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Hey! It is Tuesday night, I have been catching up on laundry and trying to catch up on e-mail. My inbox has been flooded with a ton of great music – some of which you will be hearing here on Ear to the Ground, so of which will be coming your way soon.
In the midst of the excitement of scrolling through pages of unopened e-mail (sorry), I got a call from the 2015 E2TG Artist of the Year, Jon Latham. That is how he is tagged in my phone by the way… “2015 E2TG Artist of the Year, Jon Latham”. He filled me in on a project he has in the works.
Returning to Fort Dakota Studio, Jon has recorded five solo acoustic songs all of which were also recorded on video. The recordings were a reunion of sorts with Fort Dakota’s mastermind, Josh Morris who produced Jon’s album, Real Bad News.
Look for an EP of those sessions coming your way soon, in the meantime, I am extremely honored to have the opportunity to present the very first video from that session.
When Jon and I talk, we often talk about music. As I have said before, Jon is extremely knowledgeable about a pretty wide variety of music genres – including some bands that I would not expect someone his age to know (thank you Michael Latham).
Inevitably, we talk about songwriters. Names like John Prine, Steve Earle, and Guy Clark come up quite often. We have discussed the importance of Guy Clark to much of the best music being played in songwriter rounds around this fair city.
“LA Freeway” has long been one of my favorite Guy Clark songs, and I really like Jon’s cover of that song here – recorded at Fort Dakota.
A little trivia: Steve Earle sang background vocals on Guy Clark’s recording of this song from his debut album, Old No. 1. Steve Earle, as you may recall, is prominently referenced in the opening seconds of Real Bad News.
Without any further ado: Here is “LA Freeway” by Jon Latham
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.
Off schedule today…. so, an early shuffle and limited commentary. Great tunes, though, so check it out.
“Never Gave Nobody Trouble” by Leonard Cohen
From the forthcoming Can’t Forget
“Slave Magic” by The Great Game
Another one from the self-titled album by The Great Game.
“The Gate” by Cletus Kennelly and Lori Kelley
From the album Lotus.
“The Cape” by Guy Clark
Taken from a live recording from the Bluebird Cafe that also featured Townes Van Zandt and Steve Earle. Not a bad lineup.
“El Pistolero” by Whale Fall
Another from The Mandrean.
“The Headmaster Ritual” by The Smiths
From Meat is Murder
“Plastic Jesus” by Joe Nolan
From Blue Turns Black
“Breath of Youth” by Ricky Mirage
From Pop Goes the Sun Don’t know much about Ricky Mirage except it was recommended via Facebook by someone I respect. First listen, I dig. Could not find a video, so here is the bandcamp widget.
I didn’t sleep particularly well last night, and so I knew I would need some cool tunes to make it through the morning commute. With that in mind, I decided to run my usual shuffle for the full ride into work, and thus was born a new feature* at Ear to the Ground called Full-Ride Friday (hashtag #frf – patent pending** – void where prohibited) **there is not patent pending…!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”);
* Bloggers Note:I sure hope no one notices that about 90% of the time I announce I new feature, it never appears again. If they notice, they may realize that I’m just making this up as I go around and thus may figure out that I’m not a real music blogger.
Anyway, I hit shuffle and 21 songs later, I made to my desk to begin my day… Go past the jump to experience the first (and maybe last) ever Full-Ride Friday Shuffle!
“Never Wanted Your Love” by She and Him from Merge Records Summer Sampler 2013/Volume 3
Zooey and M. Ward…
“Coyote Stories” by Darrin Bradbury from Death in my Left Ear
“When she asked me sign I said, “ I think I was born under Reagan”…”
“Decay” by The Danbury Lie from Fourth Time’s a Charm
Deconstructed metal/blues/folk… I don’t know, but I like it…
“A Casual Conversation w/Superman” by Darrin Bradbury from True Love
“Running around in that cape don’t get you laid like you’d think being that you savedthe whole damn world and all…”
“Blue Highways” by Darrin Bradbury from True Love
“The Blue Highways are all covered in dust…”
“Cornmeal Waltz” by Guy Clark from My Favorite Picture of You
“Beat-up old Stetsons, beehive hair, belt buckles bumpin’ in time. There’s little girls dancin’ on their daddies’ toes, spinnin’ around on a dime.”
“Election Year Blues” by Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray from Lean into the Wind
“Count up your dollars before you show up to vote…”
“don’t lose you faith” by The Lies from whatever
“as the leaves fall from the trees dying from nature’s disease when you’re down on your knees, looking for a quick release”
“Jeremy’s Glory” by Jason and the Scorchers from Clear Impetuous Morning
“Jeremy left his family, Spring of ’63. Said he had to find his glory marching with Robert E. Lee”
“Travelling Wilburys (Handle Me with Care)” by Heath McNease from download
“this is the end of the line for my self-righteous thoughts.”
“After the Disco” by Broken Bells from After the Disco
Is it me, or have James Mercer and Danger Mouse been listening to lots of Roxy Music?That’s not a bad thing… that is never a bad thing…
“Falling from the Stars” by Tipi Valley from Blue Moon EP
“Just when I thought I knew you, I changed”
“Well You Better” by Yo La Tengo from Fade
“Baby make up your mind/Please make up your mind”
“Monk’s Point” by Thelonious Monk from Solo Monk
Thelonious has a good point.
“Abet Gurage”by Tomas Doncker from Power of the Trinity
“We must become members of a new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not to nations, but to our fellow men within the human community.” H.I.M. Haile Selassie I”
“Too Young to Burn (Sonny and the Sunsets cover)” by Spirit Family Reunion from Home Recordings Vol. 1
Hell yeah, Spirit Family Reunion covering one of my favorite Sonny and the Sunsets songs.
“Jezebel” by The Delta Saints from Death Letter Jubilee
An elegiac triumphant march through the middle of Bourbon Street.
“Miss Watson” by Semi-Twang from The Why and the What For
A joyful fun song – the video is from Couch by Couchwest
“The Room is Still Spinning” by Phonoscenes from Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen: Section 5/The Relative
The hits keep coming from the Funky Kitchen of Mama Coco.
“19” by Meenk from Scamu Scau
Meenk contacted me by e-mail a while back, and I love this EP.It’s taken the shuffle function a little while to get into the game, but I’m happy to feature two songs to close out today’s shuffle.
“I drank half a beer and I’m only nineteen I’m sorry for putting you all in such danger”
“Up” by Meenk from Scamu Scau
“More people have been up on the moon than felt the way I feel”
The 700th post here at Ear to the Ground arrives with another great mix of music. We have two sub-themes going in this otherwise loosely constructed collection of songs. Bells and Italian Food. Read on…
“Liberty Bell” byThe Gathering from How to Measure a Planet (6:01)
The first of two songs with bells in the shuffle today comes from a Dutch progressive metal/alternative rock band which formed in 1999.I’ll be honest, I don’t know when I added this to my playlist, but here it is, and it’s a atmospherically cool way to start the morning.
“Ethiopian War Chant” by Tomas Doncker from Power of the Trinity (4:26)
How about this awesome track from Tomas Doncker’s Power of the Trinity release.Tomas and band are bringing their Howlin’ Wolf tribute to the Blue Note Jazz Club in New York City tomorrow night. If you are in the city, you should be there.
“Pizza N Drugs” by Darrin Bradbury from Death in my Left Ear (2:29)
Darrin Bradbury brings us the first of two songs which mention types of Italian food with a little ditty about spending a Sunday with Pizza, Drugs, and someone special.Darrin just started a weekly series with the awesome Tim Carroll at a dive bar in East Nashville called Fran’s.It’s every Wednesday night, and you and I really need to check it out.
“Foggy Notion” by Jane Wiedlin from American Velvet: A Tribute to The Velvet Underground (4:07)
Go-Go Jane Wiedlin covers one of my favorite Velvet Underground songs (read one of my favorite songs) from one of who know how many VU tribute albums.
“Rigatoni Macaroni” by Sam Davison from Always Around (2:17)
Are you hungry yet?New York singer/songwriter and bassist. With a fun song from his stellar Always Around album which was released last October.
“Dream Away” by The Yugos from Life is Awesome and Then You Live Forever (4:25)
Are a young band from Covington, Kentucky.They came to my attention via a post by Dan Stuart (Green on Red, Danny and Dusty, solo), and when Dan talks, I listen. I’m glad I did.Cool stuff.
“When Silence Was Golden” by David Schnaufer from Appalachian Picking Society (3:05)
Some sweet Appalachian music from the late, great, Nashville dulcimer player David Schnaufer.
“Jericho” by The Delta Saints from Death Letter Jubilee (4:18)
First of a couple of songs by Nashville-based Louisiana-tinged rock band The Delta Saints.
“Bell Ringer” by Gumshen from Protronica (7:06)
Our second “bell” related song comes from this Seattle based band.
“Albatross” by Stoney from More Than Animals (4:14)
We have featured several songs from the latest album by Austin based Stoney.
“Blank Maps” by Cold Specks fromI Predict a Graceful Expulsion (3:12)
I may be late to the game, but consider me a Cold Specks fan.This is an awesome song, and I want to hear more.
“Drink it Slow” by The Delta Saints from Death Letter Jubilee (4:08)
Another great track from The Delta Saints.My music play crapped out after this, and I had to restart the shuffle, but what a way to go.
“Long Way Home” by Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray from Lean into the Wind (4:29)
A beautiful heart wrenching track from the latest album by our friends and CXCW darlings Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray.
“Diamond Joe” by Guy Clark (with Verlon Thompson) from Guy Clark (2:51)
We close things out with a song that’s been in my active playlist for a long time. Glad it finally came up.An classic performed by a pair of legendary Nashville songwriters.
Time marches on…. we have a ton of cool tunes and not as much time as I would like…
First off – here is an updated version of yesterday’s “Retreat” Mix video playlist – we received a link for the New Victorians to the video for “Letting Go” so we substituted that for the song we originally included:
Jump to the Shuffle!
Today’s Shuffle:
“Whipping Post” by Blind Owl Band (their cover of the Allman Brothers song)
“The Rolling Baby Blanket of the Blues” by The Moon and You (a duo from Asheville, North Carolina. Nifty sound.)
“Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” by Stevie Nicks with Tom Petty (Yeah that song)
“Freedom’s a Stranger” by Scott Miller and Commonwealth (from the 2005 album Citation. Some fine, fine music is this…)
“Wasteland” by Moovalya (in some ways, Moovalya are the odd man out in today’s shuffle – which has a definite rootsy feel to it – but here at E2TG the odd man is in!)
“My Favorite Picture of You” by Guy Clark (what can I say? Guy Clark y’all.)
“Closed Hand, Full of Friends” by Foy Vance (from his newish album Joy of Nothing. Foy Vance is Irish and I feel like I’m late to the party on this guy, but I’m glad to be here)
“What’s the Matter Baby” by Mark Robinson (from Have Axe – Will Groove – when I listen to Mark Robinson’s take on the Blues – the answer to the song’s title is “Not much..just keep playing”)
“You’re Not There” by Tim Lee 3 (from Devil’s Rope. Always a treat when Tim Lee 3 end up on my shuffle)
“From this Valley” by The Civil Wars (from this year’s The Civil Wars. One can only hope the band will resolve their own civil wars and get back to making more music like this)
“Mi Burro Esta En Fuego” by Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray (“My Donkey is On Fire” two of my favorite trios are in the Shuffle today – Tim Lee 3 and Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray – yes they are a trio. They will be back in Nashville as part of the “New Faces” night at The Basement)
Here at E2TG we are all about adapting to circumstances beyond our control. Most of our best ideas were born out of necessity…
With my earphones still on the fritz (although I’m suspecting it may be the earphone jack – which would suck since I’m just 10 months or so into a two year contract…), I decided to make some changes.
The first part of today’s mix came from a drive across town I took last night while the second part is from this morning’s commute. It all washes out, and we have 12 great songs for your enjoyment and edutainment.
“Ain’t No Sunshine” by Humming House (Humming House are a great Nashville band that recently added the amazing Leslie Rodriquez to their line-up – trust me, this is a very good thing. This cover of the Bill Withers’ song, is from the pre-Leslie era, and a nice way to introduce the band. E2TG trivia – our good friends Valued Customer also have a cover of this song)
“Stand Your Ground” by Killing Kuddles (from the fabulous Odd Man Out EP)
“Little Bit of White Trash” by Jeff Porter (great song – the video in the Playlist features Bob Walkenhorst who was in the great band, The Rainmakers)
“Lights On (Two Fresh Remix) by Bad Cop (former Featured Artist at E2TG – Bad Cop are rising stars out of the Nashville Indie scene. From the recent Jeffery Drag Sampler – the label was created by Bad Copy frontman Adam Moult.)
“Weird Weather” by Tim Lee 3 (Another great one from our Knoxville friends – “been some weird, weird weather hangin’ over my house.”)
“You’re No Good” by Linda Ronstadt (A classic by the amazing Ms. Ronstadt. Sending out all good thoughts and prayers to her (she recently announced her diagnosis of Parkinsons Disease which has left her unable to sing) – and lots and lots of gratitude for the great music she gave us.)
“I See Red” by X (It is darn near impossible to listen to this song and not move your feet. One of the fastest songs on More Fun in the New World) – takes us into this mornings Music
Pre-Shuffle:
After we concluded “I See Red”…
“XXXtra Dreamy” by Dead Pop Stars Society from Dead Pop Stars Society (due out tomorrow)
Dead Pop Stars Society is the new collaboration between MF Rex and Salvador G, founders of NYC DJ crew Automatic Reaction. The entire album offers a relentless collection of mad beats, hyper-familiar samples, and some amazing sounds. It’s a wild ride to be sure.
“Last Stop” by Black Jake and the Carnies from Watching, Waiting (2013)
Up next are our friends from Ypsilanti, Michigan with, Last Stop, a locomotive powered instrumental from their recent Watching, Waiting EP – one our favorites of 2013.
“Lincoln” by EdTang from Goodbye, Zen5, Sushi Dinner (2012)
I’m really getting into this EdTang record with the strange title, if you haven’t done so, please check it out.
“Dublin Blues” by Guy Clark from Dublin Blues (1995)
Ahhhhhhhhhh…. just a comfortably amazing song… – the video is from a legendary show recorded in 1995 at the Bluebird Café with Steve Earle, Townes Van Zandt, and Clark.
“Squirm” by Marla Mase from Speak Deluxe (2013)
We close out this days music with Marla Mase doing Squirm – “Like a worm”
!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.js Today in the Pre-Shuffle we have:
“Pualei” by EdTang (from Goodbye, Zen5, Sushi Dinner)
“Accomplices” by The Gypsy West (from Accomplices III)
“Dromedary” by Dog Without Warning (from Bark – one of my favorite records of the year so far, and they made a video for this song! Check it out in the Playlist at the end of this post)
“Let’s Give It Away” by Taco Land (from Pancakes and Pizza – another favorite
“Hold Onto Hope Love (Andy Hunt Mix/Mastered)” by Amy Stroup (of Sugar and the Hi-Lows)
In the Shuffle
“Corn for Cash” by Alvin Band (from Mantis Preying)
Live* from Nashville – Music City USA. Ear to the Ground proudly presents – the Morning Shuffle….
*Live when written – except on the West Coast where 60 Minutes will be seen at it’s regular time.
Once again, we find ourselves abundantly blessed with music, and running a bit tight in the time department… so dispensing with the ado… Join the Mix – after the JUMP
clicky….
PRE-SHUFFLE
“Honeymoon” by Bombadil (“your life is books you never wrote and tote only for money”)
“Red River Valley” by Slim Whitman (“From this valley they say you are leavingWe shall miss your bright eyes and sweet smile”)
“Everywhere I Go” by Caitlin Rose (“In a room out of town There’s a picture in a drawer of all that could have been and all that came before Standing in the light or hiding in the dark”)
“Sea of Lights” by Year of October (“Been swimming in a sea of lights for so long, surprised I haven’t drowned”)
“The Randall Knife” by Guy Clark (“There it slept and there it stayed For twenty some odd years Sort of like Excalibur Except waiting for a tear”)
“King of the Waves” by Little Barrie (“Let’s be like children play, pretend we started again”)
“Who Are You” by Ivan and Alyosha (“And you paint your face, and you change your hand Tell me what happened to you such a long time ago And all your friends, well they have no clue Who are you when no one is around?”)
PRE-SHUFFLE moves into the SHUFFLE with the next song
“Only a Song” by Ben Sollee (“I get a little scared when I’m driving through the ghetto. There’s a part of me that wants to hide, there’s a part of me that wants to move in. Cuz even though I, I grew up in the suburbs I didn’t really grow until I learned how so many others lived. But this is only a song, it can’t change the world.”)
“Leaky Seams” by bellwire (“Your backyard was a shrine to summer nights–– a bedsheet theater. Someone prepped the reel and let it rip–– the camera slipped through leaves”)
“Checkpoints and Borders” by Liquid Casing (“Checkpoints to see where we belong “Can’t you see?” I don’t belong My skin said it all; that border I just can’t cross”)
A few items of interest… KALPA – the new Valued Customer album is due out today. We are still awaiting it’s arrival with bated and baited breath.
Gabriel Redding is on the penultimate day of his record breaking run across America to raise money for Alzheimer and Dementia patients. Get your donate on (click on his name for details).
Our great old friends, The End Men are headed out on a mini-tour to Ohio. If you are in these area’s be sure to check them out. Seriously, do it, and tell them Ear to the Ground sent you. Annabel’s – Akron on 7/18; Buzzbin – Canton on 7/19; and the Stone Tavern – Kent on 7/20. Now, let’s get to the Morning Mix of Music. After the JUMP PRE-SHUFFLE: “Prelude” by The Black Clouds (How appropriate to begin with a Prelude…) “Kiss Me on the Bus” by The Replacements (An absolute classic – “Hurry, Hurry, Here comes my stop”)
“Janitorial on Channel Fail” by Centro-Matic (more from this awesome Texas band)
“Howm’ I Gonna Get Back Home” by He’s My Brother She’s My Sister (The band with the great sound and the long name).
“No Reason” by The Black Clouds (a much needed does of ferociousness into the morning mix)
“Remembrance of Things Past” by Coastwest Unrest (It’s been a little while since we featured this band, and it’s good to be reminded of just how great they sound)
“The Four Loves” by Heath McNease (more from his hip-hop remix of his folk album inspired by the work of C.S. Lewis)
“Pink Champagne” by Caitlin Rose (Nashville’s sweetheart performs songs from her latest album in a special session for Noisetrade) “3’s a Charm” by Bleu (A super cool song from his Redhead album) SHUFFLE:
“The Mighty Midshipmen” by Centro-Matic from Love You Just the Same (2003)
Another track available on a massive 24 song free download via the Band’s Bandcamp page. This Denton, Texas band features Will Johnson from Monsters of Folk and have been making music together since 1995.
“Homegrown Tomatoes” by Guy Clark from Songs and Stories (2011) (Original Version was on Better Days (1983)
The legendary singer-songwriter performs, a classic song about the popular fruit which often pretends to be a vegetable.
“Dromedary” by Dog Without Warning from Bark (2013)
One of favorite releases of 2013 was the surprising Bark EP by Bay Area band Dog Without Warning. This is the last song on that EP, and it is a charmer. Give a listen and try not to smile.
E2TG: MUSIC/WORDS 