Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Weird-O Mix

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Let’s face it.  The world is a scary place, however, the antidote for the very natural fear is always love. Music heals.  Even, as it was Friday, a musical event was a target… music still has the power to heal.  Above all, I invite and encourage everyone – regardless of ideologies or political leanings to avoid knee-jerk reactions (which are almost always based upon fear of some kind) and take a breath and wait for facts to become clear.

Here at E2TG, our job is to bring you music from the sublime to the silly to the serious.  Think of our little playlist as a respite from whatever it is that you need a respite from…..

Friday night began with a visit to one of my favorite weekly events – I dare say it is one of Nashville’s hidden gems (hidden in plain sight).  Tim Carroll has been playing a weekly Rock and Roll Happy Hour at The 5 Spot for a long time.  What you get: a casual and fun atmosphere, great music from Tim and his band along with Luella, No Cover (Tips welcome and encouraged), and 1/2 priced drinks from 6-8.  The music usually goes from 6-8:30 and the band does not take a break.  It is a superb way to start your Friday night plans.

After that – this week, I headed to the Basement East to see Sam Outlaw open for an ultra rare reunion of Bare Jr.  Sam Outlaw was awesome (and he was joined by a long time #E2TG favorite Shelly Colvin).  Bare Jr. quite simply rocked the house. Delivering their entire album, Boo-Tay – they closed the night with an epic mash-up of The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl” and The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”.  It was loud and raucous and man was it fun.

Sunday Night found me back at “The Beast” for another edition of East Nashville Songwriter’s Club. This time with Sally Jaye, Zach Schmidt, and the one and only David Olney.  It was an awesome evening of music. 

Then, I headed over to The Building – possibly for the last time before that great space closes.  Kira Hooks, Tom Schreck, and Yosi Mesbah offered up prime examples of the diversity of talent in this very vibrant local music scene.

On to our shuffle:

“Father Time” by Dan Martin

Another superb track from Oklahoma songwriter Dan Martin’s Hoka Hey album.  I strongly recommend checking out this album.   On a side note, I have some big plans for #E2TG in 2016 which I am keeping close to the vest as I continue to fine tune those plans.  One thing of interest to me are the different places in the world where some pretty awesome musical movements seem to be bubbling up.   I tend to focus mostly on Nashville/East Nashville because that is where I am, but I am equally encouraged by the music I hear coming out of places like Oklahoma.  Part of my plan is coming up with feasible and unique ways of covering all of those different “scenes”. 

“Andrew, You’re Horizontal Again” by Venkman

Venkman are a band from Lichfield in the midlands section of the UK. Their new record is called Kakkorhaphiophobia.  It has elements of pop, funk, jazz and more with some delicious boy/girl harmonies.                                                                         

“Marathon Car” by Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau

Another from the outstanding Tennessee album. The song pays tribute to an automobile brand that was manufactured in Nashville a little over a century ago.  The Marathon Motor Works building is now a pretty interesting mixed-use development that includes a music venue, Lightning 100, a whiskey distillery, and Antique Archeology.

“Elinor Slomba” by Discount Ravioli

It always brings me great joy when a Discount Ravioli song comes up in the shuffle.  The music is so ridiculously fun.  This is one is a tribute to the mother of one of the members of the band.  Who knows when or if Discount Ravioli will record again – maybe the next time this kids get hopped up on sugar and stay up to late and somebody has the good sense to turn on the recorder.  I can’t find a video of the band, so I substituted another Dord Music Group band called The Urinal Cakes. Enjoy.

“Ship of Fools” by Soul Asylum

From Made to Be Broken.  A prime example of the awesomeness of early Soul Asylum.

“Bombora” by The Atlantics

A fine bit of early period Australian surf rock music.  From 1963.

“Big Time Nashville Star” by Shakey Graves

From his 2014 album, And the War Came.  Dig it.

“Down Home Summertime Blues” by Norman Blake

Norman Blake was a leading figure in the early 1970s Bluegrass revival.  This track originally included on his 1972 debut album Back Home In Sulphur Springs can be found on Rounder Records 45th Anniversary Collection which you can get via Noisetrade.com.

“Weird-O” by Art Blakey and The Jazz Messengers     window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”;   

We close out this first shuffle of the new week with some 1956 jazz via drummer Art Blakey and the long running jazz combo – The Jazz Messengers. From an album, simply called The Jazz Messengers.    http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js

VIDEO PLAYLIST

 

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Just Like a Bee Mix

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Greetings…. Let’s get right to today’s morning music shuffle… enjoy!

“Tip of My Tongue” by Dan Martin

To start things off, we have another great song from the album Hoka Hey by Oklahoma singer/songwriter Dan Martin.

“Magnet” by Punch Brothers

The Punch Brothers are the progressive bluegrass/modern classical band formed by Chris Thile in 2006.  “Magnet” is a track on their fourth and most recent studio album, The Phosphorescent Blues, which was produced by T Bone Burnett and released at the beginning of this year.

“Country Music, I’m Talking to You” by Darrell Scott

This pointed, timely, and truthful was written by the late Ben Bullington – a country doctor and songwriter who spent the last year of his life living out his dream of playing music. Darrell Scott recorded a tribute album called 10: Songs of Ben Bullington and released it earlier this year.  I was fortunate enough to attend the release show at City Winery Nashville which included an all-star cast each doing one song of Bullington’s as well as one of their own.  It was a wonderful celebration of song.  In the video playlist, we have a video Ben Bullington doing this song as part of a writer’s round at the Station Inn in Nashville. The round was a fulfillment of a dream for Bullington and featured Darrell Scott, Will Kimbrough, and Rodney Crowell.   We also have Darrell Scott’s version in the video playlist. 

“Can We Hear It?” by The Little Unsaid

The Little Unsaid are from the U.K.  This song is the lead single from their third album, Fisher King.  The band mixes folk, alternative, and electronic influences for a wonderfully unique sound.  John Elliott is the driving force behind The Little Unsaid, but the work is collaborative in nature.  This was my first listen, and I definitely want to explore more.

“Funeral For a Great Drunken Bird” by All Them Witches

From their 2014 album, Lightning at the Door.   Nashville based All Them Witches just released their latest album, Dying Surfer Meets His Maker, and they will be holding court for a two-night stand at 3rd and Lindsley this weekend.

“Wild Honey” by Webb Wilder

Speaking of Nashville artists who have just released new album, local legend and the last of the full-grown men, we have this naturally sweet song from Hybrid Vigor.  Be sure to check out Webb’s new album Mississippi Moderne. Hope to have some songs from that in the shuffle soon.

“Dusty Wingtip Shoes” by D.C. Bloom

I have had this song from Texas singer/songwriter D.C. Bloom in my playlist for a while, and it finally came up in my shuffle.   The song comes from his 2011 album New Man.  A great song from a great songwriter.

“Almost Home” by Sara Syms

We close out the shuffle with another track from Sara Sym’s brand new album, Way Back Home.  On this song, Syms shows off her vocal abilities with a song that mixes elements of blues and soul with a more traditional singer/songwriter style.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Cold Front Mix

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Here we go… another week!

Kind of a low-key weekend.  Got to hang out with some of the folks from Nashville’s newest radio station: WXNA-LPFM on Saturday, and I picked up my t-shirt and tote bag.  Things seem to be rolling along. The studio will be in the former location of Thirty Tigers above Grimey’s and The Basement. 

Last night, I went to the Basement East where East Nashville Songwriters Club made their debut in the new location with sets by Allen Thompson, Jay Rutherford (of Los Colognes) and Elise Davis.  Cool night of music!

Speaking of cool… the temperatures were in the 30s this morning.  Which makes the first song of the shuffle appropriate even is weather isn’t exactly what the song is about.

“Cold Front” by Webb Wilder

Another toe-tapping rocker from Webb’s album Hybrid Vigor.

“The Locked Room” by Dan Martin

The strange and often random hand of fate… my friend Mary met Dan Martin at a David Olney show at The 5 Spot, and she told him that he should give me a CD, and he did.  I now count myself as a big fan of Dan Martin from Oklahoma.

“When the World’s Against Me” by The Colored Parade

A nice catchy number from …And the Walls of the City Will Shake…  by Andrew Adkins’ old band, The Colored Parade.  Andrew had a song featured in the trailer for the new documentary about Tower Records.

“Losing Sleep Tonight” by John Moreland

Another great song from one of the best albums of this year, High on Tulsa Heat by one of the best songwriters of our time.

“Pulling Your Sword Out of the Devil’s Back” by Brock Zeman

An unconventional song about songwriting that manages to be awesome without any of that fancy song stuff like Choruses and Bridges and ever a consistent melody.  Looking forward to Brock Zeman’s return to Nashville in early November. As I understand it, there will be a couple of chances to catch him while he is in town.  I will have details soon. This is the title track from his latest album.

“The Rain Song” by The Shakers

A mind-blowingly good Led Zep cover from Nashville’s groundbreaking Southern Gothic Psych-Folk band, The Shakers.  From their album, Songs From Beneath the Lake.

“What’s My Scene” by Hoodoo Gurus  

And we close out this Monday shuffle with a song that decades later still gets me pumped up every time I hear it.  From Blow Your Cool! window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”;

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Why? 1K Mix

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I’m not sure what it is about round numbers… zero is a round number.  We all seem to like lots of zeros.  Why zero? Why not nine? or eight?  Ah well, who am I to blow against the wind?

So this is post number 1000* for Ear to the Ground.  Quite a milestone, I suppose, and I am really thankful for everyone who has read, shared, commented over the years. I am been introduced to a lot of great music and met a bunch of really awesome people as a result of this blog. I certainly did not expect that happen when I began.  I mean I hoped someone, somewhere would read theses rambling posts, but it has been a great ride so far.

*1000 posts on Blogger.  The first six or seven months of Ear to the Ground were on Posterous. A few entries were cross-posted but some were not.

Ear to the Ground is for one thing, a way for me to share my experiences with the music of my life.  From the beginning, I knew that I could not cover all of the music being made – that I would  not compete with the Brand-X music blogs with their top ten lists and clickbait headlines… In my daily shuffle, I strive to keep a good mix of old and new music from a variety of genres and movements. 

I cannot really say for sure why music has become such an important part of my life. I just remember the joy of discovery I experienced when music like Velvet Underground or The Jam or The Clash or Bob Dylan or Bruce Springsteen first came into my consciousness.   Music is filled with connections and if you follow those connections you often are lead down rabbit holes and find yourself in places you never could have expected. I think life can be like that, too. I hope I never lose that spirit of discovery – again. I lost it once, and I was lucky enough to have it revived.

Been in a nostalgic mood… last night I took the Music City Roots bus from The 5 Spot in East Nashville to The Factory in Franklin for a special Music City Roots show. It was a benefit from Tommy Womack who was seriously injured in an automobile accident earlier this year. The show was filled with iconic figures from the Nashville Rock music world that I first experienced (from the perimeter) back in the mid to late 1980s.  Dan Baird opened his set with “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” which became a massive hit single for Baird’s old band, The Georgia Satellites. Beginning in February 1985 and ending sometime in early 1993, I kept a journal which basically would have probably been a blog or at least a Livejournal in a later time.  Just random thoughts, and I quoted song lyrics quite often.  From the moment I first heard, “Keep Your Hands to Yourself” – it made it’s way into my brain and I quoted it often in my journal. It was almost surreal watching the song move from this (sort of) local college radio song to the top part of the nationwide singles charts.  Dan’s set included material from his brand new record as well as a way too cover of Springsteen’s “Johnny 99” from Nebraska – which by the way was the first album I ever bought on CD.

Webb Wilder – so many great shows over the years, and his set was filled with songs from his brand new album.  Will Kimbrough – I remember a sput-of -the-moment drive to Nashville with my friend Boyd to see Will’s old band Will and the Bushmen. I remember Bill Lloyd joining them on stage that night.  Lloyd was there, too last night. 

Jason and the Scorchers tore up the stage and 30 something years later – Jason Ringenberg and Warner Hodges still defy gravity and still careen around the stage like an out of control whirling dervish. I first saw the Scorchers live almost exactly 30 years (give or take a few weeks) ago, and “Broken Whiskey Glass” still gets me every time.

So – let’s get on with our shuffle for post number 1000.  It isn’t a shuffle of a specially prepared playlist.. like almost all of my posts – the music player shuffle  picked the tunes and placed them in a certain order… and here we go.

“The Return of Jimi Hendrix” by The Waterboys

I love music that references other artists and their music.  I love songs that are about dreams. I love The Waterboys and I love Jimi Hendrix.  This song is from The Waterboys 1993 album Dream Harder and the version I heard was from the 2005 live album Karma to Burn.

“The Old and the Young” by Midlake

Midlake are a folk band from Denton Texas.  This song is from their fourth and most recent studio album Antiphon.

“All Along the Watchtower” by The Jimi Hendrix Experience

Speaking of Hendrix… the recording I heard was from the Atlanta Pop Festival in 1970.  Bob Dylan has indicated that when he plays this song (which Dylan wrote) he performs it as a cover of the Hendrix version.

“Enjoy the Rise” by Saint Cole

We have a sneak peak of from forthcoming album Within the Skin from this electronic dance/indie pop band from the UK.  Great sounding, accessible electronic music.

“Waterfalls” by Crow and the Canyon

Crow and the Canyon are an acoustic folk band from Portland, Oregon.  I love this song.

“Hoka Hey” by Dan Martin

We close out this milestone post with the opening and title track off the current album by Oklahoma musician Dan Martin. Maybe my favorite song on the album, and I dig all the songs from Hoka Hey – the album.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Never Chew a Pickle Mix

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ICYMI – check out the exclusive premiere of Mark Robinson’s “Gone South (Electric Rock)” Video.

It is a rainy day in Nashville… You know what I like on a rainy day?  Music!

“Memphis Bound” by Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau

Richie Owens was an important part of the 1980s Nashville music scene that I became interested in during my musical formative years.  Back in those days, he lead a band called The Movement.  That band’s song, “Lost Horizon” seemed to be in my ears or stuck in my head almost constantly during that time period. When the once promising Nashville Music Scene of the mid to late 80s  crashed and burned – overcome by poor decisions and excesses of various kinds – Owens left for the West Coast. Thankfully, he came back and his current band, Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau are making awesome music and putting on great shows. You can catch them most Tuesday’s at Drifters in East Nashville.  The band’s most recent album, Tennessee, is filled with songs based upon stories that Richie Owens heard growing up or in the case of the song we are featuring today – the song was inspired by a invitation and trip to play a Blues Festival in Memphis.  The video is awesome!

“Come On” by Hoodoo Gurus

From Blow Your Cool!  “Well come on!”

“Rattle That Lock” by David Gilmour

Rattle That Lock is the title track of the brand new album by David Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame. It is his fourth solo and his first studio solo album since 2006’s On An Island.  Expect a US tour next Spring.

“Slap and Tickle” by Squeeze

A funky fun track from Cool for Cats.  Seriously, I know they were very British in some respects, but I really don’t understand how Squeeze were never completely massive here in the U.S.  Suffice it to say, they were very massive in my circle of friends.  I am thrilled that I got to see them in 1985 on their “reunion tour”.

“Old Rugged Cross” by Carl Rutherford

What kind of psychopath follows up “Slap and Tickle” with “Old Rugged Cross”? Seems like another great time to point out, again, that the shuffle function on my phone orders the songs – I am just the messenger.   That being said, it has great having so many tracks for the Music Maker Relief Foundation come up in the shuffles of late. This is a devastating take on the Inspirational classic from the late Carl Rutherford. 

“Plaster Shoes” by Atticus Floyd

Plaster Shoes is the single release from Atticus’ 7 song release, We’ll All Come Down. Atticus just released a new song, “Walking into Murals”.    The video is a repeat, but it is one I love – an animated retelling of Atticus Floyd’s first show.

“Don’t Look That Way” by Shelly Poole

This is a song from British singer/songwriter Shelly Poole’s 2006 debut album, Hard Time for the Dreamer.  I’m honestly not sure where I got this song, but I really dig it.  It’s my first listen to Shelly Poole.

“Peace and Happiness” by Evan Felker

Another track from the Ted Hawkins tribute album, Cold and Bitter Tears. Evan Felker is best known as a member of the Oklahoma Red Dirt band Turnpike Troubadours.

“East vs. West” by Units

Another from the 13 O’clock compilation by PPNW Records.  Units were an electronic band from San Francisco, active in the late 1970s to early 1980s.  East V. West is from 1979 and it is a sturdy electronic rock instrumental.  This compilation has introduced me to a several bands that I missed out on the first time around.

“Trumpets” by The Waterboys

One of my favorite tracks from This is the Sea.  “Your Love Feels, Like Trumpets Sound”.

“Leave a Trail” by Dan Martin

And we close out the day with another track from Dan Martin’s album Hoka Hey.  A great way to close out another wildly diverse shuffle of music.  

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Eyeballs on My Knees Mix

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Still kind of reeling from AMA Week (plus catching up on things like errands and laundry etc.).  About time to get out again, though.

In the shuffle…

“Broken Shoulders” by Dan Martin

Another strong track from Hoka Hey.  Martin is from Tulsa, OK.  There is some fine, fine music coming out of Oklahoma these days!

“Gasoline” by Stone Cupid

Unless you did the pre-order, you will have to wait until January to get hold of Stone Cupid’s album The Cardinal. I pre-ordered, so I don’t.  As  a sneak peak, we have a live performance from the (original) Family Wash of the title track from the album. Gasoline rocks with the proper mix of power and restraint that is evident through the album.  The experience of Julie Christensen and her band is evident.

“Whole Lotta Women” by Steve James

During Americana week, I attended a launch party for an album project called, Cold and Bitter Tears – a tribute to the legendary Venice Beach street performer who passed away in 1995  – less than a year after landing a record deal with Geffen and finally finding some degree of commercial success.   This is a song from that record, recorded by folk/blues musician Steve James.

“Trash and Mystery” by B-Movie

Another track from the 13 O’clock release by PPNW Records.  B-Movie were an early 80s New Wave band from England.  This is a previously unreleased demo from 1981. 

“High Yellow” by Cootie Stark

From the folks at Music Maker Relief Foundation. Cootie Stark was a Piedmont Blues musician who passed away in 2005.

“Jedd’s Gold Sled” by Crazy Aces

More fine instrumental rock music from Nashville’s Crazy Aces.

“Female of the Species” by Space

The UK band Space formed in the 90s.  They have just released a new single called “Strange World”.  “Female of the Species” was released as a single back in the mid 90s, and it stayed in the UK Top 40 for three months.  It is a great sounding song, that I am hearing for the first time.  

“I Heard Her Call My Name” by The Velvet Underground

And, we close out the day with some classic VU from White Light/White Heat.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – The Whole Thing in the Middle Mix

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14 Years… I have read some really powerful things today about THAT day. What I remember is some sense of unity… if nothing else, for a moment or moments, many of us were united… if in nothing else, then in fear and confusion and uncertainty. In degrees and over time, that unity has mostly dissipated… into conspiracy theories and feelings about the events that followed about the need for security vs. the importance of freedom. I was at work, and getting my news in fits and starts on a slow internet connection and the radio. 

What I remember… I was taking part in an drama workshop put on by the Parks Department.  Of the course of the workshop, we learned acting techniques, but our main goal was to create an original production which would then perform.  If I recall correctly, the second class was on September 11, 2001. The class was held as scheduled, though I remember thinking it might be cancelled, and we spent much of that class talking about what had happened. It was a pretty diverse group of people and there were a variety of different feelings being expressed, and of course, the day ended up greatly shaping the production we created.  Our production included adaptions of Brecht’s The Good Person of Szechwan and Beckett’s Waiting for Godot – as well as some other elements – all subtly adapted to speak to the events of 9/11/2001.

I don’t know what THE lesson of that day is supposed to be… maybe it’s still too soon, or maybe there is not one lesson.  For me, today at least, I am going to try to remember how fragile life can be and make the most of every moment and treat people with as much kindness as I can.  I will probably fall short of that… I probably already have… but I am going to keep trying. 

“Montgomery” by The Vigilance Committee

We start off with another track from Exit a Hero from the Long Island based Progressive Rock band.  I have been spinning this record for several months, and I am still liking the sound of it.

“I Owe It All to You” by Dale Watson

Call Me Insane but Dale Watson has made one of the best albums of the year. He is a real deal Traditional County singer who was once told he was too country for Nashville. Whatever! Driven by those comments, he eventually founded a whole new movement called, Ameripoitan (Outlaw Country, Honky-Tonk, Rockabilly, and Western Swing).

“Human Condition” by The Naddiks

Somehow this song seems like a good fit for 9/11. The Naddiks are a young, uplifting indie band from Australia. The record is called 21CB (21st Century Boy).

“The Spring” by Dan Martin

Just over a week ago, on the suggestion of my friend Mary, Dan Martin gave me a copy of his CD – Hoka Hey at the 5 Spot for the 1st Week of the David Olney Residency.  I finally got to give it a spin over the weekend, and I really liked what I heard. This is the first track to appear in a shuffle, and more will be forthcoming. Dan Martin is from Oklahoma. The music is well-written, well played country influenced music.

“Cold Black Pitch” by The End Men

In just a couple of months, I will have known The End Men for 4 years. In 2013, I named them my Band of the Year, and everything they have done since has served to confirm that decision.  Terms and Conditions, the album they released earlier this year, expands on their signature hard blues rock sound with Matthew Elia’s sax providing a strong counter-point to Matthew Hendershot’s Waitsian vocal growl and guitar godliness and Livia Ranalli’s powerhouse drums.  Beyond all of that, they are generous and kind people.  Oh, and they melt faces live!

“Piece By Pieces” by Indigenous Engines

Andrew Adkins is a busy man with a lot going on.  He released two EPs this year under the Indigenous Engines moniker.  This track is from Witches.  A great song.

“Life is Hard” by Darrin Bradbury

The Bonus Track from The Story of Bob.  Otherwise known as “The Ballad of Jack Kerouac, Lenny Bruce, and Daffy Duck”.  Darrin was my 2014 Artist of the Year.

“Magnolia” by Pony Boy

From Pony Boy’s new album Blue Gold which was produced by the Adam Landry and Justin Collins – best known for their work with Deer Tick, Diamond Rugs, and T. Hardy Morris and to E2TG readers as the producers of Black Vincent. The song is a homage to the late Magnolia Electric Company frontman Jason Molina. It is a powerful, moving, and gorgeous song.  

VIDEO PLAYLIST


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