Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Those Who Do Not Play to Lose Mix

!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”);

Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Made it to mid-week.  I am seriously thinking about finally producing Volume 2 of Ear to the Ground Presents… details coming soon…

Shuffle!

“East of West” by The End Men

The End Men from Brooklyn were the 2013 Ear to the Ground Band of the Year, and they remain the most mentioned artist in the history of the blog.  The just released their latest album, Terms and Conditions, and unfathomably they have managed to top themselves again.  Augmented the sax work of Matthew Elia, the band digs deeper into the rough hewn, dirty blues which first caught my attention, while also expanding their sound into exciting and interesting new directions.  I got to listen to the whole album last night, and I was blown away.  Meanwhile, this song from that album showed up first on the shuffle this morning.  Visit their website for all the fine print.

“Song for Buck Owens” by David Dondero

You don’t know how glad I am that Darrin Bradbury turned me on to the music of David Dondero.  How exactly had I not known about this before now?  How did you? Now, you know.  Go check it out.  I love this song for the one and only Buck Owens.

“Running for Cover” by Ivan and Alyosha

At the risk of ruining my reputation of being well read, when I first heard about Ivan and Alyosha, I thought they were a male (Ivan) and female (Alyosha) duo. (The name comes from The Brothers Karamazov – Ivan and Alyosha are the two youngest brothers) which I owned but never worked up the courage to read.   The band is from Seattle and they make music that is far less intimidating than a Russian novel, but pretty awesome nonetheless.

“Ride” by Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley

In another happy shuffle coincidence, today is Lori Kelley’s birthday, so Happy Birthday Lori!   Lori is a bright light in the Nashville songwriting scene, and I am happy to be able to hear some of the music she made before she moved here.

“Just One of the Guys” by Jenny Lewis

Man I dig this song from her 2014 album, The Voyager which was primarily produced by Ryan Adams..  If you don’t know, Jenny was in the Indie band Rilo Kiley.

“Another Day” by Artur U and the New City Limits

The album is Holiday From Eternity and it was released about a month ago.  This is the lead track from that album.  Artur U and the New City Limits are from Finland, and I dig their music a bunch.  I almost made a passing comment about the abundance of great music from Scandinavia, but then I went on Wikipedia and discovered a way too complicated discussion of what countries do and do not comprise Scandinavia. So, I will suffice it to say that their is a bunch of great music coming from the European continent.

“Lesson Number One” by Marshall Crenshaw

The final track from Crenshaw’s 1985 album Downtown.  If I ran the world, Marshall Crenshaw would be one of the best selling and most famous musicians of all time.  Of course, I would likely make a bunch of stupid decisions as well.

“Expositor” by The Vigilance Committee

Another great song from this Long Island Indie band. Exit a Hero is their new album which is scheduled to drop in three days.  Check it out!

“Chains off Me” by The Delta Routine

This is the lead track from this Milwaukee Rock band’s albym You and Your Lion which was released back in February.

window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js “You’re So Crazy” by The Satisfactors

We close out the shuffle with a straight ahead Rock and Roll song from this Jersey Shore supergroup which includes among its members, bassist Kenny Aaronson who has played with just about every one. Their new album is eponymously titled and is out now!

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Orange Windbreaker and a Beard Mix

We’ve reached the end of another week.  Today’s shuffle is a pretty interesting mixed bag with a couple of artists making their E2TG debut, plus a few old favorites, and some of my heroes…  I’m short on time, so this will be haphazard.

“Good Ol’ Boy (Gettin’ Tough)” by Steve Earle

Well, after bringing up the first two songs from Guitar Town in order on different days, today’s shuffle skips to the fourth song.  Maybe this was the third song on some Japanese import???  In any event, I grew up in a kind of small town in Tennessee, but I never really felt like I connected with the “Good Ol’ Boys” when I lived there, so when I first heard this song, I thought I had found that point of connection…

“Breakthrough” by Science!

Science! are from Seattle, a bunch of cool people I know like them, and they have participated in Couch by Couchwest in the past (which is probably where I first heard them) – I hope they participate this year (hint, hint)… This song is on their latest album Alcoves and Alleyways which was released in January.

!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”); “Right Now” by Marshall Crenshaw

I love all of Marshall Crenshaw’s albums.  His self-titled album and Field Day probably rank among the greatest pop albums of all time. But, this album, Downtown, will always hold a special place in my heart.  It’s all tied to the place and time that I first listened to the album and the heady nights – being a freshman in college and experiencing new things and old things in a new way…  Hearing this album again, transports me back in the best possible way.

“Tense” by The Bell Hours

I am fascinated by the random shuffle that produces my Morning Shuffle each day.  Certain songs or albums or artists may sit in my queue for several weeks and then two songs come up on subsequent days. The Bell Hours are from Denver, and the music I have been playing comes via Noisetrade.  The EP is called Easy Weather, and I really like it a whole bunch.

“Vestige Gone” by David Dondero

I am about 90% sure I featured this song before.  I think it may be one of the songs that transferred over from my old phone and I couldn’t remember if I had featured it or not… You know what, though, I don’t really care.  It is quite simply a brilliant song that I would happily play a few more times.  Musically, I live for the aha moments when I hear something and if it’s not a new song, I wonder why I never heard it before, and then I wonder why everyone hasn’t heard it before. And then I set about to do my small part is righting that wrong.  I don’t have those moments every day, but I feel that way about David Dondero.  Darrin Bradbury turned me onto his music….

“The Smart Schoolboy” by Forest Mountain Hymnal

From their work-in-progress Dear Balladeer which features songs from the Ballad Book for John Jacob Niles… We’ve featured Forest Mountain Hymnal several times, and they never disappoint. I love the traditional folk feel of this song.

“Dancing Dead Men” by The Ghoul Goes West

Another song from the Arkansas band off their album Ghosts and Bones and Blood and Things.  I little macabre dance music for your Friday…

“Sucker for Love” by Cherub

Nashville’s Cherub make their E2TG debut today with a fine bit of funkiness. I came across their name in an article recently, and then coincidently found this song on Freegal a few days later.  I do love the randomness of how I discover music sometimes. This is not what most people thing of when they think of Nashville music, and that is both a good and a bad thing.  Cherub’s music, though, is definitely a good thing.  I think they have some NSFW videos, but I don’t think the one I picked is one of those… So click on related videos with care if you are at work or school.

“Poetry in Motion” by The Great Game

The Great Game call what they do, New World Music.  They are from all over the world mostly Europe and they bring a variety of influences into their sound, and it all blends nicely and some really awesome alchemy comes into play, and the result is what you hear.  This is from their self-titled album which was just released a week ago.

“Insect Ball” by Eight O’ Five Jive

When it is early morning on the week following the shift to Daylight Savings Time, and it is Friday and you’ve about had it with the week, but you have one more work day to get through and you are approaching your office and really not feeling it… you need some Jive sometimes to give you that little kick in the ass and get you moving.  Or at least I do.  This is a cover of a Big Jay McNeely song that can be found on the Nashville band’s debut album Too Many Men which is going to be released in April.  Thanks to Sue Havlish for sending this my way, and for introducing me to a couple of the members of the band.

“Sure Thing” by Sam Morrow

We close out the week’s worth of shuffles with the return of Sam Morrow to E2TG. This song comes to us from a Forty Below Records sampler off of Noisetrade.  The song is an uplifting illumination of the notion that often the greatest joy comes out of the worst pain.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

     window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”;       http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js   

Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Heck of F-f-friend Mix

After Tennessee’s Icepocalypse kept me in for most the week, I ventured out into the cold last evening to check out a new consignment store called Hang the Moon in East Nashville and to hear some of my favorite people play music. I just caught the tail end of the set by Tim Carroll and Luella Wood but what I heard was (as usual) awesome.  The Western Shore were next delivering an awesome set of their unique style of Americana music, and the night wrapped up with the super-duo of Lindsay Ellyn and Taylor Alexander doing a set of some of Lindsay’s great songs augmented by some classic country songs.  These two voices are amazing together.

Meanwhile, more snow and ice are on tap followed by heavy rain tomorrow… joy!  What the hey, we have music to present!

!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”); “Environmental Song” by Neighborhood Texture Jam

Oh good, Environmental Song – we should expect acoustic folk guitar and songs about trees and… wait, it’s by Neighborhood Texture Jam – never mind.  I wish could have found a video of this song, and if I had it would have been NSFW for language.  Oh, who am I kidding, the video I picked is probably NSWF, too. From Funeral Mountain.

“Psykick Espionage” by Joanna Gruesome

How about some psyched out punk rock music from Joanna Gruesome off the album Peanut Butter?  Okay!

“Kim” by Ryan Adams

An awesome song from Ryan Adam’s most recent and self-titled album. 

“The God You Serve” by Sean Watkins

Another cool song from All I Do is Lie. 

“Train Hop Flop” by David Dondero

One of America’s best songwriters with a song from his first album The Pity Party.  So excited that Dondero will be in Nashville in a couple of weeks and Darrin Bradbury is on the bill for that show.  Will be an great night of music.

“Gods of the West” by American Scarecrows

Minneapolis Americana band American Scarecrows with a fantastic song from their 2014 album Yesteryear.  I grabbed this music from Noisetrade, and you should, too.

“Rastabilly” by The Dead Milkmen

Another song that should have been on that Short Song compilation I was talking about yesterday.  One of my favorites from Big Lizard…  Source of today’s subtitle.

“Hard Work and Clean Living” by Matt Prater

Real and Pure Country music from Alabama.  From Matt Prater’s new album Tables and Chairs.  Great song!

“Signal” (live) by Tim Lee 3

Heralding in the dawning of the Vinyl Anniversary (33 1/3) of Tim and Susan Lee – we have some new music and new recordings from our favorite Knoxville trio including this live version of one of my favorite songs on their last album Devil’s Rope.  This is from a Live album called Live from Armory Sound: Boston.  Look for this, the new studio album 33 1/3, and an EP from TL3 offshoot Bark coming your way in March!  And listen for more TL3 and related stuff on E2TG.

“Heartless People” by Dean Wareham

From the Self-titled album by Galaxie 500 founder Dean Wareham.  A great song which happens to be the only one not written by Wareham (it was written by Michael Holland).

“Tomorrow” by The Roots featuring Raheem DeVaughn window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js 

The week in shuffles closes out with some soulful music that pairs Tonight Show house band, The Roots with D.C. R&B, Neo Soul singer Raheem DeVaughn.  From The Roots’ 11th album called … And Then You Shoot Your Cousin.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Working Up a Sweat Mix

I need to give some credit where it is due….  About a year and a half ago, based upon a suggestion from the enigmatic and amazing The Danbury Lie, I began compiling a daily Video playlist based upon my daily shuffle.  Before that I just posted videos with the song, but my hope was to create an easier listening experience. 

Now, due to the newishness and/or obscurity of some of the music I feature – as well as the vagrancies of what is available on You Tube, sometimes I can find the exact song, sometimes I can find a different song from the same artist or a different version of the same song, and sometimes I just have to punt.

Anyway, I mention this today because many of videos in the playlist today are not the exact song I listened to during my morning commute.  It’s still a fine video playlist, and I hope you like it. 

I should also say that we don’t really do theme shuffles here at #E2TG – we used to, but whatever… still by the laws of randomness and selective playlist creation, we do have some Halloween themed songs…

Shall we…

“Working Up a Sweat” (Alice Cooper cover) by Royal Court of China from Welcome to Our Nightmare: A Tribute to Alice Cooper

Some people like to start their morning by working up a sweat… there are different ways to accomplish that.  We start off with a song that was on the last album that featured the original Alice Cooper line-up as performed by the awesome Nashville band Royal Court of China.  The video is from the original recording since we couldn’t find the cover on-line.

“What Do I Know (About Love)” by Lael Summer from Burden to Bear

We move on to True Groove recording artist Lael Summer with another great song from her album Burden to Bear. 

“Lions” by The Features from Old Familiar Melodies – 2008-2013/Some Kind of Salvation

Tennessee band the Features are up next with Lions from their 2009 album Some Kind of Salvation.

“Bringing Mary Home” by Vernon Oxford from Keeper of the Flame (disc 4)

How about a ghost story to get us into the Halloween season… this one is a touching pure country ghost story from Vernon Oxford.

“Iblis” by Brown Bird from Fits of Reason

A great instrumental track from this Brown Bird album we’ve been featuring for several weeks.

“Call Me D” by David Dondero from The Pity Party

As previously reported, I had the great pleasure of seeing David Dondero sing a few songs during my near-weekly foray to Fran’s Eastside Tavern.  It was an incredible treat.  The song we have today goes all the way back to 1999 and what I believe to be his debut solo album.  The video is from a more recent album.

“Memphis Woman” by Lulu Mae from Deer Head Music  Presents: Indie Mixtape Nashville/Mean River

The Deer Head Music Presents – Indie mixtape of Nashville bands which we have been wearing the heck out of was curated by the band members from Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes.  They did a fine job putting the compilation together, and we have another great track from the album today – this time from Lulu Mae who offer up a rocking song from their most recent album.

“Moonlight Man” by Lindsay Ellyn from Shores EP

I could make some lame attempt to pass this off as a Halloween-themed song.  Moonlight Man = Werewolf (get it?), but there isn’t any need for that.  Nashville-based Lindsay Ellyn is hard at work on her next release, and I have had the good fortune to hear some of the songs and potential songs from that record.  This song is from her previous EP called Shores.  I love Lindsay’s voice, and I think you will, too.

“Dracula Mountain” by Lightning Bolt from Wonderful Rainbow!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”);

#E2TG isn’t shy about awkward and abrupt transitions, and so we slide gracefully away from the lovely music of Lindsay Ellyn to seasonally appropriate instrumental track from Providence, Rhode Island based Noise Rock purveyors Lightning Bolt.  To paraphrase the band Alabama, “Play me some Dracula Mountain music….”

window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js VIDEOS (SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE ABOVE PLAYLIST)

Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Egg Cream Mix

Some days, I like to provide a detailed and creative commentary of the connections which exist between seeming unconnected songs.  Some times, though, I just like to let these songs sit together awkwardly at the table while I sit back with a conspiratorial smile on my face (even then I have no co-conspirator).   Today seems like a good time for the latter….  enjoy the awkwardness, but remember that the connections exist even if we cannot see them….

“Pity Party” by David Dondero from Spider West Myhskin And A City Bus Reissue plus 2

I like to champion geniuses who should be more famous that they are, and I’m not afraid to county myself as previously among the ignorant masses to do so.  Darrin Bradbury told me to check out David Dondero (I don’t know why I missed out on him until now), and I did and I will and I will and I will….

“Surrounded” by Dan Coyle from Perfect World, Perfect Beat

Ear to the Ground featured some music from Dan Coyle back in 2013.  He is about to release his latest album (Perfect World, Perfect Beat drops October 21), and we have been able to hear the album ahead of it’s release.  Expect more to come. Good stuff!

“Девушка из Колхиды” by Orera from 1970

More great folk music from Georgia.

“The Lodgers” by The Style Council from The Singular Adventures of the Style Council/Internationalists

or “She Was Only a Shopkeepers Daughter” from the second album by Paul Wellers follow-up band to The Jam.

 

“Under Control” by The Dirty Guv’nahs from Hearts on Fire

Knoxville based The Dirty Guv’nahs with another track off of the band’s more recent studio album.

“Egg Cream” by Lou Reed from Set the Twilight Reeling

Lou Reed sings about Egg Cream. From his 1996 studio follow-up to 1992’s Magic and Loss.

“Twangsville” by Duane Eddy from Twangsville

It don’t mean a thang if it ain’t got that twang….

“Chemistry” by Hayden Coleman from Chemistry (Maxi Single)

My man H.C. has been in his mad-scientist lair mixing up some dope beats and mad rhymes. (And the previous sentence sums up why I don’t play more hip-hop).  It’s not the hip-hop that is the problem – it’s me.  Regardless, this song – the first single from an exciting new project has a hook to die for… don’t die – just bounce!

“What You Do to Me” by Milktooth from Deer Heard Music Presents: Indie Mixtape Nashville/Wild Before Our Eyes

Another from Nashville – more of the indie rock compilation put out by Deer Head Music.

“When a Car Becomes a House” by Darrin Bradbury from unreleased demos

Another of the cool new songs I’ve been able to preview from Darrin Bradbury.  He is doing a showcase at the Basement on Wednesday, and then a show at the Five Spot in November.  Meanwhile, catch him around Nashville and you’re likely to see me nearby as well.

“Road to Nowhere” by Talking Heads from The Best of Talking Heads/Little Creatures!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”);

We close things out with a rather joyful song about doom. It’s one of my favorite songs from the Little Creatures album, and one I never grow tired for hearing.

VIDEO:


window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js