The Mighty Mighty Duke Spirit

Just got finished talking with Leila Moss of The Duke Spirit- they're playing the Ottobar tonight and they were kind enough to let us plug into their sound check for this Friday's Morning Sessions.

Their second album Neptune brings the melancholy and wetness of London (water is a recurring theme) to the Mojave Desert, where they layed down tracks. It's a thrilling paradox!

But, despite some subtle touches on some of the more ballady numbers- on "Wooden Heart," you can almost hear the dew glistening off guitar strings- Leila, Ollie, Luke, Dan, and Toby tear it up with their mystical, meaty rock. Leila Moss could have stood in for the Doors or the Cult, the way she lays it out- with her sensual "ooohs" and that commanding tambourine (have you ever heard of someone commanding a tambourine?) doesn't hurt either.

I wish you could have heard them sound checking, but you still can Friday at 9am!

Check out the brass on "Lassoo."

A New Look for Vampire Weekend

Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa

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Show your support for Radio for Music People while concealing that unsightly bumper, window or blemish. (It's a lot cheaper than fixing it.)

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Enter to Win Tickets to G. Love and Special Sauce at Pier Six

G. Love and Special Sauce visit the Pier Six Pavilion on Sunday, August 17th, in support of their new Brushfire Records release, Superhero Brother.

Visit WTMD.org through Monday, August 4th, to register to win a pair of tickets to the show.

Rothbury Festival goes off with a Bang!!!!

So..... Its been a few weeks since the first ever Rothbury Music Festival in Rothbury Michigan, but then again its taken me that long to recover. The festival, which spanned 4 days over July 4th weekend, included headlining acts The Dave Matthews Band, Widespread Panic, and Phil Lesh & Friends, as well as many other incredible acts such as The Disco Biscuits, 311, Modest Mouse, and a surprise 3/4 Phish Reunion on Sunday afternoon. This trip was nothing short of amazing. For a first year festival you would think they had been doing this for years. I could not tell you a show i saw that didn't amaze me. The Sound at every stage was amazing, the stages looked so cool, and there was a forest completely lit at night with black lights and other various psychedelic lighting. I could never imagine picking my favorite performance, they were all amazing, but i will never forget Sound Tribe Sector Nine performing at The Ranch late Saturday night into Sunday morning. I don't know if it was the amazing set played, the hundreds upon hundreds of glow sticks thrown, or if it was the FREAKIN FIREWORKS!! being set off from the middle of the audience, but i do know this was one show I'll never forget!!! Here is a clip i found of these shenanigans....

Back Door Slam, Ten Out of Tenn and Matt Costa In Studio on Friday, July 25th

Great performers appearing around town translates into a full day of in-studio performances on Friday, July 25th.

At 9 a.m. with British blues trio Back Door Slam on Morning Sessions.

Davy, Ross and Adam won over the crowd at Artscape on Saturday and you'll have a chance to hear an exclusive acoustic performance and interview with Erik in the nine o'clock hour.

At 12 p.m. Rich Levinson hosts Erin McCarley, Matthew Perryman Jones and Katie Herzig from the Ten Out of Tenn tour, a traveling showcase of singer-songwriters based in Nashville that touches down at the 8 x 10 later that evening.

And Matt Costa joins Mike Matthews at 4 p.m. for a special session of Altered Fridays. Matt will perform on the air before headlining at the Recher Theatre.

Listen Live >>

Win Tickets to Matt Costa at the Recher Theatre on Friday, July 25th

Matt Costa is coming to the Recher Theatre on Friday, July 25, in support of his new album, Unfamiliar Faces, featuring the single "Mr. Pitiful."

Register through Monday, July 21st, to win a pair of tickets to the show, courtesy of WTMD. (For complete contest rules, please visit: http://wtmd.org/contestrules.htm.)

Enter to win >>

Mike Doughty on Thursday Night Mixtape: 8 p.m. July 17

Prior to taking the stage at Artscape this weekend (7 p.m. Saturday on the Saturn Stage), Mike Doughty shares his Thursday Night Mixtape with Tyler.

Tune in 8 p.m. Thursday, July 17, to hear the playlist and the artist behind it. (Listen Live)

And then see if you can match Mike with your own mixtape submission.
(Why should Tyler have to do all the work?)

In the meantime, here's Mike's latest single, "Fort Hood."
Let the sunshine in...

FEIST on Sesame Street!

How could you possibly resist?

A Kate Bush Anniversary

When you turn 40, as I begrudgingly have this year (like I had a choice), other notable benchmarks- save for the day you were born- often get overlooked.

Just for kicks today, I almost instinctively searched YouTube for Kate Bush's performance of "Wuthering Heights" on Tops of the Pops (having spent some impressionable time over in the novel's setting, Yorkshire) and realized that song which, despite my lack of interest in Bronte novels, came out thirty years ago! And Kate was the first woman in UK chart history to write and perform a song that topped the charts.

As a kid, I had know idea who Heathcliff was or why Kate/Cathy would want climb through his window, but somehow, while watching the late TOTP, her operatic voice and sincerity (or was it self-parody?) spoke to me...and still does.

Do you notice a striking resemblance to Regina Spektor?

Tune In for Virgin Mobile Festival Weekend: July 12-13

Tune in Saturday and Sunday, July 12-13, as we gear up for next month's Virgin Mobile Festival at Pimlico Race Course by:

• showcasing artists from this year's lineup;


• rebroadcasting interviews from last year's live broadcast;


• entering new members in a drawing for a pair of Two Day General Admission passes to the show.*

* No pledge is necessary to enter the drawing.
(View the pledge form for additional information.)

First Ever National Arts and Environment Summit

If you've been listening in recently, you've heard about WTMD's Eco Tour. This week Terre Jones, President and CEO of Wolf Trap joined us. We talked about the first ever National Arts and Environment Summit being held this Monday.

Wolf Trap invited "Americans for the Arts, The Aspen Institute, Reverb, Booz Allen Hamilton, and NPS Climate Friendly Parks Program; Wolf Trap Foundation President and CEO, Terre Jones, will host an intimate gathering of environmental and arts experts, along with government, community, and business leaders at the Corporate Headquarters of Booz Allen Hamilton in McLean, VA. For over six hours, attendees will operate as a collective think tank of sorts, with the end goal of outlining a list of strategies and solutions for fully engaging performing artists and performing arts presenters in environmental stewardship." (Wolf Trap Blog)

On Sunday they'll be demonstrating their efforts to go green, details here. Want to get involved? The last hour of the seminar will be online allowing you to provide input and ask questions on how the performing arts industry can be more environmentally friendly. Click here to register for the Webinar.

I'll be in attendance Sunday and Monday with intentions of informing you on what the Performing Arts Industry is doing to help save the environment.

Tune in Wednesday mornings at 6 & 8 on the WTMD Morning Show, this Wednesday we learn about simple changes made around the house that make sense economically and help the environment.

Exclusive David Simon Interview on WTMD: Thursday, July 10

Only a few months after cutting The Wire, Baltimore-based author, journalist and writer-producer, David Simon returns to HBO at 9 p.m. Sunday, July 13, with Generation Kill.

The seven-part miniseries follows one of the first Marine units into Iraq at the start of the war. I recently had the chance to chat with David extensively about the show based on the book by Rolling Stone reporter Evan Wright.

Highlights from the interview will air at 7:40 a.m. Thursday, July 10, on the TMD Morning Show, and the full conversation (nearly 30 minutes) will be available on http://www.wtmd.org/ later that morning. is available here.

Here's a sample:

ERIK: One thing that we all can't help but notice with The Wire, and for those who have read the book Generation Kill and learning about some of the soldiers, is that some of them DO stand up to authorities and the incompetence of bureaucracy. It seems like that's one of the themes...

DAVID SIMON: It's funny, everybody's going to attribute that to me! It seems symbiotic with a lot of the Wire's themes. And, of course, I had nothing to do with this book. I didn't know Evan Wright when he wrote it [in 2003]. Evan Wright didn't know The Wire . . . .

He is just experiencing the bureaucracy that is First Recon Battalion as it exists and he's reporting with great clarity on a day-to-day basis . . . . Yes, a lot of the same institutional dynamics were present in Generation Kill that are present in The Wire—completely unrelated to my take on the world . . . . I guess the best I can say for myself is that Ed Burns and I, we got some things right on the nature of bureaucracy and that it applies to military culture as well.

---

Joshua James: Cornhusker Soul

With a jaggedly sweet voice that speaks of the rolling hills and open plains of his native Nebraska, Joshua James plants the seeds of promise on his debut, The Sun Is Always Brighter. You may have heard infectious "The New Love Song" on TMD by now.

Many got a taste of this young talent at the Meyerhoff when he opened up for Glen and Marketa (The Swell Season), fresh off their Oscar win for Once.

Joshua sings of personal struggles of family members, the environment and tragic/historical figures amidst sparse musical accompaniment. The piano, accordion and steel guitar brushstrokes are so beautifully subtle, you might forget there's any at all! And that's a very good thing, because what I think will stay with you is his singing; it yearns and burns a welcoming porch light.

Be on the listen for Joshua James on Morning Sessions in the near future.

In the meantime, check out this little tour diary and a little mischief he got into at the end....




...and an this very, very cool Modest Mouse cover.

Members Only Showcase: Joan Osborne, Monday, July 14th at the Recher Theatre

WTMD members are invited to join us on Monday, July 14, at the Recher Theatre for a Members Only Showcase featuring Joan Osborne performing songs from her career and previewing new material from her forthcoming album Little Wild One.

Each WTMD Member is invited to bring one guest to the event.

RSVP (or become a member and reserve a pair of tickets) by calling 410-704-8970 by 6 p.m. Monday, July 7th. Thanks to everyone who called to reserve tickets. Registration is now closed. We look forward to seeing you on the 14th!

7 p.m. Doors; 8 p.m. Show

The Recher Theatre is located on 512 York Road in Towson, MD.