Wtmd

For more than a decade, First Thursdays, the popular free concert series organized by Towson University's public radio station WTMD, has regularly filled West Mount Vernon Park with thousands of music fans during the summer.  The soundtrack will be similar this year, but the location will not, as WTMD is in the process of moving First Thursdays from Mount Vernon to Canton, according to the station's general manager Stephen Yasko.  The deal...

WTMD's First Thursdays concert last night -- the first of the season -- could be described in many ways, but "damp" comes to mind first. At 5:30 p.m., 90 minutes before the concert began at its new home (Canton Waterfront Park), rain interrupted what had been a picturesque spring day. Rain came in spurts for the next few hours until it stopped for good, roughly halfway through the show. Like many other attendees, a dozen of us found relief when necessary under one of the various tents around the park.

Artist: Todd Marcus Hometown: Baltimore Members: Marcus (bass clarinet) and a wide-ranging group of musicians and friends Sound: Powerful, intricate jazz flowing through a bass clarinet Fact: Marcus didn't pick up the bass clarinet until college. Project: Marcus has begun composing music for a follow up to his debut, In Pursuit of the 9th Man . Next Gig: Joe Squared, March 11 More: toddmarcusjazz.com COMPOSITIONAL BREW "I've explored a thematic style of composing, which is closer to classical composing," Marcus says.

On a rainy night in late March, the studio of WTMD looked more like the buzzing set of a classic variety show than home to Towson University's public radio station. Members of the Baltimore indie-rock group Celebration checked the sounds of their instruments as three actors from the Single Carrot Theatre rehearsed a scene from a new production. Sam Sessa , the show's host and a former Baltimore Sun editor, practiced introductions. Elsewhere, Wham City Comedy's Ben O'Brien went over lines to a monologue he would perform that night.

The proposal to allow WTMD to utilize the vacant Senator theater is a wise one ("WTMD bid to take over Senator draws concerns," Jan. 29). A post-industrial city such as Baltimore needs to attract and keep (as Richard Florida defines it) it's "creative class" -- exactly the type of listener WTMD attracts. While the station may be located on the Towson campus, WTMD's reach extends beyond college students, and it is one of the few unique cultural arts institutions left in Baltimore.

I am writing this in the hopes of clearing up misconceptions some may have regarding WTMD listener and member demographics, a topic which has become important in the debate between two proposals the Baltimore Development Corp. has for the occupation of the Senator Theatre. Having read others' opinions on this matter posted on The Sun's website and elsewhere, I feel that WTMD listeners have been erroneously stereotyped as irresponsible and drunken college students that wreak havoc in the Towson and Lake Evesham communities.

Artist: The Honest Mistakes Hometown: Baltimore Members: Joylene Dalia (lead vocals); Chris Ehrich (guitar, backup vocals); Adam Kvisaari (bass); Frank Corl (drums) Sound: Guitar-driven power-pop that isn't afraid to be proud of its genre Fact: The band feels they have finally found the sound they've been looking for on this record. Project: Break Up is available now. Next Gig: On "this-baby-isn't-going-to-raise-itself" hiatus More: myspace.

Need a reminder of how lucky Baltimore music lovers are sometimes? Just pull out a calendar. Between May and September, thousands gather in West Mount Vernon Park to see rising bands, sip local beer and generally have a good time in the sun. Add the fact that the concert is free, and it has made WTMD's First Thursdays concert series - which starts this week - an essential spring and summer activity in the city. According to WTMD program director Scott Mullins, the planning for First Thursdays begins when we're all bundled up in heavy coats.

Since last June, Towson University radio station WTMD has upgraded its studio, its satellite reception and now adds the headliners of First Thursdays, its free outdoor concert series that takes place between May and September, to the list. Rock stalwarts The Hold Steady (Sept. 4), blues brothers Los Lonely Boys (June 5), "One of Us" singer Joan Osborne (May 1) and sunny pop-folkers The Mowgli's (Aug. 7) are scheduled to take the First Thursdays stage this year, Scott Mullins, the station's program director, told The Baltimore Sun. A headliner for the July 3 event is still to be determined.

In letters and at community association meetings this week, neighbors of the Senator Theatre are voicing concerns over its possible takeover by Towson University radio station WTMD. Complaining that the university has not been a good neighbor in the past, they want assurances Towson officials will pay closer heed to their concerns once even more students start flooding the area. "There's certainly more of a potential for disruption in the area than when it was just a movie theater," says Debbie Jones, who has lived in the Lake Evesham community just north of the Senator since 1988.

Since last June, Towson University radio station WTMD has upgraded its studio, its satellite reception and now adds the headliners of First Thursdays, its free outdoor concert series that takes place between May and September, to the list. Rock stalwarts The Hold Steady (Sept. 4), blues brothers Los Lonely Boys (June 5), "One of Us" singer Joan Osborne (May 1) and sunny pop-folkers The Mowgli's (Aug. 7) are scheduled to take the First Thursdays stage this year, Scott Mullins, the station's program director, told The Baltimore Sun. A headliner for the July 3 event is still to be determined.

For more than a decade, First Thursdays, the popular free concert series organized by Towson University's public radio station WTMD, has regularly filled West Mount Vernon Park with thousands of music fans during the summer.  The soundtrack will be similar this year, but the location will not, as WTMD is in the process of moving First Thursdays from Mount Vernon to Canton, according to the station's general manager Stephen Yasko.  The deal...

Technical difficulties, as they euphemistically say in broadcasting, left some NPR affiliates like Baltimore's WYPR scrambling Monday morning. WYPR confirmed that it had problems with the National Public Radio feed Monday. WTMD General Manager Steve Yasko said he believed there had been problems at his station as well, but he did not have the specifics because his morning team was gone for the day when The Sun called. The trouble started at 6 a.m., according to WYPR's Nathan Sterner, who is on-air from Baltimore weekdays during NPR's "Morning Edition.

Need a reminder of how lucky Baltimore music lovers are sometimes? Just pull out a calendar. Between May and September, thousands gather in West Mount Vernon Park to see rising bands, sip local beer and generally have a good time in the sun. Add the fact that the concert is free, and it has made WTMD's First Thursdays concert series - which starts this week - an essential spring and summer activity in the city. According to WTMD program director Scott Mullins, the planning for First Thursdays begins when we're all bundled up in heavy coats.

If the Bellevederes isn't Baltimore's best soul/R&B band - and it just might be - it's certainly the biggest. There are 10 people in all, including a horn section and a hype man known as Velvet Johnson (aka Justin Metzger). Technically, they're a cover band - but unless you're a music nerd, you'd probably never know it. Members of the Bellevederes spend hours digging up obscure songs from the '60s and '70s to play at their shows. They're a live band through and through; they've recorded an album, but aren't sure if it makes sense to release it. Two women - Kelly Butcher and Denny Finnerin - share the lead vocals on songs traditionally sung by men. Occasionally, they don't update the lyrics to reflect that, which makes for some head-turning moments at their shows.

The Greater Towson Committee's annual meeting, held Thursday, June 28, served as an appropriate end to the tenure of outgoing Executive Director Cindy Bledsoe. The meeting, which served as a farewell to Bledsoe after seven years of leading the Towson development group, was held inside Towson City Center, which towers over downtown Towson and will soon play host to offices, Towson University's College of Health Professions, and a white-table cloth restaurant. "I think it's very fitting tonight that we're in this place," she said.

On a rainy night in late March, the studio of WTMD looked more like the buzzing set of a classic variety show than home to Towson University's public radio station. Members of the Baltimore indie-rock group Celebration checked the sounds of their instruments as three actors from the Single Carrot Theatre rehearsed a scene from a new production. Sam Sessa , the show's host and a former Baltimore Sun editor, practiced introductions. Elsewhere, Wham City Comedy's Ben O'Brien went over lines to a monologue he would perform that night.

WTMD-FM (89.7), Towson State University's public radio station, will launch its first fund-raiser since its change in June to a new adult contemporary format at 8 tonight.General manager Jim English said the mostly student-staffed station has not set a goal for its low-key "quiet drive," which is scheduled to run through Dec. 8. But he indicated that despite tough economic times he hoped it would be able to raise enough money to buy a $6,000 satellite dish. WTMD's annual budget is $30,000, he said.

The vintage Coca-Cola machine is a gorgeous artifact of American history, so Coke has wisely made it a centerpiece to its Father's Day campaign (my apologies for being a bit late on this). Nostalgia-bait? Don Draper would approve. And, because you're seeing it on this blog, the commercial has a Baltimore connection, specifically local singer-songwriter Mike McFadden's song "Get It Together" is used in "The Perfectionist" clip. Watch it above, and listen to the multi-instrumentalist's music at McFadden's Facebook page . McFadden plays his album release show at the 8x10 in Federal Hill on June 29 with The Lombards, Drunken Camel and Cool Hand & the Swagger (it's getting hard to come up with new band names, huh?

Here's a round-up of our week at Midnight Sun: •••• The '80s were back this week. I caught up with members of old Baltimore hair-metal bands. See what they're up to (and what they look like now) here . The fun didn't stop there: Van Halen played Verizon Center, and Lexie Mountain wrote a review of the show. We took photos, too . •••• Surprise! (Or not.) Kegasus is back . •••• Towson's WTMD is moving to a new headquarters in Towson.