Without much of a window display, most people probably walk by An die Musik Live and think it’s closed, if they notice it at all.

“We’re working on that,” says George Manning, who’s worked there since before the CD store cum concert venue moved to Baltimore.

“There are plenty of places in Baltimore to see rock, pop, hip-hop,” says owner Henry Wong, “but nowhere really to find some culture.”

He means it’s hard to find a place in town to see an affordable and accessible classical performance, or an unforgettable jazz session. Wong said artists come from all over to play at An die Musik (pronounced ahn dee moo-zeek).

The upstairs is where most acts play. Tall, bare walls and soft carpet lead past about eight rows of seats up to a minimalist stage with nothing but a grand piano in the background. It’s won a few awards from the City Paper for “Best Jazz Space,” and, notably, one for “Best Chairs.” It can be a very intimate setting, since it’s more suited for chamber music or solo acts.

One of An die Musik’s unique charms is the relationship artists develop with it - starting at the stage, where they can interact comfortably with the audience, to the wine receptions following almost every concert. Wong tries to get young performers to play, sometimes taking a chance on giving them a free show with a suggested donation.

Latin jazz heavyweight Eddie Palmieri celebrated his 70th birthday with a show at An die Musik, and plans to return for the next one. Violinist Hillary Han has come in to play free for children and autograph CDs. And ask Manning about Billy Bang, jazz violinist, and his performances there. As a matter of fact, ask him anything about jazz, and get ready for a serious history lesson.

Sometimes people play the downstairs in the middle of the day.

“You’ll walk in and there’s music playing,” Manning says.

That’s where the Peabody Jazz Quartet, students at the neighboring music school, plays every Monday night. It would be the perfect place to sit down for a cup of coffee or a beer - something else they’re working on. At least there’s a bar open during jazz shows upstairs, a reliable way to liven things up a bit.

Coming in off Charles Street, you walk through what will hopefully soon be the cafe, past an art exhibit that changes every one or two months, to the CD store in back. It’s the best, if not the only, place in the Baltimore area with a good jazz, classical, and world music selection, and manager Sean Johnson, the venue’s quiet backbone, will bring his formidable knowledge to bear on whatever questions you’re troubled by.
An die Musik is something of a place apart in Baltimore, except that it’s completely accessible and unique, a perfect example of that celebrated “charm” the city is famous for.

The Info:
An die Musik Live
409 N. Charles St., 2nd Floor,
Mount Vernon
410-385-6170

NOTABLE UPCOMING SHOWS:
May 7 - John Coltrane: A Film Portrait
May 24 - Monument Piano Trio
May 31 - Irinia Nuzova, piano waltzes,
June 6 - Zane Forshee guitar
June 14 - Amina Figarova Sextet

Like scores of rock and pop artists, Sheryl Crow knows the days when she’ll see her albums routinely sell several million copies have passed. With downloading and file sharing, record sales are down significantly in every genre.

So how will Crow keep her career on track in this environment? The best strategy, Crow said, is simply to stay true to her earthy brand of pop music and the heartfelt lyrics that populate her songs.

“The best I can do is make records that matter to me, that I think have integrity and just trust that there will always be a need for singer-songwriters, and it’s not all about dance music and people will find it, those who are interested in the kind of music and the kind of messages I make,” she said in a recent phone interview.

Crow certainly follows that mission on her latest CD, Detours, an acoustic-flavored effort that is being seen as the most personal and outspoken record of her 15-year recording career.

The CD comes after a challenging three-year period that saw her much-publicized romance with cyclist Lance Armstrong end in early 2006, followed just days later by the news that Crow had breast cancer and needed to undergo what was described as minimally invasive surgery, followed by radiation treatment.

On the brighter side, Crow, 46, adopted a baby boy, Wyatt, last spring.

She writes about her son on the tender closing track “Lullaby For Wyatt,” and breast cancer on “Make It Go Away (Radiation Song).”

The rest of Detours is pretty much split between social/political songs and romantic/relationship songs. The former group includes “Peace Be Upon Us,” which laments the misguided motivations of war, and several songs (including “Motivation” and “God Bless This Mess”) touch on the idea that people have become too distracted with their own lives and pursuits to care about the problems of the nation and world.

As for the romantic material, there has been speculation that three songs in particular — “Now That You’re Gone,” “Drunk With The Thought Of You” and “Diamond Ring” — are about the Armstrong breakup. But Crow cautioned against taking that narrow of a view.

“I think the experiences of those songs are very universal,” she said. “I’ve been in several relationships that have ended up being really learning experiences for me. I wouldn’t say that everything was relegated to the Lance relationship. There’s a lot to be learned from all your relationships. So I definitely could not say those were specific to him.”

The Info:
Sheryl Crow With Ray LaMontagne & Ingrid Michaelson
Merriweather Post Pavilion,
$36-$76 Wednesday, May 28, 7pm

Want more? Read Alan’s Q&A with Sheryl Crow on our music blog, www.bmoretunes.com.

You stop at light, and as you glance around you notice that some graffiti writing on the corner building looks much different compared to the one a few blocks back. If you’re curious about this art form, which is plastered all over our city, you’ll want to check out Foundations of Style Writing at DB5K Gallery in Fells Point.

Style writing began in the late 1960s in New York. It is a studied and artistic form of handwriting generally done on a variety of large outside surfaces. Since it‘s early days, “a whole language as been created” said Kim Sutter, DB5K Gallery’s art director.

The gallery’s exhibit will reveal the history of this street movement and will feature influential artists including Martha Cooper, a photojournalist who has documented the graffiti scene for decades, and Charlie Ahearn, director of Wild Style. The show sets “out to change minds and cut through the myth,” Sutter said.

Guest curator and prominent artist, Adam Stab, points out that style writing is “the most difficult to define of all the street arts. This exhibit should give history to those who misconstrue the genre.”

To create their murals, artists must work in difficult and often dangerous situations. This movement began to become more accepted by the mainstream during the 1980s and can be seen in fashion, language, and even candy wrappers.

For artists, Stab points out that “nothing represents us more directly. It is confrontational; you must define possession and free, right and wrong, releasing and shame.”

The very nature of the art form is transient. Images are painted quickly; frequently on “canvases” which may move or be removed such as trains or boarded buildings.

This makes Baltimore a prime microcosm for how the style writing process works.

In addition to the gallery’s artwork, visitors can take a map, and visit four full-size murals painted around the city specifically for the exhibit.

The Info:
Foundations of Style Writing
DB5K Gallery
1800 Fleet St., Fells Point
Now through June 28
Regular gallery hours are:
Tuesday-Saturday 1-7 pm

Photo by George Hagegeorge

Make new friends, get fit and see Baltimore from its beautiful waterways this summer with the Canton Kayak Club.

“Joining the CKC makes kayaking on the Inner Harbor so easy that you smile while you are doing it,” said club board member Rebecca Pepkowitz.

The Canton Kayak Club is a non-profit organization. Everyone on the staff is an extremely helpful volunteer. They give three hours of certified training to each member, and new members are invited to “Newbie Nights” where advanced kayakers can help them learn new skills and improve their paddling.

For $135.00, the Canton Kayak club offers the opportunity for people from all walks of life to get together and enjoy a great sport. Membership includes unlimited usage of the kayaks, paddles and safety gear, which are located in five different kayak docks around the Baltimore Harbor.

The season usually runs May to October, whenever the water temperature is at least 60 degrees. With over 80 boats in the fleet, members can always take full advantage of membership.

Complimentary happy hours are another way for members to get to know one another, with events held at restaurants and bars around the Baltimore Harbor. An online bulletin board is available for members who would like to have company or arrange group trips when they go out on the water. Occasional eco-tours are another thing the club offers to promote environmental awareness.

Canton Kayak Club is a great way to make new friends and have a blast. Don’t worry if you have never gone kayaking. The helpful staff will have you comfortable in no time.

Next time you are sitting around in the muggy city this summer, think about how beautiful and peaceful it is out on the water and give the Canton Kayak Club a call.

Kayak Docks in Baltimore:
Anchor Bay East Marina:
8500 Cove Road, Dundalk

Inner Harbor East Marina:
Lancaster Street, Inner Harbor East

Bond Street Wharf
Corner of Thames and Bond streets

Tide Point Office Complex & Waterfront Place
The end of Hull Street in Locust Point

Nick’s Fish House
2600 Insulator Drive in South Baltimore

Centerstage is home to the world premier of These Shining Lives, the latest production from Melanie Marnich, a renowned playwright and writer for the HBO series Big Love.
In an inspirational tale of workplace justice, Emma Joan Roberts stars in the true story of the workers at the Radium Dial Company, which was once located in New Jersey. Fired after they fell ill from chemical-related ailments, Catherine and her friends fight back by bringing a lawsuit against the factory.

“I wanted to tell the story of the women who were unsung,” Marnich said. “I think the story mimics what goes on today with factory workers and corporations. These women chose to fight for the right thing and I wanted to do them justice in text.”

Marnich, a member of The Playwrights Center and New Dramatists, has won several awards for her productions. Her work has been produced at a variety of theaters around the U.S. and England. She placed her latest work in the capable hands of director David Schweizer, a prominent veteran of the theatre scene and a Baltimore native.

The cast, most of whom are making their Centerstage debuts, have achieved various regional, Broadway, and off-Broadway acclaim. Some have also appeared in film and on television.

“They have really served the play well,” says Marnich of the cast and crew. “They have given it a beauty, enhancing it and making it come to life.”

Radium, the offending chemical in the play, is an alkaline earth metal once used in paints to customize equipment such as watches, instrument dials, aircraft switches, and nuclear panels. The Radium Dial Company, whose sole purpose was manufacturing watch dials, was one of only a few factories in the United States to use such paints.

The employees of companies like Radium Dial would use their mouths to shape paint brushes and ended up with brutal health defects, including anemia, sores, and bone cancer. The Radium Dial Company closed in 1934 and was later demolished in 1969.

It is fitting that this inspirational play makes its debut in Baltimore, a city whose residents still face health problems due to lead poisoning from old buildings.

These Shining Lives
Showing Now - June 1
Centerstage
700 North Calvert Street, Mount Vernon
410-332-0033

“What would you suggest to pair with the salmon special?”

“The 2008 Loose Cannon from Clipper City. The triple hopping that this beer receives gives it a wonderful, complex aroma with a medium body and crisp finish that accent the richness of the fish nicely.”

Sounds a bit silly at first, doesn’t it? Well believe it or not, conversations like this are taking place all over the Baltimore area. Local residents have long since supported the beer industry, and finally restaurateurs and brewers alike are taking the shame out of suds.

CLIPPER CITY

“There are a lot of things that are just plain better with beer,” says Hugh Sisson, founder of Clipper City Brewing Company and a 7th generation Baltimorean.

In a recent discussion I had with Sisson, he related to me that not only do some things just not pair well with wine, they might actually pair better with beer.

I think we can all agree that when you are picking a couple dozen crabs cracking a beer makes more sense than searching for your corkscrew, but there is more to it than that.

Several years ago, Sisson teamed up with Cabot Cheese, the makers of some of the best known cheddar cheeses in the country, to pair his fine Maryland brew with the Vermont Cheddar that we all know and love.

RED BRICK STATION

To see just how far this beer and food-pairing craze could go, I took a trip to Red Brick Station in White Marsh. Pulling up a stool to the copper covered bar, we were instantly greeted by Bobby, our bartender.

As we settled in Bobby promptly set us up with a sampler of all the R.B.S. brews that were available that evening. There were nine different brews that night and all were spectacular.

After a quick tour of where and how the beer was produced in the rooms surrounding the bar, we ordered meals and challenged Bobby, and his cohort Brandon, to a pair off.

Bobby first paired the “Something Red” with the jalapeño honey mustard wings. The malty sweetness of the red ale contrasted the spiciness of the wings sauce very nicely.

Brandon fought back hard with a winning combination of the Avenue Ale with the R.B.S. Hummus. The hummus was a bit grainy and my companion found it bland, but the veggies were fresh, and the garlic kept in check by the yeasty buttery goodness of the beer. Round one goes to Bobby for making such a bold pairing as a red ale with the big meaty and pleasantly spicy wings.

For dinner I had the crabcake and rib combination, while my partner had the “bangers and mash.” The humungous portions were enough to share with friends on a budget and the pairing battle continued. Bobby recommended that I stick with my Something Red since it is an all around food-friendly beer, but I was feeling adventurous so we sampled that days cask conditioned offering, which was the Ginger Avenue Ale. Served warm, as any cask conditioned brew should be, the fresh and clean ginger taste lightened up the entire palate and cut through the richness of what turned out to be a very acceptable crabcake.

The ribs were another story all together. Luckily I had some of the Highlander Heavy, a scotch ale with a rich smoky, almost musty flavor profile that complimented the smoky sweet ribs as the meat just melted off of the bone. The bangers and mash were paired off with the Daily Crisis IPA, which has a floral and spicy nose that cut through the gamey and meaty bangers. Round Two goes to Brandon for going out on a limb with me as I tried several combinations before finding my picks.

So we leave R.B.S. with a tie (that way no one’s feelings get hurt).

Is pairing beer with food just a fad, or an art form that is here to stay? I’ll defer to Sam Adams, which has an entire national ad campaign based around the simple observation that some food just makes more sense with a beer.

The Info:
Red Brick Station
8149 Honeygo Blvd, White Marsh
410-931-PUBS

Red Brick Station:
Blueberry Ale Release Party
Thursday, May 29, 7 pm
Live music and free giveaways

Clipper City Brewing Company, LP
4615 Hollins Ferry Rd., Suite B
(410) 247-7822

Hugh Sisson’s Tips for Pairing Beer with Food:
The Three C’s

Compliment: Heavy beers with heavy foods, make sure the flavor of the beer is similar to the flavor of the food

Contrast: Who would have ever thought, but Oysters and Stout is a great match because they are nothing alike! P.S. Different doesn’t always mean good!

Cut: Sweeter beer with Spicier foods. Sometimes you make the match to cut the fattiness of the food or the spice.
Most importantly, practice, practice, and practice! Drink what you like, with what you like to drink it with.

That’s right, organic brew. Why organic brew? Hugh Sisson, the owner of Clipper City Brewing Company says that much like the rest of his career thus far, an organic brew was the next logical step on an ambitious path. Sisson thinks it makes good sense to take care of the earth and the local farmers striving to be good custodians of the planet.

The fact that the Oxford line of brews will stay at the same price as the rest of the Clipper City line of beers is evidence of Sisson’s conviction.

So what makes this beer “organic”? Well, the Maryland Department of Agriculture decides it is. In order to achieve that status, it must contain at least 95% organic ingredients. The Oxford Organic Ale actually contains 99.5% organic material, far more than is required by the state’s regulations. Sisson said he is thankful for the “wiggle room,” since organic hops are few and far between in the U.S.

I was privileged to have a chance to sample the Oxford Organic Ale (O.O.A.) with Sisson before it had even been shipped to the distributors. The O.O.A. presents a smoky, yeasty nose and a persistent creamy head. The rich amber hue is clear and brilliant and very much English in its origins.

Malty notes of olives and fresh bread are cut short by the surprisingly dry and crisp finish that makes you yearn for another swig. The Oxford line of beers was purchased 10 years ago as a way of eliminating some competition but with this conversion to Organic Sisson has redefined the brand and once again assured Clipper City’s place as one of the best breweries in Maryland (if not the nation).

As news approaches of craft brews from around the country being purchased by mainline breweries, I asked Mr. Sisson if Clipper City had any intention of selling to anyone else. His answer was simple:

“It is not my desire to ‘Pull a Fordham.’ Great beer is what we do, and Baltimore is where we do it!”

Nick Nichols wants you to drink better beer.

A self-described “beer geek,” the native Baltimorean grew up with Natty Boh flowing through his veins. His father was one of a generation of East Baltimore children who toted a bucket to the corner tavern to fetch beer for his family. Young Nick had spent his childhood in a house near Clifton Park, practically in the shadow of the decaying, but imposing and still beautiful American Brewery on Gay Street, and teenage camping trips in Pennsylvania had included plenty of Yuengling.

But it took a post-college road trip to turn William J. Nichols, budding environmentalist and casual beer buff, into Nick Nichols, “The Baltimore Beertrekker.”

“The big epiphany for me was when I was 21 – it was 1991 – when the whole family hopped in a rental van and took off across America,” he remembers. “The furthest point we went to was Portland, Oregon, which was the beer nirvana of the United States. There were 70 brewpubs in Portland! So with my mom as the designated driver, we decided to go to every brewpub we could get our hands on. We drank our way all the way from Portland all the way south to San Diego.”

Nichols figures that by now he has visited 700 brewpubs in his travels - hence the “Beertrekker” handle – and he’s well-known at such local mainstays as Red Brick Station and The Brewer’s Art, where he knows the brewers personally.

As his taste for finely crafted brews grew, he combined it with a lifelong interest in history, and began doing research on the topic, using such background material as Alan D. Eames “The Secret Life of Beer: Legends, Lore and Little-Known Facts.”

His research included delving into Baltimore’s own brewing history. Before Prohibition, he says, Baltimore City had 200 breweries, which delivered directly to neighborhood taverns.

Most of those that survived the “Great Experiment” eventually fell to the growing economic muscle of Anheuser-Busch and other giant corporations, a juggernaut that Nichols likes to call BudMillerCoors, or just BMC. Beers, by the way, which he boycotts, even if that means bringing his own supply to parties.

Recent years have offered both positive trends – the rise of brewpubs and microbreweries — and such “travesties,” as he puts it, as the demolition of DeGroen’s Baltimore Brewing Company and its adjacent museum and park, and the state’s loss of the iconic National Brewing Company, home of Natty Boh.

In 2003, Nichols, who works for the Environmental Protection Agency, began sharing his expertise in classes sponsored by the Free University at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins; other classes followed at the Village Learning Place, Harford Community College, and Salisbury University.

Subject matter encompasses beer history, beer lore, beer politics and beer appreciation. He advocates enthusiastically for his favorite creative (and environmentally-friendly) small breweries, and has begun hosting beer-and-cheese tastings, a pairing that he maintains is much superior to the more mainstream wine and cheese. After all, he points out, “Do cows eat grapes? No – they eat grain!”

The Beertrekker’s Five Best Beers for BMC (BudMillerCoors) Drinker:

1. Samuel Adams Lager
2. Saranac Black Forest
3. Newcastle
4. Clipper City Pale Ale
5. Hoegartten Wheat Beer

The Beertrekker’s Classes:

Beer Appreciation
Howard Community College, $39, May 21, 6:30-9:30 pm.
Taste a wide variety of beers while you learn about the “Nectar of the Gods.” 410-772-4823

Beer History Class
The Village Lyceym, Johns Hopkins University Mattin Center, Rm. 160, May 29 & 30, 6-7:30 pm, 410-523-4182.
BYOB, enjoy Cabot Cheese while sipping beer and learning about the history of beer and brewing.

Every once in a while a band gets it just right. It’s a hard moment to capture, because so much goes into striking the right balance. Be too narrowly focused and you’re easily pigeon holed, be unfocused and you’ll be ignored. But, if you understand your art, your audience, and yourself from the inside out, you’ve got something truly unique and refreshing: You’ve got local alt-country band The Wayfarers.

Poised to release Sorrow & Snakes, their third album in eight years, on May 30th with a party at Austin Grill in Canton, The Wayfarers is that rare act that delivers consistency and versatility with every song.

From the opening title track, The Wayfarers demonstrate their ability to write heartfelt lyrics with universal appeal. For many bands, that often means cookie-cutter sentiment and unpolished ideas, but this band clearly knows the difference between corny and honest.

In fact, “Some Women” is such a perfect alt-country gem that a casual listen suggests a pre-identity-crisis Ryan Adams. As for variety, The Wayfarers are as diverse as their members. Brad Dunnells’s softer, folk-flavored vocals match Laura Malkus’s rock-tinged sound perfectly, while Jason Tinney, and a whole host of guest musicians, fill in the rest with precision. Sorrow & Snakes has something for everyone, from upbeat, swinging tunes like “Saturday Night Shirt” and the biting “Lucinda Williams” to the slower, introspective “Fallin’ Apart at the Dreams” and “Spiritual.”

Of course, this extensive talent translates easily to a great live show, and audiences are going to get the chance to hear for themselves on May 30th. When asked how preparations are going for the event, Dunnells shares that the venue is perfect for their CD release.

“Austin Grill is a nice venue for singer/songwriters. We will have a number of local guest musicians playing with us that night. They are all great players and we hope their participation will offer the audience a variety of sounds.”

Tinney, on the other hand, takes a more practical stance: “The CD’s have arrived, so that’s a great start.”

The Info:
The Wayfarers CD Release Party: Sorrow & Snakes
Friday, May 30
Austin Grill
2400 Boston St., Canton
410-534-0606

Want more? Read Michael Wile’s Q&A with The Wayfarers on our music blog, www.bmoretunes.com.

How do you get to La Scala? Practice, practice, practice!
Or, if it’s the restaurant of that name that you want, head east from the Inner Harbor on Eastern Avenue, and look to your left.

I’ve never been to the famed opera house in Milan, but I recently had dinner at the namesake restaurant in Little Italy, and (to continue the musical metaphor) while our meal had a pleasant tenor, there were few high notes.

Diners enter La Scala by climbing a curving flight of redbrick steps—“la scala” means “the staircase”—into a dining room that is unremarkable except for one thing: a recessed indoor bocce court! If you like sports with your dinner, this is a lot more fun than watching baseball at the bar.

Our waiter, a real pro, arrived quickly with menus. Very promising menus, too, packed with dishes far more interesting that the usual red-sauced fare. Polenta alla Griglia ($8.95), for instance, sauced with cognac, pancetta, and porcini mushrooms. A good polenta is delicious even served plain, and this combination sounded heavenly. However, the polenta, served in curiously flat, uniform slabs, had no flavor whatsoever, and the sauce, although good with the crusty house loaf, didn’t have the expected “wow” factor.

My companion’s Funghi Abbruzzese ($6.95) was spunkier: chopped fresh mushrooms in a warm olive-oil bath flavored with garlic, basil and rosemary and blanketed with lots and lots of melted mozzarella. It resembled a French onion soup, and was almost impossible to eat neatly, but the flavors connected.

Not so, unfortunately, her Pollo alla Scala ($20.95). The portion was dauntingly large – two huge chicken breasts – but not tasty enough to make this an asset. The poached breasts were near-tasteless, and the white wine sauce, even with its additions of artichoke heart pieces and lump crab, contributed little. The whole concoction both looked and tasted, well, beige.

I was tempted by the veal dishes, which are given a lot of space on the menu and are reportedly chef Nino Germano’s specialty. But after hearing altogether too much on the subject from PETA and my vegetarian daughter, I’ve given veal a pass for a while. Instead, I chose a special, bronzino ($29.95), served whole and simply cooked with olive oil, lemon and herbs. (The waiter will fillet and butterfly the fish at tableside, if you wish, but you’ll still have to watch out for the random bone.) Delicate yet flavorful, and very moist, it was a savory success.

The entrees are served with a side of penne with marinara; nice, but I would have liked something green to offset our rather monochromatic dinner.

For dessert we chose profiteroles ($7.95), cream puffs lavished with pudding-like chocolate sauce, and homemade tiramisu. We liked the tiramisu just fine, but I am old enough to be shocked at a price tag of $8.95 for a piece of cake. Still, if you have a sweet tooth, you have good reason to sing this restaurant’s praises.

La Scala
Location: 1012 Eastern Ave.
Hours: Open 4:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. Mon.-Thurs.,
4:30 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fri.-Sat.,
2 p.m. to 10 p.m. Sun.
Phone: 410-783-9209
Our dinner for two: $91.64

The Latest Dish…
With spring comes the return of Baltimore’s downtown Farmers’ Market…as well as the Sunday Farmer’s Market Menu at Corks, 1026 S. Charles St. The wine-friendly Federal Hill restaurant’s chefs will be combing the market for the finest seasonal ingredients, which they will work into a multi-course menu. The offerings will change weekly, but have a look at this sample menu: black bean and speckled butter bean soup with applewood smoked bacon and fried oyster mushroom garnish; heirloom tomato salad with fresh purple basil, Parmagiano-Reggiano cheese and Tuscan olive oil; saffron-poached scallop with white baba ganouj and tarragon foam; grilled flank steak with white sweet potatoes, sautéed Osaka mustard green and black truffle beurre blanc, and apple and Asian pear blinis with apple compote and wildflower honey. The Market Menu will be served Sundays through December –including Mother’s Day! – and costs $30. For reservations, call 410-752-3810.