One of the annoying things about attending cool-kid art openings and indie-rock shows is the lack of laughter. People say clever things, sure. But cleverness doesn't make anybody laugh. What is everybody afraid of? How about a big, satisfying gut laugh every now and again? It's not going to invalidate the integrity of the art on the walls! The music won't become less cool! The Baltimore arts collective
Wham City appears to have figured this out. In addition to engendering a fertile, fun-loving music scene that includes electronic-music whiz kid Dan Deacon and sunny synth-pop act Future Islands, Wham City has birthed a pretty damn funny comedy troupe. (Google "Drinking Out of Cups" for an idea of the free-flowing aesthetic.) The crew stops at the Paragraph Gallery (23 East 12th Street, 816-221-5115) at 7 p.m. to present what it describes as its "bat-shit variety show," which includes standup, performance art and whatever the hell else they feel like doing. Laughing is encouraged.
— David Hudnall
816-221-5115
