Altered Freebies: Girls; Lykke Li; The Decemberists; Dr. Dog

What's better than music? Free music. Producer Nick Jackson has scoured the internet to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4-7 p.m.

Girls, “Heartbreaker”{via Stereogum}
Girls are releasing a six-song EP later this month. This follows up Girls' impossible to Google album, Album. Here's a free song. Yay!

Lykke Li, “Get Some”
The other day on a drive home, I asked my girlfriend where Lykke Li has been. Turns out she recorded some new music and put it up for free on her website. Grab them at LykkeLi.com.

The Decemberists, “Down By The Water”
As awesome as it would be to hear Colin Meloy sing his version of "Have you ever seen a llama, wearing polka dot pajamas," this is not "Down By The Bay". While we wait for The Demeberists' children's record, they are releasing The King Is Dead in January. This is the first song from it.

Dr. Dog, “Take Me Into Town”
You can't download it anymore, but it's worth putting up for a listen. Dr. Dog has been very prolific recently, with no complaints here. These should show up on a 7-inch at some point, hopefully in time to show up under the Christmas tree. I wonder if Santa has an in at Anti Records.

Weasel Returns to the Radio on WTMD - Saturday Programming Changes

Weasel back in the day...Note the Reel to Reel!

Sanctimonious Saturdays are back when Weasel spins the tunes on WTMD! Thousands of us know just how important Weasel is to music and the Baltimore/Washington region. We grew up with him introducing us to bands like REM and singers like Alison Moyet, now we're thrilled a whole new generation of mus...ic lovers will get know why their parents voices get a little softer when they remember the good old days of radio.

Here's what Weasel said when we offered him the show:

“Listening to WTMD takes me back to the glory days of progressive rock radio. Both old and new artists are treated with respect. I’m thrilled that WTMD has given me the opportunity of a lifetime to do what I could never do these days on a commercial station: that is to play quality music from different eras and genres and not be restricted to a 100 song playlist.”

Weasel will be doing Noon to 3pm every Saturday and we've told him to just have fun. He'll be building his own play lists and maybe even bringing back some of his most beloved segments. Email Weasel with your favorite memory or just to say "Welcome Back To Where You Once Belonged!"

We've made a few programming changes to make room for Weasel. The Baltimore Unsigned rebroadcast moves to 7am; Melissa Lauren now hosts "Good Morning Music," a special blend that goes well with your first cup of coffee from 8am to Noon; and Don Rogers keeps the music going after Weasel from 3pm to 8pm.

Scott Mullins
Program Director

CD of the Month: Fitz and the Tantrums- Pickin' Up the Pieces

Vintage soul has made a comeback in recent years, with Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings carrying the torch for Stax and Mayer Hawthorne keeping the memory of Philadelphia International alive. Fitz and the Tantrums complete the circle with a sound straight out of Hitsville USA.

Pickin' Up The Pieces is completely devoid of guitar, drawing the melody from Fitz's vintage organ and James King's saxophone. The organ gives the songs the urgency of garage rock, while the sax provides the warmth. However, the key to Fitz and the Tantrums' success is the rythym section of John Wicks and Ethan Phillips, who keep everything in line with swinging precision. Not a single note or groove is wasted.

The first single, "Breakin' the Chains of Love," drips with ass-shaking style. Dig those syncronized dance moves. They'll make you want to buy a mohair suit.

Weekend on the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.

All Weekend Long:

• Go Ape Treetop Adventures, Rock Creek Park

Thursday, 11/4

• Blue Man Group, Hippodrome Theatre 8 p.m. (also Friday, Saturday, Sunday)
• Judy Collins, Strathmore 8 p.m.
• Sac Au Lait, Joe Squared 9 p.m.

Friday, 11/5

• Wye Oak; Height; The Art Department, The Ottobar 8 p.m.
• The Laramie Project, University of Baltimore Student Center 8 p.m. (also Saturday and Sunday)
• Artists Helping the Family Crisis Center, St. Timothys Lutheran Church 7 p.m.
• Howard County Crafts Spectacular, Howard County Fairgrounds (also Saturday and Sunday)

Saturday, 11/6

• Envision Baltimore launch party, Silo Point 7 p.m.
• Light the Night Walk, M&T Bank Stadium 5 p.m.
• The Metal Show, Overlea Station 7 p.m.

Sunday, 11/7

• Ben Frock's 30th birthday extravaganza, Wind-Up Space 8 p.m.

CD of the Week: Rustic, Rural Ray

Despite a co-credit with his touring band the Pariah Dogs,  Ray LaMontagne flies solo in the sense that he's left longtime producer Ethan Johns and produced God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise himself at his home studio in Western Massachusetts.

The gritty, seductive opener "Repo Man" teases with a naughty blues riff, but the rest of the album settles into a gentler groove.  Greg Leisz's pedal steel exudes warmth on "Beg, Steal or Borrow."

His shy, rural-image ever present, on "New York City's Killing Me," LaMontagne's voice marinates in such sweet, mystic tones that you too will want to surrender to the call of the wild.

For Crabtown, a Claw of a Different Kind

As Sam Sessa reported in today's Baltimore Sun, U2 is bringing it's mammoth 360 Tour (featuring The Claw) to Baltimore on June 22, 2011. Tickets will be made available starting Monday at 10am.

So, after a month's worth of speculation, prompted by a premature U2.com post that had the date and the  city before being removed, it's finally official!

This marks the first time U2 has ever played a stadium in Baltimore.

The last time they did a show here was on October 19, 2001, during their  Elevation tour at the Baltimore (now, First Mariner) Arena.

And a few us may recall what almost was, what could have been, when, in 1992,  U2 scoped out stadiums where they could rehearse their, then, colossal Zoo Tv tour. Baltimore made the final cut, but alas, noise concerns from Memorial Stadium neighbors prompted the band go a little further up I-83 and camp at Hershey Stadium.

Weekend on the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.

All Weekend Long:

• Disney on Ice, First Mariner Arena check website for showtimes
• Zoobooo!, Baltimore Zoo 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Bioengeneering: Making a New You, National Museum of Dentistry
  

Friday

• Celebration; Dustin Wong; Sri Aurobindo; Microkingdom, G Spot 8 p.m.

Saturday

• BSO Halloween Spectacular: Lemony Snicket's "The Composer is Dead," Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall 11 a.m.
• The Great Halloween Lantern Parade, Patterson Park 3 p.m.

Sunday

• Ciclovia, Roland Ave 8 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  

Kim Richey's Wheels Touch Down at TMD

The first time I heard “I’m Alright” by Kim Richey, the line, “Still shaky from the landing” entered my sub-conscious and I think of it now when I get off a plane.

The Zanesville, Ohio native probably experienced a turbulent flight or two commuting from her new home in London to Nashville, where she recorded another example of her exquisite penmanship, Wreck You Wheels.

She worked with in-demand producer Neilson Hubbard and co-wrote all the songs, something that she’s adept at doing.

“I love collaborating! When you find someone you really connect with, there’s nothing better,” she says. “A lot of my friends I met through writing songs like Chuck Prophet. When you write a song with somebody, you think of things you might not have otherwise. (But) when it’s not working, it’s like a bad blind date!”

Richey has a Midas touch for detail in her songs. But, her subtly works on other levels too.
“I love the space,” she says. “A lot of times people forget that it’s just as important as what you put in, the things you leave out. It’s like cooking. Sometimes when you first get into it, you want to put every good ingredient that you have into one thing. But, some of the dishes that are the best are the really simple ones.”

Tune in at 920am this Friday for a showcase in songwriting from Kim Richey on this weeks’ Morning Sessions.

CD of the Week: As I Call You Down

Three songwriters walk into a studio. They have three days of recording time but nothing written. When Ben Harper, Joseph Arthur and Dhani Harrison left the studio, they emerged as a harmonious new group.

Fistful of Mercy's debut As I Call You Down may be an acoustic one-off, a la Monsters of Folk. After all, Harper's career alone has touched on folk, gospel and straight-ahead rock during the past few years. But the album rewards repeat listening with standouts like the title track and "Father's Son."

Fistful of Mercy perform at Sixth and I Synagogue in Washington, D.C., on November 16.

Weekend on the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 a.m. and 8:20 a.m. Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.

Thursday, 10/21

• Lamplight Premiere, Wind-Up Space 7 p.m.
• Third Thursday Film Fest presents Cut and Run, Mina's 7 p.m.

Friday, 10/22

• Hamilton Gallery Masquerade Ball, Hamilton Gallery 7 p.m.

Saturday, 10/23

• Zombie Bar Crawl, Koco's Pub 7 p.m.
• Let's Eat Charles Street Festival, Charles Street 12 p.m.
• Charm City Roller Girls vs. Carolina Roller Girl All-Stars, Du-Burns Arena 6 p.m.

Sunday, 10/24

• Jazz Education Project featuring Carl Filipiak and LaFayette Gilchrest, Towson University Fine Arts Hall 3 p.m.
• Soap Box Derby Grand Prix, Harford Road 9 a.m.

Fitz and the Tantrums on Morning Sessions

Tune in at 9:20 a.m. Friday as Fitz and the Tantrums bring their dapper funk and soul to Morning Sessions. The Los Angeles-based band built its sound around keyboard and saxophone.

"The concept at the beginning was to make a big record, a wall of sound, an homage to Phil Spector, but to do it without guitars," Fitz says. They also did it without a budget, recording their debut album, Pickin' Up the Pieces, in Fitz' living room.

"We didn’t have any money and we just had a credo of trying to let the room be a part of the sound of the record," he says. The result is a DIY-approach to blue-eyed soul that will start your weekend off right.

Bob the Paper Guy's Greatest Year in the History of Rock and Roll

What was the best year in rock and roll? 

1967 saw the release of Sgt. Peppers' Lonely Hearts Club Band and Pink Floyd's debut The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. As Patrick Kapelanczyk wrote on our Facebook page,  "No contest. Monterey Pop Festival, Sgt. Pepper, and Cream . . . can't beat that!"

Prog rock lovers might pinpoint a year at the height of Jethro Tull and Yes powers. U2 broke through with Joshua Tree in 1987, and six years later Smashing Pumpkins put out Siamese Dream and Radiohead debuted with Pablo Honey. Is there any love for the aughts out there? 

At 6:20 a.m. Wednesday, Bob the Paper Guy weighs in on this week's Total Recall segment.

CD of the Week: Mobile Chateau

Matt Costa embraces the sound of the British Invasion on his new album Mobile Chateau. It's a natural progression for an artist who broke through on the Beatle-esque piano pop of 2008's "Mr. Pitiful." 

And, new music video notwithstanding, this isn't just a case of an artist dressing up in vintage clothes of musicians past. Costa uses the 60's sound as a launching pad to develop a new take on the psychedelic era.

Matt Costa and Everest perform at the Black Cat in Washington, D.C., on November 7.

Altered Freebies: The Ting Tings; Ringo Deathstarr; Tim Kasher

What's better than music? Free music. Music director Tyler Laporte has scoured the interwebs to bring you the best free downloads featured on this week's Altered Fridays, 4 to 7 p.m.

The Ting Tings: Hands (Passion Pit Remix)
Are you reading this blog at work right now? Are the TPS reports starting to bleed together? Well, this Passion Pit remix of The Ting Tings' "Hands" will turn your drab little cube into a hip Brooklyn discotheque. Just don't clap your hands too loudly, it's not 5 o'clock yet.

Ringo Deathstarr: Imagine Hearts
Pretty girls singing over abrasive beats are nothing new, but Ringo Deathstarr changes the playbook a bit. "Imagine Hearts" beats hit hard, but they have a slight western twang. It's a new twist on an established genre. Check it out.

Tim Kasher: I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here
Beneath every happy power pop song, there is a melancholy core. "I'm Afraid I'm Gonna Die Here" sounds like a sunny day. Trumpets blare and hands clap, but Tim Kasher is too busy worrying about the next phase of his life to bop his head.

Weekend on the Radio Recap

Every Thursday morning at 6:20 and 8:20 a.m. Sam Gallant of the Creative Alliance shares with you all the cool happenings around town on Weekend on the Radio. In case you missed a detail about a specific event, here's the list for this week.


Thursday, 10/14

• Druid Hill Park anniversary celebration, Druid Hill Park (also on Friday and Saturday)
• 1999: Prince Tribute, Ram's Head Live 8 p.m.

Friday, 10/15

• Nowhere Boy, The Charles Theatre

Saturday, 10/16

• The Rocky Horror Picture Show, Carroll County Arts Center 9 p.m. and midnight
• Russian Festival, Holy Trinity Russian Orthodox Church, noon (also on Friday and Saturday)

Sunday, 10/17

• Trick or Trike, Merritt Athletic Club Towson, noon
• Halloween Hootenanny featuring Alice Cooper, Rob Zombie and more, Merriweather Post Pavillion 3 p.m.