Dan

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.

PHILADELPHIA // After Michael Vick tossed four interceptions, was sacked twice, and finished with a 50.9 rating in the Philadelphia Eagles' 17-16 win against the Cleveland Browns, the quarterback has been poked and prodded by media and fans alike. One line of questioning has involved Vick's state of mind as the Eagles prepare for their home opener against the Ravens this Sunday. But offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg simply pointed to Vick's ability to engineer the game-winning, touchdown drive against the Browns as Exhibit No. 1 in his faith in Vick's confidence level.

I'm averaging about one national radio show interview request a day for the past week or so. What's going on here? Don't these people know the NFL starts Wednesday?  And it's September in Baltimore? Didn't these people get the memo that it's football season here? This has been the 12th year I have covered this team. The high-water mark was in 2004, when the Orioles had 78 wins. So, yeah, things are a little different. And I'm not one to try and reinvent history. In March, I thought this could be the worst team I've ever covered, and that title has had plenty of competition over the years.

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 Duquette met with the Baltimore media about the deal today that sent reliever Matt Lindstrom and a player to be named to the Arizona Diamondbacks for lefty starter Joe Saunders and cash. Here's Duquette: On the trade: “We've liked Joe Saunders for quite a while, we've had some discussions (with him as a free agent in the winter). He's a local kid (Springfield, Va.). He's pitched in the American League. He's pitched in the playoffs. He's pitched in a tough ballpark in Arizona.

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,...

The man who runs many of Baltimore's marinas, a former captain in the Israeli navy, prefers the sky to the sea. The only boat he owns is a gondola, which he keeps tied up at his marina in Canton. "I love aviation; that's my passion," said Dan Naor, 47, chief operating officer of Baltimore Marine Centers, as he stood next to a cherry-red helicopter on a recent weekday. He flies it - not as often as he'd like - from Pier 7 in Canton, the base of another business he runs, Baltimore Helicopter Services.

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)

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.