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We are back and ready to finish off 2015 in style. I hope everyone who celebrates it had a good Thanksgiving.
After fighting off a cold for several days, I ended up pretty knocked out by Friday. I’m on meds and making a recovering. Expect my live music updates to be few and far between the first part of the week, but I will be healthy for some fun stuff coming up at the end of the week. More on that.
On a related note, between the cold and getting ready to and going out of town, I am WAY behind on e-mails and checking out music that has been submitted. Please be patient, but feel free to shoot me a follow-up e-mail/message.
We have a pretty awesome 8 song shuffle.
“It’s a Whisper” by James Roquemore
A confessional track from The First (EP). I saw James open up Patrick Kinsley’s album release show earlier in the year, and I really dug his songs and his voice. I got hold of this EP that night.
“Nickel and a diamond” by Bob Lewis
The first time I saw Bob Lewis perform was opening up for (I think) Darrin Bradbury and Austin Lucas. I downloaded his album NOw here… and have been digging it ever since. Coincidently, Austin Lucas will be back in Nashville Thursday along with Two Cow Garage and some other folks. I intend to healthy by then.
“Two Day High” by Sugar and the Hi Lows
Amy Stroup and Trent Dabbs are established solo artists in their own right. Both members of the Ten out of Tenn collective (I’m not sure if that is an on-going thing or not), after several co-writes, they formed Sugar and the Hi Lows – which for a long time BandsinTown kept mistaking for Sugar (the defunct band formed by Bob Mould of Husker Du). I have been a fan of Sugar and the Hi Lows for a few years – even naming them a featured artist back in 2012. They had a pretty successful run since then. I grabbed a sampler from Noisetrade a couple of months back – so it is good to have them back in the shuffle. This track is from their 2012 self-titled album – so maybe I wrote about it back them????
“Chemicals Pt. 1 and 2” by Bang Ok Bang
Our fourth Nashville band/artist to start of the week. This is from live album recorded at East Nashville Underground. I love all kinds of music, but I never complain when I have some good loud, hard, nasty music show up in my shuffle. Mixing chemicals can be a dangerous thing… but rock and roll is supposed to be dangerous, so here is “Chemicals Pt. 1 and 2” combined in one dangerous track.
“Dead as It Gets” by Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revival Band
Long time Ear to the Ground readers may remember Joe Mansman from his old band The Cosmonauts. They were a featured band and we did an interview with them and premiered a video back in the day. When that band finished it’s run, Joe moved on with a new project that has evolved, changed names, and which has just released a new album as Joe Mansman and the Midnight Revivial Band. The album is called Too Far Gone. It is some really awesome rootsy Outlaw American Rock and Roll from the Upstate New York area. I just got hold of this album right before my cold and the holiday hit, so I’ve just had time to hear a couple of songs, but this is a good one. Expect to read much more about this band and this album soon.
“Looks Like I’m Up Shit Creek Again” by Tom Waits
Seems like a good time to mention that Saturday night is the 10th Annual: Tom Waits Tribute and Benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank (Get Behind the Mule). My friend Mary Sack is the organizer and I had total blast last year. An all-star cast of amazing artists cover Tom Waits’ songs all night, a visual artist does a live painting, fun is had, money is raised. Maybe someone will dig out this chestnut that was released on The Early Years Volume One. Far different sound than Waits later musical forays.
“Hailing Wide” by Tom House
From one Tom to another. Coincidently (or not), I was introduced to Tom House by the same Mary Sack who is organizing the Tom Waits benefit. This is another track from Songs Like Dreams… More Like Blood.
“Joan of Arc” (Version 2) by Thrushes
We close out today’s shuffle with some Shoegaze music from the Baltimore, Maryland band, Thrushes. This is from Exposing Seas – which is the band’s first album in around five years. As I always say when I post songs by band’s that are described as “Shoegaze” – don’t ask me to explain or define the term, but for the most part I usually dig the music, and this is certainly no exception.
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E2TG: MUSIC/WORDS 