!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”); Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Quick recap, I continued to lay a little low – still dealing with a lingering cold, and working on song selection for the forthcoming “Double Shot with Joe and Sue” (still no confirmed start date).
Friday: First, it was good to see a large and vibrant crowd for the weekly Tim Carroll Rock and Roll Happy Hour (one of this town’s best weekly events in my opinion). I left there a little early and headed to Bobby’s Idle Hour on Music Row for the Darkhorses of East Nashville – a collaborative round featuring the amazingly talented trio of Julie Christensen, Amelia White, and Sergio Webb. Trading off songs and backing each other, produced several magical moments. If they come through your town, do not miss it.
So, as I promised Friday, it seemed like a good time to shake things up here at E2TG – just a little bit. Inspired by the success of Featured Friday, I have decided to have a “theme” playlist every for every day of the week. The large #E2TG playlist had gotten very large and getting bigger. By having smaller playlist each day, it may provide more opportunities to feature different artists. We shall see.
So, without much more ado, we begin this new chapter with the debut of Music City Monday – featuring music with connections to Nashville. As you will see, this playlist features both current artists/albums and classics covering over half a century. Non-Nashville artists: Do not be concerned, there will be many opportunities throughout the week for me to feature your music.
“The Homer Bellamy Centennial Blue Yodel” by Jesse and Noah 
Jesse and Noah Bellamy have roots in Florida and first made a name for themselves in Texas, but Nashville is happy to claim them now. This song, from the album Driven Back, marks what would have been the 100th birthday of their Grandfather who solidified their love of Country and Western music. The brother’s performed this long on the Grand Ole Opry. A very Nashville way to introduce Music City Monday.
“Crazy Lady” by Paul Zografi
Our final featured song from Paul Zografi’s most recent EP – Brevity Lane. Zografi is part of loosely organized group of artists that includes some of my favorite people. His songs are very strong and extremely fun to hear.
“Follow Me Home” by SHEL
We started off this shuffle with brothers, and now we have a band of sisters. SHEL (the name derives from the first letters of the first names of the 4 Holbrook sisters originally from Fort Collins, Colorado. They divide time between their hometown, and Nashville (thus their qualification for this playlist). They played an important (if coincidental) role in the genesis of this recent phase of my life as a music writer. In May of 2014, on the day, I first met Darrin Bradbury in person, I followed him down to The 5 Spot – where Darrin was manning the merch table for Tim Easton during his residency. SHEL performed as part of that show – which was also the first time I saw Aaron Lee Tasjan and Megan Palmer (who backed Easton). Anyway, what is more important than my own experiences, is that SHEL are a really awesome band with a pretty cool sound. They are currently running a Pledgemusic presale for their new album Crazy Enough which is due out in May. In support, they released a sampler on Noisetrade which includes a couple of tracks from the new album and some bonus songs which have appeared in television and film. Including this one, which was featured on MTV’s Eye Candy. SHEL will be down at Safety Harbor Song Fest in early April and are scheduled to play Nashville’s Earth Day concert in Centennial Park on April 23.
“Cut n Run” by Brandy Zdan
Another Nashville transplant and another track from a Noisetrade sampler. Brandy Zdan is getting some good and well deserved attention here in Nashville. She is originally from Winnipeg, and here self-titled album was released in 2015.
“Chainsaw Dance” by Crazy Aces
A short fun track from Music City’s resident instrumental rock band.
“Home Sweet Hotel” by Amelia White
Fresh off Friday night’s show at Bobby’s Idle Hour, we have Amelia White with the title track from her brand new album. Expect much more from this album. White is one of East Nashville’s best and this album is a true collaboration with several more awesome folks from both sides of the Cumberland River.
“Stubborn Lover” by Sugar and the Hi Lows
Nashville based duo Sugar and the Hi Lows are up next with a track from their 2012 self-titled album. They were an E2TG featured artists when that album came out.
“Cattle Prod” (Guadalcanal Diary cover) by Government Cheese
Okay, so Government Cheese are technically a Bowling Green band, but Tommy Womack lives in Nashville, and they were a vital part of the Nashville music scene during their original run. Furthermore, the video I found for this track was shot at the late, lamented venue, The Rutledge by the fabulous Too Much Country. Oh, and the song was originally by Guadalcanal Diary who were also not a Nashville band (from Marietta, Georgia), but who played here often in the 80s and early 90s (I saw them several times). Everything about this is awesome. From the retrospective, 1985-1995. They had me at Government Cheese covering Guadalcanal Diary.
“Nine Pound Hammer” by Johnny Cash with The Carter Family
I don’t think I need to explain Johnny Cash’s connection to Nashville. This song was written by Merle Travis (and put too fine a point on my connection theme), this song was often used as Darrin Bradbury’s warm up song back in the heyday of the Darrin/Tim Carroll Fran’s Eastside era.
A window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Shortnin’ Bread Mix
!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”); Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Once again, I am back with another Morning Music Shuffle!
I was a little under the weather – so no shuffle yesterday….
So, here is a recap of some live music I experienced since the last post:
Friday – After venue hopping on Thursday, I decided to stay put in one place (not that there weren’t ample opportunities to venue hop), and it was nice because there was so much great music in one spot (Bobby’s Idle Hour). Three rounds of three singer-songwriters featuring: Round 1: Joe Nolan, Renee Wahl, and Daryl Dasher; Round 2: Jeremy Nash, Lindsay Ellyn, and Sadie Hart; Round 3: Jeremy Staubus, Lori Kelley, and Lori’s sister Michelle Nielson (in town from Iceland).
Saturday – Another one venue night (Douglas Corner) for Charlie Whitten (who has been featured on E2TG), Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau, and Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen.
Two wonderful night’s of music with wonderful company at two venerable Nashville institutions.
#ICYMI: The WXNA Radio Show that I am hosting with Sue Havlish, Double Shot with Joe and Sue, has a Facebook Page for you to like. After you “Like” that page (if you want to), it might be a good time to double check to make sure you have liked the Ear to the Ground Facebook page (link up top). Hope to be able to announce the date of our first show, soon.
Now to the shuffle:
“My City” by Zachariah Red
E2TG Favorite, Zachariah Red kicks off today’s shuffle with the opening track from his album Backbone. A rocking tune to kick off my first work day of the week.
“Shortnin’ Bread” by Neal Pattman
The late great Blues musician Neal “Big Daddy” Pattman via the Music Makers Relief Foundation. A wonderful organization that supports many wonderful music artists in many ways while also preserving the music for countless generations to come.
“Pipeline” by Agent Orange
We have been playing quite a bit of surf rock in recent months – here is a punk rock cover of an early surf rock song (originally recorded by The Chantays back in 1962). Agent Orange are a long running punk band from Orange County, California.
“When I Was Just A Boy” by Carolina Story
The Nashville-based duo Carolina Story are up next with a beautiful song from their EP Chapter 2.
“Oh My Sweet Cantankerous Baby” by Leland Sundries
Next a live version of one of my favorite songs by the Brooklyn Indie band Leland Sundries. Connection alert: Nick Loss-Eaton of Leland Sundries is also a Board Member at Music Maker Relief Foundation which you may recall put out the Neal Pattman song way back, three whole songs ago.
“Rockin’ Chair” by Paul Zografi
Bright came out back in 2014, but we didn’t “discover” it until part way through 2015. Hence, Zografi winning one of the coveted “Better Late Than Never” “Earie” awards. Here is another great tune from that album.
“Open Passageways” by All Them Witches
We close out this shuffle with a song from Dying Surfer Meets His Maker – the latest album from this Nashville band.
window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Not Alanis’ Fault Mix
!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”); Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Well, guess what? I’ll tell you what, we have reached the end of this weird week… and that means it is time for the ever popular* feature here at E2TG, Featured Friday. Where we cut out all the classic, obscure prior year tracks from our playlist and just spin songs of a more recent vintage. These are either tracks that were submitted to me or just newer music that I wanted to feature.
Let’s get right into the shuffle which takes some interesting twists and turns….
“Conversation at the Wedding” by Jon Latham
It’s been a pretty heavy week for me – filled with feelings and stuff… so, what do I get to start of the final shuffle of the work week? Jon Latham singing his song about sitting through a wedding that you would rather be standing through… Catapulted by his being named Ear to the Ground Artist of the Year for 2015, Latham has been getting lots and lots of attention from some pretty important people. Truth be told, I am joking about his having been catapulted by the award I gave him. The success he is experiencing is a direct result of many factors including his ability to write songs like this one. The song features a lilting, uncomplicated melody and a crystal clarity in the lyrics. It conveys devastating heartbreak with engaging references that flow easily and do not distract from the tone or the mood of the song. From Real Bad News
“From A Small Farm in Eastern Australia Comes the Oldest Patch of Earth” by Smokey the Firebear
It is still my understanding that Ohm Atlanta is due out very soon.. In the meantime, there are some new singles and other stuff at the Smokey the Firebear Bandcamp Page. This track with a long title was included on the pre-mastered version of Ohm Atlanta which was available for a time at Bandcamp, but was pulled to prepare for the release of the final version. I am not in the know to say that this will for sure be on the final version. Stay tuned to find out. In the meantime, this is a lovely bit of instrumental ambiance.
“Down in the Delta” by Delta Deep
So far, we’ve moved from a Jon Latham sad song, to a Smokey the Firebear experimental instrumental, so it seems only logical (to me anyway) that we would move on to a raucous bit of hard rocking blues music from a new band that features members of Def Leppard, Stone Temple Pilots, plus an outstanding blues vocalist. The self-titled debut album is out now.
“Back of Yr Mind” by Bosveld
Veldbrand is an amazing album. Bosveld is an octet (with guests) that features Thean from Velodrones. They are from Ottawa. You know, this shuffle may seem schizophrenic to some people, but it actually does make sense to me.
“Dawn” by Paul Zografi
After beginning with a Nashville singer-songwriter and then flying off to Connecticut, down to the deep delta, and up to north of the border, we return to close to my home with another track from Brevity Lane
– the latest release from Paul Zografi.
“When Country Singers Were Ugly” by Tommy Womack
One of my favorite song titles. I was fortunate enough to see Tommy Womack in the round Saturday with David Olney, Peter Cooper, and Chris Gantry. Namaste is not due out until the spring, but stay tuned because you are not going to want to miss it.
“Immigrant” by Kevin Gordon
Long Gone Time
was one of my favorite albums of 2015. I am so happy that I got the opportunity to write a review of the album and write a review of the CD Release show at City Winery. We still have several tracks from the album to feature in shuffles, which makes me happy because I am no where near tired of hearing these great songs.
“Art of Wire” by Calming River
So, after having three great Nashville-based songwriters in a row, it makes perfect sense, that we should close out the shuffle with a beautiful song from a songwriter from the Denmark and the UK. This track comes from a four song EP called The Ones We Left Behind.
Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – All Over Before Mix
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”);
Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
I have seen the dystopian future of Buck Owens tribute bands, and it’s name is Buck N Stuff!
Okay, let me start from the beginning… So, I ended up spending almost the same amount of time at The 5 Spot last night as I did at work yesterday. No wonder I am tired today…
Paul Burch and the WPA Ballroom began their February residency with special guest Kevin Gordon who played lead guitar all night. The band was hot, the songs were great, and the vibe of cool. The only thing missed were the people. Come on Nashville! You got three more week of this residency. You gotta get there!
The late show, kicked off with Darrin Bradbury doing a pretty rare solo set and pulling out some chestnuts like “Zoey” (aka the ka-ka-cool song), “Conversation with Superman”, and “Yardsale”. Jon Latham was up next accompanied by Sean Quinn. Latham picked up on shoeless singer-songwriter mantle from Darrin Bradbury (who now wears shoes usually) and he did not hold back – making the pain of “Hand Me Down Heart” palpable. A highlight was his extended riffs on “Take It Easy” and “Boys of Summer” into his rendition of his summer anthem “Major Key”.
Next up, were two singer-songwriters that I was not familiar with: Elli Perry who is in town working on a record, delivered a loose and awesome set with Robbie Crowell of Deer Tick playing drums and producer Adam Landry on bass. For the last song, Crowell and Landry switched instruments. That last song was a soulful, slow motion dirge that was wildly unexpected and disorientingly awesome.
Chris Watts is a Louisiana born singer-songwriter – whose back story includes being shot in the leg while serving with the National Guard at the Superdome during Hurricane Katrina. Watts played with a stand-up bass player and a drummer – injecting pep and good humor into his songs. He has a new CD coming soon, and he will be playing a CD release show in March at The City Winery.
The night ended (well past midnight) with the aforementioned Buck N Stuff. This power trio lead by Adam Kurtz and featuring Cameron Carrus and Lemuel Hayes play nothing but Buck Owens songs, and they play them like you have never heard Buck Owens before. This was their second ever live show (following a $2 Tuesday gig that I missed last week), and I am so glad I did not miss this one. The styles flew wildly from Reggae to Hard Rock/Punk to Cosmic Country – lots of echo-y vocals and looped guitar parts and Adam Kurtz bouncing all over and off the stage like the madman genius he is – all the while, Carrus and Hayes held the whole glorious mess together. Hands down among the most fun sets I have seen a while.
Tonight, I will take in some of Tim Carroll Rock and Roll Happy Hour and then head over to The Country for The Tangled Hearts and Saint Luke’s Drifters.
Oh, and we still have a featured Friday shuffle to get to….
“It’s Been All Over Before” by Tommy Womack
Another track from Tommy Womack’s Namaste album. This song has he feel of an instant classic. It is first class truth-telling like all great song are. Womack will be performing tomorrow night at Douglas Corner as part of an “in-the-round” show put on by Nashville Flipside and featuring Peter Cooper, David Olney, and Chris Gantry. Not a half band line-up…
“Time for Moving On” by Tymon Dogg
We move next into another track from Made of Light. Still digging this album.
“Sex” (Single Version) by The Sneaky Nixons
This is out first listen to the recently released single from Liverpool band, The Sneaky Nixons. A wildly fun song. The video which we’ve included in the playlist is disturbing but a powerful statement. Not for the faint of heart.
“Shuffle Sweet” by Delta Deep
Another hard rocking track from the debut by this new blues rock band featuring members/former members of Def Leppard and Stone Temple Pilots. This is crushing hard rock that features a powerhouse female blues singer.
“We Got to Meet Death One Day” by Luella
From the new Luella sampler, her haunting version of the Blind Willie McTell song that she has been covering for years.
“Icarus” by Mickey 9s
If it seems like we have been featuring a bunch of bands from Scotland, you are not getting flashbacks from that questionable haggis you ate at some point in your life. I can’t really explain why, but I like it. This song is a b-side of their single Computer Inventor which was released back in November.
“Andy’s Loud Shirt” by SuperCrashingStar
This is our first listen to a song from this New York band with international roots. The music is wildly experimental and pretty darn awesome. More to come.
“The Spirit Molecule” by Saint Cole
Our second listen to Saint Cole – a UK based artist who fuses dance music with indie rock in a pretty interesting way. Within This Skin is the name of the album.
“Brevity Lane” by Paul Zografi
And we close things out with Nashville songwriter Paul Zografi and the title track from his latest EP. Brevity Lane is a real road in my old neighborhood which as the name implies is an extremely short road – connecting two Crieve Hall streets. If I am not mistaken, I think I actually looked at house on Brevity Lane one time when I was house hunting. The song is lovely. Zografi was a winner of the Better Late Than Never “Earie” Award in 2015, but I’ve jumped on this record much sooner.
Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – 100 Miles Mix
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”);
Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
I am desperately in need of a second, third, or fourth wind as my Birthday week rolls on. Last night was so much fun. The newly opened The Pub at The Basement East has it’s Grand Opening last night, and as always Grimey and company know how to throw a party better than just about anyone I know. A ton of cool people doing covers… CCR style. I missed a ton of great music socializing and eating and stuff, but what I saw and heard was amazing. Grimey and Friends opened with a set of CCR songs and others followed with covers of bands whose names start with either C or R. Grimey’s guests included Bill Eberle and Alanna from Alanna Royale.
The night ended with an out of this world set of Clash and Replacement songs by an ad-hoc band fronted by the legendary Joe Blanton and with the equally legendary Jonathan Bright on guitar. It was a great way to end my birthday rocking out to some of the songs that helped shape my musical tastes.
Tonight: I will somehow suck it up and make two more stops on my birthday week tour. First of all I will be at the Happiest Place on Earth… no not Disney – Tim Carroll’s Rock and Roll Happy Hour at The 5 Spot. Next, I will head over to The Basement East for Coverfest. More cool covers from some of Nashville’s best.
ICYMI: I posted my review of Zachariah Red’s new album, Backbone which was released today.
“Penelope’s Song” by James Tomberlin
Often times, when I am some cool musical event with Jon Latham (name dropping), there will be a moment where we will say, “Man, I wish, James Tomberlin were here.” and then Jon will launch into his spot-on Tomberlin impression and imagine what James would say…. The consolation, when James left Nashville to move onto big things, is that before he left, he recorded an album which was produced by Josh Morris who also produced Latham’s red hot Real Bad News album. This is a song from James’ album, Still Life With Orange. All I have to say is, “it’s your loss, Penelope!”
“You’re Coming With Me” by The Deadline Shakes
We move on with another fine song from Zealots by Glascow band, The Deadline Shakes.
“One Hundred Miles” by Tim Easton
Tim Easton’s contribution to Cold and Bitter Tears: The Songs of Ted Hawkins is up next. Tim Easton performed this song live at a launch party for this album at Americana this past September.
“Nightlife in the Stix” by David G. Smith
The first of three songs in today’s shuffle from First Love – the new album from celebrated singer-songwriter David G. Smith. The album features a stellar cast of players than includes Keb Mo. The songs are rich and smooth and smart.
“St. Valentine’s Day Blues” by D.L. Duncan
The day itself is less than a month away. For all of us who will be singing this one…
“In the Silence” by David G. Smith
Another from First Love.
“Lil Sis” by Campbell L. Sangster
Campbell L. Sangster is a indiefolk singer-songwriter from London by way of Liverpool. He has a new single called “Odds are Stacked” which will be released next week. This is the b-side of that single. I’m digging it.
“Little One” by Paul Zografi
We have been spinning Paul Zografi’s 2014 album Bright which I learned of – better late than never… to correct that delay, here is a track from Brevity Lane – his new EP which is available digitally. Zografi is also a talented videographer who has been making some videos for Tim Carroll and Luella of late.
“Phantom Billions” by Adam Stafford
It seems like we have been having a ton of Scottish music in the shuffles recently. Adam Stafford is from Falkirk in Central Scotland. He has a new album called Taser Revelations which is a follow up to his critically acclaimed 2014 album, Imaginary Walls Collapse. The new album is due out in March, but we have a little preview.
“First Love” by David G. Smith
And we close the shuffle with our third song and the title track from the new album.
window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Just for One Day Mix
!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”); Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
We move on…
Last night was Week 2 of the Darrin Bradbury Residency at The Basement East. It also happened to be Stop 2 of my Birthday Week excursions. A great night of music spent with some amazing friends…
Tim Easton opened the night with a cover of David Bowie’s “Five Years” which was really good. He followed with a set of old and new songs some of which featured Megan Palmer on fiddle.
Zach Schmidt backed by Adam Kurtz on pedal steel were next. Zach’s song and voice get to me every time.
Darrin Bradbury closed the night with a spirited set that included a new arrangement of his classic song, “Swordfish”. He brought out guest Margo Price and Adam Kurtz again for a couple of songs before closing the night with an amazing cover of “Ziggy Stardust”.
Tonight: There are two stops on my Birthday tour. First, I will be at The Basement for an industry showcase featuring Sara Syms. From there, I am going to move over to The 5 Spot for $2 Tuesdays – Derek Hoke’s weekly extravaganza. This week’s lineup includes Ashleigh Flynn and Jon Langford. Langford is best known as a member of the bands The Mekons and The Waco Brothers.
“Broken Lungs” by A Color Engine
It seems like this album has been hanging around the playlist for some time. It is from a defunct band that featured Don Ryan (who first introduced me to Big Wilson River – Darrin Bradbury’s old band) – He was also an early E2TG favorite. A Color Engine also featured Eric Burchfield formerly of the band Elephant Goes West which was an E2TG featured band a few year ago. This is one of my favorite songs of theirs. From the album Voyage Underwater, 56 Knots.
“Fashion” by Paul Zografi
Another tune from Bright. Zografi has a new release called Brevity Lane which I will begin featuring soon.
“(What’s so Funny ‘Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding” by Tomas Doncker Band
Tomas Doncker Band with a cover of a song written by Nick Lowe and made famous by Elvis Costello. Doncker makes the song his own here. From an album of covers by The True Groove All-Stars.
“Far From Any Road” by The Handsome Family
From the 2003 sixth studio album by Albuquerque based Americana duo, The Handsome Family. This song was used as the Main Title Theme for the first season of the HBO show True Detective.
“Vetvi” by Theodor Bastard
The title track from the latest album by this Russian metal band.
“Change for a Thing” (prod. *hitmayng) by Rich Robbins
Another awesome track from Nimbus by recent college graduate Rich Robbins.
“Sad Deep Inside” by Black Vincent
Another track from Teardrop Deluxe an album produced by Nashville based super producers Adam Landry and Justin Collins (they produced the recent Pony Boy album Blue Gold).
“Sweet Jane” by Mott the Hoople
I added this song to the playlist a few weeks back. This is a cover of a Velvet Underground song from the Mott the Hoople album, All the Young Dudes which was produced by David Bowie.
“War on Wilcox” by Brian Wright and The Waco Tragedies
We close out this Tuesday shuffle with another song from Bluebird by Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies.
window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Skeleton Frames Mix
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”);
Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Here we are….
Last night, I went to 3rd and Lindsley to see Bebe Buell and her band. Bebe Buell has been an iconic figure in Rock and Roll for many years. She relocated to Nashville a little over a year ago. She has a relatively new band and her show was a lot of fun. Crystal Gayle joined her and The Blackfoot Gypsies closed the show with some of their high-energy shenanigans. Read more: My review for No Depression.
Another swell shuffle this morning… a mix of songs I am pretty sure you will not see duplicated at one of those run-of-the-mill music sites….
“Sleepless Nights” by Dan Coyle
#E2TG favorite Dan Coyle recently released a collection of songs over at Noisetrade (Free Download – Tips Encouraged). The collection is called Random Thoughts and Incomplete Sentences. This is the lead track.
“Green Light” by Paul Zografi
A chance encounter at a Tim Carroll and Joe Nolan show at Bobby’s Idle Hour on Music Row, lead me to meet Paul Zografi and to get a copy of his latest CD Bright. The album has become a favorite of mine. This is the lead track from that album.
“Pressure Beat” by Our Daughters Wedding
From the Thirteen O’clock compilation put out by Atlanta-based PPNW Records, comes this previously unreleased 1981 live recording by this New York Synthpop/New Wave band. Like much of the compilation, this track is like opening a trunk to find tons of old music that I had previously missed out on but which sounds like the music that I was listening to in those day.
“Thunder Road” by Bruce Springsteen
In my humble opinion, one of the best opening songs from one of the greatest albums of all time. So many great lines – rock and roll poetry that sets a very clear scene…
“Skyline” by Grumsling
Another nifty track from Full Coverage. Grumsling is definitely on my list of favorite artists – new to me in 2015. The hail from the Bay Area of California…
“Can’t Leave the City” by The Jackals
Another great band that came into my consciousness this year! From the album People!
“Turn Into Earth” by Al Stewart
Al Stewart’s hits “Year of the Cat” and “Time Passages” were iconic parts of my childhood experience. I probably heard those two songs hundreds of times in the late 70s or so. This cover of a Yardbirds’ song came to me via Aquarium Drunkard – I think. The original song was on the album Yardbirds (aka Roger the Engineer) which was released in 1966.
“Insomniac’s Lullaby” by Man Named Pearl
We close out today shuffle with a track from Quietus Make, the new album by Mama Coco’s Funky Kitchen artist Jesse Turits who has begun recording under the Man Named Pearl moniker. Really digging this.
window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Every Minute Mix
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”);
Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
So, I’m back after a few days of R&R. It was much needed, and I’m ready to do this thing!
A couple of things, I returned to Nashville on Saturday in time to catch Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen deliver a powerful performance at their album release celebration. Then, I headed to Bobby’s Idle Hour to see Amelia White, Renee Wahl, and Rich McCulley trade wonderful songs for a couple of hours. After that, my long day caught up with me.
LIVE MUSIC ALERT!!!!!! I’ve announced this on Facebook (if you haven’t already be sure to give us a “Like” – you can get there via the link up top. The next “Like” should be number 300 and a surprise is in store for that lucky follower. Anyway, two days from now or Wednesday August 19, we will be kicking off what I hope will be a long running series of shows. We will start off at The Building in East Nashville with local favorites Lindsay Ellyn (plus her awesome and well-dressed band) and Russell Thompson (one of my favorite songwriters) plus all the way from North Carolina, we have George Terry McDonald. It should be a fun night, and I hope if you are nearby that you will come on out. (Here is the Facebook Event Page).
I think I have mentioned before the role that college radio and specifically (WRVU) played in the development of my musical interests and passion. As you may know, WRVU went off the air a few years back after Vanderbilt sold the license to the local public radio station. Some of the people who made WRVU what it was and some of the people who loved what it was are in the midst of raising funds for a new Community Radio Station called WXNA. They have a Kickstarter campaign going and could use some support. So much of media is in the hands of a few large conglomerates who are “tryin’ to anesthetize the way that you feel” (Elvis Costello, Radio Radio). Community Radio is the voice of the people, and it is a good thing. If you can support WXNA, you should. Here is the link to the Kickstarter (Give and/or Share this). Who knows, someday, you may hear me on the radio… but only if you support the station.
“Ribbons” by Paul Zografi
We start off with another track from Nashville’s Paul Zografi’s album Bright. Love this album!
“You Could Have Had It All” by Jesse and Noah
Another gorgeous song from Jesse and Noah’s album Driven Back.
“Gotta Serve Somebody” by Amy Black
Amy Black covers some Bob Dylan from her album The Muscle Shoals Sessions.
“Dogs of Lust” by The The
I have always loved the name The The, and the music, too. This one is from the 1993 album Dusk.
“Our Love Will Change the World” by Christopher Aaron Slade
Call it a Guilty Pleasure (well Christopher Aaron Slade did…), but I really dig this music. Fun and naughty and rocking… like music should be…
“I Want to Be You” by The Stone Foxes
The Stone Foxes are from San Francisco. This song came to me from a Noisetrade SXSW Sampler – which shows how long it has been floating around the playlist. Their new album Twelve Spells will be released in September. This song was released as a single back in March.
“Miss Misery” by Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield
From World Café: Seth Avett and Jessica Lea Mayfield cover Elliot Smith.
“Every Minute” by JJ Grey and Mofro
Also from World Café… this one if from their latest album called Ol’ Glory which was released earlier this year.
window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
Featured Friday Morning Shuffle – A Pretty Decent Crowd Mix
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”); Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Visit Our Events Page Ear to the Ground Events!
Well… collectively we have made it through another work week. If you are reading this, I assume you at least like music, so if you can, get out and see some live music this weekend. I know I will…
It is Friday which means another edition of the Featured Friday shuffle of a playlist of music I wanted to highlight and pull out from our usual active playlist. They full list currently has almost 1,100 songs in it, and I have more to add. This subset Featured list stands at about 250 – still substantial but manageable.
“My Intentions Were Good, But Fuck Me Part II” by Bashful Hips
“Dating in Class Warfare” by Bashful Hips (featuring Dark Matter Jesus)
We start off today’s shuffle with a double dose of (recently returned) Nashville resident, Bashful Hips with a couple of songs from his excellent and excellently titled album, Too Old for a Coming of Age Story. The first is the second part of a song we featured previously. “My Intentions Were Good..”. The second track is called “Dating in Class Warfare”. I love Bashful Hips titles, and fortunately the music lives up to the great titles. This music adds a unique element to the E2TG lexicon, which if you follow us closely you realize is not easy to do.
“What More Could I Do?” by Josh Morris
Moving on, we have another song by a Nashville resident. Josh Morris released his solo EP Green Fields earlier this year. Since then, he has been a busy producer whose work includes the highly anticipated and recently successfully crowd funded debut by Jon Latham.
“Running in Reverse” by the transcendents
As promised, having completed our presentation of the self-titled debut from New Zealand band, the transcendents, we move on to their more recently record called Lay Where You Collapse. Complex, melodic modern rock music. I am so glad this band made their way to my ear holes.
“Wrong” by Paul Zografi
Yet another Nashville-based artist. From his album Bright. Just some fine songwriting – played well.
“Bob” by Darrin Bradbury
This song goes out to… me!…. The sort of title track to Darrin Bradbury’s most recent EP, The Story of Bob. Bob was a pretty swell dude. So, last night, kind of impromptu, I got the opportunity to spend some time at the wondrous East Side Manor Studios listening in on some of the production work on the next Darrin Bradbury album. What I heard were still some pretty rough mixes, but it was enough to tell me that this album is going to be incredible. Some really talented people have been working on this and continue to work on it. At this point, I still think I made the right call naming Darrin my 2014 Artist of the Year. I’ll let you know if I ever change my that opinion.
“Hey Julianne” by Susan James
One more from the recent Susan James album Sea Glass… So far, in the songs I have featured, I have alluded to the subtle influence of some of the great music of the California Paisley Underground scene of the 1980s. This song solidifies my opinion on this. It is a gorgeously trippy pop song – that really goes evoke memories of some of the amazing music of that era – (and the 60s psychedelic era that influenced the later music.) I could listen to this music for hours at a time.
“More Than This” by [debut]
debut, like Susan James, are based in Los Angeles, and their music is also highly original modern music that is evocative of music of the 1980s. In this case, the shimmering electronic alternative pop music of bands like Depeche Mode. This song is from the band’s latest album, Postcards from Berlin which was released back in March.
Feature Friday Music Shuffle – Swim to Japan Mix
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”);
Be sure to “Like” Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
Visit Our Events Page Ear to the Ground Events!
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Here we are at the end of the work week!
I had such a massively fun time last night at The Basement East. Two shows, six full band sets, seeing and hanging out with some of my favorite people. Music-wise: Nancy Terzian and the Leg Men, Stone Cupid featuring Julie Christensen rocked the early show. Lauren Farrah, Raelyn Nelson Band, Darrin Bradbury leading Hot Garbage (which included Margo Price on Drums and Andrew Leahey on Guitar), and Brian Wright closed the night with four very different but all incredible sets.
Onward, we have our second installment of the newly repurposed Featured Friday… enjoy!
“Middle” by Paul Zografi
We start out our last shuffle of the work week with another great song from Paul Zografi’s album Bright.
“Magnetized” by Wilco
We continue to dig into the recent surprise Wilco release Star Wars. “Magnetized” is the final song on the album.
“Whiskey” by Grumsling
“Whiskey” is the first track on Grumsling’s album Full Coverage. The song goes down easy and leaves a warmth in your belly… just like fine whiskey…
“Uniform” by The Poorhouse Says
Has anyone else noticed that the first four songs in today’s shuffle all had one word titles? The streak ends after this song, but a happy coincidence. as patterns go is one of my favorite albums of 2015 – delightfully understated and brilliant. The Poorhouse Says are a relatively long-running band from St. Louis.
“Great Highway” by Dog Without Warning
Dog Without Warning have been an #E2TG favorite for a few years. Great Highway is one of a handful of new songs the band has released in the last couple of months. As they seem to do at every opportunity, the band has once again reinvented their sound while maintaining their integrity of writing great songs. Great Highway comes off to me as a classic-sounding California rock song.
“The Deadly Depression of a Sad Salesman” by Bashful Hips
Word on the street is that Bashful Hips may be returning to Nashville. After our run of one word titles followed by a two word title, this one comes it at seven words! The music is unique and the songs are very good.
“I’m Through Hurting” by Dale Watson
Another track from Dale Watson’s Call Me Insane album. Watson has been making music for close to 40 years, and his latest album finds him sounding as good as he ever has – offering hope that the best is yet to come.
“Poseidon’s Daughter” by Susan James
Susan James’ new album, Sea Glass, finds the California singer-songwriter adding a page to the rich and storied California Pop Song lexicon. There is a delicate and subtle psychedelic vibe to this opening song. Or at least that is the feeling the song evoked in me.
“Don’t Wanna Fight No More” by Patrick Kinsley and A Fistful of Dollars
We close out the week’s music with a favorite song from Patrick Kinsley’s For a Thousand Miles album which I reviewed earlier this month. Kinsley’s music falls into a musical gray area that often gets labeled as Americana these days. Kinsley favors verse-heavy songs over choruses, but as in this song, he shows that he is capable of writing a mean hook when necessary.
window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js
E2TG: MUSIC/WORDS 