World Cafe® Celebrates Baltimore’s Rich Music Scene
In Latest Installment of Their “Sense of Place” Series
Airing Nationwide Starting January 26
Through February 3
An Inside Look at Baltimore’s Best New Music and the Baltimore Club Scene, Plus Exclusive Interviews with Dan Deacon, Future Islands, Beach House and more
Dan Deacon and Raina Douris
(Photos Courtesy of World Café)
January 22, 2025: On Monday, January 26, public radio’s leading music program World Cafe® will kick off the latest installment in their “Sense of Place” series with seven episodes exploring the city of Baltimore. From January 26 through February 3, the nationally-syndicated program will feature exclusive interviews and performances with a range of Baltimore-centric artists including Animal Collective, Dan Deacon, Beach House, Future Islands, and more. The event is a momentous celebration of the city’s music scene, sharing its unique sounds and stories on the national stage.
When asked about the latest installment, Host Raina Douris said “Baltimore deserves a lot more attention. As far as East Coast cities go, it can often be overshadowed by bigger places like New York or DC. But, as we discovered during our new Sense of Place: Baltimore series, there’s a certain underdog spirit that fuels the creation of strange, beautiful art in this city. And there’s a freedom that comes from operating slightly under the radar, that lets artists here take big swings: From the electronic music of composer Dan Deacon, to the gloriously gory and silly (and ambitious!) handmade productions of BROS (the Baltimore Rock Opera Society), to the seminal sounds of Baltimore Club music.”
Listeners in the greater Baltimore area can tune into World Cafe on WTMD 89.7FM. The show is also broadcast on over 300 radio stations across the United States. Check local listings for times or visit www.worldcafe.org for more information.
Past installments in the World Cafe “Sense of Place” series have most recently profiled Boston, Denver, Fort Collins, and Provo in the US, and Rome, Montreal, and Tokyo internationally. All previous episodes can be found HERE.
“Sense of Place: Baltimore” Schedule:
Monday, January 26 – Encore: Future Islands From 03.06.24 With Stephen Kallao: Explore the deeply personal origins of the iconic band’s latest album and hear them reflect on the 10 year anniversary of their breakout performance on The Late Show with David Letterman.
Tuesday, January 27 – Top 5 Up And Coming Bands With WTMD’s Izzi Bavis with Raina Douris: There are a wide variety of genres thriving in Baltimore, and Izzi Bavis of WTMD proves just how diverse the music scene is, in only 5 songs, with cuts from some of Baltimore’s greatest new talent.
Wednesday, January 28 – Patrick Staso of The Baltimore Rock Opera Society with Raina Douris: Since 2007, the Baltimore Rock Opera Society, or BROS, has been staging utterly weird and totally original productions on everything from sentient robots to aliens and dancing rats. BROS’ executive director Patrick Staso explains why Baltimore was the perfect place for BROS to thrive.
Thursday, January 29 – Encore: Beach House From 02.19.10 With David Dye: Revisit the indie-pop powerhouse’s 2010 interview (including an exclusive World Cafe live version of their popular song “Zebra”) and celebrate their contributions to the Baltimore indie scene.
Friday, January 30 – Dan Deacon with Raina Douris: Hear from one of Baltimore’s most innovative artists, taking electronic music to new heights. From indie musician to making music for a Francis Ford Coppola film and HBO’s Task, Dan Deacon has had an extremely varied career as a musician. He shares what initially drew him to Baltimore over 20 years ago, how a mysterious email from Coppola led him from indie music to film composition, and why he is so glad he continues to make music as a part of the Baltimore community.
Monday, February 2 – Encore: Animal Collective from 07.25.22 With Stephen Kallao: Hear the legendary band’s dynamic World Cafe performance and learn more about the making of their most accessible album to date.
Tuesday, February 3 – Baltimore Club Music – Abdu Ali and Megan “Ducky Dynamo” Buster with Raina Douris: Discover two of Baltimore’s most intriguing interdisciplinary artists in back-to-back interviews. Abdu Ali started sneaking into The Paradox club as a young teen and from the moment they started dancing there, they knew they had found their home. Abdu Ali reflects on what makes Baltimore Club music so special and how they hoped to draw a wider community together through their music and Kahlon series of parties. DJ Ducky – Meagan Buster, better known as DJ Ducky Dynamo, calls herself an “evangelist” of Baltimore club – she talks about how she went from listening to Baltimore club on the radio to becoming one of the genre’s fiercest advocates.
