!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”); window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js Made it to 800! You are currently reading the 800th post since I transferred the blog from Posterous (RIP) to Blogger. Also, assuming a few of you read this or some other post, Ear to the Ground will reach a milestone number of pageviews (aka one with a bunch of 0’s).
It seems appropriate that this milestone (of a sort) post, contains a pretty random shuffle of some cools songs – including artists we’ve never featured, some old favorites, covers, pop culture references, and more. We do this just about every day.
In honor of post 800, I thought I would attempt to start a new hashtag meme – #twt (three word Thursday).
“One Step at a Time” by The Slang from The Slang EP
Columbus Power Pop
“Poor Boy” by Pork Chop Willie from Love is the Devil
Hill Country Alive
“Ed Wood, 1994” by Sci-Fi Romance from October
Follow your dreams
“Spitfire” by INTL from Deer Head Music Presents: Indie Mixtape Nashville/Mystery
They broke up 😦
“Starman” (Bowie cover) by Golden Smog from Blood on the Slacks
Great Bowie cover
“An Anthem for the Broken” by Matthew Ryan from Boxers
Speaks to Me
“Abe Lincoln” by American Aquarium from Burn. Flicker. Die.
Tweet #E2TG !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 are back after an extended holiday break… hope everyone is well.. I am short on time today, so let’s jump into the shuffle…
“You Make it Easy” by Golden Smog from Another Fine Day
By now, you know who Golden Smog are… if not go back through some recent posts or google it or something. That said, this is a very Jayhawks sounding Golden Smog song to my untrained ear. What say you?
“Hangin’ Around” by Ike Reilly from Am I Still the One For You?
Grant it… this is purely anecdotal evidence, but Ike Reilly recently made 18 songs (4 new ones and 14 from his archives) available as a free download from NoiseTrade. AS a result, I am a new fan, and I have shared several of the songs already and will be sharing more. I will also have an ear out (to the ground) for word of his next record.
“Burn Thru” by Abigail Washburn from City of Refuge
If genetics mean anything at all, Abigail Washburn and Bela Fleck’s child will be one heck of a banjo player. (Nature or nurture or both?)
“King of Kings” by The Jayhawks from The Jayhawks (aka The Bunkhouse Album)
A proper Jayhawks song for comparison to the Golden Smog song earlier. Some reviews I read kind of dismiss this album as a band that had not really found their signature sound as of yet. This is one heck of a great song, though.
“Kinetic” by Tesla Rossa from Deer Head Music Presents: Indie Mixtape Nashville/Tesla Rossa
A song that seriously rocks from Nashville’s own Tesla Rossa off of their self-titled first album. Another discovery from the Deer Head Music mixtape….
“Bigger Than” by The Grimm Generation from The Big Fame
An absolute favorite band of this blog and a great source of support and encouragement. A great song from the great state of Connecticut.
“Contortionista” by The Lucky Jukebox Brigade from Familiar Fevers
Among the most innovative and interest bands we came across through our extended interest in great music from New York/New Jersey. They have a track on the latest Built4BBQ sampler. This is from their latest album which is available for Free from their Bandcamp page.
“Dishonest Jenny” by The Faults from De-Fault
Another find from the Feel Bad for You monthly mixtape. This is from a rather obscure Knoxville, Tennessee band which features several members of another Knoxville band which we have featured before (from previous Feel Bad for You mixtapes), Mic Harrison and the High Score. I couldn’t find a video of this band so I added one from Mic and the High Score.
The first of only three shuffles this week before I head off for Thanksgiving. We have to cover as much ground as we can in a short time… We begin with a relatively short (7 song) shuffle that manages to cover a wide range – geographically, musically, lyrically, and thematically.
“Weather Pattern” by Frazey Ford from Frazey Ford Five EP/Indian Ocean
From Vancouver comes Frazee Ford with a unique blend of Folk/Country/Soul… coincidently, my commute this morning had some interesting weather patterns… after a rainy night, the morning began with an odd yellowish sunlit sky with some gray clouds and even a hint of a rainbow. Then, there was a brief rain shower, followed by clearing skies and more sunshine. All this is the course of these seven songs.
“5-22-02” by Golden Smog from Another Fine Day
From Minneapolis comes the Alt-whatever supergroup featuring members of Run Westy Run, The Jayhawks, Soul Asylum, and Big Star among others.
“Hey, Can I Sleep on Your Futon” by Richard Barone from Occupy This Album
From NYC by way of Tampa, Florida comes The Bongos’ Richard Barone with his contribution to the Occupy This Album project. Although the Occupy Movement had a relatively short life in the public consciousness, the problems they exposed are still present and still should be a source of national shame regardless of party affiliation. Barone captures a very real issue in a catchy and powerful song.
“Casualties” by American Aquarium from Burn. Flicker. Die
Hailing from Raleigh, North Carolina comes American Aquarium with another stand out track from their latest album. The band’s next album, Wolves, will be released in early February 2015. We are all casualties of Rock and Roll.
“We Come From the Same Place” by Allo Darlin’ from We Come From the Same Place
From London by way of Australia and Kent, England comes Allo Darlin’ with the title track from their latest album which was released last month. I really did the sound and the evocative lyrics.
“Mister Jarmusch” by Le Grand Escroc from Portraits
Contributing greatly to the diversity of this shuffle, we have this jazzy track from a fascinating album out of Tokyo. Portraits contains ten musical tributes to “Misters” and “Monsieurs”. Le Grand Escroc is the assumed name of Makoto Miura – DJ and producer. Having been on a bit of Jarmusch kick of late, I feel qualified to say this musical tribute is fitting as well as fun.
“Six Pack on the Dashboard” by The Jayhawks from The Jayhawks (aka The Bunkhouse Album)
Despite trying to be diverse, sometimes it is good to have some continuity to fall back on… so, we have Gary Louris making his second appearance in today’s shuffle with his band The Jayhawks from their very first album (1986). Although not politically or legally correct, Six Pack on the Dashboard is a damn fine song and a great way to close out today’s shuffle.
Last week, one of the daily shuffles was heavily weighted toward Blues music. Today, things turn more in a Country direction. Of course this is Ear to the Ground, so it’s never cut and dry…
“Little Victories” by Chris Knight (with John Prine) from Little Victories
Chris Knight did not play Peter Brady on The Brady Bunch nor is he the noted blogger and filmmaker. He is, however, a talented singer songwriter from Kentucky. His 2012 album Little Victories featured contributions from Lee Ann Womack and Buddy Miller, and on the title track – John Prine.
“Faxes on a Yacht” by Rival Galaxies from The Entrée: a Build4BBQ Sampler
Rival Galaxies are from Albany, NY, and they bill themselves as “Curators of Dance Parties!!!” One would be hard pressed to listen to this song and not move to the music.
“Never Felt Before” by Golden Smog from Another Fine Day
Another fine song from Alt-Indie rock supergroup Golden Smog.
“I See Georgia” by Drivin’ N’ Cryin’ from The Great American Bubble Factory
drivin’ N’ cryin’ have been making rocking new Southern Rock since the mid 80s. Kevn Kinney also made one of my all-time favorite records – MacDougal Blues. When The Great American Bubble Factory was released in 2009, it was the first full-length studio album for the band in 12 years. Sometimes/often, I feel like out of place in the South – even though I’ve lived here my whole life, but if this is Southern Rock (and it is) than I think I can hang.
“Beggars’ Guild” by Roadkill Ghost Choir from Slow Knife EP
Heading further down South, we have a great song from Florida band Roadkill Ghost Choir.
“One More Ride” by Joe Sundell from The Hat Thief
Still in the South and moving us back into the Countryish theme, we have Joe Sundell from Austin, Texas with a cool song from his album The Hat Thief.
“Old Five and Dimers Like Me” by Billy Joe Shaver from Old Five and Dimers Like Me
Fully establishing the Country creds for today’s shuffle – we go all the way back to the beginning of Billy Joe Shaver’s 40+ year career with the title track from his first album. Man! It really doesn’t get much better than this….
“Scarecrow Blues” by Brock Zeman from Songs from the Mud
We close things out and stay in the Country vein with an autumnal sounding track from Canadian singer/songwriter Brock Zeman.
Back at you with another shuffle after a day off. Made it to four different venues last night to see friends play music. Two downtown, two on the eastside. Heard a couple of great songwriter circles – one with Taylor Alexander of the band Young America and one with Lindsay Ellyn. Hustled to the East Nashville – Logue’s Black Raven Speakeasy to catch the last part of Amelia White’s set and a moving set from the incomparable Julie Christensen, and then drove a few block down Gallatin Pike to catch the tail end of a set from Darrin Bradbury and the Fran’s Eastside Super-High Band (Tim Carroll, Cameron Carrus, and David Strayer). As Lindsay said, the hustle is real…
Today’s shuffle is long on great music, but I am short on time… so check it out, google if you need to and enjoy our little video approximation.
!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”); “Another Fine Day” by Golden Smog from Another Fine Day
Title track – a nice way to start another fine day…
“The Devil’s Masquerade” by The Radicals from Halloween Rhymes and Children’s Crimes
Nothing like some punk rock music to get the morning hopping…
“Walter” (Acoustic Noisetrade Exclusive) by Heath McNease from Fort Wayne (songs inspired by the film)
Any song that begins by referencing David Bowie is okay in my book. I really can relate to this song… Ground Control to Major Tom…
“Shake ’em On Down” by Sidestreet Reny and Lil’ Bell from Holler
New music from a West Coast Blues duo I’ve become very fond of lately. With a great R.L. Burnside Mississippi Fred McDowell cover (I haven’t fact checked this – so if I’m wrong let me know and I will correct/retract). Thanks to Sturgis Nikides for the assist.
“Living the Dream” by Sturgill Simpson from 2014-05-13 – Grimey’s Records – Nashville/Metamodern Sounds in Country Music
What can I say? The incredibly awesome Sturgill Simpson recorded live at the awesome Grimey’s New and Pre-Loved Music.
“The Mayor of Simpleton” by XTC from Oranges and Lemons
If you don’t like this song… I just don’t understand you… One of my all-time favorites.
“Audeamus” by Clocks and Clouds from The Creation of Matter
Classic Rock just not in the way the term is usually used…
“I Was Raised in Babylon” by Yusuf/Cat Stevens from Yusuf
I remember when “Peace Train” was pulled from the 10,000 Maniacs In my Tribe album. I saw this new album pop up on Freegal – I listened to a few seconds of this opening track, and I had to download it…
“Ain’t Nobody (Gonna Save My Soul)” by Pork Chop Willie from Love is the Devil
I actually think we’ve already featured this song – I think it got added to my playlist twice. I’m not complaining. Some great Hill Country Blues from North Mississippi by way of Brooklyn, New York.
Had a good time at The Western Shore CD Release party thing last night. Charlie and Kalee sounded great, the right-wrong Isaac was awesome, and it is always a great joy to see and hear Aaron Lee Tasjan.
Well, we made it to Friday, and I think I am still breathing, so that has to be a good sign.
!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”); “Wreck of my Bed” by The Grimm Generation from The Big Fame
The Grimm Generation’s songs are like a seedy conversation, in a seedy spot, with a seedy stranger, and realizing you are exactly where your seedy self needs to be.
“Eastbound 94” by Heath McNease from Fort Wayne (Music inspired by the Film)
I’m a sucker for songs about driving… Heath McNease has a pretty diverse and extensive repertoire, and this may just be one of my favorite songs of his.
“Morphine” by The Oxford Coma from Morphine
I am a proponent of the Oxford comma. Likewise, I have become a big fan of The Oxford Coma. Sometimes, I need a little Heavy Psychedelic Metal in my life. This is the title track to their forthcoming EP.
“Play the Greed” by Dar Williams from Occupy this Album
IMHO, the Occupy movement (and I do realize it still exists on some level) was a great idea done-in by internal problems along with “freedom” and “constitution” loving right wing governments quashing free speech. In any event, I still support many of the principles of the movement, and even removed from the context of Occupy, this Dar Williams song is a timely and accurate description of the state of this nation.
“Long Time Ago” by Golden Smog from Another Fine Day
We roll on with another cool song from Golden Smog.
“Infrastatic (Thanks Uncle Sam)” by The Oxford Coma from Morphine
#2 of the day from The Oxford Coma. An odd brief track from The Oxford Coma with found sounds?/spoken word stuff… Nice
“Wanted (or Waiter There’s Some Soup in my Flies)” by The Style Council from The Singular Adventures of the Style Council
A non-album cut released between the band’s 3rd and 4th studio albums. The band’s interest in American soul and Rhythm and Blues music is clear on this track.
“Every Breaking Wave” by U2 from Songs of Innocence
A bit muddled perhaps, but I still really dig this cut from the latest U2 Album.
“Mule in the Badlands” by Darrin Bradbury from A Car Becomes a House
Darrin Bradbury is hard at work on his latest proper album, but in the meantime, he recently dropped another swell collection of demos which includes this song about the American West and the native Wild Winnebago herbs which use to roam the landscape.
“It’s All Been Done” by The Grey A from My Country
And, we close things out with another great track from the album My Country by The Grey A. They have a new video coming out next week for the new single Dumb Fool – another timely song for this crazy age…
!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”); Today’s Shuffle has Ice Cream, Candy, Balloons, and Magicians… What could possible go wrong? Answer: Nothing, but the results may not be exactly what you expected…
“Ice Cream Konitz” by Lee Konitz from Essential Jazz Masters (1947-1955)/ Subconscious Lee
We start things off on this raining Wednesday in Nashville with noted Jazz Alto-Saxophonist Lee Konitz with a track from his legendary 1949-1950 album. Konitz has worked with virtually every jazz legend in his long career including working with Miles Davis on the Birth of the Cool sessions.
“I got a boner for space, and gravity can suck it.” Another awesome track from the latest, star-studded Built4BBQ sampler. The Pistolwhips are from Albany, New York. Fun fact: I could not find any Pistolwhips videos on Youtube, but there is a Canadian band of the same name… Also when you search for “Space Boner The Pistolwhips” on Youtube, the first result is a song called “Astral Erection”. So….
“Candy Loves Satellite” by That Petrol Emotion from End of the Millennium Psychosis Blues
We move on to this treat from the 1988 album by That Petrol Emotion – a band that formed after the dissolution of another band – The Undertones. Sounds great all these years later.
“Black Balloons” by The Oxford Coma from Morphine
Next up is a song from the new EP from Phoenix band The Oxford Coma which is set for release in early December. The EP was recorded live and has a raw, nervous energy that I really dig. We’ll have more from this album as we go along.
“Money Go Round” by The Style Council from The Singular Adventures of the Style Council
Some how in the aftermath of the mid-term elections, this 30+ year old song seems extremely timely. A funky blast of early 80s British Pop music.
“Son House Says” by Low Society from You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down
To me the best of modern roots music (sometimes called Americana – although giving anything a name immediately seems to put up some sort of man-made limitations) is that which honors the past while continuously pushing forward. That is what I love about Low Society – a Memphis-based Roots and Blues band. When you hear this song, you have no doubt that you are listening to the Blues, but then you are forced to abandon whatever kind of expectations that genre label creates in your mind. We will have more from Low Society soon, too.
“Rule the World” by The Slang from The Slang EP
From the heartland – Columbus, Ohio to be precise comes some pretty awesome Alt-Power-Pop/Rock music. This EP is their debut, and it is an auspicious beginning. High energy and original music. Dig it.
“Demon in the Night” by The Goddamn Gallows from The Maker
This is from the Feel Bad for You Halloween mixtape, but really, it doesn’t have to Halloween to get into this mixture of Punk, Bluegrass, and Metal. A great way to begin to ease into my work day.
“Magician” by Golden Smog from Blood on the Slacks
First of all, I love the name of this album. Second, this is a short and sweet instrumental track from the mid-west supergroup/side-project who have been making music together for about 25 years.
Let’s see…. So apparently, Foo Fighters are playing at The Ryman on Halloween.
Last night, I got hang out with some awesome songwriters and talk music and the movie Road House, plus hear some of them do what they do best. I also hopped over to the Mercy Lounge to finally see Dogs of Oz live. They were awesome, and I hope to see a longer set from them soon. Here is a picture.
Let’s get to the shuffle –
“The Good Fight” by Lael Summer from Burden to Bear
For the second day in a row we have a long from Lael Summer. Such a great voice!
“Runnin'” by Modoc from Deer Head Music Presents: Indie Mixtape Nashville/Modoc
The breath and depth of talent in Nashville is outrageous. This incredible Indie mixtape while demonstrating a wide range of sounds and styles within the loosely defined genre is still but a drop in the bucket. So many awesome players, writers, and bands…. That’s to Deer Head Music and Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes for expanding my Nashville musical vocabulary. Cool song from Modoc, who I have been hearing about for a while… my first listen, and I dig it.
“Tarpit” by Golden Smog from Blood on the Slacks
A week or so ago I found two Golden Smog albums at Goodwill. For the uninitiated, Golden Smog is a loosely associated group of musicians who are better known from their other bands. Primarily, it is Gary Louris from The Jayhawks and Dan Murphy from Soul Asylum. Although best known for their awesome covers, on later albums the band began writing original music. This, however, is a cover of a song by Dinosaur Jr. P.s. I love the name of this album!
“Widows” by Heath McNease from Fort Wayne (Songs Inspired by the Film)
Another great track from Heath McNease from the album that accompanies his film, Fort Wayne.
“I Don’t Really Want to be Social” by BROCHO from An Introduction to BROCHO/Can’t Get Past the Lips
Some days, I think this could be my theme song…. I’ve been really digging on this BRONCHO music – thanks to NoiseTrade for the introduction…
“Nothings Gonna Change my Clothes” (live) by They Might Be Giants from First Album Live
We are almost done with our presentation of the live recreation of TMBG’s incredible first album. “And the mirror, it reflects a tiny dancing skeleton Surrounded by a fleshy overcoat and swaddled in A furry hat, elastic mask, a pair of shiny marble dice Some people call them snake-eyes, but to me they look like mice”
“When I See You Again” by The Western Shore from Thunderstorm
In spite of or because of or coincidental to the fact that Nashville has a wealth of musical talent (as previously discussed), it is also (or at least can be) a very small, tightly knit community. A few weeks ago at a Friday Tim Carroll show, I met Charlie Smyth and in the course of our conversation, I mentioned that I write a music blog at which point he handed me a CD. (Seriously one of favorite parts of writing a music blog), and just a few minutes later, I found out he is friends with some of my new musician friends. Well, I gave the album a listen and immediately added to my active playlist, and today the Shuffle monster finally coughed our first (but not our last) song from this album. Highly original sound, great songs, and superior execution. I’m a fan.
“We Take Care of Our Own” by Matt King from Raw
I think I’ve said it before, but I am so looking forward to the next Matt King album which should feature his new band Killing Streets which includes my good friends Matt and Livia from The End Men (who are still the most tagged band on Ear to the Ground – although Darrin Bradbury is closing). Until that album comes out, it’s been good to listen to this stripped down album and imagine this incredible songwriter back by such a kick ass band.
“Getting Tails” by Zachariah Red from This Town EP
During the past couple of months, as I go through a rather difficult time, I have been fortunate to meet some incredible and incredibly talented people. A couple of weeks ago, I got to write out Zachariah Red following his guest slot at Fran’s Eastside. Today we have another song from his EP. Looking forward to hearing more from Zachariah Red soon. By the Nashville readers, Zach and several other of new friends and new favorite songwriters are playing at Belcourt Taps on Thursday. Come out.
“Sweet Trepidation” by Ron Muga from Wonderful Doom!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 out the day with a song from New York songwriter Ron Muga. He was kind enough to contact me and send me some music. I like this song a lot. Check him out.
E2TG: MUSIC/WORDS 