Category: Valued Customer

Saturday Morningish Music Shuffle – Spring Cleaning Mix

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A rare Saturday shuffle to make up for not posting yesterday… life happens – you know….

It’s been a very interesting week in many ways.  Musically, since we last connected, Thursday night, I went to week 3 of 5 of Campfire Propaganda.  It was a blast with the usual suspects – who are some pretty awesome songwriters: Brian Wright, Tim Easton, Megan Palmer, Darrin Bradbury, and Nellie Clay plus this week joined by Matt Haeck.  Then, I headed to The Family Wash to see Bark (Tim and Susan of Tim Lee 3) play an awesome set and then back up Jim Mize along with Laurie Stirratt.

Last night, it was the Jon Latham CD Release Show at Belcourt Taps.  Darrin Bradbury opened.  A really fun time.  Jon was joined by Haley Dreis, Josh Morris, Shawn Conerton, and Sean Quinn. And he even asked me to emcee the show.  There was tons going on musically around Nashville last night, and I though I don’t like that I missed some of the things that I missed, I know I was at the right place.

Speaking of Jon Latham.  In case you missed it, I wrote some words about Real Bad News – his brand new album.  You can check it out HERE.

Just some tunes I listened to while I did some spring cleaning this morning. And, the answer is yes, I do know that it is mid-October.  What can I say, it has been a crazy, busy summer…

I am not going to comment on the songs – many I found the actual song for the Video Playlist.  If something interests you, and you need help finding out more – shoot me a line and I will tell you all I know.  Meanwhile, sit back and enjoy and maybe if you need to do some spring cleaning you can listen while you clean – like I did.

“Sourwood Mountain” by Carolina Chocolate Drops

“No Depression” by Uncle Tupelo

“Cherokee” by John Moreland

“Church on Time” by Kevin Gordon

“Smells Like Teen Spirit” by Nirvana

“Pretty People” by The Sunday Reeds

“Great New Year” by Ted Hawkins

“Trash” by Bully

“looks on tempests” by valued customer

“Back Up Mama” by Buddy Guy

“I Gotsa Get Paid” by ZZ Top

“Cool for Cats” by Squeeze

“Dirt” by Tigerman WOAH!

“Wilder (We’re Chained” by Brandi Carlile

“Ain’t Nobody Leaves This Place” by Tiffany Huggins Grant

“The Ghost in You” by The Psychedelic Furs

“New Spark” by Johnny Powers

“Big Belly Momma” by Albert Smith

“Boss” by The Rumblers

“pasaran” by valued customer

“Fennario”by Gill Landry

“Aberdeen” by Harmonica Lewinskies

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – White Light Had It Mix

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Exciting day yesterday as the #E2TG Facebook Page barreled over 400 Likes on our way to 500!  Welcome all the new “likers”.  To get in on the party, click the clink above and give us a “Like”.

Let’s get  to today’s shuffle….

“White Light/White Heat” by The Velvet Underground

The repetition, the distortion, the power… The Velvet Underground were so far out in front that most people still haven’t caught up.  The title track from the band’s second album – the last with John Cale.

“Smoke” by Ilana J

Ilana J is a pop songwriter from Britain. Her current album Freefalling from the Ground Up was released last month.  This song is light, airy, and extremely catchy.

“Genie Versus Genie” by Clouseaux

When I attended the surf rock show featuring Crazy Aces and The Mystery Men, I picked up an instrumental rock zine that included a compilation CD.  From that record, comes a groovy track by this band from Houston.  I don’t know much about the band, but I really dig this tune.

“Hurricane Wind” by Carl Anderson

Another from Carl Anderson’s awesome record, Risk of Loss.  Coming to the Nashville scene by way of Charlottesville, VA, Anderson has found his place among the incredible wellspring of talent bubbling up out of East Nashville of late.  Risk of Loss remains in my heretofore hypothetical best of list for 2015.

“girl” by valued customer

The final song on Byugecup (The Huge Cup B-Sides). The song clocks in at over 9 minutes and manages to encompass much of what it is that makes Valued Customer so awesome.  I kind of said a whole bunch the last post I made about VC, so I will just end this post by saying: Valued Customer is good – really good.

“Cuckoo Song” by Townes Van Zandt

A while back, I grabbed a download of a Townes Van Zandt performance 1973 recorded at a coffee shop in Minneapolis…

“Marquee Man” by Pony Boy

Pony Boy was an L.A. singer/songwriter when Ear to the Ground first caught up with her about three years ago.  She has since moved to Nashillve and she just released her latest albun, Blue Gold on Cosmic Thug Records. The album was produced by the superduo of Adam Landry and Justin Collins. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST


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Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Palindromatic Mix

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Pardon my English, but screw 1,000 posts.  1001 is where it is at… plus it is a palindrome.

So, last night was the first of five weeks of  Campfire Propaganda’s residency at The 5 Spot in East Nashville. It was a wonderful celebration of songs and songwriters.  Tim Easton, who is always wonderful, the awesome Megan Palmer, guests from Oklahoma – John Calvin Abney and Levi Parham), Nellie Clay, and Darrin Bradbury.  For the rest of the Thursday’s in October 6p.m. to 8p.m. The 5 Spot is the place to be…

“agadbaagadba” by valued customer

I got another reminder of how much I love Valued Customer. The long time Ear to the Ground favorites from Toronto released Kalpa last year, and it stands a remarkable achievement and I’d go as far as to say, it is one of my all-time favorites. They have been hard at work on the follow-up which will be called hugecup. Expect that album in 2016.  In the meantime, the tide us over, they recently released byugecup (the hugecup b-sides).  Let me tell you right now, if these are the songs that didn’t make the cut for hugecup… then… that album will be worth the wait.  I never really know how to explain Valued Customer to the uninitiated. Think really, really alternate hip-hop, with elements of avant garde jazz and classical music, trippy eastern spirituality, and a solid foundation of modern music.  It is not exactly what would be considered accessible in a mainstream kind of way, but from the moment I first heard the band, I have been in to it hardcore. 

“All in the Mystery” and “Goodnight Brownie Ford” by Kevin Gordon

The shuffle brings up two songs in a row from Kevin Gordon’s excellent new album, Long Gone Time. You may recall I reviewed the album and the CD Release Show for No Depression. Kevin Gordon is a Nashville and a National treasure and here to hoping his “under the radar” days are numbered.

“Get Low” by Millar Jukes and the Bandits

Our second list to Millar Jukes and his band from Australia. The new EP is called Chase the Sun, and I am really loving it.

“Black Lung Fever” by Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen

Ted Drozdowski’s Scissormen will be playing Music City Roots at the end of this month, and I, for one, plan to be on the bus down there for that show. You may recall, I reviewed this record back at the end of July.  You can check out that review – here.

“Old Soul” by Dog Without Warning

Long time Ear to the Ground faves and Couch by Couchwest alums – Dog Without Warning from the Bay Area have, in the time I have known of them, have made consistently good music that has generally not had a consistent sound.  On the thematic Go Girl from 2012 was a solid indie rock album.  Bark, released in 2013, was acoustic, at times almost Countryish, and really good.  The band has been releasing some individual songs since April of this year (they released the latest just a day or so ago). “Old Soul” was released in May. This song plays heavy toward the direction of “nerd rock” (a description they often use). It is a really great song both lyrically and musically.  Expect more of their new music to pop up in the shuffle soon.

VIDEO PLAYLIST


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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Strangest Cargo Mix

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Just as the weather is showing it’s first signs of cooling off, the music around town is heating up.  Shows are stacking up, Americana Music Association Festival is just a couple of weeks ago, outdoor shows are starting to ramp up…

Meanwhile, the E2TG Random Music Shuffles roll along.  We have a good one that covers quite a bit of musical ground… shall we? We shall!

“Tongues Are Turning” by Discount Ravioli

We have another (longer) track for Discount Ravioli’s new album (debut?) which is called Robin Schultz and the 21 Prayers.  There are, by the way, 21 tracks on the album.  This one is called “Tongues are Turning”.  By the way, still no video of Discount Ravioli so I included a track by another Dord Music Group artist – The Urinal Cakes. Meanwhile, if you search for “Tongues are Turning” by Discount Ravioli on YouTube, you can find a video of how to make ravioli and video diary of someone who got their tongue pierced.  Happy searching…

“Prayer for the Snake” by The Shakers

After running into Robert Logue at The 5 Spot a couple of weeks back, The Shakers have been on my mind, so I decided to load up their album, Songs From Beneath the Lake into my playlist.  Prayer for the Snake is one of my favorites from that album (though to be honest, I have a lot of favorites from that album). The Shakers were not all what one might expect of Nashville music in the late 80s/early 90s, but there was a unmistakable spirit of Southern Gothic mysticism present in the ethereally beautiful melodies.  Logue and Oscar Rice were part of the original line-up of Royal Court of China before leaving that band to focus on The Shakers.  The influence of those two musicians on Royal Court of China is evident on that band’s self-titled debut.

“irish twins” by valued customer

I have a hard time expressing how glad I am to have Valued Customer back in the shuffle.  This band from Toronto have been one of my favorites for a long time. They just recently released byugecup (the hugecup bsides).   hugecup is going the be the band’s next album.  Seemingly, these are tracks that did not make that album.  Make no mistakes, Valued Customer’s b-sides are on a level so far above most bands’ a-sides.  As with most of Valued Customer music, I don’t really feel like describing or analyzing the music too much.  I just kind of lean into it and let it take me higher… it never let’s me down.  Superbly talented musicians, spiritual seekers, weird and mad geniuses.  I guarantee you have never heard anything like Valued Customer.

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As the sixties ended, and the 1970s began, Paul Revere and the Raiders decided to shorten their name and change musical directions.  The resulting album, Collage, was a commercial failure, but it included some pretty cool tunes like this one.

“Wade in the Water” by The Barefoot Movement

Another track from young traditionalists, The Barefoot Movement’s EP called The High Road.  This song is a negro spiritual that was first published in 1901 by the Fisk Jublilee Singers (the combo that actually gave Nashville the name Music City).

“Home Again” by Charlie Whitten

Originally on an EP called Travis County Macaroons.  This one came to me via a Noisetrade sampler called, An Assortment.  Charlie Whitten is from Nashville.

“I’m Not the Same” by Fritz Montana

Fritz Montana are an indie blues rock band from San Francisco. I honestly cannot remember how I came across this artist  UPDATE: I remember now – this came to me via last month’s Feel Bad For You Mixtape (submitted by the one and only David Popa Tunes Horton – it all makes sense now!), but I like them a lot. 

“Strange Boat” by The Waterboys

One more good one from one of my favorite albums, Fisherman’s Blues.

“Johnny Always Stayed” by Jonas Howden Sjøvaag’s Navyelectre

Another awesome improvisational track from the Large Ensemble out of Oslo, Norway. Wonderful songs and sounds. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Shoot Out the Lights 2013 Mix

Bang! And with this post, #E2TG closes the door on our extended recap of some of our favorite music of the past 12 months.  The Video Playlist ends up at just over 100 videos. Our Amazon Web Store comes in at 54 items.

Monday – we jump right into 2014 and hit the ground running….

Further ado avoided…


“Heartbeat” by Kopecky Family Band

“Dirty Boys” by David Bowie

“Top of the World” by Don Ryan and the Blank Canvas Movement

“Brick x Brick” by Christopher Paul Stelling

“A Song for Leonard Cohen” by Amanda Shire

A Grimm Interlude
 
As we listened to the latest The Grimm Generation album, The Big Fame in it’s entirety in a non-Shuffle mode:
 
“Earthquake, Hurricane, Flood and You”
“The Next Indie Boy”
“Dizzy in my Hips Swinging”
“House Drinks”
“Miller, Don’t You Even Care”
“Until Then”
“Quiet (St. Francis)”
“Road to Joy”
“Real Bad Voodoo”
“Wreck of my Bed”
“Eye of Tranquility”
“Bigger Than”
“The Big Fame”
 
End A Grimm Interlude
 
 
“Pawnshops” by Todd Farrell Jr. and the Dirty Birds
 
“Box Cutters” “Wasted and Rollin'” and “Devastate” by Amanda Shires
 
“Diamond Sigh”  “Second Moon” and “I Do Not Will to Know” by Valued Customer
 
 
NOTES:
 
Kopecky Family Band are really a family band and they have been Nashville favorites for several years.  Kids Raising Kids was first released back in 2012, but was released by ATO Records in April and helped to introduce the band to the rest of the world. I keep finding Kopecky Family Band EPs at Goodwill – so thanks to the person with poor musical taste and/or questionable judgment.
 
We couldn’t let 2013 get away without posting one more Don Ryan song. We have yet another song queued up for 2014.
 
Christopher Paul Stelling released his awesome album False Cities and toured the world in 2013. My regret is that I missed seeing him when he came through Nashville and played a sold out show at the world famous Bluebird Café (as seen on the ABC series, Nashville)*
 
*if ABC or the producers of Nashville  want to pay me for the plug, they can just shoot me an e-mail and I will happily provide banking information….
 
Amanda Shires released the stunning Down Fell the Doves in 2013, and we offer up four songs from that album even though she doesn’t need our help.  She’s amazing. I saw her at Americana in 2012 and then again at an all too brief mini-set at Grimey’s for Americanarama.
 
As I was listening and writing all of these year-end posts, I kept coming up with superlatives, but I never got around to codifying them. So, suffice it to say, The Big Fame – the highly anticipated album by Connecticut’s The Grimm Generation would have been the Most… something.  I couldn’t let this year end countdown slip by without a little Grimm music, so I decided to listen to the whole damn album.  The band is one of my all-time favorites and they keep making new music and doing new things, so I fully expect to post much more of their music in 2014.
 
Todd Farrell, Jr. and the Dirty Birds are from right here in Nashville, but it took CXCW and Popa Tunes (again) to turn me on to their music.  This is flat out great music that I want to hear much more of in 2014.
 
Well, I burned through my playlist and still had a few minutes to get to my office this morning.  I could think of no better way to close out this whole she-bang than by listening to the first three songs from Valued Customer’s mind-expanding Kalpa album.  There is so much demented genius going on here, that it can be hard for a simple-minded music blogger to keep up. I really just want everyone to experience this album.  Do it!
 
WATCH
 
 
 
SHOP
 

http://bandcamp.com/EmbeddedPlayer/album=50545387/size=medium/bgcol=ffffff/linkcol=0687f5/transparent=true/

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – A Few of My Favorite Things 2013 Mix – Part Five

Stupid winter bugs…. well, I was out sick Friday – so no shuffle.  But, today’s shuffle includes music I would have featured on that day – plus a few more.   I’m actually going to be away for the rest of the week.  Ear to the Ground will return Monday December 30 to present the 3rd Annual Band of the Year award (for the first time not based upon a poll).

Let’s get to the music…



“I Guess That’s True” by Calicocat
“Lincoln” by EdTang
“Hey Grace, Hey Tony” by Grace and Tony
“May the Road Rise to Meet Your Face” by James Crawford
“Afraid to Die” by Monks of Mellonwah
“Screwdriver” by Prince
“Arrival in a Distant Land” by The Gabriel Construct
“Patience” by Mr. Kind
“Halo Day (4 ‘Drew)” by Tim Lee 3
“Bill, I Believe This is Killing Me” by EdTang
“Davey Jones” by The Blind Owl Band
“I’d Rather be High” by David Bowie
“Lonesome Street” by The Blind Owl Band
“Knocking on Heavens Door” by You and Me
“Divine Restlessness” by Marla Mase
“On the Watch (Parts V- XII)” by The Gypsy West
“Tennessee” by The Coal Men
“New Jerusalem” by Valued Customer
“Saint” by Mission South

NOTES:

Sadly, Nashville’s Calicocat called it quits this year, but first, they dropped their brilliant Mighty Superfluous.

Look for Grace and Tony to continue to light things up in 2014. Their debut album November dropped in… well November. 

Reuniting with old classmates on social media can be a hit or miss endeavor. From acrimonious political rankling to endless game requests, there can definitely be a downside.  On the other hand, there are people I didn’t know too well in school who I’ve gotten to know and like through the web.  And then there is James Crawford who just happened to make one of my favorite albums of the year.

Prince and David Bowie released excellent new music in 2013. Go figure.

The Gypsy West kicked off 2013 with the release of the final part of their Accomplices trilogy. We loved it.

Valued Customer.

I saw Mission South at the Basement when I went out to see my friends Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray. They are from D.C. and pretty freakin’ awesome.

SHOP
WATCH
(all of our 2013 favorites)
 
 


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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – A Few of Favorite Things 2013 Mix – Part Two

First of all… Tuesday? Really? Just Tuesday?

Second… how about a couple of my favorite Christmas songs…

http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/CjaPXihbORk&source=uds
http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/RXCEdrnaFlY&source=uds
 
 
 
Third… Rest in Peace to Mr. Ray Price. In seeing some of the news reports, I was most struck at how his voice held up into his late 70s/early 80s. So smooth…  Thanks for the music.
 
http://youtube.googleapis.com/v/Pn4kmPTul44&source=uds
 
 
 
Now… to today’s music…

 
Our journey back through some favorites from the year that will soon enough be ending…  Shuffle style…
 
 
“It’s All Wrong” by The End Men
 
“I Should Have Listened” and “Today is Gonna Be a Better Day” by You and Me
 
“Stuck” by The Coal Men
 
“Double Brahma” by Valued Customer
 
“The Flame” by prattle on, rick
 
“Bloodhound” by Jeanette Lynne
 
“Muskegon Harbor” by Taco Land
 
“Sailing Stones” by Monks of Mellonwah
 
“Daddy Fool (Svelt Mix)” by Tipi Valley (from Rock ‘n Roll Lives On)
 
“Love Doesn’t Mind” by Taco Land (from Pancakes and Pizza)
 
“Two Weeks on the Ocean” by James the Giant (from James the Giant)
 
“Broken Heartland” by The Coal Men (from Escalator)
 
“Onward” by The Danbury Lie (from ?)
 
“Modern Lives” by Taco Land (from Pancakes and Pizza)
 
“The Hoover Farm Exorcism” by The Imperial Rooster (from Cluckaphony)
 
 
Highlights:
 
The End Men – of course.
 
 
You and Me (glad to receive some music this year from one of the bands we’ve been following for a long time.  Also glad to have two songs in a row from that album in today’s shuffle)
 
I feel like I was late to the party with The Coal Men. If, like me, you are just now discovering this great Nashville band, Escalator is a great place to start.
 
Before 2013, I knew I liked Valued Customer, but I wasn’t completely sure why.  This year with the release of their truly mind-blowing/expanding Kalpa, I have become convinced that this wacky kids from Toronto are nothing short of musical geniuses…maybe just geniuses.
 
prattle on, rick is another Nashville-based “discovery” from 2013. Looks like I caught on just in-time for his fan-only release A Decade Begins and the album from which this track is taken, his extraordinary Some Quiet Majesty.
 
Likely, Taco Land and Tipi Valley have very little in common.  One is from south Texas and the other from coastal Wales. They have both been featured prominently on this blog for some time. And they both had impressive releases in 2013. In listening today, I heard something (subtle) to connect these two great artists/bands.  Always good to have long time blog friends/supporters in the shuffle.


 


Monks of Mellonwah are releasing their debut album as a series of EPs.  The first two parts – Ghost Stories and Afraid to Die were released in 2013.  The final part will be released in 2014.  Some awesome hard rock from down under.

James the Giant released one of the most beautiful/painfully touching records of the year.  The song featured today is dedicated to his brother who was killed in Afghanistan.

The Danbury Lie and The Imperial Rooster have just about nothing in common except that they both released incredible music in 2013 that I have thoroughly enjoyed hearing and sharing.  There will be much more on both of these bands forthcoming.

SHOP


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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle – Tender Mercy Mix

Well, well, well… we managed to stir up some controversy with yesterday’s Hall of Fame inductees due to our blatant omission of the Latin American singing group Menudo.*

*True except for the controversy and the fact that our omission of Menudo was not blatant.

As we prepare to induct the next three E2TG favorites into our HofF, we still do not have Menudo, but we do have a boy band of sorts to head today’s list.  (A Hall of Fame page is still in the works)

 






4.  Valued Customer (Toronto, Canada)
5.  The Dead Exs (New York, NY)
6. The Imperial Rooster (Espanola, NM)

Welcome to the E2TG Hall of Fame!

Shuffle begins in 3….
2….
1….
JUMP

“Obsidian” by Theory of Machines (from EP1.  A heavy rock instrumental from London.)

“Some Say” by Solardrive (featuring TC) (from Solardrive. An interesting new indie-pop band from L.A. which features Balthazar Getty)

“Broken Heartland” by The Coal Men (from Escalator.  More excellent stuff from this Nashville band. The attached video features lead Coal Man – Dave Coleman performing a Daniel Lanois song in the awe-inspiring sanctuary of Nashville’s Downtown Presbyterian Church)

“Mercy” by prattle on, rick. (from Some Quiet Majesty.  Another great track from this Nashville singer/songwriter)

“Blue Moon Howl” by Mark Robinson (from Have Axe -Will Travel. This album has been Nominated by the Nashville Blues Society for the Best Self-Produced CD for the International Blues Challenge.  The winner will be announced in January 2014. Mark is a great ambassador for Nashville Blues music, and Have Axe – Will Travel is one of our favorite albums of this year.)

“Little Time” by Adam Hill (from Little Time. Make it three Nashville artists in a row.  Little Time is the latest album by Singer Songwriter Adam Hill)

“Tenderness” by General Public (from All the Rage.  Digging back to 1984 and this IRS records band headed by Dave Wakeling  and Ranking Roger of The Beat, and their smash hit song.)

“Theatre is the Life of You” by the Minutemen (from Double Nickels on the Dime. San Pedro.)

“Baby Blue” by Jay Farrar (a cover of the 1971 BadFinger classic which has come back into prominence due to it’s inclusion in the final episode of a recent popular television series.  Ex-Uncle Tupelo/Son Volt member Farrar turns the song into a beautiful, dusty alt-country gem.)

 
 
WATCH
 


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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – All Rise Mix


I was out of the office, so today’s shuffle comes from yesterday’s drive home.  and I have to make it quick.

Very quick…  JUMP NOW

We have some great songs in the mix today,and I wish I had more time to spend telling you about them.  Give a listen to the Video Playlist and check out our weekly Amazon Store.  Just a friendly note/reminder, if you order anything from Amazon through our Store, we get a percentage of the sale.  So if you need a million dollar home and if Amazon sells it, go through our store, please.

Today we have in semi-no particular order….  A song from The Blind Owl Band from New York, Another great tune from Kalpa by Valued  Customer from Toronto or something….  A couple from Beastie Boys off of Licensed to Ill, a song by the awesome Two Cow Garage, a Killing Kuddles songs, one by Marla Mase, Two by Tim Lee 3, a classic by True Believers, Dead Pop Stars Society, One from a UK band called False-Heads, one from Katey Laurel, a great song from Nashville band Clemency, one from Susan James, and a classic from The Box Tops.

Use the Widgets Below to get featured music from Valued Customer, False-Heads, and Dead Pop Stars Society

Friday Morning Music Shuffle – Best Ever Mix

 
(Throw back Friday Pic)


For me, every mix is unique and has value.  Is this the best ever mix? Probably not, that will be Monday or some other time (or many other times in the future).  This is a good mix – a damn good mix.  Why?  ‘Cause it has some of my all time favorites, a couple of brand new (to me) songs that I really dig, a nifty cover, a diverse but not crazily diverse mixture of songs (although I love me some crazily diverse mixtures), and it forces me to break a long-standing officially unofficial blog policy…. but we’ll get to all that.

Meanwhile – let’s just dive right into the mix

(JUMP TO THE PRE-SHUFFLE)

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PRE-SHUFFLE

“Mission Bells” by Susan James (One of my favorite albums of 2013 so far is Driving Into the Sun.  This is awesome California folksy rock music with a mellow vibe. Americana, but California-style Americana, and it’s a fantastic album)

“Drinkin’ Problem” by Lori McKenna (I think I may have gotten this from a Popa Tunes compilation – I noticed he was a fan of her music page on Facebook. I am too.  This is a great song. Massachusetts Country Music. Nice.

“Ate” by Alvin Band (From a Noisetrade compilation that includes songs from several different Alvin Band albums. I’m realty growing to dig this music.)

“The Music in My Headphones” by Telepathic Teddy Bear (When someone called Telepathic Teddy Bear follows you on Twitter, you follow back.  When they have music for download, you download. You don’t know why you do this, but you do. And, you are glad you did.  I’m glad I did.)

“Into the Mines” by The End Men (The opening track on The End Men’s latest album, Play With Your Toys, makes big promises and prepares you for something beyond what you would expect from the band.  “Into the Mines” seals the deal.  A chillingly dark tale to be sure.  Remember, this is only a show, but it’s a show you do not want to miss…

SHUFFLE

“Cool Me Down” by Promised Land Sound from Summer Sampler 2013 (Jeffery Drag Records)

 





Jeffery Drag Records is a pretty bitchin’ cool label based here in Nashville.  It is the mad brain child of Bad Cop front man Adam Anyone Moult. Last year some time, we reported that Jeffery Drag had become part of the French Kiss Label Group. Anyway, they have this new compilation out on band camp – click on the picture of Promised Land Sound to get to that compilation – and it’s a pretty great mix of music.  Bad Cop, Natural Child, Majestico, and Useless Eaters. Plus it’s got this band.  Promised Land Sound (or Promised Land – I’m kind of confused…) are really great. Hell, they are “Jack White digs them” great (they put out a 7″ on his Third Man label).

“Old School Friends” by Honeyhoney from American Songwriter Sessions (originally on the band’s 2011 album Billy Jack)

 
 
 

Per their Facebook Page, Honeyhoney are from Nashvillle, but now live in Los Angeles. This song left me wanting to hear more from this band.  It’s a song that sounds like a classic, the minute you first lay ears on it.

“Changing” by The Gypsy West from Accomplices III: No Barcodes (2013)

 
 

Another of our favorites of 2013.  We reviewed this record early in the year.  The EP is the finale of a trilogy of songs that tell the story of a revolution.  This is the opening song from this EP and highlights the power and the creativity of this Brooklyn band.

Finally – at some point, I made a solemn vow, or an idle promise … I honest don’t remember the circumstances, but I made a promise that I honestly thought would be easy to keep.  But, today, I find my self (sort of) breaking that promise.  There are only a hand full of bands for which I would even consider breaking that promise.

“Boyfriend” (Justin Bieber Cover) by Valued Customer from “Fun Covers”

 
 

It helps that this isn’t so much a cover as it is a deconstruction.   I do love me some Valued Customer….  I don’t have a video of the song, but I have a video of Patrick from Valued Customer covering another song – plus another cover of this hit song by another familiar face.. You’ll have to watch the Playlist below to find out.

PLAYLIST
 
 


 

 

 

 



 

 

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