Articles by Ron Stein

Article - Live Music; by Ron Stein - 8/19/10

The New Music City, U.S.A.

Chesapeake Country has long had its own grass-roots music community, but with the rise of local talent combined with the draw of renowned musicians and their loyal fans, Maryland’s capital city is becoming the music capital of the East

These last days of August, you might think you were living in Nashville or Austin, what with the waves of musical talent from near and far rolling onto our shores. From August 19 to 21, the legendary Four Freshmen re-capture the Big Band Era and draw hundreds of fans to Annapolis in the group’s 2010 international convention. The following weekend, the music amps up on the 28th in the first-ever Annapalooza Music and Arts Festival. Organizers hope that the concert grows as big...

Article - Live Music; by Ron Stein - 8/19/10

Questions & Answers with Kenny Liner of The...

The Bridge, from Baltimore, headlines Stage 2 at Annapalooza. The bluesy Baltimore rock band has a strong local following and a relentless touring schedule. Cofounder Kenny Liner adds two distinctive elements to the band: He mimics a beatbox using only his mouth. This hip-hop tactic is unheard of in a rock band. Liner also plays the mandolin, an instrument more common in bluegrass, folk, and country than rock bands.

Q How did you first discover you could beatbox? A In elementary school, I loved the Fat Boys [a 1980s hip-hop group among the first to beatbox]. They were my favorite. I started imitating them when I was about five or six years old. I used to get kicked out of school and class for doing it all the time. It was kind of like a nervous habit. Q What made the group decide to include a mandolin? A Me and Chris started the band,...

Article - Creature Feature; by Ron Stein - 7/29/10

How Are the Oiled Birds Doing?

Leg bands help tell the story

Since April, 1,212 birds have been rescued from the filth spilling out of the Deep Water Horizon rig in the Gulf oil spill. Another 2,188 birds were found dead. Of the survivors, 511 have been released. Over one-third of the birds rescued survived the big spill. But how long will they survive? To answer that question, scientists need help. Maybe even your help — though rescued birds aren’t expected to flock to Chesapeake Country. Nearing the end of its rehabilitation, each bird is...

Article - Creature Feature; by Ron Stein - 7/29/10

This Week’s Creature Feature - How Are the Oiled...

Leg bands help tell the story

Article - News; by Ron Stein - 7/22/10

Summer Sippin’

At Great Grapes Wine Festival, sample wines from around the world or around the corner

Some people collect wine the way that others collect records or baseball cards. This weekend, at the fifth annual International Great Grapes! Wine, Arts & Food Festival, the vinophiles among you get to add to your collection. “The festival is an inexpensive way to taste hundreds of wines right in your own backyard,” said Greg Nivens, president of The Trigger Agency, the event’s promoter in partnership with Mill’s Fine Wine and Spirits of Annapolis. “It...

Article - Ron Stein; , People; by Ron Stein - 7/8/10

Hoop Dreams

Helping his Duke team win the NCAA basketball championship has earned Nolan Smith, of Upper Marlboro, no summer vacation

Only 3.6 seconds remained in the last college basketball game of the season, on April 5, when Butler’s Gordon Hayward grabbed a rebound and sped upcourt. The six-foot-eight Hayward, soon to be a wealthy pro, launched a prayer from 50 feet. Its trajectory held rapt the attention of some 49 million people watching on television — not to mention the thousands in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Would the ball go in to provide a real-life Hoosiers ending for tiny Butler...

Article - News; by Ron Stein - 7/8/10

Hoop Dreams

Helping his Duke team win the NCAA basketball championship has earned Nolan Smith, of Upper Marlboro, no summer vacation

A Bay Weekly exclusive Only 3.6 seconds remained in the last college basketball game of the season, on April 5, when Butler’s Gordon Hayward grabbed a rebound and sped upcourt. The six-foot-eight Hayward, soon to be a wealthy pro, launched a prayer from 50 feet. Its trajectory held rapt the attention of some 49 million people watching on television — not to mention the thousands in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Indiana. Would the ball go in to provide a real-life...

Article - News; by Ron Stein - 7/8/10

Hoop Dreams

Helping his Duke team win the NCAA basketball championship has earned Nolan Smith, of Upper Marlboro, no summer vacation