Wednesday, July 29, 2009

WARREN ZEVON - "Searching for a Heart"

And I'm searching for a heart
Searching everyone
They say love conquers all
You can't start it like a car
You can't stop it with a gun...


WARREN ZEVON


One More Day, Me Johnnies, One More Day...

Blowing town tomorrow morning, bound for Connecticut and, more specifically, the St. Vincent's Foundation Swim Across the Sound, which takes place this Saturday, August 1. The Swim raises funds to help lower-income cancer patients and their families meet their costs of living, assisting with groceries, rent, mortgages, etc., which, as a cancer survivor myself, is something I admire - raising funds for the Here and Now, as opposed to strictly long-term, academic purposes, like research.

For the last several years, my uncle donates the services of his 40' Hatteras sportfishing boat as an escort vessel for one of the many relay teams that comprise the field of competition. I'm not one of the swimmers, but rather the mate, which means I primarily drive the boat, assist the swimmers and any of the countless other odds and ends that need doing. This will be the second Swim - which begins at Port Jefferson, Long Island, and makes the 15 or 20-mile crossing of Long Island Sound before putting in at Captain's Cove in Bridgeport, Connecticut - in which I've participated. A line of ferocious thunderstorms forced officials to call last year's race less than halfway through (in such a case, the GPS coordinates of each vessel at the time the race was called are used to determine the winner). However, the disappointment at having the race cut short was quickly dispelled with an earlier-than-scheduled arrival at the bar at Captain's Cove. And regardless, the funds - totaling something like $2.6 million - had been raised.

Here's to better weather this year...

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

JACK NIETZSCHE - "Song for a Summer Night"

THE KINKS - "The Moneygoround"

Girl, Don't Even Get Me Goin'...

Years ago, a college friend and I had an ongoing argument as to whose version of "You Really Got Me" was superior, Van Halen's or The Kinks' original. Given that he's the consummate '80s metal-head, well, there's no mystery as to the side of the fence on which he stood.

"Don't get me wrong," I told him, "Van Halen is a great cover band..."

THE KINKS - "You Really Got Me"


VAN HALEN - "You Really Got Me"

"Bullets fly in Baltimore, and no one's surprised"

"This stuff has been going on for a while and to the extent that young men are bent on absolutely annihilating each other, it's a continuing frustration," Bealefeld said. Last week alone, Baltimore had glowing school test scores and a successful soccer match that proved to the world that an American football stadium can sell out for its European cousin. And Monday night, Anthony Bourdain's popular cable show, No Reservations, came to our city.

But Baltimore Sun television critic David Zurawik noted on his blog that the show took the now cliched and definitely jaded approach of The Wire, featuring pit beef over crabs and boarded rowhouses over the Inner Harbor. "Unfair," you shout, but how can that argument stand when 18 citizens are shot on a single night in just one half of one city in America?

We lament our reputation for violence and then do everything we can to prove our critics right."

Sunday, July 26, 2009

TAV FALCO & PANTHER BURNS - "Funnel of Love"

The Unapproachable Panther Burns cover rockabilly queen Wanda Jackson's "Funnel of Love"...

"The Cronkite Chili Steak"

"[Walter Cronkite] liked the crowd at McGarvey's and talking about sailing. People treated him just as another sailor, and I was proud of that," Ashford said. "He really was hard to get to sit still for very long. He had lots of energy and wanted to either be sailing or out in boatyards looking at boats."

He recounts the often-told tale about the broadcaster's menu dilemma, when he wasn't sure whether he wanted a steak or a bowl of chili, so he ordered both.

"He dumped the chili on the steak, and for a while we had the Cronkite chili steak on the menu. Only one person ever ordered it, so we quietly dropped it," he said, laughing.

Friday, July 24, 2009

Bribery, Gucci Knockoffs and Black-Market Kidneys



He found a particularly receptive ally in Hoboken Mayor Peter Cammarano III, according to prosecutors. The 32-year-old Cammarano, who won a runoff election last month, was accused of accepting money from the developer at a Hoboken diner.

"There's the people who were with us, and that's you guys," the complaint quotes Cammarano saying. "There's the people who climbed on board in the runoff. They can get in line. ... And then there are the people who were against us the whole way. ... They get ground into powder."


Once again, Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon and her gift cards are made to look positively amateurish.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

ANDRE WILLIAMS - "Sweet Little Pussycat"

"Mexican Midget Wrestlers Arrest"

The prosecutors say female gangs have been drugging men to rob them. The suspect and her accomplice, they allege, failed to take into account the wrestlers' small stature, and gave them too big a dose...


Yoga/Wellness Benefit This Saturday to Benefit Local Cancer-Stricken Child

As many of you know, I am a cancer survivor myself – over two years out from diagnosis, and still clean (knock on wood). But even my darkest of days pale in comparison to the hell little Baltimore-area resident Serena Lambert has endured.

On June 23, 2008, at age 3, Serena was diagnosed with Stage 4 High-Risk Neuroblastoma Cancer, a particularly aggressive form of childhood cancer that attacks the adrenal glands. In Serena’s case, it has affected every vertebra in her spinal column and the bone marrow throughout most of her body. In the past year, she has been through seven rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, two surgeries, 12 rounds of radiation and a bone-marrow transplant. The hope had been that Serena would be cancer-free following the bone-marrow transplant; however, her scans are still positive. The fight continues with radioactive iodine therapy, more chemotherapy, 3F8 monoclonal antibody therapy, and, finally, Accutane.

Not surprisingly, the costs associated with such treatment are astronomical. Nevertheless, Serena has proven herself a survivor, and her family and friends continue offering positive thoughts to help her through this fight. As such, in an effort to help with the costs related to Serena’s medical and living expenses, a Yoga and Wellness Benefit for Serena Lambert will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, July 25, 2009, at Evolvewell Healing Arts Studio, 4800 Roland Avenue, Suite 301, in Baltimore, Maryland. The event will include six donation-based yoga and meditation classes for children and adults, chair massage, acupuncture demonstrations, Thai massage, a silent auction and refreshments. The yoga schedule is as follows:

YOGA SCHEDULE:
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Studio 1: Kids Yoga
Studio 2: Adult Vinyasa/Flow Yoga

3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Studio 1: Adult Intermediate Yoga
Studio 2: Adult Beginner Yoga

4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Studio 1: Kids Yoga
Studio 2: Adult Pranayam/Meditation


All proceeds from this donation-based event will go (and checks should be made payable) to the Serena Lambert Pediatric Oncology Fund, P.O. Box 4014, Timonium, Maryland 21094. For more information, please e-mail Marley Keller at Marley.Keller84@gmail.com. Remember, through yoga and wellness, we can help one child fight her battle with cancer and live a better life.

Times are, indeed, hard for all of us, folks, but never forget, they are a whole lot harder for someone else. And, having survived this wicked disease myself, please trust me when I say that every little bit of support helps.

Wishing you health and happiness, and thanks for your support!


WPT


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2009 St. Vincent's Foundation Swim Across the Sound



For the last several years, my uncle has volunteered the use of his boat (a 39-foot Hatteras, I believe) to escort a relay team across the 25k course that comprises the St. Vincent's Swim Across the Sound. For two decades, the Swim, according to its website, has raised money for "providing cancer education, screening, and prevention programs at low- or no-cost for the elderly and underserved. In addition, the SWIM helps individual cancer patients on a case-by-case basis with specific needs, such as the funding of wigs and prostheses, medication assistance, free transportation to treatments and appointments, day-care scholarships and support groups" - virtually everything but research. Last year, the Swim raised more than $2.5 million.

The race kicks off from Port Jefferson, Long Island, destined for Bridgeport, Connecticut, just across Long Island Sound. For years, my uncle had been trying to draw me up to Connecticut for the first Saturday in August to help me crew the boat; unfortunately, the scheduling never worked out for one reason or other - until last year. I had a blast, even though a line of strong thunderstorms that blew through the area forced the powers that be to call the race nearly halfway through. Determined to see the thing through, all captains took in their swimmers and hightailed it Captain's Cove, in Bridgeport, where time was optimal time was made at the bar. ;)

Well, the 2009 Swim is next Saturday, August 1. And when the boat leaves, I'll be on it. As Kim, captain of the swim team my uncle has hosted for several years attests, "Once they get you, they've got you for life."

Indeed.

Monday, July 20, 2009

THE CRAMPS - "Rocket in My Pocket"

There ain't nothin' you can tell me I don't already know
I got a rocket in my pocket and I'm rarin' to go...


I Have a Favor to Ask

In the summer of 2007, while undergoing chemotherapy, I discovered this band out of the New York area called the Lost Patrol. In a word, I’d describe their sound as cinematic, a broad mix of influences that conjures everything from surf guitar, lounge, Ennio Morricone and David Lynch to desert skies, Joy Division and film noir. It really clicked for me, especially at a time when I couldn’t do much more than lie back and listen to music while the poison in my veins did its job.

I contacted them on MySpace a few months later, to tell them how much I appreciated their music and how, for me, it provided the perfect soundtrack to cancer treatment (if that can, indeed, be considered a compliment). To my surprise, they wrote me back, saying how much they appreciated my story, etc., and since then we’ve actually become friends.

Unfortunately, the last time they played Baltimore, in November 2008, in support of their most recent album, Midnight Matinee, about six people (including myself) showed up. Granted, it being a Sunday night didn’t help; still, I wouldn’t have been surprised if they (understandably) never played Charm City again after that turnout (or lack thereof).

Nevertheless, they’ve told me how much they like Baltimore and, fresh off a west coast tour that included the legendary Whiskey A-Go-Go, they’re coming back to Mobtown to play a gig at 8:00 p.m. this Friday, July 24, at Cyclops Books (on the northeast corner of Maryland and North Avenues).

The Lost Patrol have received a lot of critical acclaim, and I quite seriously think there is a broader audience out there (and here, in Baltimore) for them. That said, I plan to go see their show this Friday night, which, depending on the turnout, will hopefully be followed by more down the line.

Which (rather longwindedly, I know) brings me to that favor: if you have the chance (and even the slightest curiosity), please visit their website, which includes a handful of MP3s of their music. And if you like what you hear and/or happen to be free this Friday night, please consider coming down to Cyclops at 8:00 p.m. for their show. (I’m not sure how much the show costs, but I can’t imagine it will be very much at all.) As a friend, I would greatly appreciate it, personally, and I know they will, too.

Hell, I’ll even bring the booze . . .

And thanks for listening, as well as your support!


WPT


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SUN Profiles Local Hard-Rock Children's Band, Debut Album

Here is a nice article from yesterday's Baltimore Sun profiling local hard-rock kids band The Hilltop Hightops, an ostensibly "clean" version of the band's alter-egos, The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad. Both bands' lead guitarist, Ryan Graham, contributed a very funny piece on "selling out" to the most recent edition of Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!, and both bands turned in excellent performances at the Smile, Hon No. 11 release party last month.

Visit the Hightops online, and while you're at it, check out their debut album, Super Galactic Space Banana:

Friday, July 17, 2009

MESSER CHUPS - "Inferno Image"

Local Photographers Showcase Their Work at Baltimore's Strand Theater

~ Just a short walk from the Charles Theater, Club Charles, The Wind-Up Space, Joe Squared, Cyclops Books and more! ~

BALTIMORE - The Strand Theater is excited to host "Strandscape", featuring the art of Maryland photographers (including Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! contributors Davida Gypsy Breier and Ken Stanek), this weekend! Seven local photographers will be exhibiting and selling their fabulous works during Artscape weekend at the Strand Theater in the heart of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. Event is FREE! Light refreshments will be served. Dates/times as follows:

Friday, July 17 (12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
Saturday, July 18 (12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
Sunday, July 19 (12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

The following artists will be featured:


LAUREN BARHART (Photography, Graphic Design) grew up in Hagerstown, MD involved in various disciplines of the arts since childhood. She devoted her time to dance, music and visual arts throughout school. Lauren discovered a love of photography in college while pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. Unique angles and perspectives of architecture and graphic elements are frequent subjects featured in her photography. She currently works in Gaithersburg, MD as a Graphic Designer/Print Department Manager.


DAVIDA GYPSY BREIER fell in love with the smell of darkrooms and photographing animals while in junior high. She graduated college with a BFA and spent many years as a commercial photographer before joining the publishing industry. She begin working with the No Voice Unheard, a non-profit dedicated to animal advocacy, in 2006 and is a contributor to their forthcoming book Ninety-Five: Meeting America’s Farmed Animals.Some of Davida’s portraits of sanctuary, rescued, wild, and companion animals can be viewed at www.wildleekphotography.com.


DAVID FREY (Photographer): As a NJ native growing up in a working class environment, David didn't discover photography until he was in his mid-thirties. His vision is shaped by what he's seen in his past career as a petroleum pipeline operator and his eye is drawn towards things that are rarely considered pretty. David has done professional work for CCBC, Novo Interiors, and Goucher College, as well as numerous professional headshots for individuals and event shooting. David is new to the Baltimore area but has taken to his new home comfortably. He hopes to remain an active member of the area's rich artistic community.


ASHLEIGH HADDAD is thrilled to be making her photography show debut at The Strand for this year's Artscape. She has only just recently begun to dabble in photography, so she is honored to be surrounded by so many other talented artists. In real life, Ash works at Geppi's Entertainment Museum downtown, and can occasionally be seen onstage acting and singing her way around the Baltimore theatre scene. She has her mom, Valorie Haddad, to thank for sparking her interest behind the lense, and will proudly be displaying some of her beautiful photos as well.


CARR KIZZIER is Baltimore based filmmaker and photographer. His short film "Bump" won second place Audience Choice at the 2008 caMM slaMM.




PHILIP LAUBNER (Photography): Phil grew up outside of Boston, MA, playing music, taking pictures and eventually moving into the city to work as a graphic artist. He moved to New Orleans in 2002. After Hurricane Katrina he worked at an under-staffed full service ad agency; wearing many hats, including graphic designer and staff photographer. Philip moved to Baltimore in August of 2007, and has worked as a freelance graphic artist and photographer.





KEN STANEK is a photographer and visual artist. His work reflects his many varied and eclectic interests: From breathtaking landscapes of mother nature, to raw glimpses of human nature; from planes flying two miles high, to boats sailing two hundred miles at sea... The common thread that connects Ken's work is his passion to embrace new experiences and share, with child-like wonder, the world through his eyes.

Billie Holiday Memorial Rededicated

When Baltimore sculptor James Earl Reid created the city's first memorial to the stunningly gifted jazz singer Billie Holiday in 1985, something was missing. Gone were the panels containing references to the Jim Crow era and the lynching that Holiday so chillingly recounted in the ballad "Strange Fruit."

Now Reid has a chance to remedy what he calls censorship by city officials, by adding the bronze panels for today's rededication of the statue on the 50th anniversary of her death...


SERGE GAINSBOURG - "Ecce Homo"

Baltimore: Get In...

We're your friends. We're not like the others...

FEAR & LOATHING IN LAS VEGAS (1998). Directed by Terry Gilliam, based on the book by Hunter S. Thompson.

Thursday, July 16, 2009

Wham-Bam-Thank-You-Sommer

Once again, "Smut Girl" Sommer Marsden gives my inner marketing whore the reach-around...

Ms. Marsden's short story "Little Prayers" appears in the latest edition of Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!, and I really can't recommend her work enough (her story "Dominic's Dead" appeared in Smile, Hon No. 9, and remains one of my favorite submissions to the series). Though generally categorized as "erotica", her stories transcend the simple wham-bam in that they're rooted in the characters' relationships with one another, their motivations, why they do the things they do. Bottom line, she's a very good writer. So go on, check her - I mean, them - out (you know you want to).

The Mankind All-You-Can-Eat Buffet

A Maryland company under contract to the Pentagon is working on a steam-powered robot that would fuel itself by gobbling up whatever organic material it can find — grass, wood, old furniture, even dead bodies...

SMILE, HON's Long, Hot Summer Continues




WHO: Eight-Stone Press & Cyclops Books

WHAT: “Smile, Hon, You’re in Baltimore!” Open Mic. Share your best Baltimore-related (or inspired) stories, essays, poetry or other artwork!

WHERE: Cyclops Books, corner of Maryland Avenue & North Avenue, Baltimore.

WHEN: 8:00 p.m., Saturday, July 18

WHY: No time for love, Dr. Jones!

HOW: Throw me the idol, I throw you the whip.


For more information on this free event, e-mail wpt@eightstonepress.com or andy@cyclopsbooks.com.


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THE GORIES - "Nitroglycerine"

I said, "Girl, you'll get us killed"
She just laughs and stares
Says, "Baby, if I died with you
Would be the answer to all my prayers..."


STRAND THEATER Showcases Work of Local Photographers This Weekend

~ Includes Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! Contributors Breier, Stanek ~


The Strand Theater is excited to present the art of Maryland photographers in: Strandscape...

Seven local photographers will be exhibiting and selling their fabulous works during Artscape weekend at the Strand Theater in the heart of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. Event is FREE! Light refreshments will be served. Board Member Alex Hewett is "inordinantly thrilled. Great art, the perfect setting within Baltimore's own exploratory theater- what more could you ask for?"

Friday, July 17th from 12pm-8pm
Saturday, July 18th from 12pm-8pm
Sunday, July 19th from 12pm-5pm

1823 N. Charles Street, Baltimore, MD 21201
443-874-4917
For more information visit www.strandtheatercompany.org

The following artists will be featured:

Lauren Barnhart (Photography, Graphic Design)
Lauren grew up in Hagerstown, MD involved in various disciplines of the arts since childhood. She devoted her time to dance, music and visual arts throughout school. Lauren discovered a love of photography in college while pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. Unique angles and perspectives of architecture and graphic elements are frequent subjects featured in her photography. She currently works in Gaithersburg, MD as a Graphic Designer/Print Department Manager.

Davida Gypsy Breier fell in love with the smell of darkrooms and photographing animals while in junior high. She graduated college with a BFA and spent many years as a commercial photographer before joining the publishing industry. She begin working with the No Voice Unheard, a non-profit dedicated to animal advocacy, in 2006 and is a contributor to their forthcoming book Ninety-Five: Meeting America's Farmed Animals.Some of Davida's portraits of sanctuary, rescued, wild, and companion animals can be viewed at www.wildleekphotography.com.

David Frey (Photographer): As a NJ native growing up in a working class environment, David didn't discover photography until he was in his mid-thirties. His vision is shaped by what he's seen in his past career as a petroleum pipeline operator and his eye is drawn towards things that are rarely considered pretty. David has done professional work for CCBC, Novo Interiors, and Goucher College, as well as numerous professional headshots for individuals and event shooting. David is new to the Baltimore area but has taken to his new home comfortably. He hopes to remain an active member of the area's rich artistic community

Ashleigh Haddad is thrilled to be making her photography show debut at The Strand for this year's Artscape. She has only just recently begun to dabble in photography, so she is honored to be surrounded by so many other talented artists. In real life, Ash works at Geppi's Entertainment Museum downtown, and can occasionally be seen onstage acting and singing her way around the Baltimore theatre scene. She has her mom, Valorie Haddad, to thank for sparking her interest behind the lense, and will proudly be displaying some of her beautiful photos as well.

Carr Kizzier is Baltimore based filmmaker and photographer. His short film "Bump" won second place Audience Choice at the 2008 caMM slaMM.

Philip Laubner (Photography): Phil grew up outside of Boston, MA, playing music, taking pictures and eventually moving into the city to work as a graphic artist. He moved to New Orleans in 2002. After Hurricane Katrina he worked at an under-staffed full service ad agency; wearing many hats, including graphic designer and staff photographer. Philip moved to Baltimore in August of 2007, and has worked as a freelance graphic artist and photographer.

Ken Stanek is a photographer and visual artist. His work reflects his many varied and eclectic interests: From breathtaking landscapes of mother nature, to raw glimpses of human nature; from planes flying two miles high, to boats sailing two hundred miles at sea... the common thread that connects Ken's work is his passion to embrace new experiences and share, with child-like wonder, the world through his eyes.

So come and check us out, Hon!

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

Don't Be Afraid to Get Some On Ya

BALTIMORE - Need a break from Artscape this weekend? Then huff it on up to the Strand Theater, on North Charles Street, just below North avenue, this Friday, Saturday and Sunday for "Strandscape", showcasing the work of several local photographers (including Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! contributors Davida Gypsy Breier and Ken Stanek; also, see samples of both their work in the latest edition of Smile, Hon).

Then, don't be afraid to get some on ya at the Smile, Hon open-mic, beginning at 8:00 p.m. at Cyclops Books, on the northeast corner of Maryland and North Avenues. And of course, be sure to check out the other attractions on offer in the Station North Arts District, including Joe Squared, the Wind-Up Space, the Charles Theater and more.

KRIS JENSEN - "Torture"

Monday, July 13, 2009

The Irish Shrine at Lemmon Street

A matter of permanent record at the Irish Shrine (Baltimore):

HOWLIN' WOLF - "How Many More Years?"

THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS - "Older"

Two SMILE, HON Photographers Featured at This Weekend's STRANDSCAPE!

BALTIMORE - The Strand Theater is excited to host "Strandscape", featuring the art of Maryland photographers (including Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore! contributors Davida Gypsy Breier and Ken Stanek), this weekend! Seven local photographers will be exhibiting and selling their fabulous works during Artscape weekend at the Strand Theater in the heart of the Station North Arts and Entertainment District. Event is FREE! Light refreshments will be served. Dates/times as follows:

Friday, July 17 (12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
Saturday, July 18 (12:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.)
Sunday, July 19 (12:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.)

The following artists will be featured:


LAUREN BARHART (Photography, Graphic Design) grew up in Hagerstown, MD involved in various disciplines of the arts since childhood. She devoted her time to dance, music and visual arts throughout school. Lauren discovered a love of photography in college while pursuing a degree in Graphic Design. Unique angles and perspectives of architecture and graphic elements are frequent subjects featured in her photography. She currently works in Gaithersburg, MD as a Graphic Designer/Print Department Manager.


DAVIDA GYPSY BREIER fell in love with the smell of darkrooms and photographing animals while in junior high. She graduated college with a BFA and spent many years as a commercial photographer before joining the publishing industry. She begin working with the No Voice Unheard, a non-profit dedicated to animal advocacy, in 2006 and is a contributor to their forthcoming book Ninety-Five: Meeting America’s Farmed Animals.Some of Davida’s portraits of sanctuary, rescued, wild, and companion animals can be viewed at www.wildleekphotography.com.


DAVID FREY (Photographer): As a NJ native growing up in a working class environment, David didn't discover photography until he was in his mid-thirties. His vision is shaped by what he's seen in his past career as a petroleum pipeline operator and his eye is drawn towards things that are rarely considered pretty. David has done professional work for CCBC, Novo Interiors, and Goucher College, as well as numerous professional headshots for individuals and event shooting. David is new to the Baltimore area but has taken to his new home comfortably. He hopes to remain an active member of the area's rich artistic community.


ASHLEIGH HADDAD is thrilled to be making her photography show debut at The Strand for this year's Artscape. She has only just recently begun to dabble in photography, so she is honored to be surrounded by so many other talented artists. In real life, Ash works at Geppi's Entertainment Museum downtown, and can occasionally be seen onstage acting and singing her way around the Baltimore theatre scene. She has her mom, Valorie Haddad, to thank for sparking her interest behind the lense, and will proudly be displaying some of her beautiful photos as well.


CARR KIZZIER is Baltimore based filmmaker and photographer. His short film "Bump" won second place Audience Choice at the 2008 caMM slaMM.




PHILIP LAUBNER (Photography): Phil grew up outside of Boston, MA, playing music, taking pictures and eventually moving into the city to work as a graphic artist. He moved to New Orleans in 2002. After Hurricane Katrina he worked at an under-staffed full service ad agency; wearing many hats, including graphic designer and staff photographer. Philip moved to Baltimore in August of 2007, and has worked as a freelance graphic artist and photographer.





KEN STANEK is a photographer and visual artist. His work reflects his many varied and eclectic interests: From breathtaking landscapes of mother nature, to raw glimpses of human nature; from planes flying two miles high, to boats sailing two hundred miles at sea... The common thread that connects Ken's work is his passion to embrace new experiences and share, with child-like wonder, the world through his eyes.

Saturday, July 11, 2009

EDITOR'S CHOICE: The Lost Patrol




Fresh off their first-ever West Coast tour (including the legendary Whisky a Go Go), New York's Lost Patrol - whose sound includes ethereal female vocals backed by soaring, reverb-drenched surf guitar and Western 12-string rhythm - offer a cinematic listening experience that is at once uniquely their own while paying homage to everything from Morricone, Dick Dale and The Shadows to David Lynch, Joy Division and film noir. Don't miss them live on Friday, July 24, at Cyclops in Baltimore and Saturday, July 25, at the New Deal Cafe in Greenbelt...


July 18, 2009 @ 8:00P
Cafe Coco
210 Louise Ave.
Nashville, TN

July 22, 2009 @ 8:00P
The Camel
1621 West Broad St.
Richmond, VA

July 24, 2009 @ 8:00P
Cyclops
30 West North Ave.
Baltimore, MD

July 25, 2009 @ 8:00P
New Deal Cafe
113 Centerway
Greenbelt, MD


July 26, 2009 @ 8:00P
Galaxy Hut
2711 Wilson Blvd.
Arlington, VA

August 15, 2009 @ 8:00P
Half Penny Pub
321 W. Fayette St.
Syracuse, NY

August 22, 2009 @ 8:00P
The Record Collector (Living Room Series)
358 Farnsworth Ave.
Bordentown, NJ


Try them on for size:

"On the Run"

"Homecoming"

"Orbit"

"Colours Turn Grey"

Friday, July 10, 2009

From Today's BALTIMORE SUN

A Baltimore police spokesman has been suspended as the department looks into an allegation that he inadvertently sent a nude photo of a woman to a television news station...

Hopefully, it wasn't Sheila Dixon.

FRIDAY WITH WARREN

Today's selection is a live performance of Zevon's "Play It All Night Long":

Sweet home Alabama
Play that dead band's song
Turn those speakers up full blast
Play it all night long...

Tuesday, July 7, 2009

Cancer Man

Ever since doing six months of chemotherapy in 2007, I’d had this idea floating in my head to get some sort of a “crab” tattoo, for multiple reasons: 1) I am a Cancer, astrologically speaking; 2) perhaps more obviously, I had cancer; and 3) well…I thought that it would be somewhat apropos since I live in Baltimore.

The big hang-up: I couldn’t find any crab images that 1) I liked enough to commit to flesh/weren’t ridiculously cheesy, or 2) would have been workable as a tattoo. Eventually, however, I did, on the cover of the first edition of Henry Miller’s Tropic of Cancer, first published in the early ’30s by Paris-based Obelisk Press. The publisher’s teenage son, Maurice Girodias, provided the cover illustration:



Later in life, Girodias took over his father’s business, and with the newly-dubbed Olympia Press, went on to publish some of the great literary “smut” of the 1950s and ’60s (including the likes of Miller, Terry Southern, J.P. Donleavy, William S. Burroughs, etc.).

The tattoo was rendered by Josh Griffin at the Baltimore Tattoo Museum.

Monday, July 6, 2009

Baltimore Upstaged (Again)!


Gift cards? Pay to play? Ha! Baltimore Mayor Sheila Dixon is Scott Weiland to former DC Mayor Marion Barry's Keith Richards...

SMILE, HON Open-Mic This Wednesday



WHO: Eight-Stone Press & Cyclops Books

WHAT: "Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!" Open-Mic. Audition your best Baltimore-related stories, essays, poetry, music or other artwork for possible inclusion in a future issue of the award-winning zine "Smile, Hon, You're in Baltimore!"

WHERE: Cyclops Books, corner of Maryland Avenue and North Avenue, Baltimore.

WHEN: 8:00 p.m., Wednesday, July 8

WHY: We feel we can better serve the people of Alaska from outside the political sphere.

HOW: Grilled, with roasted garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and capers on a bed of angel-hair pasta.


To reserve a time slot or for more information, e-mail wpt@eightstonepress.com or andy@cyclopsbooks.com.


-30-

Friday, July 3, 2009

The Forest for the Trees

A 5-year-old girl was critically wounded Thursday afternoon, struck by a stray bullet fired by a young man who left a Southwest Baltimore street fight and returned with a gun, police said.


Makes you wonder if the stupid motherfucker can hit the toilet when he takes a piss.

Thursday, July 2, 2009

"This is Johnny-On-The-Spot Reporting..."

Consider, if you will, this appalling little episode from Cambridge, Maryland:

After exiting the portable toilet in Long Wharf Park in Cambridge, Candy Vigneri got a cigarette from a construction worker and sat at a picnic table, police Lt. Wayne Bromwell said.

As she sat, a male passer-by approached the toilet but Vigneri warned him, "Don't go in there, I just had a baby there," police said.

Yoga and Wellness Benefit for Cancer-Stricken 4-Year-Old

Friends of Eight-Stone Press,

As many of you know, I am a cancer survivor myself – over two years out from diagnosis, and still clean (knock on wood). But even my darkest of days pale in comparison to the hell little Baltimore-area resident Serena Lambert has endured.

On June 23, 2008, at age 3, Serena was diagnosed with Stage 4 High-Risk Neuroblastoma Cancer, a particularly aggressive form of childhood cancer that attacks the adrenal glands. In Serena’s case, it has affected every vertebra in her spinal column and the bone marrow throughout most of her body. In the past year, she has been through seven rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, two surgeries, 12 rounds of radiation and a bone-marrow transplant. The hope had been that Serena would be cancer-free following the bone-marrow transplant; however, her scans are still positive. The fight continues with radioactive iodine therapy, more chemotherapy, 3F8 monoclonal antibody therapy, and, finally, Accutane.

Not surprisingly, the costs associated with such treatment are astronomical. Nevertheless, Serena has proven herself a survivor, and her family and friends continue offering positive thoughts to help her through this fight. As such, in an effort to help with the costs related to Serena’s medical and living expenses, a Yoga and Wellness Benefit for Serena Lambert will be held from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m., Saturday, July 25, 2009, at Evolvewell Healing Arts Studio, 4800 Roland Avenue, Suite 301, in Baltimore, Maryland. The event will include six donation-based yoga and meditation classes for children and adults, chair massage, acupuncture demonstrations, Thai massage, a silent auction and refreshments. The yoga schedule is as follows:

YOGA SCHEDULE:
2:00 p.m. – 2:50 p.m.
Studio 1: Kids Yoga
Studio 2: Adult Vinyasa/Flow Yoga
3:00 p.m. – 3:50 p.m.
Studio 1: Adult Intermediate Yoga
Studio 2: Adult Beginner Yoga
4:00 p.m. – 4:50 p.m.
Studio 1: Kids Yoga
Studio 2: Adult Pranayam/Meditation

All proceeds from this donation-based event will go (and checks should be made payable) to the Serena Lambert Pediatric Oncology Fund, P.O. Box 4014, Timonium, Maryland 21094. For more information, please e-mail Marley Keller at Marley.Keller84@gmail.com. Remember, through yoga and wellness, we can help one child fight her battle with cancer and live a better life.

Times are, indeed, hard for all of us, folks, but never forget, they are a whole lot harder for someone else. And, having survived this wicked disease myself, please trust me when I say that every little bit of support helps.

Thanks for all of your continuing support!

Wishing you health and happiness,

William Patrick Tandy, Editor
Eight-Stone Press
Http://www.eightstonepress.com
wpt@eightstonepress.com
Facebook: “William P. Tandy”


PS – Please do not hesitate to share news of this event with your own network of friends and family!


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