Ingrid!

Ok, so that's actually Mat. THIS is Ingrid:

And no, I didn't take the Ingrid photo. But I can't believe that this tiny, grainy cell phone photo of Mat is all the proof I have of being there! My sister-in-law and two neighbor friends went to a Mat Kearney/Ingrid Michaelson concert in Baltimore last weekend and it was a BLAST!! I guess I wasn't planning on blogging about it, plus it's hard to get a good photo (on anything, let alone a blackberry) at a dark concert. Just...take my word for it!! Mat was really great, but Ingrid was amazing! If you like the singer/songwriter style of music, check them both out. They will NOT disappoint! And if you get a chance to see them live, I even recommend that more highly. (And since the concert, I've found out that Mat is a diehard Christian...which makes him more appealing to me!)

I'd been wanting to go to a small-venue concert for awhile. I hate those enormous, stadium-style maniac concerts. And this was perfect! One main thing I noticed was how GOOD they both sounded live. I've been to a lot of concerts and it's a lot of times disappointing because they either sound terrible, the acoustics are bad, or they're lip-syncing. Not the case with either of these folks. The acoustics at Ram's Head were amazing, and so were their live - not lip-synced - vocals.

Since the concert, I've checked out some more in downtown Baltimore. They actually have some really great, non-stadium-style concerts, especially in the summer. Ram's Head is a lot like House of Blues in Chicago. There are some great upcoming acts there. They also have a seasonal outdoor venue, Pier 6, that has some, what look to be, good acts on the agenda. You can check out Ram's Head here, and Pier 6 Pavilion here. Ben Harper and Heart are even coming! (Not together!) Despite my husband's complaints about the city, I think Baltimore is a pretty cool place. It's true I might not want to live there, but it's a cool place to live a short drive away from.

Oh...and one more great thing about our night was dinner! I have to tell you about this. Via Center'd in Baltimore on Twitter, I came across several Restaurant.com gift certificates to some cute little places in town. ($25 for $10!) I took a complete shot in the dark when I ordered the gift card. I had NO idea what kind of restaurant this was, but I was feeling adventurous. Based on the website it looked pretty cool, but you never know. The photos could have been 20 years old! Plus, I had no idea where in the city the place was. I mean, I could see it on the map, but had no idea what kind of neighborhood it was. I ended up ordering a gift certificate to a little place called Maisy's. It was in a great neighborhood, not far from the Inner Harbor, and the restaurant itself was FANTASTIC!! I dim, quiet little place, it looked fairly new. Trendy decor and friendly staff. The menu didn't have gourmet selections, but it had interesting little pasta, salad, and sandwich selections for very reasonable prices! I got the "Powerhouse" sandwich, which was a bunch of yummy veggies on some thick, yummy bread! Also...best part...all bottles of wine are $20! Sure...they're bottles that cost like $7 in the liquor store, but when you're out, a $20 bottle is a good deal! It was a beautiful evening and we sat by the windows in front, which were open to let the air in. I think with the gift certificate we each ended up spending about $16 including tip! I highly recommend a visit to Maisy's. It's a great place for a casual first date, a night out with the ladies, or even a weekend dinner with your spouse if you're looking for good food, nice atmosphere, without the financial guilt!! Here's their Restaurant.com page where you can also get your handy little gift card! Enjoy! And get to Baltimore!

PS: I found out about both of these artists on Pandora Radio. If you don't know wonderful, amazing, Pandora and you're a music lover (even if you're not), your life is not complete. You can enter a song, artist or album, and they create a station based on that style. You can add variety to stations, pick genres, well...I'll just let you experience the awesomeness for yourself!