WEDNESDAY:
Celebrating the night before Thanksgiving, perhaps the drinky-est night of the year, a mix of pop and punk from the
Degenerettes
(featuring occasional
City Paper
contributor Rahne Alexander),
Squaaks
, and
Near East Family
takes over the Metro Gallery for a special series of A/V sets. Baltimore bluegrass ensemble the
Manly Deeds
return to Joe Squared with
Petticoat Tea Room
. Don't miss: Baltimore chiptune classic
Entertainment System
plays the Ottobar with
Contra
and
Rare Candy
; upstairs at the club, the Baltimore Bass Connection hosts its Thanksgiving pregame with music from
Darko
, aka Spank Rock and Amanda Blank teaming for something, and
Emily Rabbit
.
THURSDAY:
Ah, yes, Thanksgiving.
FRIDAY:
Well-aged metal crossover beast
Toxic Holocaust
rains hell upon the Ottobar with
Tombs
,
Strong Intention
,
Passage Between
,
Necropsy
, and
Putrid Servant
. Sonar's main room hosts Black Friday, an old-school Baltimore club reunion featuring
Kwame
,
DJ Mike Crosby
,
Kenny K
,
DJ Boobie
,
DJ Tanz
, and
Reggie Reg
; in the club room,
Jade Fox
celebrates a record release. The
Charm City Devil
s make prefab radio-rock at Rams Head Live with
Sweet Cyanide
,
So Low
, and
School of Rock
. The
Ivan Smart Mob
bring its good-times jazz-funk to An die Musik.
Dr. Manhattan
, a Chicago band somewhere between pop-punk and postpunk, plays the Charm City Art Space with the
Daydrinkers
. Trumpet big name
Chris Botti
performs two nights at the Meyerhoff. Don't miss: On its 20th anniversary as a seminal Baltimore record label, Reptilian Records holds a retrospective show at the Windup Space.
SATURDAY:
Jeffree Star
, a cross-dressing born-from-the-internet pop songwriter/DJ, is, by shopping mall standards, "transgressive" at Sonar with
Dev
, It's Boys,
Freqontrol
,
And It Must Occur
, and
Storm the Threshold
.
Vital Remains
, a two-decades-old perma-underground death-metal band from Rhode Island, delivers the end times to the Talking Head with
Horde of the Eclipse
,
Necropsy
,
Histrionic
,
Witch
, and
Bloodlust
. Local college-reggae favorite
Jah Works
returns to Rams Head Live with
Fear Nuttin Band
and
Broken Coast
. Wrongfully imprisoned jazz polymath
Michael Austin
heads up a benefit show for his nonprofit In This Together Development at An die Musik. ChangeUp magazine and the Musicology Group gather up 8X10 usual suspects
Shook
,
A Cool Stick
,
Lifted
,
Schmee
, and the
14th Circuit
for a Baltimore Public Schools benefit. Baltimore hardcore band
Trapped Under Ice
pounds ears at the Charm City Art Space with
Down to Nothing
,
Mindset
,
Fire and Ice
,
Dead End Path
, and
Mob Mentality
.
Steve Aoki
, the easy-to-hate Hollywood celebrity DJ, headlines a new edition of Steez Promo's Massive party at Bourbon Street with
Wolfgang Gartner
,
Andy C
,
Nero Borgore
, and many more (full lineup at steezpromo.com). The 1970s prog band
Crack the Sky
resurfaces at Towson's Recher Theatre. Baltimore jazz vocal legend
Ethel Ennis
teams up with beatbox/vocal artist
Shodekeh
at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson. Don't miss: The Red Room at Normals Books and Records hosts a night of all-string improvisations courtesy of
Keenan Lawler
and
Susan Alcorn
, and
Marc Miller
and erstwhile CP contributor
Shelly Blake-Plock
.
SUNDAY:
Patent Pending
makes Warped Tour punk at the Ottobar. Don't miss: going to bed early.
MONDAY: Midnight Conspiracy
, a party DJ trio from Chicago, guests at
Cullen Stalin
and
Scottie B
's weekly No Rule at the Metro Gallery.
Delta Spirit
brings its Cali-bred rock 'n' soul to the Ottobar with
Darker My Love
and the
Fling
. Don't miss:
Sex Worker
, the new solo electronic project of the great Mi Ami's Daniel Martin-McCormick, performs at the Golden West Café with
Thank You
,
Psychic Reality
, and
Maxmillion Dunbar of, most recently, Food for Animals fame
.
TUESDAY:
Baltimore postrock regular the
Deaf Scene
plays the Ottobar with
A Garden Overgrown
,
Mora Orsa
,
Warren Franklin
, and
Baklavaa
. DJ
Napspace
and
Landis Expandis
make funk and soul good times at their weekly Joe Squared party Dig. Reedsman
Matt Rynes
, keyboardist
Kevin Gift
, and drummer
Ethan Snyder
go into the Out of Your Head improv cauldron at the Windup Space. Don't miss: Swedish black-metal titan
Watain
thinks your god is total shit at Sonar with
Goatwhore
,
Black Anvil
,
Strong Intention
,
Immortal Decay
, and
Croatoan
.
WEDNESDAY:
Duc D'Angelos
makes interstellar out-jazz at Joe Squared. Don't miss: Soprano and recent Baltimore import
Lara Bruckmann
heads up a special cabaret edition of Mobtown Modern at the Windup Space.
IN THE WINGS:
Crusty classic
Leftover Crack
comes to the Ottobar Dec. 28 with
Daycare Swindlers
. (For more information visit theottobar.com or call [410] 662-0069.) NoLa fusion breakout
Trombone Shorty
comes to Rams Head Live Dec. 30 with
Orleans Avenue
. (For more information visit ramsheadlive.com or call [410] 244-1131.)
Usher
's OMG Tour comes to 1st Mariner Arena Dec. 8. (For more information visit 1stmarinerarena.com or call [410] 347-2020.)