Category: Alabama Shakes

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Snow Day Live Mix

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Off work today –  I thought I would semi-live blog today’s shuffle….

Numerologists will note that before today’s shuffle, my active playlist stands at six hundred sixty six.  Make of that what you will, but beside any other connotations, the playlist is a large as it has ever been, and I hope it generates an interesting mix of music.  I don’t know if it will, but I have high hopes because I know the songs that make up the playlist.  I just don’t yet know the order they will come out… so without further ado…  let’s get ready to shuffle…

 Song # 1 – “If Money Talks” by Jason and the Scorchers

From Lost and Found – 1985.  If money did the talking, I’d be all ears…

Song # 2 – “Heartbeat” by Kopecky Family Band

Another Nashville band… this one is from Kids Raising Kids – 2012.  They are now known as just Kopecky if you are keeping score at home.  Groovy indie pop music…

Song # 3 – “Ain’t That Easy” by D’Angelo and the Vanguard

From Black Messiah – 2014 – Taking things down a soulful path… from one of the best records of the year (even if it was released at the tail end of last year… what’s a calendar anyway?

Song # 4 – “Johnny Commando” by The Satisfactors

From the self titled debut – 2015 of this New Jersey supergroup comes this tribute to Johnny Ramone.  A very fitting tribute…

Song # 5 – “Heroin Vietnam” by A Color Engine

Yesterday, we had some early music from an E2TG favorite in the form of Burning Bridges some early music by the enigmatic genius behind The Danbury Lie.  So, in that vein, we have some early music from another E2TG favorite and coincidentally? a friend of said enigmatic genius – Don Ryan.  The album is called Voyage Underwater; 56 Knots and it was made in 2007 or so.  You can read about the album and project here. This track is a mere 38 seconds, so I actually had to pause the shuffle to get this posted.  So let us continue…

Song # 6 – “Public Void” by Mothers

From Panamanian Times – 2014… some punky, jazzy vibes from this Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen band…  looking for new music from them soon…

Song # 7 – “No Need to Wave” by Artur U and the New City Limits

From Holiday From Eternity – 2015…  This alternative band is from Helsinki, Finland.  They just released their debut album.  Oddly enough, they already have a connection of sorts to Ear to the Ground – as their steel guitar player has played with Bill Laswell and James Chance both of whom are connected to my New York True Groove friends Marla Mase and Tomas Doncker.

Song #8 – “Blood” by Jeremy Gluck and Robert Coyne

Another great song from Memory Deluxe – I Knew Buffalo Bill 2 – 2014…

Song #9 – “Get Up, Get Up” by Tim Lee 3

After some global travels, the shuffle brings us back to Tennessee with my friends from Knoxville off their album  Live From Armory Sound: Boston – 2015.  The song was first released on Tim Lee’s solo album Concrete Dog – 2004.

Song #10 – “Driva Man” by Alabama Shakes

From the Soundtrack to the film 12 Years a Slave – 2013.  A cover of a Max Roach song.  Alabama Shakes follow up to their break through debut Boys and Girls is due out in April, and they recently delivered a highly praised performance on SNL.

More than likely, I’ll be back with a regular shuffle tomorrow, but I hope you enjoyed this “Live” blogging experiment as much as I did… although in retrospect it probably reads much like other shuffles.. oh well, I had fun…..


VIDEO PLAYLIST

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Invitation to Robbery Mix

As you may or may not know, I create a playlist and let the Shuffle function determine the mix which I call my Morning Shuffle. Am I sometimes tempted to take control and create the mix myself? Sure. But, what I like about the Shuffle mode is the way randomness tends to parallel real life.  Sometimes there seem to be patterns – like last week’s day of several animal themed tracks in a row. Sometimes – like today – there is no discernible pattern. Just a collection of cool songs – old and new in a variety of styles and moods. You know kind of like life….





Today’s shuffle emerges – after the JUMP

“Back in the Saddle” by Mark Robinson (from Quit Your Job – Play Guitar.  This is top-notch Music City Blues from one of our favorite artists.)

“Safe European Home” by The Clash (from Give ’em Enough Rope. One of my favorite Clash songs. A classic.)

“Stay True” by Moovalya (from Moovalya. One of the most recent “discoveries”. Moovalya have a high energy punk/metal sound. They are from Phoenix. )

“You Ain’t Alone” by Alabama Shakes (This song is included on a recent ATO Fall Sampler which I  grabbed off of Noisetrade.  It is a track on the Athens, Alabama band’s break-through album, Boys and Girls.)

“I’ll Be Gone” by The Black Clouds (from Better Days.  This New Jersey Grungy/punk band came onto my radar earlier this year.  I featured several songs from this album earlier in the year, but it’s been a little while since they appeared in a shuffle.  It’s good to have the reminder of how much I dig their music.  Check ’em out)

“Scream (reprise)” by Marla Mase (from the Speak Deluxe album.  A nice way to end today’s shuffle – a reprise of the outstanding song Scream.  Marla Mase is another artist to come to my attention in 2013, and she is one of the most creative and original artists I have ever come across.  If you haven’t – check out her music.)

 
 
Watch today’s Video Playlist
 
 

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Explosions in my Mind

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Hey ho! It’s a brand new month.  Let’s kick it off right!

Pre-Shuffle: (I had some post Shuffle technical difficulties so I’m having to reconstruct the order of the songs from memory)

“Goin’ to a Party” by Alabama Shakes
“From a Window Seat” by Dawes
“Freak Show” by SkyBurnsRed
“I Found You” by Aaron and Andrew
“Give Me Back my Wig” by Hound Dog Taylor and The Houserockers
 “Last Stop” by Black Jake and the Carnies (Nashville Show Alert!!!!  Black Jake and the Carnies will be playing at this Wednesday’s edition of Music City Roots Live from the Loveless Barn.  If you can’t make it to the Loveless, you can catch the broadcast on Lightning 100 or at  the Music City Roots website)
“Buried” and “On My Own” by Year of October
“Tina Says” by Those Darlins

And a song from Nashville’s Ben Shive serves as a transition to the Shuffle which begins right after the JUMP!

  • “Your Secret Smile” by Ben Shive from The Cymbal Crashing Clouds (2011)

 

Ben Shive is a Nashville singer-songwriter and not at all what you’d expect given that description.  That’s a good thing.

  • “Traveling” by Mystery Twins from Love is Strange EP (2012)

 

More unexpected goodness from a Nashville duo.  In case you haven’t figured it out, a lot of the music being made in Nashville is not at all what you might expect.  Lose those expectations!

  • “Been There Before” by Human Face from The Waiting Game (Part One) (2012)
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=3666200720/size=venti/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=0687f5/

Human Face are a recent discovery via a Twitter Follow.  They play Indie Rock and are from London.  I really dig what I’ve heard so far.

  • “Poetry in Motion” by Johnny Tillotson (1961 Hit Single)

Johnny Tillotson is from Florida. Poetry in Motion is his biggest hit and was recorded in Nashville with session players that included Boots Randolph and Floyd Cramer.

  • “720 Times Happier Than The Unjust” by The Loud Family from Attractive Nuisance (2000)

Following the demise of Game Theory, the late Scott Miller formed The Loud Family – named after a 1973 PBS series An American Family.  Today’s song comes from that band’s 5th Studio Album.

  • “Rust Golem” by Ghost and Goblin from SUPERHORRORCASTLELAND (2013)
We close out a pretty random but totally awesome mix of songs with another track from the totally cool new album from New York band Ghost and Goblin who came to our attention thanks to a recommendation by The End Men.

PLAYLIST

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – In the Backroom Mix

 Heard Walk on the Wild Side on the radio this morning. It’s going to be a good day.

Today’s shuffle includes some old friends and a pretty weird ass mix of some pretty bitchin’ tunes.  It’s all after the jumpy thing:


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  1. Song: Spread Your Wings Artist: The Walla Recovery  Album: With Trembling… (2009) – (One of our early Bands of the Week in 2011, Chamber Folk Rock from Dallas/Fort Worth, Beautiful music made by beautiful spirits)  

2. Song: Cry  Artist: Tipi Valley  Album: In the Woods (2012) – (Another artist we featured, this time in 2012, the eclectic and talented Tipi Valley from Swansea, UK. In the Woods features the acoustic side of this band. Not on Amazon widget – no video is available – so see the Bandcamp Widget)
  http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=750584824/size=grande2/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/

3. Song: She’s a Woman (And Now He is a Man)  Artist: Husker Du  Album: Warehouse: Songs and Stories (1987) – (Post-punk legends. Husker Du were extremely prolific. Warehouse ended up being the band’s swan song.  This song was released as a promotional single. It was written by Grant Hart.)

4.  Song: Good Wife  Artist: The Grisly Hand  Album: Safe House (2010) – (Kansas City band, Love this song, the amazing Sloane Spencer of Country Fried Rock likes this band)

5.  Song: Good in White  Artist: Delta Saints  Album:Bird Called Angola (2010) – (Nashville-based, NOLA sounding, down and swampy rock ‘n’ roll.)

6. Song: Hold On  Artist: Alabama Shakes  Album: Boys and Girls (2012) – (One of the hottest bands of 2012, Yes – you hear this on the radio quite often. Yes – I heard this morning as a matter of face. Yes – I didn’t mind hearing it again)
7. Song: Toward the Ghost (Steve Moore Remix) Artist: BRAHMS Album: unknown (2010) – (Brooklyn based electronic, alternative band – broke up in 2011, Not on Amazon Widget, gleaned from Stereogum, Steve Moore is a keyboardist/bassist with Zombi)
 

8. Song: The Funeral Artist: J Duff  Album: The Introduction (2012) – (New Jersey Hip-Hop, majestic swagger and in-your-face lyrics)

9. Song: Paranoid Android (Radiohead Cover)  Artist: Weezer Album: None (2011) – (The Radiohead original is on the Amazon Widget, OK Computer track done up right by Weezer, Not much new ground, but it’s a great song done well)
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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Lucky Guy Mix

Before 1993 I only thought I knew what words like heady and transcendent and halcyon meant. In 1993, I experienced all of those feelings and many more.  It was a wild ride of a year which promised and delivered thrills beyond my wildest expectations.  August 28 of that year – 19 years ago today… well how can I explain that day?  Honestly, what I remember most is the laser sharp sense of purpose and direction, and the unwavering sense of doing what I was supposed to be doing.  It started with errands (vitally important errands), a beautifully simple ceremony, drinks, an awkward announcement, party planning, phone calls, the arrival of friends (who were not as surprised as we thought they should have been) and a blow-out of a party. Our Wedding Day… 19 years ago today…
Our song:

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The shuffle:

The Grimm Generation are friends with The Danbury Lie. The band got into contact with me after I named The Danbury Lie featured artists.  The first thing that struck me was the fact that they were heaping praise on the other band.  So, I checked them out.  And, I listened some more.  I don’t want to say too much because I have a feeling I will be writing much more about this band. Suffice it to say, if you are familiar with The Grimm Generation, now is the time to rectify that situation.  The band’s description as Post-Apocalyptic Pop gives a bit of hint to the passionate, juicy sound of this band. Oh hell, just take a look and listen:
 Our song today is Sometimes I’m Subtle (Sometimes I’m Drunk) from their album The Last Record Party.  Honestly, I’m in serious love with this band right now!


 
Here is The Grimm Generations’ cover of Great Balls of Fire.

Next, we have a song about April 1, 1984.  I was in my senior year of high school, and Marvin Gaye was just one day shy of his 45th birthday when he was shot and killed during an argument with his father.  Day That Marvin Gaye Died is by the Avett Brothers from their 2004 release Mignonette. 



Man on Earth is a capital R Rock band from New York.  They’ve been around for a number of years and have played with a number of well-known artists. They released a new video for a song called Venus at the beginning of this month, and are about to embark on a tour which will bring them to Nashville.   The song we have today is an older one called The Great Discontent which we came across on a compilation called sorryeverybody.com vol. 1. from 2005.

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Here is the band’s newest video Venus.
The Alabama Shakes released Boys and Girls back in April, and it had proven to be a break-out moment for the boys and girls from Athens, Alabama.  We have  the joyful Hang Loose today. Sounds like good advice.

 

And finally, we have a song by a jazz saxophonist, composer and band leader Steve Mohacey.  In a small world moment, it turns out that my next door neighbor, who like Mr. Mohacey is a Army band guy, knows Steve Mohacey. Anyway, although we most feature a wide-variety of alternative, Americana indie rock music, we are always on the look-out for all kinds of cool tunes.  Da Boyz is a blisteringly cool jazz number.








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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Strange Days Indeed Mix

We got five songs, and  a mea culpa – so let’s get to it.

Rise to the Sun is a track on the Boys & Girls album by one of the most buzz-worthy bands around, The Alabama Shakes.  If you’ve been hearing the buzz (or even if you haven’t) and haven’t gotten around to checking out this band – do so now.

 
Well, I loved yesterday’s track by Those Darlins so much, I had to grab another. Be Your Bro is also on the Screws Get Loose album. Gender-blurring and fun.
 
We go deeper into the fantastic Young Man in America  album by Anais Mitchell. Venus is our track today.
 
Stuck in RED  is by a band we just heard from this week called Larisa & the Raindoggs who hail from Austin, Texas – and play some mean rhythm and soul music.  Self-described as a shot of Tom Waits and a twist of Snoop.  The song is on their album One Armed Bandits which came out in January.
http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/v=2/album=1306419162/size=grande3/bgcol=FFFFFF/linkcol=4285BB/

And finally we come to my mea culpa.  This was bound to happen sooner or later, and frankly, I’m surprised it is just now happening.  I add music to my MP3 player from a variety of sources, and although I am very thoughtful and deliberate about what I add, some files do not convert on my MP3 player with the album and/or artist information. Usually, when this happens, I can backtrack and figure out who it is and where I got it.  However, today, I have a track called Happy Song with no album name or artist name listed on my MP3 player.  I spent way too much time trying to track down this song through some of my usual sources, but alas, I have come up empty.  It’s a really cool song – up tempo indie rock. If it’s your song or you know who did the song, please let me know.  Otherwise, I will look at the original file when I get home and post an update. 


UPDATE:  Mystery solved.  Happy Song is by FallsStart at band who are from Honolulu, HI.
They have an album called Our Summer which is due out in August.  Here’s a video for you:


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