Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Run Boy Mix

As I write this, I hear thunder behind me and the gentle, almost soothing sounds of car tires moving across wet city streets. It’s August 20, 2013, and I am alive, and though not perfect by any means, life is good.

!function(d,s,id){var js,fjs=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];if(!d.getElementById(id)){js=d.createElement(s);js.id=id;js.src=”//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js”;fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js,fjs);}}(document,”script”,”twitter-wjs”);https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.jsSome days I want more out of life, but for me that is just a normal state of being. The key for me is to find peace in the now without thinking this is where I will and must always be. 

As of this date, I have been writing Ear to the Ground for 2 years and about 3 months. The blog has not made me rich or very famous, but I consider it a huge success nonetheless. Because of the blog, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet some incredible and talented and just generally good people. I heard tons more music than I would have had I not written the blog. Every so often, I see one of my quotes in the promotional material of a band I’ve written about.

I’m not sure why I’m writing all this right now, but it seemed like as good a time as any to remind myself why I do this.

This morning brought an interesting mix of music.  Let’s get to it – after the jump…

Pre-Shuffle…

“Lift Up” by prattle on, rick (I’ve become a big prattle on, rick fan. This one comes from his Communion Bread record which features a building on the cover that I used to drive by almost every day)

“Stained Glass Window” by Courrier (from Cathedrals of Color – This band has had songs placed in several television series. They play huge, expansive music reminiscent of Coldplay and some U2. These other bands are listed for comparison purposes only.  I do think it is possible to not dig Coldplay or U2, and to love Courrier)

“Rusted Rain” by The Blind Owl Band  (This New York state band released their latest album within the past month or so. This Train I Ride is Made of Wood and Steel is chock full of great music.)

“The Ballad of Billy Polk” by The End Men (from Play with Your Toys… if you listen to just one The End Men song, listen to “The Ballad of Billy Polk” and then listen to all their other songs because they are awesome.

Shuffle…

“Good Country Girl” By Alexander Hudjohn Feat Katherine Hudjohn from Good Country Girl (single – 2013)



Just a flat out cool song. Couldn’t find a video for this song, so we added a CXCW video from 2012.

“Soldier Boy Johnny” by The Imperial Rooster from Cluckaphony (2013)



Yet another song from the fabulous song from the incredible 2013 release from Espanola’s own The Imperial Rooster.

“Moon Gate” by Peace of the South

We’ve played some Peace of the South before. This band has decided to release their music in bits and pieces as they work on it and as it develops. So this song isn’t so much a song as an extended riff, but I’m digging it.

“Gone, Gone, Gone” by Carl Perkins

 

We close out the shuffle with Rockabilly legend Carl Perkins.

PLAYLIST
 
 

 


Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Play Wagon Wheel Mix

More clouds over Nashville.  Much on my mind today, but nothing to share right now.  We have a nice selection of music so… shall we? 

After the JUMP

In the Pre-Shuffle…

“Cigareets and Whuskey and Wild Wild Women” by Black Jake and the Carnies  (Our friends from Ypsilanti, Michigan are up first today with a track from their latest release, Watching, Waiting – the video comes from their performance at Scenic City Roots in Chattanooga which took place the day after I saw them at the sister even Music City Roots in Nashville)

“OK Corral” by T. Hardy Morris (A nifty song from the Audition Tapes album by Dead Confederate Hardy Morris. This album was produced  by Cosmic Thug (Adam Landry and Justin Collins) who have previously worked with Deer Tick and Middle Brother.)

“AnnaRexia” by Marla Mase (yesterday, we had the Bill Laswell Dubmix of this song, today, we have the album version of the song, which is a power and stirring indictment of body image and insane societal expectations.)

“I’ll Start Again” by prattle on, rick (prattle on, rick is primarily Patrick Rickelton from Nashville by way of North Carolina. This is some groovy soulful music. Today’s track comes from a Noisetrade sampler – a new album from prattle on, rick is due out in the fall)

<!– google_ad_client = "ca-pub-5465441380757075"; /* E2TG #2 */ google_ad_slot = "6306625404"; google_ad_width = 728; google_ad_height = 90; //
–> “Goodnight Chicago” by The Dirty Guv’nahs (We close out the Pre-Shuffle with another sweet track from Knoxville’s The Dirty Guv’nahs)

In the Shuffle…

“Freedom Jazz Dance (The Evolution of the Groove)” by Miles Davis from Miles Smiles (1967)

 

The band: Miles Davis, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Ron Carter, and Tony Williams

In my book, you can’t go wrong with Miles.

 
 

“Human Heart” by Courrier from Cathedrals of Color (2013)

 


Courrier is from Austin, Texas, but they have a definite British-Alternative-Arena-Rock sound. It is stirring and expansive, and sounds great.

“Exit Me” by The Imperial Rooster from Cluckaphony (2013)

 

 How fitting that we close out today’s mix of music with The Imperial Rooster’s song Exit Me.  Cluckaphony is another favorite of mine from 2013.  Way back in the Spring or something, we did an ever so clever dual/duel review of this album and Watching, Waiting by Black Jake and the Carnies (who started off today’s mix).  The Imperial Rooster are from Espanola, New Mexico and I can’t wait to see them live.

PLAYLIST
 
 
 
 
 
 


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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – On the Watch Mix

 
 

Nice morning has turned into another dreary day here in Nashville.

Ear to the Ground has been featured by a cool music blog called newgazzi! Check it out.

Currently, the playlist from which the Shuffles are drawn is up over 300 songs.  Tons of new and new old music were added over the weekend, and more will be added soon.

Anyway, we have a great mix of songs – so let’s JUMP to it…


Pre-Shuffle



“Live Forever” by The Dirty Guv’nahs

“Oh, Rose” by Skeletons in The Piano (from Please Don’t Die – one of our favorite albums of 2013, so far – heard rumblings that SITP are working on a new album now!)

“Your Eyes Shine in the Darkness” by Courrier

“On the Watch (Parts V-XII) by The Gypsy West (from another of our 2013 faves – Accomplices III: No Barcodes – by the way, as substitute video, I have included a video of The Gypsy West covering the Talking Heads classic Life During Wartime)

“Prey” by Let’s Active

Shuffle

“Say Goodbye” by Arc and Stones from Arc and Stones EP (2013)

 

Arc and Stones (btw, for some reason the “and sign” does weird things to my formatting, so I use the word “and” even when I know the sign is used by the artist…) are a hard rock band from Brooklyn.  Check it out.

 “Annarexia (Bill Laswell Dubmix)” by Marla Mase from Speak (Deluxe) (2013)


 

 

  Another of my favorite albums of the year.  The Speak album was actually released last year, but the Deluxe Edition which features this version of the song, Annarexia, was released in March. Marla Mase is a powerful artist/performer.  This dubmix features the legendary Bill Laswell who was part of Golden Palominos among other projects.

“There Are Rules” by The Gypsy West from Accomplices III: No Barcodes (2013)

 
 

The Shuffle closes with another track from the Accomplices III EP. This is one of my favorites songs on the EP.

PLAYLIST
 
 



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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Open the Door Mix

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An out-of-sorts kind of day, and a mixed bag of songs to make it just awkwardly perfect….
 
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–>http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.jsMusic after the jump

 

 
PRE-SHUFFLE —–
 
“You Think Your Tough” by Hunx and His Punx  (from the new album Street Punk – a harder edge sound this time out.)
 
“Gazzete Pitch” by Alvin Band (from Lady Protrait)
 
“Noble Heart” by PHOX (They are from Wisconsin)
 
“Open the Door” by Tim Lee 3 (from Devil’s Rope – one of our favorite albums of 2013.  Cover of a song by Atlanta band Magnapop. Great song)
 
“Marry Me” by The Family Crest (San Francisco Chamber Pop band from a recent Noisetrade collection)
 
 
SHUFFLE ——
 

“I Woke Up With This Song in My Head This Morning” by Bright Eyes from Lua single (2004)

 A track taken from the first single from the album I’m Wide Awake, It’s Morning. Bleek and somber and oh so right.

“The City at Night” by Courrier from Cathedrals of Color (2013)

 

Anthemic Alternative Rock from Austin, Texas.

“Seasons” by Beijing from Night (2013)

 

 I believe we’ve completed our tour of this album by Connecticut band Beijing.  A very cool record – and the band’s name written in lower case letters has three dotted letters in a row.

“Don’t Give Up On Me” by  The Dirty Guv’nahs from Somewhere Beneath These Southern Skies (2012)

 
 

To me The Dirty Guv’Nahs are what 70s Southern Rock would sound like if it had naturally progressed to today.  There is something laid back about this Knoxville band, but it’s also good to see that they can Rock out when they need to.  Grab this one at Noisetrade and don’t forget to Tip.

PLAYLIST
 
 
                                                                                                   

 

 

 

 

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