So we’re going to see Strike Anywhere at the Ottobar tonight. Sounds pretty normal, except that we’re not actually going to see Strike Anywhere. Oh we’ll stand there and watch them. We’ll probably even sing along a little. What we mean to say is that even though...

You read that headline right, Choppers. The Dating Game is at the Ottobar tonight. Not some obscure touring indie rock band called the Dating Game, but, you know, a homegrown version of the old seventies TV show. Their website is short on specifics, but presumably a handful of moderately...

If you ask any punk in town, ‘What’s going on at the Ottobar tonight?’ they’d tell you ‘Reagan Youth, Duh.’ That’s not the right answer though. Well, It’s technically the right answer, but it’s not the best show going on in that particular...

It’s Super Art Fight night again at the Ottobar. Once again, there’s nothing we can tell you here that hasn’t already been said over on their very thorough and entertaining blog. They’ve got more inside baseball stuff over there than the actual Inside Baseball. Check it...

There’s no doubt about it, Baltimore- America is officially in decline. The Republicans are stealing and pillaging as fast as they can. Nobody has a job to go to, and it doesn’t matter because gas is $4 a gallon and the kids are more interested in cocaine and shitty dance music...

We haven’t made it out to a Super Art Fight yet. We’re overdue. Way overdue. It’s been our understanding that it gets bigger, better, and badass-er with each installment, so with the approach of their 9th battle, it’s safe to say that it’s going to be the best one...

So, Halloween is pretty much here. Like today. Like right now. You may think that Halloween falls on Sunday, and that that’s totally lame, but for all intents and purposes, it’s really a blessing in disguise for fans of the holiday. A blessing from the Devil maybe. A super secret...

Well, if tonight’s show is anything, it’s proof that we’re out of touch. Almost cool. You might think we have our finger on the pulse of the scene, but we do not. We have it up our nose. We went ahead and bought a ticket for tonight’s Greg Dulli show in advance since we...

When Tim Barry played with Drag the River at Fletcher’s on Memorial Day Weekend of 2008, it was easily the best show in the history of that venue, and one of the best Baltimore shows of the decade. This is no hyperbole. The crowd consisted entirely of a who’s-who of local record...

What’s important to you Baltimore? Is watching the World Cup really very important? Is it of grave urgency that you wear funny wigs and feather boas and drink in the street this weekend? How about stealing back the foursquare mayorship of some bar? Is that crucial? Tonight something...

You’re going to this show tonight Baltimore. Of course you are. It’s a no-brainer. It’s more than a no-brainer, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity. Seriously. Maybe the Chop’s not as cool as we used to be, but it seems like Surfer Blood came out of nowhere and...

We were very, very looking forward to seeing Leatherface at the Ottobar tonight (scroll down), but late breaking word on the street is that their visas were denied by the US customs and border protections. Long story short, they’re not playing tonight and shit’s fucked up. (For the...

With the British parliamentary elections taking up headlines the past few days, you’ve probably heard a lot about the special relationship enjoyed between our two countries. Aside from sounding slightly suggestive and covering intelligence, economics, and military power, the special...

Malcolm X was once asked what he thought of Socialism. His response; “Is it good for black people?” It’s a simple, yet very profound sentiment. The Buzzcocks are playing the Ottobar this Wednesday. The Chop will not be in attendance. We’ve already been very clear about...

There are scores of reasons to boycott Wal-Mart. Listing them all here would be very near impossible. But if you care at all for human rights, make no mistake, Wal-Mart treats it’s employees like slaves; Literally locking them in the store overnight, collecting on ‘dead...

It’s a big old Saturday night in Baltimore, and the Chop in on the scene-uh, like a sex machine-uh. Much as we regret it, we can’t make it down to the Roller Derby tonight, but instead we’re going to stay uptown and make appearances at two other events. First we’re...

What’s that Baltimore? You hate Mondays and you worked really hard all day and those reports are due and that meeting was a snoozer and the intern is incompetent and all you want to do is flop down on the couch and eat chocolate Cheerios for dinner and pass out? Well, forget it. The Chop...

It’s always been true of the Chop that we’re either late to the party or a very early adopter. In the case of the Thermals, it was the latter. Your Chop got the inside word on the Thermals back in 2002 because of our pre-existing love affair with Kind of Like Spitting. We were...

Yes Baltimore, you read that headline correctly. It’s one of those ideas that’s so simple, and so simply brilliant, that we don’t really need to explain it in much detail. You know what the Ottobar is, and you know what Chatroulette is. One sets up a ginormous 80 inch screen...

Yep. We did crap out yesterday. Watched cartoons and did laundry and built bookshelves. A typical Sunday, we suppose. And its a good thing too, cause now we’re all rested up and ready to have our ears exploded. That’s right kids… back to the Ottobar tonight for Darkest Hour...

The Chop will admit it. We were late to the party this time. We remember hearing that they were getting up a roller derby league at the Fullerton Skateland and thinking That’s fucking awesome! It’s like a punk rock show on wheels! Unfortunately, that was around the same time we...

Here it is… We’re disappointed that there still seems to be no on-the-ground citywide organizing effort to stop the WalMart PUD, even though it’s already been shown that there is citywide interest in such organizing, as demonstrated on Facebook. After the somewhat embarassing...

Well Baltimore, you finally came through for us on a Sunday. The Chop was content to spend Sundays at home, waxing philosophical and drinking wine on the balcony, but yeah, we’d rather go out. And we wouldn’t miss this one. Pedro the Lion is playing the Ottobar tonight. Okay,...

We should all be lucky enough to live in Remington. Seriously. Its a nice little spot, and the Chop came very close to moving there when we were doing our house buying. We’re right at home in the friendly confines of the Dizz, Papermoon, the Ottobar, etc. What’s more, we remember...