Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Muscle and Blood Mix

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The unique and wonderful space known as The Building will be closing soon.  Over the years, it has provided a home for many of East Nashville’s finest songwriters and creative people. Right now, a series of “farewell” shows are happening there.  To judge by last night’s Open Road Monday, this is not a wake but a celebration of all that has happened in the years that The Building has been opened.

A large crowd gathered for featured acts Darrin Bradbury (with Megan Palmer) and Daniel Lawrence Walker and his band.  I stuck around for the open mic and saw a couple of guys whose names I did not catch, Yosi Mesbah, Dave Pahanish, and Tom Schreck.  It was a great night of some of the best of what Nashville does. 

The Building will be missed, and I hope other places open up to fill the void that will be left when it closes.

On to the shuffle:

“Sorry I Forgot to Write” by Michelle Lewis

Okay. I cannot remember who or how I was lead to Michelle Lewis and her latest release, the EP Live at Club Passim. I am awfully glad I was, though. This some pretty awesome folk music.  My first listen – we will be featuring the rest of the EP, and maybe I will figure out who turned me on to this.

“Happy Hour” by Sunny Sweeney

Sunny Sweeney is an Austin based Country singer.  This is another track from the excellent album: Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins.  The video playlist includes a different song by Sunny Sweeney as well as Ted Hawkins’ version of this song.  The album is out now and worth your attention.

“Penn’s Woods” by Jeremiah Tall

It seems like it has been a long time since we had a song from Jeremiah Tall’s Waking record in the shuffle.  We actually still have two more tracks after this one.  I am still enamored with the album and it was great be able to feature it again.

“Crash and Burn” by Carolina Story

From the EP Chapter Two by the Nashville-based alt-folk duo.  Chapter One and Chapter Two were released as a single download by Noisetrade earlier this year.

“Gimme the Car” by Violent Femmes

This song was a CD bonus track on the self-titled debut album by the Milwaukee post-punk band.  The song encapsulates the album’s theme of extreme teenage angst and yearning. 

“Good Feeling” by Violent Femmes

Originally the final song on Violent Femmes.  This slow – almost nostalgic – song stands in contrast to some of the band’s harsher songs. It captures a different (but still valid) side of teenage existence. It is the perfect ending to one of the best albums of its time.

“Sixteen Tons” by Tennessee Ernie Ford

The classic version of the song attributed to Merle Travis.  Tennessee Ernie Ford reached number one with his version in 1955.  The song was first recorded nearly a decade earlier.  This nearly seventy year old song still sounds fresh.

“Nail Driver” by Dirty Basement Blues

We close out this Tuesday shuffle with a hard rockin’ Blues band from Michigan who found me on Facebook. Really digging their music a bunch.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Gonna Get You All Mix

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Introducing the Ear to the Ground Events Page! Visit Our Events Page Ear to the Ground Events!

So, consider this events page to be a work-in-progress.  It is meant to highlight live music of interest to Ear to the Ground Readers.  The focus will be on the Nashville area, but I will also include shows featuring Ear to the Ground favorites in places across the U.S. and around the world.  My primary source will be Facebook Events for which I’ve received an invite, but if you have an event you want considered, drop me a line.

Very grateful for a full weekend spent hearing music and also just hanging out with great friends.  Music-wise: Friday night: Tim Carroll and his power trio sounded awesome (Cameron Carrus and Toby Caldwell).  Saturday: Jon Byrd opened for Tiffany Huggins Grant’s CD Release Show.  Byrd was amazing as always and Huggins Grant backed by a fantastic band lead by Mark Robinson brought the house down!  Sunday: Got to hang out and listen to Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray play a very sweaty but fun outdoor show.

As for the friends, I won’t name them all here, but some new and old friends – good conversations, Bob Seger and Tumbling Blocks, Vietnamese food, and more… not a bad weekend.

It’s another Monday, so let’s see what we can do this week!
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“The Truth” by James Roquemore

James Roquemore opened up Patrick Kinsley’s Album Release show last Wednesday at the Basement, and I was impressed by his songwriting.  This song comes from his 2009 debut EP called, The First, which was recorded while he was a student at University of Central Florida (I think). 

“Rooster Still Crows” by Barna Howard

Barna Howard is from Missouri.  His latest album is called Quite A Feelin’.  The album cover looks like it comes from an earlier era, and the music is timeless and wonderful.  Grabbed this off the May Feel Bad for You Mixtape, and it has successfully whetted my appetite!  I want to hear more!

“Coal Mining March” by Jeremiah Tall

The lead track from Jeremiah Tall’s Waking album which was released back in March.  It’s only 0:26 seconds long, but it sets the tone perfectly.

“Human Cannonball” by Webb Wilder

Another from Hybrid Vigor.  Perhaps one of Webb Wilder’s most well known songs, and it’s a good one. 

“She Died on Easter Sunday” by Batkhi Dahn

We will be posting much and soon about the new album from The Foresters – called Sun Songs.  In the meantime, Hayden from the Foresters is back with another track from his side project called Batkhi Dahn and their album Plays 15 which already has a deluxe edition and a follow up of a sort.  The teens of the Dord Music Group are smashing all stereotypes of youth today being lazy.

“Maps of the West” (Live) by Leland Sundries

Leland Sundries are an Indie/Americana band based in Brooklyn and lead by Nick Loss-Eaton. They are working toward a 2016 release of a new album, but in the meantime, we have the lead track from their 2013 Live at the Creamery album.  Good stuff!

“Pink Moon” by Nick Drake

The title track from Nick Drake’s final album which was released in 1972.  I freely admit to having a deep affinity to Drake’s music.  I really love Damien Jurado’s cover of this song.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – All My Sorrows Mix

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One day closer to the weekend…. it’s looking like a great weekend for music in Nashville… on my agenda includes a show Friday night at The Basement (the original one) with R.B. Morris and #E2TG favorites Tim Lee 3.  It’s an early show..  Doing some No Depression stuff Saturday and Sunday nights.

We have another fine, fine shuffle… so let’s get to it.

“Black Horse and the Cherry Tree” by KT Tunstall

Scottish singer-songwriter KT Tunstall opens the shuffle with the song that really put her on the music map.  She performed it live in 2004 on Later…with Jools Holland, and it was included on her debut album, Eye to the Telescope.

“Southern Sun” by Boy and Bear

Boy and Bear are on Australian Indie band. This song was included on their 2013 album Harlequin Dream.  The recording I heard from a World Café session.

“Kid” by The Pretenders

Earlier this week (or maybe late last week – time is elusive) I had a song from Chrissie Hynde’s solo debut. About 35 years earlier, her band The Pretenders released their self-titled debut album, and this song was released as a single from that album.

“Darlin’ Jane” by The Record Company

L.A. Roots/Blues/Rock band The Record Company keep the shuffle going with a swinging little number from their record, Feels So Good. So good.

“An Unlikely Affair” by The Colored Parade

One of Nashville’s best, Andrew Adkins and his band The Colored Parade are up next with a song from their album, …And the Walls of the City Will Shake. The Colored Parade are playing upstairs at City Winery on Sunday night, and you should definitely have that on your calendar.

“Shine Maker” by Jeremiah Tall

Waking is the most recent album by Pennsylvania rocking roots artist, Jeremiah Tall.  Shine Maker is a very short song, but it mighty sweet.

“While Everyone Was Waiting” by Talk in Tongues

I honestly don’t know much about Talk in Tongues.  They are from L.A., and I really liked their sound.  It was kind of reminiscent of some 80s new wavey stuff, but that was just an initial impression.  In any event, this is from a record called, Alone With a Friend.  I just noticed in doing some quick research that they are (coincidently) playing in Nashville on Saturday at Exit/In.  I can’t make it, but check their video in the playlist and if you dig, go check them out.

“Asa Jones’ Blues” by Charlie Parr

Charlie Parr is a folk singer from Duluth, MN.  I wonder if any other folk singers have come from Duluth, Minnesota?  Maybe someone should look that up.  Anyway, this song was included on his 2006 album Backslider.  The recording I heard (and the one in the video playlist) is a 2015 Daytrotter session.

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – One and One is Two Mix

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It’s just Wednesday, isn’t it?  Here is the run down of artists I have seen live since Sunday:

Sunday Night (Mad Donna’s Loft):   Allen Thompson, Darrin Bradbury, and the legendary Don Schlitz.

Monday Night (Basement East): Darrin Bradbury, Erin Rae, and Kelsey Waldon and her band

Tuesday Night (Bluebird Cafe): a round with David Olney, Will Kimbrough, Brock Zeman, and Samantha Crain.

Being Nashville, the list of artists who play around town that I did not see is equally impressive.  And the week goes on….

“Juley Calhoun” by David Schnaufer

Some wonderful Instrumental Appalachian music to start the morning off from the late great Dulcimer master.  (In the video playlist, a clip of Schnaufer backing the great Emmylou Harris).

“Well I Wonder” by The Smiths

“Nowhere Fast” by The Smiths

How about a randomly generated two-fer from Meat is Murder? Why not?

“Cold Hands” by Carl Anderson

Seriously, I don’t really do top ten lists of anything, but if I was one to do those, this would be an excellent early mid year candidate for my list of best albums of 2015.  Just saying.

“Train” by Jeremiah Tall

If I had a top ten list of music, I “discovered” in 2015, Jeremiah Tall would be on that list.  Thanks to Noisetrade for “introducing” me to his music.  Were those “quotation marks” really necessary?  I’m not “sure”…

“Kill the Messenger” by John Wesley Harding

The opening track to the 1992 album, Why We Fight…  hearing the opening notes of this song feels me with the same level of excitement as it did 23 or so years ago.  A great record, a great song.

“Cast in Faith” by Storm Chronicles

Storm Chronicles are from Seattle.  This song is from their 2013 debut album, Looking Backward.  I am grateful that I can still discover new music directly from artists reaching out.  I get music from a variety of sources, and the volume of submissions has increased which makes it difficult to hear everything that is sent my way (a wonderful problem to have), but I hope I never stop discovering music this way.

“Released” by Ricky Mirage

And sometimes, I discover music just by someone I know and respect posting something on social media…  I know next to nothing about Ricky Mirage except that it is non de plume of Nick Harris about which I know equally little except that a friend I respect said the music was rad, and I checked it out, and it was rad. 

 “I think I’ll sing a new song
one with several long angelic
choruses with voices
in happy harmony”

I couldn’t find any video… so here is a widget to hear this song (from the album pop goes the sun)’

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=593283634/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1530157716/transparent=true/

 

“Looking for Heroin” by Neighborhood Texture Jam

And we close out the daily shuffle with one from the Funeral Mountain album by Memphis cult band, Neighborhood Texture Jam, and a song about searching for a female hero… oh wait… never mind…

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – A Rusted Fork in the Road Mix

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A modest proposal to deal with the problem of people talking during music performances: Just let John Moreland play.  I saw John Moreland play twice last night. The first was at Music City Roots where he wowed an audience mostly unfamiliar with his music.  Later, he played a full headlining set at The 5 Spot in East Nashville in front of a packed house.  The minute John Moreland began to play, the crowd (a bar crowd after 11:00pm) fell silent almost immediately.  A friend of mine asked what it was about his music that had that effect.  In the moment, the only words that came to me were the emotional vulnerability of his songs.  I don’t know if that is the answer.  But, it got me thinking about vulnerability, and how our society sees it as a weakness, but how in the hands of someone like John Moreland – it can be such a powerful thing.

“Heima” by Hildur Gudnadottir

Hildur Gudnadottir is a cellist and composer currently based out of Berlin.  This stunning composition comes from a Noisetrade Sampler from the recent Big Ears Festival which took place in Knoxville, Tennessee.  Quite an impressive line-up at that festival.

“Buddy” by The Western Shore

One of my favorite songs from the Thunderstorm album.  I saw The Western Shore Monday night, and they are preparing to hit the road for a short tour which includes a couple of West Coast dates with Nikki Lane.

“Breathe” by Maria McKee

Another track from Maria McKee’s self-titled debut solo album.  McKee was named among the “Top 10 Female Artists You Really Should Know” in a recent article – she was included with other great artists like Kate Bush, Alison Moyet, and Nina Hagen among others. Well deserved.

“Revelation (The Final Book)” by Jeremiah Tall

In a short time, I’ve come to really dig this guy’s music.  It’s available on Noisetrade, you should really check it out.  (Free – but donate if you can, and definitely share to spread the word).

“Tying Ten Knots in the Devil’s Tail” by Townes Van Zandt

A classic western poem/song performed by the legendary Townes Van Zandt from a 1973 live recording.

“The Difference” by Dan Coyle

From Perfect Word, Perfect Beat comes this song with a great doo-wop sound. 

“Sharp Feathers” by Telepathic Teddy Bear

From the album Forgiveness…  Telepathic Teddy Bear writes great songs and produces great sounding records. 

“Don’t Make Nothin’ in the USA” by Tim Carroll

The lead track and one of my favorite songs on the new Tim Carroll album, Pure As Coal.  A ton of my East Nashville friends are featured in the video including Kalee Smyth from The Western Shore who we heard from earlier in the shuffle.  I was at The 5 Spot when the live performance portions of the video were recorded. 

“Napoleon” by Scott Miller

Scott Miller was one of the performers at Music City Roots last night, and he was fantastic.  He was previously a member of the seminal Knoxville band The V-Roys.  This song comes from a compilation album called Bubbapalooza Vol. 1: Chronicle of the Redneck Underground – which also included Southern Culture on the Skids and others. 

“Plight of Imemine” by Broken Guru

Broken Guru are an Alternative Rock band from New York City. Their debut album, Bent Up Halo is scheduled to be released on April 28.  You can currently stream five of the songs from that album on their Bandcamp page.

“I Want the One I Can’t Have” by The Smiths

We close out today’s shuffle with a track from The Smiths’ second album, Meat is Murder.  Any shuffle that includes The Smiths and Townes Van Zandt can’t be bad…

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Boys Like Me Mix

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If trudging through the work week is like climbing a mountain, then my question has to be is Wednesday really the day we get over the hump or is it just a day that finds us clinging desperately to the sheer face of a rocky cliff and wondering how the hell we are going to make it the rest of the way?  Food for thought… happy Wednesday!

“Get Drunk” by Drag the River

From the 2002 Album closed.  Ear to the Ground just presents song titles, we make no statements for or against the sentiments expressed in such song titles.  Drag the River’s membership includes/has included members of the band All who were previously discussed in posts about the band The Descendents.  Both this song and The Descendent’s song were included on the February Feel Bad for You Mixtape of “short songs”  This song is considerably longer than the other.

“Graves” by Whiskey Shivers

Speaking of Raucous roots based music…  gotta love The Whiskey Shivers.

“The Great Game” by The Great Game

The Great Game is the name of the band, the album, and the song.  It is New World music with an original and decidedly European sound, and I kind of like it… a ton.

“The Almost Great Lakes” by Darrin Bradbury

A live recording of a song that may be on Darrin’s new album or maybe not, what do I know.  It is about the great state of Wisconsin.  Everyone knows about the Great Lakes, but what about those that didn’t quite make that cut?  Now you know about them, too.  I could not find a video of this song, so look it up on Bandcamp to hear/buy it.

“Nearly Lost You” by The Torn Images

We still have a couple of tracks from the fantastic album Reviver by The Torn Images.  This song has all of the elements of a great true alternative Rock song.  It’s not poppy, it’s not light and fluffy… It is just Gut wrenching emotion backed by killer guitar licks.

“Silent Breather” by Tipi Valley

Found out recently that Jeremy Gluck who we have been featuring quite a bit recently lives in the vicinity of Tipi Valley, a long time favorite of all of us here at Ear to the Ground (it’s just me by the way).  This is another killer track from the latest Tipi Valley release called Dust.

“Middle of America” (Worktape) by Will Hoge

Ahead of his latest album, Small Town Dreams (which was released last week), Will Hoge released a Noisetrade sampler of some rough (worktapes) of a few songs from that album.  This is one of those tracks.  Hoge is one of Nashville’s best.

“What I Have Not Got” by Tim Lee 3

A live version of the lead track from their 2010 double album Raucous Americanus… Tim Lee 3 are not a quiet band.   If you are in Knoxville for Record Store Day, you can catch them at Lost and Found Records along with their spin off band, Bark, the last of the full grown men – Webb Wilder, and a host of others.

“I Know What Boys Like” by The Waitresses

If you, like me, were alive in the 1980s chances are pretty good that you heard this song many, many times. The Waitresses were from Akron, Ohio. The Waitresses were the creation of Chris Butler who came out of the same Akron music scene that produced DEVO, The James Gang, and Chrissy Hynde of The Pretenders.  Lead vocalist Patty Donahue passed away in 1996 at the age of 40.

“See About You” by Joe Nolan

Another track from the forthcoming Blue Turns Black remaster by Nashville songwriter and writer Joe Nolan. 

“Bleed” by Jeremiah Tall

My latest Noisetrade “discovery” is Jeremiah Tall from Bucks County, Pennsylvania.  He is a one man band that plays a pretty awesome brand of folk/rock music.  This is the final track on his latest album, Walking which has been out just under a month.

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