Bets

Lisa Schatz starts her Preakness shopping eight months early, at the September fashion trade shows in New York City. In addition to her regular buys for spring inventory, she's learned to add items featuring bold colors and fun prints that will stand out at Maryland's biggest horse race. Usually boutique owners purchase clothes for four seasons — five, if you count resorts. But in Baltimore, where Preakness-goers buy duds that sometimes veer from national spring trends, window displays are peppered with color combinations such as yellow and black, bold prints and funky hats that reflect the quirky traditions of the race.

Kudos to Dan Rodricks ' hilarious column on gambling at National Harbor ("On slots, a deal's a deal, baby," May 10). Under one-party rule in the city and State House, a deal's good only until an elected official thinks of another way to spend money. There are rarely any political consequences when our monopoly government reneges. A deal's just what you do to lure the suckers; once in, they're ready to be fleeced. Make a bricks-and-mortar investment here? Watch you property taxes rise over time.

The computer program came up with Hansen, and he certainly has a shot. However, Hansen's last prep race was very telling, and not in ways that suggest he can win. Many observers felt his Breeders' Cup Juvenile victory last fall demonstrated some distance limitations, and those concerns seem to have been validated in the Blue Grass Stakes, where he gave up the lead in the stretch. Additionally, his owner suggested that he would not go to the lead in the Blue Grass, but he surged to the lead and carved out fairly solid fractions.

The members of Lower Dens have reason to celebrate - their solid second album, "Nootropics," came out on Tuesday to rave reviews . Fittingly, they'll play a hometown show (singer Jana Hunter and Co. have not been shy about how inspiring they find Baltimore) at the Ottobar on Saturday with Celebration, Violens and Sprayer. With the help of new drummer Nate Nelson, Lower Dens will hit the road with a reinvigorated live show. After talking with Hunter (I interviewed her earlier this week for Live!

Finally, a no-brainer. Kicking of Merriweather Post Pavilion's season, the Sweetlife Food and Music Festival boasts an eclectic, solid lineup of established acts and rising talents. In chronological order, here are the five acts I suggest finding time for on Saturday: Action Bronson (12:25 p.m., Treehouse) Before heading over to the main stage for Fun., check out a few songs from this Albanian-American star-in-waiting. If you like raps about high-end food, left-field pop references and other atypical topics for hip-hop, Action Bronson will make your day. His latest mixtape, "Blue Chips,"  is an intoxicatingly fresh listen.

Nowadays, any aspiring musician can grab an acoustic guitar, plop in front of a computer, hit record and upload a performance - cover, original or something unidentifiable - to the Internet. That's what Kina Grannis did as a student at the University of Southern California. The main difference between her and the thousands of other artists hoping to get on was Grannis' video won a Doritos contest that led to her "Message From Your Heart" clip being played during a Super Bowl ad. After such a massive introduction, Grannis, who plays Baltimore Soundstage on Friday, signed with Interscope Records, essentially putting use for her social science degree on hold.

Watch the video for Frankie Rose's "Gospel/Grace" above. When Brooklyn, N.Y.'s Frankie Rose - who plays Golden West Cafe on Saturday - released her first album, "Frankie Rose and the Outs," back in 2010, it fell in line with the reverb-heavy indie-pop she had made her old band, Vivian Girls. In February, less than two years after her first album, Rose returned with a second album and an updated sound. The appropriately titled "Interstellar," released in February, shimmers in space. These are still pop songs, just as they've always been, but there's a new, serious confidence to the execution.

There is no reason that the U.S. shouldn't be energy independent in 10 years. Yes, we would have to drill some more, but as Peter Morici points out ("Obama's bad bet," April 3), we would manage the environmental issues much better than others. The geopolitical and economic upside would be enormous. Solar (I do have a solar-powered water heater) and wind can be good supplements, but we have to wean ourselves from being dependent on Middle East and Latin American countries. Lyle Rescott, Marriottsville

Watch the video for "Loud" above. His raps have curse words and drug references in them. Kids, be careful! I've been duped by Mac Miller before. When he released "K.I.D.S.," the mixtape that first caught most rap blogs' attention, in August 2010, there was a sleazy charm to Mac's persona. He was the young slacker making no-cred-necessary rap songs about raging, sneakers and hooking up. It was superficial, but catchy and executed well-enough to find its way to the masses of high schoolers and college kids most interested in their Friday nights.