Performing Arts : Buzz

It's been 10 years since Grammy award-winning singer Sade has gone on tour. But when she does this summer, the 51-year-old artist will stop first in Baltimore's First Mariner Arena.

"Music industry experts say that the fact that Ms. Adu hasn't toured the U.S. in some time will work in her favor," writes the Wall Street Journal.

"'Her core fans have not seen her in at least a decade,'" Pollstar Editor Gary Bongiovanni tells the newspaper.

You can read the rest of the article here.

Eric Anthony is living his dream as a Broadway actor. He returns to Baltimore to star in the local production of "The Wiz."

Here's an excerpt:

"AFRO: How did you become interested in acting?

Eric Anthony: I think it's a combination of a lot of stuff. The story goes, when I was 18 months old, my grandfather, Baxter "Peanut" Jones, use to own a candy store on Edmonson Avenue and at 18 months, I would be at the candy store dancing and singing on the counter top. The customers would come in and pay me change to perform. This is the story from my mother, my grandfather and my family�"

Read the entire article here.

There's no fat lady belting out tunes here. Baltimore Rock Opera Society is spreading its gospel through local festivals and word of mouth.

Here's an excerpt:

"On Saturday, the H Street Festival introduced me to, as a friend put it, "the greatest thing since things became good." What is this wonder of awesomeness you ask? The Baltimore Rock Opera Society, my friends."

Here's the entire article.

OK fine, fer sure, fer sure.

Seventeen years after his death, Frank Zappa is making headlines in Baltimore and beyond. Baltimore, where the rocker was born, celebrated Frank Zappa Day Sept. 19 in a ceremony in Highlandtown, the Los Angeles times notes. The festivities included music from Zappa tribute band Zappa Plays Zappa, featuring the late musician's son Dweezil.

The city erected a bust honoring Zappa, known for songs like "Valley Girl," which embodied the Southern California teen spirit during the early 1980s. The ceremony included Baltimore City Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and Zappa's widow Gail.

Baltimore's no longer known as a hotbed for jazz musicians, but one couple is doing what they can to showcase local talent.

Here's an excerpt:

"Jazzway 6004 rests in a tiny enclave dotted with mansion-esque dwellings just past the Baltimore city limits. A renovation in 2005 trimmed the original six bedrooms to four and created a performance space that seats 65 and houses a 6-foot Baldwin grand piano and a sound system. Matheny-Katz recalls how the couple didn't initially intend to hold concerts, but their desire to showcase local talent moved them to open their home to the public. The first concert in June 2007 sold out. "People started calling us and asking, 'When is your next concert?'" says Matheny-Katz, a vocalist who was prepping for a Billie Holiday tribute show in mid-July."

Read the entire article here.

Wonder what's going on with Baltimore's popular country band Wye Oak? The duo sits down for a Q&A with the DCist.

Here's an excerpt:

"The best thing about the explosion of Baltimore music on a national level is that it's really easy to catch very good bands and catch them regularly since the trip isn't hard for fans or band. Although it's really easy to point to neon green skulls or noisy art-rock when looking at Baltimore bands, one of the Charm City's best acts plays more straightforward yet more nuanced rock-and-roll.

Wye Oak's onstage energy is undeniable. Even when they've slowed from intense shredding to a downtempo with a dash of swirling ambience, they're never boring. Jenn Wasner's voice is as expressive as her lyrics, which is saying something if you've ever read Wye Oak liner notes. Plus, we will never lose our amazement with the fact that Andy Stack is playing drums with three limbs (two legs and an arm) but still playing another instrument (usually the keyboard) with hand number two. That impresses us every single time. Oh, and he sings some of the harmonies, too. We talked to Jenn Wasner about the best parts of the Baltimore music scene, touring with a living legend and playing on the new Titus Andronicus record."

Read the entire article here.

Forget the corny camp songs, At Opera Summer Camp gives Baltimore tweens a broader playbook taken from opera's masters.

Here's an excerpt:

"On a bright summer morning in Baltimore, camp is in full swing. A few dozen youngsters run through their daily exercises � vocal exercises, that is. Forget the bug spray and sleeping bags. At Opera Camp, the kids need only bring talent and a desire to sing.

Five days a week, from 9 a.m. until 3:30 p.m., camp is held inside a sprawling concert hall. The four-week session aims to introduce the texting generation to opera. Students receive instruction in music, acting, dance, lighting, set design, and makeup and wigs. Thanks to private donors, everything from field trips to lunch is free."

Listen to the entire report here.

Living in Baltimore, it's easy to see that the arts play a huge role in the city. As with eveyrthing that's created here our artists do it with a flair found only in Charm City. The Washington Post captures the style in a series of articles focusing on everything from art to theater.

Here's an excerpt:

"Baltimore brews its own arts scene, with a taste of what America was and what it will be."

Read the entire series of articles here.

Whether it was the mid-summer like heat or one of many other fun events happening around Baltimore last weekend that kept you from the African-American Heritage Festival, you're in luck! You can still get a taste of what the festival had to offer.

Here's an excerpt:

"This weekend the African American Heritage Festival was held in downtown Baltimore and we had the opportunity to see some stars come through. Here' some video of Robin Thicke, Fantasia & Marsha Ambrosious peforming."

Watch the videos here.

The all volunteer organized and operated music festival happens in Baltimore July 22-25. The four-day event, presented by Wham City and devoid of corporate sponsorship, takes place at various locations throughout the city with music, theater, and video performances from hundreds of artists and bands from the Baltimore area and beyond.

Here's an excerpt:

' *Sniffle* Whartscape has really grown up, guys. This year the Baltimore music fest celebrates its fifth birthday with a sprawling lineup of approximately 435 bands over three days. See the almost complete lineup..."

Read the entire post (scroll down to the bottom of the page) here.

Kinetinauts lined up at the American Visionary Art Museum for the annual Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race a few weeks ago. This year's sculptures included a platypus, a sea monster and a gingerbread house among others. The man-powered sculptures make their way through a course consisting of hard surface, knee-deep mud and water. The WSJ ponders the artistic merits of the quirky race.

Here's an excerpt:

"The 45-year-old was getting the platypus ready for 15 miles of concrete, cobblestones, water and mud. The annual Baltimore Kinetic Sculpture Race matched people-powered creatures made of everything from tulle mesh fabric to recycled trash can lids.

"Some people think it's trash on wheels," says Theresa Segreti of the American Visionary Art Museum, the group that organizes the race. "But it's art."

Read the entire article here.

Check the WSJ slideshow of the race here.

Watch WSJ video of the race here.

Baltimore-based Charm City Devils won the opportunity of a lifetime -- a 20-minute opening set for Bon Jovi. The band beat out thousands of other entrants and impressed Bon Jovi with one song.

Here's an excerpt:

"As part of their promotional efforts for this current tour, Bon Jovi has been holding the "Wanted: A Superband Tonight" contest at various venues. The contest lets thousands of acts compete for the opportunity to open for the band.

The winner for Wednesday's concert is the Baltimore group, Charm City Devils. It will perform 20 minutes of original music before Bon Jovi and special guest Fuel take the stage.

The band, fronted by lead singer John Allen, won on the basis of the song "Best of the Worst," a midtempo rocker that Allen describes as "heartfelt and self-deprecating."

Read the entire article here.

Didn't make it to the American Visionary Art Museum's 2010 Kinetic Sculpture race? We've found a few videos, so you can see what you missed.

Watch the video:

Baltimore is replete with independent theaters that offer theater lovers a wide range of choices from the well-known to the avant garde. The Strand, in the city's Station North neighborhood, recently launched a four-pack of short works written by company members. If you've been wondering what they're all about...take a gander at this brief review.

Here's an excerpt:

"On Saturday evening at the Strand Theater, Playwrights Group of Baltimore presented "Skin in the Game," an anthology of short plays written by members of the Group. Different in style, each play pivots around the phrase "Skin in the Game," apparently coined by Warren Buffet to indicate passionate investment. A packed audience at the Strand witnessed staged readings of plays ranging from the melodramatic to the romantic to the fantasist."

Read the entire post here.

Check out more about Baltimore's arts scene or Station North!

When Woman's Day magazine wanted to know the best places to go on a weekend trip to our fair city, they turned to resident Allison Buchalter to get the inside scoop.

Here are a few of Buchalter's picks:

"1. Best crab house: L.P. Steamers
"It's a fun, casual place with a real neighborhood feel. Sit on the deck, drink a beer and eat delicious crabs. It's hard to get bad crab anywhere in Baltimore."

2. Best park: Linkwood Park
"There's lots of green space and the playground is newly remodeled. Plus you can go 'creek walking.' The Stony Run stream goes through the park�you can either walk on the trail next to it or walk in the stream. My kids stop along the way to make little dams and collect rocks."

3. Best way to see the city: Ed Kane's Water Taxi
"Baltimore is a city defined by its harbor, and the water taxi is a great way to see Inner Harbor and also get to dozens of attractions, like the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Center. Even the locals take it."

Read the entire article here.