Throwback Thursday Morning Shuffle – Boiling Butter Mix

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Fun-filled night at Coverbest at The Beast (The Basement East)… Terry Rickards always does a great job putting those events on… I really dug Matt Haeck doing Tom Waits,  Darrin Bradbury doing Modest Mouse, Sarah Potenza doing Gillian Welch, and Tesla Rossa doing Beck… plus lots of inspiring conversations about music and East Nashville and creativity….

Tonight, Fats Kaplin returns to his Thursday Night residency at The 5 Spot – the penultimate week of this month-long (sans St. Patrick’s Day) event…  I missed two weeks ago, and I do not want to miss this one…  It is guaranteed to be some of the best music around and highly entertaining, too.

Later tonight, Chris Scruggs and The Stone Fox Five are playing what I think is their second show since the club that gave them their name closed unexpectedly.  They will be at The Country with The Farmer and Adele opening.  I have heard a lot about The Farmer and Adele, but I have not seen them yet.

I am off work tomorrow.  I may try to do a Featured Friday Shuffle from home, but no promises… stay tuned.

Meanwhile, Thursday – means we throw it back like an undersized fish….

“Dead and Gone” by Blake Babies

Another from that live album recently released on Noisetrade. Blake Babies formed in Boston in 1986 and gave Juliana Hatfield her start. This recording is from a show for Emerson College on 5/9/1989.  The song itself was released on the band’s 1989 album Earwig.

“Summer’s Cauldron” by XTC

In the interesting timing category… This song is the opening song from XTC’s 1986 album, Skylarking which was produced by Todd Rundgren.  Apparently, Rundgren recently reignited a long standing “feud” with Andy Partridge about the album to which Partridge responded in long series of tweets…. anyway, I always liked the album… from this outsider perspective, it is an interesting bit of historical information. And anyway, I dig this song.

“Deacon Jones” by Louis Jordan

Disclosure time, my practice is to remove songs from my phone once I have featured them so I don’t have too many repeats – not to say a song may not reappear, but I try to avoid songs coming up again too soon after I featured them.  Sometime – as in this case, I fail to delete the song.  So – here is “Deacon Jones” which was featured two weeks ago (on another #TBT).  What the hell, it’s a great and fun song.   

“Gigantic” by Pixies

From Surfer Rosa (1988) – the band’s first solo album. And yeah – there is a bit of connection between this and a song later in the shuffle that I will not elaborate on…

“Born to Run” by Bruce Springsteen

The year was 1975, the album was Born to Run, the song was Born to Run… a true American rock and roll anthem…

“Calinda” by Jim Smoak and the Louisiana Honeydrippers

Bluegrass music is not often associated with Louisiana, but Jim Smoak who was born in South Carolina and played with Bill Monroe early in his career – was living in the Bayou State when he put together the Louisiana Honeydrippers and recorded this music back in 1960.

“The Big Johnson” by Neighborhood Texture Jam

From Funeral Mountain…. Neighborhood Texture Jam were loud and wild and often highly inappropriate…  they also recorded some great songs (even songs like this one that you don’t always want to share in sensitive company)…  This song connects with a song from earlier in the shuffle for reasons  I will not elaborate on…

“Where Did All the Girls Come From” by Treat Her Right

From the fantastic self-titled debut from 1986 by Treat Her Right…  speaking of connections – Treat Her Right like Blake Babies were from Boston.  The album from which this song came was released in 1986 same as Skylarking (mentioned earlier). And on a personal note, this song asks the musical question that I often found myself asking in my reckless youth… #chickmagnet   😉 #ironichashtag #whyamIhashtagginginmyblogpost  #lame 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Takes Brains Mix

Back at you with another shuffle after a day off.  Made it to four different venues last night to see friends play music.  Two downtown, two on the eastside.  Heard a couple of great songwriter circles – one with Taylor Alexander of the band Young America and one with Lindsay Ellyn.  Hustled to the East Nashville – Logue’s Black Raven Speakeasy to catch the last part of Amelia White’s set and a moving set from the incomparable Julie Christensen, and then drove a few block down Gallatin Pike to catch the tail end of a set from Darrin Bradbury and the Fran’s Eastside Super-High Band (Tim Carroll, Cameron Carrus, and David Strayer).  As Lindsay said, the hustle is real…

Today’s shuffle is long on great music, but I am short on time… so check it out, google if you need to and enjoy our little video approximation.

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Title track – a nice way to start another fine day…

“The Devil’s Masquerade” by The Radicals from Halloween Rhymes and Children’s Crimes

Nothing like some punk rock music to get the morning hopping…

“Walter” (Acoustic Noisetrade Exclusive) by Heath McNease from Fort Wayne (songs inspired by the film)

Any song that begins by referencing David Bowie is okay in my book.  I really can relate to this song… Ground Control to Major Tom…

“Shake ’em On Down” by Sidestreet Reny and Lil’ Bell from Holler

New music from a West Coast Blues duo I’ve become very fond of lately. With a great R.L. Burnside Mississippi Fred McDowell cover (I haven’t fact checked this – so if I’m wrong let me know and I will correct/retract). Thanks to Sturgis Nikides for the assist.

“Living the Dream” by Sturgill Simpson from 2014-05-13 – Grimey’s Records – Nashville/Metamodern Sounds in Country Music

What can I say? The incredibly awesome Sturgill Simpson recorded live at the awesome Grimey’s New and Pre-Loved Music.

“The Mayor of Simpleton” by XTC from Oranges and Lemons

If you don’t like this song… I just don’t understand you…  One of my all-time favorites.

“Audeamus” by Clocks and Clouds from The Creation of Matter

Classic Rock just not in the way the term is usually used…

“I Was Raised in Babylon” by Yusuf/Cat Stevens from Yusuf

I remember when “Peace Train” was pulled from the 10,000 Maniacs In my Tribe album.  I saw this new album pop up on Freegal – I listened to a few seconds of this opening track, and I had to download it… 

“Ain’t Nobody (Gonna Save My Soul)” by Pork Chop Willie from Love is the Devil

I actually think we’ve already featured this song – I think it got added to my playlist twice. I’m not complaining. Some great Hill Country Blues from North Mississippi by way of Brooklyn, New York.

VIDEOS

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle – Return of the Living Dead Mix



Well… after a week long bout with the flu, I can safely say that I am back from the grave and ready to party!




Hall of Fame update – 1. I at least have a template for the Hall of Fame page entries.  I was beginning to work more on the page when I fell ill.  – doesn’t “fell ill” sound so sophisticated?  Let me tell you – the reality was pretty awful. 2. I came up with a list of notable omissions from my initial class of twenty – some of these were due to being first mentioned in the pre-blogger days, some due to alternate spellings affecting the tag count.  In any event, I will be adding those names soon.

p.s. I have a literal ton of songs waiting to be added to the active playlist.*

*confession: I have no clue how much a song weighs so I can’t truly say that I literally have a ton of songs to add… but it’s a bunch.

Let’s ease back into things with a pretty nifty Monday Shuffle




“Suffragette City” by David Bowie (from The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.  One of my favorites.)

“State of the Art (A.E.I.O.U.)” by Jim James (from his February 2013 solo album, Regions of Light and Sound of God.  Jim James of My Morning Jacket is truly one of the most amazing artists of our time.)

“Slow and Low” by Beastie Boys (from Licensed to Ill.  I think this is the last song for us to feature from this landmark album. “That is the tempo”)

“Ella Guru” by XTC (from Fast ‘n’ Bulbous: a Tribute to Captain Beefheart.  Andy Partridge and company covering Captain Beefheart! What could possibly go wrong?  Answer: Not a damned thing!)

“Pale Blue Eyes” by The Velvet Underground (from The Velvet Underground.  You may recall that I began surveying this classic album before Lou Reed passed away.  Pale Blue Eyes is truly one of the most beautiful songs, and it is one of my favorites among a stellar list of amazing VU songs.)

“Goddamn Lonely Love” by Joseph Mooradian (via Soundcloud.  A cover of a Drive by Truckers song which ex-DBT Jason Isbell released on his Live from Alabama album. I really dig this version by the talented Mr. Mooradian.)



“Officer” by Saint Rich (from Beyond the Drone. A newish band formed by Delicate Steve main guy Steve Marion who plays drums here joined by Delicate Steve touring guitarist Christian Peslak.  This was one of the free tracks from Amazon at some point, and I honestly didn’t know anything about the band until this morning.  I really dig this song though.)
 
(the weekly web-store – includes last Monday)
 
 
WATCH
(video playlist of the day)
 



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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle – Alive and Kicking Mix

Stumbling into a chilly mid-week and finally completely back into the swing of things.  I gonna try to have a better attitude today, so nobody screw with me, okay? 🙂  Anyway, cozy mix of totally random song selections from an arbitrary play-list.

ONE:
 


(note: if you search Insane Jane on You Tube there is another band that comes up.  From the little I could stand to watch, it appears that they suck. Accept no substitutes!)
(click to purchase and download A Green Little Pill by Insane Jane)
Insane Jane was a incredibly awesome late 80s/early 90s Atlanta band. Lead singer Yellow belted out powerful vocals and the band ripped it live.  Once I… is the lead off track from their 1991ish album A Green Little Pill.  It definitely shows off the sound that made them a great band.  Like way too many great bands of that era, they never made it big and it all ended way too soon.  Unfortunately, I never got to see one of their legendary Atlanta live shows, but I did see them in front of way too few people in a hole in North Nashville, and even then without the energy of a crowd they still killed it. 

TWO:


(click to purchase and download Skylarking by XTC)
XTC just totally rules. Okay. Skylarking is a great album.  Okay.  Check out the lovely Ballet for a Rainy Day, and be prepared to crave fruit.

THREE:

 
(click to purchase and download the 10th Anniversary Remaster of Musicforthemorningafter by Pete Yorn)

Life on a Chain  comes from the 10th Anniversary Remastered version of Pete Yorn’s debut album musicforthemorningafter. It’s a good example of early 21st Century alternative pop music. 

FOUR:


 

(click to purchase and download Fox Confessor Brings the Flood by Neko Case)

Neko Case is just freakin’ cool.  She has one the most distinctive voices in Alternative-Folk music today.  Star Witness   comes from her excellent 2006 album Fox Confessor Brings the Flood.  Her band New Pornographers are pretty awesome, too, but you already knew that.

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