The oldest of Baltimore's festivals is the one that caps off the festival season each year. The Fells Point Fun Festival is held annually during the first weekend of October. It is a massive event, enveloping several blocks of Broadway and nearly all of Thames St. There are three stages providing entertainment, one at either end of Thames St, and a Latino stage on Broadway at the northern edge of the festival. The WHFS/Budweiser stage at Thames and Bond St. presented a seemingly endless parade of indistinguishable and rather loud rock bands. There were a few that stood out from the rest however, and we present some photos of them below The first band that caught our attention was Can't Hang. These guys rocked, but with a reggae beat. They played cleanly without any frills and were a welcome relief from the ear shattering acts that both proceded and followed them.

Another act that deviated from the norm was Suzi, a five piece local band that features a pair of female vocalists. Comparing favorably with such big-time performers as Paula Cole, Lisa Loeb or Shawn Colvin, they played a set of very melodic original songs, some ballads, some that rocked. The lead singer, not named Suzi, has an excellent voice, perfectly complemented by the backup vocalist, and the band was tight as could be. Another pleasant surprise!

Equally impressive was a D.C. area band called the Lloyd Dobler Effect. Just as there is no Suzi, there is no Lloyd Dobler in the band. They are named after a character in a movie. Their progressive brand of rock is very rhythmic, reminiscent of the Dave Matthews Band. Their good natured approach to their performace was well received by those gathered to watch.

Baltimore's most popular reggae band Jah Works brought their show to Fells Point to close out Saturday's schedule. They have a considerable following in the region and the faithful were out in full force this evening. They played a very lively set, performing their original material, often mixing in snippets of other artists' tunes with their own. These guys have been around for years and we have seen them numerous times. They never fail to put on an excellent show.

While the WHFS stage is located in a large parking lot, the Harvest Garden stage has a more bucolic setting. Situated in a small tree lined park at the corner of Thames and Wolfe St, it provides a welcome bit of shade to the festival goer. It also offers a more eclectic selection of entertainment. You will find blues, jazz and a more esoteric form of alternative rock than at the other end of the festival. Arguably Baltimore's most accomplished guitarist, Carl Filipiak brought his fusion combo to the park for a bit of morning music. They played an extended set that had the audience spellbound. He ran through a jazzy selection of his own compositions that concluded with a special treat...a couple of Hendrix tunes and an impressive take on the Beatles "Day In The Life". If you get the chance to see this guy play, don't miss it. His version of "Little Wing" is awsome!

Proof that all alternative rock bands do not depend on volume to present their music effectively was Ocean. Their moody guitar driven songs had plenty of melody, while still maintaining an edge. It was not by coincidence that they found themselves on this stage.

Probably the most unique musical act to appear at this year's festival was Big Blow And The Bushwackers. These guys are tough to categorize, containing elements as diverse as the Chieftains, Moxy Fruvous and Leon Redbone. Staying mostly in a Celtic vein, they ran through a succession of quirky, humorous ditties, changing instruments as often as they changed musical styles. They were a satisfying way to end the weekend's festivities.

We couldn't leave without saying a few words about the Latino Stage. This has been a part of the festival for the past few years in recognition of the sizable Latino population in Upper Fells Point/Lower Highlandtown. While we find it laudable that these fine folks have been provided a venue to showcase their rich musical culture, we are puzzled that all of the presentations have been confined to traditional musical forms. The Latino community has been in place long enough to have spawned at least one contemporary band. Latinos have long been right in the middle of rock music's evolution, going back to Ritchie Valens, through Question Mark and the Mysterians and Sam the Sham and the Pharoahs, through Carlos Santana and Joe King Carasco, through Los Lobos and the Blazers. Isn't it about time that they entered into the local rock hierarchy? After all this is Fells Point. When we scanned the schedule for the Latino stage, we figured that our best bet might be Patrick Alban y Noche Latina. The program described them as "Acoustic rock with a Latin Beat". As we were taking these pictures, the band was playing "Guantanamera". While they were excellent musicians, this was the closest they got to a rock song. Point taken!

Finally, as somewhat of an afterthought, we present what we found to be somewhat of a microcosm of eveything that we had seen and heard the past six months. The Karaoke contest was taking place in front of Crabby Dick's on Broadway Sunday afternoon. We happened by several times and stopped briefly each time we passed to take in some of the local flavor. While the level of talent ran the gamut, the personalites of the contestants were consistantly Baltimorean. While we only were able to witness a handful of the performances, we saw enough to realize that this was the center of the universe that is Baltimore. Here is a representative selection of the folks who participated. Mr USA was the first up. He was a true maverick. Not only did he sing his own composition, but he did it a capella. Joseph tried to be first up, but had to told to wait until his name was called. Fortunately for all (especially Joseph), he was called second. Evidently still mourning the death of John Lennon he gave a heartfelt if somewhat shaky rendition of "Imagine". On our next pass, we saw Nancy perform a breezy pop song. The name of the song escapes us. Nancy was cute, bubbly, confident and obviously enjoying the moment. She sang pretty well too. We left the karaoke contest for good after seeing Mark Johnson perform. We never learned who won the contest, but we bet this guy did. This guy was tremendous. He had a voice as smooth as silk and a delivery as cool as the other side of the pillow. He sounded like Sinatra in his prime. Someone with a penchant for jazz should build a band around this guy. He is that good. Are you out there Scott Cunningham?