Baltimore's experimental bands

The Death Set

Members: Johnny Siera, Beau Velasco

The members of The Death Set aren't native sons, but relocated to Baltimore from Sydney, Australia. Adapting the Baltimore spazz sound to a lo-fi punk aesthetic, The Death Set creates heavily distorted songs that are never menacing or off-putting due to the group's simplicity and lack of recording studio tricks. Plus, Death Set incorporates old-school Casio keyboards, instantly making them cool for combining vintage equipment with a modern distaste for traditional musical assignments. Supremely energetic live shows, and that long-lost sense of having a good time creating music, have made The Death Set one of the most exciting bands in Charm City. Punk rock for the Internet age (Siera is credited with "writing, guitars, production" and "irresponsibility" on the band's MySpace page), The Death Set is a manic, thrashing machine that will have you spazzing out and shouting along with the vocals—even when you can't make out all the words. 

Level of experimentation: 4, for successfully updating the standard '80s hardcore sound

Web site: www.myspace.com/thedeathset