Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Heart Space Mix

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There is a buzz of activity in the Ear to the Ground offices, but I wanted to take the time to try to help spread the word about a couple of things:

A pair of great Nashville musicians/songwriters have recently suffered some pretty serious injuries which could keep them out of commission for an extended period.  For anyone, this would be bad, but for a professional musician this can be devastating.  In both cases, friends and fans are joining forces to help. 

Allen Thompson of the Allen Thompson Band suffered a serious injury to his vertebrae.  You can help out and find out more by clicking here.

Singer-songwriter Tommy Womack (Daddy, Government Cheese) was seriously injured in an automobile accident late last week.  You can help him by clicking here.

In better news, Darrin Bradbury just dropped his latest EP, The Story of Bob.  I’ll have more on this later, but check it out here.

Finally, I have been busy on the No Depression front with several live reviews, an album review – and much more on the horizon.  I don’t cross post everything, so if you want to keep up with adventures over there.  Here is the link to my Contributions at NoDepression.com.

Now to the shuffle of the day:

Several long songs (including an 8 minute instrumental) means there are only 7 songs in the shuffle today…

“Rapunzel” by Ben Arthur

Another track from the forthcoming Call and Response album of answer songs.

“Ghost Writer” by Storm Chronicles

Another from the debut album by The Storm Chronicles, Looking Backward.  Alternative/Progressive rock songs. 

“Spirit in the Still” by The Poorhouse Says

Our second listen – from the forthcoming As Patterns Go album – due out June 27.  Dig this song a bunch. Check it out.

“As Forever Became Never Again” by Bobby Bare Jr.’s Young Criminals’ Starvation League

From the 2014 album, Undefeated.

“Three Cord Bond” by Propaganda

L.A. Hip Hop artist Propaganda with a track from his 2014 album Crimson Cord. A powerful call from mutual understanding.

“Heart Space” by Whale Fall

Eight minutes plus of cinematic, progressive instrumental goodness from the L.A. band.

“Tell Me What You Want From Me” by Good Old War

A track from the forthcoming album, Broken into Better Shape (due June 29) from the Philly based Indie Acoustic Pop band.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Ain’t It Just Like Rain Mix

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Got to meet Alex Giorgetti of the long time #E2TG favorite The Gypsy West.  He was in town with his girlfriend Laura.  I always like meeting the people I write about in real life.  Word has it there could be some new music from The Gypsy West later this year.  Cannot wait!

Saturday, I got to hang out and hear some music from Patrick Kinsley who is getting set to release the first single from his forthcoming album.  I am super stoked for the new album and the first single “Back in Illinois” name drops Ear to the Ground – which I am going to just assume is intentional tribute… Don’t try to correct me on this!

Last night was another fine Eastside Invasion at Bobby’s Idle Hour.  All of the performances were fantastic.  Taylor Alexander, James Tomberlin, Vanessa Darian and Steven Cooper (Van Darien), Joe Nolan, and Luella and Some Fella (Tim Carroll) filling in for Darrin Bradbury. and more…

Now, it is Monday – a grey, drizzly morning – not feeling 100% – pushing through because it is what I do…  Music motivates in it’s own way… shuffle up!

“Gimme My Rock n’ Roll” by The Satisfactors

New, classic-sounding straight ahead Rock music from the New Jersey supergroup.  The song name drops, The Ramones, Richard Hell and more…

“N2DEEP” by B A S E C A M P

Electronic/Dubsteppy  R ‘n’ B cover of the Genesis song “In Too Deep”… from the Noisetrade Bonnaroo mixtape.

“The Semplica Girl Diaries” by Ben Arthur

From the  forthcoming album Call and Reponse – this song is a response to a short story by George Saunders and includes some input from the author.  You can read about this and more about the concept of art “answering” other art in this article by Ben Arthur.

“Big Fish” by Giant Sand

A fantastic song from Howe Gelb’s band taken from the benefit album, Sweet Relief – a 1993 album that included many artists covering the songs of Victoria Williams – who had been diagnosed with multiple sclerosis.

“Mothers” by Circus Propaganda

Another great song from the Bethany, CT band. Just in time (a week and a day late) for Mother’s Day… or not…

“Different Darkness” by Carl Anderson

Still working on that Best of 2015 (so far) list, but Risk of Loss from which this one is taken, is still likely to be high up there. Carl Anderson is on the road and if he comes within driving distance of where you are, go see him.

“Run” by Storm Chronicles

Some lovely progressive music from the album Looking Backward.  I have been enjoying the gorgeous soundscapes present on this album.

“The Bear Came Over the Mountain” by Ben Arthur

Another from Call and Response.  This one is an “Answer song” to the Alice Munro Short Story.  By the way, I think I picked the same video for both Ben Arthur songs… but the second version was posted by SXSW and contains some additional background into Call and Response. 

“The Ghost in You” (Psychedelic Furs cover) by Robyn Hitchcock

Yeah… I was pretty much sold just by the idea of Robyn Hitchcock covering the Furs… fortunately, the execution lives up to my expectations… a great song well covered.

“The Body Electric” by Hurray for the Riff Raff

From the second time in as many weeks, we have the New Orleans based Hurray for the Riff Raff.  This time we have a song from their latest album Small Town Heroes.

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – One and One is Two Mix

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It’s just Wednesday, isn’t it?  Here is the run down of artists I have seen live since Sunday:

Sunday Night (Mad Donna’s Loft):   Allen Thompson, Darrin Bradbury, and the legendary Don Schlitz.

Monday Night (Basement East): Darrin Bradbury, Erin Rae, and Kelsey Waldon and her band

Tuesday Night (Bluebird Cafe): a round with David Olney, Will Kimbrough, Brock Zeman, and Samantha Crain.

Being Nashville, the list of artists who play around town that I did not see is equally impressive.  And the week goes on….

“Juley Calhoun” by David Schnaufer

Some wonderful Instrumental Appalachian music to start the morning off from the late great Dulcimer master.  (In the video playlist, a clip of Schnaufer backing the great Emmylou Harris).

“Well I Wonder” by The Smiths

“Nowhere Fast” by The Smiths

How about a randomly generated two-fer from Meat is Murder? Why not?

“Cold Hands” by Carl Anderson

Seriously, I don’t really do top ten lists of anything, but if I was one to do those, this would be an excellent early mid year candidate for my list of best albums of 2015.  Just saying.

“Train” by Jeremiah Tall

If I had a top ten list of music, I “discovered” in 2015, Jeremiah Tall would be on that list.  Thanks to Noisetrade for “introducing” me to his music.  Were those “quotation marks” really necessary?  I’m not “sure”…

“Kill the Messenger” by John Wesley Harding

The opening track to the 1992 album, Why We Fight…  hearing the opening notes of this song feels me with the same level of excitement as it did 23 or so years ago.  A great record, a great song.

“Cast in Faith” by Storm Chronicles

Storm Chronicles are from Seattle.  This song is from their 2013 debut album, Looking Backward.  I am grateful that I can still discover new music directly from artists reaching out.  I get music from a variety of sources, and the volume of submissions has increased which makes it difficult to hear everything that is sent my way (a wonderful problem to have), but I hope I never stop discovering music this way.

“Released” by Ricky Mirage

And sometimes, I discover music just by someone I know and respect posting something on social media…  I know next to nothing about Ricky Mirage except that it is non de plume of Nick Harris about which I know equally little except that a friend I respect said the music was rad, and I checked it out, and it was rad. 

 “I think I’ll sing a new song
one with several long angelic
choruses with voices
in happy harmony”

I couldn’t find any video… so here is a widget to hear this song (from the album pop goes the sun)’

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=593283634/size=large/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/tracklist=false/artwork=small/track=1530157716/transparent=true/

 

“Looking for Heroin” by Neighborhood Texture Jam

And we close out the daily shuffle with one from the Funeral Mountain album by Memphis cult band, Neighborhood Texture Jam, and a song about searching for a female hero… oh wait… never mind…

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – We’re Going Downtown Mix

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Had a great night of music last night.  Saw legendary songwriter Don Schlitz again at The 5 Spot (he has just one more week in his residency – if you are in Nashville and have not seen this show yet, I highly recommend it).  Then, I headed over to the City Winery – Nashville.  It was my first time in the big room, and I was impressed.  Saw Brian Wright and Liz Longley – a pair of very different, but both amazing songwriters/singers.  My review of their show is posted to No Depression.

“Hold on to Your Hats (We’re Going Downtown)” by Science!

From the Seattle band’s latest, Alcoves and Alleyways.  A great song for the beginning of my drive downtown for work.

“My Caravan” by Hoodoo Gurus

A deeper cut from Blow Your Cool!

“Love Won’t Burn” by Young America

From their EP Pain, Rain, and the Mundane which you can still get from Noisetrade.  The always amazing Lindsay Ellyn provides the background vocals on this track.  For the record, this song covers pain and rain – not sure about the mundane. I am highly anticipating their full-length Good Old Fashioned Pain.  I added a video bonus of a Gram Parson’s cover from Young America.

“Country Comforts” by Rod Stewart

Sometimes the ol’ shuffle pulls a nice transition like this… moving from the awesome neo-traditional country of Young America to this classic Brit-country track from Rod Stewart’s 1970 album Gasoline Alley.  The song was written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin and appears on John’s classic album Tumbleweed Connection.  As someone who grew up only knowing Rod Stewart from “Do You Think I’m Sexy” and “Hot Legs”, discovering his earlier music was a major revelation for me. 

“My Mama’s Dead” by Dream Police

Dream Police is a side project of members of the band, The Men.  This song is from the album Hypnotized which was released in November 2014.

“Half-Assed Blues” by Bark

Another side project – Bark. is made up of two thirds of the Tim Lee 3.  Susan Bauer Lee on Drums and Vocals and Tim Lee on bass, vocals, and others instruments. The debut EP by Bark. is also called Bark.

“Mulberry Street” by Matt King

This is the lead track from Matt King’s 2010 album Matt King and the Cutters.

“Black Friday Holiday” by Dead in 5

From the album, Schizophrenic Razor Project.  This Detroit band had a song in the cult film Pro Wrestlers vs. Zombies (which I totally didn’t know was a thing, but which I now must see).

“Corners” by The Storm Chronicles

Directly from my inbox comes some very good music which I would describe (upon first listen) as keyboard driven, progressive, pop music.  I will update and revise that assessment as I listen more.  The Storm Chronicles are from the Pacific Northwest.

“Molting” by Shaprece

Adding some Electronic R&B variety to the shuffle…  this comes from an EP of the same name (Molting) by this Seattle artist.  We grabbed the song from the Noisetrade SXSW mixtape.

“Traffic Jam” by A Color Engine

Fortunately, I wasn’t in one when I was listening to this :21 second track from the album Voyage Underwater 56 Knots by this now defunct band comprised of Ear to the Ground favorite Don Ryan and Eric Burchfield (Elephant Goes West) another E2TG featured band.   The video we included is a song from the film Eraserhead by David Lynch. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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