Those looking to catch some live music this weekend have an eclectic variety of national and regional acts to choose from. If you're in the mood for hip-hop, head to Rams Head Live on Friday for Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def. If you're in the mood for metal, head to Hampden Saturday night for Necropsy. If you want to jam and dance, head to the 8x10 for Talking Heads Tribute The Psycho Killers on Friday, or Saturday for funk-rock band Subtle Hustle and electro-rock jamband Big Something. Here's what's on tap this weekend: Friday, March 1Who: Yasiin Bey aka Mos DefWhere: Rams Head Live, 20 Market …

Sometimes the best shows are the ones that catch you completely off guard. And that is exactly what Kung Fu did when they played at the 8x10 in Baltimore on Wednesday, Feb. 20. With three members of funky prog-rock jamband The Breakast (guitarist Tim Palmieri, bassist Chris DeAngelis and drummer Adrian Tramontano), RAQ keyboard wiz Todd Stoops and Deep Banana Blackout sax player Rob Somerville, the band was overflowing with the talent of seasoned musicians. But having only watched about two minutes of a YouTube video – enough to reel me in – I wasn’t sure what a full show would bring. What I …

This is part one in a two-part series. Nearly 32 years after his death, crowds are still packing concert venues to hear the music of Bob Marley. For Aston “Family Man” Barrett, bandleader and bassist for Bob Marley & The Wailers, the band’s lyrical messages are just as significant as they were in the Marley days. “It’s revelation time. Things [are] difficult at home and abroad, near and far,” Family Man, 66, said in his thick Jamaican accent after a recent show in Washington, D.C. “The world is in trouble.” Family Man, the godfather of reggae bass and the only original member still touring …

As I sit at my desk in my purple shirt, wearing my purple bandanna on this lovely purple Monday, I began thinking of ways to continue celebrating the Baltimore Ravens’ Super Bowl victory. And what could be better than keeping the festive vibes alive with some music? Here are six songs that can keep the Ravens party going: The White Stripes – “Seven Nation Army”The song has quickly become the Ravens unofficial pump-up song. When Jack White played at the Virgin Mobile Free Fest at Merriweather Post Pavilion this past summer, the crowd proudly sang the song’s “Oh oh oh oh ohhhh oh” in the off-…

Owings Mills was treated to a night of world-class guitarists when the 12th International Guitar Night came to The Peggy and Yale Gordon Center for the Performing Arts at the JCC Saturday night. The tour featured festival founder Brian Gore, U.K. guitarist Martin Taylor, Madagascar guitarist Solorazaf and Afro-Brazilian guitarist Celso Machado. Each year, the concert brings guitarists of different backgrounds together to perform solo, in duets, trios and quartets for an informal concert that serves as a public musical exchange of ideas.

Where can you see master guitarists from the United Kingdom, Brazil and Madagascar this weekend? In Owings Mills, of course. International Guitar Night comes to the Gordon Center Saturday night at 8 p.m. It features the touring festival’s founder Brian Gore, U.K. guitarist Martin Taylor, Madagascar guitarist Solorazaf and Afro-Brazilian guitarist Celso Machado. The tour, in its 12th year, features guitarists of different backgrounds performing solo, in duets and in quartets for an informal concert that serves as a public musical exchange of ideas. Tickets to the show are $21 in advance and $…

It’s been quite a year for music, and I’ve been lucky enough to capture bits and pieces of the journey via this column. I wanted to highlight some of my articles from this past year: I caught up with Michigan-quintet Greensky Bluegrass, who told me about their first experience in a fully functional recording studio. I wrote about my debate about going back to Bonnaroo, which reeled me in with a lineup boasting the Red Hot Chili Peppers (one of my favorite bands in the world), Radiohead, Phish, The Beach Boys and more. I went, and it was an awesome time. Singer songwriter Matt Pless, a …

Dumpstaphunk and Anders Osborne played a four-night run in Baltimore, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., and New York City for the HeadCount/Magic Hat Participation Tour. They were joined by special guests John Kadlecik, Keller Williams, Bonerama, Questlove and more. While the tour's purpose was to sign up eligible voters, proceeds of the four-night run went towards Hurricane Sandy relief. Patch caught up with Dumpstaphunk's Ivan Neville on Friday before the tour's opening night in Baltimore. Watch the interview to hear him discuss the tour, his memories of Hurricane Katrina from the road, …

Editor's note: This video contains some profanity. Here's the order of the interview:(when viewing on YouTube, click on the times in the video caption to jump to a particular section of the video) 0:00 HeadCount/Magic Hat Participation Tour0:57 Hurricane Sandy and its timing with the election3:23 Ivan's experience of Hurricane Katrina from the road7:38 The 2012 Presidential Election and how the hurricane factors into it9:37 Social commentary in lyrics10:05 Dumpstaphunk's steady growth10:59 Dumpstaphunk's upcoming album and the band's diverse influences12:35 Funk as a dirty word13:40 The …

  Musicians will rock out and get their funk on for Hurricane Sandy aid and voter registration for the next four nights. HeadCount and Magic Hat Brewing Company have teamed up for this year’s Participation Tour, which is anchored by funk outfit Dumpstaphunk and folk rocker Anders Osborne, both from New Orleans. While the tour’s original aim was to register more voters for the upcoming election, HeadCount announced Thursday that all proceeds from the four-day tour will be donated to the Red Cross and other relief efforts. “In an election year we get very focused on voter registration, but …

A year ago, you could catch Kenny Liner on stage playing mandolin, percussion or beat boxing with The Bridge. But these days, you’re more likely to find him teaching rhythms with a snare drum or the basics of step dancing in a Baltimore City housing project. After touring with the eclectic Baltimore band for 10 years, the Pikesville native started Believe in Music, a non-profit affiliate of Living Classrooms that aims to uplift underprivileged Baltimore City students academically, culturally and spiritually through music education. “It’s just getting going, and it’s going really well,” Liner…

I’ve performed all over the East Coast, jammed with musicians in Australia and Amsterdam, and played headlining shows at Baltimore’s Rams Head Live. But, there’s nothing quite like coming home. Monday night, I couldn’t be more at home. I’ll be taking the stage at Franklin High School with five other musicians who graduated from the school. We’ll be playing songs from three of our musical projects: The Skakabobs (which started while we were all still students at Franklin), The Rez and At The Zoo. Joining me on stage will be Harrison Brazier on vocals, guitar and trombone, Carson Korman on bass…

How do you entertain a hyped audience of Mitt Romney supporters as they wait for the Republican presidential candidate? Play some good tunes, of course. Before Romney’s campaign song, Kid Rock’s “Born Free,” played, and before he spoke to a packed house at Arbutus’ American Legion Post 109, a playlist consisting almost entirely of songs I have my own iPod played. I’m not sure what it all means, but it seems like the majority of the music was Motown or classic rock – songs that have a multi-generational appeal. I did miss a song or two, after all I was covering a presidential candidate’s town …

When singer-songwriter Matt Pless traveled to New York City this past fall to check out Occupy Wall Street, he wasn’t sure what to expect, but landing himself a spot on an album with musical legends wasn’t on his list. “It seemed like a place where there would be a lot of energy to check out,” the singer and guitarist said. Inspired by his surroundings, Pless wrote a song about the movement and performed it in Zuccotti Park with his guitar. “This guy Jason Samel saw me singing at Occupy Wall Street on the ‘People’s Stage.’ It was sort of this make stage with an open mic,” Pless said. Samel …

I told myself I’d never go back to Bonnaroo unless they announced a really awesome lineup. Not just good bands I like, but my favorite bands and other unique performances would have to be booked to reel me in. And that’s exactly what happened. The Bonnaroo lineup, which was announced Tuesday, has an incredible group of headliners. Funk-rockers the Red Hot Chili Peppers (one of my favorite all-time bands), Radiohead, Phish and The Beach Boys (with Brian Wilson) are at the top of the list. As an eclectic music fan, these headliners are a perfect combination. You get your funk and rock from the …

Late in the summer of 2011, Michigan-quintet Greensky Bluegrass did an experiment. They released a free, five-song EP of songs from their October release, Handguns, to see if it would create a little buzz. According to guitarist/singer Dave Bruzza, it worked. “It opened us up to a lot of people who had never heard of us,” he said.Handguns debuted at #3 on the Billboard Bluegrass chart back in October, and the band has been picking up steam ever since. “There was a lot more buzz about us in 2011, and we went out there and played some of the best music and best shows we played to date,” Bruzza …

Frank Zappa is very much still alive. Although not in the material world, the legendary composer’s music is carried on by New York-based Project Object. The six-piece band, which features longtime Zappa guitarist Ike Willis, came to the Baltimore Soundstage on Wednesday, Dec. 28, to play a variety of Zappa songs and some new, avant-garde instrumentals. The first set opened with ambient noise, which turned into a heavy instrumental to kick off the show. The band was soon joined by Willis, who led the band through a melodic, adventurous instrumental. The first included deep cuts as well as …

I’ve been a concertgoer for 15 years, and even from a young age I considered Ticketmaster a necessary evil. As the company that carried the keys to a majority of the concerts in the Baltimore-Washington area, I had to accept that a $20 ticket was never going to cost $20 because of “processing” or “service” fees. It’s not as if I’m alone in my disdain for these fees, but thanks to a class-action lawsuit, Ticketmaster will pay at least $11.25 million a year for four years in credits to customers who bought tickets using its website between Oct. 21, 1999, and Oct. 19, 2011, according to The New …

The 16th annual All Good Festival will take place in Thornville, Ohio, after nine years in West Virginia. While the recent West Virginia site, Marvin’s Mountaintop, was a short three-and-a-half hour drive from Baltimore, the new site is about six-and-a-half hours from Baltimore. In a statement to fans, All Good organizers said they thought about the hardships fans went through getting onto the mountain in recent years. “We had to take a hard look at the negative impact the West Virginia site had on you, our fans, who sometimes spent four to six hours covering the last five miles under close …