MPT and WTMD-FM broadcast First Thursday Festival concerts

Maryland Public Television (MPT) will broadcast performances recorded during two summer 2018 concert events at Baltimore’s Canton Waterfront Park. The WTMD First Thursday Festival concerts air on MPT-HD on consecutive Thursdays, October 18 and 25, at 10 p.m. and will be simulcast on WTMD 89.7 FM. The televised concert specials bring the outdoor music festival experience into living rooms with high-energy performances by indie music acts from Baltimore and across the country. The one-hour programs, in 5.1 surround sound, include a unique blend of songs, backstage interviews, and striking visuals of Baltimore’s waterfront.

The October 18 program, recorded during the June 7 WTMD First Thursday Festival concert, features performances by Danielia Cotton, Typhoon, and Family of the Year. Cotton, a New Jersey native, released her debut album in 2005 and has opened for the likes of Buddy Guy, Derek Trucks, and Bon Jovi. Typhoon, an 11-member band, has been praised for a masterful combination of indie rock instrumentals and vocals. Los Angeles-based Family of the Year, best known for its song "Hero" featured in the 2014 film Boyhood, delivers melodic male/female vocal harmonies and folktale-style lyrics.

The October 25 broadcast, recorded during the July 5 WTMD concert, features music by Andy Bopp, The Suffers, and Lake Street Dive. Power pop singer and Baltimore-native Bopp has written, recorded, and released dozens of albums over a nearly four decade career. The Suffers, an eight-member band from Houston, offer what it calls “Gulf Coast Soul” and rock and roll to crowds that love to dance. Lake Street Dive, the popular Boston-rooted quartet formed in 2004, features a discography influenced by classic pop music and swing-era jazz.

WTMD Towson University Radio has staged its First Thursday Festival concerts in Baltimore for more than 10 years. The free summer concert series regularly attracts more than 10,000 people to each of its events from May through September.

The two concerts will be rebroadcast on MPT2 on October 20 and 27 at 7:30 p.m.

Maryland Public Television and WTMD have partnered before to offer live music performances to viewers of Maryland’s statewide TV network. For more than five years, the Concert for the Chesapeake Bay presented an assortment of live music performances in support of volunteerism for the Chesapeake Bay watershed.

Funding support for the WTMD First Thursday Festival concert broadcasts on MPT was provided by the William G. Baker, Jr. Memorial Fund.