Mix Tape Thursday, 9/3/09

WTMD listeners--and featured artists from this year's Virgin Mobile Freefest--take over the airwaves with three-to-five song sets on Thursday.

9 a.m. Krystal Boeren

First of all, I am thankful to a station that is as passionate as local music as its patrons. I've chosen to dedicate my mix tape to local artists that are inspired by our city, and captivate us accordingly.

I am a third generation Baltimorean and Paul Masson's "My Girl Baltimore," is a beautiful testimony to a city that keeps calling me back. Paul's soulful voice and Tom Hnatow's beautiful petal steel blend together in a hauntingly honest portrait of a man coming home to the city he loves.

Being a fan of Hnatow's petal steel work, I've chosen These United States "Everything Touches Everything," the single from their new highly anticipated release. Jesse's voice is vibrant and strong yet playful, giving us a taste of what's to come.

Lastly, I've chosen Caleb Stine's "Comes From the West." Caleb is an extraordinary storyteller with insight beyond his years. This track exemplifies Caleb's born nature to roam, but never stray. And simply put, the melody of the song is infectious.

* " My Girl Baltimore," by Paul Masson
* " Everything Touches Everything " by These United States
* " Comes From the West," by Caleb Stine


11 a.m. Jet’s Cameron Muncey & Mark Wilson from Freefest

* " This is Radio Clash," by The Clash
* " No You Girls," by Franz Ferdinand
* " Cross-eyed and Painless," by The Talking Heads
* " I Wanna Make It Witchu," by Queens of the Stone Age
* " Wanderlust King," by Gogol Bordello

1 p.m. Franz Ferdinand’s Nick McCarthy and Bob Hardy

* " Randy Describes Eternity," by Built to Spill
* "Califonia Shake," by Margot Guryan
* "My Shadow," by Jay Reatard
* "Radio Ladio," by Metronomy
* "Xmas Steps," by Mogwai

5 p.m. Rennie Twigg

It's all about the name....

* "Number with No Name," by Ben Harper
* "Different Names for the Same Thing," by Death Cab for Cutie
* "You Can Call Me Al," by Paul Simon

7 p.m. Jeremy Stark

* "Via Chicago," by Wilco

Our generation's Bob Dylan is Jeff Tweedy. "Via Chicago" is what would happen if the Beatles "A Day in the Life" were to feature Dylan.

* "Take Me to the River," by Talking Heads

David Byrne is originally from the area and his music isn’t played enough around here! Classic cover!

* " Where R U?," by 3Fifths

One of Baltimore's best if not the best. The emotion of singer/songwriter Tim Nodar is unmatched here in one track off of their first studio album Did You? This band blends funk and amazing musicality with really well written songs.

* "Cemetery Walk," by Umphrey’s McGee

What a great song for summer from one of the premier bands jammin’ these days.

Mix Tape Thursday, 8/27/09

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

8 a.m. Jean Luebke

We're taking lots of long family car trips this summer. Listening to great upbeat music always helps make those drives a lot more bearable!

* "Now," by Mates of State
* "Why Do You Let Me Stay Here?" by She & Him
* "FNT," by Semisonic
* "Hold It In," by Jukebox The Ghost


12 p.m. Abigail Higgs

These are love(ish) tunes by a few bands playing at Virgin Mobile Fest. I like them because I've put each one on a mix CD after a bad break-up when I played the cliché part of love-scorned ex, compiling songs to give to my former lover. Of course, these mixes were never delivered; rather, they make up a nice autobiographical music collection on a spindle kept just below a poster of Morrisey.


* "You Are Free," by Mates of State
* "Daughters of the Soho Riots," by The National
* "Take Me Out," by Franz Ferdinand
* "Pink Triangle," by Weezer


6 p.m. Adam Rutledge

No real reasoning reached, simply selecting some songs so more music minded men and women will want what WTMD does during daily duties.

* "Vittorio E," by Spoon
* "The Beast," by Angus and Julia Stone
* "None Shall Pass," by Aesop Rock
* "Buildings and Mountains," by The Republic Tigers
* "Treat Yo Momma," by The John Butler Trio

Mixtape Thursday August 20th

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

9 a.m. Brian Ross

Pure favorites. If I was recording a "My Favorite Song" mix tape for somebody, I'd probably have 100 songs, but these would be the first 3.

* "Senses Working Overtime," by XTC
* "Misunderstood," by Wilco
* "Radio Free Europe," by R.E.M.

1 p.m. David Fenner

These songs make me feel good.

* "Lovers Speak," by Joan Armatrading
* "Honey And The Moon," by Joseph Arthur
* "First Day Of My Life," by Bright Eyes

* "Pacing The Cage," by Bruce Cockburn
* "Suzanne," by Leonard Cohen

5 p.m. Lisa Fink

When I was in undergrad in St. Louis, I would drive home to Milwaukee, WI every couple of months. During the 6 hour drive, at that point when I felt that I couldn't stay awake any longer, I would put on these songs and belt at the top of my lungs (often aided by mass consumption of Diet Coke). These songs still keep me awake and singing in Baltimore!

* "Doo Wop (That Thing)," by Lauryn Hill
* "Oh! Darling," by The Beatles
* "Criminal," by Fiona Apple
* "Midnight Train to Georgia," by Gladys Knight

4 Phish Shows in 4 Days

Closing out the last 4 shows of their scheduled summer tour, Phish played to a crowd of 25,ooo people this past sunday night at The Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. This was the last show of the bands final 4 show stretch to close out the summer. They began the final 4 last Thursday Night at Darien Lake, followed by the Comcast Center in Hartford Connecticut, then down to Maryland for a show at Merriweather, and finally closed out the Summer Tour 09 with a show in Saratoga Springs. The band pulled out gems like Harpua and Icculus and covered tracks like Katy Perry's "I kissed a Girl". From the first notes on thursday night to the final notes of "Highway to Hell" on Sunday, this band was rockin. There are tons of cool videos on the web... I found a guy who has videos of tons of songs from these shows, all great quality. Check them Out Here!!!

You can download all sets from this summer's tour Here!!!

This is one no one expected them to play: Harpua>I Kissed a girl>HYHU>Harpua

Heavenly Hot August Jam

Wow! I almost hate to tell you about the Hot August Blues after party at Hightops Backstage Grille last night- you'll be kicking yourself that you missed it!

I can't tell you how happy I am that Old Man Brown opened the festival and served as the house band for the late night shindig. I've been watching Adam and the boys play their jam-based blues and funk to a growing following at bars around Baltimore for a few years now, and they never fail to deliver. But, last night may have been their most shining moment.

After a laying down a sweet, horn-kissed groove for a few songs, they got the great Tom Principato to trade leads. A few more friends did a little round-robin instrument swapping and as the rivets started to unfasten, a couple of guitar legends waltzed in and completely blew the roof off!

Imagine this: Jason Isbell and Derek Trucks trading leads on The Meter's "Cissy Strut." ARE YOU KIDDING? Man, (Baltimore Unsigned producer) Nick Jackson and I were inches away from rock and roll greatness and a jam that couldn't be scripted any better. It was in a word: blissful.

Jason told me afterwards that he had never met Derek, but always wanted to.....and was stoked at the chance. The two hung out at Hot August which then led to this impromptu guitar get together. And they both looked like two giddy boys who pulled off the greatest prank in school history.

Trucks, Isbel and Old Man Brown laying it down: as that beer commercial used to say, the one with satisfied dudes sitting around the fire eating their catch, "It doesn't get any better than this."

Moby on the Moon

A little cartoon Moby looking for family on a moon made of cheese seems to be the plot behind the video to "Pale Horses" off his new disc Wait for Me.

His friend Amelia Zirin Brown sings.

The electronic/dj/producer plays Rams Head Live on September 18th and the next day at the 930 Club.

John Hughes Rememberance

I've been thinking a lot about the passing of John Hughes. For many of us in our 40s and 50s, he created the gestalt of high school experiences in a time before cell phones, texting, facebook, the internet and the media explosion. It's so different now. It was so simple then --geeks, jocks, band geeks and freaks. We may not have felt we fit in, but a least you knew where everyone else thought you stood.

Getting down these feelings is kind of tough. I came across this blog posting that says it better and more personally than I ever could. I hope you find it as touching as I did and that it brings you a little closer to a man who charted our young lives for us.

Steve
And here's a video to remind us all how good we looked dancing back then!

Mix Tape Thursday, 8/6/09

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

7 a.m. Jim Kozma

I sure there is a story in here somewhere . . . a sad one.

* "Dancing Barefoot," by Patti Smith
* "You Don’t Love Me," by Matthew Sweet
* "Someday Never Comes," by Brandi Carlile
* "That's How I Knew This Story Would Break My Heart," by Aimee Mann


9 a.m. Marci Cooke

These are my favorite artists to see live and great songs they play live.

* "Live and Let Die," by Paul McCartney
* "Starlight," by Muse
* "Everlong," by Foo Fighters
* "Paranoid Android," by Radiohead


11 a.m. Gillian Waldo

I selected these songs because I think they have to do with questioning your own sanity and the world.

* "Where Is My Mind?," by The Pixies
* "I'll Believe In Anything," by Wolf Parade
* "Crazy" by Gnarls Barkley


1 p.m. Becky Brown

This mix tape is follows the course of a day at work. From driving to work and eating in your car because you're running late ("Stick Shift"), to needing sleep ("All You Need Is Sleep"), and dreaming at the end of the day ("In Dreams").

* "Stick Shift," by Young Sir Jim
* "10 A.M. Automatic," by The Black Keys
* "It’s Nice To Know You Work Alone," by Silversun Pickups
* "All You Need Is Sleep," by Sunbears!
* "In Dreams," by The Bridge


5 p.m. Sandy Bernstein

Artists who performed at Artscape this year and last year.

* "Ain't Nothing Wrong With That," by Robert Randolph and the Family Band
* "Never There," by Cake
* "Die, Die, Die," by The Avett Brothers
* "More Bacon Than the Pan Can Handle," by Mike Doughty
* "Martyr," by Rusted Root


7 p.m. Anthony Piazza

Um....Summertime, travel, vacations, etc.....

* " Safe European Home" by The Clash
* "Vacation," by The Go Gos
* " Holiday in the Sun," by Sex Pistols
* "Holiday," by Weezer
* "Back In The U.S.A.," by Chuck Berry

Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad on Baltimore Unsigned tonight!

On this evening’s episode of Baltimore Unsigned, Sam Sessa is joined in-studio by a band with multiple personalities. The Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad have toned down their raunchy lyrics and morphed into Baltimore’s only hard rock children’s band, The Hilltop Hightops. The band performs songs from both catalogues on tonight’s show.

Also on the show, you will hear some the best music in the area. Tonight's playlist includes:

1. “95,” by Can’t Hang from Ride The Lightrail

2. “Sunday Morning in Baltimore,” by Will Hill from Identity

3. “Garden of Hope,” by Bob Sima from Periphery

4. “The Garden,” by Fiction 20 Down from Welcome to Grassroots

5. “The Gardens After Lockout,” by No Second Troy from Narcotic

6. “Stendal Syndrome,” by Tears of Mars from E quit Y

7. “The Difference,” by We Read Minds from We Read Minds

*Tears of Mars & We Read Minds are playing together at The Quarter August 10th

8. “Divide & Conquer,” by Vandaveer from Divide & Conquer

9. Live Jam from 8x10 by Damn Right! from next week’s show.

Casting Call with St Vincent

Beneath that curly-coif, doe-eyed exterior is a cosmopolitan heart that wraps her sharp wit around , what she calls, "violent" guitars, on her latest, Actor.

The jarring keyboards and Liz Phair-like directness make multi-instrumentalist Annie Clark (aka St. Vincent) an artist that I can't wait to see at the Virgin Mobile Free Fest.

Check out St. Vincent and parade of out-of-work actors emoting themselves to death!

A Trip With Mars to Mend The Weeds

Mississippi-bred Charlie Mars joins Tyler tomorrow for a chat and to play a live tune.

After flirting with major-label success, a stint in rehab, and life on a houseboat in Sweden, Mars put out this sexy, groove-a-licous, laid-back record called Like a Bird, Like a Plane and like both of those things, Mars would like to be high....and maybe throw on Dark Side of the Moon with someone who could use it.

And it doesn't look like a bad thing for Charlie to help a friend like Mary Louise Parker of Weeds nurse a broken heart.

Mix Tape Thursday, 7/30/09

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

6 a.m. Lauren Davis

I chose these songs because they all feel relaxed and leave me feeling good, not too crazy, just right for cruising.

* "Brainy," by The National
* "Starlight," by Muse
* "Cape Cod Kwassa Kwassa," by Vampire Weekend
* "Use Somebody," by Kings of Leon
* "Big White Gate," by Grace Potter


8 a.m. Rachel Moseley

Good fast-lane driving tempos.

* "Last Night Of The World," by Bruce Cockburn
* "Pain Killer," by Turin Brakes
* "Boots of Chinese Plastic," by The Pretenders
* "Nebraska," by Moe
* "She Moves In Her Own Way," by The Kooks


10 a.m. Robert Westerman

I'm feeling kinda 'Jeopardy" today. Topic: Songs That Begin With The Letter "E"

* "Exit Music For A Film," by Radiohead
* "E-Pro," by Beck
* "Eleanor Rigby," by The Beatles
* "Electric Lady Land," by Jimi Hendrix
* "Extraordinary Machine," by Fiona Apple


12 p.m. Allison Cribbs

It started with "Allison," it's my name. From there I just thought of all the good songs with girls' names in the title.

* "Allison," by The Pixies
* "Billie Jean," by Michael Jackson
* "Anna-Molly," by Incubus


4 p.m. Luke Rhine

In honor of a great concert I included in my set a list of some of the greatest songs I have heard in concert. I thought "Freebird" might have been a bit much, but it was good.

* "Can’t You Hear Me Knocking," by The Rolling Stones
* "Same Old Thing," by The Black Keys
* "Little Room," by The White Stripes


6 p.m. Nitin Tandon

With all the recent celebrity deaths, I have been in a morbid mood.

* "Fear," by Paddy Casey
* "Don’t Wanna Cry," by Pete Yorn
* "Dying Is Fine," by Ra Ra Riot
* "Who Is Going To Save My Soul," by Gnarles Barkley
* "Perhaps Vampires Is A Bit Strong But…," by Arctic Monkeys

Warren Haynes' Countless Friends

Warren Haynes is a true renaissance man! He plays in, let's see....Gov't Mule, The Allman Brothers Band, Phil Lesh and Friends, The Dead. He tours with all those bands and solo, hosts an annual Christmas jam for charity in his hometown, Ashville, NC, rocks out an annual New Year's show in NYC, and is a highly sought after guest artist and collaborator.

And despite his bluesy growl and his shredding ferocity that's been recognized by guitar aficionados and Rolling Stone (#23 on the all time list), Warren is one of THE nicest guys in rock and roll. His polite southern drawl is always a pleasure to hear.

I'll chat with him Thursday morning as he gets ready for the Gov't Mule show at the National Harbor Pavilion near DC that evening. A new Mule album and a solo r&b-inspired record, both recorded at Willy Nelson's studios...are in the works.

But, to illustrate just how respected this man is, I though we'd go back a few years for this little mutual admiration society conversation and jam with Trey Anastasio. Just to hear them talk about conversing through their guitar solos and fusing their music to the point that nobody is quite sure who's playing what lick...just brilliant!

NerfTones on Baltimore Unsigned Tonight

Tonight, Sam Sessa interviews the NerfTones during a live recording at the 8x10. The band brings their funk-jazz dance grooves to WTMD. Not an episode to miss.

Also on the show, you will hear some the best music in the area. Tonight's playlist includes:

1. “Stick Shift,” by Young Sir Jim from Move, Woman

2. “Tired,” by The Jagged Hearts from Rosemary’s Daughter

3. “The Ghosts Around You,” by e. joseph & the phantom heart

4. “Take Your Time,” by DNA from Passenger

5. “Because of You,” by The Perfects from Future Automatic

6. “The Biggest Meteor I’ve Ever Seen,” by Laura Brino from how we survived.

7. “Rain,” by Adam Day from I Stayed Up Late To Make This

8. “How Long Can I Wonder,” by Caleb Stine from Eyes So Strong and Clean

9. “My Three Sons,” by Dirty Marmaduke Flute Squad

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.