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Fortune Teller

Audiophilia!

About Me

Recently, Rock Star Journalism interviewed the remaining original members of Fortune Teller, not to mention found old archived polaroid photos of the band playing live! You can click the banner below to check out what the guys had to say about their origins, adventures, and 1968:
Reviews Of Inner-City Scream:"Between George Brigman's quiet genius and Fortune Teller's monumental Inner-City Scream LP from 1978, 70's Baltimore seemed like a serious place to be. John Waters may have to fork over his throne as Maryland's King of the Wasteland." -Allison Wisk of Dusted Magazine
"Here's a Maryland mystery that was long believed to be a 60s garage LP, due to a "1968" copyright year on the cover, and music inside that seemed to confirm this date. The incongruous band photo pointed towards a much later era, and "1978" is usually accepted as the actual release year today. This background indicates the timeless nature of Fortune Teller's music, which is stripped down basement rock, completely devoid of any hippie dreams or rock star postures. Like George Brigman's classic "Jungle rot" album from the same time and place, a sense of urban despair and working class in survival-mode persists, and again like Brigman, "Inner City Scream" could be claimed by both garage, hard-rock and 70s punk fans. There's even a dose of dynamite 60s acid-punk on "Looking glass world". Lost-in-time albums from the mid-1970s are seeing plenty of interest currently, and within that non-genre Fortune Teller offers a unique and stark glimpse of an unglamorous Baltimore reality. In line with its overall nature, the "Inner City Scream" production quality is low-budget to the extreme." - Ugly Things Magazine
The original pressing of 500 albums are out there somewhere! We are looking for your story! Let us know how and where you procured your copy!

The Cult Of Enlightened Mystics I'm Kali, and I'm an original Baltimorean owner. I've never even opened this copy!
Patrick: from Stockholm, Sweden! "I bought this from a record dealer here in Europe some years back. Prior to that, I had a CD-R copy of the album. I first learned of "Inner City Scream" back in the 1990s."

My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 4/29/2008
Band Members: Danny Amburn - Lead Guitar
Rob Sines - Vocals
Brent Hamrick - Bass Guitar
John Holt - Guitar, Vocals
Joe Klimas - Bass Guitar
Mark Beyder (Deceased)- Cheap Drums - Hubcaps and Trash Can Lids
Bob Wells (Deceased)- Rhythm & 12 String - Original Issue Rickenbackers
Influences: British Invasion and Rock'n'Roll of the era.
Sounds Like: "Raw 70s garage rock with a rough urban edge as hinted by the title; obvious influence from late 60s Stones but with the macho posturing replaced by a bleak blue collar outlook that gives it a realistic presence, not unlike the rootsier tracks on Rayne. Minimalist and concise, devoid of any hippie dreams, very appealing in its honesty. Imagine the guys in Clap after a week of hard factory shifts, or Boa's older Viet Vet brothers. Killer 60s garage-psych moves on "Looking Glass World" is a highpoint with fuzz-lead and bass runs straight out of "Psychedelic Disaster Whirl"; a couple of tracks show a more sensitive melodic side that works well too. A mysterious "1968" date on the sleeve and label had people thinking the LP was from the late 60s, an indication of its timeless nature. May appeal to fans of 70s punk/DIY. Originals all through I think. Judging from this and the George Brigman LP, Baltimore was a pretty heavy place in the late 1970s. [PL] ~~~ This album exists in a time warp. It’s from the midst of the first punk era, but sounds genuinely 60s garage the way no neo-garage band ever did. The fuzz guitars are everpresent, and the songs are pure garage pop and garage rock, rocking hard without ever sounding remotely “hard rock.” The sound is as cheap as can be, which only accentuates the coolness of the fuzz. Despite some awkward singing, there are a lot of catchy melodies here, and I can imagine that Baltimorians who discovered “Nuggets” in the late 70s went nuts over this band. A few songs flirt with rural rock, but basically it’s teen-sounding angst, just as cool as their punk peers. [AM]" - Patrick Lundborg of Acid Archives
Record Label: RMT
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

The Back Beat

Fortune Teller is currently looking for a drummer. Please respond to [email protected].
Posted by Fortune Teller on Thu, 11 Sep 2008 04:53:00 PST

Looking into the Future

Fortune Teller has decided to reunite! They are back in the studio rehearsing and writing new material! They are looking forward to working together again, and playing again live in the coming month...
Posted by Fortune Teller on Fri, 27 Jun 2008 10:46:00 PST

the world loses

it is a sad day now that we are without Bo Diddley to continue to enrich our lives.
Posted by Fortune Teller on Mon, 02 Jun 2008 01:33:00 PST

frank zappa was an artist

lithuania has given the city of baltimore's art commission a bust of frank zappa to be displayed in downtown baltimore since this is the birthplace of the influential artist. pictures will follow when...
Posted by Fortune Teller on Fri, 09 May 2008 06:11:00 PST