Last Thursday, Writers in Baltimore Schools, an organization seeking to provide an opportunity for low-income students K-12 to develop their literary skills through creative writing workshops, put on their Rock Paper B'more show at the Ottobar with a fantastic line-up: Wing Dam, Raffi Joe, DJ Fiar Medico, Chester Endersby Gwazda and Future Islands.
Sponsored by WJHU Radio and The Ottobar, this music fest sought to benefit WBS's literary magazine, Baltimore by Hand, which celebrates the literary work of students they tutor in Baltimore by putting out three different publications (an annual literary magazine, an online literary magazine and an annual book) of said work. Rock Paper B'more raised funds for their premiere book, which will feature stories about growing up in Baltimore.
From the first moments at the venue, there was a general feeling of eager anticipation. People milled around the bar area, chatting with friends and catching up. Others stood by the stage area, hoping to get a good spot to enjoy the bands that were performing.
Although Wing Dam - the solo project of Hopkins alum Austin Tally - and Chester Endersby Gwazda kicked off the show to a decent-sized crowd right on time, the group that everyone was looking forward to was Future Islands. Headed by Samuel T. Herring, the synthpop band formed in 2006 had people swarming the area right below the stage almost 20 minutes before the show started.
The chaos only increased as Future Islands took to the stage. By the third song, a legitimate mosh pit had formed, with the entire crowd being shoved back and forth in time with the music. Being trapped in that middle of that crowd felt a lot like a ride at Disneyland . . . if that ride included being elbowed, stepped on and surrounded on all sides by screaming, sweaty people, that is.
There was even some crowd surfing at one point, with guys being carried by the crowd and dumped on the raised stage before stage diving back into the crowd. Overall, people expressed their satisfaction by screaming and cheering throughout the entire performance. Those who managed to get to the front of the stage stretched out their arms to try and touch Herring as he performed.
Herring was extremely expressive, and, although it was difficult to hear the actual lyrics, he was singing, he definitely knew how to work a crowd. He punctuated his song with lots of body movements, lunging from one side of the stage to another or just crouching at the edge of the stage (next to adoring fans) and then jumping up. His movements practically took the place of the unintelligible song lyrics, as it was clear that whatever he was singing about, he was very passionate and believed in what he was saying.
As soon as Future Islands played their last song, the crowd broke up, with most people wandering away to the bar or to sit at the edge of the room and chat. Some people even left, as it was clear that many of the people were there just to see Future Islands perform.
It became a much more relaxed atmosphere as opposed to the crazy screaming and pushing that had been prevalent as they performed. If the crowd and fans were any indication, it was clear that Future Islands has a very bright future in the Baltimore music scene.
Rock Paper B'More ended with local band Raffi Joe and a dance party spun by DJ Fiar Medico. Every musician donated their time to raise funds for a good cause. With the help of big names like Future Island and the support of The Ottobar and WJHU, nearly $3000 was raised to print Baltimore By Hand's literary magazine and book of local kids' works.
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