You may have heard a little something about the Baltimore music scene
in the past year. And while most of the coverage (besides my own
groundbreaking, Earth-shattering piece) has revolved around the wonderful Dan Deacon,
I’m sure that guy would be the first to tell you that he’s far from the
only game in town. As a former Baltimore resident, I can vouch for
that. But don’t take my word for it–see for yourself when four of
Charm City’s best bands take over the Knitting Factory’s Tap Bar this Saturday.

Here’s a quick primer on the line up, which is as musically diverse as the great city itself:

Ponytail–They’re two parts punk, one part noise, plus a shitload of manic intensity. And their singer has lungs of steal. Their second album, Ice Cream Spiritual, comes out next month on the forward-thinking label We Are Free.

Wzt Hearts manage to make glitchy, computer noise oddly compelling. Fantastic as last year’s Threads Rope Spell Making Your Bones is, their experimental drone takes on an air of improvisational spontaneity in live shows.

Thank You is all rock ‘n’ roll fury, meant to be played at maximum volume. I was going to recommend you pay special attention to their totally hardcore drummer, but it looks like she’s no longer with the band. Here’s hoping her replacement is worthy.

And then there’s DJ Dogdick, a really bizarre but undeniably catchy hip-hop artist.