Category: Will Kimbrough

Another Random Mix of Great Music – April 4 Edition

Friday 4/4/2014

Still irregularly posting, but working hard a number of fronts.

Here’s my latest collection of music that has crossed my ears and/or mind since we last visited.

No rhyme or reason… never that…

THE PLAYLIST

1. “Gimme the Car” by Violent Femmes (This was a Bonus Track when the CD version of the Femmes self-titled debut was released.  I always dug this song.)

2. “Heavy Metal Boyz” by Gear Daddies (Back when I first started posting “Shuffles” on Facebook – even before the launch of Ear to the Ground – it seemed like there was a time when a Gear Daddies’ song showed up on my list almost everyday.  This song was always one of my favorites – along with a number of others…)

3. “No Depression” by Uncle Tupelo (If I have to explain why….)

4. The Rollins Band Live in 92 (News of a forthcoming Black Flag show in Nashville made me remember seeing The Rollins Band at 328 Performance Hall back in 1992 – the same year this video was made. Corrosion of Conformity was also on the bill.  At the time, I lived a few blocks away and actually walked to this show)

5.  “Chains” by Soul Asylum (somebody posted Whipped Cream and Other Delights by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass.  For some reason, it made me think of this…)

6. “Alabama Pines” by Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (heard this on the radio… such an exquisitely beautiful song)

7. The Bisquits partial reunion 2005 (So The Bisquits were a Nashville band that featured Tommy Womack, Will Kimbrough, Michael Grimes, and  Tommy Meyer.  Just last week, when I was at The Basement seeing Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray, I showed them a picture of The Bisquits which hangs on the wall between the two restrooms. About a week later, I hear that The Bisquits are reuniting to play Music City Roots on April 16. Coincidence or something more mysterious???)

8.  “Emotion Sickness” by Will Kimbrough  (speaking of Will Kimbrough – one of the busiest men in music – his latest solo album Sideshow Love has been climbing the Americana charts. Check it)

9.  “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple (a heard this on the radio, too.)

10. “Somebody to Love” by Queen (ditto)

11. “99 Luftballoons” by Nena (I got this song stuck in my head the other day for no reason.  Passing it on…)

12. “My Hometown” (Bruce Springsteen cover) by Jason Ringenberg (just surfing around You Tube… here you go)

13. Pujol at Grimeys for RSD 2012 – (Just heard Daniel Pujol will be playing Record Store Day at Grimey’s again this year.  Found this video from two years ago.)

14. “Solsbury Hill” by Peter Gabriel (“My heart going boom, boom, boom.”)

15. “Superman’s Song” by Crash Test Dummies (another ear worm from me to you)

16. “Sweet Virginia” by Rolling Stones (Exile on Main Street ya’ll.)

17. “Layne Montgomery is Bad at Girls” by The Great American Novel (In honor of the band’s final show :,-( which is going on tonight)



 


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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Ziggy, Elvis, and Rex Mix

January 8th!  E2TG sends out a heartfelt Happy Birthday! to four individuals who helped shaped my musical tastes.  Elvis Presley and David Bowie need to introduction.  Rex Silo and Ron Ruelle were by my side through many of my musical adventures and shows in the late 80s to early 90s. They remain good friends and I hope they will both raise an Old Bru (mentally add umlauts) today.

On to the shuffle which does not include Elvis or Bowie, but in honor of Rex and Ron (and purely by happenstance) does include several artists I know he likes….)


I’ve been taking advantage of kids being out of school and thus having longer commute time to listen to music to present as much music as I can before I load up our Playlist with lots and lots of new stuff.  The only bad thing is not having as much time to write about all the great music.  My recommendation is to look up bands on Facebook or using this thing called Google….   Anyway, after today, I will have featured over 80 songs this week.  Not a bad way to start 2014.

“Preach” by American Dirt
“Find Her Way” by Swear and Shake
“Song for the Dumped” (Ben Folds Five cover) by Bird by Bird
“Empire State Express” by Son House
“Revolution Number Zero” by The Brian Jonestown Massacre
“The Politics of Time” by The Minutemen
“Piece of Work” by Will Kimbrough
“Can’t Slow Down” by Randy Rogers Band
“Talking Microwave Blues (Live 2011)” by Darrin Bradbury
“Giddy Boy Good”  by Babe
“I’ll Only Let You Down” by The Dregs
“Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers Cover) by Bird by Bird
“Tennessee Valley Girl” by The Bis-Quits
“Distant Light” by Dr. Dog
“Charon” by Shake Jack
“Jamie” by Darrin Bradbury
“Troublemaker” by Jim Lauderdale
“Middle of the Bed” by Lucy Rose
“The Hearse” by Wampire
“U.R.A. Fever” by The Kills
“Hong Kong” by Adam Hill
“If You Need Me Back in Brooklyn” by River City Extension
“Loretta” by Amos Lee
“A Switch Behind the Poster? (Let’s Push It!)” by Black Doctor Jr.
“Balls to the Wall” (Accept Cover) by Eyes of the Dead
“Monster” by Solardrive (featuring Rain Phoenix)
“Play That Cheap Trick, Cheap Trick Play” by Tommy Womack
“Eyes on the Islands” by Humming House
“How I (Learned my Lesson) by X
“Love the Sinner, Hate the Sin” by Elephant Stone
“Fly” by The Jam
“There Ain’t Shit on T.V. Tonight” by Minutemen

 
WATCH
 


Still working on updating the Web Store

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Belly of the Beast Mix

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Well May is winding down and I’m frantically trying to clear out my playlist so I can start pretty fresh for June 1. Of course, as always, I’m adding faster than I can clear out… but it keeps me going…


MUSIC!

Pre-Shuffle:  

“Hill County Girl” by Will Kimbrough (achingly and stunningly beautiful song from Kimbrough’s 2007 EP)

“Change (JT Daly Remix)” by Churchill (from a Noisetrade Remix Collection)

“Love and War (Tangled)” by New Victorians (Two lovers during WWII London, a string section, and a band)

“Tracks” by Trapper Schoepp and the Shades (Milwaukee Rock!)

“Heart” by Mystery Twins (1/2 of Nashville band, The Clutters, from my Twitter to you in a matter of hours – you’re welcome!)

“Change (Acoustic)” by Churchill (a stripped down version of the second song on today’s pre-shuffle – digging it – They are from Denver)

“Bo Diddley” by Bo Diddley (Cause nobody does it better)






“Anymore” by Jonathan Warren and the Billy Goats (Progressive PsychoBilly Folk Grass from Boise)
SHUFFLE 



  • “Cruel Movements” by JoDee Purkeypile from Messenger (2013)


Austin, Texas singer/songwriter from his most recent release. ““Cruel Movements” was composed on piano in the aftermath of a “strange” night out with old friends.”

  • “The Way We Move – Solo Acoustic” by Langhorne Slim from This is the Way We Move (Noisetrade sampler – original version on The Way We Move (2012)


A glorious stripped down version of one of my favorite songs of the past couple of years.


  • “Pass on My Love” by Magnolia Sons from Free (2011)


Another great Nashville band – doing the retro-soul thing.  This one had me dancing up the hill.


  • “Tangled Up in Blue” by Bob Dylan from Blood on the Tracks (1975)

A great way to end the morning mix… one of my absolute, all-time favorite songs. 


PLAYLIST

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – April 4 Memphis Mix

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Thinking about MLK and the price of Freedom and Justice and the power of Love and Mercy.  For the record, the shot didn’t ring out in the early morning of April 4 (despite U2’s poetic license, it was the late evening). But I digress. 

The awesome music continues to roll in faster than we can distribute it out to you.  Stay tuned!

First up, we had a whopping eight songs in our Pre-Shuffle Shuffle this morning.  Just to explain, I listen to music on my ride into work and then on my walk from the parking lot. It was taking to long to write a complete post about all of the music, but I wanted to take the opportunity to give some quick shout outs.  So I invented the Pre-Shuffle Shuffle which contains fewer details but 100% of the love.

Pre-Shuffle Shuffle includes: Colorado by way of Brooklyn Singer-Songwriter and CXCW Alum David Lott, Birthday boy Luke Anderson and his band The Danbury Lie with another great song from their ‘?’ album out now via Bandcamp. Built4BBQ band and friends of The End Men (obligatory The End Men mention) New Red Scare are a Rock and Roll band from Albany – Unlucky One is from The Appetizer Sampler.  More Gershwin. Connecticut prodigies, The Foresters with Mugshot from their self-titled EP. A track from the forth-coming album, Damaged Goods from veteran Canadian band The Mohawk Lodge. A classic track and one of my favorite songs by Nashville by way of Mobile, Alabama singer, songwriter and guitar god, Will Kimbrough going back to his This album.  And the Pre-Shuffle closes out with yet another great track from Taco Land’s awesome new album Pancakes and Pizza which is out now.

We hit the Shuffle, Shuffle after the Jump

  • “Lightnin’ Hopkins” by R.E.M. from Document (1987)

Time is funny and relative. By the time, R.E.M. released Document their fifth album and final studio release on IRS Records, they were just six years out from the release of their first single (Radio Free Europe), five years out from the release of Chronic Town and just four years out from the release of Murmur – their first album.  But, R.E.M. were already building an audience thanks to constant touring and the support of then powerful College Radio, and Document marked what seemed at the time to be a huge sonic departure from their previous releases.  It even had a hit single, The One I Love reached #9 on the Billboard Hot 100.  Us young punk hipsters kind of saw it as bit of a sell-out (I remember a friend of mine singing “It’s the End of R.E.M. as we know it…” on a road trip to Nashville around the time of the album’s release.  But, as I said, time is funny and listening to Document now, it just sounds like classic R.E.M. and has some truly great R.E.M. moments including Lightnin’ Hopkins our track today.

  • “Screwdriver” by Prince – 2013 Single release

As I said, Time is funny.  Who’d have thought way back in 2012 that some of the most exciting new music of 2013 would be put out by the (allegedly) retired David Bowie and none other than the Purple One himself Prince Rogers Nelson.  But, here you have it. Bowie’s music has re-energized his fan-base and Screwdriver is just a damn fine funky Rock and Roll song. 

  • “The Middle” by Jenny from Heavy (2010) 

We have another track from the Heavy album by countryish rock band Jenny from Calgary.  Did I mention that this band features drummer Spencer Kathrens who used to be in Inner City Elegance, which was one of the early band’s we featured on Ear to the Ground (way back in the Posterous days)

  • “Coffee Cups” by Langhorne Slim and The Law from The Way We Move (2012)

More great music from Langhorne Slim and the Law. The Way We Move is a really strong album, so check it out if you haven’t

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Friday Morning Music Shuffle – It’s Up to You Mix


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Well, well, well… with just a couple of days left to vote, we have a dead heat between The Great American Novel and And the Giraffe. This one will truly go down to the wire.  Exciting…

We have pretty cool shuffle today, so let’s jump to it…

Daddy from the album, For a Second Time with I Went to Heaven in a Dream Last Night. “God said everything’s gonna be all right.”  Daddy is Will Kimbrough and Tommy Womack and friends. Great song.


 

Next, we have Oh My Sweet Carolina from Ryan Adams’ debut solo album, Heartbreaker. Emmylou Harris sings on this track, which is a sentence I always like to write.



 

Finally, Never Mind the Bollocks…  What’s a Friday morning without a little Sex Pistols.  New York was playing as I reached the building this morning.  Ready to jump to it.


 

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Couch By Couch West – A Wrap Up

UPDATE:  Fixed the Video links for The End Men and The Dead Exs.

First of all – for a definitive wrap up of Couch by Couch West go read what Popa has to say. (link)

This is just my two cents on the matter before we move on.
First of all great performances were legion with big name guests and with bands we’ve featured here at Ear to the Ground making an excellent showing.
The End Men kicked off the who show with Run Away and were named Most Rocking by the CXCW staff. Take a look and I’m sure you will agree with the decision: 

The Dead Exs turned in a rollicking number that got them named as Honorable Mention of Most Rocking… Here is All Over You going into Nolita Stomp:

Those Mockingbirds did their song The Bloodiest Gums from a Men’s Room in New Jersey.  Adam Bird sat on the floor of a men’s room, in New Jersey and just got runner-up for Sketchiest Locale. Head to CXCW to see the video that won.
 
David Pattillo of The Dead Exs was having so much fun at Couch by Couch West, he came back and did a solo number called Let the Natives Loose  which will be on The Dead Exs’ second album!
The incomparable Jonny Corndawg was a shoe-in for the Best Locale.  Check out this video:
Nikki Sue and the Bad News did a fun version of Bridge by the River.
Will Kimbrough didn’t let a little thing like the Atlantic Ocean stop him from sending in a performance of a new song called Home Economics :
Don Ryan is so hip he not only skips South by Southwest , but arrives too late for Couch by Couch West, but he still put up a couple of stellar clips.  The Official unentered entry of The Viral Thought from Tangle Town was followed up yesterday by an “outtake” – a new song called Desiree:

I could go on and on, but you’ll have to visit the Couch by Couch West website to see more… I do have one more but I will get to that soon….

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Something Something Something Mix

Moving right along… reminder check back with #CXCW this evening for the big awards ceremony.  What was you favorite moment of the festival? (While you are there, be sure to check out any videos you may have missed.

Shuffling up some music added during the month of March.  Here is today’s mix:
First up with have Will Kimbrough (Will & the Bushmen, The Bis-quits, Daddy) who has played and/or recorded with Emmylou Harris, Jimmy Buffet, Todd Snider, Garrison Starr, Tommy Womack among others. Today’s track is off his 2010 album Wings, The Day of the Troubadour seems like a good song choice for a man whose music currently has him touring Scandinavia.
Use the image below to head over to Amazon to check out Wings by Will Kimbrough.
 

Dawes is one of the hottest indie/Americana/Alt-Country bands around.  The rich, smooth sound of this band, with it’s familiar yet modern feel has garnered the band a lot of attention and the opportunity to work with the great California singer/songwriter Jackson Browne.   Their latest release  Nothing is Wrong was released last year, and today we have the track Moon in the Water.  Check out Nothing is Wrong by Dawes on Amazon.com by clicking the image below.
 
Bobby Womack has a long and storied career which has included forays into R&B, Soul, Rock, Country, Doo-Wop and Gospel. He has a brand new album due out in June which is called The Bravest Man in the Universe – it will be his first album of original recordings since 1994.  The first track from the forthcoming album has dropped, and you can get Please, Forgive my Heart by clicking on the rather disturbing image below:
 
 Teen Daze comes from Vancouver, Canada.  The first full-length album is due out in May and is called All of Us, Together. The first song out. It’s called Treton and you can pick up over on Bandcamp:
 
You can also check out the band’s 2010 EP Four More Years @amazon.com by clicking the image/link
 below:
 
 
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Affiliated links:
Bobby Womack: Midnight Mover: The True Story of the Greatest Soul Singer in the World Bobby Womack: Midnight Mover: The True Story of the Greatest Soul Singer in the World
Bobby Womack is a legend–a phenomenally gifted singer, songwriter, and guitarist with 40 albums and 30 million record sales to his name. A protege of Sam Cooke, Womack wrote classics that include “Lookin’ for a Love” and “It’s All Over Now” (a smash-hit for the Rolling Stones). Their success helped make him a star, but ongoing battles with drugs and the record industry nearly destroyed him. Behind his music lies a life scorched by tragedy, beginning with his impoverished childhood in Cleveland, to his years touring and recording with the greats–including James Brown, Jimi Hendrix, Sam Cooke, Aretha Franklin, Wilson Pickett, Eric Clapton, and Elvis Presley–and through the years of drugs, partying, and riotous abuse, this is the authentic voice of a major soul artist.

Monday Morning Music Shuffle – If a Tree… Mix

Here we go into another week. Couch by Couchwest has come to an end, but you can relive the glory here:
We got 10 songs this a.m. so let’s get to it:
 
UK band, The xx are up first with VCR from the album xx. Be Kind and Rewind…
 
 
 Next up is Portland, Oregon band Loch Lomond with the lovely Elephants & Little Girls.
 
East LA band Los Lobos have been around since the mid 70s, but their breakthrough came in 1984 with release of the T-Bone Burnett produced How Will the Wolf Survive?  We have A Matter of Time today which I actually converted from a vinyl copy of the out of print Slash Records compilation Slash Cuts.
 
In typical random fashion, Bruce Springsteen’s spare solo album Nebraska was the first CD I purchased (a few days before I bought my first CD player).  Atlantic City is our track today.
 
Beggars Banquet was released in 1968 and was the 7th studio album by the Rolling Stones.  Street Fighting Man  is just a great song.
The Sea and Cake come from Chicago.  Up on the Northshore from The Moonlight Butterfly album is a beautiful song that I fell in love with instantly.
 
Nashville’s own Will Kimbrough (via Mobile, Alabama) fights against his Southern upbringing by deciding to be Less Polite a politically charged song from his politically charged album Americanitis. (Hint: This album is unlikely to be played at a Tea Party Rally).
 
 
I honestly didn’t know until I started writing this post that Sam Prekop was in The Sea and Cake.  It makes sense, though.  Up above we have a link to an earlier release by Sam Prekop.  The song today, Arizona comes from a film called Pavilion by Tim Sutton.  Mr. Prekop contributed to the score. You can download your own copy of Arizona and stream another track called The Eve.  Stereogum will hook you up – here.
 
“Don’t forget the Motor City…”  Outrageous Cherry have been around for ten years and have nine full-length albums to their credit.  Thanks to Beyond Beyond is Beyond and Bang Bang Boogaloo for turning me on to the band. Today’s track, Unbalanced in the City is off of the band’s latest album Seemingly Solid Reality.
And finally, Magnolia Electric Co. have been absent from the public since 2009 due to on-going personal issues of founder Jason Molina. You can find out more about that  – here. We have the amazing song, Whip-Poor-Will from the album Josephine.
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Affiliated Links:
 
 Free Shipping
The Magnolia Electric Co The Magnolia Electric Co
The Magnolia Electric Co

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle – Cheer Up Sleepy Jean Mix

I wish I had some Monkees’ music in my MP3 player. I may have to remedy that soon.  As we remember Davy Jones, we remember the cultural phenomenon and cool music of this made for TV band of days gone by.  There have been some amazing tributes written by a wide variety of musical artists.  Say hey!

Late – so let’s get onto the list.

I created a spur-of-the-moment randomish playlist from which to shuffle and I’m pleased with the results:

First up, Rocks Off is off the uber-classic Rolling Stones album, Exile on Main Street. It captures the loose, filthy rock and roll music the band was making at that time. 
“I’m zipping through the days at lightning speed.
Plug in, flush out and fire the f**kin’ feed.
Heading for the overload,
Splattered on the dirty road,
Kick me like you’ve kicked before,
I can’t even feel the pain no more.” – Jagger/Richards

<—-Holy crap – you can download the 2010 Remastered version of Exile for just $2.99 at Amazon.com!!!

 Me and a friend once drove 80 or so miles in a convertible with the top down in a drizzle to see the next  band in the daily shuffle.  Will and the Bushmen were from Mobile, Alabama before settling in Nashville. Later Will’s and my life would intersect in a most unexpected way.  Can’t Turn Back the Clock was on the band’s 1991 album Blunderbuss (not to be confused with the new Jack White album of the same name – unless in your confusion you check out Will and the Bushmen, in which case be confused).

 <—–Blunderbuss by Will and the Bushmen – buy the CD at Amazon.com

Off! makes classic West Coast punk rock for the 21st Century.  Not surprising since the lead singer is ex-Black Flag/Circle Jerk Keith Morris.  I

<—download First Four EPs by Off! at Amazon.com

Finally, we bring you some classic Jamaican sounds from 1968. It’s Toots and the Maytals with title track from their album Sweet and Dandy. Go ahead and prepare to feel the movin’ and the groovin’.

  <—-Download Sweet and Dandy by Toots and the Maytals at Amazon.com

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Affiliated Links:

 

Black Flag: Live Black Flag: Live
Although Black Flag was unquestionably one of the greatest and most explosive live rock bands of all time, few of the band’s shows were documented on video before its breakup in 1987. Although the band only managed two British tours during its existence,

20th Century Masters - The Millennium Collection: The Best of Toots & The Maytals 20th Century Masters – The Millennium Collection: The Best of Toots & The Maytals
Toots & the Maytals’ edition of 20th Century Masters is a very good summation of the group’s greatest songs and therefore, their very importance. This doesn’t have every great song they’ve ever done, and is not as comprehensive as other overviews assemble

Rolling Stones - Exile on Main Street Rolling Stones – Exile on Main Street
18-song matching folio to the classic Stones album features transcriptions of: Rocks Off * Tumbling Dice * Let It Loose * All Down The Line * Stop Breaking Down * Casino Boogie * Torn and Frayed * Black Angel * Loving Cup * Happy * Soul Survivor * Shake Your Hips * Rip This Joint * and more. Also includes photos.