BEST SCENE

Baltimore

Darkroom Productions' Juan Donovan and Jamal Roberts sparked the city's rap scene with their Wire-inspired Hamsterdam mixtapes and later licensed music for the show. Deep Flow Studios owner Amotion hosts a rap show on public TV.
Electronic party-starter Dan Deacon founded the Wham City collective, staging eclectic rock shows, art installations and theater with bizarre names like Shoot Her! A Jurassic Park Play.
Dream-rock duo Beach House buy organs at local thrift shops.
Proprietors/residents of Floristree, the unlicensed space where Deacon and others play.
Double Dagger, one of many edgy acts hatched at the Mary-land Institute College of Art.
Record mecca Sound Garden hosts B-more acts and has deep punk and metal collections.
Normal's is crammed with esoteric books and music; avant-garde artists play the adjacent venue, Red Room.
Golden West Cafe is the late-night post-show hangout.
Headbangers at Talking Head, named after native son David Byrne's band (Frank Zappa and Tori Amos are also locals).

Check out all the photos described above in Rolling Stone 1051. Read about more Baltimore artists and hear their music here.

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