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.