Altered Freebies: Deerhunter; Apache Beat; Free Energy

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.


Deerhunter, “Revival”
"Revival" is a great first taste of the direction Deerhunter are taking their next album. Great tune for shucking corn. {via P4K}


Apache Beat, “Another Day”
Now, if you don't like this song at first, give it some time since Apache Beat decides to change it up halfway through “Another Day”. This song will appear on their upcoming, and awesomely titled album, Last Chants.


Free Energy, “All I Know”If you haven't had a chance to check out Philadelphia-based Free Energy, join the cool kids and do so now. Their album was produced by James Murphy of LCD Soundsystem and went on tour with Jukebox The Ghost earlier this year. Expect to hear more of these guys.

Baltimore Homecoming on Morning Sessions

Tune in to Morning Sessions at 9 a.m. Friday as veterans of the Baltimore music scene, Abby Mott
 and Kristen Toedtman, return to trade songs and swap stories about their musical adventures. The two singer-songwriters met ten years ago and performed together in The Baltimore Afrobeat Society collective. These days they're often separated by the Pacific Ocean, pursuing solo careers.

Mott is currently based in the Philippines, focusing on music while freelancing as a graphic designer. "It was an opportunity I could not say ‘no’ to," she says. "I’d love to stay in Southeast Asia, but who knows?" Her forthcoming album, Mutiny, is full of seafaring tales inspired by her time overseas. 

Meanwhile Toedtman has stayed stateside, establishing herself as a fixture on both the classical and indie music scenes in Los Angeles. "I joined the Los Angeles master chorale. Literally two nights ago I was at the Hollywood Bowl . . . singing for Carmen with the L.A. Philharmonic," she says. "I keep really busy there singing classically. My classical life basically funds my popular life!" Toedtman is currently touring in support of her new full-length album The Fall.

Abby Mott and Kristen Toedtman perform at the Creative Alliance at the Patterson on Saturday, August 7th.

It really was "All Good", Stuck in the Jam Festival Recap

This past July, a sold out crowd of 26,000 people converged on Marvin's Mountaintop in Masontown, West Virginia for the 14th annual All Good Music Festival. It was a weekend of re-connecting with old friends, making new ones and 3 full days of great music. This week on "Stuck in the Jam" we have a listen back to some of the most memorable performances from this magical weekend. We'll hear sets from Umphrey's Mcgee, Lotus, Yonder Mountain String Band, Dr. Dog, and more. Tune in to "Stuck in the Jam" Wednesday August 4th, at 9pm on 89.7 WTMD for a full two hour All Good recap. Two of the craziest things I have ever seen happened at All Good 2010. Here are videos of both:

This was the most glowsticks I have ever seen.

There was a milky way of lanterns for miles in the sky. Incredible.

Avocado Happy Hour on Baltimore Unsigned

While the instrumental duo Avocado Happy Hour was recording their upcoming full-length, Amanda Schmidt had some reservations about adding vocals to their sonic palette.

"People seek out vocals in music because they give a focal point to the sound," she says. "I don't think they should dominate the music. It's nice to treat them as an instrument so you get the timbre of the voice, but it's not the only thing you are focusing on."

The vocals add a new dimension to the music, but Avocado Happy Hour's sound is still based around Rod Hamilton's percussive instruments: drums, xylophone, and vibraphone. The percussion puts a worldbeat twist on the band's traditional pop sensibilities.

"Our music is structured in a traditional pop sense, but the structures and composition are rooted in world music," Schmidt says. "It's building pop music with strange percussive layers." 

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with an encore edition at 9 a.m. Saturday, to hear Avocado Happy Hour's exciting new direction on Baltimore Unsigned.

CD of the Week: Just Another Saturday Night

As we count down the days until this week's free First Thursday Concert, we're diving into the debut release of the headlining act,  The Villains' Just Another Saturday Night. The Atlanta-based band isn't afraid to wear their musical influences on their sleeves. From bass player Dan Call's outlaw country look to charismatic singer/keyboardist Magno's 80's-inspired outfit, there's a wide range of styles. But when you listen, it's clear that it's a mistake to judge the band by its outfits--or its name.

"When the record first came out a lot of reviewers were fooled, thinking this would be a punk act, or a metal act," says Call. "But we like the fact that there's something a little dangerous." The danger extends into its live show with the Atlanta-based band fusing into cohesive live act with elements of country-fried rock and tight vocal harmonies.


Tune in all week to hear selections from Just Another Saturday Night.