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Get On the Band Wagon
5 Up-and-Coming Local Music Groups
By Sammi Jo Jones
Put down that iPod and put on your dancing shoes. Annapolis is home to an energetic and diverse music scene, and no matter what type of tunes soothes the savage beast in you, you can be sure to find great, homegrown music you’ll love. Best of all, all these musicians live (and have day jobs) right here in the Bay area, so you can catch them live almost any night of the week.
Taste of the Bay spoke to several local musicians and music experts, and found five great musical acts worth getting to know.
Put Hands Together for Higher Hands
Fellow musician Zach Ditmars of Lucid said Higher Hands “is one of the funkiest groups doing it right now. They get everyone moving and groovin' on the dance floor. You can see them every Thursday night at Armadillo's in downtown Annapolis, and they are frequently a supporting act for various national artists passing through town. The most unique aspect about this quintet is that three of the five musicians on stage play percussion.”
Scott Hymes, leader of the band Music Room, said: “It’s my favorite new band.”
Band members include drummer Marty Bouchard, bassist and keyboard player Larry Bryne, saxophonist Matt Dalton, percussionist Ben Bays, and vocalist and percussionist Jay Crawford.
For seven years, Larry, Marty, and Jay played with Written Prisms, a hip-hop seven-piece band. The three started a new project in 2007, which became Higher Hands—a reference to people at their shows who wave their hands high in the air.
“Higher Hands is a lot of jazz, hip-hop, improv and soul,” said Jay. “A lot of what we do is very danceable music influenced by the ‘60s and ‘70s funk and soul. We like to pack the dance floor and have people enjoy themselves.” The group’s three-hour night includes mostly its original music, plus they play covers of songs “our own way.” One original song is called “50 West.”
Higher Hands has a residency at Armadillos. They have also traveled up and down the coast, playing the Bowery Ballroom in Manhattan, Rams Head Live in Baltimore, 9:30 Club in D.C., Merriweather Post Pavilion, and, locally at The Whiskey, Rockfish and Federal House.
“We have a ball doing it,” said Jay. “We take it seriously and we aim to have fun, too. There is lots of laughing and enjoying ourselves when we make music.”
Check out their upcoming gigs at www.higherhandsmusic.com.
Making an Impression: Pressing Strings
Sean O’Neill, who books the music acts for the annual summer festival Eastport-A-Rockin’, nominated the group Pressing Strings. “It’s a great beach-y sound for a resort town like Annapolis – think Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreiter.” Rik Ferrell, a music critic for Chesapeake Music Guide magazine, said, “This Annapolis area acoustic trio does an excellent job combining funk, soul, reggae, and folk/Americana into one tight package. Their percussive beat is infectious, [with] tasty original songs and a diverse collection of covers. Reminiscent of: Dave Matthews, Bob Marley & the Wailers, Joni Mitchell.”
Zach Ditmars said Pressing Strings is a “very laidback acoustic trio featuring two acoustic guitars and hand percussion. Simplistic catchy songwriting in the vein of such artists as Jack Johnson. These guys have recently been getting some airplay on WRNR 103.1 and were WTMD 89.7 Artist of the Month, earlier this year.”
The trio is composed of vocalists and guitarists Jordan Sokel and Josh Kachura, and percussionist Bradford Singh. All four grew up in the Annapolis area and live in town.
“We have had a hard time committing to a genre so we say that we play eclectic acoustic—a variety of music from blues and rock to reggae,” said Josh. “We take pieces from all the music and musicians that inspire us to form our life-inspired originals. We also like to interpret others’ tunes so we can cover them uniquely. Both Jordan Sokel and I collaborate on songs to create a dynamic sound using two acoustic guitars.”
“We think our music transcends through all ages and preferred genres. Our tunes make you bob your head and the vocals intertwine to create a diverse sound. In a normal set, we might play covers from Toots, the Talking Heads, G-love and Paul Simon,” Josh said. “We pepper our material throughout the show.”
The group will be playing Rams Head Onstage Dec 21st for the AMFM, Annapolis Musicians Fund for Musicians, Inc., www.am-fm.org. They play the Ram's Head Annapolis downbar every Thursday night at 10 p.m. Find them in Fells Point Baltimore at Kooper's Dec 19 and Jan 15.
The band is recording a new CD filled with sounds of bluegrass, reggae and heavy driven blues that include a variety of sounds from stand-up bass, organs and full drums.
Find Pressing Strings performance schedule and CD information at http://pressingstrings.com.
Getting Loose With Lucid
Lucid was formed in 2007, and includes bass player Zach Ditmars, guitarists Jordan Hoyt and Dave Eynck, keyboardist Jimmy Rivera, and drummer Paul Clagett. Paul and Dave went to Severna Park High School together. Dave met up with Jordan at PRS Guitars, where they are both employed. Zach said he met the three through mutual friends. “Those three had already been playing together a year and writing songs in Jordan’s garage in Millersville.”
The band doesn’t have a vocalist. “We do an instrumental-progressive-jazz-rock fusion,” said Zach. “They’re a young high-energy band, with a heavy Pink Floyd influence,” said Sean O’Neill. “I think they’re pretty talented.”
Rik Ferrell said “They are a popular band with a retro feel. Sort of Grateful Dead meets Yes in a dark alley and gets mugged by Santana’s rhythm section. This is a well-respected group that excels in that jam band genre.”
Lucid has supported national touring acts such as Perpetual Groove and U-Met, and plays a variety of festivals and events. Dave and Jordan play with their custom-built PRS employee guitars.
“We perform almost entirely original songs, and we play classic songs and standards – including Herbie Hancock,” said Zach. “The hardest part of playing together is everyone has their own ideas and goals, and diverse musical influences.”
“That’s where our sound comes from, in the end it works out as a positive because it’s unique.”
Laura Brino: A lady with brio!
This young singer is a graduate of Broadneck High School’s Class of 2001.
Originally majoring in Illustration at the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA), Laura Brino, dropped out in 2003 and moved to Jackson Hole, Wyoming. “My sister Sarah had moved there, and I decided to pursue my music,” said Laura.
There, Laura wrote music, performed locally and began recording with her own equipment. By 2005, she decided to return to the East, first to New York City, then back to Maryland, settling in Annapolis. She recorded her first CD in her parents’ Arnold basement, and just finished her third CD this summer.
“It’s a very conscious decision to not go out and become a cover singer just to make money,” said Laura. “My shows are all original. I’m less likely to get burned out that way.”
She describes her music as “alternative folk and a little quirky.” Laura’s been compared to Feist, Sarah McLaughlin and Natalie Merchant, and Sean O’Neill says Laura “has an airy sound that is like a fresh breath.”
“My songs are a healthy mix of quirky upbeat songs and songs that get my audience crying. It’s a good show when I have people crying,” said Laura. “I write a ton of music. When I write something and people are able to feel it, emotionally connected to my songs, it makes me feel appreciated.” Some of her song titles are: “If I Were a Sailor,” and “Purple Kind of Day.”
Laura usually schedules two to five appearances a month up and down the East Coast. Actress Mary Louise Parker dropped in on Laura’s August show at NYC’s Bitter End. In D.C., she plays DC9 and Jammin’ Java. She has also performed at 49 West, and the Maryland Avenue festival. Her CD was released at the West Street Ram’s Head in July.
Her music is available on iTunes and at www.LauraBrino.com
Puttin On the Ritz with the Fitzmaurice Band
“These twin sisters have a way of making bluegrass hip,” said Sean O’Neill.
The band, which calls itself a young, energetic, acoustic circus, is composed of five members: Sarah Fitzmaurice, on upright bass and lead and harmony vocals, and her identical twin Maria Fitzmaurice on guitar and lead and harmony vocals. With them are Brandon Snellings, a vocalist on mandolin and guitar; Mike Simms on banjo and fiddle player Aaron Malone.
Billy Lee Cox, national banjo champion, has said of the band, “This is one of the best new bands I've have heard in recent years. Perfect harmony with energy. When I have a chance I love to jam with them. The only problem is I can hardly play as I get caught up in to those heavenly harmonies. You will see this group have songs on the bluegrass charts.”
The group began performing professionally three years ago and is recording its first CD. They are currently selling a production CD.
“The Fitzmaurice Band’s sound is a mixture of acoustic, progressive and original material,” explained Sarah. “We do a few covers of other blue grass artists, like the Lonesome River Band.”
The two sisters are close. “We can finish each other’s sentences,” laughed Sarah. Sarah is engaged to marry musician Patrick McAvinue, a fiddler with another band. “We won’t split up,” Sarah promised. “The whole band would like to go to the top. That’s what we’re striving for.”
The band has played a dizzying array of venues throughout the East Coast region, including the 49 West Coffee House, Irish Channel Pub in Crofton, the Christmas show at Ram’s Head, Eastport A Rockin’ and numerous other music showcases and festivals.
On December 19, you can catch the Fitzmaurice Band locally at 49 West Coffeehouse in Annapolis, and on January 20, at Maryland Hall for The Creative Arts. Showtime at both venues is 8 p.m.
Band info is also available at www.fitzmauriceband.com.
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