CD of the Week: Truth and Salvage Co.

Amid this year's California country rock renaissance (see Dawes, Band of Horses, et. al), Truth and Salvage Co. stand out on the collective strength of their soaring harmonies and four principal singer-songwriters.

The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson produced the band's self-titled debut album, which boasts the irresistible "Call Back," some gorgeous lap steel work on "Old Piano" and an appearance by North Mississippi Allstars' Luther Dickinson.

Truth and Salvage Co. are on tour with Big Head Todd and the Monsters and they'll hit the road again with The Black Crowes this fall.

Altered Freebies: Jaill; Kid Cudi; Menomena

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.


Jaill, "Everyone's Hip"
"Everyone's Hip" is the first single from Jaill's sophomore album, This is How We Burn, which comes out on later this month. You can catch them opening for The Hold Steady this summer.


Kid Cudi, Rostam Batmanglij and Bethany Cosentino, "All Summer"
Alternative rapper Kid Cudi, Rostam Batmanglij of Vampire Weekend and Bethany Cosentino of Best Coast combine their hipster powers for this song, brought to you by the good people of Converse Shoes.


Menomena, "Five Little Rooms"
After sweating it out on the beach with Cudi, Batmanglij and Cosentino, cool off in "Five Little Rooms," from Menomena's upcoming album, Mines.

WTMD Heads to Artscape

WTMD is a proud media sponsor of Artscape, America's largest free arts festival. From Friday to Sunday, July 16-18, our staff and volunteers will be manning the giant WTMD membership tent on Cathedral Street.

We'll be directly across from the Wachovia Stage so you can't miss us. It's a great opportunity to meet some of your favorite hosts, chat with other music lovers, and pick up a bumper sticker or beach ball.  Plus, our hosts are handling stage announcements for great live acts throughout the weekend.


Festival Stage, Friday

4:30 p.m.	Marcell and the Truth	Erik Deatherage
6 p.m.	Old Man Brown	Erik Deatherage
7:30 p.m.	Angel Band	Bug
9 p.m.	The Crawdaddies	Bug

Festival Stage, Saturday

12 p.m.	Sick Sick Birds	John Mathews
1:30 p.m.	Groove Stu	John Mathews
3 p.m.	The Robert Frahm Band	John Mathews
4:30 p.m.	Jah Works	John Mathews
6 p.m.	Wes Tucker and The Skillets	Tyler Laporte
7:30 p.m.	Shook	Tyler Laporte
9 p.m.	Mambo Combo	Tyler Laporte

Wachovia Stage, Saturday

5 p.m.	Jackie Greene	Erik Deatherage
6:30 p.m.	Cold War Kids	Tyler Laporte
8 p.m.	Gov't Mule	John Mathews

Festival Stage, Sunday

12 p.m.	OrchKids	Tyler Laporte
1:30 p.m.	Bitter Sweet	Tyler Laporte
3 p.m.	Janine Wilson	Nick Jackson
4:30 p.m.	Sweet Leda	Nick Jackson
6 p.m.	Fools and Horses	Nick Jackson

Rogue Wave on Morning Sessions, Part 1

Over the past thirty years, Kool and the Gang’s "Celebration" has commemorated countless sports victories--and inspired at least one indie rocker. After an injury kept guitarist/vocalist Zach Rogue bedridden for months, he picked up his Sears Silvertone guitar and recalled some sunny, summer days at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.


"I went back to my happiest moment and I remembered when I was a little boy and I’d see the Oakland A's play," he says. "When they won, at the end of the game, they’d play 'Celebration' and it was the best feeling! Everyone was celebrating and cheering and life was that simple and happy. I felt excited again, in a way I haven’t in a long time. I wanted to write a song that made me feel like that."


The resulting song, the title track to Rogue Wave's Brushfire Records release Permalight, is a joyful affair. With its programmed dance beats and keyboard blips, the band sounds like they're in a happy place, even though they laid down tracks in the home of the blues Oxford, Mississippi--and you couldn't fault them for feeling blue.

During the past few years, the band has endured two career-threatening medical crises and the death of a close friend. It's one of the most moving and triumphant stories you'll hear in rock and roll. And it's documented in the award-winning film D-Tour, which aired recently on PBS.

In fact, their story is so big, that Erik is taking two Morning Sessions to share it. Tune in at 9:20 a.m. Friday for Zach Rogue's personal story. 

Rogue Wave performs at The Ottobar on Thursday, July 29th.

CD of the Week: Jack Johnson's "To the Sea"

Baltimore has suffered through a major heatwave recently, and Jack Johnson's breezy brand of island jam pop is the perfect antidote. Johnson's fifth studio album, To The Sea, is his most accessible record yet, with layers of jangling guitars and simple melodies. The video for the first single, "You and Your Heart" perfectly encapsulates Johnson's surfer sensibility. 


Jack Johnson and his labelmates, friends, backing band ALO perform a sold out show at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Saturday, July 17th. Don't forget the sunblock.

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.

Altered Freebies: Blonde Redhead; Jukebox The Ghost; Best Coast

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.

Blonde Redhead, "Here Sometimes"

Blonde Redhead returns with a new song off their upcoming album Penny Sparkle, set for release in September. By the sound of it, this album will be a nice lead-in to fall.


Jukebox The Ghost, "Empire"

WTMD favorites Jukebox The Ghost have finished their sophomore LP, Everything Under The Sun and are treating us to the first single off it. It's fun, quirky, and it's sure to please.

You may remember them performing this song when they were on Morning Sessions last year...

Best Coast, "Boyfriend"

Best Coast creates a fun little jingle for those summer crushes that you'll find during these hot days down at the beach. More will be available on their Crazy For You release, due out July 27th.

Hot August Blues Preview on the Roadhouse

Host John Mathews opens the TMD Roadhouse to everyone promptly at 7 p.m. Friday. But this week he'll keep a special eye out for Brad Selko, the force behind the annual Hot August Blues Festval at Oregon Ridge Park.

During the second half of the hour, John and Brad will adjourn to the Roadhouse back porch to partake in some cornbread and sweet tea and discuss all things HAB. 

In addition to featuring artists from this year's lineup, including Jackie Scott and the Housewreckers, Black Joe Lewis and the Honeybears, and Keb' Mo', John and Brad will share some breaking festival news and give one listener an opportunity to win a festival prize pack.

The WTMD Roadhouse airs from 7 to 10 p.m. Fridays.

Hot August Blues takes place 12 to 10 p.m. Saturday, August 21st at Oregon Ridge Park in Cockeysville, MD.

Good Old War Returns to Morning Sessions

In a summer full of great acoustic music, Good Old War's "My Own Sinking Ship" stands out. Although the band has been described as Americana, their sound is closer to the folk rock of Crosby Stills and Nash. Like CSN, the band's three-part harmony forms the nucleus of the music. And their upbeat arrangements wrap around the vocals, creating a very laidback listening experience.


Good Old War formed from the ashes of the progressive emo outfit Days Away. Guitarists Tim Arnold and Keith Goodwin hooked up with Dan Schwartz of Unlikely Cowboy and released their debut album in 2008. The band's self-titled sophomore release marks a turning point for the band according to Schwartz.


"When we were making our first record, we were about six months old as a band and we were escaping a lot of situations that we were in musically," he said. "That one was an experiment and we found out what we sounded like. And this one, we felt like we had become a band; that we knew who we were and we wanted to represent that."


The band has toured with The Gaslight Anthem and is currently on the road with Brandi Carlile. Tune in a 9 a.m. Friday as Good Old War drops by the WTMD studios for Morning Sessions.

Kenny Liner on Stuck in the Jam

Tune in at 9 p.m. Wednesday as Bug counts down to the All Good Music Festival in Masontown, WV, with an encore broadcast of The Bridge co-founder Kenny Liner's Stuck in the Jam takeover. Liner showcases some of his influences with tracks from Townes Van Zandt, My Morning Jacket, The Avett Brothers and Larry Williams.

Plus, in the second hour, Bug's Phresh Phish segment features selections from Phish's second night at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sunday, June 27th. 

The Bridge kicks off the first full day of All Good at 1 p.m. Friday on the Dragon Stage. 

Victoria Vox Brings Exact Change to Baltimore Unsigned

In September 2009, singer/songwriter Victoria Vox found herself at a career crossroads. She just finished paying off her last album, Chameleon, and she couldn't afford to record a new one. When her fanbase kept clamoring for new music, she appealed to them through her website.


"I set a goal for about $4,000 and told the fans 'If you guys help me raise $4,000, I'll be able to put something out,'" she says. "We reached the goal at the end of the day and by the end of the week, we had over $8,000. So I doubled the goal to $16,000. Within a month, I'd raised over $21,000. It felt like the fans were telling me that I wasn't done yet. It was like a bolt of energy."

She rewarded her supporters with the new album, Exact Change, contained in some limited-edition cover art. "The designer . . . came to me with a shadowbox made of clear plastic that you could look in and see the back of [a washing] machine," she says. "At first I thought about putting in some socks that you could tumble around, or maybe an old school ball game. Then he was like, 'What about water?'" 

The resulting design features a fish skeleton swirling around Victoria's visage. And the final recording combines Vox's accomplished ukulele playing with elements of jazz, folk and traditional French pop.

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday (with an encore at 9 a.m. Saturday) to hear Victoria perform selections from Exact Change and speak with host Sam Sessa about the recording process.

CD of the Week: Infinite Arms

Last summer when Band of Horses played Rams Head Live, the show had the feel of a backporch jam session. Band members casually switched instruments between songs, showcased some of the best selections from Everything All The Time (2006) and Cease to Begin (2007), and threw in a sweet Gram Parsons cover for good measure.


A few years after exploding on the strength of the standout single "Funeral," Band of Horses seemed comfortable developing its sound in a relaxed, live setting. Three years after their sophomore release, Ben Bridwell and company return with Infinite Arms, and the laidback country rock sensibility on display during last year's live show is front and center.


Bridwell's slightly off-kilter falsetto floats over echoing guitars and the tremendously catchy choruses are highlighted by rich harmonies that would do Parsons proud.


Check out the video for "For Annabelle," which Bridwell wrote for his two-year old daughter.

Behind Which Stage: A Guide to Bonnaroo 2010

Last month host John Mathews and Baltimore Unsigned producer Nick Jackson traveled to Manchester, TN, to broadcast live from Bonnaroo, the premiere music festival of the summer.

Tune in 12 to 2 p.m. Monday, July 5th, for Behind Which Stage: A Guide to Bonnaroo 2010, as John and Nick deliver the the best of the fest with a full two hours of artist interviews and one-of-a-kind backstage performances. 

Featured artists include John Prine, The Avett Brothers, The xx, Michael Franti and Spearhead, Regina Spektor, Phoenix, and John Butler Trio.

Whether you're reliving this year's festival--or already planning next year's trip--John and Nick are your go-to guides to Bonnaroo, An encore edition of Behind Which Stage will air at 9 p.m. Saturday, July 10.

Altered Freebies: J. Roddy Walston; Grouplove; Wolf Parade

What's better than music?  Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the Interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m. 

(And if you haven't already, be sure to pick up of Montreal's new single, "Coquet Coquette.")

• J. Roddy Walston and the Business, "Brave Man's Death"

Baltimore's own J. Roddy Walston makes the major label leap with the mind blowing Don’t Break the Needle. They bring the rawk on "Brave Man's Death," which is available as a free download when you share your email address in the bottom right corner of his web site. (Try not to be hypnotized by the monsters of rock collage in the background.)

J. Roddy Walston and the Business celebrate their Baltimore Release Show at The Ottobar on Saturday, July 31st.

• Grouplove, "Colours"

Musicians from London, New York and Los Angeles meet on the island of Crete and decide to form a band. It's either the premise for a new reality show or the start of an exciting musical journey. You decide.

• Wolf Parade, "Ghost Pressure"

The Quebec rockers return with a strong track off of Expo 86. 

Truth and Salvage Co. Bring Heavenly Harmonies to Morning Sessions

Truth and Salvage Co.'s "Call Back" is an irresistible part of our summer soundtrack, featuring soaring harmonies from the band's four principal songwriters. The six-piece collective honed its Americana sound during late-night jam sessions at the famous L.A. folk club Hotel Café and caught the attention of The Black Crowes' Chris Robinson.

Last year Robinson produced the band's self-titled debut for his Silver Arrow label. "He was great at picking out how to phrase things," says vocalist/guitarist Tim Jones. "Losing one syllable or one word out of a line can change the whole way you can sing it."


Tune in at 9 a.m. Friday as Jones and his bandmates visit WTMD for an in-studio performance and interview on on Morning Sessions.