Tears of Mars perform "Unfeigned" Live at WTMD

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The four brothers from Joppatowne, MD, stop by WTMD (http://www.wtmd.org) to perform new tracks during a Baltimore Unsigned performance.

Mix Tape Thursday, 3/26/09

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

Submit your own mixtape and enter a drawing to win a pair of tickets to see Depeche Mode and Peter, Bjorn and John at Nissan Pavilion!

7 a.m. Anna Cohee

These are all artists that both my parents and I love.

I am a freshman at Carver Center and I think it's awesome that my parents and I don't fight over radio stations. There are so many people my age who listen to music because it's popular, and not because they connect with it.

Aside from the fact that my parents and I can enjoy music together now, your station has given me such a unique collection of music that I am really proud of. I don't know the words to any popular songs but play some Matt Costa or Ingrid Michaelson and I will definitely sing along.

Thank you so much for giving my whole family such great music that all of us can relate to.

• "The Story," by Brandi Carlile
  
• "Bullet and a Target," by Citizen Cope
  
• "Mr. Pitiful," by Matt Costa
  
• "The Hat," by Ingrid Michaelson
• "We Get On," by Kate Nash
  

8 a.m. Patrick Quinn

My favorite songs to listen to. I Love WTMD and want to thank you for playing awesome music. I especially love no commercials; it makes my late-night listening a blast.

• "Mr. Spaceman," by The Byrds
  
• "Hey, Good Lookin'," by Roy Buchanan
  
• "Tattoo'd Lady," by Rory Gallagher
  
• "Learn to Fly," by Foo Fighters
  
• "White Room," by Cream
  

9 a.m. Kate Csakvary

All of these songs put me in a great mood. After losing my job, I turned to music to remind me that good times can be had without money. Great music makes the world a better place.

• "I'll Let You Borrow My Four-Leaf Clover," by Badly Drawn Boy
  
• "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," by Vampire Weekend
  
• "Hold It In," by Jukebox the Ghost
  
• "Let Me Go," by Cake
• "Octopus' Garden," by The Beatles
  

11 a.m. Tieran Flaherty

Recent digs. Plus, one for both bands touring!

• "Summertime Clothes," by Animal Collective
  
• "Pink Stream," by Sonic Youth
  
• "Sissyneck," by Beck
  
• "Precious," by Depeche Mode
  
• "Young Folks," by Peter, Bjorn & John
  

1 p.m. Elizabeth Gall

Since this is for a Depeche Mode contest, I figured I should start off with them. I also realized that most people don't want to hear 5 DM songs, so I decided to make a playlist of some of their 80s contemporaries.

Because I love covers, several of these songs are done by more recent bands; The Be Good Tanyas take a minimalist Prince song and make it even more minimalist with just a single singer and an acoustic guitar, and the Hold Steady does something wonderful to the #2 'Bruce Springsteen song most likely to make me cry' (after The River).

Poppy early Depeche Mode is followed by open-mic Prince, and "Born Under Punches" jazzes things up before they take a turn for the manic with "Love Will Tear Us Apart," ending with a lovely poignant cover. Hope you enjoy!

• "Just Can't Get Enough," by Depeche Mode
  
• "When Doves Cry," by The Be Good Tanyas
  
• "Born Under Punches," by The Talking Heads
  
• "Love Will Tear Us Apart," by Joy Division
  
• "Atlantic City," by The Hold Steady
  

5 p.m. Jenesta Matthews

• "Home," by Depeche Mode
  It explains the atmosphere of my life, and I enjoy the way the vocals blend with the music.
  

• "Insight," by Depeche Mode
  I got married to this song -- a good expression of love's discovery within oneself.

• "New Life," by Depeche Mode
  A great reminder of where Depeche Mode started. Reminds you how long they've been around as a group (though members have changed).

• "Perpetual," by VNV Nation
  A song that inspires my triumphant new existence despite living.
  

• "Chrome," by VNV Nation
  A novel critique on the outside world and what it hides behind.

7 p.m. Amber Kilcoyne

• "Drunken Lullabies," by Flogging Molly
  I quit smoking and started running after New Years and signed up to do the St. Pat's 5K. I found this song perfect and kick butt to run to.
  

• "Eurotrash Girl," by Cracker
  The first song I crowd surfed to in high school, also the last with braces.
  

• "Do You Realize?," by Flaming Lips
  There are people in my life who are beautiful and don't know it, they never will.

• "Me and My Arrow," by Harry Nilson
  Great story.
  

• "Lost in the Supermarket" by The Clash
  It's usually the song stuck in my head at least once a day, besides, "Happy Holidays."

Arcade Fire Get Wild

My favorite childhood book of all time has got to be Where the Wild Things Are ....and it must be Spike Jonze's too, as he's directing the upcoming film due out in October based on the classic.

Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs will be scoring the soundtrack, but check out this trailer with a tender version of the Arcade Fire's "Wake Up" as the backing music.

Can't wait!

A Quiet Surf For Neil Halstead

One of the most curious, but oddly-sensible musical pairings recently has got to be Brushfire Records putting out 4AD artist Neil Halstead's latest solo project.

The Slowdive and Mojave 3 guitarist's breathy, deadpan delivery on Oh! Mighty Engine recalls Nick Drake and Syd Barrett. The emotions run the gamit.

It's a quiet disc, full of British-isms (look up "Elevenes"), deeply felt lyrics and cool melodic acoustic riffs.

Like Jack Johnson, Neil surfs (now you're getting the picture) albeit in cold Cornwall, England and he's got a warm, laid-back vibe to his music and personality.

Neil plays Talking Head tonight and joins me for Morning Sessions on Friday.

What's Eating Neko?

The Pacific Northwest-based, red-headed siren has always used her formidable pipes as a pre-emptive weapon to mask vulnerabilities lurking beneath the surface. But, on WTMD's CD of the Month Middle Cyclone, Neko Case charges head on by singing less in the abstract.

Though on "People Got a Lotta Nerve," I'm sure there are still a few double and triple meanings.

Check out how Canadian animators Paul and Julie Morstad imagined the song and see if you can guess which animal gets her in the end.



Neko plays two sold out shows at the 930 Club 4/8 and 4/9. Hope you've got tickets!

Victor Wooten: Amazing Bass

The incredible bass virtuoso and composer Victor Wooten (founding member of Bela and the Flecktones) plays Rams Head in Annapolis tonight.

Check out how he turns a gospel standard into this majestic, jazzy beauty of a song!

Mix Tape Thursday, 3/19/09

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

Submit your own mixtape and enter a drawing to win a pair of tickets to see Depeche Mode and Peter, Bjorn and John at Nissan Pavilion!

6 a.m. Elisabeth Hyleck

They seem to fit - and I had to go with the concert theme!

• "Amsterdam," by Peter, Bjorn and John
  
• "Nothing," by Depeche Mode
  
• "Clark Gable," by The Postal Service
  
• "Blue Savannah," by Erasure
  

8 a.m. Jennifer Brasher

They represent stages in relationships: happy, complaining, obsessing, gone but missing, and finally alone. And the middle three are linked by artist or title.

• "Another Day," by Jamie Lidell
  
• "You Don't Treat Me No Good," by Sonia Dada
  
• "Dorina," by Dada
  
• "Corina, Corina," by Ray Peterson
  
• "Lonely Blue Boy," by Conway Twitty
  

10 a.m. Shawn Crow

These are my honest-to-goodness top 5 desert island songs. I didn't worry about appearing worldly or well-listened. Each song genuinely moves me. Keep up the awesomeness!

• "Fields of Gold," by Eva Cassidy
  
• "In the Basement," by Etta James
  
• "The Sweetest Drop," by Peter Murphy
  
• "Mercenary Territory," by Little Feat;
• "Can't Get No Grindin' or Champagne & Reefer," by Muddy Waters
  

12 p.m. Carly Wais

Ghost Theme!!! Plus, I love all of these songs, and I really want to win those free tickets!

• "Walking with a Ghost," by Tegan and Sara
  
• "Ghosts Under Rocks," by Ra Ra Riot
  
• "Little Ghost," by I'm from Barcelona
  
• "Is There a Ghost?," by Band of Horses
  
• "Fake Palindromes," by Andrew Bird
  

4 p.m. Kathy Judge

These songs make me smile!

• "Hole in the Moon," by The Waterboys
  
• "My Doorbell," by The White Stripes
  
• "Hiroshima," by Ben Folds
  
• "Acid Tongue," by Jenny Lewis
• "Penguins," by Lyle Lovett
  

6 p.m. Derrick Dallas

• "Puppets," by Depeche Mode
  This has always been my favorite of Depeche Mode's lesser-played songs and Speak and Spell was my first DM album.

• "Five Years," by David Bowie
  Always a huge Bowie fan, and listening to this song still gives me chills.

• "The First Time I Met the Blues," by Buddy Guy
  Truly a great blues song and Buddy does it incredible justice.

• "Raining in Baltimore," by Counting Crows
  I heard this track on an episode of Homicide: Life on the Streets, and realized that I owned such a great song.

• "Safety in Numbers," by Crack the Sky
  The very first song I heard from CTS. I think they're the most under-appreciated local area band. Their music was incredible and had so much more depth than some hits of today.
  

Live from Mobtown Studios

Mobtown Studios has been hosting free micro-shows for local bands in their recording space on Charles St. in Baltimore. ellen cherry, Red Sammy and now the Eureka Birds have been their guests and the music coming from these shows is amazing and sounds fantastic.

You can stream the shows here:
Eureka Birds
ellen cherry
Red Sammy

Oh, and Mobtown Studios also will record your album for you.

Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players Turn Memories Into Sweet Music

Witty, kitchy, vaudeville-style inde rock is one way to decribe, at least, the music of the Trachtenberg Family (Dad Jason on guitar and vocals, Mom Tina on vocals and sixteen-year-old Rachael on drums and vocals).

But, what you see at a Trachtenberg Family Slideshow Players show (which drops by the Ottobar Wednesday night) is an enteriely surreal experience.

Vintage slides culled from anoymous strangers at estate sales are shown on a screen as the music hilariously and often movingly tells their stories.

I'll chat with Jason on the TMD Morning Show Wed. at around 820am!

In the meantime, check out what the incredible, edible egg meant to some people from the 70's. It looks similar to some of my Easter egg hunts!



and let's take a Mountain Trip to Japan!

Eleni Mandell: Hip Sway

Taking songwriting cues from Aimee Mann and Tom Waits and with a sound that might make you think of X, Los Angeles-based Eleni Mandell swaggers her sexy alto on Artificial Fire, a jazzy, new wave-noir-ish new record we'll feature on New Music Tuesday.

Check out the cool minor key guitar riff on the title track.

Like Kevin Bacon on "Go My Way," I wonder what's on Eleni's I-Pod!

Bell X1 performs "The Great Defector" Live at WTMD

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The Irish trio stops by the WTMD studio (http://www.wtmd.org) to perform selections from its new album, "Blue Lights on the Runway."

Bell X1 performs "The Ribs of a Broken Umbrella" Live at WTMD

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The Irish trio stops by the WTMD studio (http://www.wtmd.org) to perform selections from its new album, "Blue Lights on the Runway."

Bell X1 performs "How Your Heart is Wired" Live at WTMD

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The Irish trio, Bell X1, stops by the WTMD studio (http://www.wtmd.org) to perform tracks from their new album, "Blue Lights on the Runway."

Mix Tape Thursday, 3/12/09

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

Submit your own mixtape!

7 a.m. Amanda Torbit

I've seen all of these women in concert and each blew me away like I would never believe, including Bonnie Raitt who I went to see because there was an extra ticket. She totally rocked, what a nice shock.

Patty is my favorite and I just saw her a couple weeks ago at the Meyerhoff and she was by far the best. I never thought I would have a favorite singer because I like so many kinds of music but I'm glad I found Patty and she will remain my favorite forever.

I hope you get as much joy from these women as I do!

• "Words Fell," by Lucinda Williams
  
• "You Got the Silver," by Susan Tedeschi
  
• "Angel from Montgomery," by Bonnie Raitt
• "Forgiveness," by Patty Griffin
  

9 a.m. Laurie Little

We try to support live music and would love more airplay for all of the following bands. Any chance that I can get to share their music with others is chalked up as a good day!

• "Little Black Angels," by Jonah Smith
  
• "Our Love," by Derek Trucks Band
  
• "Magnolia Soul," by Ozomatli
  
• "Heart Can't Tell a Lie," by Los Lonely Boys
• "Barrel House Blues," by Albert Cummings
  

11 a.m. Kevin Burke

Literary and historical inspiration for artists' lyrics.

• "Ramble On," by Led Zeppelin, based on the The Lord of the Rings;
  
• "Riddle in London Town," by State Radio, tells stories of American history;
  
• "The Crane Wife, 1 & 2," by The Decemberists; based on a Japanese folk tale;
  
• "Carolina Drama," by The Raconteurs; Jack White sings about the south as only he can;
• "Franklin's Tower," by The Grateful Dead; More literary connections in one song than many bands put in an entire album.
  

4 p.m. Corey Profit

• "Wonder," (Live) by Colin Meloy
  
• "Imitosis," by Andrew Bird
  
• "Summersong," by The Decemberists
  
• "Beautiful World," by Colin Hay
  
• "Fake Palindromes," by Andrew Bird
  

5 p.m. Grace DeWit

Isn't it all about you, anyway?

• "Bones of You," by Elbow
  
• "Pictures of You," by The Cure
  
• "Thinking of You," by Norah Jones
  
• "Anyone Else But You," by Moldy Peaches
  

6 p.m. Nick Frye

A beautiful girl walks in through the front door of the bar wearing a pair of tapered leg jeans. Her two-tone hair is pulled up in the back and her piercing green eyes are partially covered by her bangs in the front. I stand, unable to move, like a wooden soldier frozen by her enigmatic presence.

I become paranoid and overly aware that I'm just staring. I can't take my eyes off of her. It's as if this is the first day of my life. That's the story of how I met my current girlfriend. Plus, we love all of these bands and songs.

• "Taper Jean Girl," by Kings of Leon
  
• "Bangs," by They Might be Giants
  
• "Wooden Soldiers," by Person L
  
• "Paranoia in B-Flat Major," by The Avett Brothers
• "First Day of My Life," by Bright Eyes
  

Matt Duke performs "I've Got Atrophy on the Brain" Live at WTMD

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Philadelphia-based, singer-songwriter Matt Duke visits WTMD (http://www.wtmd.org) to perform selections from his major-label debut "I've Got Atrophy on the Brain."