May 29th, 2022. SOWEBO.

SOWEBO Music and Arts Festival (once upon a time known as SOWEBOhemian) is loud and crazy. We rolled in just as the drum corps came thundering down the street with a mix of dancers shedding sequins every which where. I told Kristen that my no-doubt-never-to-be-realized dream would be to have a Baltimore drum team play along with ilyAIMY and she was like “you’re not Beyonce”. Well… I was thinking of Paul Simon actually. *hands head*
No way do you capture the energy of the festival in a photo, and frankly I don’t know that I was trying, but it was a beautiful day.

I am not cool enough to be Baltimore, which is sort of saying something, cause I’m not a slacker when it comes to cool. I mean – specifically the kind of awkward outsider cool that I think is typically Baltimore. Maybe I’ve forgotten it. Mayb I’ve spent too much time being a good folk dad and band uncle. Maybe I never WAS it. Maybe I’m just fine as-is and I just unapologetically need a little more ME in my monitor.

Walking SOWEBO was LOUD and smokey and dirty and chaotic. And the drum corps’ drums were beat to HELL and the only thing shiny was the sequins. The street corn was delicious and everybody knows everybody and Meg Banter knows anyone that you don’t.

Sunday’s show at SOWEBO was a very, very good day. It reminded me just how stunning our Baltimore music scene is. I’m proud to be a part of it, though it reminds me I need to get out there and be a BETTER part of it. (Though of course yet ANOTHER friend checking off his COVID bingo score card perhaps reminds me that it might wait a LEETLE longer).

All 3 SOWEBO music stages were run by engineers provided by a production company owned by the drummer of Jimmie’s Chicken Shack. It was kind of an eclectic collection of gear, but all the stages sounded great and I was really impressed by our engineer, Doug, as he slammed into action and actually made “festival changeovers” of about 15 minutes work pretty well!

The art and the vibrancy, the ferocity with which Baltimore Lives and breathes and continues to be like no other town I’ve ever encountered. Catching a bit of blank POINT method, the Bali Lamas, Joe Keyes and the Late Bloomers Band. Femi and his INCREDIBLE Out of Water eXperience, the Scotch Bonnets. I’ve been to a lot of festivals over the years, and even just THIS year – and yet this was maybe the best lineup of performers I’ve seen anywhere, playing their hearts out on the streets of South West Baltimore, clearly Loving where they were.

Meg knows EVERYONE. When I asked if she knew who was on stage I sort of MEANT “band name” but she gave me a biography of everyone and when she last saw them. I get the impression that I’m the only musician in the city that’s never helped Meg Banter MOVE.
Though they had a country / western / pop vibe that doesn’t really go with the name blank POINT method, I’m pretty SURE these guys were blank POINT method. They weren’t Skribe (who I missed), and I don’t think they were Doc Pine & The Irregular Cowboys unless the Rise Up Stage was running very, very early!

Seeing friends that I haven’t seen face-to-face in far too long like my VOM crew, Kosi, Matt, the Awkward Pause House Concert peeps and their new kid, the family of Old Major… Teavolutionaries…. and of course Chuck the Madd Ox…

Baltimore with a T. It’s a good town. It’s definitely got its issues, but I challenge you to find any conglomeration of more than one human that doesn’t. And of course when you find a solitary member of the species, that’s going to be indicative of a whole OTHER set of issues.

Happy SOWEBO everyone.

The Bali Lamas playing twangy surf rock.
Joe Keyes and the Late Bloomers Band. Or at least their butts.
Out of Water eXperience
The Scotch Bonnets. Glad we weren’t back to back with them. They have the same melodica I gave to Sharif!

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