Category: Royal Court of China

Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Working Up a Sweat Mix

I need to give some credit where it is due….  About a year and a half ago, based upon a suggestion from the enigmatic and amazing The Danbury Lie, I began compiling a daily Video playlist based upon my daily shuffle.  Before that I just posted videos with the song, but my hope was to create an easier listening experience. 

Now, due to the newishness and/or obscurity of some of the music I feature – as well as the vagrancies of what is available on You Tube, sometimes I can find the exact song, sometimes I can find a different song from the same artist or a different version of the same song, and sometimes I just have to punt.

Anyway, I mention this today because many of videos in the playlist today are not the exact song I listened to during my morning commute.  It’s still a fine video playlist, and I hope you like it. 

I should also say that we don’t really do theme shuffles here at #E2TG – we used to, but whatever… still by the laws of randomness and selective playlist creation, we do have some Halloween themed songs…

Shall we…

“Working Up a Sweat” (Alice Cooper cover) by Royal Court of China from Welcome to Our Nightmare: A Tribute to Alice Cooper

Some people like to start their morning by working up a sweat… there are different ways to accomplish that.  We start off with a song that was on the last album that featured the original Alice Cooper line-up as performed by the awesome Nashville band Royal Court of China.  The video is from the original recording since we couldn’t find the cover on-line.

“What Do I Know (About Love)” by Lael Summer from Burden to Bear

We move on to True Groove recording artist Lael Summer with another great song from her album Burden to Bear. 

“Lions” by The Features from Old Familiar Melodies – 2008-2013/Some Kind of Salvation

Tennessee band the Features are up next with Lions from their 2009 album Some Kind of Salvation.

“Bringing Mary Home” by Vernon Oxford from Keeper of the Flame (disc 4)

How about a ghost story to get us into the Halloween season… this one is a touching pure country ghost story from Vernon Oxford.

“Iblis” by Brown Bird from Fits of Reason

A great instrumental track from this Brown Bird album we’ve been featuring for several weeks.

“Call Me D” by David Dondero from The Pity Party

As previously reported, I had the great pleasure of seeing David Dondero sing a few songs during my near-weekly foray to Fran’s Eastside Tavern.  It was an incredible treat.  The song we have today goes all the way back to 1999 and what I believe to be his debut solo album.  The video is from a more recent album.

“Memphis Woman” by Lulu Mae from Deer Head Music  Presents: Indie Mixtape Nashville/Mean River

The Deer Head Music Presents – Indie mixtape of Nashville bands which we have been wearing the heck out of was curated by the band members from Daniel Ellsworth and the Great Lakes.  They did a fine job putting the compilation together, and we have another great track from the album today – this time from Lulu Mae who offer up a rocking song from their most recent album.

“Moonlight Man” by Lindsay Ellyn from Shores EP

I could make some lame attempt to pass this off as a Halloween-themed song.  Moonlight Man = Werewolf (get it?), but there isn’t any need for that.  Nashville-based Lindsay Ellyn is hard at work on her next release, and I have had the good fortune to hear some of the songs and potential songs from that record.  This song is from her previous EP called Shores.  I love Lindsay’s voice, and I think you will, too.

“Dracula Mountain” by Lightning Bolt from Wonderful Rainbow!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”);

#E2TG isn’t shy about awkward and abrupt transitions, and so we slide gracefully away from the lovely music of Lindsay Ellyn to seasonally appropriate instrumental track from Providence, Rhode Island based Noise Rock purveyors Lightning Bolt.  To paraphrase the band Alabama, “Play me some Dracula Mountain music….”

window.amznpubstudioTag = “eartothegro00-20”; http://ps-us.amazon-adsystem.com/domains/eartothegro00-20_3dcd3a52-1a1a-4afe-a2fd-aaba8e251afc.js VIDEOS (SOMEWHAT RELATED TO THE ABOVE PLAYLIST)

Wide Open Wednesday Shuffle – Summertime Thing Mix

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Trying a new thing here at Ear to the Ground…. every Wednesday (or at least this Wednesday… or maybe some Wednesday’s) I am going to Shuffle up all the songs in my phone’s memory and see what happens…  Usually, the Morning Shuffles come from a playlist called “Current Stuff” which includes… well current stuff and basically all the recent adds plus some random stuff to keep things interesting.  Songs are moved off of the playlist as they are featured and new music is added all the time (as memory allows).  Beyond that playlist, I have approximately 4,000+ songs stored in my phone at any given time. As you might expect, it’s a weird collection of some really interesting music that I’ve collected in various ways over the years.  I have to say, the fact that Mary Gauthier and Chuck Prophet were the first two songs that came up… I am feeling optimistic.

“Sideshow” by Mary Gauthier from The Foundling

Mary Gauthier is on a major roll of late, which has included stints at the Grammy Museum and a groundbreaking set at the venerable Grand Ole Opry.  This song is from her album of a couple of years back, The Foundling and demonstrates just how worthy she is of all of the acclaim.

 
“Summertime Thing” by Chuck Prophet from No Other Love
One of my favorite “summer” songs of all time.  It just makes me feel good every time I hear it.
 
“Calgary (Live on Triple J)” by Bon Iver from Live at Triple J Studio

from his self-titled 2011 album…

 

“Real Full-Time Guy” by Drive He Said from Multitudes

Drive He Said was the project formed by Maxim Ludwig when the Santa Fe Seven broke up.  Maxim was one of the very first artists featured on Ear to the Ground back in 2011.  He has since returned to recording under his own name, and in the playlist is a recent performance from Europe.

 

“Our Last Fight” by Scala and Kolacny Brothers from Scala and Kolacny Brothers

Let me get this straight… Scala is an all-girl choir.  And Kolacny Brothers are actual brothers named Kolacny.   Got it.  Known for their haunting covers of well-known songs, this original goes back to 2007 and their album One Winged Angel.

 

“Wish You Were Beer” by The Great American Novel from 😦
From their last full-length album 😦 aka The Frown Album.  Frantic and fun…  Random fun fact: as I was listening to this song this morning, I came upon a convoy of Budweiser trucks…
 
“Knock Knock” by Band of Horses from Mirage Rock

The lead off single from their 2012 album…
 

“Hands” by Alpine from A is for Alpine

Aussie Indie/Pop… from February 2014’s A if for Alpine.

 

“Hope” by Royal Court of Chine from Royal Court of China

Nashville legends from their now classic self-titled major label debut.

 

“Battered Old Bird” by Elvis Costello and the Attractions from Blood and Chocolate

Elvis doing what Elvis does… from 1986 and the classic Attractions line up with Nick Lowe behind the boards again.

 

“Rhode Island Summer” by The Danbury Lie from The Danbury Lie

Coincidently timely, E2TG favorites The Danbury Lie just announced new music being dropped today on their Bandcamp site.   Today we have this seasonally appropriate song which was recorded in 2009 and released in 2013.

 

“Little Bit of White Trash” by Jeff Porter from 15 Miles

It’s true…

 

“Prank Call” by Those Darlins from Stick it In
Nashville band Those Darlins’ 2013 album Blur the Lines was a break-through.  This song is from their 2011 debut album. 

“Highways Long” by The Blind Owl Band from This Train I Ride is Made of Wood and Steel
The Blind Owl Band from upstate New York play thoroughly modern music on old timey instruments.  Or maybe it’s the other way around… no I think I had it right the first time.  Whatever, they are awesome! 

“A Feather in Your Shadow” by The Lucky Jukebox Brigade from Pretty Well Damned

Another timely song, The Lucky Jukebox Brigade or just days away from releasing their long awaited new album, and we have their latest video in the playlist. 

“It’s a Wonderful Life” by Heath McNease with Pigeon John, Red Cloud, and Sintax the Terrific from Thrift Store Jesus

 Nothing to do with Jimmy Stewart – as far as I can tell, but some first rate, not so ordinary hip-hop from Georgia.
 
VIDEO PLAYLIST
 
 

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Friday Morning Music Shuffle – The Myth is This Mix

thanks to Pam Slavin for the image
Hey ho!  The weather here is near ideal – at least for late July in Tennessee, and so I am going to make it outside to enjoy… 
So I’ll make today’s post brief.  First off, several songs were not on YouTube and in at least one case, I couldn’t find any videos by the artist, so please check out (google and Facebook search work well) all of these artists/songs.
BEGIN NOW – AFTER JUMP
Pre-Shuffle 
“Quando Quebra” by Valued Customer (another from Kalpa)
“Townsend, TN” by Royal Court of China (one of the Shakersish instrumental tracks on the self-titled debut)
“When You Loved Me” (Live) by Callaghan (A new Noisetrade “discovery” – such a stunning voice!)
“The Dive” by Peace of the South (a rock ‘n’ roll instrumental – with some Berryish guitar licks. A new South Carolina band who are “growing up in public”.)
“Rid of Me” by The Black Clouds (1st of 2 today by these NJ Grungy rockers)
“I Am Six Pounds of Dynamite” by Centro-Matic (Love this Texas band)
Next Song leads into the Shuffle:
“Systems of the Son” by Before the Brave (a San Francisco band – new folk revival stuff – pretty sweet song)
“Rock ‘N’ Roll High School (Stereo Movie Mix)” by Ramones (getting to be back to school time….)
“Alambrista” by Liquid Casing (another instrumental this one with free-jazz instrumentation and a killer progressive rock sound, too)
“Breathing” by The Black Clouds  (2nd of 2 by this band. Love this song!)
PLAYLIST
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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Power of Equality Mix

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 Time is short, and we have some nifty tunes to bring you…

Pre-Shuffle: 

We started with an early morning wake up call from our new friend The Gabriel Construct. Yesterday, we featured the first track on his brand new Interior City album.  Today, we heard “Curing Somatization” the last track on the album.  A blistering, challenging 10 plus minute powerhouse filled with some glorious and amazing noise.  

Next, “I Wanna Live” by the Ramones

“Leave it All Behind” by Nikki Sue and the Bad News

“Don’t Wanna Die Anymore” by Ivan and Alyosha

“Are You Hung Up?” by Wheelchair Sports Camp

and “Little Mascara” by The Replacements

SHUFFLE NEXT:


“Bless You (For the Good That’s In You) by Delta Rae from Gangster Squad: Music From And Inspired By The Motion Picture (2013)

The Peggy Lee original is also on this soundtrack.

“Travelin’ Light” by Peter Case from The Man with the Blue Post-Modern Fragmented Neo-Traditionalist Guitar (1989)

Just one of my all-time favorite songs, and a huge influence on my great unpublished American Novel, The Drift.  Puts a gleeful bounce in my step every time!

“Do You Feel the Same” by Royal Court of China from Royal Court of China (1987)

(Top) Royal Court of China Album Cover
(Bottom) Cover model Yumi with Joe Blanton in 2013

Ears are still ringing from Royal Court of China’s Saturday night set at Foobar. Nashville.  Another track from the self-titled album.

“Tell Me About the Sea” by James the Giant from James the Giant (2013)

We just received a sneak peak of this EP yesterday.  Here’s The Story

The Story


Born after the death of his younger brother in Afghanistan, the dissolution of his band, and the end of a long-term romantic relationship, James the Giant is a resurrection – a recommitment to life, to music, and to love. These songs embody the spirit that James himself carries into his everyday life: a commitment to honesty and an unwillingness to shrink from pain or fear.

The EP was recorded and John Vanderslice’s studio and is due out in mid July.  We will have much more later.

“The Ocean Stole My Love Away” by Christopher Paul Stelling from Songs of Praise and Scorn (2012)

Okay so we’ve been featuring songs from Stelling’s last album, but please check out his latest False Cities and check the Tour Dates below for a show near you…

Christopher Paul Stelling on tour.

UPCOMING SHOWS:
6/27/13: Dennis, MA
- Harvest Gallery Wine Bar
7/06/13: Washington, DC – The Sunshine District

7/09/13: Charlotte, NC – The Evening Muse
7/10/13: Atlanta, GA
- Eddies Attic – TICKET
7/11/13: Nashville, TN
- Bluebird Cafe
7/13/13: Cincinnati, OH – Bunbury Festival
7/16/13: Rock Island, IL – Rozz Tox

7/17/13: Spring Green, WI
- Shitty Barn
7/18/13: Rochester, MN – Thursdays on First and Third
7/19/13: Minneapolis, MN – Live Letters
7/20/13: Chicago, IL
- Wise Fool’s Pub
7/21/13: Milwaukee, WI
- Milwaukee Opry

7/23/13: Columbus, OH – Rumba
Cafe TICKET
7/25/13: Newport, RI – Newport Blues Cafe – TICKET
7/26/13: Floyd, VA
- Floyd Fest – INFO
7/27/13: Floyd, VA – Floyd Fest – INFO
8/16/12: Kingston, NY – BSP Lounge

PLAYLIST

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Boy They Can’t Ignore Mix

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 Warner E. Hodges from this past Saturday’s Royal Court of China Reunion at Foobar. Nashville.


Had a blast this past Saturday witnessing a reunion show by Nashville Rock legends Royal Court of China with special guest Warner E. Hodges on guitar.  As an added bonus, the band was introduced by the cover model from their self-titled debut album (she was actually Japanese).

Onward and upward, we have another great collection of music this morning, and as usual, the accompanying Playlist includes the songs from the Mix or if the actual song was not available (or locatable) in video form, another song by the same artist.

Pre-Shuffle (songs from my morning drive):

“The Moon Dead in the River” by Wendy James
“Bad Feeling” by The Beat Up (formerly known as The Beatings) 
“Who Are You” by Ivan and Alyosha
” This Time Around” by Royal Court of China
“Vanity” by Monks of Mellonwah (from their excellent new EP Ghost Story)
“Blood of the Saints” by Dave Hogan (who I got to see at the Nashville Songwriter Festival a few weeks ago with a h/t to Jason from Grimm Generation)
“Trip” by Canopy Climbers (from their awesom album Miles)

 Shuffle commences right after the JUMP




“The Ledge” by The Replacements from Pleased to Meet Me (1987)


 


A stand out track from a great album, and a highlight of one of the best damn rock shows I ever saw (‘Mats at the Armory in Nashville on the Pleased to Meet Me Tour).


“Flawless Executioner” by Christopher Paul Stelling from Songs of Praise  and Scorn (2012)

 

new album False Cities

I am a big Christopher Paul Stelling fan. This Brooklyn based singer-songwriter seems to be getting the attention he deserves.  He just released his latest album False Cities which is amazing and is out on an East of the Mississippi tour which will bring him to Nashville’s famous Bluebird Cafe in July.  We dug up Flawless Executioner from his previous album Songs of Praise and Scorn.

“You Make Me Rock and Roll (The Penelopes Remix) by Tom Tom Club original version on Downtown Rockers (2012)

Tom Tom Club is just beginning a huge European Tour which included a performance this past weekend at the All Tomorrow’s Parties Festival. In honor of the band’s appearance in Paris, France. The Penelopes’ have done up a pretty cool remix of the Downtown Rockers’ track “You Make Me Rock and Roll” It had me dancing into the office this morning…

PLAYLIST

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Friday Morning Music Shuffle – It’s Been So Long… Mix

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 A very special Shuffle just ’cause I am so stoked about the Royal Court of China reunion show tomorrow night at FooBar.  The show is a benefit for RCC bassist Robert Logue’s Black Raven Emporium and their efforts to add a patio space. The legendary Nashville band will be assisted by Warner E. Hodges (Jason and the Scorchers, The Bluefields, and Dan Baird’s Homemade Sin).

For today’s shuffle, I stirred up my Royal Court of China digital library and the results are after the JUMP



Not in order here are the songs from the morning shuffle:

“So, Yer Love Is True” “Dragon Park” “Geared and Primed” “Take Me Down” and “Half the Truth” from the band’s second album Geared and Primed.

“Last Day” “Trapped in Waikiki” “Hope” “Man in Black” “Tye” and “My Babylon” from their full-length self-titled debut.

For good measure, we threw in “Jesus Rides a UFO” by the predecessor band, The Enemy.

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From an early 90s tribute to Alice Cooper – here’s Royal Court of China’s cover of “Working Up a Sweat”


 

PLAYLIST 
(A Royal Court of China Video-pa-looza)

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Armistice Mix

Greetings from home…. it’s a rainy day in Nashville.  No morning walk, so I fired up the iTunes and created a “Smart-Playlist” of five songs for today’s shuffle:

1980s era Nashville rockers, Royal Court of China took their hard rock tendencies up a notch on their second record with A and M Geared and Primed.  Dragon Park is a fitting tribute to a legendary Nashville hangout.  Fannie Mae Dees Park is the official name, but most people know it as Dragon Park for the amazing mosaic tile covered dragon.


Here’s a video of the park
Here’s the Sam Raimi Directed/Bruce Campbell Produced Video for another RCC song

The Renaldo The Ensemble are a New York-based vaudeville, avant garde, absurbist group.  We have Up which is from the band’s 2009 album Why Are You?


Here’s a different song from The Renaldo The Ensemble

Leeds-based band The Damnwells are currently taking America by storm.  Today we have She Goes Around from the album No One Listens to the Band Anymore.

Bob Mould is back making angry music which is a good thing.  Today we have a track from his second solo album – 1991’s excellent Black Sheets of Rain – Disappointed.




Here’s a video for the title track to the album.

We close out today’s selections with the title track from our good friend Don Ryan’s album, Tangle Town.  If you haven’t checked out this album – do yourself a favor and pick it up.





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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Paisley Dragon Mix


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Good morning!  It’s a beautiful day here in Music City USA. Working on an amazing mix of songs to add to the playlist tonight – hopefully.  We still have lots to talk about – still two nights of Americana Fest to write about – hopefully I’ll finish before next year’s fest.  We have a generous offer for an interview that we need to get our stuff together and do.

Tomorrow night we are taking part in the World Premier of the new video from Cosmonauts. We brought you the premier of the song, Cold Harbor along with an interview with the band.  Now, the video is ready – we got a sneak peek and it’s amazing, but does contain some graphic and disturbing images… but if you’re up for that, tune in tomorrow.

Our friend’s The Dead Exs have a new album out called, Relovolution. We already brought you the title track. The album is a nice complement to the band’s debut Resurrection – offering a filthy and beautiful blend of rocking blues.  Visit the band’s website for more info.  Right now, the band is tearing up the Lonestar State and playing some dates with the great Ray Wylie Hubbard.

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We shuffles up our Revolving Random playlist and came up with this mix today:

First up, we have a song from the 1984 self-titled debut by Red Hot Chili Peppers.  True Men Don’t Kill Coyotes is a funky, bit of post-punk L.A. rock music. Did you know that Guitarist Hillel Slovak did not appear on this record due to contractual obligations to the band What is This?  

So… Who’s Next? Exactly.  Okay  I’ll stop.  Next, we have Baba O’Riley, the classic song from the classic 1971 Who’s Next album by The Who.

Next we have a 1990s cover of an early 80s song.  The Muffs’ version of Kim Wilde’s first single, Kids in America, was originally released on the soundtrack to the 1995 film Clueless, and was later released on the band’s album Hamburger. 

 
Finally, we close out with a classic Nashville rock track.  This one comes from the self-titled major label debut by a band called Royal Court of China. The band included members of popular Nashville thrash band The Enemy.  The record included hard rocking songs and more Southern Gothic folk stuff.  The band split after this record with members taking the RCC name further into a Hard Rock direction on the follow up album Geared and Primed, and other members forming The Shakers who followed that Southern Gothic strain to it’s conclusion with a album called Songs from Beneath the Lake. Today, we have the instrumental track, Townsend, TN, which shows off that gothic folk side of the band.

Couldn’t find a video for Townsend, TN so here’s a different RCC song.

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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – You Say You Want Mix

As of this morning, I had 119 songs in my July 2012 Playlist which I have not yet had the chance to present to you.  Today, I will knock that down to 115.  I was reflecting on the added music for this month – an eclectic mix of old and new music – spanning a geographic and musical landscape that can only be called spectra-normous. I just made that word up – by the way.  Interestingly enough, today’s random shuffle of those 119 songs yielded three songs from the same band. More on that later.

First up, we have our good friends and sure bet for a wildcard spot in our Band of the Year poll, The Dead Exs.  They have a new album set to drop soon.  A couple of weeks ago, we introduced a new song they released around the 4th for July. The song recently, reached number 3 on the Hype Machine’s Twitter chart.  It’s called Relovolution and it shows off this hard working band’s dirty blues-rock style in fine fashion.  It was an excellent way to jump start my day.  You can get a free download below:

And while you are waiting for the new record – go buy their last record Resurrection by clicking the image below (Amazon.com). Also, The Dead Exs really want to come to Nashville and play Grimey’s – so if you’re in Nashville – spread the word!

 
And here’s the band’s classic from Resurrection – “More Stuff”

Now, settle down and let me tell you about the band that shows up three times in a row on today’s shuffle.  The Ratz were, are and ever shall be trailblazers in the Nashville Rock world.  The band formed in 1979, played some legendary gigs and Nashville Rock landmarks Phranks n’ Steins  and Cantrells, recorded a single, played with R.E.M. and The Brains among others and then disbanded in 1981 with it’s members going on to play in such bands as Factual, Raging Fire, The Enemy, Go Jimmy Dub and Royal Court of China. The band, older and wiser but still Ratz, reunited in 2009 and have since recorded some new and old songs. They have a gig coming up on August 11 at The End (which was once the legendary Elliston Square).


So here are the songs by The Ratz in today’s shuffle:


Drop to the Ground (New Song and Recording from 2010)

My Baby Don’t Love Me Cuz I Won’t Cut My Face For Her (Vintage Song, New Recording)
and
She Shaved Her Head and She’s Crazy 

Go grab some music and check out Nashville80srock.net.

You can also check out The Ratz and other great Nashville Rock from back in the day on this must-have compilation:

 
 Couldn’t find a You Tube clip of The Ratz (so go check them out live on the 11th) so here’s a vintage clip from Raging Fire.

   


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Listen To Punk Rock With Daddy Body Suit



Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Colloid Suspension Mix

Hey ho! It’s the final day of May.  Remember tomorrow we will introduce a new feature on Ear to the Ground which will take the place of the ever popular Band of the Week, and hopefully move us forward in our mission to introduce you to the many talented artists putting out music around the world.  In the meantime, stay tuned today, I’m going to be posting our Band of the Month poll for May, and I also have a free MP3 of a brand new song.

Back to a real live music shuffle – the air felt good this morning, but there was definitely quite a bit of humidity in the air.  Storms are forecast for this afternoon, and as per usual, I am sans umbrella (did I ever mention that I hate umbrellas?) so I’m looking forward to the possibility of walking through a downpour this afternoon!

On to our shuffle:

First up:

I presented this song a couple of weeks ago in my post about The Bluefields.  Bluefield, Joe Blanton, before he was in Royal Court of China, was part of a local Nashville Thrash band called, The Enemy.  Today’s song is by The Enemy and according to the tag information on the download I got from Nashville 80s Rock – dot – net  , it is from a Cassette release called Tijuana Go! which was also the title of a song on Royal Court of China’s second album, Geared and Primed. Anyway, the song is Jesus Rides a UFO and I must say hearing this song always brings me back to the mid-80s.

Get the MP3 for Jesus Rides a UFO 


Bonus: Here’s the video for Take Me Down from Royal Court of China







Next you we offer you another track from the fabulous Jo Wymer, a bluesy, rockin’ lady from New Jersey.  That Kiss is on Jo’s 2011 album Living with Scars.

 
Bonus Video: Here is Jo Wymer doing Dirty Secrets another track from the album
Finally, we present the title track to the latest album by an amazing singer/songwriter who happens to share a first name with one of my daughters.  Young Man in America– the song – is sprawling, captivating and memorable.  Young Man in America  – the album – is a remarkable achievement.
 
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