Monica Floyd, aka Doll Phace, grew up in West Baltimore singing in church choirs and performing in Poly Follies, the annual show put on by her high school, Baltimore Polytechnic Institute. "I always...
Tommy Keene, JC Brooks & the Uptown Sound, and White Life
Tommy KeeneBehind the Parade (Second Motion)Local favorite Tommy Keene provided something of a smart-pop soundtrack to the 1980s, much like Pavement's Stephen Malkmus did a decade later. But while...
Hightopps has catered for bands for more than 25 years
With its 20 signed guitars and Margaritaville-type atmosphere, the décor at Hightopps Backstage Grille in Timonium seems right out of a Hard Rock Café.
But, there's a reason for that. Turns out,...
A local beatboxer takes his skills to new heights, and new audiences, by performing with everyone from the BSO to Ethel Ennis.
Towson University's Fine Arts Building is relatively quiet on a Tuesday afternoon. That is, until you open the door leading to the dance studios on the first floor. Immediately, booming music fills...
The Tennessee capital lives up to its “Music City” moniker—and more.
Nashville is America’s premiere music destination. Sure, other cities have venerable musical traditions of their own, but you could make the argument that none offers the breadth and depth of...
Celebration, Felicia Carter & Amy Shook, and Skull Defekts
CelebrationHello Paradise (Friends)After releasing two discs on a well-known indie imprint (4AD) with major distribution, Celebration split from the label and began posting its music online. Over the...
Henry Wong converted an empty room above his downtown CD shop into a cultural hub dedicated to jazz and classical music.
Henry Wong came to the United States from Hong Kong to finish school and study medicine, but things didn't go as planned. The lure of Western culture proved too great and pulled him away from his...
At age 50, Eliza Bussey suddenly decided to learn music.
Eliza Bussey has always been around music. She attempted to play the guitar as a little girl and worked at the Metropolitan Opera House as a young woman. But, until recently, she could never read a...
Sixty years after signing her first record contract, Ethel Ennis still isn't singing the blues.
Did you ever hear the one about Lady Day biting Miles Davis at Ethel Ennis's house? It's true. She bit him on the hand. And drew blood.
In the early-1960s, Ennis was living on Druid Hill Avenue,...
The Baltimore-born star copes with his recent arrest and his mother's ongoing addictions.
When police arrived at the Fell Street apartment building early in the morning on October 1, they found Shawntia Hardaway sitting on a chair in the opulent lobby, sobbing.
According to a police...
