Boister Solstice Shows
Dec. 21, Dec. 22
Celebrate the winter solstice with a Baltimore music institution of sorts, the folk-inflected, kind of classical, ostensibly art rock group Boister, who’ve been crafting their distinct brand of haunted, sophisticated music since 1998. The famous music producer Jim Dickinson once said Boister “makes Tom Waits sound like a sissy,” which, yeah, sounds pretty good, right? And given how askew this whole horrible year has been, the atonal guitar skronk, the tipsy horns, and vocalist Anne Watts’ well, Watts-ness (a great composer, a strong voice, a powerful presence on the stage) seems like the right way to welcome brutal winter and stare down the end of a rough year. For the show, Boister promises “lots of new material, 20th anniversary celebratory merch, stocking stuffers, presents, cake, [and] treats.” 7:30 p.m., An Die Musik, 409 N. Charles St., (410) 385-2638, andiemusiklive.com, $10-$17. (Brandon Soderberg)
Butch Dawson & Friends Holiday Show
Dec. 23
Happy holidays; here’s a free—yeah, free—show headlined by Butch Dawson, one of the city’s most compelling and ambitious rappers, along with a whole bunch of likeminded MCs such as CCL$, Blacksheep Refugees, Isaiah Leonard, Tromac Pineapple, James P, Zheep, and Shido. Come expecting termite art hip-hop that explores golden-era boom-bap—so you know, blurry beats, slippery samples, and a scrappy sort of poetry—but with a distinctly local take, which mostly means it sounds more busted and avant-garde. If this is unfamiliar to you, start with Butch’s ‘Dead Man Draggin’.’ Appropriately, this show is at the mostly metal-courting Sidebar; there is a specific kind of punk/metal approach Dawson and friends bring to their hip-hop. 9 p.m., The Sidebar, 218 E. Lexington St., (410) 659-4130, thesidebar.com, free. (Brandon Soderberg)
CONCERTS & CLUB GIGS
Wednesday 20
Bertha’s. Baltimore Songwriters Association Songwriters Showcase.
The Birchmere. Robert Glasper Experiment.
Cat’s Eye Pub. Rachel & Chick Hall.
The Ottobar. The Pink Spiders, Carousel Kings, The Great Heights Band, Front Royal.
Rams Head On Stage. Petula Clark.
Tin Roof. Nate McCormick.
Thursday 21
An Die Musik. Boister Annual Solstice Concert.
Bertha’s. Jeff Reed Trio.
The Birchmere. A John Waters Christmas.
Cat’s Eye Pub. The Racket.
The 8×10. Moose Jaw, Thistle Rue, Fried Pickin’.
Metro Gallery. Palisades, Blindwish, Awake At Last, Ignite The Fire.
Motor House. Turntabliss with Amy Reid.
The Ottobar. Hedwig And The Angry Inch.
Rams Head Live. NGHTMRE and Valentino Khan, Justin Caruso.
Rams Head On Stage. Frank “Scooby” Sirius & Kim Michelle.
Tin Roof. Joint Operation.
The Windup Space. All Ball, Hellp, Dave Jacober, Ali Clendaniel.
Friday 22
An Die Musik. Boister Annual Solstice Concert.
Baltimore Soundstage. Plevytak & Blake, Modern Nomad, The Dune Flowers.
Bertha’s. The Juke Drivers.
The Birchmere. Freddie Jackson.
Cat’s Eye Pub. Ken G. Shorts; Black Falls Band.
The 8×10. A Very Jerry Christmas with Cris Jacobs and Friends.
The Fillmore Silver Spring. Action Bronson, Meyhem Lauren.
Germano’s Piattini. Kash Wright Trio.
9:30 Club. Ookay.
The Ottobar. The Devoids, Manta Rat, Ginger Blossoms.
Rams Head On Stage. Slim Man Christmas Show.
Royal Farms Arena. Xscape.
The Sidebar. Eze Jackson.
Tin Roof. Light Up The Moon.
Saturday 23
An Die Musik. Nico Sarbanes and Todd Simon.
Baltimore Soundstage. Ultra Nate, Lisa Moody, Wayne Davis, The Elders, Kenny Bobien.
Bertha’s. Whale Show.
The Black Cat. The Obsessed, Rezin, The Messthetics.
Cat’s Eye Pub. Ursula Ricks’ Project; Carl Filipiak Jazz Band.
The Crown. Blush + Brews with Loc Spice, Amy Reid, Station North Sadboi, O-Slice, Sovthpaw, Kiilolo.
Germano’s Piattini. Glenn Angus Jazz Quartet.
Joe Squared. Busy Bee for Maryland NORML Food Drive.
9:30 Club. Next Up II, Echelon The Seeker, OG Lullabies, Fielder, FootsXColes, Flash Frequency,
Redline Graffiti, Dreamcast.
The Ottobar. Legends Of Etc, Fractal Cat, Fuzzqueen, Matt Ellin.
Rams Head Live. Kix.
Rams Head On Stage. Todd & Cindy Bauchspies Christmas Concert; Capitol Steps.
Reverb. Katfish The Tranimal.
The Sidebar. Butch Dawson & Friends.
Tin Roof. New Virtue.
U Street Music Hall. Anik Khan, Ras Nebyu, DJ K-Meta, Ohso, Coach Bombay, Niara Sterling, O-Slice.
The Windup Space. Thorn Apples, Super City, Matt Hutchison & The Big Gin.
Sunday 24
Bertha’s. Whale Show; Hootenanny.
Cat’s Eye Pub. Steve Kremer & The Bluesicians.
Germano’s Piattini. Holiday Jazz Brunch with Craig Gildner and Beto Rodriques.
Monday 25
Cat’s Eye Pub. Timmy Shelley’s Christmas Extravaganza.
Rams Head On Stage. Sean Altman’s Jewmongous.
Tuesday 26
The Birchmere. Charles Esten.
Cat’s Eye Pub. Cat’s Eye Blues Jam hosted by Ursula Ricks.
Rams Head On Stage. Jimmie’s Chicken Shack.
Wednesday 27
The Birchmere. Charles Esten.
Cat’s Eye Pub. Dog Among The Bushes.
The Crown. Cascading Elephants, Andy Livingston, Melanin Free, Clean Breast, Seesaw Offenders.
The 8×10. Baltimore School Of Rock Alumni Show.
Joe Squared. Doc Pine & The Respect He Deserves, Matt Pless, Quinton Randall.
Rams Head Live. Thursday, Pianos Become The Teeth, Pup.
Rams Head On Stage. Stephen Kellogg.
The Sidebar. DJ Pancakes’ Back II Life.
Tin Roof. Chris Diller.