Weekend on the Radio: Sugar Plumb Fairy Edition

It's beginning to look a lot like something here at Weekend on the Radio Headquarters.  This week, "Smilin'" Sam Gallant dances with the Rat King in The Nutcracker, checks out Thurston Moore's new project at the Ottobar, and purchases some last minute gifts at The City Paper's Last Minute Gift Show.  I'm hoping he gets me some figgy pudding.

All Weekend Long:

• The Nutcracker, Hippodrome, check website for details 

Thursday, 12/13:

• Thurston Moore, The Ottobar, 8 p.m. 

Friday, 12/14:

• Hands on Hanukkah, Jewish Museum of Maryland, 10:30 a.m.
• City Paper's Last Minute Gift Show, Holy Frijoles, 6 to 9 p.m.

Saturday, 12/15:

• Dr. Sketchy's Anti-Art School, Wind-Up Space, 4 p.m.
• The Legwarmers, Ram's Head Live, 9 p.m.

Sunday, 12/16:

• A Christmas Carol, The Lyric, 6:30 p.m. 

 

Secret Mountains Revealed on Baltimore Unsigned

The psychedelic rock band Secret Mountains formed in the wake of The Owls Go, a duo featuring guitarist Jeffrey Lewis Silverstein and vocalist Kelly Laughlin. "There were some conveniences to being in a duo, but I think we were getting bored," Silverstein says. "We had these nice songs that people liked, but we wanted more rhythm."

In their quest, Silverstein and Laughlin rounded out the ensemble to include bass, percussion and keyboards. The additional personnel built a fuller sound--and a shift in the songwriting. "Our songs have gotten a lot less linear," says Laughlin. "We have to have everyone else because they all are an integral part of our music."

The resulting five-song E.P., Kaddish, garnered raves from the local music press, including City Paper and Aural States. Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday (with an encore edition at 9 a.m. Saturday) and discover Secret Mountains for yourself.

Secret Mountains performs at The Hexagon on August 23rd.



Secret Mountains - Dead Sea from Secret Mountains on Vimeo.

"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