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Genius #14 - Feb '25

Larry Michaels

• 4 min read
Flyer says "join a REAL fellowship, go on a REAL adventure", pic of LOTR fellowship, a faux graffiti "Badass" and a QR Code
Flyer seen in Austin, TX

Big Update!!

If you are reading this then you now know that Genius Dot Com has migrated away from Substack. You have been migrated to the new and completely independent geniusdotcom.com (YEAH THAT'S RIGHT) & new issues will appear here and FUTURE ISSUES OF GENIUS DOT COM WILL NOT APPEAR ON SUBSTACK.

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Unfortunately, I spent basically every moment that I should have spent writing this article doing Web Development instead. Whoops. As penance, you get this late half issue that includes the write up of 2 shows + the March show calendar. Scrap Heap will still go out in a couple days, so you'll get some album recs all the same.

The new Genius Dot Com.com will still remain free. I have included the option to pay $1/mo to become a Scrapper (commenting privileges on all posts). There's also a $5/mo option to be a Baller, but please don't select it unless you're an oligarch. If you have $5/mo to spend on this, then you should buy an album from a band or donate to an abortion fund or something. This new website costs about $50/yr to keep up and running, so donations are nice but not necessary.

Scene Report

In February, I caught 2 gigs:

Thou @ Ottobar (2/7)

They were insanely loud, so cool. Vocalist Brian Funck’s head is shaped like a skull. They played about 8 songs in 45 min, most of which were tracks from their newest record, which is great news for me since their newest is my favorite from them in a while. Truly, it felt like almost no time, I got totally lost in the shrieking. I was surprised when the bassist announced the last song & Funck echoed "yep this is it" before the blitzed into "House Of Ideas" which might be my fave from the new one. Very sick, very cool.

Umbilical, by Thou
10 track album
Thoucaligula9997

Ami Dang @ good neighbor Arts Garage (2/27)

The chaser to seeing Thou was catching Ami Dang at a new venue in Hampden, the good neighbor Arts Garage. The video above is from a while ago. Dang's mix of sitar, modular synth, voice is so intricate. There's a level of improvisation to the way the modular synth captures snippets & replays them in scatters, but her playing is remarkably consistent through extremely complex ragas. A singalong attempt was a little too complicated for the group, but I was glad to be a part of the inaugural performance.

The Living World’s Demands, by Ami Dang
9 track album
Ami DangAmi Dang

Show Calendar

Sorry this is a couple days late – most of the good stuff is happening @ the end of the month tho, so it's ok we will get through this together. I hear you, i see you, you are valid.

Note that I am playing guitar with Catherine Savage at a couple gigs coming up – feel free to come by and say hi.

Baltimore

  • 3/6 (Thu) Charlie Reichert Powell. @ An Die Musik
  • 3/7 (Fri) Psyop, Hormone, Credit, Pluot @ Ottobar
  • 3/7 (Fri) Mowder Oyal, Oof, Dli @ Wax Atlas
  • 3/9 (Sun) Grocer, Powerwasher @ Ottobar
  • 3/13 (Thu) Consumer Culture, Don Pardo, Wastoid @ Holy Frijoles
  • 3/22 (Sat) Deer Scout, Pinkie Normal, Little Lungs, Mothpuppy, Caterine Savage (I am playing guitar with Catherine Savage) @ Wax Atlas
  • 3/25 (Tue) Chanel Beads, More Eaze @ Ottobar
  • 3/26 (Wed) Jeff Parker Eta Ivtet @ Creative Alliance
  • 3/28 (Fri) Asthma Castle, Consumer Culture @ Ottobar
  • 3/29 (Sat) Old Outfits Album Release Show w/ Icarus Phoenix, Flight Attendant, Catherine Savage (I am playing guitar with Catherine Savage), Walsh Kunkel @ Ottobar
  • 3/30 (Sun) Good Time Jordie, Boat Water, Empris & The Gems @ Ottobar

DC

  • 3/4 (Tue) Michael Shannon & Jason Narducy play REM @ 9:30 Club
  • 3/7 (Fri) Spirit Of The Beehive, Kassie Krut (ex-Palm) @ Black Cat
  • 3/22 (Sat) Horsegirl, Emotional World, Free Range @ Black Cat
  • 3/22 (Sat) Yo La Tengo & Sun Ra Arkestra @ Howard Theatre
  • 3/27 (Thu) Arooj Aftab @ Union Stage

NYC

  • 3/1 (Sat) Honoring Cecil Taylor @ The Clemente
  • 3/1 (Sat) The Men, Pharmakon @ TV Eye
  • 3/4 (Tue) Joe McPhee @ NuBlu
  • 3/4 (Tue) Time Wharp, Ka Baird @ Night Club 101
  • 3/22 (Sat) Ian Williams & Abe Seiferth, The Caribbean @ PIT
  • 3/25 (Tue) Astrid Sonne @ Pioneer Works
  • 3/27 (Thu) Maria Chavez, Victoria Shen, Mariam Rezaei @ Roulette
  • 3/29 (Sat) Black Eyes, Dreamcrusher @ Pioneer Works

Philly

  • 3/21 (Fri) Horsegirl, Free Range, Empath @ First Unitarian Church
  • 3/26 (Wed) Steve Lehman Trio +1 @ Solar Myth
  • 3/26 (Wed) Black Eyes, Deli Girls, Deep Essence @ First Unitarian Church
  • 3/26 (Wed) Cloakroom, 22 degree Halo @ Ukie Club

Future Shows

  • 4/1 (Tue) Still House Plants, Aunt Katrina @ Ottobar (Baltimore)
  • 4/8 (Tue) Diles Que No Me Maten @ Ottobar (Baltimore)
  • 4/9 (Wed) Brainiac @ Metro (Baltimore)
  • 4/12 (Sat) Kool Keith @ Mobtown Ballroom (Baltimore)
  • 4/14 (Mon) Jerome's Dream, Eyelet, Gloop @ Metro (Baltimore)
  • 4/17 (Thu) MIKE @ Black Cat (DC)
  • 4/18 (Fri) Swami John Reis, Cloak/Dagger @ Metro (Baltimore)
  • 4/20 (Sun) Mount Eerie @ The Atlantis (DC)
  • 5/3 (Sat) Tim Hecker @ Black Cat (DC)
  • 5/4 (Sun) Napalm Death & The Melvins @ Soundstage (Baltimore)
  • 5/5 (Mon) Nada Surf @ Ottobar (Baltimore)
  • 5/21 (Wed) Squid @ Black Cat (DC)
  • 6/7 (Sat) Perfume Genius @ 9:30 Club (DC)
  • 6/23 (Mon) GY!BE @ 9:30 Club (DC)
  • 6/25 (Wed) Femi Kuti @ 9:30 Club (DC)