Rams Head The Blog

Thanks to everyone who came out to another sold out show at Rams Head Live this past Friday night. This time, it was The Shins. A band that first hit it big in 2004 on the Garden State soundtrack with Sam’s declaration: “You gotta hear this one song, it’ll change your life, I swear”. The boys have been writing music and performing since 1997, but for some reason when Natalie Portman says it’s cool, we listen. And we’ve been listening ever since, with Wincing the Night Away debuting at #2 on Billboards top 200 in January of 2007.

Listen to the boys perform “Phantom Limb”, a fan favorite — evident by the “ooooh ah ooooh” sing along.

[vimeo]4728089[/vimeo]

Our lovely ‘Miss Nicole’ was able to attend the show with a few fellow Rams Headers and had this to say:

“Wow! This was the first time I have ever been to a Shins show. And, I
would have to say that I am now a fan. The live performance is nothing
like their albums. They are full of energy, great with the crowd, and
know how to make everyone fall in love with them.( Including me) I have
never heard a crowd scream so much the 10mins they left the stage. It
was so loud that I couldn’t even hear the person next to me talk. My
favorite part of the night was when they covered, “Girl Don’t Tell Me”,
by the Beach Boys or “Helpless” by CSNY. I’m usually not a fan of a band
covering songs. But, they pulled it off so smoothly.”

And speaking of awesome covers, The Shins encored with one of my very most favorite songs in the whole wide world, “Dry the Rain” by The Beta Band. What a great way to start the weekend. James, Ron, Dave, Eric and Joe… hope to see you again soon. Although we know you must continue with the remainder of your tour, we know you aren’t “Gone for Good.”

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It is with great sadness that I write this note today.  Our friend and Rams Head alumni, Wayman Tisdale, lost his battle with cancer this morning at the young age of 44.

Wayman just joined us here in April for 2 packed shows.  He had previously been scheduled to play here much earlier, but had to postpone twice due to his illness.  Wayman, however, was ever the optimist…”When life tries to get you down,” he triumphantly declares on his record,  “it’s the perfect time for a rebound.”

Zach Price, our Rams Head On Stage manager recalls the night of the show, “He just talked about how he had been trying and trying to play here for 2 years and he was so happy to finally be able to do it.”  What an honor for us to have been able to host him.  We will always remember his positive spirit and bright smile.  Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Tisdale Family.

You can read more about Wayman’s story here:

College Hall of Famer Tisdale dies at 44

Every music fan has a list of those “can’t miss shows.” Heart has certainly become one such show for me. Sure, they sang diddys like, “Barracuda,” “Crazy on You,” and “What About Love,” which you truly must catch in the flesh based on the novelty of it all, but beyond the hits these ladies are performers. Pure performers.

Now, I’ll tell you the truth. I’ve never seen them live. But I have seen more than a boat ton of YouTube videos, non-tour broadcasts, interviews, rattled around to every jam and definitely screamed some lyrics so loud to have lost my voice for a day. Trust it’s easy to do because Ann Wilson is not messing around. Some critics were not far off in referring to her as “the female Robert Plant,” only I would set her even more apart than merely drawing comparisons.

And Nancy Wilson can play a guitar to the point where you’re surprised it hasn’t disintegrated in her hands. Her relevance transcended the days of Heart and found additional ground in film composition. Take a bite out of “Elevator Beat” from the Vanilla Sky soundtrack and you’ll get what I’m giving.

I don’t know about you but I like music to be something I can really sink my teeth into. I want it to be just as piercing as Ann’s voice and saturated in joy, angst and everything in between which is exactly why I will be in living color at the Pier Six Pavilion on Sunday.

So far I am managing to hold it together just long enough to be productive until Sunday night. If I turn up missing chances are I am parked outside the venue getting a no camping ticket, if they have those. Come show time Ann’s gonna be giving me the “not so much” look down stage left cause I’ll be straight kill’in it. But no worries I won’t ruin the show for you probably just my vocal cords. This is a once in lifetime show but you’re going to have to see for yourself.

Electronica: It’s been incubating. It’s pulse continuing to throb throughout Europe as well as various ultra-hip underground scenes of state-side metropolises. The genre that emerged as the party-goers’ yin to the flannel-wearers’ yang  spent much of the last decade as background music; Guiding Mitsubishi Lancers through Gran Turismo missions or complimenting Neo’s bullet-dodging within The Matrix. But the genre’s influence on today’s blips and beeps is undeniable.

Electronic music is again on the rise, but Baltimore, we don’t need to be told. As the familiar sounds evolve, morph and bleed through all genres from Hip Hop to Indie Rock our city emerges as a forerunner with it’s own unique sound and scene.

Hosting the Crystal Method in our venue was an honor. According to those who attended (and striking all non-blog-friendly adjectives and euphamisms), the show it was “sick”. For those of you who missed it, below is a review by Metromix’s Rob Perry.

Electronica makes a comeback in Baltimore

May 12, 2009

Photos & Review By Rob Perry
Special to Metromix

Even though it seemed electronica came and went in the late ’90s, The Crystal Method drew a large crowd at Rams Head Live! on May, 12. Apparently tour mate Danger couldn’t make the show, though. Instead, the audience was greeted by Baltimore’s own The Megadrives. A fire dancer accompanied the first half of that set, and she only caught her hair on fire once. The MC who performed next didn’t stay on stage too long, before jumping into the crowd to spit his mic skills directly in the faces of crowd members.

The Crystal Method started its set by screening a video for one of its newest singles, “Drown in the Now,” on two circular screens. Afterward, they switched on enough lighting to blind a 747 from the sky, and dished out enough bass to level a skyscraper. Thankfully, neither of those two disastrous metaphors came to fruition. Instead, lots of people just danced their pants off…figuratively speaking, of course.

And from one concert go-er, a little video action:

SPENDING SAVINGS: Staying at home has cost £1.5billion a year in broken household items
Tuesday May 12,2009
By Katherine Fenech

http://www.express.co.uk/posts/view/100446/Stay-in-at-your-peril

STAYING in to save money is costing clumsy Britons £1.5billion a year in broken crockery, wine stains on carpets and similar household accidents.

It would often be cheaper to go out than entertain at home as credit-crunched couples spill food on upholstery or start pan fires while cooking a meal, figures reveal.

Around nine in 10 have had a minor mishap in the home costing an average of £100, says AA Insurance.

Its survey of 1,000 adults found that 46 per cent were staying in more to save money, and almost 89 per cent sacrificed dining out when they had less disposable income.

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It could be a new tag-line…  Why stay home and ruin your carpets, come for dinner and ruin ours.

Let me first say that I’m proud of myself for tackling my ghostly blog entry at 11:30pm.  I don’t do scary movies – even I Know What You Did Last Summer doesn’t make the cut.   I may not sleep a wink tonight, but for you my friends… I bring you the stories.

During my first week on the job as the newly hired Marketing Director in ’02, my first task was to learn the stories, history, trivia and the facts about the Rams Head.  Anyone who knows Bill Muehlhauser knows the man can tell a good story, and my ears were overflowing with the stories contained within the walls of 33 West Street.

Of course the oldest and juiciest of the stories comes in the form of the supernatural, fondly called Amy.   In the early days on West Street (we’re not talking the ’50s here folks)… the building on West Street was a happening place, particular to the sailors who wandered into town looking for a wee bit ‘o fun.   The Lady of the House  had a daughter, named Amy, who met her demise while “entertaining” a sailor in town.  According to legend, Amy, the sailor and the entire bed came crashing through the floors… leaving her bedpost behind.

It is with Amy in mind that many ghost enthusiasts make their way out to Rams Head Tavern Annapolis in hopes of feeling a bit of the supernatural.    Recently, the Maryland Ghost & Spirit Association led by Beverly Litsinger gathered at the Tavern for an evening of exploration (see local article here).  But unlike groups of years past, Beverly supplied me with photos from  her visit.

I will leave you to the staring contest  of the persons in these pictures.  I myself have not had any encounters with our friendly ghost Amy; but, I’ve heard enough stories from employees both current and past to believe that something of the paranormal exists within the building.  I believe the phenomenon brings and entire new meaning to the words “beer googles” and one that I do not hope to experience any time soon.

And with the wave a magic wand (er, a month and a half of designs, redesigns and redesigns) we proudly present to you our brand-spankin-new Rams Head Group blog version 2.0 – or as we like to call it: the dead sexy version.

It’s a whole new world over here, thanks to one Mr. Bryan Connor, MICA design student and freelancer extraordinaire. Located within our company site, this new skin fits juuuust right.

Play around, push the buttons, wander through the blog that inspired the rebrand of the Rams Head Group.

Now, you have the opportunity to get to know your Rams Head Team authors, perhaps even hand-picking who you’d like to follow. Interested in footage from the last ‘WRNR Private Artist Showcase?’ Chances are, Wilkins caught it on the Flip. Curious about what the big yellow chicken is up to? Like Peter Parker to Spiderman, Chester always seems to have the scoop on his whereabouts. And surfing through the articles for your favorite author’s most recent post has been simplified via our very own author icons. Icons that we got to choose ourselves… yes, Mangold’s is a chicken sandwich, and if you’re already following his ‘Notes from the Bunker’ than you probably recognize that this is completely acceptable.

We’ve updated our Blog Roll and Friends as well as organized our group websites so that you can more easily navigate through the world wide web according to Rams Head. Tickets, dinner specials, Fordham’s brewing schedule, and current venue line ups are all available at the click of your mouse, right here within our blog.

Following too many friends and missed our last tweet? Know the answer to the @RamsHeadLive twicket trivia? A twitter feed is also located along the bottom, just below our ‘previous posts’.

So again, play around – have fun. Hope ya like it… and continue to keep your peepers open for aesthetic brand changes company wide. We’re celebrating 20 years here, people. ‘Bout darn time we wax, polish & shine this puppy and show you what she can really do.

Cheers,
Chester & Team Rams Head

In case you haven’t heard (shhhhhhhhhh!!!!) WPOC and Rams Head Live are hosting a very special, secret surprise party this Saturday night. We can’t tell you WHO is playing, but we can tell you that it is two of country music’s biggest acts, and that the show is going to be FREE!

The big announcement will be made on WPOC on Saturday night. But, like they say, a watched pot never boils and sitting around just waiting to find out who the acts are would be about as much fun as an empty bottle of whiskey. So all this week we are going to be providing clues via ourTwitter account. Follow our tweets at Rams Head Live (@RamsHeadLive), and if you are able to figure out both acts, you will get a FREE pair of tickets to see our upcoming Randy Travis show. Send your guesses to us at contest@ramsheadlive.com and the first person who gets both right will get a FREE pair of tickets to see Randy Travis at Pier Six and dinner for two at one of our Rams Head Restaurants. In the meantime, mark off your calendar…we can’t say who the acts are going to be, but we can tell you that if you are a country music fan you would have paid a lot more than nothing to see these two great acts Saturday night.
Plan on showing up…you won’t be disappointed.

Doors @ 9.30pm | Show Starts @ 10pm

HINT: IT’S NOT REBA.

Astronomers just released information of a new development -  a rare & special moment when 3 ‘typically separate’ stars will align in perfect view on Thursday, June 25th. Oddly enough, the best position for viewing this nighttime spectacle will be at Pier Six Pavilion on Eastern Ave. Surrounded by the sparkling waters of the Inner Harbor & the striking backdrop of the Baltimore skyline,  George Benson, Kenny ‘Babyface’ Edmonds and nebula-hot-newcomer, Ledisi will perform an unforgettable evening of soulful music!
The songbooks, recordings, #1 hits, Grammy awards, career accomplishments and accolades for these 3 artists would simply overload our blog… so -  google away and you’ll see what we mean.

to perform live at Pier Six Pavilion on June 25, 2009

This show is sure to put a smile on your face & a twinkle in your eye !

*no telescope needed.