The Sheep Killing Movie was good. I'd recommend it, if only for the soundtrack it's worth 90 minutes of your life. The movie revolves around Stan, an employee at a sheep slaughtering house, and his family and what seem to be friends. There isn't so much a plot as there are images of Stan's wanting wife, him rubbing his daughters stomach, children throwing rocks at each other and trains, and one of the most beautiful shots I've seen in a long time; children jumping from rooftop to rooftop like birds or cats. The main undertone of the movie is freedom and the overtone is failure. The era of the late 70's lends itself to some of the more charismatic dialogue found amongst urban blight in what looks to be the ghetto's/lower class of south L.A. One great line that stuck out was:
"I ain't poor. I give things to the salvation Army. You can't give stuff to them if you're poor."
Also, I don't know if anyone picked up the City Paper this week but you'll notice that it was renamed "WhamCity Paper". A few weeks ago I alerted people to the WhamCity show over on the near West Side. The attendance at this was packed so if you were there - we more than likely did not run into each other. It is so nice to see a music movement in Baltimore that is original, alive, vibrant, and has a following of artists, whackos, new yorkers, thinkers, morons, and everyone else that would have launched the Velvet Underground.
I don't know how "low key" it will be now - but I can guarantee that the scene will be taking off soon. Dan Deacon is your ring leader - and oddly they all live right next to me now...lol - in the apartment building, not in the Charles Village hole that is referenced in the article.
There is a mountain of snow Up past the big glen We have a castle enclosed There is a fountain Out of the fountain flows gold Into a huge hand That hand's a held by a bear Who has a sick band Of goats and cats and pigs and bats With brooms and bats and wings and rats And great big dogs like kings and queens And everyone plays drums and sings Of big sharks, sharp swords Beast knees, bees lords Sweet cakes, mace lakes Oh mamamamamamama
-- Dan Deacon, "Wham City"
This is one of the first things I ever saw them do - - the Ed Schrader show.
Also it's good to see old friend Jess Harvell back on the horse covering the next best thing in Baltimore music. BTW - the music itself right now isn't all that amazing but the energy of these places, and the ideas that will flow from them will churn out some unrivaled talent.
