Dan Deacon

Dan Deacon is obsessed with the apocalypse. From a dilapidated couch in his Station North practice space, the city's most well known electronic musician and composer quickly rattles off grim crises: the United States' "growing military stronghold," drone warfare, genetically modified foods, fracking to find oil. "We're living in constant flux and there's this growing stranglehold on our individual liberties and our collective liberties," Deacon,...

At last month's Academy of Country Music Awards, Brad Paisley performed his single, “Beat This Summer,” alongside John Mayer. The audience held up cell phones - the modern version of the lighter at concerts - that displayed bright, flashing colors that changed in time with the song. It was an eye-catching trick, and it wouldn't have been possible without Wham City. Yes, the same Wham City responsible for some of Baltimore's most wonderfully surreal music, comedy, theater, art and more since the mid-2000s.

Dan Deacon's live shows have always incorporated the crowd, whether it's a dance battle among fans or a call-and-response chanting session. But now he's taken the crowd interaction a step further with his first app. Available for iPhone and Android systems, the free app turns a user's phone into a color-changing glowstick. The app - developed by Deacon and other Wham City members including app-programmer Keith Lea, Patrick McMinn, Alan Resnick and Robert O'Brien - is available now, and it doesn't require Wi-Fi or data usage.

Dan Deacon, along with John Eaton, will host a "fun free dance party" on Wednesday at "The Space Formerly Known as the Zodiac" (1726 N. Charles St.). The party kicks off at 10 p.m., and will include DJ sets from Deacon and Eaton. There will also be a set from DJ Regional Barbecue - which isn't just the greatest DJ name of 2013, but it's also the moniker of Future Islands bassist William Cashion. It's 21+, and again, best of all - it's free. For more details and a look at who could be there, check out the Facebook event . wesley.case@baltsun.com twitter.com/midnightsunblog

If Dan Deacon's recent input hasn't moved you - previous single "Lots" felt familiar while his novelty remix of "Call Me Maybe" was just that - then his latest single, "True Thrush," might change your mind. The nearly five-minute jam patiently bubbles under the surface, with Deacon's subdued-but-still-warped vocals pushing the track forward.  "Spread those wings wide and take me along / Now show me the sky and tell me I'm on," he sings (I think - transcribing Deacon lyrics is futile, frustrating, sometimes unnecessary)

Dan Deacon, along with John Eaton, will host a "fun free dance party" on Wednesday at "The Space Formerly Known as the Zodiac" (1726 N. Charles St.). The party kicks off at 10 p.m., and will include DJ sets from Deacon and Eaton. There will also be a set from DJ Regional Barbecue - which isn't just the greatest DJ name of 2013, but it's also the moniker of Future Islands bassist William Cashion. It's 21+, and again, best of all - it's free. For more details and a look at who could be there, check out the Facebook event . wesley.case@baltsun.com twitter.com/midnightsunblog

The trailer for the Dan Deacon-scored, Francis Ford Coppola movie "Twixt" has premiered. Michael Sragow has the trailer over at Gets Reel . Coppola first heard Deacon on National Public Radio last year, and said in an interview he was drawn to Deacon's unconventional aesthetic. "I was fascinated with his intelligence, and also with his sense of adventure," he said. But it was Deacon's background in composition - he was trained at State University of New York at Purchase - that inspired Coppola to tap the musician to score his new movie, which stars Val Kilmer and Elle Fanning.

Here's a treat for your 4th of July cookouts: Dan Deacon remixed the song of the summer, Carly Rae Jepsen's "Call Me Maybe" ... by taking the a capella and layering it over and over and over and over. About an hour ago, Deacon explained it on Twitter: "I made 'Call Me Maybe Acapella 147 Times Exponentially Layered' for an all 'Call Me Maybe' covers comp. "  What begins as a pop ode to possibly calling someone you just met turns into something that sounds sinister and industrial, like a Nine Inch Nails remix from the "Pretty Hate Machine" days.

Dan Deacon, Celebration and Matmos are playing the Ottobar Friday.  The show was posted on the Ottobar's website in late October , but Friends Records' tumblr clarified Monday that the show would mark the debut of a new Dan Deacon ensemble. Deacon will now be performing alongside Denny Bowen ( Double Dagger 's former drummer), Dave Jacober (of Dope Body), Chester Gwazda (who produced "Bromst"), and Jordan Casey. Deacon's promoting several re-releases: "Meetle Mice," "Silly Hat vs. Eagle Hat," and "Spiderman of the Rings.

Dan Deacon is obsessed with apocalypse. From a dilapidated couch in his Station North practice space, the city's best-known electronic musician and composer quickly rattles off a list: the United States' "growing military stronghold," drone warfare, genetically modified foods, fracking to produce oil and natural gas. "We're living in constant flux, and there's this growing stranglehold on our individual liberties and our collective liberties," Deacon,...

Dan Deacon and his ensemble were confined to the "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" stage last night, a rarity for the acclaimed Baltimore electronic musician. (If you've been to a Deacon show, you likely know he prefers the floor, with the crowd by his side.) Rules may be rules, but Deacon still made his unique connection with the audience through the Dan Deacon smartphone app . As you'll see in the clip, Deacon - broadcasting from an iPhone - instructs viewers at home to play along, too. It's a strong performance from Deacon and his ensemble, as "True Thrush's" pop sensibilities naturally shine.

(UPDATE: "Jimmy Kimmel Live" begins at midnight, not 11:35 p.m. Thanks for heads up, Alex.) Dan Deacon, arguably Baltimore's best known electronic musician, will make his national TV debut tonight on "Jimmy Kimmel Live. " He will perform the "America" single "True Thrush" with an ensemble. The show starts at 11:35 p.m. midnight , but in typical late-night talk show fashion, he won't perform until the end of the show. The studio audience will use the Dan Deacon smartphone app during the performance.

With only two songs but clocking in at nearly 38 minutes, the self-titled debut from rising Baltimore instrumental quartet Horse Lords requires fortitude and patience from listeners. Like any worthwhile journey, it has moments of ecstatic outbursts — as well as check-your-watch lulls. But more than anything else, it's a record of restraint and precision from talented players more interested in groove and mood than cheap, sugary thrills. The members — bassist Max Eilbacher, guitarist Owen Garden and drummers Sam Haberman and Andrew Bernstein — are no strangers to the city's music scene, playing in acts such as acerbic noisemakers Teeth Mountain and Dan Deacon's more composed touring ensemble.

Dan Deacon , a Baltimore electronic musician and composer, is known for his participatory shows, where he involves the audience in his performances. Now, the artist has an iPhone app to hook his fans in even more. The Dan Deacon iPhone app is a free download and it can be used at Deacon's shows, even without an Internet connection. The app turns the iPhone into a kind of smart sensor that detects the music that Deacon is playing, and can synchronize the app screen, with changing lights, and the camera flash.

If electronic musician Dan Deacon is anything, he is fiercely loyal to his adopted hometown of Baltimore. Last night's sold-out show at the Ottobar wasn't so much a coronation; that ship has long since sailed. Rather, its familiar dance party feel, high energy and many nods to Charm City made it seem more like a warm hug from an old friend. As he and his three-piece backing band worked through old staples and many of the songs from his most recent album, "America," Deacon's performance showed the dynamical qualities of his newest works and the maintained ability to create ecstatic dance parties with manic blasts of electronic noise.

Dan Deacon's live shows have always incorporated the crowd, whether it's a dance battle among fans or a call-and-response chanting session. But now he's taken the crowd interaction a step further with his first app. Available for iPhone and Android systems, the free app turns a user's phone into a color-changing glowstick. The app - developed by Deacon and other Wham City members including app-programmer Keith Lea, Patrick McMinn, Alan Resnick and Robert O'Brien - is available now, and it doesn't require Wi-Fi or data usage.

This clip from last month's Head 2 Head Transmodern Festival is mostly typical Dan Deacon live fare — sped-up, indistinguishable vocals, sweaty kids participating in a dance-off, enough energy to make a bull's heart stop. But it's also sweet in an unexpected way: Deacon, perhaps our city's most famous connection to Francis Ford Coppola , debuts a new song (which momentarily sounded like an AT&T ad) for his girlfriend Stefani. When it's over, he explains he began writing the song on her last birthday but never finished until a couple days ago. A song that took a year to write?

The electronic-music composer and performer Dan Deacon says he's a bit concerned about his sold-out solo show Feb. 19 at the Ottobar. He's questioning whether or not he'll have to get on stage. Operating below stage level over the past half-decade, the Mount Vernon resident has become a club and festival draw and something of a cultural export for Baltimore. He positions his keyboard, microphones and electronic contraptions in the audience and lets his horde of young fans dance and sing around him -- so close, in fact, that he nearly becomes obscured.

Dan Deacon is obsessed with apocalypse. From a dilapidated couch in his Station North practice space, the city's best-known electronic musician and composer quickly rattles off a list: the United States' "growing military stronghold," drone warfare, genetically modified foods, fracking to produce oil and natural gas. "We're living in constant flux, and there's this growing stranglehold on our individual liberties and our collective liberties," Deacon,...

Dan Deacon is obsessed with the apocalypse. From a dilapidated couch in his Station North practice space, the city's most well known electronic musician and composer quickly rattles off grim crises: the United States' "growing military stronghold," drone warfare, genetically modified foods, fracking to find oil. "We're living in constant flux and there's this growing stranglehold on our individual liberties and our collective liberties," Deacon,...