Goodbye, February

Spring is so close you can sense it, trying to break free of winter's weakening grasp. A few days of sunshine and no heavy winter coats was all it took to make me excited for the spring and summer of 2011. I took the storm earlier this week in stride, as did much of the city, to the dismay of students and city workers all over Baltimore. My little side street in Hampden actually got plowed for the first time all winter, so you know spring is just around the corner.

This weekend is full of things to do in North Baltimore, and the weather is planning to cooperate.  This last weekend of February sees the Baltimore Electronic Music 2011 Winterfest at Hexagon, Part 1 on Friday and Part 2 on Saturday. The event is sponsored by the Baltimore SDIY Group and will feature 15 acts spread over the course of two nights, beginning at 8 p.m. both Saturday and Sunday.

Among some of those listed are Fast Forty, opening the festival on Friday, along with micFreak Mike Cobaria, Bear and Lampshade, and the Blackberry Blondes. Saturday night starts off with Mercury Fools the Alchemist (love that name), Tangent, spoken word with Richard Desimone, Pilesar, Jason H, and Grains of Sound.

Now I'm not gonna pretend I know about all of these guys—I'm not big into electronic music—however I do have faith that those putting together a festival of just electronic music know what they're doing. This should be really fun—even if you're just a casual fan, festivals like this are always a good idea because the only best bands are invited to participate and you'll be exposed to different styles within the genre all in one place. You get the equivalent of four shows in one day, always a bargain for the avid and occasional fan alike.

Also on Friday night is Rasputina, the quirky cello-driven band fronted by Melora Creager. They'll be playing at the Ottobar with Voltaire and Stars and Sea, doors at 8 p.m. Rasputina has been touring forever it seems, popping up regularly in DC and Baltimore since the late 1990s. If you haven't seen them, here's another chance. Their unique sound and style has earned them quite a following over the years. And, you'll definitely meet some um, interesting, people at this show.

If neither Electronic nor Victorian-driven cello music is your cup of tea, Friday night has another option at the Golden West Cafe. Starting at 10:30 p.m. for just $5 is the Baltimore rapper Height & Friends tour kickoff show featuring Weekends, Raindeer, Winks, and Holy Ghost Party. Visit the Friends Records site here to check out some of the bands.

Saturday night offers up several options for your attendance as well. Beginning at 5 p.m. at the Wind Up Space is the New Mercury Reading Series. Local Baltimore authors featured will be Jason Tinney, Susan McCallum Smith and Lia Purpura along with Violet Glaze of Philadelphia. Stick around til 10 p.m. to see The Water, For a Minor Reflection, and Uakari.

To fulfill the dance night quota for the weekend we have another Madonna vs Gaga vs Britney Dance Party at Ottobar—apparently this is round four in what I'm guessing is a never-ending battle. Adding to the feel of the female pop music machine theme of the night, they will be giving away tickets to see Katy Perry at Merriweather Post Pavilion this summer, which would be one of the only justifiable reasons to see her in my opinion. If you've won tickets you're not admitting that you bought the tickets yourself and maintain your self respect and the respect of your peers. And you get to see an over indulged, lavish pop tour with cotton candy as a running theme. For free.

There's still more!

• Friday, Feb. 25 at The Wind Up Space: Dead Mechanical, Black Birds, Caestles, and New Weapons.

• Saturday, Feb. 26 at CCAS: Wolves at Bay, Late Nite Wars, Paranoia Agent, Awesomesaurus Rex, and Settle For Less from New Jersey. Well, if you're from New Jersey, I'm sure you often Settle For Less. Hey folks, these jokes write themselves.

• Sunday, Feb. 27 at Ottobar: Patent Pending, The Baby Grand, Restless Ammunition, the Duke and Guests. All ages, doors 6:30 p.m.