Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – The Under-Overpass Mix

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We have reached Friday… which means another featured Friday shuffle coming up…

Still dealing with a change of seasons cold, but I did get out early last night for the final night of the Paul Burch residency at The 5 Spot.  As he did the first week, Kevin Gordon played guitar with Burch and his WPA Ball Club whose new album Meridian Rising is out today.  It was a really incredible show with special guest Emma Swift.  Beginning next week, Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose  will hold down the Thursday early residency slot for the month of March (with the exception of St. Patrick’s Day).  That promises to be outstanding.  I think The 5 Spots’ early residency shows are one of the best things Nashville has going on, and looking ahead to the announced and rumored shows coming up, I think you will agree.

Once again, there is a ton of great music going on tonight.  My plans include stopping by the Tim Carroll Happy Hour and then moving over to Bobby’s Idle Hour to see the Dark Horses of East Nashville (Amelia White, Julie Christensen, and Sergio Webb) and then to see how time and my cold are doing after that.

I am thinking about some tweaks to the E2TG format.  This is not E2TG v. 3.0 (that will come soon enough hopefully), but consider this E2TG v. 2.2 (or at least v. 2.1.1). I will work on that this weekend.

Shuffle time!

“Ocean Soul” by David G. Smith

David G. Smith is an amazing songwriter – I was fortunate enough to see him a few weeks ago in a round at The Bluebird Café.  This song is off of his latest album, First Love. This is a lovely song.

“Don’t You Be Too Cool” by The Deadline Shakes

I keep using the word infectious to describe the music of The Deadline Shakes who are currently promoting their new album Zealots.  It is music so catchy, so groovy that it gets inside your head and forces you to feel it.  I have always been a total sucker for this kind of music, and The Deadline Shakes are about as good at it as anybody I have heard in a long time.

“As Far as Angels Go” by Lori Kelley

Songwriters are the bread and butter of Nashville.  Nashville has great players and great bands, but this music city has a long and complicated history of songs and the people who create them.  From professional songsmiths working out of offices on Music Row to “Outlaws” (first on the West End and now around East Nashville)… I have had the great privilege to meet a lot of really great songwriters here in Nashville.  Lori Kelley is one of them.  She came to Nashville by way of the D.C. area where she was part of successful duo (we have featured Cletus and Lori several times).  She just recently released a CD called More which features some of her newer songs (and co-writes).  This song is a tribute to her father.

“Flash Forward” by exedra

Flash Forward to the fourth song of the shuffle… Exedra is the new project featuring Jeremy Gluck.  I was listening to this one as I was driving on the bridge over the Cumberland River this morning…

“Made of Light” by Tymon Dogg

We’re up to the title track from the latest album by Tymon Dogg who is best known for his work with the late Joe Strummer..

“Bone China Saviour” by Drew Worthley

This is our second listen from Crucible the new album by British singer-songwriter Drew Worthley. I found myself really listening to the words of this song, and I like it a lot.

“Afternoon” by The Foresters

Next up… this song was the first single from Sun Songs – the latest album by Connecticut siblings The Foresters.  The Foresters are the flagship band of the Dord Music Group, and as I mentioned yesterday, I have been following their incredible musical journey for nearly a fourth of their young lives. “Afternoon” really set the tone for the musical development and growth on display on Sun Songs.  Every time I hear this song, I find myself singing parts of it for hours after. 

“Hard Work Pays” by Sara Syms

And we close out the shuffle with one of my absolute favorite Nashville songwriters.  Sara Syms released Way Back Home toward the end of 2015, and I was fortunate enough to get to write all about it.  This track is a duet between Syms and co-producer Nick Africano, and I love the way the two voices sound together.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – In My Room Mix

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Good morning. It was a cold one here in Nashville. 

I am back after a day off and still recovering from my 8 Day Birthday Week.  I had a total blast, and I am so grateful for everyone who helped me ring in the next 50 years of my life.  In all the tally was: 8 Nights, 7 different venues, between 25-30 acts (depends on how you count them), tons of friends seen, and a bunch of fun had.

Since I last reported:  Friday night, I visited one of my regular haunts and one of the best weekly events in Nashville – Tim Carroll’s Rock and Roll Happy Hour at The 5 Spot.  Great time. I was beat after that and I had to call it a night early.

Saturday:  The Country on the west side. For the Zachariah Red CD Release show with Jon Latham opening with Neo Tundra Cowboy and Patrick Kinsley and a Fistful of Dollars also on the bill.  Great performances all around and a wonderful time to be had.

Sunday: Acme Feed and Seed to see Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau.  The band have never sounded better and the atmosphere was pure party – a great way to wrap up the week!

Whew!  With the birthday week over, I enjoyed a day off work, did a pilot/audition tape with Sue Havlish for WXNA (Nashville new community radio station).  Then, I made my way to The Basement East to catch Megan Palmer, Michaela Anne, and Darrin Bradbury for Week 3 of Darrin’s residency!  I stuck around to hear Darrin and band kick off the David Bowie tribute in fine fashion.  The Basement East was jam packed and the music was kicking, but my 9 nights out caught up with me and I had to bail fairly early.

On to the chilly morning shuffle filled with some classic and newer tunes.

“Desperados Waiting for a Train” by Guy Clark

Of course the mention of desperados brought to mind Glenn Frey who passed away yesterday.  Guy Clark wrote this song which was first recorded by Jerry Jeff Walker back in 1973.  Clark included the song on his debut album Old No. 1 which came out in 1975. The Highwaymen made the song a hit 10 years after Clark’s version was released.

“Lost in You” by David G. Smith

Another tune from David G. Smith’s new album First Love.  This is an awesome sounding song that did not seem out of place at all coming into the shuffle out of the Guy Clark song.  A great songwriter.

“I Belong to Me” by Richard Barone

This is the song that contributed the title to Barone’s still stunning and groundbreaking 1987 album Cool Blue Halo.  In case you didn’t know, Barone was a member of The Bongos. He posts stunning pictures of New York City on Instagram, and he has a new album coming out in 2016 that is a tribute to Greenwich Village in the 1960.  You can pre-order HERE.  And you should.

“Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

A song that appeared on Let Love In which was the 8th Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds album – released in 1994. 

“Arigato Terauchi” by Crazy Aces

Nashville-based instrumental rock band – Crazy Aces are up next with a song from their album Greatest Hits Vol. 2.  I guess I have always enjoyed surf/instrumental rock music, but I became a fan in 2015 after seeing a show featuring Crazy Aces and an Atlanta band called The Mystery Men?  with Jon Latham.

“Hey Darling” by Sleater-Kinney

This is the ninth song from the latest album by Washington state based Sleater-Kinney.  No Cities to Love was released almost exactly one year ago today.  The album was the eighth from the band who formed in 1994 and released their self-titled debut a year later.

“Devil’s Daughter” by Bob Margolin

We close out the shuffle with some BLUES from “Steady Rollin'” Bob Margolin from his album My Road. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – 100 Miles Mix

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I am desperately in need of a second, third, or fourth wind as my Birthday week rolls on.  Last night was so much fun. The newly opened The Pub at The Basement East has it’s Grand Opening last night, and as always Grimey and company know how to throw a party better than just about anyone I know.  A ton of cool people doing covers… CCR style. I missed a ton of great music socializing and eating and stuff, but what I saw and heard was amazing. Grimey and Friends opened with a set of CCR songs and others followed with covers of bands whose names start with either C or R.  Grimey’s guests included Bill Eberle and Alanna from Alanna Royale.

The night ended with an out of this world set of Clash and Replacement songs by an ad-hoc band fronted by the legendary Joe Blanton and with the equally legendary Jonathan Bright on guitar.   It was a great way to end my birthday rocking out to some of the songs that helped shape my musical tastes.

Tonight: I will somehow suck it up and make two more stops on my birthday week tour. First of all I will be at the Happiest Place on Earth… no not Disney – Tim Carroll’s Rock and Roll Happy Hour at The 5 Spot.  Next, I will head over to The Basement East for Coverfest. More cool covers from some of Nashville’s best.

ICYMI: I posted my review of Zachariah Red’s new album, Backbone which was released today.

“Penelope’s Song” by James Tomberlin

Often times, when I am some cool musical event with Jon Latham (name dropping), there will be a moment where we will say, “Man, I wish, James Tomberlin were here.” and then Jon will launch into his spot-on Tomberlin impression and imagine what James would say….  The consolation, when James left Nashville to move onto big things, is that before he left, he recorded an album which was produced by Josh Morris who also produced Latham’s red hot Real Bad News album.  This is a song from James’ album, Still Life With Orange.  All I have to say is, “it’s your loss, Penelope!”

“You’re Coming With Me” by The Deadline Shakes

We move on with another fine song from Zealots by Glascow band, The Deadline Shakes. 

“One Hundred Miles” by Tim Easton

Tim Easton’s contribution to Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins is up next. Tim Easton performed this song live at a launch party  for this album at Americana this past September.

“Nightlife in the Stix” by David G. Smith

The first of three songs  in today’s shuffle from First Love – the new album from celebrated singer-songwriter David G. Smith.  The album features a stellar cast of players than includes Keb Mo.  The songs are rich and smooth and smart.

“St. Valentine’s Day Blues” by D.L. Duncan

The day itself is less than a month away.  For all of us who will be singing this one…

“In the Silence” by David G. Smith

Another from First Love.

“Lil Sis” by Campbell L. Sangster

Campbell L. Sangster is a indiefolk singer-songwriter from London by way of Liverpool.  He has a new single called “Odds are Stacked” which will be released next week.  This is the b-side of that single.  I’m digging it.

“Little One” by Paul Zografi

We have been spinning Paul Zografi’s 2014 album Bright which I learned of – better late than never… to correct that delay, here is a track from Brevity Lane – his new EP which is available digitally.  Zografi is also a talented videographer who has been making some videos for Tim Carroll and Luella of late.

“Phantom Billions” by Adam Stafford

It seems like we have been having a ton of Scottish music in the shuffles recently.  Adam Stafford is from Falkirk in Central Scotland.  He has a new album called Taser Revelations which is a follow up to his critically acclaimed 2014 album, Imaginary Walls Collapse.  The new album is due out in March, but we have a little preview.

“First Love” by David G. Smith

And we close the shuffle with our third song and the title track from the new album.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Adventure and Fun Mix

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This crazy time of year… Here I am posting this on a Thursday evening.  Circumstances, blah, blah, blah… Any way, let’s get to it…

Last night, I had a blast – another great show at The Basement (the original one).  “Earie” Award winners, Richie Owens and  the Farm Bureau put on another outstanding show that included a version of “Can’t Be Satisfied” featuring Richie Owens on the lap steel.  Bassist John Reed and stand-up drummer Brian O’Hanlon were in fine form.  I also got to see Saint Luke’s Drifters for the first time.  They called their sound Rockified Country. Songs ranged from high energy rockers that brought to my mind the Scorchers to some very honky-tonkish country songs. Vocal duties were shared and each singer brought something unique to the band’s sound.  I really enjoyed myself, and I hope to hear much more.

So, by my rough count, there will be seven more regular E2TG posts before the end of the year – not counting any weekend or holiday bonus posts.  My plan is to hand out “Earies” each of those days with Wednesday December 30, being reserved for the 5th Annual Ear to the Ground Artist of the Year. Which I will for the first time dub, the “Golden Earier” Award.

But, I am getting ahead of myself.  We have some “Earies” to give away today.

Prologue:  I have been having a really good time handing out these awards.  Even though the categories are sometimes a bit silly, the sentiment behind them is very real.  I really want to write about and honor artists who have made a big impression on my in 2015 (and before in some cases). I could have just made a list or handed out awards without giving them names, but really, this is more fun isn’t it?  I say all this to preface the fact that I have struggled a bit with what to call this next award.  Flippantly, I thought about the Six Degrees Award – as my having met these remarkable people has moved me up a few degrees of separation from some of the my all-time favorite artists (and some of the most famous in the world). But, really that name would only serve to diminish the extraordinary artists they are in their own right.

So – I hereby name this award the “Legends in Their Own Right” Award.  And I am going to just get to it before I overthink it and decide to change the name again….

1.  Reckless Johnny Wales –  The first time I encountered Reckless Johnny, I did not know who he was, but I suspected (correctly it turns out), that I was in the presence of someone remarkable. The next time, and when I finally got to meet him, I was standing on what can only be called Hallowed Ground – namely the Cash Cabin recording studios… if those walls could talk… and even though I did not hear the walls talk that night (although it would not surprise me if some who have been there have heard stranger things than that), I did get to hear some of Reckless Johnny’s stories about meeting Johnny Cash and many others.  More importantly, as a result of that meeting, I received a copy of Reckless Johnny Wales’ American Heart, and any doubts that I might have had (I didn’t really) were tossed out the window.  The music on that album demonstrates that the remarkable storied life (lives?) can and were translated into some memorable music.  I have a full review in my plans for early 2016, so I will stop here for now.

2.  Bebe Buell – Speaking of a life filled with stories…  As perhaps one of the world’s most famous groupies, Bebe Buell experienced first hand some of the defining moments of the rock and roll era. I will leave it to you to read more about her remarkable life, but for me the most important thing is happening now.  Throughout all of those interactions with rock and roll royalty, Bebe Buell was paying attention.  Having relocated to Nashville a few years ago, Buell is now focused on her own music pursuits. I first saw her performing Tom Petty songs with the amazing Long Players, and then I saw her own show at 3rd and Lindsay, and I was impressed by her music and her stage presence. That night and again at the end of October, I also saw that she is still the ultimate rock and roll fan – which is obviously when she talks about and dances to the music of the Blackfoot Gypsies.

3.  Julie Christensen (Stone Cupid) – Julie Christensen is another fairly recent transplant to our fair city.  Christensen’s musical career includes being a part of one of the pioneering Country/Punk bands, The Divine Horsemen with her husband at the time, Chris Desjardins founder of the legendary Flesheaters – a band whose membership history reads like a role call of the very best of Los Angeles music of the late 70s to early 80s.   Later, Christensen spent several years as a featured background singer with Leonard Cohen.  She reunited Cohen for the now legendary I’m Your Man concert film and album.  Upon, relocating to Nashville (and even before), Julie Christensen began working with some of the finest writers and musicians this town has to offer.  Her band, now called Stone Cupid, features an incredible line-up.  Sergio Webb and Chris Tench are two of the finest guitar players in a city that has a few… and the rhythm section features Steve Latanation (Agent Orange) and Bones Hillman who was member of Midnight Oil throughout there was most successful years. (UPDATE: There is reason I do not usually post late, I totally forgot to mention Stone Cupid’s new album The Cardinal which will officially be out early in 2016.  And I wanted to mention, that Stone Cupid played during the final week of the original Family Wash, and that show was one my favorite live shows of the year.)

On a personal note, having met them all, I am I find myself more interested in the people they are and the music they are making now than I am in their remarkable past.  But, to be honest, I will not walk away from a great story about some of the most important musical giants of our time…

To the shuffle (before it is Friday): (a regular shuffle – we’ll hop back into the season music next week).

“Think I Said Too Much” by Sugar and the Hi Lows

Another great track from one of Nashville’s best. From their self-titled album.

“Tom and Bob” by Blake Babies

More from that Blake Babies live album- available on Noisetrade.  This song was on their debut album, Nicely, Nicely which came out in 1987.

“Attention Shoppers” by Crazy Aces

More music from Nashville’s premiere instrumental rock band, Crazy Aces.

“Camera Roll” by Jonas H. Sjøvaag’s Navyelectre

From Norway.  I have really been digging the music of composer Jonas Howden Sjøvaag. The album is called Large Ensemble.

“Fool Man Runaway” by Some Kind of Illness (ft. CaoilfhionnRose)

We move on to another song from Some Kind of Illness from their self-titled album. This track features Manchester singer-songwriter Caoilfhionn Rose (her first name is pronounced Keelin). Two songs in and I continue to be impressed by this band. 

“Take My Time” by Daphne Willis

Another track from free-spirited Nashville singer-songwriter Daphne Willis’ new EP, Get It.  Seriously, get it!

“Little Wild One (No. 5) by Marshall Crenshaw

We jump next into the first of two songs from two of my all-time favorite albums.  This is the opening track to Downtown, which was Crenshaw’s third album following his amazing self-titled debut and Field Day.  Downtown was released in 1985.

“I Misunderstood” by Richard Thompson

Rumor and Sigh was released in 1991, and it still stands out as some of the best music of one of modern music’s most prolific and talented musicians. 

“I Can’t Tell” by David G. Smith

We close out the shuffle with our first listen to First Love, the new album by singer-songwriter David G. Smith.  Smith, like Julie Christensen, comes from Iowa and now resides in Nashville.  I will have much more to say about this album – which features great songs and an incredible line-up of musicians.  This was a great way to close out the shuffle this morning.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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