The biggest musical news coming out of Baltimore these days has to do with one of the 10 biggest orchestras in the land—the Baltimore Symphony. Despite receiving perplexed looks from people outside the curved lobby windows of the Meyerhoff for a decision to remedy years of operating in the red by dipping into their endowment, the BSO has made a much bigger (and better) national impression this season, owing much, if not all of that to its new media maven music director Marin Alsop, the first female to front a major American orchestra. Despite a chilly initial reception from the orchestra musicians, which bordered on an outright revolt—nearly 90 percent of BSO players objected to a search process in which they felt that had little or no say—the orchestra appears to have warmed to the Maestra and her agenda, central to which is a commitment to new American music. Alsop, who also directs the annual Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in California, fancies herself a champion of the new and her programming—and the massive media offensive—for her inaugural season has certainly reflected that.
Among the notable American composers represented in Alsop’s first season included Baltimore’s own Christopher Rouse, Aaron Jay Kernis, John Corigliano, Joan Tower, the U.S. premiere of Steve Mackey’s Time Release, and John Adams, who in addition to being featured on one of Alsop’s programs, took the helm on a separate occasion to conduct his My Father Knew Charles Ives and The Wound Dresser. Perhaps as a way of reassuring audiences that new music is something to get excited about rather than fear, Alsop instituted the Composers in Conversation Series, an informal discussion with the composer featured on the upcoming program at the nearby intimate Theater Project venue. Alsop is a bridge builder and her push to broaden the BSO’s audience (and lure more season subscribers in the process) also included a few creative but questionable extracurricular programs such as CSI: Beethoven, a play off of the popular television program, which paired excerpts of Beethoven symphonies, scholarly research, medical and forensic experts, and even a Beethoven impersonator to supposedly unearth some of the mystery surrounding the composer’s death. And with the addition of cheap subscription tickets and new web content, including resourceful preview-the-concert and meet-the-Maestra videos, the BSO is taking giant steps in an effort to brand itself and its new leader as approachable and fun—a huge change from Temirkanov, who despite his brilliant command of some very meaty repertoire, was often portrayed as icy and old-fashioned.
So how do you follow an opening season like that? Not the way you might think. In her press conference announcing the BSO’s next season—streamed live online—one noticed that Baltimore’s new music champion seemed to have put less stress on the new, with the only living composers represented on her programs being Michael Daugherty, Joseph Schwantner, more of her perennial favorite Christopher Rouse, and the world premiere of a new violin concerto by Jennifer Higdon. Instead, Alsop is devoting much of the BSO’s 2008-2009 season to the work of one of her mentors, Leonard Bernstein, as well as trying her hand at more substantial repertoire that at first glance might seem to suit her traditionalist predecessor Yuri Temirkanov a bit more than a self-styled contemporary music crusader. Also sadly going the way of the dodo next season is the Composers in Conversation Series, which seemed to be a lynchpin in Alsop’s campaign to advocate new music in a town that has in recent years grown more accustomed to old war horses than young lions.
The greatest challenge for Alsop and the BSO next season will be living up to the hype that they’ve created for themselves. Much of the buzz this season had to do with novelty and newness, musical and otherwise, so it will be interesting to see how long the BSO can sustain that and if the immense momentum from Alsop’s first season will translate into a boon at the box office years down the road. Alsop is full of fresh and imaginative ideas, but what impact those ideas will have and if the public will continue to buy into them remains to be seen. But if one thing is certain, it’s that Alsop and the BSO have been the talk of the town this season. From the glossy monthlies to the mainstream media to the free alternative press, Baltimore has embraced the new-look BSO and expects big things. All there is to do now is to wait and see if they deliver.
SLN is issuing an apology on behalf of Mobtown Modern to any early adopters of Mobtown’s podcast. Initially, we were calling the podcast, The Modcast. However, due to the large number of Modcasts in the iTunes podcast directory, we’ve decided to change our podcast name from The Modcast to The Mobcast. (You win, Erik.) Sorry about that. Please click here to resubscribe to The Mobcast (formerly, The Modcast). We’ll post a direct link to it in the iTunes store as soon as we receive that info. Stay tuned.
We’re back! Following a critically acclaimed debut mini-season, the chamber music insurgents of Mobtown Modern bring the noise back to Bmore in 2008-2009 with a six concert all out aural assault. From Adams (John Luther, that is) to Zappa, we’re leaving no new music stone unturned this season and minding all the gaps in between. So pick a show, any show (though we’d recommend them all), and find out why the Baltimore Sun recently called Mobtown Modern “one of the coolest things to emerge in Baltimore.” And be sure to check out the new website with all its fancy features, like the Mix Tape, The Modcast, and more!
Mobtown Modern, your purveyors of fine new music in Baltimore, is making mix tapes for each of our 6 concerts for the 2008-2009 season, serving up more tracks that you need to check out. In advance of each show, we’ll distribute a new mix with songs associated with the show’s theme. We’ve got the first one up. Click here to get it.
Mobtown Mix Tape, Vol. 1: Back to School Trax
- Boogie Down Productions, “You Must Learn”
- Mos Def, “Mathematics”
- J-Live, “True School Anthem”
- Gil Scott-Heron, “Sex Education – Ghetto Style”
- DangerDoom, “Old School (feat. Talib Kweli)”
- Mötley Crüe, “Smokin’ in the Boys Room”
- Quasimoto, “Microphone Mathematics”
- MATHSoundsystem: Maryland Academy/BALTIMORE CITY PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM, “Team 6 Song”
- Gorillaz, “Kids With Guns”
- Defari, “Spell My Name”
- Dead Prez, “‘They’ Schools”
- Milkshake, “School”
New Music Duo Hybrid Groove Project Drops Latest Hit “HGP Anthem”
Summer’s just beginning and Hybrid Groove Project, the genre-bending new music duo from Baltimore, is already heating things up with their number one summer jam, “HGP Anthem” In the grand tradition of the great hip-hop conflicts like Tupac v. Biggie Smalls, Dr. Dre v. Eazy-E, and 50 Cent v. Kanye West, “HGP Anthem” brings some much needed antagonism to a new music genre more accustomed to passive aggressive behind-the-back cattiness than drive-bys and street corner stompings.
“By droppin’ this track we’re showing all these new music fakers who the real playaz are,” say Sacawa and Spangler. “It’s like we’re telling everyone, “Yo, we’re hot, and you’re not,” you feel us? Like, y’all need to get out of the game. Plus, we need to show love for Bmore, you know what we’re sayin’?”
Indeed, new music will soon regret its unofficial partnership with indie rock with the release of Hybrid Groove Project’s latest hit, the number one summer jam of 2008. But don’t call it a comeback, HGP’s been making heads nod since 2004. Just hope it’s not too late to return those skinny jeans.
Click below to hear “HGP Anthem” along with the skit “We Need More Beef”:
VERSE:
Conversin’ in a dialect, not what you’d expect
We’re from a city that’s too gritty for the New York set.
Mobtown! Gets down to the sound that makes you move
Listen up, worldwide, we’re known as Hybrid Groove Project.
We’re so hot we melt ICE from Chicago to Manhattan.
We got Claire chasin’ her tail ’cause they lookin’ like has beens.
Mad kings, Berio… Sound original? Nope!
We’re putting new dope twists on licks that Philip Glass wrote.
So Percussion! So what?! Think they’re in touch with the street.
On your minimalist tip we got that champion beat.
Iannis Xenakis. What? You think you bad playin’ hard shit
with nested triplets and septuplets?
You down with MTT? Yeah you know me!
S.F. Symphony, but that’s not all that he be.
American Mavericks, spinnin’ fab shit,
like Milton Bizabbitt, but HGP’s so past it.
Like our last hit, where we extended our reach
and sent Mike packin’ down to Miami Beach.
New World, same game with HGP off the chain,
gonna dis you other suckas but first check the refrain!
CHORUS:
The chamber music insurgents with an urgence to earn it,
We’re steppin’ forth in new directions cuttin’ beats like a surgeon.
With the sound causin’ all these flat composers to flee,
it’s the Mobtown Modern and HGP.
Knockin’ ivory towers down, bringin’ it straight to the hood,
it’s Dubble8 and SLN and we’re up to no good.
Spinnin’ wax, playin’ sax and makin’ music with poise,
we’re the best, oh so fresh, and all the rest is noise!
VERSE:
We ain’t a flash in the pan, like Bang On A Can.
We keep our sets tight not like a marathon, man.
You’re makin’ music for the people, we feel you, no doubt,
But if you do step to us, my friends, we will take you out!
Who’s that Eastman group known for rockin’ Nancarrow
and makin’ unplayable arrangements that sound like a player piano?
Call Aphex Twin he’d know what’s down in that town.
Nah, he wouldn’t hang with people like that… oh wait, Alarm Will Sound!
Eighth Blackbird we can play your music backward
Then chop it up and serve it to you 13 Ways!
Y’all stuck on Kronos carbon copy new music cliches
Straight pimpin’ Fred Rzewski for that Grammy mo-NAY.
Now that Boston’s got Levine and playin’ Wuorinen all the time,
They’ve got a lot of people sayin, “Oooh, that’s so divine.”
But HGP’s on the scene and we’re gonna shake it up,
So mind you’re business, Gil Rose, or we’ll BMOP you up!
West coast! Kronos! Pimpin’ all kinds of cheap tricks.
What’s next summer of love, like Haimovitz covering Hendrix?
From San Diego to Frisco we’re leaving bit playaz bereft.
Like Del Sol, CMP and the EAR Unit who must be deaf!
CHORUS:
The chamber music insurgents with an urgence to earn it,
We’re steppin’ forth in new directions cuttin’ beats like a surgeon.
With the sound causin’ all these flat composers to flee,
it’s the Mobtown Modern and HGP.
Knockin’ ivory towers down, bringin’ it straight to the hood,
it’s Dubble8 and SLN and we’re up to no good.
Spinnin’ wax, playin’ sax and makin’ music with poise,
we’re the best, oh so fresh, and all the rest is noise!
