Two Local Bands I Love

One of the great things about living in the Baltimore area is its thriving and eclectic music scene. There is, truly, something for everyone.

I spend a lot of my weekend evenings just hopping from one show to the next, because I can't stand the idea of missing out on my favorites. As a musician myself, I know how important it is to have your friends at your shows, and thus, make it my mission to be at as many as possible.

Here are just a couple of local bands worth checking out that have been heavy on my radar these past few months.

Joe Keyes "The Late Bloomer" and The Late Bloomer Band

Not to be cliche, but there really aren't enough adjectives to describe how freaking amazing these musicians are. The Late Bloomer band is, essentially, THE Reisterstown supergroup, featuring members from The Rez, Eat It Raw, Basshound, At The Zoo, along a slew of other local greats. Joe Keyes and the Late Bloomer Band have shared the stage with a number of funk's finest, including Fishbone's Norwood Fisher and Angelo Moore.

The band's frontman, Joe Keyes, is a larger-than-life persona, who brings an innate grasp of musical composition, charisma and old-school funk to the table. Watching him onstage is an endless delight, as is his warm tonality and innovative poetry.

On lead guitar, Jaime Ibacache is both novel and brilliant, and you really get to hear his metal roots shine through, especially during his face melting solos. Drummer Dave Cavalier shows off his boundless energy and talent in this group by crafting beats that make you move, but often with unexpected twists and turns that keep things fresh, and keep the audience impressed. Marc Shapiro holds down the rhythm guitar section, with tunes that are both upbeat and funky, and even throws in some mind-bender guitar solos of his own.

In a lot of bands, a bassist holds down the rhythm, but Carson Korman really makes the bass line an entity in and of itself, and serves more as a groovy, sexy backbone for the animal that is The Late Bloomer Band. The band also has a host of local brass and keyboard players that like to alternate and collaborate for their shows, most notably, the obscenely talented Adam Shuman on trumpet and Mario D'Ambrosio on saxophone. Trust me, these boys are something else. And if their live show doesn't get you groovin' and feeling fine, then you probably don't have a pulse.

If you're into a live show that will get you dancing and funkin', check out their next gig at in Reisterstown on March 19.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/thelatebloomerband
Song Pick: Free Your Mind, People Make The World Go Round

Embers for Ashes

On the (much) heavier end of the spectrum, we have Embers For Ashes, a progressive metalcore outfit hailing from Columbia, Md. These boys do metalcore on an almost epic scale, bringing together a potent combination of highly technical, soaring guitar melodies and harmonies, a furious and hard-hitting rhythm section, and massively epic guttural vocals.

Guitarists Doug Feeney and Ryan Eisemann craft an intricate melodic landscape that is dark, driving, and mesmerizingly beautiful. Bassist Ben McGinty keeps things punchy and brutal, and drummer Sim Happel brings even more weight to each song with lots of double bass and technical fills. The band's new vocalist Vince Bellofatto has stepped up to the plate in a big way, and his take on aggressive vocals is exactly what I like to see in heavier bands; nice and deep, with lots of heat and grit, and often reminiscent to metalcore greats like Atreyu's Alex Varkatzas and Underoath's Spencer Chamberlain. To top it all off, these guys put on one heck of a live show, and are endlessly entertaining in their stage antics. If you're in the mood for something to throwdown to, Embers for Ashes is a great pick.

Come check them out with Oh, Sleeper and a slew of other local metal musicians this Saturday, March 12, at the MACC in Crofton. I'll see you in the pit.

Myspace: http://www.myspace.com/embers4ashes
Song Pick: 'Oh Redeemer, My Betrayal', 'Letter to My Heart'

About the author: At the age of 12, Lauren started taking weekly voice lessons and performing in musicals. She went to high school at Carver Center for Arts and Technology, where she learned how to sing for opera and musical theater. She is an Owings Mills resident, a zoology major at Towson University and has a collection of pet lizards.