CD of the Week: As I Call You Down

Three songwriters walk into a studio. They have three days of recording time but nothing written. When Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur and Dhani Harrison left the studio, they emerged as a harmonious new group.

Fistful of Mercy's debut As I Call You Down may be an acoustic one-off, a la Monsters of Folk. After all, Harper's career alone has touched on folk, gospel and straight-ahead rock during the past few years. But the album rewards repeat listening with standouts like the title track and "Father's Son."

Fistful of Mercy perform at Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C., on November 16.

Weekend on the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.

Thursday, 10/21

• Lamplight Premiere, Wind-Up Space 7 p.m.
• Third Thursday Film Fest presents Cut and Run, Mina's 7 p.m.

Friday, 10/22

• Hamilton Gallery Masquerade Ball, Hamilton Gallery 7 p.m.

Saturday, 10/23

• Zombie Bar Crawl, Koco's Pub 7 p.m.
• Let's Eat Charles Street Festival, Charles Street 12 p.m.
• Charm City Roller Girls vs. Carolina Roller Girl All-Stars, Du-Burns Arena 6 p.m.

Sunday, 10/24

• Jazz Education Project featuring Carl Filipiak and LaFayette Gilchrest, Towson University Fine Arts Hall 3 p.m.
• Soap Box Derby Grand Prix, Harford Road 9 a.m.

Fitz and the Tantrums on Morning Sessions

Tune in at 9:20 a.m. Friday as Fitz and the Tantrums bring their dapper funk and soul to Morning Sessions. The Los Angeles-based band built its sound around keyboard and saxophone.

"The concept at the beginning was to make a big record, a wall of sound, an homage to Phil Spector, but to do it without guitars," Fitz says. They also did it without a budget, recording their debut album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, in Fitz' living room.

"We didn’t have any money and we just had a credo of trying to let the room be a part of the sound of the record," he says. The result is a DIY-approach to blue-eyed soul that will start your weekend off right.

Bob the Paper Guy's Greatest Year in the History of Rock and Roll

What was the best year in rock and roll? 

1967 saw the release of Sgt. Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pink Floyd's debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. As Patrick Kapelanczyk wrote on our Facebook page,  "No contest. Monterey Pop Festival, Sgt. Pepper, and Cream . . . can't beat that!"

Prog rock lovers might pinpoint a year at the height of Jethro Tull and Yes powers. U2 broke through with Joshua Tree in 1987, and six years later Smashing Pumpkins put out Siamese Dream and Radiohead debuted with Pablo Honey. Is there any love for the aughts out there? 

At 6:20 a.m. Wednesday, Bob the Paper Guy weighs in on this week's Total Recall segment.

CD of the Week: Mobile Chateau

Matt Costa embraces the sound of the British Invasion on his new album Mobile Chateau. It's a natural progression for an artist who broke through on the Beatle-esque piano pop of 2008's "Mr. Pitiful." 

And, new music video notwithstanding, this isn't just a case of an artist dressing up in vintage clothes of musicians past. Costa uses the 60's sound as a launching pad to develop a new take on the psychedelic era.

Matt Costa and Everest perform at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C., on November 7.

Altered Freebies: The Ting Tings; Ringo Deathstarr; Tim Kasher

What's better than music? Free music. Music director Tyler Laporte has scoured the interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4 to 7 p.m.

The Ting Tings: Hands (Passion Pit Remix)
Are you reading this blog at work right now? Are the TPS reports starting to bleed together? Well, this Passion Pit remix of The Ting Tings' "Hands" will turn your drab little cube into a hip Brooklyn discotheque. Just don't clap your hands too loudly, it's not 5 o'clock yet.

Ringo Deathstarr: Imagine Hearts
Pretty girls singing over abrasive beats are nothing new, but Ringo Deathstarr changes the playbook a bit. "Imagine Hearts" beats hit hard, but they have a slight western twang. It's a new twist on an established genre. Check it out.

Tim Kasher: I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here
Beneath every happy power pop song, there is a melancholy core. "I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here" sounds like a sunny day. Trumpets blare and hands clap, but Tim Kasher is too busy worrying about the next phase of his life to bop his head.

Weekend on the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 and 8:20 a.m. Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.


Thursday, 10/14

• Druid Hill Park anniversary celebration, Druid Hill Park (also on Friday and Saturday)
• 1999: Prince Tribute, Ram's Head Live 8 p.m.

Friday, 10/15

• Nowhere Boy, The Charles Theatre

Saturday, 10/16

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Carroll County Arts Center 9 p.m. and midnight
• Russian Festival, Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, noon (also on Friday and Saturday)

Sunday, 10/17

• Trick or Trike, Merritt Athletic Club Towson, noon
• Halloween Hootenanny featuring Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and more, Merriweather Post Pavillion 3 p.m.

Mark Olson Flies High on Morning Sessions

Tune in at 9:20 a.m. Friday as The Jayhawks co-founder Mark Olson returns to WTMD to perform selections from his new album Many Colored Kite. 

In 1995 Olson walked away from The Jayhawks during the height of the band's commercial success.  The subsequent decade found him teaming up with his wife Victoria Williams for a series of albums rooted in folk and country music. 

"I've always been trying to find the weird world between folk and rock," he says. "The idea with folk music is that you can just pick up and go; you play anywhere, anytime. Rock is a little more difficult because you have to manage the logistics of drums and amps and everything. So, there’s a strange world in between the two that, I think, is wide open."

After divorcing Williams in 2005, Olson reunited with Jayhawks co-founder Gary Louris for a couple short tours. Last year the duo released Ready For the Flood, and there are talks of a full-fledged Jayhawks reunion. 

"We got together three times in this past year, specifically to work up some songs," Olson says. "Now I feel we have a good batch, so the next step is to record them. We’re just getting that in motion now. We’re hoping to make a Jayhawks record . . . . that will come out next year."

CD of the Week: On Approach

Everest's sophomore album, On Approach, invokes an era when vinyl albums were an event. The band honed their laidback California sound into a tight mixture of country, psychedelic rock and folk that caught the attention of Neil Young and earned them a spot opening for him in 2008.

Joel Graves and Jason Soda's guitars are at the forefront, alternating between gentle fingerpicking and a robust echo. Although the band gained an impressive amount of critical buzz with their debut album, Ghost Notes, lead singer Russell Pollard says that the new album takes it to another level. 

“We weren't a band for very long when we made Ghost Notes. I had songs, we recorded them in just two weeks, then immediately toured,” says Pollard. “Now it’s guys who've actually struggled together and survived some tight spaces, cramped hotel rooms, some arguments and some really, really good times. There was a lot of collaboration, and we weren’t afraid to do anything.” 

Everest and Matt Costa perform at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on Sunday, November 7.

Altered Freebies: Black Mountain; White Denim; British Sea Power

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

Black Mountain, “The Hair Song”{via Jagjaguwar}
One of the latest jams getting spun on WTMD. It's like a breath of fresh 90s air.

White Denim, Last Day of Summer EP
This is an EP with 12 songs making it more like a full-length EP, if that can exist. Either way, it's free and has some jams. Go grab it!

British Sea Power, “Zeus”
Great opening track from an upcoming EP from British Sea Power, released on Tuesday, October 4th. Grab it below!

Weekend On the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 and 8:20 a.m., Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.

Thursday, 10/7

WTMD First Thursday with Hoots & Hellmouth and the Herd of Main Street in West Mt. Vernon Park, 5:30 p.m.

Friday, 10/8

"What Makes Us Smile" opening party featuring pop artist Gary Panter and Simpsons creator Matt Groening. American Visionary Art Museum, 8 p.m.

Mt. Vernon Ghost Walk, meet at the Owl Bar in Fells Point at 7 p.m. (also on Saturday)

Saturday, 10/9

Bolton Hill Fall Festival, Bolton Street from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Station North Fall Music Festival, featuring Soul Cannon, Jennifer Knapp and Holy Ghost Tent. On the streets around North Avenue and Charles Street from 2 to 9 p.m.

Sunday, 10/10

Roger Waters performing The Wall at the Verizon Center, 7 p.m.

St. Bartholomew Apple Festival, St. Bartholomew's Church 12-2 p.m.

Jukebox the Ghost Haunts Morning Sessions

Jukebox the Ghost is poised for a busy fall. The piano-pop rock trio from Philadelphia made its national TV debut on The Late Show with David Letterman in September, and they're in the midst of a headlining club tour. Later this month, they'll hit the road again for a few dates with Guster and then Barenaked Ladies.
It's a fast pace that echoes the energized tracks on their sophomore album Everything Under the Sun. Tune in at 9:20 a.m. Friday as the band performs selections from the new album and discusses the recording process with producer Peter Katis (The National, Interpol).

"Because there are only three of us, we feel the constant need to feed the sound so we don't drop out," says guitarist/vocalist Tommy Siegel. "Peter was good about pressing mute at the right time and giving the songs some space."

Download a free copy of "Empire," courtesy of Amazon.com.

Jukebox the Ghost perform at The Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on Saturday, October 16, and the band serves up an online show and web chat on Livestream.com at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 19.

Hoots and Hellmouth Close Out First Thursday

This year's final, free First Thursday Concert on October 7th will get you on your feet with the raucous music of Hoots and Hellmouth. The Philadelphia-based band infuses a punk-rock energy to the traditional string band, showcasing fleet picking, soulful three-part harmonies, and heavy foot stomping. 

Baltimore's own The Herd of Main Street kick off the show at 5:30 p.m. with their new take on classic country.

Start the party early with two free downloads: 
"What Good are Plowshares If We Use Them Like Swords?"
by Hoots and Hellmouth

"Alabama Joe," by The Herd of Main Street 

Just look for the monument and listen for the music!

Caleb Stine and Kenny Liner on Baltimore Unsigned

Tune in at 8 p.m. Tuesday as Caleb Stine (above) and The Bridge's Kenny Liner perform new songs for a capacity crowd at The Bunker Recording Studio in Cockeysville. The two veterans of Baltimore's music scene discuss the inspiration behind their new material and how they met.

"I went up to him [after his show] and introduced myself," Liner recalls. "He said, ‘I have a gig next week, bring your mandolin.’ I thought he meant I could sit in for a song but when I got there, he told me I was playing the whole show . . . . We just had a great time and the friendship started.”

Caleb Stine performs a benefit show at 2640 on Saturday, October 9th.

The Bridge headline their 9th Annual Thanksgiving Celebration at Rams Head Live on Wednesday, November 24th.

CD of the Week: Fields

It took more than a decade for Junip to release its debut, but it's worth the wait. The Swedish trio remained a work in progress as guitarist Jose Gonzalez focused on his solo material, including the 2007 standout album In Our Nature. 


Drummer Elias Araya and keyboardist Tobias Winterkorn infuse a layer of moody keyboards and breakbeats, creating an expanded sonic palette for Gonzalez's plaintive songs.


Junip performs at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday, November 23.