Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle – It’s Only Natural Mix

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Remembering George Martin on his passing at age 90.  I don’t think music over the past half century would be what it has been without the Beatles, and I don’t think the Beatles would have been what they were without George Martin. Rest in Peace.

ICYMI, E2TG premiered a new video by Jon Latham.  You can check it out here.

Been checking out some music to be released in the next couple of months.  Really excited about Eli Rhodes (Benchmarks) new album and the new one from Knoxville-based Adeem the Artist (formerly known as Kyle Adem – who I saw at a New Faces night at The Basement some time ago). 

Several names you read about on E2TG will be releasing new music in the coming months. Some of them have preorders going on. Keep your ears to the ground.

Also, there is some cool live music tonight in Nashville – on the west side, Tim Carroll, Joe Nolan, Andrew Adkins, Jon Byrd, and Tommy Womack will the sharing a stage at The Country beginning at 7:30.  Across the river, Lindsay Ellyn, Sara Syms, and Carrie Welling will be playing the late show at The 5 Spot which is set to begin around 9:00.

Keep checking E2TG for an exciting announcement coming soon.

Now, it is Wild Wednesday!  Today’s shuffle fulfills by loosely defined expectations for this theme nicely.

“The Attic” by Circus Propaganda

Circus Propaganda was like a candle in the wind (cue Elton John). They burned brightly for a short time and left behind a really excellent album and a Jason DeRulo cover as they dissipated into several different musical projects  – many of whom you do or will read about here at E2TG  (a few of them in this shuffle).  The album was called Botany. 

“Ol’ Black Buck” by Captain Luke and Cool John Ferguson

From the Music Maker Relief Foundation.  I have said it before, and I say it again, I think Music Maker Relief Foundation has a fantastic mission of not only preserving music but of helping out the legacy artists who helped to make some of the roots music that informs today’s Americana bands and more.  The help they provide includes (but not limited to) improving living situations, assistance with medical bills, and help getting some music to be recorded.  Captain Luke passed away last year, but before he did, MMRF helped put Captain Luke together with guitarist Cool John Ferguson.

“It’s Doesn’t Mean Anything” by Bashful Hips

Last week, I finally got to see Bashful Hips live to celebrate the release of his new album After I Died, I’ve Never Felt So Alive.  This is a track from that album.  This is truly original music that comes from the heart. 

“Plastic Machine Head” by Zaibatsu

Another track from Italian pregressive rock band, Zaibatsu and their album Zero.

“Come Dancing” by The Kinks

Wild – up to this point in the shuffle, we have had three tracks that could fall under the term experimental and one song that was authentic blues music.  This is an early 80s hit song by the British Invasion band The Kinks.  The Kinks have a complicated history, but they made some truly memorable music.  I caught onto this song in the heady days of my youth thanks to MTV relentless playing the music video.   

“No Depression” by Uncle Tupelo

And in true Wild Wednesday style, we move on to the song that helped to define a musical movement and which gave its name to an iconic and enduring music publication/website.  Uncle Tupelo were not the first “Alt-Country” band, but they were definitely one of the best.

“Tentland,USA” by Discount Ravioli

Is it just me or has the shuffle been bringing up quite a bit of Discount Ravioli recently?  Well, they sure are prolific.  This goes back to their debut release (all the way back to 2015).  This time, I scoured You Tube and found a film by Evan Nork featuring a song by The Flaming Lips.

“Knysna” by Bosveld

Veldbrand is a really great album that received some well deserved attention from the CBC at the time of its release.  The band, which features long time E2TG favorite Veledrones, is known to tour around Canada on bikes.  This is a really lovely song.

“Paraphrasing” by Smokey the Firebear

The shuffle was kind enough to wrap up today’s shuffle with three tracks in a row from Smokey the Firebear.  Cade Williams (aka Smokey the Firebear) was part of Circus Propaganda (who kicked off the shuffle) along with Quinn Harley is a regular contributor to Smokey the Firebear.  This is a brief sound collage from B.N.G.F.K.R.

“Jilm Spill” by Smokey the Firebear

This was a single release that I don’t think is still available.  I dig it, though.

“Tinderhead” by Smokey the Firebear

I like “Tinderhead” a lot.  It is from the Mira Leo Sun EP which was released last June.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Put the Blame on VTR Mix

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Songs of the Road is a pretty awesome concept – take a songwriter on a relatively short road trip, have them write a song along the way, and then record the song and play it live that same day.  SongCraft Presents and Acoustic Café have teamed up with Ford Motor Company to make this happen.  I had the great pleasure of premiering the latest session on No Depression this morning.  I really hope you will check it out.  HERE.  Ear to the Ground readers may recognize SongCraft Present’s Ben Arthur – who works with the featured songwriters.  Ben’s own music has been featured here several times.  Matthew Hendershot of our very good friends, The End Men also works on the video side of the project. 

Today’s shuffle is a real mixed bag…  so let’s get to it….

“Spider Queen Take 2” by The Hidden Agendas

Okay I don’t know if Take 2 is part of the title or just how the file was labeled. I think the important thing here is the Spider Queen part. The Hidden Agendas are a Pennsylvania Rock and Roll band who made through the disorganized mess that is my E-Mail.  I really like this and can’t wait to here more.  The video we found is a performance by the band doing a Lady Gaga cover.

“Skip the Line” by Sugar and the Hi Lows

Sugar and the Hi Lows are a band we featured on Ear to the Ground a few years ago. They are a duo made up of Amy Stroup and Trent Dabbs – long time Nashville artists who were part of Ten out of Tenn collective. Their latest album High Roller was released back in June, and around that time, Noisetrade released a bunch of older music including this song from the band’s 2012 self-titled album.

“Sound of Erasing” by Rubblebucket

From the album Survival Sounds which was released back in May.  Rubblebucket keep showing up on multi-artist compilations that Noisetrade puts outs. I think this one came from a compilation for the Hangout Music Fest, but don’t quote me on that.  They are from Brooklyn, and I dig what they are doing.

“If You Want Love” by Christopher Aaron Slade

Another that came to me via e-mail.  We are been featuring Christopher Aaron Slade for several months.  It is gloriously fun music.  Trivia:  When I was saving the MP3s to my computer, I accidently typed Christopher Allen Slade.  So, every time a song comes up, I have to mentally correct it before I write the blog post.  And yes, I know I could just correct the file, but I am too damn lazy for that.

“Tonight I Feel Like Crying” by Tom Schreck

A day with a Tom Schreck song is a good day.  This is one of my favorites of his.  I have a lot of favorites of his but out of all of those favorites this is definitely one.  By the way, we’ve included Schreck’s cover of Michael Jackson’s “Billie Jean” just because we have not posted that video in a while.

“Video Killed the Radio Star” by Ben Folds Five

Nashville’s Ben Folds Five with their cover of The Buggles hit song.  The Buggles original was the very first music video played on MTV.  Does anyone know what the last music video played on MTV was?

“No Hidin’ Place” by Cool John Ferguson

Another from the Music Makers Relief Foundation.  Cool John Ferguson is a self-taught guitar player, who learned to play the guitar upside down.  Nobody told him it was upside down, and by the time he found out, he was too good to change.

“You Don’t Care For Me Enough to Cry” by John Moreland

One of the most devastating songs on John Moreland’s incredible and devastating album High On Tulsa Heat.  I have had the great fortune of seeing him live a number of times this year, and he never fails to silence and audience and bring grown people to tears.   The video we have is from his April performance on the stage of Music City Roots.  If you watch the video, at the 2:22 mark you will see two of Music City’s blogging elite enraptured by his music.  (Chase from Too Much Country and Joe from Ear to the Ground).

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Stupid Boy Mix

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There is a phenomenon that I like to call the Nashville Dilemma or the Nashville Conundrum depending on my mood… It is basically this, a friend or hero or hero/friend or friend/hero announces a show.  You readily and enthusiastically indicate on Facebook that you are either Going or Interested… meanwhile, others of the same category(ies) also announce shows and you again readily and enthusiastically Join the event.  Then, the day or week of the event arrives and you check your calendar and realize that two or more of the aforementioned events coincide with one another, and you have to use some complex algorithm of friendship, location, cost, in-town show frequency, etc. to decide which show you are going to see.  And so, you decide and you have a blast and it’s a great show – like you knew it would be and then you see pictures from the show(s) you elected not to attend, and there are surprise special guests and puppies and stuff, and you rework you algorithm for next time and the process repeats.  It’s really a nice problem to have….

“You’re a Star” by Tim Carroll

One of the best things about the last eight months or so for me, has been having the opportunity to see Tim Carroll play music at least  twice a week almost every week.  If you can stand the smoke, I recommend visiting Fran’s Eastside just about every Wednesday from 8:30 until… or if you can’t handle the smoke, I recommend heading to The 5 Spot just about every Friday from 6-8:30.  With Tim Carroll, the music and the great songs do not stop.  This song is from his latest album, Pure As Coal which you can get now.

“Boiling” by Minutemen

If the fact that I am a huge Minutemen fan has not come across, then I promise to try harder.  Lately, I have been featuring songs from the CD Post Mersh Vol. 1 which includes the albums, The Punch Line (from which this song is taken) and What Makes a Man Start Fires?   I am a huge Minutemen fan, by the way.

“American Standard” by Folk Family Revival

From their very recently released album, Water Walker….  I really dig this song.

“Brushed the Dust Off (Lean into the Wind)” by Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray

It was just over a year ago, that fate and scheduling and whatever conspired so that Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray happened to be playing at The Basement in Nashville on the same day that their album, Lean into the Wind was released. It was a great night, and Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray (and Ben Tufts and Derek Evry) sounded amazing.  They are hard and work on their next record, but in remembrance of that show from last March, we have the song from which the album title was derived.

“Handbags and Gladrags” by Rod Stewart

The song was written by Mike D’Abo – at the time he was the lead singer of Manfred Mann.   

“Stupid Boy” by Gear Daddies

Along with “Sonic Boom” this is probably the song on Billy’s Live Bait with which I most closely relate.  The Gear Daddies are playing a three night stand of 25th Anniversary shows at 1st Avenue in Minneapolis.  This album still sound fresh to me today.

“Postcard” by Jukebox the Ghost

Washington D.C. based Indie band… I grabbed this song from a Noisetrade SXSW sampler put out last month. It’s from the eponymously titled album which was released last week.

“It Could Happen Here” by Beat Rodeo

from Home in the Heart of the Beat… Beat Rodeo were on IRS Records. One of those songs from my younger days which takes me back…

“Baby Caught Fire” by Tim Lee 3

A great song from the latest TL3 album, 33 1/3… it’s about spontaneous human combustion.  This Knoxville band is one of my favorites. 

“King Bee” by Captain Luke and Cool John Ferguson

Another track from the Music Maker Relief Foundation sampler released on Noisetrade.  Some awesome old school, “real” blues… The most recent information I’ve seen via the folks at Music Maker is that Captain Luke is under hospice care. So I’d to send this out to Captain Luke and all who know and care about him.  Again, I am so grateful to the Music Maker folks for all that they do to bring this music into the light and assuring it stays there, and to support the people who make the music.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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