For Crabtown, a Claw of a Different Kind

As Sam Sessa reported in today's Baltimore Sun, U2 is bringing it's mammoth 360 Tour (featuring The Claw) to Baltimore on June 22, 2011. Tickets will be made available starting Monday at 10am.

So, after a month's worth of speculation, prompted by a premature U2.com post that had the date and the  city before being removed, it's finally official!

This marks the first time U2 has ever played a stadium in Baltimore.

The last time they did a show here was on October 19, 2001, during their  Elevation tour at the Baltimore (now, First Mariner) Arena.

And a few us may recall what almost was, what could have been, when, in 1992,  U2 scoped out stadiums where they could rehearse their, then, colossal Zoo Tv tour. Baltimore made the final cut, but alas, noise concerns from Memorial Stadium neighbors prompted the band go a little further up I-83 and camp at Hershey Stadium.

Sri Aurobindo's Expanded Consciousness on Baltimore Unsigned

The Baltimore-based psychedelic rock band Sri Aurobindo takes improvisation to a higher level on their new full-length album Cave Painting. The group bases its name and musical philosophy from the Indian poet, philosopher and yogi who fought for India's freedom from British rule in the early 20th century.

"I got a book about Sri Aurobindo twelve years ago called Adventures in Conciousness," says lead singer Brandon Arinoldo. "Our band name goes beyond the person. Our band is about the mixture of transcendence and rock n' roll." 

The road to musical enlightenment started with recording bi-weekly improv sessions for two years. At that point, they felt ready to start recording. But even formal compositions have room to explore wherever the music leads them. "Every song has improvisation, even the ones that are thoroughly written out," says Arinoldo. "It's fun to have that as an option because it keeps things spontaneous."

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with an encore at 9 a.m. Saturday, as Sri Aurobindo visits Baltimore Unsigned.Sri Aurobindo performs at Golden West Café on September 15th. 

Pale Stars Shine on Baltimore Unsigned

Pale Stars' first attempt at following up their 2006 self-titled release resulted in a creative black hole. "We started working . . . with the original four member lineup. It wasn't a great studio experience, and things kind of dwindled out," says vocalist Brandt Huseman. "A year and a half later, I had some songs that were Pale Stars songs in my mind," he says. "I started sending some demos to [guitarist/producer Nat Bradley], and he sent back some finished tracks. Three tracks in, we realized that we weren't a four-person band."

Huseman is a staple of the Baltimore music scene as a member of The Greenberry Woods and Splitsville.  His partnership with Bradley has allowed them to expand the indie power pop palette on the new release, How Much is Enough. 

"One of the great things about technology today is that you are in control of your own destiny," Huseman says. "Nat spends the time exploring all those choices and uses conventional things in unconventional ways. He's like a mad scientist."

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, with an encore edition at 9 a.m. Saturday, to discover Pale Stars on Baltimore Unsigned.

The Charm City Circulator Stops at First Thursday

Joining music lovers for an evening of incredible Americana music in Mount Vernon for our free First Thursday Concert with Paul Masson and Joshua James is a great way to kick off the holiday weekend. 

And if you're traveling from Penn Station, the Inner Harbor or any point in between, getting to the park is easier than ever before. The free Charm City Circulator runs until 9 p.m. Thursday with stops every 10 minutes along the Purple Route in West Mt. Vernon Park.  


The show starts promptly at 5:30 p.m. July 1st.  Just look for the monument and listen for the music!

Muse/Silversun Pickups, First Mariner Arena, 03-03-10

Silversun Pickups opened up the show. There really weren't many people in the arena for them, but they put their hearts into it and were fantastic. The crowd that was there was totally digging it.

Muse was unbelievable and they sounded just like the CD’s. The sound at the area for Muse was perfect. We sat upstairs, but in the 2nd row right in the center so we were in a good spot for excellent sound. They came out with each member on 3 pillars lit up with red lights, and kicked the show off with Uprising, a great new song off The Resistance to get the party started, then jumped into the title track from that album. The pillars lowered and the band was able to move around onstage to entertain the crowd. Matt Bellamy was flailing around with his guitar as the rest of the band knew their role, to support the genius Bellamy.

New Born was wild. I love the guitar riff when that song gets jamming. Hysteria got the crowd pumped, not that they needed it, and when they jumped into Starlight the crowd could not stop singing “Black Holes and Revelaaaaaaaaaations”. Lasers were shooting all over through out the night, lights were flashing, and the band was performing like one would expect. The encore was awesome too. Two of my favorites by them, Stockholm Syndrome and Knights of Cydonia ended the evening. I left wanting more.

Not once did I think (and this happens to me at shows from time to time) “I can’t wait to get out of here.” They could have played all night and I would have been just fine.

One of the best all around shows I’ve seen. On a scale of 1-10, I would give this Muse performance a 10.

Next up…The Church on April 27th at Ram’s Head On Stage.

Setlist:
1 Uprising
2 Resistance
3 New Born
4 Supermassive Black Hole
5 MK Ultra
6 Interlude
7 Hysteria
8 Nishe
9 United States Of Eurasia
10 Feeling Good (Leslie Bricusse & Anthony Newley cover)
11 Helsinki Jam
12 Undisclosed Desires
13 Starlight
14 Plug In Baby
15 Time Is Running Out
16 Unnatural Selection
Encore:
17 Ex...ogenesis: Symphony, Part 1: Overture
18 Stockholm Syndrome
19 Knights of Cydonia

Don Rogers
WTMD

Penn Station Celebrates "Baltimore"

Caleb Stine and Saleem's song "Baltimore" gets a new visual verse this month as Amtrak and MARC Train commuters at Penn Station, 1515 North Charles Street, will be greeted by a mural inspired by the song in the building's main entrance.

The artwork, created as part of a collaboration between students at Maryland Institute College of Art and the University of Baltimore, depicts elements of Saleem's "city of dreams" in four striking panels.

An official opening and reception will take place at 2 p.m. Thursday, March 4th at Penn Station. And the mural will stay up through March 31st.

This is the latest chapter in a collaboration that started in the summer of 2008 when WTMD's Baltimore Unsigned introduced Caleb Stine, a country folk-rocker, to Saleem, a hip-hop artist, and challenged the songwriters to create four songs in six weeks.

The duo debuted their material, including "Baltimore," at the 8 x 10 in July 2008 and announced plans to record a studio album. The result, Outgrown These Walls, received critical acclaim.



And "Baltimore" has inspired more than a few educators to use the song as a starting point for lesson plans. Here's Saleem performing in May 2009 at Cherry Hill Elementary.

Our Video Presentation about The Senator Proposal

We wanted to give you an update on our bid to move WTMD to the Senator Theatre and create an arts center focused on movies, music and community.

Last week we presented our proposal at a community forum sponsored by the Baltimore Development Corporation at the Senator Theatre. We also made a formal presentation to the BDC.

At both presentations, we played this video to document our passion for the building and for what we believe the Senator could become with WTMD connecting dozens of movies, concerts and community events each month.

The video is full of testimonials from community leaders, music lovers, filmmakers and musicians. At the end of the video, our own John Mathews shows us what WTMD’s air might sound like if we are successful being awarded the project and create this very special place.

Many folks have asked us what they can do to help. Right now, we need your input and thoughts. We understand how much the Senator means to people who live close to the theater in Baltimore City and Baltimore County. We also understand how passionate folks are about its future.

Please feel free to email me at wtmd@towson.edu or leave a comment here. We’ll answer the questions we can at this point. It’s a long process and each step of the way we will keep in touch to inform you as things clarify themselves.

Thanks and we’ll see you at the Senator.

"Baltimore" Live at Cherry Hill Elementary

Last summer, WTMD's Baltimore Unsigned challenged Americana singer-songwriter Caleb Stine and hip-hop artist Saleem to write four songs in six weeks. The unlikely collaboration yielded an incredible friendship and a solid full-length album, Outgrown These Walls. (Read the City Paper review.)

When Caleb and Saleem debuted "Baltimore" at a live taping at the 8 x 10 in July 2008, it was a revelation. Saleem's complex portrait of the city with Caleb's simple refrain, "I've got a dollar in my pocket and it's only Wednesday," moved more than a few people to shed a tear.

Saleem recently visited a Baltimore City elementary school to discuss his life as a musician. The kids had studied the song before the visit, and when they pick up the refrain, it's a celebration--and a testament to the power of music.

"Baltimore," Live at the 8 x 10



"Baltimore," Live at Cherry Hill Elementary

The Duhks perform "Mighty Storm" Live at WTMD

The Duhks (http://www.duhks.com), fly down from Winnipeg, Canada, to visit the WTMD studios for the third time.

It's their first visit, however, since the band's lineup change in which brother and sister Sarah and Christian Dugas replaced singer Jessee Havey and percussionist Scott Senior, respectively.

Watch as Sarah Dugas takes command of the studio while the band tears through "Mighty Storm," a stellar single from their album, "Fast Paced World."

Pretenders / Hold Steady Ticket Giveaway

The Pretenders, The Hold Steady and All Mighty Senators play an all-ages show at Sonar on Friday, September 19th.

Tune into the Morning Show from 7 to 10 a.m. Thursday, September 18th, and listen for a song from The Pretenders' new album, Break Up The Concrete. (Listen live at the new WTMD.org.)

Erik will play a new song each hour, and the first listener to call into the station when each song plays (410-704-8936) wins a pair of tickets to the show and a copy of the new album.

Tune In for Virgin Mobile Festival Weekend: July 12-13

Tune in Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13, as we gear up for next month's Virgin Mobile Festival at Pimlico Race Course by:

• showcasing artists from this year's lineup;


• rebroadcasting interviews from last year's live broadcast;


• entering new members in a drawing for a pair of Two Day General Admission passes to the show.*

* No pledge is necessary to enter the drawing.
(View the pledge form for additional information.)

Rolling Stone Magazine names Baltimore Best Scene of 2008

Over the weekend, Rolling Stone Announced there Best of Rock 2008

Listen Here to Erik's Interview with Evan Serpick, writer for Rolling Stone Magazine who covered Baltimore as Best Scene

Best Scene: Baltimore! (more in depth article here)

Best Festival Band: Radiohead

Best Breakthrough Band: My Morning Jacket

Best Live Band: Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

Best Producer: Danger Mouse

Best Songwriter: Connor Oberst

Best Prog-Rock Band: The Mars Volta

for the full read check out the May 1, 2008 issue of Rolling Stone or read online here

What are your thoughts on Baltimore as Best Scene of 2008?