"Baltimore ROCKS! It's a great song for a great city", Joe Macleod, The City Paper**

 

Baltimore has it all, doesn't it?

 

Great cultural diversity, fine and easygoing weather. All the pleasures of the harbor. It's been called a big city with a small-town charm. Sometimes it seems like Baltimore really does have it all.

but where's its Rock Anthem?!

Make no mistake, "Baltimore, Our Baltimore" is a darn good tune, but can you Karaoke to it? Our great city needs a new song so it can rock on. It's one serious dilemma, and our band, fitehouse, has faced it head on.

 

Proudly, but humbly, we present you the fruits of our labor. It's called simply "Baltimore," and tells the story of a man from the cold climates of the north who finds warmth in our fair city, and love, and a better life all around. The song was crafted with the retro stylings of the glorious "corporate rock" era of the late 70s and injected with a certain je ne sais pas quality that characterizes the music of our new decade, the naughts.

Do your part for Baltimore. Help make this rock anthem a reality. This is a song for all of Baltimore, but without you it might never be heard.

 

THE DEBATE AND CONTROVERSY BEGINS!

FACT SHEET: DEVELOPMENTS IN THE BALTIMORE ROCK ANTHEM DEBATE

Since the debate started in the year 2000, many key developments have taken place:

1) Several prominent politicians went on record as either endorsing the song “ Baltimore ”, or supporting the concept of a rock anthem in general. Among them were (then) Lt. Governor Kathleen Kennedy Townsend, Michael E. Dalton, Assistant Chief of the Fire Department and Barry W. Powell, Deputy Commissioner of the Police Department.

2) Prior to the beginning of the 2001 school year, the Office of Fine Arts of the Baltimore City Public School System requested 300 copies of the Rock Anthem CD for distribution to all Baltimore City music teachers at a professional development session. Fitehouse provided packets including the CD, sheet music and suggested classroom activities.  Edward Plant even prepared a full marching band arrangement of the song! Give it a listen! (And if you know any bands that would like to record it, please get in touch.)

Our rock anthem efforts were celebrated in one of the postcards
sent to 2,700 media contacts as part of our Bomb campaign.

 

3) Mayor Martin O’Malley remained silent on the issue for some time, responding to Fitehouse’s multiple inquiries by indicating that the proposal had been forwarded to a staff person for review. After being pinned down by Baltimore Sun Journalist Todd Richissin, Mayor O’Malley finally went on record as “kind of” liking the song. Though the Mayor thinks the tune is “pretty good,” he has yet to openly endorse it as a possible Official Rock Anthem.

4) Former Sun music critic J.D. Considine evaluated Baltimore as “hack work,” while City Paper author and Schenectady , NY transplant Joe MacLeod slammed the song for being written by non-native Baltimoreans. The latter set off a maelstrom of controversy in the City Paper’s letters-to-the-editor section (check out our response to Joe here). All this caued MacLeod to later make a full, though completely facetious retration of his original position (click here to read his retraction).  Click here for a photo of Joe.

5) In 2001, Fitehouse was invited by local radio stations to make their case for the Rock Anthem on the air. 98 Rock Baltimore dedicated a full 30 minute segment on the program “Wake up call” to explain the controversy surrounding the debate.

6) In 2002, Fitehouse made a presentation to the City Council’s Subcommittee on Economic Development, to explain the Rock Anthem efforts and to call on the council to use a similarly creative approach in its efforts to promote the city. Guitarist Joshua Cohen and Drummer Ellis Baylor were then invited to join the newly created “Better Image for Baltimore” Committee (though it hasn't met yet!)

7) Frustrated by the lack of activity by the City Council, the band decided to take the issue straight to the people. Guitarist Cohen and Drummer Baylor began to make a series of public appearance as the "Anthem Guys" handing out CD singles and anthem fact sheets at various public events and festivals.

8) And perhaps our crowning acheivement...a file was opened up on the Baltimore Rock Anthem in the Maryland Department of the Enoch Pratt Central library in Baltimore, MD! Yes, even if the anthem never receives official recognition from our City Council, future generations will know that we tried really darn hard!

 

LEAN MORE

> Read our official Baltimore launch press release.
> Check out the lyrics.
> Download the MP3 file.
> Listen to Edward's marching band version of the tune! (In Windows media format)
> Check out  the full score to the marching band version.
> Write the mayor and/or councilmembers and ask them to adopt the song as the city's Official Rock Anthem.
> Check out some of the letters folks have sent the mayor already!
> Participate in our Baltimore City Image Survey.
> Request the song on one of Baltimore's rock radio stations.
> Get to know the band fitehouse and continue your journey down the path of rock-n-roll righteousness.

 

**The City Paper's endorsement of the Rock Anthem was made in a completely facetious manner and for that they cannot be forgiven! They let their true (and jaded) colors show when they came down on the wrong side of a very innovative and creative project. For that they have been banned from the Fitehouse propaganda list. Indeed, of the 32,400 postcards that were sent out to the media as part of our Bomb Campaign, not a single one was sent to the City Paper. They will need to find out about the revolution by reading about it in another paper!

 

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