John Hughes Rememberance

I've been thinking a lot about the passing of John Hughes. For many of us in our 40s and 50s, he created the gestalt of high school experiences in a time before cell phones, texting, facebook, the internet and the media explosion. It's so different now. It was so simple then --geeks, jocks, band geeks and freaks. We may not have felt we fit in, but a least you knew where everyone else thought you stood.

Getting down these feelings is kind of tough. I came across this blog posting that says it better and more personally than I ever could. I hope you find it as touching as I did and that it brings you a little closer to a man who charted our young lives for us.

Steve
And here's a video to remind us all how good we looked dancing back then!

Mix Tape Thursday, 8/6/09

WTMD listeners take over the airwaves with three-to-five song sets on Thursday.

7 a.m. Jim Kozma

I sure there is a story in here somewhere . . . a sad one.

* "Dancing Barefoot," by Patti Smith
* "You Don’t Love Me," by Matthew Sweet
* "Someday Never Comes," by Brandi Carlile
* "That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart," by Aimee Mann


9 a.m. Marci Cooke

These are my favorite artists to see live and great songs they play live.

* "Live and Let Die," by Paul McCartney
* "Starlight," by Muse
* "Everlong," by Foo Fighters
* "Paranoid Android," by Radiohead


11 a.m. Gillian Waldo

I selected these songs because I think they have to do with questioning your own sanity and the world.

* "Where Is My Mind?," by The Pixies
* "I'll Believe In Anything," by Wolf Parade
* "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley


1 p.m. Becky Brown

This mix tape is follows the course of a day at work. From driving to work and eating in your car because you're running late ("Stick Shift"), to needing sleep ("All You Need Is Sleep"), and dreaming at the end of the day ("In Dreams").

* "Stick Shift," by Young Sir Jim
* "10 A.M. Automatic," by The Black Keys
* "It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone," by Silversun Pickups
* "All You Need Is Sleep," by Sunbears!
* "In Dreams," by The Bridge


5 p.m. Sandy Bernstein

Artists who performed at Artscape this year and last year.

* "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That," by Robert Randolph and the Family Band
* "Never There," by Cake
* "Die, Die, Die," by The Avett Brothers
* "More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle," by Mike Doughty
* "Martyr," by Rusted Root


7 p.m. Anthony Piazza

Um....Summertime, travel, vacations, etc.....

* " Safe European Home" by The Clash
* "Vacation," by The Go Gos
* " Holiday in the Sun," by Sex Pistols
* "Holiday," by Weezer
* "Back In The U.S.A.," by Chuck Berry

Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad on Baltimore Unsigned tonight!

On this evening’s episode of Baltimore Unsigned, Sam Sessa is joined in-studio by a band with multiple personalities. The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad have toned down their raunchy lyrics and morphed into Baltimore’s only hard rock children’s band, The Hilltop Hightops. The band performs songs from both catalogues on tonight’s show.

Also on the show, you will hear some the best music in the area. Tonight's playlist includes:

1. “95,” by Can’t Hang from Ride The Lightrail

2. “Sunday Morning in Baltimore,” by Will Hill from Identity

3. “Garden of Hope,” by Bob Sima from Periphery

4. “The Garden,” by Fiction 20 Down from Welcome to Grassroots

5. “The Gardens After Lockout,” by No Second Troy from Narcotic

6. “Stendal Syndrome,” by Tears of Mars from E quit Y

7. “The Difference,” by We Read Minds from We Read Minds

*Tears of Mars & We Read Minds are playing together at The Quarter August 10th

8. “Divide & Conquer,” by Vandaveer from Divide & Conquer

9. Live Jam from 8x10 by Damn Right! from next week’s show.

Casting Call with St Vincent

Beneath that curly-coif, doe-eyed exterior is a cosmopolitan heart that wraps her sharp wit around , what she calls, "violent" guitars, on her latest, Actor.

The jarring keyboards and Liz Phair-like directness make multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) an artist that I can't wait to see at the Virgin Mobile Free Fest.

Check out St. Vincent and parade of out-of-work actors emoting themselves to death!

A Trip With Mars to Mend The Weeds

Mississippi-bred Charlie Mars joins Tyler tomorrow for a chat and to play a live tune.

After flirting with major-label success, a stint in rehab, and life on a houseboat in Sweden, Mars put out this sexy, groove-a-licous, laid-back record called Like a Bird, Like a Plane and like both of those things, Mars would like to be high....and maybe throw on Dark Side of the Moon with someone who could use it.

And it doesn't look like a bad thing for Charlie to help a friend like Mary Louise Parker of Weeds nurse a broken heart.

Mix Tape Thursday, 7/30/09

WTMD listeners take over the airwaves with three-to-five song sets on Thursday.

6 a.m. Lauren Davis

I chose these songs because they all feel relaxed and leave me feeling good, not too crazy, just right for cruising.

* "Brainy," by The National
* "Starlight," by Muse
* "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," by Vampire Weekend
* "Use Somebody," by Kings of Leon
* "Big White Gate," by Grace Potter


8 a.m. Rachel Moseley

Good fast-lane driving tempos.

* "Last Night Of The World," by Bruce Cockburn
* "Pain Killer," by Turin Brakes
* "Boots of Chinese Plastic," by The Pretenders
* "Nebraska," by Moe
* "She Moves In Her Own Way," by The Kooks


10 a.m. Robert Westerman

I'm feeling kinda 'Jeopardy" today. Topic: Songs That Begin With The Letter "E"

* "Exit Music For A Film," by Radiohead
* "E-Pro," by Beck
* "Eleanor Rigby," by The Beatles
* "Electric Lady Land," by Jimi Hendrix
* "Extraordinary Machine," by Fiona Apple


12 p.m. Allison Cribbs

It started with "Allison," it's my name. From there I just thought of all the good songs with girls' names in the title.

* "Allison," by The Pixies
* "Billie Jean," by Michael Jackson
* "Anna-Molly," by Incubus


4 p.m. Luke Rhine

In honor of a great concert I included in my set a list of some of the greatest songs I have heard in concert. I thought "Freebird" might have been a bit much, but it was good.

* "Can’t You Hear Me Knocking," by The Rolling Stones
* "Same Old Thing," by The Black Keys
* "Little Room," by The White Stripes


6 p.m. Nitin Tandon

With all the recent celebrity deaths, I have been in a morbid mood.

* "Fear," by Paddy Casey
* "Don’t Wanna Cry," by Pete Yorn
* "Dying Is Fine," by Ra Ra Riot
* "Who Is Going To Save My Soul," by Gnarles Barkley
* "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But…," by Arctic Monkeys

Warren Haynes' Countless Friends

Warren Haynes is a true renaissance man! He plays in, let's see....Gov't Mule, The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, The Dead. He tours with all those bands and solo, hosts an annual Christmas jam for charity in his hometown, Ashville, NC, rocks out an annual New Year's show in NYC, and is a highly sought after guest artist and collaborator.

And despite his bluesy growl and his shredding ferocity that's been recognized by guitar aficionados and Rolling Stone (#23 on the all time list), Warren is one of THE nicest guys in rock and roll. His polite southern drawl is always a pleasure to hear.

I'll chat with him Thursday morning as he gets ready for the Gov't Mule show at the National Harbor Pavilion near DC that evening. A new Mule album and a solo r&b-inspired record, both recorded at Willy Nelson's studios...are in the works.

But, to illustrate just how respected this man is, I though we'd go back a few years for this little mutual admiration society conversation and jam with Trey Anastasio. Just to hear them talk about conversing through their guitar solos and fusing their music to the point that nobody is quite sure who's playing what lick...just brilliant!

NerfTones on Baltimore Unsigned Tonight

Tonight, Sam Sessa interviews the NerfTones during a live recording at the 8x10. The band brings their funk-jazz dance grooves to WTMD. Not an episode to miss.

Also on the show, you will hear some the best music in the area. Tonight's playlist includes:

1. “Stick Shift,” by Young Sir Jim from Move, Woman

2. “Tired,” by The Jagged Hearts from Rosemary’s Daughter

3. “The Ghosts Around You,” by e. joseph & the phantom heart

4. “Take Your Time,” by DNA from Passenger

5. “Because of You,” by The Perfects from Future Automatic

6. “The Biggest Meteor I’ve Ever Seen,” by Laura Brino from how we survived.

7. “Rain,” by Adam Day from I Stayed Up Late To Make This

8. “How Long Can I Wonder,” by Caleb Stine from Eyes So Strong and Clean

9. “My Three Sons,” by Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad

How the Wolves Survive

Had the privilege of seeing Cyril Neville and Eric Lindell at the Pittsburgh Blues Festival over the weekend. And while they both turned in excellent sets, the band that elevated my soul above the green covered mountains at Hartwood Acres was Los Lobos. Fittingly, the only other time I've seen them was in 1987 opening up for U2 at Three Rivers Stadium (Little Steven was the other opener, as John Matthews reminded me today- he was there too!).

Let me put it to you this way: why they are not in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, I just don't know (it's been 30 years since their debut record- 25 to be Hall eligible). David Hidalgo is one of the most underrated guitarist ever; his blistering solos and gentle voice are heavenly.

Guitarist Cesar Rosas's growl and unchanged look with the the well-manicured goatee and stylish shades proves a worthy foil for the warmth of Hidgalgo and chief lyricist Louie Perez adds even more guitar punch- plus he even plays drums if the song calls for it. And I haven't even mentioned the keyboard and sax-maestro Steve Berlin, who gives the band that impressionistic California-noir sound on masterpieces like Kiko and The Town and the City and steady bassist Conrad Lozano who brings a smiling assurance to the stage.

They pay homage to their Mexican-American heritage with plenty of danceable accordian-laced Spanish language songs and add to that their Dead cred, and what you've got is one of the most loved festival acts around.

Los Lobos is the tightest band I've ever seen live, an American classic that I want to experience many more times. Hopefully, I won't wait twenty-two years for the next time and this time, I'll stay a little closer to home.

Enjoy this performance of my favorite Los Lobos tune, "One Day One Night." Just listen to David's sweet guitar on this one and watch what the band creates withouth theatrics and hystrionics.

Mix Tape Thursday, 7/23/09

WTMD listeners take over the airwaves with three-to-five song sets on Thursday.

7 a.m. Atara Ziffer

As I haven't had a good night's sleep in weeks, I really only have one thought on my mind.

* "Sleeping Lessons," by The Shins
* "Golden Slumbers," by The Beatles
* "Dreams," by The Allman Brothers Band
* "Asleep," by The Smiths
* "Narcolepsy," by Ben Folds Five


9 a.m. Greg Fagula

Oooooos, Aaaaaaaaaahs, and Ladi Das.

* "Love Dog," by TV On The Radio
* "Wake Up," by Arcade Fire
* "Ode to LRC," by Band Of Horses


11 a.m. Christine Catramados

Thanks to WTMD, these are some of the songs I knew all the words to at the 2007 Virgin Fest!

* "Missed The Boat," by Modest Mouse
* "All My Friends," by LCD Soundsystem
* "The Book I Write" by Spoon
* "Summer In The City," by Regina Spektor
* "Back To Black," by Amy Winehouse


1 p.m. Lauren Seserko

These songs are my favorite this summer, and if I was to spend a summer day at a festival, this is what I'd want to hear!

* "Two Weeks," by Grizzly Bear
* "Little Secrets," by Passion Pit
* "I Cut Like A Buffalo," by The Dead Weather
* "French Navy," by Camera Obscura
* "Ain’t No Rest For The Wicked," by Cage The Elephant


4 p.m. Tina Zeller

I'm an avid concert goer but for some reason the stars have not quite aligned for me to attend any of the past Virgin Fests. This year I'm ready and able but without tickets. I love the lineup and one of the featured artists, Public Enemy, takes me back to my college days when I hosted my own weekly radio show.

I remember one occasion in particular when I decidedly became non compliant with our Top 40 dinner hour format. I blared Public Enemy's "Bring The Noise" over the campus airways into the cafeteria much to the dismay of our station manager. I danced around the booth and thrashed my head to the bustin’ rap beat and loved every minute of it.

Luckily, I was able to maintain my DJ status and my friends who were in the cafeteria lauded my little musical stunt- “Bass, how low can you go!” Here are some of my favorite tunes from this year’s Virgin Fest lineup.

* "Bring The Noise," by Public Enemy
* "Mistaken For Strangers," by The National
* "Sequestered in Memphis," by The Hold Steady
* "Surf Wax America," by Weezer
* "No You Girls," by Franz Ferdinand


7 p.m. Will Norris

All of these songs always put me in a great mood. They are all kind of songs that I would never hear on the radio anywhere else (which is why I listen to WTMD). It is rare to find a radio station that I can connect with in today's day and age.

* "Junior" by Widespread Panic
* "Reba," by Phish
* "Codeine," by Trampled By Turtles
* "In The Kitchen," by Umphrey's McGee
* "Girlfriend Is Better," by Talking Heads

War Tapes Stop By WTMD

War Tapes stop by to hang with John this afternoon. Here is a free download from the band - FREE DOWNLOAD

And an in-studio performance of their single "Dreaming of You."

Mix Tape Thursday, 7/16/09

WTMD listeners take over the airwaves with three-to-five song sets on Thursday.

6 a.m. Kaitlin Schrote

The 2007 Virgin Music Festival created a musical bonding experience between my mom and me. I went to the festival with my college roommate. After returning home the first day, we sat in the kitchen discussing the musicians and bands with my mom.

When we mentioned how we saw so many people of her generation arriving to see the Police, she told me that she had seen the Police back when she was young and single. I was shocked. We had never talked about the concerts she had gone to when she was young. How could my mom have been this cool?

I asked her about other concerts she had been to and all of these musical memories from the late 70s and early 80s poured out. The Police, Peter Gabriel (twice), Billy Idol, U2 (when the Edge had hair!), the Who, the list went on and on.

This mixtape is composed of songs that my mom saw in concert and reminds me of the night I became aware of just how amazing my mom is.

* "So Lonely," by The Police
* "Solsbury Hill," by Peter Gabriel
* "I Will Follow You," by U2
* "Who Are You," by The Who
* "Dancing With Myself," by Billy Idol

8 a.m. Meg Bowen

My playlist theme is WTMD Baltimore Unsigned Artists that should be playing at Virgin Fest. They are all excellent musicians whose music is best enjoyed live on a big stage with the beats of their songs pumping through you from those giant speakers.

* "The Therapy," by Fools & Horses
* "It’s Painless," by Tim Kaye
* "Equity" by Tears of Mars
* "Talk to Me," by David Andrew Smith

10 a.m. Kenny Friedman

In honor of the Virgin Mobile Music Festival, I have chosen songs/artists that feature the words Virgin, Mobile, Music and Festival. The added bonus is that Good Charlotte hails from Maryland and got their big break on the locals stage at the now defunct HFStival.

* "Rich Girls," by The Virgins
* "Stuck Inside of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again," by Bob Dylan
* "Exit Music (For a Film)," by Radiohead
* "Festival Song," by Good Charlotte

12 p.m. Jessica Hanson

I have a very fond memory of driving to NC with three of my pals visiting from Scotland and we just belted out songs the entire way. It was a great wee sing-song.

* "Take Me Out," by Franz Ferdinand
* "Mardy Bum," by Arctic Monkeys
* "She Moves In Her Own Way," by The Kooks
* "These Streets," by Paolo Nutini
* "Chelsea Dagger," by The Fratellis

4 p.m. Natalie Neill

These are some of my favorite Canadian artists.

* "Rebellion," by The Arcade Fire
* "Look Up," by Stars
* "I Feel It All," by Feist
* "Burn Your Life Down," by Tegan And Sara
* "Tessellate," by Tokyo Police Club


6 p.m. Zoe Wais

These songs represent what WTMD means to me. It's because of this radio station that I even know the bands on my playlist exist, and even more than that, they've become some of my favorite bands. All the bands in my playlist are totally original and under appreciated!

* "Old, Old Fashioned" by Frightened Rabbit
* "Orange Shirt," by Discovery
* "Make Light," by Passion Pit
* "Jenny, Don’t Be Hasty," by Paolo Nutini
* "Looking for Shelter," by Good Old War

Fond of Fred

Fred is a fun five-piece out of Cork, Ireland with quite the refreshing sound- funky, psychedelic, shamrock soul.... and quite danceable.

There's lots of belted-out harmonies and humor on their third album Go God Go. Enjoy this little vid for "The Lights."

Rockin' the Block

Saw this on Sam Sessa's blog and couldn't resist: Tommy Tucker and the Supernaturals, who just recorded a Baltimore Unsigned episode, gets down with the seedier side of Charm City for this video and out of it....comes one of the ultimate universal truths- that music is a wrecking ball of any preconceived barriers between people. Also, it's a terrific "serenading the non-tourist areas of a city video" in the vain of the Chili Peppers "Under the Bridge" and U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" (for LA and Vegas, respectively). Terrific spirit, guys! And there are some good dancers on the block- no, not THAT kind.

Wil(co)mington

Most of the WTMD staff flocked to West Virginia for All Good last weekend, leaving its interns with the heavy burden of rocking out to Wilco in Delaware. On their tour's East coast swing, Jeff Tweedy and company seemed to have snuck stealthily into Wilmington (tour bus nowhere to be seen), their sound stage like a fort in the middle of Frawley Stadium, primed for a night of guerrilla indie-rock-pop-alt-country. No one has ever seemed to know what to call their dextrous weave of styles, so it might be best to add Wilco (the genre) to Wilco (the band), Wilco (The Album), and Wilco (The Song).
And here the band seemed worthy of its own genre. At 3 o'clock on a scorching afternoon, they turned their sound check into a five song private concert for forty 40 of us WTMD listeners and interns. Tweedy , longtime Wilco maestro, lead singer and guitarist, cracked jokes between songs and took requests, including one for "Shake It Out" that had drummer Glenn Kotche pumping his fists. Five feet away from the stage, we watched Tweedy croon and Nels Cline work his spidery magic all over the frets of his (many) guitars. With their scraggly hair and ragged tee T-shirts, they looked like the members of my college house three months ago, the morning after a spectacular party, but as soon as they started playing, they were a rapid, seamless stream of sound, with an amazing knack for feeling smooth and jangly at once.
By the time of the official show at dusk, they had donned more dapper clothes and were sending out waves of lucid music, blending classics and new album cuts. Tweedy sang with his trademark wryness, sifting tones wistful, bitter, joyful, and bemused in song after song, dipping into every Wilco album since A.M. The self-assured ease of Wilco (The Album) rode alongside the restive tracks of Yankee Hotel Foxtrot ("I Am Trying To Break Your Heart"), the plaintive tracks of Summer Teeth ("Can't Stand It") , and the spooky wanderings of A Ghost Is Born ("Spiders (Kidsmoke").
Tweedy and his comrades have become masters of tightly constructed, hook-laden, wildly catchy pop songs, as they showed again and again Friday night with "Wilco (The Song)" and "You Never Know," off the new album, along with classics like "Jesus, Etc.," "I'm the Man That Loves You," and the glorious encore surfacing of "Heavy Metal Drummer." In its soul, though, Wilco is a champion of epic instrumental breakdowns, which it treats like meandering crusades for higher feelings of wonder. It was these jams of fancy that were most entrancing Friday night, in "Impossible Germany" and "Spiders (Kidsmoke)," where Cline's and Tweedy's entangling riffs and wails felt like a trek through the entire American landscape, paced by the steady groove of the rest of the band.
The amazing thing about Wilco is that its double personality of well-crafted pop and sprawling experimentation never feels like a split personality, just the wide ranging of one of America's greatest bands.