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.

I'm Tired, Dirty and Need A Shower But...

IT'S ALL GOOD!!!

Hey everyone part of the WTMD crew has traveled to beautiful Masontown, West Virginia for the Annual All Good Music and Arts Festival. The weekend promises sets from jam band favorites like Yonder Mountain String Band, Umphrey's McGee, STS9, Tea Leaf Green, Dark Star Orchestra, and Bob Weir & Ratdog.  

Last night we started off with a mix of great music from Keller Williams who played an amazing version of "Freaker by the Speaker" as well as covers of "Barracuda" and the King of Pop's "Rock With You". Later on around 3am Lotus took the stage for a set that kept the fans moving all the way to the break of dawn, literally. 

Today's bands have included one of my new favorites Hill Country Review, Jackie Greene, and New Orleans' own Galactic has just finished up as I type. We're still looking forward to Robert Randolph and the Family Band, who are headed our way to Baltimore very soon for Artscape, Les Claypool and moe.

But keep checking in because i'll be updating you on sets from Baltimore's own, Lake Trout and The Bridge as well as the other sights and sounds. And for all of the fans of "Stuck In The Jam with Bug" he's been getting some great exclusive backstage content like a live acoustic set from Keller Williams. 

Depeche Mode on World Cafe

Here is Johnny Cash UNCOVERING Depeche Mode - Personal Jesus
Catch Depeche ModeJuly 28th @ Nissan Pavilion

Stream The New Wye Oak

CD is out July 21st and the CD Release party is on July 21st at the Ottobar

Stream the new CD HERE

Stream The New Dead Weather

Stream the new album from The Dead Weather featuring Jack White.
Make sure you check them Live at the 930 Club, July 13th and 14th.

Mix Tape Thursday, 7/9/09

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

7 a.m. Sarah Johnson

These are songs that I'd like to learn to play on the guitar. Listening to them has inspired me to take guitar lessons and I hope that one day I'll be able to play them all.

* "Long Ride Home," by Patty Griffin
* "Never Going Back Again," by Fleetwood Mac
* "Don't Think Twice It's Alright," by Bob Dylan


9 a.m. Tristan Horrom

These songs are from an indie-ish leaning mix I made a little while ago. I was looking for catchy songs that go well together; I believe transitions are very important for a good mix tape. I really enjoy this sequence of songs.

* "It's Only Divine Right," by New Pornographers
* "Steady As She Goes," by The Raconteurs
* "July, July!" by The Decemberists
* "I Turn My Camera On," by Spoon
* "Kissing the Lipless," by The Shins


11 a.m. Josh Fink

* "No Depression," by Uncle Tupelo
A great upbeat yet depressing song to start your day with!

* "California Stars," by Wilco
For a bit of dreamy wandering.

* "Touch Me I'm Going To Scream, Part 2," by My Morning Jacket
Puts some rhythmic sex into your brain.

* "The W.A.N.D.," by The Flaming Lips
Wayne Coyne rocks!

* "You and I," by Wilco (w/ Feist)
A pretty and mature look at a relationship that many can relate to.


1 p.m. Jeff Bucklew

All of these bands represent not only the "now" but also where popular music is, thankfully, going. While all of these bands, like their predecessors, borrow from the past, this wave of artists has, in my opinion, brought the freshest, newest sensibility to modern music since Nirvana.

They represent the next Golden Age of Music.

* "Halfway Home," by TV on the Radio
* "Weekend Wars," by MGMT
* "It Don't Move Me," by Peter, Bjorn & John
* "Dragon Queen," by Yeah Yeah Yeahs


5 p.m. Laura Abel

With all the buzz about new super-group The Dead Weather, I wanted to pay homage to Jack White. He is remarkably talented; both a creative genius, and a musical chameleon. As a tribute to White's quirky style, here is the Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed, and... Something Blue playlist.

* "Old Enough," by The Raconteurs
* "Hang You From the Heavens," by The Dead Weather
* "Seven Nation Army," by Nostalgia 77
* "Blue Orchid," by The White Stripes


7 p.m. Alex Horrom

It's hard to believe it's July already. Here's a mix of some fun songs for the middle of summer.

* "July, July!," by The Decemberists
* "Einstein on the Beach," by Counting Crows
* "Constructive Summer," by The Hold Steady
* "On the Radio," by Regina Spektor
* "Nikorette," by Conor Oberst and the Mystic Valley Band

Relentlessly Amazing

Ben Harper has always been a favorite of mine since I saw him opening for the Dave Matthews Band in the summer of 2000. I'm always excited when I hear that he's putting out a new album and this year is no exception to that statement. When the full album with his new band Relentless 7, White Lies For Lies For Dark Times slid across my desk I was elated. On first listen I decided it would be a featured CD of the Week here at the station and with tracks like "Number With No Name", "Shimmer & Shine", and "Fly One Time" there was no way around it.

I stayed up late to see every performance by the group on the late-night TV circuit and even passed up Nine Inch Nails' performance at Bonnaroo to see R7's show at The Other Tent. All I can say is that it was one of the most powerful performances I got to see at the festival and I had chills for the entire set. They even tackled a cover of Led Zeppelin's "Good Times, Bad Times" which left my face thoroughly melted.

Needless to say the band's set at the All Good Music & Arts Festival this weekend in Masontown, West Virginia, is one I have been looking forward to for a while.

Mix Tape Thursday, 7/1/09

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

6 a.m. David Ziffer

In honor of Weezer, one of this year's Freefest performers, and their debut album, "The Blue Album", I've included a song from that album, a track from 311's self-titled debut, also known as "The Blue Album," and The Beatles' "Blue Album, 1967-1970."

* "My Name is Jonas," by Weezer
* "All Mixed Up," by 311
* "Across the Universe," by The Beatles


8 a.m. Kathy Marr

There are artists I heard for the first time on WTMD and songs that moved me deeply.

* "Forever My Friend," by Ray Lamontagne
* "Be Here Now," by Mason Jennings
* "Pride," by Daniella Cotton
* "You Dance," by East Mountain South
* "Gravity," by Bob Sima


10 a.m. Mary Zajac
A while ago, David Dye had Moby choose a Top 5 on the World Cafe. Moby's theme was "5 Songs That Would Sound Good in a Desolate Parking Lot of an Abandoned Factory at 4 AM." This is my take on that theme.

* "Over the Hillside," by The Blue Nile
* "All I Need," by Radiohead
* "Love Letter," by Nick Cave
* "For the Turnstiles," by Neil Young
* "Famous Blue Raincoat," by Leonard Cohen


12 p.m. Susan Atwell-Keister

Songs of freedom and America for the 4th of July

* "Freedom," by Melissa Ferrick
* "America," from West Side Story
* "This Land Is Your Land," by Woody Guthrie
* "Free Fallin'," by Tom Petty


4 p.m. Melissa Artnak

This is a, hopefully, not too sappy, but still pretty endearing mix tape that is a modern variant on the "I Like You" mix tapes we are all guilty of making as teens.

All of the songs have a summery feel, so the title written on the label of this cassette could be "Grown-up Summer Camp Love Songs," if that's not too cheesy.

* "Rave On," by M. Ward
* "Slow Show," by The National
* "French Navy," by Camera Obscura
* "All My Mistakes," by The Avett Brothers

Dead Weather Forecast

Jack White is the rock equivalent of Ben & Jerry's. Every few months he swirls a few new ingredients into the mix, creating sonic concoctions that are always unique but clearly part of the larger White brand.

The latest tasty incarnation, The Dead Weather, finds White on drums and sharing vocal duties with The Kills' Alison Mosshart. Darker than the Stripes and Raconteurs, it's an interesting departure with Queen of the Stone Age's Dean Fertita handling guitar duties.

The U.S. summer tour kicks off at the 9:30 Club on Monday and Tuesday, July 13-14, which coincides with the release of the full-length, Horehound.

In the interim, they're giving away a free copy of the single, "Treat Me Like Your Mother," when you submit your email address for band updates.

Treat Me Like Your Mother (Alb...