Thursday Night Mix Tape
Mixologist Tyler Laporte selects a new list each week, interviews its creator and serves up a new show at 8 p.m. Thursday.
Submit your own 3-to-5 song mix tape!
May 13, 2010
Robert Francis' Mix Tape Takeover
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"That's Alright,"
Fleetwood Mac -
"Something on Your Mind," Karen Dalton
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"Helpless," Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young
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"Give Me Time," Dawes
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"Dark End of the Street," James Carr
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"Overcome,"
Juliette Commagere -
"The Way I Choose,"
Bad Company -
"Lady of the North,"
Gene Clark -
"Big Mouth USA," Jim Ford
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"The Man in Me,"
Bob Dylan -
"Little Bit," Lykke Li'
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"Pancho and Lefty," Townes Van Zandt
At only 22 years of age, Robert Francis has made a splash with his confessional lyrics and retro-style sound on his new release Before Nightfall. Tonight he takes over WTMD to play some of his biggest inspirations.
Born and raised in Los Angeles, Francis pays homage to the Laurel Canyon sound with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young's "Helpless." And he closes the circle with Dawes' "Give Me Time," a modern take on classic country rock.
Francis also showcases solo work from his sister Juliette Commagere, who’s contributed backup vocals to Before Nightfall as well as projects by Ry Cooder and Maynard James Keenan.
He also features two talented singer-songwriters who never got their due during their lifetimes: Townes Van Zandt and Jim Ford. While a lot of listeners are familiar with Van Zandt, Ford worked with Bobby Womack and Sly Stone in the 1970s before falling off the radar for several decades. “He is one of the best singers in the world," Francis says.
May 6, 2010
Josh Flynn's Mix Tape Takeover
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“You,” by Mustard Plug
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“Plan B,” by
The Impossibles -
“Come With Me,”
by Deviates -
"Weird Beard,”
by Mad Caddies -
“Keasbey Nights,” by Streetlight Manifesto
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“Alphabet Aerobics,”
by Blackalicious -
“Change in Speak,”
by De La Soul -
“La Curee (feat. Tixi),”
by Fool Dadaz Fire -
“Swing,” by Zero 7
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“8:16 A.M.,” by 311
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“Summer Romance,”
by Incubus -
“Save Tonight,”
by Eagle Eye Cherry -
“The Background,”
by Third Eye Blind
WTMD intern Josh Flynn is counting down the days until he graduates from Towson University. And tonight at 8 p.m. he’ll recount some of the artists who schooled him outside of the classroom.
Growing up in Colorado, Flynn says, “I really didn't have much direction with music and just liked [the mainstream rap] they played on my local radio stations.” His horizons broadened after a friend recommended that he pick up a copy of Mustard Plug’s Evildoers Beware. “The first play through the CD turned me into a lifelong ska fan,” he says.
Flynn features some of his favorite ska artists with tracks from Mad Caddies and Streetlight Manifesto. “Streetlight played the Recher a few years back and it was a blast,” he says.
The rest of the mix tape follows Josh’s transition from rock bands to more independent tracks including Blackalicious and Zero 7. He also shares a track Fool Dadaz Fireow, a French funk rock collective that he discovered on a site promoting music designated with a Creative Commons license.
“Bands upload their music for people to download for free,” he says. “Obviously, donations are always accepted and encouraged, but it really gives the impression that these artists are making the music for the sake of the art rather than the paycheck.”
April 29, 2010
John Nagle's Mix Tape Takeover
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George Harrison,
"I Got My Mind Set on You" -
Smashing Pumpkins, "Today"
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Poison, "Talk Dirty to Me"
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The Replacements, "Unsatisfied"
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Butch Walker, "Mixtape"
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Bob Dylan,
"Leopard Skin Pillbox Hat" -
David Bowie,
"Lady Stardust" -
Elvis Presley,
“Suspicious Minds" -
Bruce Springsteen,
"No Surrender" -
Gaslight Anthem,
"High Lonesome" -
Ramones, "Cretin Hop"
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Cheap Trick, "Clock Strikes Ten"
This week WTMD intern John Nagle takes a break from mundane tasks to take over the airwaves. His set list, inspired by his friend Brendan’s call for Eternal Mixtapes--a.k.a. the most important songs of your life—was fueled by bouts of heavy contemplation and copious amounts of Mountain Dew.
The mix starts with the first song John ever fell in love with, at the ripe age of 4, George Harrison’s “I’ve Got My Mind Set on You.” “I didn't know anything about music back then,” he says. “But I loved the opening kick drum.”
Other personal milestones include Smashing Pumpkins’ “Today,” a track from the first cassette John bought with his own money for the astronomical sum of $13.99 at Waxie Maxie’s. “I was ten,” John says, “so it was a big deal.” The hair metal enthusiast also pays tribute to the glam slam kings of noise—and their fallen frontman Bret Michaels—with Poison’s “Talk Dirty to Me.” And he invokes the spirit of most modern mix tapes with the almost mandatory inclusion of a Bob Dylan song.
John’s set also includes contributions from The Ramones, Cheap Trick, Bruce Springsteen and relative newcomers Gaslight Anthem. “If there is any justice in this world,” he says. “The Gaslight Anthem will have their own theme park ride. They take the big-hearted earnestness of Springsteen and combine it with straight punk rock.”
Until that occurs, however, feel free to take a spin with John tonight at 8 p.m.
