Simon Says "Sesame!"

It's hard to believe Sesame Street is celebrating their 40th anniversary today. Some things may change, including the introduction of computer generated characters in place of some puppets, but the show still knows how to capture the wonder of childhood.

Tyler had Harper Simon play live yesterday. I'll have him on for a full Morning Sessions that will air early in 2010. His self-titled debut (in his late 30's) just came out and it's quite excellent. He gathered some of the greatest session musicians of yesterday (including the steel guitarist who played on Sweetheart of the Rodeo by The Byrds) and contemporaries including Sean Lennon and Inara George. The result is cosmic country meets vintage pop.

Harper sat in with another famous musician back in 1976 for a Sesame Street segment on how to make an album: his father Paul. I'm barely over 40, so I feel like I literallly grew up with Sesame Street. Enjoy this little memory with your little one!

Countdown To Bruce --Born to Run

Most would agree that Bruce Springsteen is one of the most important storytellers and artists of our time. Coupling his history and ability to tap into our collective mind sets is certainly a gift. But the side that makes Bruce so endearing is his ability to reduce that collective Gestalt into something individually important to each of us.

Much is being made of Bruce and E Streeters playing full albums at the last shows of the tour. I've been to more shows than I can count but the there is a special moment when Born To Run explodes onto the stage. Goosebumps, tears and introspection collide and carry those of us old enough to remember the Stone Pony into a state of middle aged well being.

I'll post one Piece of Bruce a Day between now and the show here in Baltimore. Please feel free to share your Bruce Stories. I'm staring here at my tickets and the station has been so busy that I really haven't had the time to focus on my pre Bruce anticipation. It hit me this morning that I'm seeing Bruce IN the the Town I Live In! That hasn't happened in quite a while (DC not withstanding). I've flown to Tampa, driven to Richmond twice and left at noon to make an Asbury Park Rehearsal Show and returned home at 3 the next morning--But here in Baltimore--that's gonna rock!

How far have you gone for a Bruce Show?

This one is from the 2002 Video Music Awards taped in NYC.

To steal a line--ARE YOU READY!?

Just a weekend Find

I took guitar lessons in my teens. I wasn't very good. But I did master this little ditty. I found the video this weekend by accident and want to share it with you! Nothing like a little 70s glam pop to end the weekend.

At The Wtmd Roadhouse This Week

Eric Lindell & His Band Will Be Playing Club 66 In Edgewood Next Friday

We'll be Doubling Down On Eric In Our First Hour And Giving Away Tickets For The Show.

Here's Eric Preforming At Club 66 This Past May


Plus In Our Last Hour We'll Feature Cephas & Wiggins & Other Piedmont Blues Artists as

The John Cephas Tribute Show Is Friday Night @ The Creative Alliance At The Patterson.

Join Us At The Roadhouse Friday Night From 7-10pm On 897 Wtmd

Tweet Away Johnny Boy!

For a guy that can do anything he wants: from dating Jennifer Aniston, seemingly at will, to forming a Hendrix Experience-summoning blues trio, he doesn't rest on his laurels.

And despite the, possibly ironic, self-obsession with his celebrity, John Mayer doesn't simply retreat into a club-going socialite, instead, he writes this gem of a hook for "Who Says," from his forthcoming disc, Battle Studies. I'm pretty certain he'll be adding another Grammy to his mantel.

So John, tweet away about any subject- you've earned it baby!

Dark Shadows

The 5 O'Clock Shadow Is Halloween Themed All Week.

Monday-Season Of The Witch-Donovan

G. Love-Sessions At West 54th was the Shadow

Here's Donovan's Original




Tuesday-I Walked With A Zombie-Roky Erickson

REM-Where The Pyramid Meets The Eye Tribute




Wednesday-Psycho Killer-Talking Heads

Here's Cage The Elephant's Live Cover



Thursday-The Monster Mash-Bobby "Boris" Pickett & The Crypt Kickers

The Misfits-Project 1950




Tune In Tomorrow With Tyler For Altered Fridays Haunted Shadow.

And Listen To Melissa Lauren On Saturday For 3 Hours Of Halloween Tunes From

5-8pm On 897 Wtmd

Mix Tape Thursday, 10/01/09

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

9 a.m. Suzanne Clay

When I was little, I would often visit my grandmother and she had this extensive collection of stuffed monkeys. As a child I loved to play with them, but now that I am older, the more I think about those monkeys the more they creep me out.

There happen to be a lot of songs out there with “Monkey” in the title. Here are some of my favorites…..both lovely and creepy.

* "Monkey Man," by The Rolling Stones
* "Shake Me Like A Monkey," by Dave Matthews Band
* "Everybody’s Got Something To Hide Except for Me and My Monkey," by The Beatles
* "New Monkey," by Elliott Smith

11 a.m. Kevin Majoros

These are artists whom I missed on their last stop in Baltimore. I will not miss them again.

* "Will You Return?," by The Avett Brothers
* "Take My Heart," by Danielia Cotton
* "See How We Are," by X
* "Folsom Prison Blues," by Brandi Carlile
* "Ruby, Don't Take Your Love To Town,” by Cake


5 p.m. Greg Lockwood

As the Baltimore Running Festival is rapidly approaching on October 10, these songs are dedicated to all runners training for a fall race.

These songs remind me of the joy of running, the training that goes into preparing for a race, the nerves before the race starts, the "runner's high," friends you make on the road, and the satisfaction of completing your goal.

* "Run," by Ben Kweller
* "The Distance," by Cake
* "New Shoes," by Paolo Nutini
* "I Feel It All," by Feist
* "Long May You Run," by Neil Young

The Electric Mason Jennings

Minneapolis-based, acoustic singer-songwriter Mason Jennings, plugs in with some electric roots rock on the new album Blood of Man.

It's a solid release and a new chapter for an expert, acoustic strummer. One of the standout tracks is "Ain't No Friend of Mine." And video director Barry Kimm's angry doodles definitely complement the corrosive guitar lines.

I Want Kandi

Here's a song that, everytime its spun, seems to genarates phone calls...of the good kind.

It's the irresistable "Kandi", the one with the line, "He called me baby all night long." The female vocal is, appropriatley, Candi Staton, a 70's soul singer who had a hit with "He Called Me Baby." The UK band with an animation obsession, One Eskimo does the song and it appears on their self-titled latest.

Hood to Hood Membership Challenge Standings Update!

Roland Park/Charles Village has taken an early lead, with Cockeysville/Lutherville/Timonium and Howard County looking to close in. It's still early, so the 3rd Annual Hood to Hood Challenge is anyone's game. Head over WTMD.org for complete standings and to help your hood take the lead by pledging now!

Current Standings:

1 Roland Park/Charles Village (Waverly/Guilford/Homeland)
2 Cockeysville/Lutherville/Timonium (Hunt Valley)
3 Howard County (Ellicott City/Columbia/Clarksville)
4 Owings Mills/Reisterstown
5 DC Metro (MoCo/PG County/NoVa)
6 Pasadena/Glen Burnie/Anne Arundel County (Brooklyn/Annapolis/Odenton/Crofton)
7 Fells Point/Harbor East (Little Italy/Butchers Hill)
8 Canton/Highlandtown (Patterson Park/Brewers Hill/Greektown)
9 Station North Arts District/Mt Vernon/Downtown (Bolton Hill)
10 Bel Air/Harford County
11 Catonsville (Dickeyville)
12 Federal Hill/South Baltimore (Pigtown/Locust Point)
13 Hampden/Remington (Clipper Mill/Woodberry/Wyman Park/Keswick)
14 Herring Run Corridor (Lauraville/Echodale/Mt. Pleasant/Lake Montebello/Perring Parkway)
15 Parkville/White Marsh (Carney/Perry Hall)
16 Mt. Washington/Pikesville (Govans)
17 Sparks/Glencoe/Parkton (Hereford/Monkton)
18 Towson

Mix Tape Thursday, 9/17/09

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

7 a.m. Cricket Masson

You need music to keep you awake on the long haul. Criteria for The Essential Road Trip playlist:

1) Fast beat to stay awake.
2) Know the words to sing at top of lungs.
3) Tinted windows so other drivers can’t see driver’s seat dancing and singing.

Picking 4 is hard as that barely gets you out of town but these are a few of my must haves, of which I have WTMD to thank for two and Doug to thank for one of them.

* "Spam," by Save Ferris
* "Kiss Off," by Violent Femmes
* "Brother Lee," by Citizen Cope
* "Wonderful Night," by Fatboy Slim
* "In Your Head," by The Mentionables


11 a.m. Kelly Carneal

Born and raised in Baltimore, I found myself drawn to farms early on and have worked in the agricultural field for several years now. Having lived all over the United States, and having visited many farms and farmers along the way, there tends to be a reoccurring alt-country soundtrack in my head.

These five rise to the top for me, especially on those perfectly brisk days, when I find myself walking a beautiful farm, instead of sitting inside with my nose in my laptop.

* "Gone Wanderin'," by Jackie Greene
* "Tailspin," by The Jayhawks
* "No Bad News," by Patty Griffin
* "Snow Is Gone," by Josh Ritter
* "To Be Young,” by Ryan Adams


5 p.m. Todd Heston
No real theme here, except all of the artists produced some of the best music of their generations.

* "Up on Cripple Creek," by The Band
* "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," by The Rolling Stones
* "Life by the Drop," by Stevie Ray Vaughn
* "Plush," by Stone Temple Pilots
* " Kill," by Jimmy Eat World

Hood to Hood Membership Challenge Standings

With only a week to go before we hit the start of our Fall Fund Drive, WTMD's 3rd Annual Hood to Hood Membership Challenge is off to a great start!

Communities throughout the WTMD Listening Area are competing for the chance to host WTMD's 7th Birthday Party this spring. Get all the details here: WTMD.org/hood

Last year, Howard County took the prize. The year before, Cockeysville/Lutherville/Timonium was victorious. But this year, it's anyone's game. And rather than tally up the dollar amount raised by each hood, we're looking at the number of contributions to determine our winner. So the more people in your neighborhood who contribute, the better your chances of winning. Check out the standings below, then help us spread the word!

Current Standings:

1 DC Metro
2 Owings Mills/Reisterstown
3 Howard County
4 Cockeysville/Lutherville/Timonium
5 Pasedena/Glen Burnie/Anne Arundel County
6 Fells Point/Harbor East
7 Mt Vernon/Station North Arts District/Dowtown
8 Canton/Highlandtown
9 Bel Air/Harford County
10 Catonsville
11 Federal Hill/South Baltimore
12 Hampden/Remington
13 Herring Run Corridor
14 Parkville/White Marsh
15 Mt Washington/Roland Park/Charles Village
16 Sparks/Glencoe/Parkton
17 Towson

Trevor Hall Hears Himself!

This is waaaaay to irresistable NOT to share. After his First Thursday headlining gig, South Carolina reggae rocker Trevor Hall flipped on WTMD and heard himself! Experience the joy!

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