DJs come together for Bowie at The Crown

As the semester begins it’s likely that classes are more on your mind than your weekend. Still, never fear! The Your Weekend Section is here for you! You’re welcome, friends.

Today, our very own Professor Drew Daniel is going to be performing as a DJ as part of his band Matmos at an event celebrating David Bowie called Goodnight Major Tom. Goodnight Major Tom will take place at The Crown and will feature DJs such as Ed Schrader of Ed Shrader’s Music Beat, William Cashion of Future Islands and Mark Brown as well. Mark Brown is a Baltimore DJ and video artist. Labyrinth will also be screened at the event. Furthermore, there’s no cover charge, so it’s easy on the wallet.

Ed Schrader’s Music Beat is a rock duo with a noisy and fun sound that is reminiscent of punk. Their music videos are pretty entertaining as well. Future Islands is fairly well-known. They performed at Hampdenfest in 2014. Their most well-known song is probably Seasons (Waiting on You). They are also a Baltimore-based band! We’re in a very musically rich city.

Mark Brown’s videos are easy to find on Vimeo if you want to see them! They tend to be set to electronic music and very often play with psychedelic colors and movement. I imagine his set will feature them prominently; it is pretty typical Crown fare.

Matmos has gained quite a lot of fame in certain circles and has collaborated with artists such as Björk. The duo is originally from San Francisco but has come to rest in Baltimore. The other member of Matmos, M. C. Schmidt, is predominantly an electronic musician. He is a large part of the improvised music festival High Zero here in Baltimore, which I would recommend attending at least once just for the experience even if you don’t enjoy experimental improv. I’m not sure I do but I don’t regret going to it. It’s usually in September at the Baltimore Theater Project.

Now I haven’t actually seen Labyrinth, but I do know it features David Bowie as a goblin king which makes the film worth watching regardless of plot or acting. The event description says that there will be a special presentation of Labyrinth. I’m not sure what that includes but it will probably be a good time.

Whether or not you’re a fan of Bowie, Goodnight Major Tom looks to be a fun distraction from the start of classes as well as a way to remember David Bowie. You may as well enjoy yourself before the semester really gets under way!

If reading this article has made you want to watch a silly video about David Bowie, I would recommend “Bowie’s In Space” by Flight of the Concords. Of course there’s also his music video for “China Girl,” which is both nonsensical and pretty racist.