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We have arrived at Thursday. For the daily “theme” today, I decided upon the term, “Throwback Thursday”… honestly, I’m surprised no one has come up with this sooner…. I even came up with a hashtag (#tbt) for it. Clever aren’t I?
I think the concept is pretty self-explanatory. I hope to show that music in the past was extremely diverse and varied – in spite of what “Classic Rock” stations may lead you to believe….
without ado….
“You Don’t Give Up” (live) by Blake Babies
From a 1989 radio concert recording. This track includes announcements of upcoming shows including one with the awesome Boston band Buffalo Tom. It ends with a station identification.
“Directions” by Miles Davis
A thirteen minute live recording from a 1971 Newport Jazz Festival Europe performance. Taken from the album: Miles Davis at Newport 1955-1975: The Bootleg Series Vol. 4.
“Run Like Hell” by Pink Floyd
From the 1979 album, The Wall.
“Colors” by Minutemen
Clocking in at just over 2 minutes (rather lengthy for a Minutemen tune). This is from the band’s second full-length album, What Makes a Man Start Fires? and was compiled on the 1987 release Post-Mersh Vol. 1.
“Fearless Heart” by Steve Earle
From Guitar Town – one of my favorite albums of all time. A major part of my willingness to give “country music” a try.
“Rusholme Ruffians” by The Smiths
Our final track from Meat is Murder – the second album by The Smiths.
“Never Really Been” by Soul Asylum
Another tune from Made to Be Broken – the second studio album by Soul Asylum (the one with Humpty Dumpty on the cover).
NOTE: There was a heavy 1980s vibe (with the exceptions being the Miles Davis track and (just barely) the Pink Floyd song). That will not always be the case for #tbt, but it may frequently be the case, just because that was the time when I first came of age musically.
Well, here we are. Another late posting. Tomorrow likely will be, too. Let’s jump to it. Plus by stupid bluetooth earphones have bitten the dust. Replacements are on their way.
We’ve been doing the “Earies” for about a week now. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves. I am coming up with winners faster than I am coming up with Award names…. but it’s all good. I just hope I don’t forget anyone, but I probably will…
Today’s award is the “I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues” Award.
The premise: I have known for some time that Nashville is the home to some amazing blues players and music, but that fact came into sharp focus for me this year. The other thing that came into sharp focus for me is that “The Blues” is not a narrow genre of music and it is very much alive and well in this middle year of the second decade of the new millennium. This award is meant to recognize some of the best of the blues and it so happens both of this years winners come from Nashville, and they both bring their own unique twist to the genre.
The Award goes to Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen and Eight O’Five Jive.
Ted Drozdowski is a journalist and scholar of the Blues and an amazing guitar player. With his trio, he brings Mississippi to Nashville and rolls into a sweet psychedelic coating while telling stories and blowing minds. Love and Life was one of the best albums of the year and one of the best albums Ted Drozdowski has made. An electrifying live act (no stage can contain Ted and no utensils or glassware are safe from being used as a guitar slide.
Eight O’Five Jive play upbeat, swinging jump blues that evokes an earlier era while remaining firmly rooted in the present. Their album, Too Many Men, was smart and sexy and a whole lot of fun. They won a couple of awards at this years Nashville Independent Music Awards including Best Blues Artist, and now they can add an “Earie” to their award cabinet,
On to the shuffle: “Pissing At Will” by Ohioan
As I think I mentioned when I played them before, Ohioan are not from Ohio. They are from Tucson. This is the a-side to their recent single. I grabbed this off of Aquarium Drunkard a few months back, and I like it a bunch.
“Fits and Starts” by Brian Keenan
The title track from the new album by Brooklyn singer-songwriter Brian Keenan. I am really enjoying his new album.
“Goodbye Girl” by Squeeze
Originally the first single from Cool for Cats. Another in a long string of classic songs by the newly reformed Squeeze.
“None of That Now” by Michelle Lewis
Michelle Lewis is a Boston singer-songwriter. This track comes from her Live at Club Passim EP. The video performance I found is from Belcourt Taps here in Nashville.
“I’m Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail” by Porter Wagoner
I was introduced to this song on the Knitters’ Poor Little Critter on the Road album back in the latter part of the 1980s. It struck me (not for the first time) that here I was a good Tennessee boy, and it took a bunch of L.A. punks to introduce me to classic country and western music. Ah well… I do remember Porter Wagoner coming to my hometown and stopping the in the store where my Mom worked. So there is that.
“From Here to Burma” by Blake Babies
Another from the live Blake Babies album. In the introduction to this song, they say it will be on an album some day, and it was included on the band’s album Earwig.
“Cumberland Mountain” by Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau
2015 “Earie” award winners, Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau with a song and story that comes from the same source material as the book, “Cold Mountain”. At least I think that is what Richie told me… it had been a long night of big fun so I could have that wrong.
“Beggars and Choosers” by Soul Asylum
And we close out the shuffle with a song from one of my all time favorite albums, Hang Time.
Let’s face it. The world is a scary place, however, the antidote for the very natural fear is always love. Music heals. Even, as it was Friday, a musical event was a target… music still has the power to heal. Above all, I invite and encourage everyone – regardless of ideologies or political leanings to avoid knee-jerk reactions (which are almost always based upon fear of some kind) and take a breath and wait for facts to become clear.
Here at E2TG, our job is to bring you music from the sublime to the silly to the serious. Think of our little playlist as a respite from whatever it is that you need a respite from…..
Friday night began with a visit to one of my favorite weekly events – I dare say it is one of Nashville’s hidden gems (hidden in plain sight). Tim Carroll has been playing a weekly Rock and Roll Happy Hour at The 5 Spot for a long time. What you get: a casual and fun atmosphere, great music from Tim and his band along with Luella, No Cover (Tips welcome and encouraged), and 1/2 priced drinks from 6-8. The music usually goes from 6-8:30 and the band does not take a break. It is a superb way to start your Friday night plans.
After that – this week, I headed to the Basement East to see Sam Outlaw open for an ultra rare reunion of Bare Jr. Sam Outlaw was awesome (and he was joined by a long time #E2TG favorite Shelly Colvin). Bare Jr. quite simply rocked the house. Delivering their entire album, Boo-Tay – they closed the night with an epic mash-up of The Cars’ “My Best Friend’s Girl” and The Who’s “Baba O’Riley”. It was loud and raucous and man was it fun.
Sunday Night found me back at “The Beast” for another edition of East Nashville Songwriter’s Club. This time with Sally Jaye, Zach Schmidt, and the one and only David Olney. It was an awesome evening of music.
Then, I headed over to The Building – possibly for the last time before that great space closes. Kira Hooks, Tom Schreck, and Yosi Mesbah offered up prime examples of the diversity of talent in this very vibrant local music scene.
On to our shuffle:
“Father Time” by Dan Martin
Another superb track from Oklahoma songwriter Dan Martin’s Hoka Hey album. I strongly recommend checking out this album. On a side note, I have some big plans for #E2TG in 2016 which I am keeping close to the vest as I continue to fine tune those plans. One thing of interest to me are the different places in the world where some pretty awesome musical movements seem to be bubbling up. I tend to focus mostly on Nashville/East Nashville because that is where I am, but I am equally encouraged by the music I hear coming out of places like Oklahoma. Part of my plan is coming up with feasible and unique ways of covering all of those different “scenes”.
“Andrew, You’re Horizontal Again” by Venkman
Venkman are a band from Lichfield in the midlands section of the UK. Their new record is called Kakkorhaphiophobia. It has elements of pop, funk, jazz and more with some delicious boy/girl harmonies.
“Marathon Car” by Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau
Another from the outstanding Tennessee album. The song pays tribute to an automobile brand that was manufactured in Nashville a little over a century ago. The Marathon Motor Works building is now a pretty interesting mixed-use development that includes a music venue, Lightning 100, a whiskey distillery, and Antique Archeology.
“Elinor Slomba” by Discount Ravioli
It always brings me great joy when a Discount Ravioli song comes up in the shuffle. The music is so ridiculously fun. This is one is a tribute to the mother of one of the members of the band. Who knows when or if Discount Ravioli will record again – maybe the next time this kids get hopped up on sugar and stay up to late and somebody has the good sense to turn on the recorder. I can’t find a video of the band, so I substituted another Dord Music Group band called The Urinal Cakes. Enjoy.
“Ship of Fools” by Soul Asylum
From Made to Be Broken. A prime example of the awesomeness of early Soul Asylum.
“Bombora” by The Atlantics
A fine bit of early period Australian surf rock music. From 1963.
“Big Time Nashville Star” by Shakey Graves
From his 2014 album, And the War Came. Dig it.
“Down Home Summertime Blues” by Norman Blake
Norman Blake was a leading figure in the early 1970s Bluegrass revival. This track originally included on his 1972 debut album Back Home In Sulphur Springs can be found on Rounder Records 45th Anniversary Collection which you can get via Noisetrade.com.
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As June turns into July… another cool night of music in East Nashville – this time at The Building. Ariel Bui, Emma Berkey, Todd Henkin (all local) and Alexandra Scott from New Orleans did a outstanding round, Dylan Lee Johnston did a short set, and #E2TG Artist of the Year Darrin Bradbury closed out the evening.
Speaking of Bradbury, my show alert of the week is for Thursday night at The 5 Spot. Darrin will be opening for Austin Lucas starting around 9:00. Should be a fine night, and I am off work Friday so….
I got to take in a couple of shows last week and talk some to Julie Christensen, and I wanted to send out a reminder/alert to her Pre-Order campaign for her new album with her incredible band Stone Cupid. Here is the link. You can Pre-Order the album and there are some fine options for merchandise and exclusives. Julie has a long, rich history with many of the best artists of the modern era, and I had the great pleasure to see her and her band play an amazing set at one of the final nights of the original Family Wash. If you are in Nashville, her next band show is coming up at the end of this month, and I will have more details later.
Now to our first shuffle of this new month…
“Half Awake” by Broken Guru
The first of two Broken Guru songs in the shuffle today. A vibrant rocking start for the day, but I can’t help feel that the title was mocking me as I groggily hit the shuffle button to begin my commute.
“Jack of All Trades” by Soul Asylum
From Hang Time. And yes, this one always has and always does make me feel like moshing around in a crowd in front a stage.
“Tche Belew” by Hailu Mergia and Low Mentality
Another from the World Café Sessions. Hailu Mergia is an Ethiopian keyboardist who was member of the legendary Walias Band. Here is teams up with Low Mentality to do a updated version of the title track of Walias Band’s 1977 album.
“Blues in King” by Marshall Crenshaw
So for a moment this morning, as I was driving over the Victory Memorial Bridge in downtown Nashville, I was suddenly transported back nearly 30 years. As I have mentioned, Marshall Crenshaw’s Downtown was released during my early college career, and I have very specific memories of driving across town on a warm evening listening to the album with the windows down on my car.
“Ghost” by Broken Guru
Our second track of the day from New York Alternative band, Broken Guru.
“El Diablo” by Low Society
Boasting powerhouse vocals and killer guitar work grounded by an excellent rhythm section… From Memphis, a town that knows a little something about the Blues… Low Society are the real deal. From their album, You Can’t Keep a Good Woman Down… singing out those devil blues…
“Rain” by Ben Arthur
Another track from his upcoming album, Call and Response. “Rain” is a good reminder of one of the things that sets Ben Arthur’s music apart for me. His commitment to the craft of songwriting is evident in his work with Songcraft Presents, Plus he has a great rich and resonate voice.
“Still Remains” by Dead in 5
Detroit rockers – Dead in 5 always inject some energy and attitude into the shuffle whenever one of their songs come up. “Still Remains” has all of the hallmarks of a great rock song. It is relentless, has a great hook, and man, does it rock hard.
“She Loves Love” by Michael Sackler-Berner
It’s a happy coincidence that a Michael Sackler-Berner song and a Marshall Crenshaw song appear in the same shuffle. Crenshaw has been worked with Sackler-Berner on some of his recent songs, and he is also an excellent standard bearer fron the kind of intelligent Pop songs that Crenshaw has been making for years, and which is in short supply these days.
I have a major announcement…. truth is that even if I did have a major announcement, I would probably wait until tomorrow to make it… Truth is, though, as the weather is heating up so is the music scene here in Nashville (and probably in your city, too). Tons of great shows are coming, so get out to your local venues and festivals and whatnot and support real music made by real people.
“Maggie May” by Rod Stewart
From Every Picture Tells a Story… a song that begins with the words “Wake up” is a good enough way to start a morning shuffle. I have always loved this song.
“Easier” by SOJA (feat. Anuhea)
SOJA are a Pop/Reggae band from Arlington, VA. Anuhea is a Pop/Reggae artist from Hawaii. This song is on SOJA’s most recent album Amid the Noise and Haste, and I grabbed it off an ATO Records sampler on Noisetrade.
“Hurricane” by Amy Speace
Nashville is proud to claim Amy Speace. She has been getting quite a bit of well-deserved praise for her brand new release That Kind of Girl. This song is from her 2014 EP Same Old Storm and has the sound of a song that has been around forever… absolutely stunning.
“A Love Supreme” by David Liebman
From the album David Liebman Plays Coltrane and Shorter… This Coltrane composition is one of my all time favorite jazz pieces. A perfect soundtrack for a morning driving through the burgeoning city.
“Willie Sugarcapps” by Willie Sugarcapps
The first of what should be many songs from artists I saw at the Safety Harbor Song Fest… the title track and band theme song… Willie Sugarcapps were a crowd-pleaser at the festival and won over several new fans based upon conversations I had.
“Daily Mail” by the transcendents
From New Zealand where it is no longer April Fools Day (if they even have April Fools Day in New Zealand) and from the band’s self-titled debut… I am really digging this band and I hope you will check them out. Here is the link to download their music on Bandcamp.
“No Fun” by The Stooges
The Stooges probably didn’t know that they were making proto-punk music when they recorded this album 46 years ago this month. The raw power and dangerous energy makes this album sound fresh up to this day.
“Ode” by Soul Asylum
I think I’ve said this before, but it bears repeating this album, the bands 1988 major label debut is one of my favorites and probably my favorite by Soul Asylum. To me, this album was the perfect balance between punk and hooky pop music. The current line-up of Soul Asylum recently announced a tour with Meat Puppets – perhaps suggested by my recent inclusion of both bands in my morning shuffles???? Can you prove that that isn’t true? Don’t answer that….
Traversed snow and ice and cold to witness the birth of a new East Nashville musical happening at the Mad Donna’s Loft… a super-serious, super-cool songwriting thing (the name is still being bandied about), but who needs a name when you have Joe Fletcher, Brian Wright, and Darrin Bradbury playing their awesome songs to a small but dedicated audience of super-serious music fans (including some other great musicians). Here’s to many more of these happenings and much better weather for them. Hats off to the awesome Terry Rickards for making this thing happen…
Since I traversed the snow last night, I kind of had to do it this morning… guilty conscience if I said I couldn’t make it to work… but I had an awesome sound track for this slippery and frigid journey…
“Back on the Wagon” by Matt Prater
Another excellent song from Matt Prater’s latest album Tables and Chairs recorded in Mussel Shoals, Alabama.
“Made to be Broken” by Soul Asylum
The title track from Soul Asylum’s second album released in 1986 one of three releases for the band in that year…
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A brief instrumental partial title track from Scattered Moments of Connection. In lieu of this song, I included a video of the epic The Great Jester. Thirty seconds for like eleven minutes seemed like a fair trade off.
“Wish I Was in Heaven Sitting Down” by Bark
Tim and Susan Lee could have named their side project Tim Lee 2, but they went with Bark. This is from the debut Bark EP which is having it’s release celebrated (along with the new TL3 album 33 1/3 and the new album by Kevin Abernathy) with a triple release show at Scruffy City Hall in Knoxville this very night. This song is an R.L. Burnside cover.
“Revolution On the Rocks” by Gumball
A bit of 90s alternative rock from NYC, two of the members of Gumball were previously (and briefly) part of Dinosaur Jr. This was the lead track on the band’s 1994 third and final studio album called Revolution on Ice.
“Brand New Cadillac” by The Clash
From London Calling. This was a cover of a 1950s British Rock and Roll song by Vince Taylor.
“Crazy American” by Syd Straw
From Syd Straw’s 1989 solo debut, Surprise. Surprise is one of my favorite albums of all time.
“Train in Vain” by The Clash
Originally a hidden bonus track on London Calling (subtitled Stand By Me in the US because we Yanks were too dumb to handle a song whose name wasn’t the most repeated phrase). Also not called “Stand by Me” because everyone is too dumb to figure out it is not the Ben E. King song. Man I love this song!
“This…” by fIREHOSE
A mellow side of Watt, Hurley, and Crawford… from Ragin’ Full On.
“Blue Sky Mine” by Midnight Oil
The “sort of” title track to the 1990 album Blue Sky Mining.
“The Eye” by Brandi Carlile
An absolutely gorgeous song from Brandi Carlile’s album The Firewatcher’s Daughter which was released this past Tuesday.
“The Bedlam Express” by The Lucky Jukebox Brigade
An awesome rave-up and one of my favorite songs on Familiar Fevers. The source of today’s Shuffle subtitle.
“White Gardenias” by Justin Townes Earle
Finally, we close out the shuffle with a song from the 2014 album Single Mothers which was the predecessor to Justin Townes Earle’s latest album Absent Fathers.
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Got a pretty interesting shuffle on tap… let’s get to it.
“The One After 909” by The Beatles
So, this month the Feel Bad for You folks who put out awesome mixtape compilations every month had a theme of short songs. So, expect a bunch of short songs to filter their way through my shuffles in the next few weeks or so. Oddly, no Minutemen songs made their list, but relax, I have some Minutemen already cued up… this track is actually a snippet of The One after 909 with some chatter from the Rooftop concert.
“Selfish Lover” by Gary Floater
Another from the short songs compilation. This one from legendary country outsider Gary Floater off of a new release called Who Cares.
“Jimmy Jazz” by The Clash
The love affair between the shuffle function and The Clash continues with the lounge-sounding song from London Calling.
“11 O’clock Friday Night” by Hamilton Leithauser
The second song we’ve had from Black Hours the 2014 album by Hamilton Leithauser of The Walkmen.
“Yesterday’s Cakes” by Cropdusters
Raucous UK band from their 1989 album, If the Sober Go to Heaven…. I really dig this song – for reference only – think of The Pogues at a hoedown.
“Respirator” by Dead and Lovely
Another track from John and Jayda of Nashville by way of Pennsylvania from their EP Heavy which is awesome. Really sorry I missed them last month at the Building, but I hope to catch up with them soon.
“Sweet Guy” by Paul Kelly Feat. Vika Bull
This song is originally from the 1989 album So Much Water So Close to Home by Paul Kelly and the Messengers. This version sung by Vika Bull is from Kelly’s latest album The Merri Soul Sessions. I really dig this song.
“An Accident” by The Transcendents
Paul Kelly is from Australia, and while we are down under (as somebody says), let’s move over to New Zealand for another cool song from the eponymously titled album by The Transcendents. The thing I love about writing this blog is being able to discover incredible music from all over the world and then to be able to write about it and hopefully turn someone else on to it.
“Put the Bone In” by Soul Asylum
After all this time, I just realized or found out that this song from Soul Asylum’s Hang Time is a cover of the b-side of Terry Jacks hit song “Season in the Sun”. Coincidently (or not depending upon your view of coincidence), at the end of this recording, Soul Asylum quotes The Beatles’ famous line from the Rooftop Concert, “…I hope we passed the audition”.
“Riot Act” by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Another great song from Elvis’ Get Happy album!!
“Last Time Around” by Jason and the Scorchers
“You’re the final survivor is my heart’s ghost town.” The lead track from the album Lost and Found. Still one of the best rock and roll bands around!
Every other Sunday Night, an amazing cultural exchange program takes place in Nashville. The East Side Invasion at Bobby’s Idle Hour features some of East Nashville’s best songwriters holding court at the legendary Music Row watering hole. Curated and hosted by performing songwriter Lindsay Ellyn, the typical evening includes two songwriter rounds, a set from a featured artist, and a show closer by Darrin Bradbury. The night is a casual, laid-back affair that happens to include some of the best songwriters Nashville (East or West) has to offer. Plus, I’m usually home before eleven to get ready to face Monday morning. Come on out sometime. The next East Side Invasion is February 8.
In the shuffle today, we have some great songs by some of my heroes, another awesome track from a new Alt-Rock band that we have been featuring, plus something completely different… let’s dig in!
“It’ll Never Get Better Than This” by Bill Lloyd
We start off the week in shuffles with another great Pop song from Bill Lloyd’s Feeling the Elephant album. Lloyd, who may be best known as 1/2 of the hit Country duo Foster and Lloyd, also happens to be one of the best Pop songwriters in America. To paraphrase Joe Jackson, When I die and go to pure pop heaven, I have a feeling I’ll hear a Bill Lloyd song playing on the PA.
“That’s How it Goes” by Meat Puppets
One of the Meat Puppets most straight forward Country sounding songs. It’s still a definite Meat Puppets’ song. From Forbidden Places.
“Amazons” by Phranc
Another from Folksinger. Amazons is Phranc’s homage to great female sports figures.
“Human Touch” by Elvis Costello
From Get Happy!! Elvis Costello and the Attractions 1980 album which was highly influenced by Ska, Soul, and Rhythm and Blues music.
“Endless Farewell” by Soul Asylum
From Hang Time (1988) which was produced by Ed Stasium and Lenny Kaye. Endless Farewell is a slow burner in the midst of some of the most poppy punk rock songs on the album.
“Blind Among the Flowers” by The Tourists
The Tourist was a 1970s British band that featured (among others) Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart before they were Eurhythmics. The band wrote and recorded some incredibly catchy songs in the course of their 3 year existence. Appropriately enough, their 1984 retrospective was called Should Have Been Greatest Hits. Blind Among the Flowers from the band’s self-titled debut album is one of my favorites.
“Out of Control (Into the Void)” by The Torn Images
I think this is the fourth The Torn Images song we have featured in one of our shuffles. From the Reviver album, the song is the kind of grungy rock songs, that you just don’t hear very often anymore.
“Stellazine Blues” by The Georgia Satellites
From In the Land of Salvation and Sin comes some classic late 80s Southern rock and roll.
“Fracking” by Tanya Tagaq
From the album Animalism. This is music unlike anything you have heard before. Intensely primal Inuit Throat singing is joined with eerily droning electronica. I do not think this is for everyone, but I encourage everyone to listen with an open mind and recognize the artistry of what is happening even if the results are not to your taste.
“I’m Not Down” by The Clash
This is probably one of the songs on London Calling with which I am least familiar. It is a great song from one of the best albums of all time by one of the best bands of all time.
Note to myself: just because it is not 4 degrees, the 20s are still pretty cold.
I wonder if I am the only person who upon encountering an unpleasant odor while out walking, thinks that I need to push the “inside air” button…
Ah, ignore me. It Friday – the end of the first full week of work in what seems like forever.
We close out the week a shuffle that includes a couple of recent tunes mixed in with some songs that I have loved for a long time….
“Tiny Town” by The Dead Milkmen
My first comment was going to be that this song is the punk rock answer to John Mellencamp’s song, “Small Town”, but then I figured out that this song actually pre-dates the latter song (by a couple of months). So, I will just say this is an alternative take on small town living. From Big Lizard in my Backyard.
“Mantle of Disguise” by The Torn Images
One of the two recent songs in the shuffle is a nifty bit of modern alternative rock from the California band The Torn Images from their album Reviver.
“Both Sides of the Line” by Jason and the Scorchers
Back in the day, there were rumors going around that R.E.M. singer Michael Stipe sang background vocals on this song and maybe co-wrote the song. Later, I heard that although he had been in the studio when this was recorded, he actually was not involved in the song. It’s pure Scorchers but it does have a fair amount of that 80s Southern murk that R.E.M. did so well back in those days. From Fervor.
“Cartoon” by Soul Asylum
I made a bold pronouncement/observation that Soul Asylum’s Hang Time was the perfect intersection of the band’s punk history and pop rock future. If that is in any way true, then I think of all the songs of Hang Time, Cartoon might be the one song that typifies that combination. Whatever, I love this song, and I always have.
“Still Tied” by Jason and the Scorchers
From Lost and Found, some more vintage era Scorchers… one of those songs that let’s the band catch their breath a bit before exploding into another blistering song.
“Watusi Rodeo” by Guadalcanal Diary
I remember seeing the video for this song on MTV’s The Basement Tapes which kicked off a long standing obsession with his Georgia band. From Walking in the Shadow of the Big Man. One of my favorite songs of all time.
“Secondary Modern” by Elvis Costello and the Attractions
From Get Happy! “But there won’t be a problem till the girls go home…”
“Little Eva” by Tom Tom Club
One of the best and definitely one of the longest lasting “spinoff” bands of all time. Talking Heads rhythm section Chris Frantz and Tina Weymouth create (literally) some of the grooviest music around. This is from the most excellent 1988 album Boom Boom Chi Boom Boom.
“Far Behind” by Jason and the Scorchers
Our third Jason and the Scorchers song in the shuffle. Another down tempo song, and one of my favorites… nothing like it when you are sweaty and exhausted to stand around with other sweaty and exhausted people and sing along with this one. Another from Lost and Found.
“Volare” by Alex Chilton
How about Alex Chilton singing the hit Italian song, Volare? Sure, why not? From his album, High Priest.
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We close things out with the second “recent” song in today’s shuffle, and it is a good one. From his If You Look for My Heart album… This is one of my favorites on the album.
By the way, I think today is one of those rare days, when I found videos for every song in the shuffle. (I didn’t go back and double check, but I’m pretty sure I did). So, give listen and experience my morning commute from the comfort of your own home.
I am not a morning person. It seems important to say that because I post a daily Morning Shuffle which features music I listen to between 6:45 a.m. (or so) and 7:15 a.m. (or so). I just wanted you to know that I don’t do a morning shuffle because I am a morning person, but rather by current necessity, I have to be up and about by this time, and being a non-morning person, I need a soundtrack of cool music to keep me moving…. This is my soundtrack for Monday morning January 5, 2015.
“American Girl” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
What a great song to start the soundtrack. It’s like I’m heading off to work, and everything is just about okay at least for the first scene. Everything may well go to hell in scene two, but at this point, everything is swell. This was the second single from the self-titled debut by TP and the Heartbreakers.
“Hip Hop Thighs #16” by Ike Reilly
So, apparently, there are many other versions of this song???? I found #17 in my search and some that were not labeled with a number… I don’t really know the history of this, but I know a cool song when I hear it. This one got me through the awkward transition scene where I am on the road and maybe credits are still flashing… From Poison the Hit Parade.
“I Can’t Help Myself” by Jason and the Scorchers
There was a certain reckless country soul to the seminal music of Nashville’s Jason and the Scorchers. People like to throw around the term CowPunk, but I have always hated that term. It was raw, fresh high-energy rock and roll music that was only punk in sense that many early 80s Nashville punk kids really got into their music. In a different universe, Jason and the Scorchers are one of the biggest bands ever. In the universe they are one of the best. Some high-energy aggression to help me navigate the passive-aggressiveness of Nashville drivers.
“Bulletproof” by J.R. Wyatt
At this point, the frenetic part of my drive is over and I’m just easing into downtown roadways and making my way past delivery trucks on 2nd Avenue partially blocking lanes of traffic, but what do I care? I’m Bulletproof. Another great tune from The Empty Room Sessions.
“Firewater” by Old Crow Medicine Show
By now, I’ve just about made it to my parking lot. Our third Nashville artist in a row. Legendary Nashville string band Old Crow Medicine Show with this track from their 2014 Remedy album pushes my that final 1,000 feet or so through Bicentennial Mall.
“The Sunflower Sutra” by Allen Ginsberg
And then I begin my walk. It’s a cold morning, but I don’t care. I may be just another schmo dressed how I don’t want to be dressed and trudging through life, but in my ear buds is Allen Ginsberg, and I feel subversive in the midst of my conformity. And I am transported somewhere, San Francisco, and I am thinking I should have been a Beat Poet, if I had been born in a different era. And, I should have been a Beat Poet anyway, and I should be a Beat Poet anyway, and I will be a Beat Poet anyway…
“Are You Ready for the Country?” by Jason and the Scorchers
And there isn’t really a good way to move from Allen Ginsberg to Jason and the Scorchers stunningly powerful cover of the Neil Young song which had already been covered by Waylon Jennings, but which the band made their very own…. I grabbed this off the now out of print CD named for this song which compiled the bands first two EMI recordings with some b-sides and rarities. I begin my long ascent of capitol hill to this song…
“Rock Hard” by Alex Chilton
Like Flies on Sherbert is a broken, shattered masterpiece of an album. Alex Chilton was a mad wrecked genius of man, and Jim Dickinson was the alchemist who held this crazy thing together. At this point, I’ve reached the summit, and I don’t necessary like what I’ve found there, but I can still appreciate that I have made it.
“Bitchin’ Camaro” by The Dead Milkmen
I don’t know how many times I heard this song on college radio back in the day or how many times I heard it once I bought the album Big Lizard in my Backyard. With it’s ridiculous spoken introduction which may well be longer than the song itself (it has to be longer) and which includes an offensive cover version of Love Me Two Times… to the break-neck nonsense of the song itself… which for no reason but some rhyme, name drops Tony Orlando and Dawn… The fact that I (to date) have never gotten tired of this song says something about the song or about me… probably me…
“Down on Up to Me” by Soul Asylum
And I reach my office, and the vast soundtrackless day awaits, but there is one final scene of riding the elevator… From Hang Time…
E2TG: MUSIC/WORDS 