Arts and Culture : Buzz

Two popular blogs are teaming up to create a guide by Baltimoreans for Baltimoreans. Each week they'll ask a question to discern everything from where to buy the best music to where the best neighborhoods are. They want to hear from you.

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The Shank is partnering with our friends at Smile Hon to put together a Baltimore Insider's Directory. If we use your answers/submissions, you'll get a free copy when we're done. Just make sure you post your name & email if you want credit and the comp copy.

Over the next few weeks, we'll be asking these types of questions and compiling the results. Please tell your friends to answer too. The more reseponses we get, the better the guide will be.

Read the entire blog post here:

New York-based Ellen Datlow, winner of nine World Fantasy Awards, announces that she will be a eulogist when "Baltimore gives Edgar Allen Poe the funeral he should have had" on Oct. 11th. Her post gives links to information on the event (http://www.poebicentennial.com/events.html).

An excerpt from the post reads:

The following people are confirmed as speakers at Poe's Funeral:

The Reverend Rufus Griswold (literary acquaintance)
Sarah Helen Whitman (former fianc�e)
George Lippard (devoted friend from Philadelphia)
George Rex Graham (editor, Burton's Gentlemen's Magazine)
Nathanial Parker Willis (loyal friend)
Dr. John Moran (Poe physician at the time of his death)
J.T.L. Preston (childhood friend, Virginia Military College)
Charles Bauldelaire (French writer and Poe admirer)
Narrator from The Tell Tale Heart

Read the entire blog post here:

To maintain morale during the tough economy, Monitor staff comb the nation's classifieds each week to find cool work for job hunters. A favorite animal-lover destination made the list this week. (So did a freelance wig maker gig in Arizona, operating a chocolate fountain in Florida, and styling dolls' hair in Massachusetts.)

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2. Marine mammal aide:

Employer: Baltimore National Aquarium
Wages/salary: $10 an hour
Details: Prepare daily animal diets and dispense vitamins; degree in biology or zoology required; scuba certification preferred. (For more information click here.)
Location: Baltimore (pop. 651,154, median family income $35,438) was the site of the first American umbrella factory in 1828.

Read the entire article here:

For the first year, Baltimore's summer concert season has placed it on the list of the 20 Most Rockin' Cities, compiled annually by StubHub, the world's largest ticket marketplace. StubHub compiled its list of the markets where fans have been "the most active this summer grabbing tickets to their favorite shows" based on total market sales via StubHub for concert events only, occurring between May 15th and Sept. 15th.

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Washington D.C. took the biggest leap on this year's chart, landing in the top 10 at #6, up from #18 in 2008. The live concert ticket market in the area was bolstered by performances by Bruce Springsteen in late May, Billy Joel/Elton John at Nationals Park and Paul McCartney at FedEx Field in the last month. In addition, sales from the Nissan Pavilion in nearby Bristow, Va. were more appropriately attributed to the Washington D.C. metro area after formerly being included with Richmond, Va. returns.

Newcomers to this year's chart include Milwaukee, Toronto (Canada), Baltimore and Pittsburgh. With the exception of Toronto, each newcomer to the top 20 hosted the popular jam band Phish for at least one night, one of the biggest sellers of the summer nationwide.

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Baltimore Magazine hosted its bash honoring the winners of its 2009 Best of Baltimore survey. Winners sporting "I Won It" badges mingled with partygoers and the city's glitterati sampling tasty treats from 50 local eateries. The best offering? The Crispy Creme bread pudding - made from, yes you guessed it Krispy Kreme doughnuts - from Ale Mary's in Fell's Point was the highlight of the evening. A portion of the proceeds from the event, held at the Hippodrome, benefit The Family Tree.

Didn't pick up your August issue of the print mag? Here's a peek at a few of the winners:

Peter's Inn - Best pub food

Larry Doyle - Best humorist

Ali True, True Balance Training Studio - Best personal trainer

Lisa Ponzoli, owner of Babe boutique - Best sweet dresses

Dean Krapf, owner of Lluminaire - Best makeup artist

Leeann Burlbaw, co-owner of Mark and Buttons Chimney Sweeps - Best chimney service

Kara Hanson, owner of Funky Beehive in Federal Hill - Best kitschy home gifts

Bulle Rock Golf Course - Best golf course

Marc Steiner - Best comeback

Rupert Wondolowski, editor Shattered Wig Review - Best literary magazine

Adam Jones - Best Oriole

Panera Bread � Best Bagel

Want to check out the remaining winners of the mag's 45 categories? Read on here

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

M.I.S.S. feature "Funky Expedition," which explores the creation and development of region-specific genres of music, takes a look at Baltimore Club Music. While it sings its praises, it questions -- hopefully -- whether Bmore Club will "ever have lasting potential outside of the DMV (D.C., Maryland, and Virginia)."

An excerpt from the article reads:

It always stings a little bit when you are on top of something � whether it be a new artist, new designer, or new style � and then a year or two later, everybody's on the jock of that artist, designer, or style. You just look like a major tool mentioning that you were into it "ages ago," but then you are also a bit angry because your friends didn't like it when you told them about it. Once it was on TV, they liked it. Sound familiar?

Besides the fact that you might just be a trendsetter, or a daring human being, (or a M.I.S.S. girl), it's frustrating any which way you look at it. Such might be the case for fans of Baltimore Club AKA Bmore Club AKA Gutter music AKA the sound of Bodymore, Murderland (Baltimore, Maryland). It has only been gaining national attention in the past few years, but it has been around -- in Baltimore -- starting from as early as 1989 or 1990.

The sound of Gutter music is best described by a blend of hip-hop, house, and dance music. Some even call it hip-house. The songs are often dark, but contain an infectious, hyper energy that explodes with each short song. Unlike typical house songs, Bmore club songs alternately build and drop intensity as they play, with bridges and sections of fast-paced, loud crashes that mimic fluttering heartbeats. The songs are like the sprint of the music race: the cuts are specifically crafted by DJs for the club environment, based on a 8/4 beat structure, and include tempos as high as 130 beat per minute.

Read the entire article here:

Tweet of the Week

What was on the mind of Baltimore tweople this week?

@JasonKuipers, presumably on a visit to Charm City, couldn't contain his enthusiasm for the city, "Baltimore is awesome. I'd love to live in this city. Downtown Baltimore is Like darling harbor 2.0."

@history4theppl, another visitor says, "I return to the South tomorrow. Baltimore is def going on my top list for historical hotspots. So much to see & do. Hope to return soon!"

@Familytreemd had nothing but love for the Best of Baltimore party, "Best of Baltimore was an incredible evening! Thanks to all the restaurants, Baltimore Mag, & staff at the Hippodrome for a memorable party!"

@avimagic has something else to cheer about, "I have discovered Baltimore's most redeeming quality (other than my family, of course), and it is a radio station named Jack."

@Shesouldeep, takes issue with plans to bump up the city's parking meter rate from $1 per hour to $2 or $3 per hour, "I'm not feeling the metered parking rate doubling and tripling in some areas (Baltimore). That aint right!! Increase revenue in other ways."

Many tweeted about the premiere episode of Bravo's Top Chef:

@lisa_hoang says, "Nice! Executive chef from Abacrombie Restaurant (Baltimore) is on Top Chef. Hope she doesn't bomb like last year's Baltimore contestant."

@ bhawk988 was jazzed by the number of local contestants, "Top Chef Vegas should be called Top Chef Maryland/ Baltimore Looks like 4 chefs from this area wow."

Cities that mix together, stick together: a new original compilation features Baltimore artists covering music by Baltimore artists.

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Baltimore hip hop artist Mickey Free has remixed "That I Do" from Wye Oak's new album, The Knot, out now on Merge Records. Wye Oak and Merge were good enough to let us premier this remix, which makes this as good a time as any to introduce Splice's second original compilation, Baltimore Does Baltimore, featuring more than twenty Baltimore bands covering their favorite songs by other Baltimore bands -- so basically one big Mobtown lovefest. Look for it in late September.

Read the entire post -- and hear the music -- here.

Examiner.com contributor Meghan Goodrich observes there are boundless opportunities to mistreat books during the Altered Books Competition at Baltimore's Enoch Pratt Free Library.

An excerpt from Goodrich's piece reads:

The eligible victims for revamping are "any book, old or new that has been recycled by creative means into a work of art."  Artistic alteration allows the books to be "rebound, painted, cut, burned, folded, added to, collaged in, rubber stamped, drilled or otherwise adorned." Entries can be simple or complex, remain in their usual dimensions or defy gravity, remain achromatic or burst into colors never attempted on the printed page. Prizes will be awarded to the top three altered books.

While this Examiner primarily focuses on the content of books, she has taken a few book arts classes and has seen books that will boggle the mind. While it's sometimes hard to put an exacto knife to a favorite classic, the results often bring out a new and handsome element to the "victim."

Read the entire post here.