Annapolis, MD (TMFS)

Use this record as chapter one of your alternative guidebook to Annapolis, Maryland. Somewhere underneath the Naval Academy, the state capitol building, the historic district, and a few dozen marinas there is life…

Psycho Mike, who pulls songs out of mid air and plants them in heads; this can be gut-wrenching at first, but its not long to recognize the man is not of this world. During his acoustic debut at Dogs of Aesthetic Sodality Convene, his singing split ears and his banter sewed them up different. He played the next Dogs with Chris Rolling, former car valet, record salesman, bass player with the right ideas (see SLAW) and the instinct. Someone said “You guys are the SHIT” and they were. The Marburger brothers (ex. Azazello’s Cream) joined soon after, on drums and guitar, relatively young to the town but long enough, they brought their own vision to Mike’s songs. Practices in the basement of 911 Madison St., home of Dogs beer soaked abandon, what is Mike saying through that tiny amp? The message got thru, and the shit appeared at the Bestgate-A-Go-Go, their unique brand of Rock n’ Roll unleashed on the patrons of that illegal, now defunct garage in the middle of nowhere/ night club and safehouse of good-natured abandon during the cold winter of 91-92, until the cops shut it down in the spring, just as Schlong finished their set. Annapolis music scene has yet to recover its wits. The Shit is gone its own ways, look for Mike on the streets of San Francisco. The rally that started at Bestgate goes on. Advice: water your own backyard and you can maybe grow something this good.