimmy Joe Roche.

Warning: This video could potentially induce seizures, as demonstrated here.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 8:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

What if keg taps were proportionate to the quality of the beer they poured? The bigger the tap, the better the beer. How easy would that be?

If you wanted the crappy beer, you'd just look at the smaller taps. If you wanted the good stuff, go with the taller taps.

This is what made me think of it:

I spotted this row of taps last weekend at Buffalo Billiards in Washington (run by the same company that owns Bedrock Billiards). The two teeny taps are Miller Lite.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 9:10 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)
                    

I'm keeping my eye on Harbor East's bar scene. What would you like to see open there in the next year or two?

Right now, the James Joyce pub is your only option for late-night drinks, and that place gets packed on Friday and Saturday nights. Otherwise, you have to walk to Little Italy or, even further, Fells Point.

I was talking to the Sun's architecture critic Ed Gunts about all the new buildings going up, and we both think that when the new movie theater opens, a whole bunch of bars will follow.

Harbor East feels like a totally different city. It's so new and tall -- and the parking situation is horrible. I'm just worried that any new bar there will be a plastic, generic spot like Hard Rock Cafe. What do you think will happen?

Posted by Sam Sessa at 1:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (10)
                    

Since I started doing the nightlife column almost two years ago, I've accumulated dozens of odd and funny stories. Some make the paper, and others don't. If you've got one, post it -- I'd love to hear some of your stories.

Here's a weird one. I was reading back through some old notes yesterday, and came across this one bit about a patron of Mum's, the dive bar on South Hanover Street.

I later realized that Phil, the guy in the story, is Phillip Stankovic, who used to run the Downtown Sports Exchange with his father and sister. 

Phil, a big burly guy with a bald head and a soul patch, sat next to me at the bar when two girls bearing free packs of cigarettes walked up. They were reps from a tobacco company who offered us complimentary smokes if we let them send us promotional junk in the mail. I said no, Phil said yeah, and asked one of them her name. 

“Angel,” she said.

Phil, who looked at least one, maybe two decades her senior, got excited. They talked for a while, and then the girls started to walk out. Phil looked up, saw them leaving, and yelled “Bye, Angel!” 

It was this great moment. Here was Phil, this rough and tumble guy who reminded me of Marv (Mickey Rourke's character) in Sin City. I said something to Phil about a guy like him saying goodbye to a girl called Angel.

Phil’s eyes got a devilish glint as he said something to the effect of: 

“The irony is, I’m actually the embodiment of Satan.” 

My girlfriend (sitting nearby) did not find Phil’s statement funny, but I cracked up. And though I didn’t stick around long enough to find out, I believe it.

Needless to say, this didn't make the original story, which was a review of Mum's. But it's a great example of some of the odd stuff you experience if you hang out in Baltimore bars enough.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:07 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

OFM, the frantic, eccentric and energetic local indie rock band, plays Fletchers Bar at 9:30 p.m. today.

Funk and rock fans should listen to "Another Body" on the band's Myspace site. 

This video can tell you more about the band than you would ever possibly want to know. It will test, bend, twist and possibly even break your patience. It's funny, too.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 2:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Baltimore loves its rock 'n' roll.

But so many local bands are stuck rehashing rock from five to 10 years ago. So it's really refreshing to hear J-Roddy Walston and the Business, a group with tons of energy and an arsenal of raw, dirty rock 'n' roll.

This is "I'll Tell You What" from their CD Hail Megaboys.

Roddy is also the only musician I've ever talked to who lists Mungo Jerry as a serious influence on his music. He's not kidding.

I found this clip of Mungo Jerry playing their hit "In the Summertime."

It's kind of funny, because this song is all about kicking back and having fun in the summertime, but singer Ray Dorset barely smiles in the whole video. He just looks mean most of the time.

Maybe that's what the two groups have in common -- they both take their music really seriously.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:09 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Amie and I were sitting at this bar last night having dinner when the tall blond bartender rounded the corner and slammed into a booth. The bartender shrieked, and caught herself before completely eating it.

I laughed pretty hard, but it got better. The bartender had some dude in tow, and as they walked by us, she leaned over and whispered: "Shhh ... I'm drunk!"

Then she pulled the dude into the bathroom with her for a couple minutes. When they came out, she walked by me again, said "Don't make fun!" and went back to the bar. I love this city.

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:08 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

Where can I get the cheapest can of Natty Boh in town?

During game days, Quigley's Half Irish Pub has a three Bohs for $5 deal, which I think is the best you'll find near the ballpark.

Anybody else have some suggestions?  

Posted by Sam Sessa at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (6)
                    

Thanks again for sending your suggestions. After sampling five of the minty, sugary rum drinks in different spots around town, the search is almost over.

So far, I've been to Little Havana, Holy Frijoles, M&S Grill and Babalu Grill, where I had two different mojitos. I want to hit up one or two places in upper Fells Point in the next couple of days, and then I think I'll write the story.

I've had two good, two bad and one OK mojito so far. Anybody have some Fells Point ideas? Latin Palace, maybe?

Posted by Sam Sessa at 11:45 AM | Permalink | Comments (7)
                    

I've recently been reading stories about Dutch students who have invented powdered alcohol. According to them, if you just add water, you get a citrusy beverage with 3 percent alcohol. It's supposedly called Booz2Go, but I haven't found an official Web site for it just yet.

When I do, I'm definitely ordering some and taste-testing it. I'll keep you posted. 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 7:32 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)
                    

I nominate "Never Alone" by Luke Brindley. Warm brass horns, a gravelly voice and a great melody. What else do you need? See him live for free tonight at WTMD's First Thursday concert in West Mount Vernon Park. The music starts at 5:30 p.m.

Any other suggestions? Leave a comment. 

Posted by Sam Sessa at 10:41 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)
                    

I just got a sneak peek at the new Seldon Plan album called The Collective Now. It comes out this fall, but I'll debut a track or two on the next Baltimore Unsigned Monday night at 8 p.m. Making Circles, the band's debut album, was great. The Collective Now is better. I'll put up a full review when it is officially released in mid-September.

Romania (the side project of Roman Kuebler from the Oranges Band) is in the studio, and should have some tracks ready in the near future.

Baltimore native Naeem Juwan (aka MC Spank Rock) spits hot fire on "Trick for Treat," a new track produced by Neon Neon. Har Mar Superstar -- one of my heroes -- lets loose some of his trademark falsetto on the song as well. It's the first single off a new concept album about car maker John De Lorean. This doubles its awesomeness. You want some of this hot fire?

Posted by Sam Sessa at 6:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)