Let It Go keep popping up on shows I work at Charm City Art Space, so I’ve had a number of opportunities to see this quartet really progress over the past year.  I hear a lot of Strike Anywhere in their songs; driving songs and emotive vocals.  Mark my words: L.I.G. will be the next local punk/hardcore band to make their name on the national scene, following in the luminous steps of Ruiner, Double Dagger, Pianos Become The Teeth and Pulling Teeth.

The ongoing hiatus of Deep Sleep, one of my favorite Baltimore bands ever, is a sensitive matter for me.  Yet each of the members continue to turn out great music separately, whether it’s Nick with Kent State & Suspect, or Mike & Darick with the Jons & Paper Dragons.  My favorite of the post-DS bands is WarXgames, Tony’s new project with Aaron (ex-Oak), Evan (Mindset) & Brian (ex-the Pist).  It reminds me of a number of extreme 80’s hardcore bands (GISM, Infest, Septic Death) and is equally at home in a youth crew lineup, a crust show or with a Youth Attack band.  There are cassettes of their demo floating around town, and you can always stop by Celebrated Summer Records to beg Tony to make you a copy.

2) Charm Offensive

There’s a tendency in hardcore to glom onto a few templates built over the past 30 years: Black Flag, Minor Threat, Youth of Today, 7 Seconds.  Charm Offensive throws that out the window, and draws inspiration from bands like Reagan Youth (an early cover subject) and the Faith.  Blazing, smirking hardcore featuring horror maven Chris LaMartina on vocals.

I won’t pretend to have my finger on the greater scene pulse here in Baltimore.  Most of the time, my finger is firmly up my nose, listening to something that will not hit a publicist’s radar, much less make a Best Of for most people.

But every once in a while, I’m privy to what I think is some fine shit.  And here are a bunch of bands that are going to do great things & play great shows in 2013.  With a few exceptions, these bands will release their first recordings in 2013.  See them early, see them often, wear your earplugs: you ain’t getting any younger, punk!

If you had told me in January that, by December, the band I would have seen the most by year’s end would be Mitch Roemer’s new band, I would have told you to shit in your hat.  Yet here we are, and I’ve fallen in love with Old Lines over the past twelve months.  Their new 12” (self-released) is everything you want in a heavy band: loud, crushing, political, yet hooky.  Matt Taylor’s vocals are mind-blowing; the lyrics, expansive.  I’d be shocked if they don’t show up on a lot of folks’ Best Of next year.