Music Monitor CONVENTION!!!!

This past weekend Music Monitor Network hosted their "Noise in the Basement" convention in Baltimore. Representing the retail front for Doghouse, Emily and I attended and had a blast! Friday we met with other independent labels and record stores that participate with the Music Monitor Coalition to discuss the industry and all the exciting new releases to look forward to in 2008.

Later that afternoon, Baltimore natives All Time Low on Hopeless Records put on a very energetic in-store performance at Sound Garden. The store was packed!! That evening, after enjoying the fine dining and atmosphere of Baltimore’s Inner Harbor scene, we attended the Friday evening showcase hosted by Music Monitor at Fletchers featuring Serena Ryder, The Hint and Tears of Mars. Thanks goes out to Bryan from Sound Garden for being such a gracious host! He also owns Fletchers and hooked us up....

We also got to check out the Aesop Rock show at Ottobar with Jon from Graywhale Records. Talk about a cool dude!! We had so much fun! The trip was wrapped up with a charity softball game the next day between the Music Monitor crew and the Charm City Cakes crew. The "industry players” were victorious over the cake makers 4-1!!! It was a pretty funny game to watch....The ball game was also being filmed for the Food Network’s show Ace of Cakes. Look for the episode in October. Charm City Cakes also provided all the participants with a special cake for the event.

Check out these photos of the awesome cake and winning softball game participants.....

Thanks to Music Monitor, a great coalition for independent stores for putting on such a great event, more specifically Michael Kurtz and Carrie Colliton. We had so much fun hanging with everyone!!