Release the Gowns: An Album Release Show is an interdisciplinary theatrical and musical variety show. The concept of Release the Gowns departs the standard album release show format, which typically includes an opening act followed by a featured headlining act debuting songs from a new album. In Outcalls' production, each of the 11 songs from their latest record, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (2022) are presented alongside 11 staged scenes and threaded together by choreography, spoken dialogue, and monologues performed by Britt and Melissa. Mounted by an all-woman production team at The Voxel theater in Baltimore, Release the Gowns was performed for a sold-out crowd and extended for a second performance in May 2022.

Upon entering the theater lobby, spectators encounter several mannequins dressed in an array of gowns and outfits previously donned by Outcalls - almost as if they are in a museum viewing precious artifacts. Once seated, the audience has time to take in the various stations on stage: a sleek chrome 1960s dinette set in one corner, two beach chairs spraypainted with gold glitter downstage, a bandstand center stage with a backdrop of silver curtains flowing from floor to ceiling, and a mysteriously giant cake in the stage right corner. The 65-minute seated show is a collection of staged vignettes combined with Outcalls' music and the various gifts of a woman-led creative team.  

PRODUCTION TEAM
Music & Lyrics: Outcalls
Script: Jessica Garrett
Director: Genevieve de Mahy
Sound Engineer: Natasha Tylea
Choreographer: RoVo Monty
Set Design: Lisi Stoessel
Lighting Design: Lillie Kahkonen
Stage Manager: Jennifer Smith

CAST/ORCHESTRA
BOE - Britt Olsen-Ecker
MW - Melissa Wimbish
STAGE BOY - Sean Brennan
A MAN - Melody Easton 

Melissa Wimbish, vox
Britt Olsen-Ecker, vox & keyboards
Christie Macdonald, guitar
Kevin Powe Jr., bass
Melody Easton, bass 
Justin Kruger, drums & bass
Charles Wilson, drums 

Outcalls' third studio album, Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (2022) is a response to former Recording Academy president Neil Portnow’s infamous statement in 2018 implying that women needed to “step up” if they wanted equal representation in the music industry. The 11-track album by writing team Britt Olsen-Ecker and Melissa Wimbish is a showcase of woman-fronted collaboration and was released on February 4, 2022. The original working title Stepping Up (a snub to Portnow) was abandoned in favor of the bolder Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. "Naming our third album Greatest Hits was our way of dressing for the job we want," says Wimbish.

The compilation includes songs written by Wimbish and Olsen-Ecker between 2016 and 2021. It is a timeless showcase of their songwriting range. Unlike previous EPs -  recorded in a matter of days at one studio - Greatest Hits was created in multiple studios, including the team's individual home studios, over a span of three years. Becoming leaders in the production and engineering aspects of their work has been a consistent talking point for Outcalls; this timeline allowed them to focus on other aspects of the recording process. "Developing our recording engineering language is critical to our longevity in this industry as women," says Olsen-Ecker. "Greatest Hits is a pivotal album for us because we took greater charge of our demo-making and were able to make the best use of our time when we got to the studio." The duo greatly expanded their roster of studio musicians and collaborative producers, resulting in a palette of genre-fluid pop made in Baltimore.

From Baltimore Magazine: 
"Both classically trained opera singers, the dynamic duo has forged a sound all its own, with lush, robust, baroque pop melodies showcasing the wonders of the human voice. It’s undoubtedly that vocal power, heard through hushed golden harmonies, soaring crescendos, and soprano let-her-rips, that garnered them a 2021 Baker Artist Award.

Pair that with energetic synth, groovy bass lines, an infectiously theatrical stage presence that makes you want to don sequins and dance—and the outcome is undeniable. Best of all, their songs celebrate womanhood and smash the patriarchy, with lyrics that grapple with everything from romantic relationships to motherhood to misogyny within the music industry.

This throughline shines on their new full-length compilation album—an impressive collection of 11 tracks culled from Olsen-Ecker and Wimbish’s decade of collaboration. Come for fan favorites like 2018’s funkadelic 'Keep Falling Over,' 2019’s anthemic 'Stay,' and a beautiful bare-bones take on 2017’s title-track 'No King.' Stick around for stunners like the ethereal “Everything”—perhaps our favorite Outcalls song yet—and the outright fun 'Vitamin D,' featuring beloved local rapper Kotic Couture."

TRACK LIST
Love To Fight 
Call Sometime
Thots & Prayers
Vitamin D featuring Kotic Couture
Mother
Keep Falling Over
Everything
Stay
Get To You from the CRISIS Motion Picture Soundtrack
Gatekeeper

“In a series of interwoven storylines: a drug trafficker arranges a multi-cartel Fentanyl smuggling operation; an architect recovering from an Oxycodone addiction tracks down the truth behind her son’s disappearance; a university professor battles unexpected revelations about his employer, a pharmaceutical company bringing a new ‘non-addictive’ painkiller to market.” (Deadline)

Director Nicholas Jarecki’s dramatic thriller, Crisis, features the song “Get To You” which was written and performed by Outcalls specifically for the film. Britt and Melissa were tasked with creating a track in the style of Brill Building pop, a term popularized in the 1960s that refers to a subgenre of teen idol and girl group songs.

“Get To You” was recorded at Moose House Studios in Baltimore and engineered by Mathew Oral. Distributed by the indie film upstart Quiver, the movie starring Gary Oldman, Evangeline Lilly, Armie Hammer, and Lily-Rose Depp premiered in theaters nationwide on February 26, 2021. This was followed by a digital and on-demand release March 5, 2021. 

August 2018: EXPAND THE FAM TOUR
March 2019: GOIN' DOWN SOUTH TOUR
August 2019: THE BREAKFAST TOUR
October 2019: NOTHING WILL GO WRONG TOUR
October 2023: SCORPIO TOUR

Research, routing, venue booking, promotion, travel arrangements, and fundraising was done entirely in-house by Britt Olsen-Ecker and Melissa Wimbish to promote Outcalls' music catalogue and gain knowledge of best procedural practices for large scale tour management. Tour-related expenses were completely funded by merchandise sales, donations, and Outcalls, LLC wages.

EXPAND THE FAM (2018)
8/9: One Longfellow Square (Portland, Maine)
8/10: The Columbus Theatre (Providence, Rhode Island)
8/11: Midway Cafe (Boston, Massachusetts)
8/12: The Skinny Pancake (Burlington, Vermont)
8/15:  The Cavern (Toronto, Ontario)
8/16: Revolution Gallery (Buffalo, New York)
8/17: Bar L'entre Nous (Montreal, Quebec) 
8/18: C'mon Everybody (Brooklyn, New York) 
8/20: ShopRite (Wilmington, Delaware)
8/21: The Smiling Moose (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania)
8/22: Jilly's Music Bar (Akron, Ohio)
8/23: Milkboy (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)
8/24: The 8x10 (Baltimore, Maryland)

GOIN' DOWN SOUTH (2019)
3/22: The Lazy Bee (Berea, Ohio)
3/23: Spot Tavern (Lafayette, Indiana)
3/24: Urban Artifact (Cincinnati, Ohio)
3/25: Bellarmine University (Louisville, Kentucky)
3/27: Siberia Lounge (New Orleans, Louisiana)
3/28: The Attic at the Blind Mule (Mobile, Alabama)
3/29: Jade Fox & Co. (Atlanta, Georgia)

THE BREAKFAST TOUR  (2019)
8/10: The Alchemist (Stowe, VT)
8/11: Funk N' Waffles (Syracuse, NY)
8/13: The Skinny Pancake (Burlington, VT)
8/14: Bella Luna & The Milky Way Lounge (Boston, MA)
8/16: Young and Grumpy Studios (Brooklyn, NY)
8/17: C'mon Everybody (Brooklyn, NY)

NOTHING WILL GO WRONG (2019)
10/5: T-Bar Social Club (June Lake, CA)
10/7: Harvard & Stone (Los Angeles, CA)
10/8: Puffers of Pismo (Pismo Beach, CA)
10/9: Santa Clara University (Santa Clara, CA)
10/10: MilkBar (San Francisco, CA)
10/11: Shine Cafe (Sacramento, CA)

SCORPIO TOUR, A parlor series (2023)
10/22: Private Residence (Baltimore, MD)
10/24: Minimum Wage Recording Studios (Richmond, VA)
10/25: Private Residence (Washington, DC)
10/27: Young & Grumpy Studios (Brooklyn, NY)
10/28: Troy Music Room (Troy, NY)
10/29: Private Residence (Annapolis, MD)

Outcalls self-released their second EP, No King, to critical acclaim in September 2017. The title track catapulted the vocal duo onto the local arts scene with credits from every major Baltimore publication including The Baltimore Sun's "30 Songs that defined 2017," Baltimore Magazine’s "Best Music of 2017" and the "Big Baltimore Playlist," as well as features in Baltimore Beat, Brightest Young Things (DC), and Johns Hopkins University's The Hub. In 2019, the EP was discovered by celebrity astrologist Chani Nicholas who featured several of the tracks on her Cosmic Playlist Series. 

Outcalls was the recipient of a Baltimore Alternative Music Award from 89.7 WTMD for Best Vocal Performance ("No King"). They were ranked #6 in WTMD's Top 89 Songs of 2017 ("No King"). On the Spotify platform alone, the EP's six tracks have a combined streaming of over 200,000 plays.

"Opening with a staccato synthesizer line, the dramatic 'No King' blooms into a tale of betrayal and revenge sung through lush, layered vocals." -Wesley Case, The Baltimore Sun

"Witchy, somewhat tribal, and even a little bit dusty old Spaghetti Western, 'Skip to Sunrise' has become one of our top songs of the year." -Baltimore Magazine

"Holiday Ex-Lover" (2022)
"Love To Fight" (2021)
"Stay" Official Music Video (2020)
"No King" Live Acoustic (2020)
"Sebben, Crudele" (2020)
Reyka Vodka Commercial (2020) 
Maryland Department of Agriculture Commercial (2020)
"Pillcauzbee" Official Music Video (2019)
"Skip to Sunrise" Official Music Video (2017)

"Holiday Ex-Lover" Official Music Video (2022)
Outcalls was selected by DC-based opera company UrbanArias to write and record an original holiday song and corresponding music video. The video stars Britt and Melissa as themselves as well as each other's old flames, with a guest appearance by MCW Pro Wrestling Heavyweight Champion, Rob Locke. Black-and-white film represents present day with flashback storytelling filmed in color. The song opens with Melissa reminscing about her "ex-Italian lover" and how they met on Christmas Day; Britt tells Melissa about her lover, Avi with whom she shared a dance on the first night of Hanukkah. "Holiday Ex-Lover" is a charming holiday earworm that remembers in fondness "the one that got away." 

"Love To Fight" Official Music Video (2021)
Soulful vocals, sequins, and shadowy synths. "Love To Fight" is a collaboration with Baltimore artist Micah E. Wood and the opening track of Greatest Hits, Vol. 1. The Studio 54-inspired music video was shot, edited, and directed by Eric Wright Jr. and Jabari Jefferson of Mass Comm Guru Productions. Set at Baltimore's beloved music venue Ottobar, "Love To Fight" is choreographed by RoVo Monty with appearances by Kevin Powe Jr. (bass) and Charles Wilson (drums).

"Stay" Official Music Video (2020)
Produced by Outcalls and UMBERTO LEE, "Stay" stars Britt and Melissa as sword-fighting seekers of revenge. After Britt's boyfriend (portrayed by her real-life husband, Elliott Rauh) forgets her birthday, the two women decide that he must answer for his crime. Shot in the Harwood and Mt. Vernon neighborhoods of Baltimore, the film features epic cityscapes, fight choreography by weapons expert Lewis Shaw, and a 1984 Mercedes-Benz 300D freshly detailed by the fine folks at WashWorks on Howard Street.

“Stay” promises to be another hit among the duo’s feminist canon with a story familiar to all of us: Failed romance and the petty grudges which resurface during the throes of a breakup. Moments of silence and sparse accompaniment are used throughout the piece in order to showcase natural vocal quality and lyrical content. A lilting ballad melts into the soulful, pulsating chorus with the addition of bass guitar and kick drum. By the second verse, a rhythmic "about face" dials into an unrelenting vocal patter. This work highlights the duo's knack for drama and willingness to defy pop formulas in order to present the best story.

"No King" Live Acoustic (2020)
The results of the 2016 election were devastating for millions of people, especially women, all over the world. Outcalls wrote "No King" during this period of unrest and anger leading up to the election of twice-impeached president, Donald J. Trump. After seven years performing the song live, it has become an Outcalls mantra for standing up to the status quo.

In November 2020, the group was invited to perform for Baltimore's The Real News Network as part of their Election Night coverage. This live version of "No King" was designed, filmed, and edited by Outcalls. 

"Sebben, Crudele" (2020)
The Pleiades Project is an NYC-based artist collective whose mission is to promote and develop the work of female-identifying artists. Their video project, 24, is adapted from a famous collection of 24 Baroque tunes which are often assigned as first songs to beginning voice students. Many singers end up despising the collection because of its constant use, but this project is meant to reimagine the work as a vehicle for contemporary women’s stories. At the conclusion of this series, The Pleiades Project will have showcased the diverse work of 30 female artists, including singers, directors, editors, choreographers, and fine artists. 

“Sebben, Crudele” by Outcalls is part of the fifth season of 24. With their contribution, Britt and Melissa meant to parody a typical conservatory musician experience. Inspired by the overwhelming number of video meetings and online learning platforms as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, the setting is the first day of voice performance class taking place via Zoom. In this episode, when Britt and Melissa each forget to prepare a song for class, they turn their cameras off, mute their microphones, and throw together a version of Antonio Caldara’s “Sebben, Crudele” which leaves their colleagues shaking with envy. The video features Michael Maliakel who is currently the star of Disney's Aladdin on Broadway.

Reyka Vodka Commercial (2020) & Maryland Department of Agriculture Commercial (2020)
Since March 2020 when COVID-19 was declared a global pandemic, most live music events in Baltimore have been relegated to online and outdoor gatherings. WTMD Radio was one of the first organizations to announce a virtual summer concert series to be streamed on Facebook Live. They invited Outcalls to create commercials for their July and September Virtual First Thursdays sponsored by Reyka Vodka and the Maryland Department of Agriculture. Both commercials were directed, written, filmed, scored, and edited by Outcalls.

"Pillcauzbee" Official Music Video (2019)
"Pillcauzbee" is a soulful, trance-pop ballad that depicts the excitement of a night out followed by the terror of being drugged and unable to move. The victim challenges their accuser with the words, "Here's a question for your heart: Did you leave with what you wanted?"

Multimedia artist and experimental animator Oona Taper led creative direction and animation for "Pillcauzbee." Aesthetically, the animated video uses mixed media with primary figures created in ink, then color-inverted to produce white lines on black background. Additional textures and patterns combine vivid colors in pastel, paint and digital forms as well as 2D paper stop-motion puppets. 

"Skip to Sunrise" Official Music Video (2017)
Like an operatic ensemble number, "Skip to Sunrise" overlaps two different vocal melodies and sparse lyrical phrases to express individual thoughts on the same event. Vocal polyphony is juxtaposed with sections of unison singing to illustrate both the confusion and moments of clarity within a volatile relationship. A reoccuring melisma, sung in unison by both voices at the end of every polyphonic phrase, functions as a chorus throughout the piece. 

Conceptualized by Baltimore writer, playwright, and director Lola B. Pierson, the music video is a collection of experiments in light manipulation, facial expression, and movement. In one frame, ignited sparklers trace the letters "O-U-T-C-A-L-L-S" in an otherwise completely dark room. In another, Wimbish and Olsen-Ecker perform classic Meyerhold movement etudes donning sequin gowns under a red spotlight. These elements of random, experimental theatre combined with imaginatively lit shots and post-production effects by Skyler Jenkins make for a transfixing video debut.