Top 89 Songs of 2007 Countdown

#1.Feist-1234
#2.The Shins-Australia
#3.Sea Wolf-You're A Wolf
#4.Brandi Carlile-The Story
#5.Amy Winehouse-Rehab
#6.Arcade Fire-Keep The Car Runnin
#7.Band Of Horses-Is There A Ghost
#8.Ryan Adams-Two
#9.Wilco-Impossible Germany
#10.Avett Brothers-Die Die Die
#11.Arcade Fire-No Cars Go
#12.The Decemberists-The Perfect Crime # 2
#13.Modest Mouse-We Missed The Boat
#14.White Stripes-Icky Thump
#15.Spoon-Underdog
#16.Bruce Springsteen-Radio Nowhere
#17.Iron & Wine-Boy With A Coin
#18.The White Stripes-Rag & Bone
#19.Grace Potter & The Nocturnals-Ah Mary
#20.John Doe-The Golden State
#21.Modest Mouse-Dashboard
#22.Regina Spektor-Better
#23.The Shins-Phantom Limb
#24.Travis-Closer
#25.Brett Dennen-She's Mine
#26. Damien Rice - 9 Crimes
#27. LCD Soundsystem - North American Scum
#28. Kings Of Leon - On Call
#29. Lily Allen - Smile
#30. Rogue Wave - Lake Michigan
#31. Eddie Vedder - Hard Sun
#32. KT Tunstall - Hold On
#33. Peter Bjorn & John - Young Folks
#34. Sara Bareilles - Love Song
#35. They Might Be Giants - The Mesopotamians
#36. Flight of the Conchords - Business Time
#37. Lucinda Williams - Are You Alright?
#38. Robert Plant & Alison Krauss - Gone Gone Gone
#39. Wilco - What Light
#40. Bob Dylan + Mark Ronson - Most Likely You Go Your Way And I'lll Go Mine
#41. Cold War Kids - Hospital Beds
#42. Augie March - One Crowded Hour
#43. Dr. Dog - Worst Trip
#44. Okkervil River - Our Life Is Not A Movie Or Maybe
#45. Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings - 100 Days, 100 Nights
#46. Wilco - Walken
#47. Ben Harper - In The Color
#48. Ben Kweller - Penny on the Train Track
#49. Josh Ritter - Right Moves
#50. Tegan & Sara - Back In Your Head
#51. Gary B and the Notions - Lori
#52. Radiohead - Bodysnatchers
#53. Soulsavers - Revival
#54. Bruce Springsteen - Girls in their Summer Clothes
#55. Fountains of Wayne - Someone To Love
#56. Kings Of Leon - Ragoo
#57. VHS or Beta - Can't Believe A Single Word
#58. Bright Eyes - Four Winds
#59. Cat Empire - Sly
#60. Feist - I Feel It All
#61. John Butler Trio - Better Than
#62. Mark Ronson featuring Amy Winehouse - Valerie
#63. Radiohead - 15 Steps
#64. Rilo Kiley - The Moneymaker
#65. Tim Armstrong - Into Action
#66. ALO -Maria
#67. Feist - My Moon My Man
#68. Marc Cohn - Listening To Levon
#69. Sarah Borges & The Broken Singles - Stop And Think It Over
#70. Steve Earle w. Forro in the Dark - City of Immigrants
#71. The Fratellis - Flathead
#72. Jonatha Brooke - Careful What You Wish For
#73. Neil Young - Spirit Road
#74. Patty Griffin - Heavenly Day
#75. Ryan Adams - Everybody Knows
#76. Kooks - Naive
#77. Tori Amos - Big Wheel
#78. Arctic Monkeys- Fluorescent Adolecnece
#79. Caleb Stine and the Brakemen- Come Back Home
#80. Carbon/Silicon- The News
#81. The Cat Empire- The Car Song
#82. Glen Hansard/Marketa Irglova- Falling Slowly
#83. Kaiser Chiefs- Ruby
#84. LCD Soundsystem- All My Friends
#85. Lilly Allen- LDN
#86. Ryan Shaw- Do the 45
#87. Brandi Carlile- Turpentine
#88. David Gray - You're The World To Me
#89. Interpol - The Heinrich Maneuver

Merry Christmas from James Walsh (Starsailor)

A Little Holiday Cheer from James Walsh of Starsailor

My Buddy And Me

On this, the day we learned Dan Fogelberg sadly passed away, I thought I'd pass on a new artist who, like Dan, may have been unfairly pigeonholed into some sort of "soft-rock" category- but has so much more depth than that. Actually, BUDDY, as he calls himself, is a native Oregonian who does, proudly, I assume, call his music "Wimpycore." With a sincere, Ben Gibbard-like voice and extremely infectious lo-fi indie melodies, BUDDY is part of that Hotel Cafe crowd in LA (Cary Brothers, Ian Ball, etc) and is truly an artist to watch in 2008 (all you have to do is hear SALT POINT from his '05 EP- just try getting it out of your head). He recently put out his first full length, ALTERATIONS AND REPAIRS. Thanks to my "buddies" for turning me on to...BUDDY.

Remembering Dan Fogelberg

Dan Became The Symbol For Easy Listening Pop In The Late 70's,Early 80's. But His Roots Was The Singer-songwriter Movement Of The Early 70's And He Had Some Great
Songs. "Sounvenirs" As A Release Of Note.

From The 80's Windows And Walls Here's "The Language Of Love"

Tegan's Top 10 Songs of 2007 and Why

The New Pornographers - Challengers
This is a great record. I listened to it in my bunk in Europe this summer night after night.
My favorite lyric is " no matter the mess you are, you're mine okay". Breaks my heart.

Jim Ward - Quiet EP
I honestly believe Jim is a genius. His voice gives me goose bumps. "I find it hard to turn you off when you're not here". Probably sums up my past addict behavior better than even I could.

The National - Boxer
I love every song on this record. I was so late on the National. I feel intense guilt about this. I intend on being a super fan to make up for it.

The Blow - Paper Television
True Affection and Parentheses are two of my favorites off this record. Genius. Sweet in a way I can't ever possibly be.
I listen and pretend I'm someone different.

Northern State - Can I Keep This Pen?
We've been touring around North America with Northern State for months now. I asked them to tour with us specifically because I think this record is so important. I think they are 3 of the most talented women in our business. They put on a great show and they made one of the strongest offerings of 07 in my humble opinion.

Bonde do Role - With Lazers
I saw a special on these guys up in Canada. They have great energy and I think this is an amazing first record.

Against Me - New Wave
I am a huge stalker fan of this band. I love this record. Not just because I sang on it and Butch Vig produced but because
I think Tom is an amazing writer. One of a kind. He's going to change our generation.

Bat For Lashes - Fur and Gold
This record haunted me this summer. The song Prescilla would get stuck in my head for days on end. It drove me absolutely nuts. In a good way.

The Killers - Sam's Town
I don't know if this came out in 07. But if it didn't...it should have. I listen to this record daily.

Junior Boys - So this is goodbye
Same goes for Junior Boys so this is goodbye. I'm pretty sure I was late to this party too. But I love them.
I love this record. It gives me stomach pains. It is so the record we listened to every night on the way home from the studio when we were making the con.

Grace Potter Submits Her Top 10 Albums of All Time

James Brown, 'Sex Machine'

The Band, 'The Basement Tapes'

Bob Dylan, 'Blood on the Tracks

Rolling Stones, 'Sticky Fingers'

Led Zeppelin, 'Led Zeppelin IV'

Neil Young and Crazy Horse, 'Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere"

The Who, 'Who's Next'

George Harrison, All Things Must Pass'

Radiohead, 'The Bends'

Gillian Welch and David Rawlings, 'Time the Revelator'

Umphrey's McGee's Top 10 Albums of All Time

Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon

Beatles - White Album

Guns N Roses - Appetite For Destruction

Queen - A Night at the Opera

Stevie Wonder - Innervisions

King Crimson - Discipline

Beatles - Sgt. Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band

Radiohead - OK Computer

Led Zeppelin - Led Zeppelin II

Miles Davis - Bitches Brew

Cast your ballot for the 897 Greatest Albums of All Time Countdown!

Mat Kearney's Top 10 Albums of All Time

U2 - Joshua Tree

Johnny Cash - American Recordings

Beatles - Revolver

Bruce Springsteen - Born to Run

Paul Simon - Graceland

A Tribe Called Quest - Low End Theory

The Beach Boys - Pet Sounds

Emmylou Harris - Wrecking ball

Travis - The Man Who

Bob Dylan - The Freewheelin

Cast your ballot for the 897 Greatest Albums of All Time Countdown!

Led Zeppelin Reunites

And the first clips are in! Miss the show? Expect to see the official DVD sometime next year.

Remembering Rick Danko

Rick Danko Passed In His Sleep On This Day In 1999, A Day After His 56th Birthday

From The Last Waltz, It Makes No Difference




From A 1999 Preformance In Chicago, The Weight

Twisted Christmas Vegas-Style From The Killers

I dare you NOT to laugh at this one! In what is fast becoming an annual tradition, THE KILLERS have put out another holiday song with a twist. This one, DON'T SHOOT ME SANTA, is their second holiday download single- it benefits Bono's RED CAMPAIGN.

So, have a laugh for a good cause and be sure and check out one of the most hilarious moments in music videos I've ever seen (It has something to do with a very young Santa)!



...and this is a first for me: a video segue! The Killers' tune reminded me quite a bit of this one from The Alan Parsons Project. Enjoy!

Who is the Hottest Musical Couple of the Year?

...If you answered Robert Plant and Alison Krauss, you could be right. No doubt, their connection on RAISING SAND is one of the greatest musical surprise moments of the year.

But, to take that kind of chemistry a step further, the two that truly do it for me are Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova. It all started with the movie ONCE in which they starred as busking musicians on the streets of Dublin. Then it just exploded when they released a cover of Dylan's YOU AIN'T GOING NOWHERE from the I'M NOT THERE SOUNDTRACK. Glen and Marketa stirred up the ghosts of Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris for me....from that California country era that brought rock and roll and country together.

The Frames frontman and the Czech songbird and multi-instrumentalist exude something more than just chemical when they harmonize. There's something, well, kind of sexy going on when you see them onstage...or in the case below, when they heat up the Colorado snow at Sundance. So check it out and melt away!



p.s. It now seems the two are dating. I never would have guessed ;)

A New Take on Music Videos features TMD Artists

Coming back to Baltimore from NYC this weekend I was handed a magazine by the person next to me, Nylon Guys. While flipping through articles I came across an article on Vincent Moon, a filmmaker who is "reinventing the music video" artists include, R.E.M., Cold War Kids, the Kooks and Arcade Fire.

Moon is putting out a DVD The Take Away Shows, with these music videos and more. If you're in the store and see the Nylon Guys magazine, give it a read, it's worth it.

"In The Take Away Shows Moon has also crashed restaurants with Beirut, rolled through a warehouse with Cold War Kids, and serenaded school girls with the Kooks in the streets of Paris" (Mallory Rice, Nylon Guys).

Catch the Arcade Fire Segment here, a great part starts at 03:50, for more details check out The Take Away Shows Website

U2 - Stars...

that like to be seen! Just 2 weeks back Bono was out talking about the song from Joshua Tree that they just finished.
NOW, he and The Edge going to a small intimate space to play a 20 minute acoustic set. Last week's show was for The Little Noise Sessions from London's Union Chapel.
Too cool not to take a look - here's 'Desire' from the gig.

Keep The Fires Burning For Joe Strummer

It was a real nice surprise over the weekend to find the Julien Temple-directed documentary Joe Strummer: The Future is Unwritten playing in my cable on demand movie section.

The film has only been in limited theatrical release in the US since early this month and I don't believe it has come to Baltimore yet. It should, though.

I just have to tell you how profoundly moved I was by the story of how Joe, son of an Indian immigrant father and Scottish Highlands mum, truly felt for people and their plights (just hear STRAIGHT TO HELL). From his days as the leader of a squatter movement in London (and the formation of his first band The 101'ers) to his post-Clash days creating campfire communities, Joe forever wanted to be in touch with people and spread the news as he did in The Clash. Scenes of collaboartors and fans who sit and strum at campfires around the world in the film to share stories of Joe, I think, are some of the best movie moments this year.

Speaking of "The News," Joe found kindred spirits in musicians who spread street-level information, be it indigenous musicians from Latin America or rap reporters from the streets of New York.

Check out the trailer for the film and an appearance by the Clash on the Tom Snyder show from Sandinista! era 1981...and fire up the fires for Joe sometime and write your own future.

What does Caroline Kennedy and Neil Diamond have in common?

In my daily quest to find bizarre and interesting things going on in the music world, I stumbled upon Neil Diamond. For me, "Sweet Caroline" is a fond memory of late night bar music. For Diamond, "Sweet Caroline" is an ode to President Kennedy's daughter, Caroline. Who woulda thunk it?

When you're spending time with your loved ones or your in-laws this holiday weekend, lighten up the mood with this interesting fact, see what you and your nephews and nieces or cousins have in common with musical taste. I always liked talking more about music then how "well" school was going.

Neil is currently working on a new album with producer Rick Rubin and is saying it's the best one to date.

Happy Turkey Day, Don't forget to wave all five fingers at the nice lady who cuts you off on the way to the mall Friday!

Dab Your Eyes For Godley and Creme

Melissa just played "Cry" by Dan Wilson, and it immediately triggered instant recall for a video that was groundbreaking at the time. Kevin Godley and Lol Creme came to fame in the 70's with 10cc ("I'm Not In Love"). But, it wasn't until they split and became a duo that they truly made their mark on music.

They got into directing videos in the early 80's that were artful, alluring and innovative (The Police "Every Breath You Take" and "Wrapped Around Your Finger," Duran Duran "Girls On Film," Herbie Hancock's "Rockit").

But what later became a music video staple (or cliche', depending on how you look at it), was their own 1985 video for "Cry." The video featured faces blending into each other using "analog cross-fading"- that later evolved into a digital effect known as "morphing." Michael Jackson used it for his "Black and White" video and you can see the technique pretty much all the time in ads or even corporate presentations.

In addition to all that, the song was pretty groovy too. See if this video doesn't make you, umm...cry? And be on the lookout for Gonzo and see if you can spy any other celebs!

Two From Tuesday - 11-13-07

Notes From The New Release Show:

Today's post is an Off The Beaten Track approach to the new music of the week. Let's jump right in.

On the new, unfamiliar and edgy side of the show is a band from Down Under. They are Operator Please who are from, you guessed it, Australia. Gold Coast, Queensland to be more precise. They have fun punk pop sound as you can tell from their latest single “Zero Zero.” Right now this tune is only available to us here in the US via I-tunes Australia. Yes, you can switch your I-tunes store home. The possibilities are endless. I’ll go broke one song at a time. The new album, out next week is called YES YES VINDICTIVE.

“Marilyn Monroe” is the latest single from Walrus. They are a dirty little garage band also out of Australia. They are more simplistic in their description: “Walrus is a rock band…we play rock music.” That’s pretty straightforward. They have a new Double A Side Single with Funky Monkey/Marilyn Monroe. Both songs are available for download on their myspace page, which is myspace.com/walrusrock. I happened to like the latter tune and played “Marilyn Monroe.”

I will not be on next Tuesday...WTMD will be broadcasting Towson Men's Basketball. I will however listen and review what we get in this week, so I will be able to share with you on next week's blog. Until then...

The Felice Brothers

The Felice Brothers Where One Of The Openers For Bright Eyes Recently.
I Enjoyed Them Quite A Bit.

Here's "Ballad Of Lou The Welterweight"


And "I'm Saved"


Also "Frankie's Gun "


Here's Their Website http://www.myspace.com/thefelicebrothers

New Track From U2

So it's been 20 years since U2 released the classic album The Joshua Tree.
They'll be giving it the deluxe treatment to re-release it next week. And I found a little gem when searching for details.
Take a look as Bono introduces a song that was salvaged from those original recordings.



The song is titled Wave Of Sorrow and it has the heart of U2 in mind, but I'd love to hear form U2 fans...
Do you think this newly finished song could stand next to the tracks on The Joshua Tree?

Two From Tuesday

Notes From The New Release Show

Two bands from last night's show I thought needed another mention:

Well, let’s get things kicked off with a new disc from John Ralston. John was forced into a solo career when his former band, Legends Of The Rodeo, met their demise because of a Label Split. John ended up with no contract, no label and no outlet for his music. His luck changed upon meeting a production engineer, Michael Seamen, and they began working together in Seaman’s Tennessee home studio. The end product is the album SORRY VAMPIRE. It’s a lush collection of finely penned tunes including the one I played last night, “I Guess I Wasted My Summer Now.”

Let’s keep things moving here with the first full-length release from the Dutch Band, Racoon. The CD is titled ANOTHER DAY and was released in Europe last year and they are searching for new life here in the states. They struck a distribution deal with the Red Eye label; they handle Paul Weller, and have a transatlantic tour scheduled with the Lemonheads starting this December. It’s a pleasant little album and has the Gin Blossoms written all over it, in a good way. I ended up playing the quasi-title track “Lose Another Day.”

See you next Tuesday - TK

U2 Surrender All at Red Rocks

Last night's awful Ravens game in Pittsburgh was matched equally only by the awful weather. It was pouring sheets of rain and fog shrouded Heinz Field. But, trying to look at the glass half full despite the pitiful outcome for my favorite football team, last night's weather coupled with a rabid crowd got me to thinking about my favorite live album of all time, UNDER A BLOOD RED SKY.

Fog and a cold rain enveloped Red Rocks Amphitheater on June 5, 1983, the day four Irish lads took the stage amidst lighted torches and an eager crowd, and blasted out one of the most passionate performances ever recorded in rock and roll history. In fact Rolling Stone named U2's Red Rock performance as one of the "50 Moments That Changed Rock and Roll."

Though, only two of the songs taped at Red Rocks actually made the album, the video of the show captured U2 at the cusp of being something way more than four guys banging on instruments. Plus, it gave us the Bono Mullet.

What's the scariest "song" of all time?

When I was a kid, my friend and I used to open up my bedroom window and crank The Beatles' "Revolution 9" on Halloween. Didn't need any typical haunted house music to frighten the trick or treaters and certainly the "Monster Mash" was best left for the dance floor.

No, the "tale" of the alleged death of Paul McCartney (most debunked urban legend of all time, but the Beatles had fun messing with us just the same- AND thanks to that, we have Death Cab For Cutie) from a car accident scared us out of our wits! My hair still stands up when I hear the train conductor from hell, emphatically announcing, "number nine, number nine, number nine." Of course, what he's really saying backwards is "turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man, turn me on dead man." I think the sound of ghoulish car horn and the fire are the worst parts for me.

I mean, any song that supposedly inspired Charles Manson has got to be THE scariest song of all time. So if you want a good Halloween scare, check out this video of reversed REVOLUTION NINE with subtitles. Be sure to turn out the lights!

Bob Dylan Sets a New DVD for Release

October 30th, it's a jam packed new music Tuesday, including the soundtrack to I'm Not There. Bobby D just announced that he'll be releasing The Other Side of the Mirror: Bob Dylan Live at the Newport Folk Festival 1963-1965 on that day as well.

Mr. Dylan was at Merriweather Post last month and put on a great performance, although I have to admit it was hard to get into him after a smoking warm up form Amos Lee and Elvis Costello. Dylan did however play a great rendition of Simple Twist of Fate, Blowin In The Wind and other Dylan Classics.

Can't wait til Tuesday? It's Mr. Tambourine Man Live from 1964, those were the days...

Mark Lanegan Revives Souls

Not probably since BITTERSWEET SYMPHONY by The Verve has a song come out that has the power to move in a spiritual, life-affirming way (or even to, perhaps, rev up a sports team) than REVIVAL by SOULSAVERS.

The UK duo of producer/remixers of Rich Machin and Ian Glover have put together movie scores and helped out bands like Starsailor put finishing touches on tunes.

But, on their second album, IT'S NOT HOW FAR YOU FALL, IT'S THE WAY YOU LAND, they enlist the help of Screaming Trees vocalist Mark Lanegan. He adds a powerful, weather-worn presence to a song that sounds like what would happen if you injected the Talking Head's ROAD TO NOWHERE, with a double drony dose of gospel and soul.

I haven't been able to stop thinking about this song for the past couple of weeks. See and hear why and then put this on your I-Pod, jog and see what kind of effect this song has on you!

Juliana Hatfield

Talked With My Friend Ann Last Night And We Were Talking Of The Show 120 Minutes.
She Brought Up Juliana Hatfield. So Here's Some Memories.



Jon & Juliana In 94

Grace Potter Live @ The 8x10

It's Our Cd Of the Month. "This Is Somewhere" Wtmd.Org For Details

Halloween...

It's right around the corner and dressing up is always cause for celebration, even if it happens to be as a monster rather than in a gown.

But why, you might ask, am I bringing this up in a music blog? Well, I was turned on to a new side project of Jackie Greene 's called Skinny Singers. It features the California singer-songwriter teaming up with Tim Bluhm of The Mother Hips. The collaboration is soulful and bluesy AND has incredible cover art!


I think Superhero costumes are a great idea for Halloween or any time! Hope it gets you in the mood and thinking about what to dress up as for the holiday.

And, while you're thinking, what's YOUR favorite Halloween inspired album cover?

Remember The Sweater?

With the crispness in the air, the reemergence of long sleeve clothes and football, my thoughts return to high school and things I just didn't get very well at the time. I go back to a song that had a pretty hip beat, some witty lyrics- and kind of a spacey, Laurie Anderson-like spoken word delivery. Mostly for me, though, Meryn Cadell's THE SWEATER helped me tap into what girls may have been thinking at the time, and that, gee, they too suffered angst and were mortified by things that went wrong when it came time to trying to impress the opposite sex. However, my confusion may have been confounded, once I learned "her" back story. Bongo Beat Records recently re-released the very excellent ANGEL FOOD FOR THOUGHT. Enjoy the flashback!

Attention Bruce and Arcade Fire Fans!

Bruce played in Ottawa last night and the crowd got a great surprise! Win Butler and Regine Chassagne jumped on stage for a couple of songs. Arcade Fire had just finished up a show in NYC the weekend before. Bruce often has a few special guests on his tours here and there so now, of course, it's time to speculate who might jump on stage at the Verizon Center Shows next month. Hmmmm....Do you think Al Gore can carry a tune all the way through Dancing in the Dark! :)

Bruce Stringsteen and Arcade Fire - State trooper
Uploaded by trendwhore

The Gentle Waves

Isobel Campbell's New Project (Belle & Sebastian Fame)

Oasis and Jamiroquai follow Radiohead's lead

By now I'm sure you've heard that you can purchase Radiohead's new album online for as much as you're willing to spend. Well Oasis and Jamiraquai just announced that they will be doing something very similar, providing the album for free digital download. Following these announcements page views skyrocketed on the websites. (What a great way to grab attention of the public)

If you're like me, you are wondering where am I going to pay more for getting this free music? Well the bands plan on making their money in concert tickets and other merchandise, afterall this is where bands make their loot these days.

Another issue brought up in this idea of free downloading is CD sales have plummeted and it's not that necessary for a band to be backed by a record label if they can produce their own cd, release it free on the internet then tour and make a lot of money doing so. Cut out the middle man. I'm starting to like this idea...more bands might jump on this trend, meaning we can enjoy music at home and on our iPods and all that good stuff and then go see them live knowing what we are supporting.

Let's see what happens, in the mean time enjoy this new video from Oasis, Lord Don't Slow Me Down

Celebration - Sweet Gloom Baltimore Style

Dark, apocalyptic and cryptic, CELEBRATION paints music that might make Bauhaus, PJ Harvey and TV On The Radio fans, well, celebrate! In fact, David Sitek, of TV on The Radio produced one their earlier albums and assisted them in hooking up with the infamous 4AD records.

The husband and wife team of vocalist/percussionist Katrina Ford and multi-instrumentalist Sean Antanaitis front the band that....get this....is from right here in Baltimore! They'll be back in the area to play a show at DC's Rock and Roll Hotel Oct. 24th.

Their new album THE MODERN TRIBE add in a little gospel, jazz and more melody to their wild instrumentation. TVOTR and Nick Zinner of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs lend guest support. Check out the carnival organ swirl on this tune, EVERGREEN.

Clapton Gets Ready To Release Autobiography/CD Compilation

On October 9th Eric Clapton releases his life in a book and in a 36 song compilation of CD's. Being a people person I'm excited to dive into the life of Clapton, if you are interested in Clapton as well or even if you are not enjoy this emotion filled trailer. The CD/Book compilation not only goes into details about the musical world of Clapton but hits on his personal life as well including his drug and alcohol issues, the death of his son and his failed marriage. Should be a good read and listen.

Has Clapton impacted your life? How So?

Tokyo Police Club With Maple Leaf

Just wanted to let you in on this quirky, Canadian indie band that's had the festival circuit buzzing this year. They've also shared the stage with Cold War Kids- and even sat in with them for a performance of St. John at the 930 Club. TOKYO POLICE CLUB recently inked a deal with Conner Oberst's Saddle Creek Records. Check out the claymation on "Cheer It On", from Tokyo Police Club...



Tokyo Police Club- Cheer It On

When Rock Stars Get Political

I haven't finished watching the whole Bruce Springsteen concert from the Today Show yet. I'm finding watching it in pieces extends the Bruce-phoria a bit!.

But I came accross this part of it on You Tube and it sparked an often debated subject in my home with some of my friends. Muscians using the stage to make political statements. For me, I think most music is political and makes social comments. I don't see the difference between singing about your beliefs from the stage and talking about them from the stage. After all, if you disagree or don't think politics and music mix, no one twisted your arm to buy the ticket or listen to the music. With Bruce, you know what you're getting.

Many of my friends disagree, saying that they are paying for the music and not the commentary. The artist should respect that and just sing, letting the music speak for itself.

I think the public is most surprised when the artist making the statement isn't known for politically themed music. I think that is one element that contributed to the Dixie Chicks' debacle; Few expected it.

What do you think?

Here is what Bruce said on the Today Show:

The Sundays Take A Few Too Many Off

I am so ready for THE SUNDAYS to come out of retirement! The band, made up principally of jangly, Johnny Marr-esque David Gavurin and the angel-kissed voice of Harriett Wheeler, pretty much have been on an indefinite hiatus since the release of Static and Silence in 1997- and for good reason, I suppose, as David and Harriett chose to devote their life to raising their two children. Understandable, but lots of devotees miss those dreamy, ethereal songs from Reading, Writing and Arithmetic, Blind and Static and, for certain, would welcome a comeback with open hearts.

Now, while Harriett and David have kept mum for ten years, bassist Paul Brindley has been quite vocal, when it comes to issues facing the digital music world. In fact, he co-founded the industry publication Music Ally AND he served in former Prime Minister Tony Blair's cabinet.

So, the bat signal is out: The Sundays- please, please record and tour again. I'm sure we can arrange some babysitting!

Baltimore Unsigned Video Footage

Our Guest this past monday evening was local veteran musician E. Joseph. E.joseph is the nom de plume of songwriter Ed Neenan, founder/co-founder of bands such as Fiction Bridge, Sunday Cannons, 360 Loose, Bunny and Von Stella. Hes also been a touring and studio "gun for hire" for major indie label power-poppers Splitsville and Mryacle Brah. While driving his various band projects throughout the late 80s and most of the 90s, Neenan supported many noteworthy and musically influential touring artists from The Church, The Lucy Show and The Connells to Throwing Muses, The Soup Dragons, Dumptruck, Tommy Keene, and The Judy Bats. Albeit a bit less pop in nature, e.joseph delves into somewhat more introspective themes in songs like Low Flying Aircraft, The Necessary Evil, and Aint Life Grand? Recorded and co-produced at Invisible Sound Studios with Dave Nachodsky, "Absinthe Minded" is at its sonic best when e and studio band members Joe Klompus (Jack Drag, Blake Hazzard) and Dave Buckner (Rocket Transfer Warehouse) lift the songs out of alt-folkdom and make a valid case for a strong mid-tempo rock recording that deserves an engaged listen. Here is a little video footage shot in the WTMD Studio by David Daniel, This is a song called Antenna.

Dee Dee Ramone

Remembering The Ramones Bassist On What Would Have Been His 55th Birthday.
Simply Great Rock N Roll.

The Teenage Prayers Find Heavenly Help

Check out this exciting band out of New York known for combining meaty, hedonistic rock, sprinkling it with a lot of soul…and adding something mystical to the mix…-- the kind of music Elvis would swivel his hips to, make Morrisson stick out his tongue with glee and inspire Solomon Burke to give up his crown as King of Rock and Soul. Well, maybe not give up the crown, but at least The Teenage Prayers borrowed it for a time- Solomon was so impressed with a performance by the Prayers, that he invited the band to record with him! Pretty royal stuff!

The Teenage Prayers have a new album due out soon….and they got a pretty big name to help them make it: Steve Wynn of the Dream Syndicate.

Watch the softer of side of the Teenage Prayers with this duet with Quincy Coleman (covering Buck Owens' "Crying Time.")

A Wonder Summer's Night

I feel SO lucky! I got to see Stevie Wonder last night and it was incredible, inspiring & electric. You could feel all the joy from the audience to the stage and in return an unforgettable show.
With massive applause from the moment he stepped on-stage, the crowd would erupt into more as Wonder played so many classic tracks over the span of the 3 hour NON-Stop show at Pier 6 Pavilion.
On a tour that was put together to Wonder's specifications in a matter of weeks, Baltimore was one of 14 cities chosen for the first tour the timeless pianist had undertaken in more than a decade.

Some lasting memories from this Stevie Wonder show:
*A Country-fied version of 'Signed, Sealed, Delivered'- with audience
participation
*Wonder climbing up on top of his piano to the surprise of not only the
audience, but also his manager and crew who ran over to help him as he sang an
entire song on top of a baby grand piano!
*Hearing 'Living for the City' into 'Master Blaster'

Keeping my fingers crossed that Wonder keeps the pledge he made last night to come back to Baltimore for 2 nights.

Did you miss the sold-out show last night? Well here is a video of what Stevie's been up to during this once in a lifetime tour, this clip is from Lake Tahoe.

Wendel Patrick and Salim

The guys did some video in the WTMD studios when they came in for Baltimore Unsigned.

Okkervil River- A Compelling Mystery

What do you get when you combine the anthemic grandeur of the Arcade Fire, with vivid, mysterious songwriting that brings to mind John Roderick (of the Long Winters) and a voice that recalls the attitude of Rhett Miller? It might sound something like Will Sheff and OKKERVIL RIVER- a band from New Hampshire that now calls Austin, TX home.

Lou Reed is a big fan of this clever band- you've gotta check out their tune "Plus One," which makes reference to numerical songs like "99 Luftbaloons" and "Eight Miles High" from their new one, THE STAGE NAMES.


It's high-end indie rock; a garage band with strings- and possibly, one of the most interesting listens of the year.

Hokies Unite!

Tonight I had the pleasure of going to "A Concert For Virginia Tech" Featuring Phil Vassar, Nas, John Mayer, and my personal favorite, Dave Matthews Band. The cars on I-81 all had VT Magnets on them. I had my music blasting getting pumped up for the show and felt the Hokie love for the next 175 miles. So I roll into Blacksburg, meet up with a friend and walk over to Lane Stadium.

Maroon and Orange clothing is worn by almost everyone, "Hokies Unite" cover the shirts. In between Vassar's and Nas' sets "Let's Go Hokies" was chanted repeatedly, this would end up continuing throughout the entire night, even when Dave Matthews would pause between songs. Emotions ran high the entire night, Mayer serenaded the crowd and dedicated "Gravity" to the Hokies. Dave Matthews Band, the headliner, came on at 8:30 and would not walk off the stage until 11:15PM, taking a 5 minute break and encoring with "Ants Marching."

In all the concerts I've seen in my short life of 22 years this one tops the charts, including the DMB show I saw on the one year anniversary of 9-11. Dave pulled out some old songs, and had the whole crowd singing "Every Little Things, Gonna Be Alright" from Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds", This would go on about 5 minutes, with the band and then crowd only, you could feel the emotion, even Dave was fighting to hold back tears. I'm still taken in the event and wish VT Students and College Students around the world, a great year!

Check out Dave's full setlist here: AntsMarching.ORG

The Greatest Tenor of His Generation

By now, you've probably heard news of the passing of the legendary Luciano Pavorotti. A voice who had the ability to touch music lovers of all generations and genres, the maestro got together with U2 and Brian Eno a few years back to record a song that juxtaposes beauty amidst the ugliness of war.

One of my favorite Movies because of the song!

Who doesn't love To Sir With Love? This is one of those movies that you love and love even more because of the music associated with it. Ok, Ok, I admit it. I'm a Lulu fan! --all the way through Ab Fab! To Sir With Love became a huge American hit in 1967---making this song 40 years old! Heck, I'm just 45!

Here's the video so you don't have to stay up late and watch the whole movie like I did! (oh..and if you're Brit Com fan--here is some Trivia. Hyacinth from Keeping Up Appreances has role-Patrica Rutledge plays one of the teachers!

Al Stewart

Al Stewart A Folk Rocker In The 70's Had Hits With "Year Of The Cat" And "Time Passages". He Wrote Historical Political Songs Like Noone Has Since. It's His Birthday Today And Reminded Me Of "On The Border".

If I Could Write a Song, I'd Plant a Bad Seed...

and it would grow into something like this:



The Australian who can marry death and love and pronounce it beautiful, the ambient-punk Nick Cave packs quite a courtly wallop when it comes to the issue of the issue of how music has been hijacked for sport, as revealed in a letter to MTV back in '96 following a video award nomination. Something to think about, for certain, but mainly I just wanted to share my favorite obsessive, tortured love song with you.

Remebering Danny On His Birthday

Danny Gatton Would have Been 62 Today. Here's A Clip When He Played Gallagher's

Walking to NOLA 2 Years Later

If music is the universal language, then New Orleans is the capital of the World. And if hip hop is the CNN of the street, then maybe we should pay attention to Spellbinderz report on the state of Crescent City, post Katrina (with a little help from Fats).

How Awesome Is This

Feist enlists some of her friends from Broken Social Scene, The New Pornographers, Mates of State and the National to perfrom a great live version of her song "1234" from her album The Reminder on Letterman. Check it out.



Late night TV was never so indie

Kate Bush

Kate Bush's Influence On Female Alt/Indie Singers Is Undisputable. We'll Listen To
Kate Throughout Her Career On The Old School Segment This Week On Altered Friday.



Love This Version Of Running Up That Hill. Bad 80's Hair, But David's Guitar
Is Perfect.

Kraftwerk- Groundbreakingly Goobertastic!

Alright, uber computer goobers, here's a blast from the past! The pasty, robotic German group, KRAFTWERK created some pretty groovy sounds in the 80's with their, then, groundbreaking use of synths and voice modulation. They were later lampooned in, or at least, an inspiration for the Mike Meyers Saturday Night Live skit, Sprockets.

I still have COMPUTER WORLD and AUTOBAHN on tape somewhere. The musical equivalant of dot matrix and DOS, let's get down to the multi-lingual count fest, NUMBERS from Kraftwerk.

Grrrls put the HARM in Charm City

A girl-fight is not usually my thing, but put ladies on roller skates and helmets and you've got a bout worth cheering for!
Last night I caught the Night Terrors taking on the Junkyard Dolls during the latest Charm City Roller Girls match. The Terrors Joy Collision was making a wreck of the Dolls, with Killer Kitten ending up IN the crowd more than once. But hey, it's all in good fun at the roller rink!
If you haven't yet caught the Charm City Roller Girls there is still some time left in the season.
And if you haven't made their acquaintance here's your introduction...

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HD Radio Makes A Difference

On Friday, I went out and finally hooked my car up with an HD Radio...the previous soundsystem, the 1997 Camry Set Up was getting a little boring for me and as a music man I need to hear my music and feel it too. So after a few dollars spent and an hour installation my problem would be solved.

What's so great about HD Radio? It's crystal clear, it's the way radio should sound, and it's FREE on the user end. A little more costly for the station. If you havn't made the switch, you might want to.

A STYLE-ish Evening

Got invited to a great party last night for the annual Music Issue of Style Magazine in Baltimore. The event at Mosaic (in Power Plant Live) felt upscale and trendy, but classic Baltimore because of how laid back all the guests were.
I'm one of the lucky DJ's they featured in the issue and I got to talk with a few other radio folks from town who I had never met before.
Also got a chance to catch up on the local music scene with Jason Tinney of
Donegal X-Press. He wrote a piece for the new Style issue about being in a band in this city for 10 years, a smart and funny piece. Which makes sense that both he and his wife were smart and funny!


Jason gave me the low down on the upcoming Irish Festival in Baltimore, happening September 14th & 15th in Canton. Little did I know, but seems as though our esteemed Governor will be yet again strapping on the guitar over the weekend to play with his own O'Malley's March!


Here is one of the most recent performances of O'Malley doing 'Time Of Your Life' at his inauguration

Damien Rice and Burma

With news of a pro-democracy protest on the streets of Rangoon today, my mind drifted to the poignant tribute paid to Nobel Peace Prize winner and prisoner of conscience Aung San Suu Kyi by Damien Rice and Lisa Hannigan. Check out this live version at a Nobel concert in Oslo.

Radio City

Back almost 10 years ago, the Dave Matthews Band released what would be their first of an on-going series of "live" records with Live at Red Rocks. It was a good-faith effort to give fans that had been taping bootleg shows for years high audio quality shows AND the opportunity to relive those classic DMB moments.

Live at Red Rocks did just that ... it was DMB raw, spontaneous renditions of songs that would be lost otherwise

It continued 2 years later with Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live from Luther College. Another double-disc ... but this time - the intimate side of Dave and the "out of this freaking world" guitar work of the Tim Reynolds.

The catalog of live shows has soared to 16 albums (at time a total of 4 CDs per show!).

Even for the most hardcore DMB fans - how many versions of "Warehouse" does one need in their collection?

Well, nearly 10 years since the release of Live at Red Rocks - Dave answers critics with Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds - Live at Radio City. Perhaps, unpredictably, time just called for a Dave & Tim record ... but for over 2 hours, pure bliss.

2 reasons to buy ... listen ... emerge yourself in Live from Radio City.
Reason Numero Uno: Tim Reynolds. Buy the CD ... listen to it ... buy the DVD ... watch it - in that order. You won't believe what you hear - then your eyes will confirm what your ears just relayed to you.
Reason Numero Duos: Dave's singing. Where at times in the early days, it sounded like his voice owned him (and believe me, that was part of the intrigue) ... he clearly owns his own voice now. His range ... his control ... is inspiring.

Two men on a great platform infront of thousands ... but believe me, when you listen to Live from Radio City, it'll just be the 3 of you.

The Pawnshop Roses

A Band From The Philly Area, I Recently Stumbled Across.

Before The Summer Ends

Simple Minds Will Our Focus Of The Old School Segment This Week On Altered Friday
And Melissa Chats With Camera Obscura As They Guest DJ!

Another review of V-Fest!

This is a nice recap of the shows from the writer's personal perspective. Please feel free to leave your review or thoughts as a comment here on the blog...steve

Concert Review: Virgin Festival 2007 at Pimlico Race Course - Baltimore, MD

Big Country Revisted

On The Old School Segment Of Altered Friday We'll Being Listening Through Big Country's Catalog Tonite, Minus This MTV Staple

Rolling Stone : Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Magic’: Exclusive Details on New E Street Band Album

OK--Stop The Presses...Get me some smelling salts! I'm ready. No one Bother me for the month of October!--Steve



Rolling Stone : Bruce Springsteen’s ‘Magic’: Exclusive Details on New E Street Band Album

Ailing Amy Winehouse cancels month of shows -- baltimoresun.com

Ailing Amy Winehouse cancels month of shows -- baltimoresun.com

Not Your Average Joe

There may be only one Tom Waits- nobody sounds like him, no can construct characters the way he can, compose German operas....yet still craft straight-ahead rock-n-roll.

But, somebody who is approaching his territory is singer/songwriter/producer Joe Henry. When he started out in the early 90's, it sounded like he'd be stuck with the label of alt-country, with albums like Short Man's Room and Kindness of the World. But, even on those twangy gems, the beautifully opaque vignettes Joe imagined left listeners with delightful fragments into a world you just don't want to leave. Listening to Joe Henry is like being suspended in a dream state or the middle of a good novel.

He'll be out with a new one September 11th. It's called CIVILIANS. He gets some help from Van Dyke Parks, Bill Frisell and his buddy Loudon Wainwright III. Until then, let's go back to 1994 for King's Highway.

Stuart Adamson: Stay Alive!

I may suggest to John Matthews that he make one of my favorite bands of all time, the subject of one of his Altered Friday Old School segments.

Big Country, the Scottish band that transferred the majesty of the bagpipe into electric guitars and was one of the first to make use of an e-bow, set the world on fire in '83 with THE CROSSING. The socically conscious and anthemic classic featured the timeless IN A BIG COUNTRY. With Bruce Watson leading the dueling bagpipe guitars, Tony Butler's heavy groove-laden bass (that's him on Pete Townsend's LET MY LOVE OPEN THE DOOR, song and video) and the jaw-dropping drumming of Mark Brzezicki, what truly set the Steve Lillywhite-produced record apart from anything before or since was the earnestness and open-hearted lyrics of the band's vocalist/guitarist Stuart Adamson.

Sadly, the music world lost that giant heart, and voice, when Stuart committed suicide in 2001 in Honolulu. Before his death, he was soaking up the vibrant music community in Nashville, but succumbed to his ongoing battles with alcoholism.

I wish Stewart were planning a reunion tour with the rest of Big Country. In the meantime, let's remember Stuart with my favorite tune from the Crossing, CHANCE.



..and here's Bruce Watson joining Mike Peters and the Alarm, for a Stuart tribute.

News From the Front Row

It is always nice to bring friends to see an artist you really enjoy and watch them put on an incredible show!
That is how it went last night with Julian Velard at Rams Head Tavern. He was funny and in great voice, with a hot band behind him.
Got a chance to talk with Julian after the show and our boy is growing up! The independent Singer/Songwriter from Brooklyn has just signed a deal with EMI U.K. AND next week he's heading to England to begin work on a full-length album.
Some very exciting news for an artist that WTMD has been keeping an eye on for the better part of 2007.
Speaking of an eye on Julian, here's a live take on 'Joni' from a show he put on in Baltimore back in January.




Eva Castillo opened the show for Julian last night and not only is the Baltimore songstress a lovely and talented artist, but also a sweet and humble person. Eva plays tonight at Hunt Valley Town Center.

V-Fest Videos

So i did a little searching through youtube last night and i found a handful of video clips from V-Fest 2007 this past weekend. Here is links to all the videos i found:

Regina Spektor:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1NyOEFTVJ1k
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgLjOXX7nN8

Spoon:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0iYl5pqxcKY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ncj93gZXnZM

The Police:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTA74-YS82o

The Smashing Pumpkins:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cEjBwcC3lls

Matisyahu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xP5U-s71Ujo

Fountains of Wayne:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_KRXBiL74Bw

Also i had to post this video of Matisyahu coming onstage with 311.. It was amazing to see .. heres a little clip....

Black Crowes Rock Baltimore

The Black Crowes were in town lastnight for a special evening and indeed it was special. Guitar solos filled the night as the blues rock jam band blew the crowd away. Playing only 12 songs in a 2 hour set, each song was about 8-12 minutes long and felt like only minutes.

The band opened up with "Halfway to Everywhere" and did a one song encore, "Oh Well"
Only downfall of the show was the heat, although it was an indoor show no AC was to be found...enjoy this live acoustic performance of "Wiser Time" on Letterman the other day:

Horslips

Remember These Guys? Great Song, Dodgy Threads

National Publications Weigh In on V-Fest

The post V-Fest analysis is starting to trickle in. Check out these blogs in USA Today and Rolling Stone. Recurring themes? Greening efforts went a long way! Actress Daryl Hannah (left, with Sir Richard Branson) teamed up with the Spitfire Agency to try to make Pimlico a "Zero Waste Zone."

What do you think? What were your impressions of V-Fest '07? The music? The greening efforts? Transportation and parking?

Thanks Erik!

Wanted to send a shout out to Erik, who let me sit in during the 'TMD Morning Show last week.

Had a great time and being on the radio that early brought back some great memories of when I started on the station doing News & Weather.

Also had a X-tremely good time with Morning Sessions guest John Doe who performed live with singing partner Cindy Wasserman.




Doe is currently on tour with Wasserman's group Dead Rock West opening up and working as the legendary X co-founders backing band.

Virgin Day Two: Wu, Yahu and You!

Just wrapping up things at V-Fest 2007 enjoying a little Wu Tang Clan.

In trying to gauge the vibe, I'd say the unofficial impression indicates spectacular music moments were had by festival-goers, artists, promotors and the numerous organizations represented.

Sources are telling us now that over 42,000 concert-goers attended Saturday and another 30,000 on Sunday.

So when you add it all up...that's over 70,000 concert-goers blistering in the sun at Pimlico for a festival that's just in its second year. Not bad at all. And the concept of having just two stages, versus the 5 or even 12 at, say, an Austin City Limits or Bonnaroo, respectively, I think puts V-Fest in a niche' market for fests; it's more compact and makes it easier to choose between artists.

We'll try to find out what kind of commitments Virgin Mobile has to future V-Fests in Baltimore later this week. Word on the street, though, is the company is very, very happy with Baltimore as a music city!

Top 5 highlights of V-Fest 2007 for me:
1. Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals performing the best outdoor music set...I've ever seen.
2. The Police getting their act together and sounding, well, like The Police! I saw them at another show this summer, and as Stewart Copeland pointed out himself, he, Andy and Sting were not on the same page musically. On Saturday night...ALL the kinks were worked out and the band that got me loving music in the first place, reminded me of why.
3. The closest thing to a gospel tent: Matisyahu bringing a much needed dose of spirituality to the throngs of fans lined up very far back in the infield.
4. Regina Spektor: "Summer in the City"
5. Meeting everyone who stopped by the TMD booth! Thanks for that!

Beastie Boys Live at Virgin Festival 2007

Day one has come to a conclusion and day two is well underway.. Morale is extremely high as the anticipation builds for 311 and The Smashing Pumkins are set to take the stage later this evening. I wanted to take a minute to share a video i found of The Beastie Boys.... So here they are with Brass Monkey..

Day 1 of Virgin Fest is Over...Suggestions for Day 2

Well the TMD Staff and Myself we're out full force at Virgin Fest yesterday and what a day it was...Beastie Boys, Ben Harper, Paoloa Nutini, Peter, Bjorn and John, Modest Mouse, Police, Incubus, Fountains of Wayne, LCD Soundsystem and more tore up the stages.

The majority of the day everything went smoothly festival wise, bands went on as scheduled Beastie Boys had a few slight problems with a guitar and at the end of the night Modest Mouse would seem to take the brunt of the problems, came on about 15 minutes late, after every song they were adjusting and fixing, but they still put on a great show despite some technical difficulties.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by the booth on your way between stages it was great to see so many TMD'ers!

If you are heading down today here are some recommendations based on yesterday:

-Bring A Camel Pack, Larger Waterbottles or Just Enough Money to buy as many $3 water bottles as you need, refilling stations were scarce and took about 45-55 minutes to get to
-Mist tents...make sure you find the cold water showers, get wet enough and they just might give you a free towel
-Sunscreen might be a good idea afterall no matter how much of a "man" or "woman" you are...the sun was beating down 95% of the time
-Comfortable shoes...my legs are a little sore from my flip flops
-Breatheable clothing, unless all black, jeans and dripping in your own sweat is your thing
-Mist Bottles, seemed to be semi-popular and very refreshing
-Crabcake sandwhiches and pretzels definitely worth it, not that expensive either

Enjoy! See you down there, or tune in as we broadcast live from Virgin Festival Day 2

HBO's "Entourage" shows some love to Alice Smith

Alice Smith graced WTMD with her first radio interview ever less than a year ago. Her voice sends chills down my spine and her humbleness when talking on stage won me over when I saw her open for Citizen Cope at Rams Head Live back in December.

It was great to hear "Dream" from her album "For Lovers, Dreamers, & Me" at the closing credits of the the most recent episode of Entourage. I don't know if she ever imagined her song being played over the antics of Johnny Drama and E, but nonetheless, it was a great ending to a great episode. Did anyone else see it?

Mark Ronson Videos

About 25 years ago the place to watch music videos was MTV...MUSIC Television...anyone else think it should be changed to RTV...Reality Television?

Well as you might have noticed Online is the best place to watch these music videos "on demand", here are a few from Mark Ronsons new album Version.

"Stop Me"

"Oh My God"

Ned Evett

Out Of Boise, Check Him Out

The Noisettes

Noisettes are an indie rock band from London comprising singer and bassist Shingai Shoniwa, guitarist Dan Smith, and drummer Jamie Morrison.
Their debut album is What's the Time Mr. Wolf?

John Mayer Rocks / Robbers & Cowards Don't Pass The Hat To The Kids

Saw John Mayer tonight in D.C. and it was great. The man is a great musician and has a great band to back him up. Played a lot of hits and the show was pretty low key. Finished up by covering Cream's version of Crossroads. John mentioned just before, that he would be playing the Crossroads Guitar Festival in Chicago this weekend. This festival also features guitar gods of the past and present including Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, BB King, Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, and Robert Randolph. WTMD favorites like Los Lobos and Alison Krauss & Union Station will be there too. Can anybody say All-Star jam?









Got some not so great news as well.

Looks like the Cold War Kid's won't be gracing us with their excellence at Virgin Festival. Aiden won the hard fought out battle between groups including Mute Math, Say Anything and The Higher and CWK. See you at the Patriot Center everybody.

Current Mood: Bummed yet hopeful

Vote For The Cold War Kids

If you hadn't heard Virgin Festival 2007 is taking place here in Baltimore on August 4th & 5th and the people at Virgin put the public in control of booking the opening band for the 5th. I can only hope that the boys in Cold War Kids will be blowing open the second day of the festival with their highly energetic stage presence and razor shap lyrics. If they are opening i'll be bobbing around like a chicken hooked up to a car battery just like CWK. The band will be opening up for another one of my favorites, Muse, I'm a sucker for prog rock, August 9th at the Partiot Center in Fairfax. So if they lose the fight to open at Pimlico there is still a chance to catch them while they are around.

Stop by and come say hi to the WTMD staff at our booth while you're at Virgin Fest we'll be broadcasting live. See you at Pimlico

Editor's Epic Sophomore Release

EDITORS, a band out of Birmingham, England, had me hooked with their 2005 debut THE BACK ROOM. I absolutely couldn't get enough of the single, MUNICH, with screeching, apocalyptic guitar and frontman Tom Smith's Echo and the Bunnymen recall. The British press, as they tend to do, latched on to the band and heaped tons of praise and the next-big-thing label.

So, how do they follow it up? With an epic and intimate sophomore release that deals with, well, death. But, dark underpinnings aside, check out this, I think, life-affirming track from Editors new one, AN END HAS A START.

Ryan Shaw Rocks Artscape

I didn't get to see as many bands at Artscape as I would have liked, but Sunday's performance from Ryan Shaw was a total treat. He's energetic, a great communicator with the crowd and his music is just so wonderfully infectious. He played most of his record and it was a lot of fun to see so many folks dancing by the stage. Ryan is definitely someone I'll want to see again.

What did you guys think of of Artscape this year?

New Release Show Notes for 7-17-07

A couple of really fine CD’s were released this week and a few singles worth mentioning as well. Let’s jump right in with the best of this week.

First CD I’d like to bring to your attention is Suzanne Vega’s BEAUTY AND CRIME. It is WTMD’s CD of the week and it is a good choice. I happen to catch the 48 year-old singer/songwriter at the music conference in Louisville, KY, and she looked and sounded great. Ms. Vega put on a fine show that blended her older, familiar songs with the outstanding material from her new album. We’ve been playing the single “Frank & Ava,” but there are several good tracks on the disc including “Bound” and the track I played last night, “Zephyr And I.”

The next disc that caught my attention is the one from Alison Sudol. Alison goes by the pseudonym A Fine Frenzy. She is a wonderful singer/songwriter and her debut release on Virgin Records, ONE CELL IN THE SEA, is a strong showing. I had the delightful dilemma again of trying to pick which song to play for the show. Track number one, “Come On, Come Out” and number 14, “Borrowed Time” both were in the running but I ended up with track number 11, “Lifesize.” FYI, VH-1 is listing A Fine Frenzy as their “You Oughta Know” artist.

Machine Translations is the brainchild of multi-instrumentalist and home-recordist J.Walker. He now resides in Melbourne, Australia and has six full-length albums to his name in his homeland but he is a relative unknown here in the states. We pulled down this single from the Internet; it’s called “Need A Miracle,” from the yet to be titled CD.

Next is the Magic Numbers. The two, brother and sister, duos make up the Magic Numbers: Romeo and Michele Stodart along with Sean and Angela Gannon. Their latest release, THOSE THE BROKES, was originally released in the UK back in the Fall of 2006. Astralwerks picked them up for distribution here in the US. Their US tour starts August 14th. We’re playing “This Is A Song” on our regular line-up so I wanted to give everyone a different take, so I played “Take A Chance,” which was the single in the UK.

The latest from Garbage is the album ABSOLUTE GARBAGE, which is a “Best Of” compilation with this new track, “Tell Me Where It Hurts,” thrown it to make it more interesting. And it does. TMD is actually a little ahead of the curve on this one. The CD doesn’t hit stores until next week. No tour has been announced yet but we’ll keep our ears open.

My personal favorite is the new CD from Patrick Cleandenim. This artist has put together a fine release. Patrick lives in New York but his album BABY COMES HOME was released in the UK in late May but the US debut isn’t until yesterday. And speaking of debuts, this is Patrick’s too. The tracks for his CD was recorded with an orchestra of twelve at Black Lodge Recording Studio in Eudora, Kansas, during the final months of 2005. In fact Mr. Cleandenim refers to his music as Orchestral Pop. Patrick is also an aspiring filmmaker. The little treat I played last night was called “Until You Said I’m Gone,”

Lastly is the album from Tegan and Sara. Originally from Calgary, Canada, these twin folk/rock sisters made an impact immediately in the Canadian music scene by earning the highest score in history at Calgary's "Garage Warz" competition in 1998. Then the next thing they knew, they were playing a handful of dates at Sara McLachlan’s LILITH FAIR that same year. Since that time Tegan & Sara have released four albums, the fourth being THE CON that was released today on Sire Records. This tune I played last night was “Back In Your Head.”

See you next week. TK

Jake Shimabukuro

Jake Shimabukuro From Honolulu. The video of George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" has received over 1.5 million views.
He has an instructional DVD called "Play Loud Ukulele."

It's Business Time!

OK, just for laughs, I've got to share these guys with you. Have you heard of that HBO show, FLIGHT OF THE CONCHORDS? It's two singer/songwriter dudes from Kiwi land trying to make the big time in the Big Apple. It's like Chrocodile Dundee with guitars, at least in their sense of naivete. And their songs are simply hilarious. Check out this one, and see if you can't stop laughing next time your company has a "team-building" exercise.

Bat For Lashes: A Feast for the Ears & Eyes...

Got turned on to a new multi-instrumentalist putting out her first album under the name Bat For Lashes . The music is intricate and has a flair for the dramatic and the former Nursery school teacher Bat for Lashes (also known as Natasha Khan) has a vivid way of telling her story, or in this case, capturing a song.
Bringing it all together in video shows this avant-garde artist is a sight for the ears & eyes.

Steve and Sarah Borges

I was in Reno last week with a bunch of other public radio folks stuck in three days of meetings. We learned a lot about the new technology affecting public radio and the new music programs in development. All good stuff....but by Friday Afternoon I had had my fill of Powerpoint presentations!

Luckily, we found Art Town, a very small Artscape kind of event in Downtown Reno. And better Yet!!!! Sarah Borges and the Broken Singles were playing for the crowd! I hadn't kept up with Sarah's tour schedule so this was one of the happy coincidneces.

The band put on an amazing show, rocking the crowd through dances and sing alongs. Sarah's not getting much, if any, radio play in Reno but the crowd was engaged and excited by her explosive performance.

After the show I got a chance to say say hi --decked out in my WTMD t-shirt of course--and Sarah yelled out about Our Emerging Artist Concert before I could barely introduce myself. She told me she and the Broken Singles are excited about the show.

Sarah told me they're really looking forward to playing for the first time here in Baltimore and since it will be the last show of their current tour---Sarah's expecting to let loose and celebrate. Gang, I hope you'll all be there--I haven't been this personally excited about an artist in a while and I hope you find in Sarah Borges and Broken Singles the good times that I do

Steve