Category: SHEL

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle – Marshall Tucker on My Stereo Mix

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Back at it on a Monday!   Had a good time Friday at The Country (after checking in with Tim Carroll and company at The 5 Spot) – Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau  + Saint Luke’s Drifters.  Richie and company have a new album out now.  Saint Luke’s Drifters are finishing up their new album.  If you get the chance to see either one or both of these bands, I highly recommend it.

Tonight: My recommendation is Matt Phillips and the Philharmonic from 7-9p.m. at Charlie Bob’s on the eastside.   Here is the Facebook event, if you Facebook.

This is definitely prime season for new music – look for some awesome new albums coming up in the next few months – I think I got at least 5 albums to listen to and possibly review over the last four or five days.

Shuffle:

“Down The River” by Ben Lowry

Another track from Somnium, the solo album by Ben Lowry of the band Bang OK Bang.  For some reason  (the banjo and vocals and lyrical content) this song reminded me of Hallowed Ground, the much maligned sophomore album by Violent Femmes.  In the face of widespread criticism, I am a proponent of the Femmes album. No, I do not think it is better than their seminal debut, but it is bold and in its own way subversion.  That being said, even if you aren’t a fan of the Femmes album, you will probably dig Lowry’s album.   

“I’m Gonna Love You Forever” by Carolina Story

From the Chapter Two EP.  Carolina Story are about as damn good as it gets.

“Theme from Crazy Aces” by Crazy Aces

Instrumental Rock from Nashville’s Crazy Aces… it’s their theme song!

“You Could Be My Baby (Samuel Stewart Remix)” by SHEL

The remix of the first single from SHEL’s forthcoming album, Crazy Enough. We featured the unremixed song earlier.

“Jesse” by Tom House

From Winding Down the Road – an album that was produced by Brock Zeman.  Tom House is a Nashville treasure.  Check out his music.  

“40 Miles” by Zachariah Red

E2TG debuted this song when it was released. It was the first single off of Zachariah Red’s EP Backbone. A driving, roots rock song of the highest caliber.

“WHIP” by Ricca Vita

Okay – this right here is why I love Nashville (and love my random shuffle function).  Ricca Vita’s music could not be any different  than Zachariah Red’s music.  So, that in and of itself, makes the transition here really cool – showcasing the diversity of music being made here in the home of the Grand Ole Opry… but wait, there is more.  Timothy Ryssemus – the mastermind behind Ricca Vita – also happened to have co-produced Zachariah Red’s record. Any way, I love the Ricca Vita album, and this track is just so damn good.   

“Promise Me Beautiful” by Lori Kelley

Moving on, another awesome song from songwriter Lori Kelley’s album, More.  Gorgeous vocals and great songs – a great combination.

“Swimming New Orleans” by The Grey A

Okay smartypants!  The Grey A are a Washington DC band.  But Grey Jacks used to live down here, and this album was recorded in Middle Tennessee and features a lot of local folks including Kelly Smith, William Tyler, and the Nashville Horns.  You may recall, I reviewed the My Country album when it was released in late 2014. “Swimming New Orleans” was released as a single (a wonderfully packaged vinyl 45) in 2015, and ahead of the forthcoming release of the next single (watch this space), I thought we would add this song to the playlist.  So, yeah, I stand by it’s inclusion in the Music City Monday playlist.  E2TG trivia gurus already know that Howard Rabach (who was probably one of the first ever readers and supporters of this blog) plays bass with The Grey A, who have some great shows coming up in support of their new single – including a date  with Austin Lucas +  Joey Kneiser and Kelly Smith (who Grey Jacks played with in Glossary at one point).

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Music Monday Morning Shuffle – Runaway Locomotive Mix

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Ug… is it Monday already?  Okay… I have to be quick as I have some errands to run.

I hope everyone had a good Easter Sunday no matter what or how you celebrate or not…

Monday, as our new custom demands, is dedicated to artists who have some connection to Nashville, TN (aka Music City USA).

“Hold On” by SHEL (featuring Gareth Dunlop)

A song from the motion picture soundtrack for The Best of Me featuring the band of sisters, SHEL, who divide their time between Nashville and their hometown in Colorado. On this track, they are joined by singer-songwriter Gareth Dunlop from Northern Ireland.

“Bird on a Wire” by Brian Wright and the Waco Tragedies

From the album, Dog Ears.  I am really glad to have gotten hold of a bunch of Brian Wright music – I always dig it when one of his songs come up in the shuffle.  This is not a Leonard Cohen cover (in case you were wondering).

“High Roller” by Sugar and the Hi Lows

The title track and single from the 2015 album by this Nashville duo.

“Hey Algernon” by Chris Gantry

Chris Gantry has been a key figure in Nashville songwriting circles for more than four decades. I was fortunate enough to see him recently as part of an incredible round at Douglas Corner.  He sang this song that night – a touching story of two homeless gentlemen who freeze to death and find themselves in heaven. Gantry is a long time advocate for individuals who are homeless.

“The Last Song” by Crazy Aces

A sweet, instrumental from one of Nashville’s premier instrumental rock bands.

“Keep on Goin'” by Tim Carroll

A standard of Tim Carroll’s Friday night Rock and Roll Happy Hour set. Don’t ever stop… from a sampler CD that you can get when you see Tim live.

“When You Hear of My (Home Going)” by Luella

I believe this is a traditional African American spiritual (or else I could not find the composer).  This was one of the first songs I heard Luella sing when she first started singing with Tim Carroll at Fran’s in late 2014/early 2015.  Luella, as she does on all of the songs she covers, makes this all her own.  From a sampler you can get from Luella at one of her performances.  Come to The 5 Spot any given Friday and see Luella to get your copy of her sampler and Tim’s sampler.

“Play a Train Song” by Todd Snider

The late Skip Litz was a notable character around East Nashville who would always direct the band to “play a train song”.  This iconic song comes from Sniders classic album, East Nashville Skyline, an album that is at least partially responsible for a large number of songwriters moving to this cultural center.

 
VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Music City Monday Morning Shuffle – The Road Got Blurry Mix

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So, spring has arrived and here in Nashville that has meant a brief cold snap. I seem to be over whatever it was that kind of knocked me out at the end of last week… ready to take on a new week. According to Facebook, I have 12 events with 51 friends coming up this week.  Fortunately, I do get Friday off work…

I did manage to venture out into a misty rain last night for a fine night of music at The Basement. Despite some vocal duress, Jon Latham was amazing as always.  Throwing a new song (for me anyway) into the mix and inviting up Peyton Parker to sing on a couple of tunes.  Peyton Parker has been on the current season of The Voice.   Next up was Charlie Whitten, who I saw a few weeks back, I once again was struck by his awesome songwriting, gentle good humor, and his whistling (which especially impresses me because I cannot really whistle).  Closing the night was Caleb Caudle who recently released Carolina Ghost to widespread acclaim. A great ending to a great night of music at a pretty pack out Basement.

It’s Monday – I’m in Music City… let’s do Music City Monday….

“Helpless” by Lindsay Ellyn

Lindsay Ellyn’s EP Out of Road (one of my favorites of the year) was named Number 1 EP by Queens of Country. This is a great track from that EP.  Readers in New York City, Lindsay and Jeremy Nash (both Nashville songwriters who moved to town from NYC) will be playing at Rockwood Music Hall tonight, and I highly recommend both of them. 6:30p.m. to 8:30p.m. EDT.

“Feels Like Rain” by John Hiatt
 

John Hiatt moved to Nashville very early in the 1970s and been making incredible, ground-breaking music ever since. This is the final track from his 1988 album, Slow Turning. The song was later covered by the great Buddy Guy.


“Mockingbird” by Cory Chisel and the Wandering Sons
 

Cory Chisel moved to Nashville from Appleton, WI.  This song is from his 2009 album Death Won’t Send a Letter.  I think I was first introduced to his music around this time when I saw the band open for Peter Case at 3rd and Lindsley. More recently he was nominated for a Grammy award for his co-write of the Rodney Crowell/Emmylou Harris song “The Travelling Kind”. He also recently toured with Robert Ellis and Jonny Fritz as Traveller.


“Still With Me” by Charlie Hager
 

Among the events I regretfully missed during my brief convalescence at the end of last week was the CD release show for Charlie Hager’s new album American Saga.  It sounds like it was an awesome night packed with tons of great artists.  I really hate that I missed it, but at least I get to hear the album, and it’s out so you can hear it, too.  To me it is pure and honest songwriting at its best.

 

“You Could Be My Baby” by SHEL
 

This is a track that will be on SHEL’s new album, Just Crazy Enough which is due out in May.  They will be playing the Safety Harbor Song Fest in a couple of weeks, and they are scheduled to play Nashville’s Earth Day show later in April.  

“Fun Machine” by Colorfeels
 

This is another track from that Music the Film: Music City Underground.  Colorfeels were a Nashville band that broke up in 2014. I don’t know much about them, except that I like this song and a bunch of my East Nashville friends were fans of the band.


“Speed Trap Town” by Jason Isbell

 

It’s been pretty interesting to watch the meteoric rise of Jason Isbell over the past several years. I was lucky enough to see Isbell with the 400 Unit in the back parking lot of Grimey’s a few years ago for Record Store Day.  There was a decent crowd, but nothing like what it would be today.  This is a track from his latest album, Something More Than Free which won the Grammy for Best Americana album. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST
 

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Music City Monday Morning Shuffle – Rosebud, Too Mix

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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&nbsp

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.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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