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Nashville really is a beautiful wonderful city for live music. There is way too much awesome stuff for one person to see anywhere near it all.
Friday evening, I hung out the WXNA folks. They are working a really cool thing.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/wxna-lpga/x-plosive-radio-wxna-lpfm-nashville/widget/video.html
Then, I spent a rare evening in Midtown and saw Taylor Alexander and Lindsay Ellyn, The Gasoline Brothers, and Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau and hung out with friends.
Saturday night, I went to The Basement for Pony Boy’s CD Release Show – her new album Blue Gold is amazing by the way. Lilly Hiatt opened the show and was awesome. Pony Boy was spectacular and Robyn Hitchcock joined to play harmonica on Bob Dylan’s “It’s All Over Now, Baby Blue”, and yes, I did get to introduce myself as the goofy guy who made the Soft Cell joke. 🙂 Justin Collins and the Cosmics closed the night with some really great high energy rock. Justin and Adam Landry produced Pony Boy’s new album. They are the duo behind Deer Tick and Diamond Rugs and Black Vincent (who we have been featuring here of late). I got to meet Adam, too.
Sunday night, a great night at Bobby’s Idle Hour on Music Row. Julie Christensen and Patterson Barrett performed some of Julie’s awesome songs. Russell Thompson played with Megan Palmer, and then Megan did her own set and reminded me again of just how awesome she is. For the last song, she and a chorus of great female singers (Julie Christensen, Ariel Bui, Nellie Clay, and more) closed the night with a rip roaring rendition of Palmer’s “Knife Twister”. Oh and Victoria Williams was in the audience, too.
Tonight, I am going out to see my friends Zach Red Stacy and Taylor Alexander playing 8 off 8th at Mercy Lounge.
“Carried” by Jelena Ciric
Another track from Places. Jelena was born in Serbia, lived in Toronto, and now teaches voice in Mexico. This is the kind of music that I hope never goes out of style. Harkening back to the likes of Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and yet highly original.
“On the Safeside” by Webb Wilder
From Hybrid Vigor, this music never fails to lift my spirits.
“I’ve Got You Covered” by Sugar and the Hi Lows
Trent Dabbs and Amy Stroup – two acclaimed singer-songwriters (both part of the Ten Out of Tenn collective) – teamed up a few years ago to perform together as Sugar and the Hi Lows. They just released their second album, but this song goes back to their self-titled debut. They are playing later in September at the Ryman with Kacey Musgraves.
“You Gotta Move” by Amy Black
Amy Black brings the Blues with another track from her Muscle Shoals Sessions. The song is a traditional African American spiritual that was popularized by Mississippi Fred McDowell, and was later covered by The Rolling Stones for Sticky Fingers (one of three songs from that album recorded at Sound Studio in the Shoals).
“Ginnie and Lou (From Kalamazoo)” by Darrin Bradbury
Just about every day, someone will stop me in the street and ask, hey aren’t you the guy on the Darrin Bradbury record, The Story of Bob? When I admit that yes, I was the inspiration for the picture, they ask what is it that makes Darrin Bradbury so awesome. This song kind of encapsulates that mystery for me. Yes, Darrin can be funny and offbeat. But, he can also write a beautiful and tender song like this one. I could not find a video version of Ginnie and Lou, so I have included an old video (featuring a short-haired Darrin Bradbury singing the equally tender, “You Are Cordially Invited to My Backyard Pass Out Fest”.
“Zia S’dba” by West Philadelphia Orchestra
Some perfectly awesome Balkan inspired music from The West Philadelphia Orchestra from a World Café Session.
“Harder to Lie” by David Ramirez
From the brand new album Fables via a Noisetrade release that features songs recording live during an Eastside Manor Sessions recording. This is the album version of a track from Fables.
“Relatin’ Dudes to Jazz” by fIREHOSE
From the debut album by fIREHOSE, Ragin’ Full On. I am of the camp that does not think that there is any reason or point in comparing fIREHOSE to the Minutemen. For my part, I am just glad that Ed Crawford convinced a still grieving Mike Watt and George Hurley to start playing again. fIREHOSE made some great music during their run.
“Rocking Chair” by The Districts
Another World Café Sessions recording the Philadelphia band. This is the opening track from the band’s self-titled EP.http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
E2TG: MUSIC/WORDS 