Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Palindromatic Mix

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Pardon my English, but screw 1,000 posts.  1001 is where it is at… plus it is a palindrome.

So, last night was the first of five weeks of  Campfire Propaganda’s residency at The 5 Spot in East Nashville. It was a wonderful celebration of songs and songwriters.  Tim Easton, who is always wonderful, the awesome Megan Palmer, guests from Oklahoma – John Calvin Abney and Levi Parham), Nellie Clay, and Darrin Bradbury.  For the rest of the Thursday’s in October 6p.m. to 8p.m. The 5 Spot is the place to be…

“agadbaagadba” by valued customer

I got another reminder of how much I love Valued Customer. The long time Ear to the Ground favorites from Toronto released Kalpa last year, and it stands a remarkable achievement and I’d go as far as to say, it is one of my all-time favorites. They have been hard at work on the follow-up which will be called hugecup. Expect that album in 2016.  In the meantime, the tide us over, they recently released byugecup (the hugecup b-sides).  Let me tell you right now, if these are the songs that didn’t make the cut for hugecup… then… that album will be worth the wait.  I never really know how to explain Valued Customer to the uninitiated. Think really, really alternate hip-hop, with elements of avant garde jazz and classical music, trippy eastern spirituality, and a solid foundation of modern music.  It is not exactly what would be considered accessible in a mainstream kind of way, but from the moment I first heard the band, I have been in to it hardcore. 

“All in the Mystery” and “Goodnight Brownie Ford” by Kevin Gordon

The shuffle brings up two songs in a row from Kevin Gordon’s excellent new album, Long Gone Time. You may recall I reviewed the album and the CD Release Show for No Depression. Kevin Gordon is a Nashville and a National treasure and here to hoping his “under the radar” days are numbered.

“Get Low” by Millar Jukes and the Bandits

Our second list to Millar Jukes and his band from Australia. The new EP is called Chase the Sun, and I am really loving it.

“Black Lung Fever” by Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen

Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen will be playing Music City Roots at the end of this month, and I, for one, plan to be on the bus down there for that show. You may recall, I reviewed this record back at the end of July.  You can check out that review – here.

“Old Soul” by Dog Without Warning

Long time Ear to the Ground faves and Couch by Couchwest alums – Dog Without Warning from the Bay Area have, in the time I have known of them, have made consistently good music that has generally not had a consistent sound.  On the thematic Go Girl from 2012 was a solid indie rock album.  Bark, released in 2013, was acoustic, at times almost Countryish, and really good.  The band has been releasing some individual songs since April of this year (they released the latest just a day or so ago). “Old Soul” was released in May. This song plays heavy toward the direction of “nerd rock” (a description they often use). It is a really great song both lyrically and musically.  Expect more of their new music to pop up in the shuffle soon.

VIDEO PLAYLIST


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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Amusing Bellydancers Mix

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So, I guess the sort of official AMA Fest things start today – or something like that, but last night things got off to an official and wonderful start with the Kevin Gordon CD Release Show at the City Winery- Nashville with Sarah Potenza opening.  You can read my review – here (currently on the front page of No Depression)

Tonight things get going in a pretty insanely good way with a throw down at the Basement East featuring so many people it is not even funny.  Doors at 7, Show starts at 8 with Campfire Propaganda (an amalgamation of killer songwriters all of whom I have raved about on E2TG). Don’t be late…

Meanwhile, we have a shuffle….

“Chase the Sun” by Millar Jukes and The Bandits

Millar Jukes is a Scottish born, Australian Americana inspired singer/songwriter who with his band The Bandits just released a new EP called Chase the Sun.  We have the title track for you today.

“Lilly Vereen” by Jesse and Noah

We have another track from the Driven Back album by Nashville based sibling duo – Jesse and Noah. The video is their 2013 CXCW submission.

“Galapagos” by Family Fodder

Another one from the excellent 13 O’clock compilation put out by PPNW Records out of Atlanta.  Family Fodder are based in London and formed in the late 1970s.  Alig Fodder forms the heart of the band which has had a rotating membership during their existence.  They have continued to perform and record to this day – with periodic dormant periods.  This is a previously unreleased track which was recorded in 1985. 

“National Funbike Tournament” by Discount Ravioli

You get some interesting results when you search for Discount Ravioli, but you do not get any videos of the band. As I mentioned before, their 21 track album – Robin Schultz and the 21 Prayers – was recorded in a tent in the wee hours of the morning following the fourth of July.  Since no video – here is the track for your enjoyment and future reference.

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=3910723630/size=small/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/track=2021825694/transparent=true/

“Battle Cry” by joykill collective

“A disaffected call to arms”… joykill collective are a UK alt-rock band with a left-wing political bent and a poetic lyrical persuasion. This single was released last month.  Dig it!

“Take Me I’m Yours” by Squeeze

Honestly, I do not know how Squeeze managed to produced song after song of pure pop gold without becoming massively famous in the US.  All I can say is that the 80s were a strange time for music in America (but then again what years weren’t strange in that way).  This was the very first single from the self-titled album and the first track on Singles 45s and Under.  The melodies and wordplay are almost too good to be true, but it is true.

“My Camera” by Aaron Lee Tasjan

As ALT prepares for the release of his highly anticipated In the Blazes album, we have one of my favorite tracks from his release Crooked River Burning. I am not a studier of the markets for this sort of thing, but I assume there are people out there who dig cool music and who have not yet discovered Aaron Lee Tasjan.  If that is you today, there is no need to feel ashamed or inadequate, just get yourself acquainted and prepare to have your mind blown.  Aaron Lee will be playing the big to-do tonight at the Beast – so get there! 

“Gone South” (Electric Rock) by Mark Robinson

Preeminent Nashville Blues Rocker and Ear to the Ground favorite, Mark Robinson just released (as in today!) a new single.  Like traditional singles, it has an A side and a B side.  The only difference is that the same song is on both sides, but each side as a radically different version.  (Hint: They are both fantastic).  Today we feature the hard electric rock version that features Robinson and his band (Justin Amaral and Daniel Seymour) joined by the talented Michael Webb (who has played with Poco and John Fogarty) on Hammond B3 and Rick Schell (Pure Prairie League) on Background Vocals.  Thursday evening, Robinson will be celebrating the release opening up David Olney’s Residency at The 5 Spot. (Note the special 5:00p.m. start and don’t miss it).

“The Struggle” by Minutemen

From The Punch Line.  Watt, Hurley, and the late D. Boon tell all about The Struggle in :45 seconds. They do a lot in less than a minute!

“Think Too Hard” by Syd Straw   

What a better way to end this really cool shuffle than with our penultimate track from Surprise. Syd Straw here is covering a song by The dB’s.  The video is a performance from David Letterman that featured the one and only Dave Alvin.  That is a whole lot of awesome in one place. window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”;

VIDEO PLAYLIST


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