Monday, November 30, 2015

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Whispered Diamonds Up Shit Creek Mix



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We are back and ready to finish off 2015 in style. I hope everyone who celebrates it had a good Thanksgiving.

After fighting off a cold for several days, I ended up pretty knocked out by Friday. I'm on meds and making a recovering. Expect my live music updates to be few and far between the first part of the week, but I will be healthy for some fun stuff coming up at the end of the week.  More on that.

On a related note, between the cold and getting ready to and going out of town, I am WAY behind on e-mails and checking out music that has been submitted.  Please be patient, but feel free to shoot me a follow-up e-mail/message.

We have a pretty awesome 8 song shuffle.

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Featured Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Talk, Talk, Talk Mix



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Well, it is time for the last shuffle before the long Thanksgiving weekend.  I hope if you are travelling that you have safe travels, I hope you find a place of gratitude, I hope you remember those for whom the holidays are a painful or difficult time.  I hope you do all the things you want to do.  For my Canadian friends, you can like, #tbt tomorrow to Canadian Thanksgiving or whatever...

We have one more awesome featured music shuffle to see this work week off in style.

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Featured Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - At the Crack of Noon Mix



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Rolling on toward Thanksgiving.   Keep an eye out for the 1st Annual E2TG Awards - 2015 - which I calling "The Earies". (Tagline: "The Earies, it sounds strange but it's really not"). 

About "The Earies":  I will begin announcing the awards around the first of December and continue on and off throughout the month.  There will not be nominees - because no matter how much people say that it was an honor to be nominated... well, you know.  Also, we will have recipients and not "winners".  This is for two reasons, 1. Calling someone a winner may imply that others are "losers".  2. The recipients may think there is some sort of cash reward, which there is not.  Nor are there actual awards.  It is an honorary honor.

The awards will culminate with the naming of the 5th Annual Ear to the Ground Artist of the Year.

There will not be fan voting, sorry.  Although we had fun in 2011 and 2012 running Readers Polls, I decided at the end of 2012 to suspend the practice. 

Bribes will be accepted and the awards will probably go to the highest bidder. 

Anyone caught taking the awards too seriously, will be severely teased.

All the awards are not all that serious, what I am serious about is taking another opportunity to recognize some of the great music that came my way in 2015.

In other news, after Thanksgiving, pending my getting in a bunch of seasonal music, I am thinking of having a once-a-week shuffle from a playlist filled with such songs. I am debating what to call the playlist.  Christmas is too specific as their may be songs that have nothing to do with Christ's birth.  Holiday Playlist will probably piss off people - since apparently Holiday is a nasty word or something.  I may just call it the Red Cup Playlist.  We shall see.

We have another featured music shuffle today - featuring some favorites (old and new) and some artists hitting the shuffle for the first time.

Monday, November 23, 2015

Featured Monday Music Shuffle - Fell Down on my Knees Mix


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Welcome back!  I trust everyone had an okay weekend... Winter seems to have put in an appearance here in Nashville with our coldest morning of the season...

Music around town is still heating up.   Friday night, I caught a trifecta of great shows.  Joey Kneiser had part one of his album release show at Grimey's New and Used Music.  Great stuff, and be sure to check out his new album.  Next, Nellie Clay opened for Will Kimbrough downstairs at The Basement.  Nellie sounded awesome, and Will Kimbrough melted faces with his songs and his playing.  After that, I booked it across the river (following the lead of Mary Sack) to The Family Wash for Tommy Womack's birthday show.  Tommy, who is well on his way to full recovery from his car accident at the beginning of the summer, pulled together an all-star band (Mark Robinson on guitar, Ross Rice on keyboards, Daniel Seymour on bass, Brad Pemberton on drums, and Lisa Oliver Gray).  They ripped through an impressive set that opened with a version of the Velvet Underground song, "Sweet Jane" and closed (before an encore) with Dylan's "Stuck Inside of Mobile with the Memphis Blues Again".  In between, Womack hit some of his best songs - like "Alpha Male and the Canine Mystery Blood", "90 Miles an Hour Down a Dead-End Street", and "Nice Day" and more.

Saturday, featured another really entertaining Mark Robinson Band show at The 5 Spot.  Back by Daniel Seymour and Rick Schell. Robinson showed off his incredible blues rock guitar chops.  Honestly, one of the best live bands around.  That was followed by a short trip over to the Family Wash - this time to catch Knoxville living legend, poet, and songwriter R.B. Morris. Morris also put together an amazing band  (Greg Horne on guitar, Daniel Kimbro on Bass, and Paul Griffith on drums).  Morris was in rare form as he tore through a set that besides his original music included covers of Leonard Cohen and Tom Waits.  Morris will be back in Nashville one week from this coming Saturday for the 10th Annual Get Behind Mule Tom Waits Tribute and Benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank.

To the shuffle - partially because Friday was so much fun and also because this is a short work week plus to help clear out some of my Featured playlist - I have made the executive decision to do all Featured Music shuffles this week.

Friday, November 20, 2015

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - For Money or Against Your Will Mix



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And so it goes, and we reach the end of another work week here at #E2TG.  Heading into the weekend just ahead of Thanksgiving here in the United States. There is  a ton of great music happening this weekend at different venues.  Choose your poison and get out there. 

Among the shows coming up today and tomorrow (and no I cannot make it to all of these):  Today: Joey Kneiser of Glossary is releasing a new record, and he will play this evening at Grimey's.  Will Kimbrough is also he releasing a new record, and he will be playing The Basement at 7:00 with Nellie Clay opening. Today is Tommy Womack's birthday, and we will playing around 9:00 at The Family Wash. Also tonight, the East Nashville Underground: A Magical Reunion is going on at The Basement East.  Plus there is the weekly, Tim Carroll Rock and Roll Happy Hour at The 5 Spot. Plus probably tons of other stuff.

Tomorrow night: One of this blog's favorites Mark Robinson Band will be playing an early show at The 5 Spot (6:00 start).  Joey Kneiser will be playing that venue after that.  Meanwhile, over at the Family Wash - Knoxville poet and songwriter R.B. Morris will be playing.  Plus the aforementioned East Nashville Underground event continues at The Beast.  and More...


We have a Featured Friday Shuffle that I am really happy about today... let's take a gander...

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - What We Want to Be Mix


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Okay - posting late.  Life happens sometimes.  Here's some stuff:

Coming soon, the 1st Annual #E2TG Awards 2015 - which I am calling The Earies (tagline: The Earies, it sounds strange, but it's not really).  Watch for this beginning after Thanksgiving.

Last night, an awesome show at The original Basement.  Actual Wolf  killed it with the kind of band that really only happens in Nashville  (Adam Kurtz, Jerry Pentecost, Paul Niehaus, Stephanie Dickinson with Nellie Clay joining on bgvs)    After that 14 year old wunderkind Sammy Brue had the audience enraptured with his incredible songs.

Really proud that my review of Dan Penn at City Winery in on the front page of No Depression right now.  Check it out, if you haven't.  Nodepression.com

Shuffle (short descriptions)

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - In the Middle of the Land Mix


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We are back after an unexpected day off... my late fall cold finally caught up with me.  Before I succumbed to it, I got to take in an awesome show at City Winery.  Songwriting legend (and I do not use that term lightly here) Dan Penn celebrated his 74th birthday with a nearly 2 hour solo acoustic show performing many of the amazing songs that he was written and co-written over the course of his incredible career.  Hint: If you don't know who Dan Penn is, I guarantee that you have heard many of his songs.  Read my reflections on this show here.

Dan Penn wrote his first hit song when he was still in high school.  Sammy Brue is just 14 years old, and he is widely regarded as one of the best songwriters around.  He will be making a rare Nashville appearance tonight at The Basement (the original) with Actual Wolf (who I saw during the Campfire Propaganda residency at last month). Actual Wolf will be back by a fine collection of local players.

Today's shuffle went down like this....

Monday, November 16, 2015

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Weird-O Mix



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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:

Friday, November 13, 2015

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Old Soul Mix



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The end of the work week is at hand.  Sunny skies and cooler temperatures are not a bad thing for mid-November. 

We have a short but diverse collection of songs to round out the week - it ends with a five song run of awesome Nashville music.

Thursday, November 12, 2015

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - The Rainbow Didn't Bring Me No Luck Mix



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Welcome back... No shuffle yesterday because I was off work for Veteran's Day.  Lot's to recap...

Tuesday night, I attended the weekly $2 Tuesday show at The 5 Spot.  As it always is, it was a great time at a great price.  Included: a second opportunity to see Brock Zeman and Blair Hogan - who killed it.  Bob Lewis with great band that included my old friend Joe Bidewell plus Lemuel Hayes and Issac Anthony.  Plus Derek Hoke's always awesome set, and the late night spot was rocked hard by new Nashvillian K. Phillips whose band included by friend Steven Cooper.

Since, I was off I got to hang out in the studio and observe the making of Darrin Bradbury's next album.  A lot of people are going to be surprised by his turn toward gangsta rap, but I never question an artistic genius.

Last night, a great night of songwriters at Mad Donna's featuring the always awesome Kiely Schlesinger who was backed by Drew Kohl - who did a killer version of Springsteen's "Atlantic City", Violet Delancey who was backed by a great band that included Andrew Leahey on guitar, and Lindsay Ellyn who was awesome as always backed by Raun Schultz and Buddy Woodward and for the first time by fiddle player - Holly Parks. 

In the midst of all that, I wrote a review of the (still fairly new) Sara Syms album, Way Back Home.  The title track (coincidently) showed up in the shuffle today, so I will post the links when I get to that song...

On to the shuffle

Home Coming - An E2TG Review of Way Back Home by Sara Syms



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On Sara Syms’ new album, Way Back Home, the Nashville based singer-songwriter creates a rich lyrical and musical landscape onto which she explores and evokes the complex concept of “home”.



Way Back Home was recorded in Brooklyn where Syms lived before moving to Nashville, and it was produced by Chris Cubeta and Nick Africano who both provide vocals and instrumentation to the project.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Toy Balloon Mix



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Reason I love Nashville #(somemadeupnumber...prettybigI'dguess):

To be able to say that I saw Brock Zeman, Blair Hogan, Darrin Bradbury, Megan Palmer, Lilly Hiatt, Jesse Lafser, John Jackson, Brian Wright, Aaron Lee Tasjan and more....  and for that to be in one night not over the course of a week or a month.  You know - Monday night!

Brock and Blair will be playing as part of $2 Tuesday at The 5 Spot tonight.  Aaron Lee will be part of a line-up at ACME Feed and Seed sponsored by No Country for New Nashville.  You probably won't be able to do both, but you should definitely done one or the other if you around. 

Probably the highlight of the night was Brian Wright and his incredible band that included Aaron Lee Tasjan on guitar ripping through an mind-blowing version of Big Wilson River's "Astronaut".  Long time and careful readers of this blog will remember that Big Wilson River was a Featured Artist/Band way back in 2012.  They were probably in the process of breaking up when I was featuring them, and I kind of lost touch until head BWR dude, Darrin Bradbury showed up in a Wal-Mart parking lot in Nashville in late 2013.  Anyway, it was a really amazing version of the song, and I was trying to record it when my stupid phone ran out of memory and then didn't save the part I did record.  Fortunately there is a video someone made floating around. 

Here is the original:




On to the shuffle:

Monday, November 9, 2015

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Rattle Snakes Confusion Mix



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Welcome to the working week....   Heading into an unusual week - I am off Wednesday - before that I have a busy week, after that I have a busy week.  Wednesday will probably we busy, too.

Friday night, I saw two Jon's at The Family Wash. First Jon Byrd and then Jon Langford. Very different sets, but both offering unique and interesting takes on Country music.  In between, I got to spend a little time with some East Nashville friends at my friend Bob's birthday bash.

Saturday night, Human Radio at The 5 Spot (they are in the shuffle today so more later about that), and then to the Wash again for Lisa Oliver Gray's birthday show. The amazing singer had a killer band that included Tommy Womack and Ross Rice (of Human Radio) among others.

Tonight, back to the Wash again for a stellar night of music featuring Brock Zeman with Blair Hogan and Darrin Bradbury featuring Megan Palmer.  Starts at 7:00 - you do not want to miss it.  Later, Brian Wright is playing the Basement with a killer band and with Lilly Hiatt and Jesse Lafser opening.

On to the shuffle....

Friday, November 6, 2015

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Usually From a Can Mix



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Had a good time last night celebrating Andrew Leahey's birthday at The 5 Spot.  Darrin Bradbury was on point with a set that featured some old favorites and some excellent new (and newish) songs.  Lauren Farrah was most excellent - I have been fortunate enough to catch her a few times recently, and she kills it every time.  And the birthday boy rocked this house with his incredible band, The Homestead - playing several songs from his record which is due out in April.

On to the shuffle: Almost every Friday is Featured Friday on #E2TG.  Which means, I shuffle songs from a playlist (a subset of the regular playlist) loaded with songs from artists/albums that I want to spotlight.  Here is the latest....

Thursday, November 5, 2015

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Lost in the Stars Mix



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So...  yeah.... it was almost 80 yesterday in Nashville - on November 4. Don't worry, though, we are sure to have freeze in the near future.  That is autumn in Nashville. I'm not sure if it is the volatile weather or allergies or what, but I have really not felt all that great this week.  But, life goes on, and so do the Ear to the Ground Morning Music Shuffles.... 

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - You, You Know I'm Right Mix



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I had a good time last night at The Basement East.  I got to see performances from two people I was first introduced to at the Safety Harbor Song Fest way back in late March - Chris Gelbuda and Daphne Willis.  It was the soft EP Release Show for Willis - whose new EP, Get It, will be released on Friday. 

Opening the show was Kyshona Armstrong.  She actually played the first Safety Harbor Song Fest in 2014.  She plays some wonderful acoustic soul music and was backed by an outstanding band.  I really enjoyed her set, and I will be on the lookout for more opportunities to see her again.

Daphne Willis played next back by yet another outstanding band.  I am always hesitant to assign genres when the artist/band does not.  I will say there is a real pop instinct to her music.  The overwhelming impression is energy, enthusiasm, and a very clear understanding and appreciation for the way her music sounds.  Chris Gelbuda, who co-produced her new CD, joined her for a couple of songs, and then was the next on the bill.

I found out after the set that Gelbuda and his band only got the chance for minimum rehearsal time before the show, but I can honestly say, that did not come across. Gelbuda is an accomplished producer (he produced the latest hit single for Meaghan Trainor) and a professional songwriter.  I was very impressed by the caliber of his songs. 

Unfortunately, I had to leave before the last act on the bill was done, but Sonia Leigh - playing with much of the band that accompanied Daphne Willis - sounded great.

On to the mid-week shuffle for your listening pleasure...

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Just Like a Bee Mix



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Greetings.... Let's get right to today's morning music shuffle... enjoy!

Monday, November 2, 2015

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - An Angel's Kiss in Spring Mix



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Another month has begun... we celebrate with a randomly generated shuffle of music...