Ra Ra Riot on Altered Fridays

When news broke that Ra Ra Riot was releasing a new album this year, Tyler immediately started itching for it. The band's debut, The Rhumb Line, was a standout in 2008. And their visit to WTMD resulted in a great version of "Dying Is Fine," which appeared on Live From WTMD, Vol. 3 (available with a $65 pledge).


Tune in to Altered Fridays at 4 p.m. Friday as Tyler welcomes lead singer Wes Miles and cellist Alexandra Lawn to discuss the new album, The Orchard, and deliver some acoustic versions of new songs.  

Jesse Malin on Morning Sessions

Jesse Malin is a thirty-year veteran of the New York music scene. He performed with Heart Attack in the 1980's and D Generation in the '90s before setting out on a successful solo career. But in the midst of the recent economic recession, he had second thoughts about his career path. 

“I ended up in a spot where I was living on my sister’s couch. And then I found myself back down on the Bowery area, where I grew up playing CBGB’s. I was just busted broke, lost and I felt like it maybe was time to try something else,"he says. "I tried dj’ing weddings. I tried working on a couple of films. I tried some standup comedy and spoken word. Eventually, I got asked to write some songs for a film on J.D. Salinger and . . . realized that this is what I do."

A rejuvenated Malin returned to the studio and teamed up with producer Ted Hutt (Lucero, The Gaslight Anthem) to record a fast, loose and raw record. Tune in at 9:20 a.m. Friday as Jesse Malin and The St. Marks Social showcase their literate, weathered Big Apple punk with songs from the new album Love It To Life. 

The Water Rises on Baltimore Unsigned

The instrumental rock group The Water can be traced back to a natural source. "James [Klink] and I have known each other since kindergarten," says Dan Cohan. "We used to go down to [the park] to light fires, build rafts and do other things that ten-year-olds do. We referred to that activity as 'going down to the water.' We thought it was a good nod to our past. It's also kind of a ballsy name because it's impossible to Google."

Although the band is hard to divine--especially since their 2009 and 2010 E.P.s are both self-titled--their elaborate soundscapes are worth seeking out. "We started with guitars, drums and keyboards," says Cohan. "We kept adding to it and saying 'One more thing.' I think we're at a good level now . . . . and we can't fit any more in the car."


Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday (with an encore edition at 9 a.m. Saturday) to catch The Water on Baltimore Unsigned.

The Water performs at the Monument City Scavenger Hunt Party at Sonar on Saturday, July 24th.

Colin Gowel's Superior Solo Debut

A couple months ago, afternoon host John Mathews received a copy of Colin Gawel's  EP Superior. The title track chronicles a dissolved marriage by the greatest of the Great Lakes, where the characters "break their hearts by its cool, cool waters."

After fronting the Ohio-based band Watershed for two decades (and owning and managing a coffee shop in Columbus), Gawel is launching a solo career with his EP.

John played the song twice in his office and then decided to feature it on the air during his next shift. Listener response, by phone and email, was immediate and ecstatic. And John had the opportunity to share that feedback directly with Colin.

Colin stops by WTMD at 5 p.m. Wednesday, June 2nd, for an in-studio performance and conversation with John.
Colin Gawel performs tonight at the 8 x 10.