Band

FRIENDSVILLE -- Twenty men and women, some with feathers dangling from coal-black hair, some with moccasins as footwear, step purposefully in a circle around a barren pole they say reaches to the sky.In pairs, they walk in cadence with the rhythmic beating of a drum, oblivious to the panoramic views the lofty pasture affords them of the surrounding forested mountains -- exploding in brilliant hues of red and yellow -- and the river valley below.From distant vantage points in the ridges that fortress the Youghiogheny River, these conspicuous people might lead you to believe you've slipped into another century, when the Shawnees roamed these parts, hunting and fishing.

John Rzeznik, lead singer of the Goo Goo Dolls, should know a thing or two about wedding songs. He wrote the inescapable hit "Iris" in 1998, which plenty of newly married couples have played for their first dance, including, most famously, singer Avril Lavigne in 2006. And yet, for his own upcoming wedding in July, Rzeznik has no clue what song he and his fiance, Melina Gallo, will dance to. "I'm just happy that I'm getting married. I'm looking forward to it, but I'm still a guy," Rzeznik said from his Los Angeles home recently.

Flashing back to 1998, Jim Benson was another 16-year-old aspiring songwriter who had received his first electric guitar, a low-end instrument from Sears. When the Harford County resident was starting out, he had a dream that he was determined not to give up. With no formal training, no background in music and unable to play an instrument, he still was hearing original songs playing in his head, he said. The components of a song seemed simple and obvious, he said. Determined to turn what he was hearing in his mind into reality, he began piecing songs together.

AEGIS STAFF REPORT KC & The Sunshine Band will appear in concert at the APG Federal Credit Union Arena at Harford Community College on June 15 at 7:30 p.m. North Point, comprised of former Baltimore band members and fresh local musicians, will open for the band, playing classics from the '60s, '70s and '80s. Dance the night away on the Arena's state-of-the-art dance floor under what must arguably be the East Coast's largest disco ball. KC & the Sunshine Band burst onto the music scene more than 35 years ago, racking up some of the biggest dance hits including "Get Down Tonight," "That's The Way (I Like It)

Ignite the charcoal, crack the crabs. Then rise to your feet for a salute to another tradition of Maryland summer: the Admirals rocking Ocean City.The Baltimore band, formed by seven teen-agers at the Lutherville teen center in 1958, debuted in Ocean City in 1961. It inaugurates its 34th straight summer there next Monday, opening for seven days at the Sheraton Fontainebleau Hotel. The Admirals are also booked at the hotel Aug. 15-21 and Sept. 12-18."If you went around Ocean City and asked people, 'Of all the bands that have played clubs and hotels in the area, which one comes to mind?

University of Missouri administrators have apologized to the U.S. Naval Academy for what appears to have been a misunderstanding during band performances at the Texas Bowl game last week. The school's marching band has been taking heat on blogs and online news forums for continuing to play the MU fight song as the Naval Academy band began to play its "Blue and Gold" anthem. A Facebook page dedicated to the Texas Bowl also is laced with comments from people saying Missouri should "be ashamed."

Looking for St. Paddy's day plans? Gov. Martin O'Malley's Irish rock band, O'Malleys March, has already sold out the early show for Saturday night in Baltimore, and by Thursday they'd sold three-fourths of the 200-person floor space in the Creative Alliance for the late show, the venue said. Earlier in the day, his political action committee O'Say Can You See sent out an invitation to the St. Patrick's Day show, which costs $25 a head.  Proceeds benefit the Creative Alliance, which advertised the show as " some Celtic fury.

The Baltimore rock scene lost another band today. Ponytail, one of the city's most celebrated art-rock bands, announced its break up via a statement from Sir James Winnie of We Are Free Management, according to Stereogum . The band went on a hiatus last year, but came back to release Do Whatever you Want all the Time in April. But this time, it sounds like it's the end for good, based on pragmatic reasons: the members simply live all over the country, making it too difficult to tour.

America may be ahead of the pack when it comes to most pop music trends, but there are times when we lag behind the rest of the world. Take Jamiroquai, for example. In Britain, France, Australia and Japan, the British fivesome is a Top-20 phenomenon, with millions of fans smitten by Jay Kay's vocals and the band's retro-soul groove. Here, however, the band has barely dented the charts, with only a handful of aficionados hip to its charms.That's going to change, though, for Jamiroquai is planning a full-scale assault on the American music market this year.

When Beach House, the Baltimore dream-pop duo of Victoria Legrand and Alex Scally, released 2010's "Teen Dream," the band was immediately thrust into the forefront of the indie-music world. Pitchfork named it the fifth best album of the year; Rolling Stone placed it at No. 17 . Indie-rock chart-toppers Vampire Weekend invited the band on an impressive North American tour that included stops at New York City's Radio City Music Hall and Merriweather Post Pavilion . Following the steps of Animal Collective, the duo seemed positioned to become the new "it" band in taste-making circles.

Michael Mayer knows a thing or two about coming of age. The Maryland-born director won a Tony Award for his work guiding the 2006 Broadway hit "Spring Awakening," which chronicles teens getting a grip on their budding sexuality. In 2010, he directed "American Idiot," a punk rock musical based on the Green Day album of that name, which follows a group of cynical, spent youths as they seek excitement in a big city. Mayer didn't just direct the latter, but collaborated on the book with Green Day front man Billie Joe Armstrong.

Sol Kramer, who turned a Depression-era 15-cent balsa toy airplane business into a leading wholesale hobby empire, died of pneumonia April 24 at Hospice by the Sea in Pompano Beach, Fla. The former Pikesville resident was 96. Born in Baltimore, he was the son of Lithuanian immigrants. His father, Morris, was a Saratoga Street tailor. His mother, Dora, was a homemaker. Mr. Kramer was a graduate of the old Robert E. Lee School and received his diploma from City College at age 14. "He and his brother, Lou, belonged to the Junior Birdmen of America, a model airplane club promoted by the Hearst newspapers," said his son, Dr. Karl Kramer of Coral Gables, Fla. "His brother was really the airplane builder.

Pinkies up! St. Stephen's Traditional Episcopal Church in Timonium is hosting its 12th annual British Garden Party and Fete on Saturday, May 4 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, even though it costs St. Stephen's nearly  $4,000 each year to present this "bit of Jolly Olde England," as the church bills it. "It's really a gift to the community," the Rev. Guy Hawtin said. "It's not really a money-making venture - the goal is to break even. One year we cleared $50 profit.

“Hello Baltimore, it's been too long,” said Beach House singer Victoria Legrand from the Lyric Opera House stage on Friday night. It was an understatement: The city's most-known indie-rock duo hadn't played the area since September 2010, and even then, it was an opening slot for Vampire Weekend at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia. This was a true homecoming years in the making, and Beach House performed an 85-minute set with a confidence earned from long tours, large festival gigs and late-night TV performances.

I have been engaged for a month and a half and already I feel so accomplished in terms of my wedding planning. Everyone I talk to tells me how on top of things I am, and it's so nice to hear because that is usually not me at all.  When it comes to cleaning or school work I have always been the biggest procrastinator. I wonder now why I haven't been so organized with all aspects of life, but, then, let's be real: Planning a wedding and my future with the love of my life is way more exciting than studying or vacuuming the house.

When Secret Mountains released its long-awaited first album, "Rainer," in February, the band seemed poised to make a leap to higher prominince in the indie music world. The shoegazed-inspired Baltimore sextet had already garnered positive write-ups from online tastemakers Stereogum and Pitchfork. Even the New York Times joined in the praise with a concert review in 2011. The band achieved all of this without a full-length album to its name. But lately, things have been relatively quiet with the band, and last week, singer Kelly Laughlin announced to The Baltimore Sun why: She had left Secret Mountains right before "Rainer" was released.

DUDE, I SERVICE society by rocking, OK? That's how Jack Black's character, a failed rock 'n' roll performer masquerading as a schoolteacher, explains his philosophy of life in School of Rock, a movie that has a lot to say about music and growing up. Apparently, it's not a philosophy shared by Martin O'Malley, Baltimore's rockin' renaissance man. (Surprising, since even Mr. O'Malley's critics will concede he can talk with a certain degree of, uh, youthful...

Thanks to Isabel Rucker, the world may soon be singing along with Streptococcus and the Household Germs. Rucker's Web site, www.shrimp meat.net, offers names for fledgling bands, ranging from zany to obscure to profane. Staple Finger. The Flame Retardants. Monsieur Fromage and the Stinks. "It's a general public service to musicians," says Rucker, whose site is based in San Francisco. "Purely for fun." There comes a time in all musicians' lives when they gather in some dank basement and decide they are more than four sweaty friends with a handful of three-chord songs.

The Havre de Grace High School Warrior Pride Marching Band was chosen to perform in the prestigious Cherry Blossom Parade in Washington, D.C., Saturday, April 13. The marching band auditioned for the parade for the first time and was selected to be a part of a special All-Star Maryland marching band. The Warriors band will be combined with the Westminster High School marching band and the two will have the privilege of leading off the parade, band director Rick Hauf said. The parade travels down Constitution Avenue from the Washington Monument to the White House and is televised live in the D.C. market.

Weddings, along with styles, are constantly changing. Wedding bands used to be very popular in the last generation but lately DJs are the trend. As a very indecisive person, I can tell you that I am really struggling with this decision.  The music and entertainment of your wedding can really make or break the whole celebration. There will be music playing for the ceremony, cocktail hour and, of course, the reception. If it doesn't turn out how you hope it to, it could affect the guests and whether they have a good time or not. If the DJ only plays slow songs, some of the single people may not want to dance.