Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Band of the Year and More Mix

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You have before you, the FINAL Ear to the Ground of 2013, so let's blow this thing out!

First order of business:  As promised, it is time to unveil our 2013 Band of the Year. As announced, for the first time in E2TG history, the Band of the Year will be selected by me, myself, and I.  Back in 2011, I came up with the idea of a Band of the Year, and frankly, I didn't want the pressure/guilt in picking one band over others. So, I created a Readers' Poll, and with a massive last minute push, UK band The Mobbs stormed to a narrow victory over underdogs Ubiquity Machine.

Following the success of that initial poll, I began running Band of the Month polls beginning with December 2011, although initially successful, the concept of pitting bands against each other began to stale.  We carried on, and at the end of last year, we had another successfully Band of the Year Readers' Poll wherein Skeletons in the Piano were selected by popular election.

Since that time, I decided to focus on featuring as much new music as I could, and I dropped the Band of the Month and related features. Although I briefly considered another year-end poll, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't willing to give that power away this time.... oh yeah, and the thing about bands working together for their common good....

So.... after all that background and unsolicited explanation, I am very excited to announce the 2013 Ear to the Ground Band of the Year.

The 2013 Band of the Year were selected for the following reasons:

1. They are among the coolest, most bad ass people I've had the good fortune to get to know as the result of writing this blog.

2. They are extremely generous and supportive of other bands and artists.

3. They released on of the best albums of 2013.

4. I got to meet them and see them blaze through an all too brief set back in early Spring.

5. They had a successful tour in the US and in Europe.

6. The followed up their amazing 2013 album with a brand new single which was accompanied by an incredible video that visually depicted their total bad-assery.

7.  Because I said so......

The 2013 E2TG Band of the Year is.....  THE END MEN from Brooklyn, New York!!!!!!

 



Congrats kids!  Here's to an even better 2014!


Okay, we have unfinished business as we continue to feature some of our favorite music of 2013... let's do it!

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

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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...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - A Few of My Favorite Things 2013 Mix Part Four

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And on we go... 

Just in case you  joined us late, we are looking back on some of our favorite music from 2013, and doing it as only Ear to the Ground would...  I created a Playlist with favorites released in 2013.  2013 was a great year for music.  Many of your favorite E2TG artists released new music this year, some new favorites were "discovered", and there was even some notable releases from artists you frequently read about on those "Brand X" music blogs.  All of those and maybe even more are included in the Playlist.  We've been shuffling through that playlist all week, and we will continue until the end of the year (and maybe a day or two more).

Let's get to it, and see what Mr. Shuffle has brought up today... shall we?

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - A Few of My Favorite Things 2013 Mix - Part Three

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We continue our 2013 Year in Review via shuffle with another great mix of music.  Today, I thought I would focus on the various ways that new music comes to my attention.  Why? Because inquiring minds want to know even if they do not know that they want to know.

Shuffle ho!

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

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First of all... Tuesday? Really? Just Tuesday?

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

 

 

 

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.

 

 

 

 

Now... to today's music...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - A Few of My Favorite Things 2013 Mix - Pt. One

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It's here... time to begin our look back at the year which was 2013.  In true E2TG style, for the remainder of 2013 we will shuffling up a special playlist which includes some of our favorite songs from the past year.  I'll let the song speak for themselves, but we will be highlighting some of our favorite E2TG related albums of the year as we move along.

About Band of the Year.  After two successful Band of the Year polls (by page view numbers, Band of the Year and Band of the Month polls dominate our statistics page for most viewed), so it is only after careful consideration that I've decided to forgo the Band of the Year poll for 2013.  Basically, it comes down to the fact that I would rather see independent bands cooperating and collaborating than competing.  We had some memorably good fun with some of our polls - especially the first annual Band of the Year poll and the legendary February 2012 Band of the Month poll that came down to a dogfight between MAKAR and The End Men.  As time went by, and I began featuring more and more bands, the idea no longer seemed to be in the spirit of this site.  

I will be naming the third annual Band of the Year within the next couple of weeks.  Meanwhile, enjoy yourself as we relive this year that almost was.  If you feel so inclined, share some of these posts with your friends near and far.


Before we jump into the first of our Favorites' shuffles for 2013, I need to rectify something....


#E2TG Hall of Fame (Notable Omissions):

More names will be added to the Hall of Fame in early 2014 - and my progress on the completion of the Hall of Fame page has hit some unexpected delays, but I've became increasingly uncomfortable knowing that two of my favorite E2TG artists have not been added to the Hall as of yet. 

1.  Ubiquity Machine/Howard Rabach  - In using the tagging feature to determine our Hall of Fame, one thing I failed to take into account were the many fine bands/artists you came to prominence in the months when E2TG was still housed on the now defunct Posterous site.  Howard Rabach was one of the first readers of the blog to step out of the shadows.  His band, Ubiquity Machine, was one of our early Bands of the Week. The band finished second in our first annual Band of the Year poll, and he has remained a good friend of Ear to the Ground ever since.  UM has been kind of dormant of late, as Howard has been doing some freelance stuff.  Check out his Facebook page here. So it is with great pleasure, that I usher in UM/HR to a spot of honor in our Hall of Fame.



2. The Grimm Generation - Another thing I failed to take into account in my tagging system of Hall of Fame eligibility is the variant tagging which sometimes occurs. Blogger places a 200 character limit on tagging so sometimes I have to shorten band names - like leaving the "The" off.  That is the only explanation I have for The Grimm Generation not being in our top 20 tagged artists. Still this unique and frankly awesome collective from Connecticut (headed up by the amazing Jason Krug and Carmen Champagne), are well deserving of a prime spot in our Hall of Fame.  Hell their latest album, The Big Fame even has "fame" in the title. They have consistently made music which I love and which seems timeless in its wonderfulness.



Now... let the 2013 Shuffles begin

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Ex-Eye-Aye-I Mix

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Happy Friday the 13th to all you triskaidekaphiles out there.

Monday starts our march to 2014 by highlighting some of our favorite music of 2013. Culminating in the Third Annual Band of the Year unveiling ceremony blog post.  Who will join The Mobbs and Skeletons in the Piano in this super exclusive category?  You better tune in to find out.  It's all soooo exciting!

Anyway to close out a great year of Shuffles, we have another shuffle with some songs and stuff...

#E2TGWorthy... it started as a simple blog post, but everything got turned upside down. What happened next will change the way you look at simple blog posts for at least a couple of minutes...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Freaks Mix

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Busy, busy... A few things before we jump into the shuffle...

First, a reminder that next week we begin our very #E2TG approach to The Best of 2013.  Stay tuned for that.

A couple of live videos hit our inbox this week and wanted to share...  The Mad Doctors are from Brooklyn and they kick some major butt.  Check out this performance from 11/30/2013.

 

This next video is from our Nashville friends Year of October.  We are looking forward to a new album (fingers crossed) for 2014.  Meanwhile, this past weekend, they did a mini-tour which included a stop in Louisville which is where this next video was filmed.  Check it out!

 





On to today's mixture of mixed musical melodies....

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - A Mix Among Mixes Mix

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It's mid-week.  Nashville is still digging out from our massive 1/2 snowfall yesterday morning (which by the way was mostly melted by noon yesterday)  (note for non-Nashville readers: Nashville really freaks out over winter weather).  Anyway, it was a frosty morning, and we have a great mix of songs to warm your hearts and minds and... I don't really know what I'm saying at this point, but I'm trying to use words that sound like they belong in the introduction to a blog post. Whew!

It's that time of year... everyone is releasing they best of 2013 lists.  Here at #E2TG, we will kick off our Best of 2013 posts Monday morning.  Of course, we will be doing it in a manner befitting Ear to the Ground... stay tuned.   By the way, for the first time since this blog began, we will not be having a Band of the Year Readers Poll.  More on the reasoning behind this later.  However, we will be unveiling our 3rd Annual Band of the Year in a special post later this month.  Tune in!

To today's music...

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - My Body is a Dumb Question Mix

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A whopping 25 songs to get to, and not much time...  Jump to it

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Waiting For My Man Mix

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Time, Time, Time, see what's become of me...

Last week, I managed to move the overall current stuff playlist to down below 400. I'm planning to add more tunes tonight, so let's make another dent today.

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Hurrah Mix

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A cool selection of songs and not much time... let's go...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Maybe Partying Will Help Mix

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Cold wet weather has descended on Nashville (after a near record high yesterday).  A good day to stay inside and listen to a long set of music.

Jump to it....

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Chim Chim Mix

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Have to make it quick today.  Nineteen songs in the Mix.  12 in the Bonus Mix and 7 in the daily shuffle.

First,  Nashville band Humming House, who are featured twice in the Bonus Mix today, have just released a video for the first single from their forthcoming album. "Fly On (Forever is Better With You)" is a great song, and the video features the parent's of the band's newest member - Leslie Rodriquez. By the way, her parents happen to be a couple of the coolest people I know. Watch the video, and I think you'll get a glimpse of why I say that.




Now to today's songs

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Keep on Wailin' Mix

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Here we go... it seems like I've been adding more songs every week then I have time to feature. So to help clear the backlog and to feature more songs - I'm going to add a Bonus Mix feature.  And, just like it's better to eat dessert first, so it is better to present the Bonus Mix first...

It all gets going after the leap (jump):......

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Pop Musik Mix

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Back to it...  After a long, restful weekend, I managed to haul myself out of bed and into the week.  Let's see how far a little momentum and a whole bunch of caffeine can propel me...

Have to keep it short today, we have one our wide-ranging shuffles....

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Gratitude Redux Mix

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It's that time of the year to become reflective and to find things for and about which to be thankful and grateful.  Each year seems filled with so much good and bad things, and yet it all seems to go by so fast. So it is good to pause now and again.

As a blog, we here at E2TG (meaning me) continue to be amazed and grateful for all the great people who have read and been a part of this extended experiment. I'm always grateful for the now accepted ubiquity of the term curate (which it seemed to me used to be reserved for museums and such). Now, whenever I don't have much time to comment on the songs I present, and I begin to wonder exactly what it is useful that I am doing, I can just remind myself that I am curating this amazing collection of music, and that makes me feel very special indeed..... ;-)

Let's jump to our final shuffle of the week and our final shuffle of November 2013

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Pocket Change Mix

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So... Let's see... I added 76 more songs to the active playlist last night.  That is over 350 songs added in the last two weeks.  Last nights additions included 1 direct artist contact, 3 from publicists, a couple of albums from Noisetrade, and some randomness from Freegal.  Let's get to today's shuffle

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Corona Mix

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Well here we go... it's Thanksgiving Week here in the US, and we begin a short week of Shuffles.

I'm thankful for my readers, for all the artists who make great music, and for the opportunity to get to meet so many awesome folks through the modern marvel of social media.

Now on to the shuffle... after the jump...

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - That Day in November Mix

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Lot's of music - let's get to it...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Life's a Gas Mix

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A longish shuffle today - so I will dispense with pleasantries and unpleasantries as well....

Shuffle - after the jump

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - denigrate obtuse mix

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Hope everyone is doing well...

Let's jump straight into the Shuffle....

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Reflections Mix

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A lot of ground to cover....  as promised, I added a virtual ton of music to the playlist - 196 songs in all bringing the total before today's post of 471 songs - which I think is a record.

First off - you have to understand that Lou Reed tributes are not going to stop anytime soon.  His death seemed to affect people who make and listen to all kinds of music.  Today, we have a very special video offered as a tribute to Mr. Reed.  It's a cover of the Velvet Underground classic (aren't they all?) and one of my favorites (I know I say this about quite a few VU and Reed songs - but really I mean it) - "I'll Be Your Mirror" here performed by Richard Barone with the amazing Jane Scarpantoni on Cello from the 25th  Anniversary concert for one of the most lovely records ever made (Cool Blue Halo).  Richard Barone (Bongos) is offering up the song as a tribute to his late friend and influence.



Now - let's get to the shuffle.... we have a long one today - so join me after the JUMP

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Return of the Living Dead Mix

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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

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Quiet Kid Mix

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Taking a break from adding any more names to the Hall of Fame, but more will be added soon...

Meanwhile, on a non-work day, we have an rather interesting mix of music to get your week started:

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Superstar Mix

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We've reached the end of the week.  To get us into the weekend, I have a long list of additions to the E2TG Hall of Fall, and a pretty sweet little music shuffle.

E2TG Hall of Fame:
13. The Foresters (Bethany, CT) (ed. note: Some may say they are too young for a Hall of Fame, but it's my Hall of Fame, and by their inspiring dedication to their craft, they have already earned their place - even as I acknowledge their best work is ahead of them - I think that is true for most if not all of our inductees)
14. Those Mockingbirds (Montclair, NJ)
15. You and Me (Montreal, QC)
16. MAKAR (New York, NY)
17. The Gypsy West (Brooklyn, NY)
18. Tipi Valley (Swansea, UK)
19. Jo Wymer (Freehold, NJ)
20. Sci-Fi Romance















The inductees will continue. There are still some major favorites of mine who have not been added  yet.  Rest assured this will be rectified sooner than later.  I want to make more progress on the Hall of Fame Page before I add too many more. 

Here's the Shuffle-

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Ears of a Clown Mix

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Off work today, and time is short anyway....  go figure.

E2TG HALL OF FAME - (more)

10.  The Danbury Lie (New Haven, CT)
11. The Great American Novel (New York, NY)
12. Mark Robinson (Nashville, TN)

I'm actually making progress  (a little) on the Hall of Fame Page.


Quick shuffle after the jump

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Love Hurts Mix

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Today we induct three more amazing artists into our brand new (still under construction) Hall of Fame.  As with the first two groups of additions, these names should be very familiar to regular readers of E2TG.

7.  Tim Lee 3 (Knoxville, TN)
8. Killing Kuddles (Atlanta, GA)
9. Don Ryan (NY/NJ)





Welcome to the Hall...

Also, we have a pretty cool shuffle up next...

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Tender Mercy Mix

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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

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Grand Company Mix

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Introducing:  The E2TG Hall of Fame ----- Ta Da!

You may be asking, "WTF?" Basically, it comes down to this: My blogging consultant told me I need to start being more controversial to attract more readers to my site. Whenever, I see posts about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, they always seem to attract highly opinionated comments. So, I thought if I came up with my own Hall of Fame, it might create controversy and angry comment wars which might "go viral" as the kids say.*

*All of the proceeding is true except for the following: I don't have a blogging consultant. I rarely read comment wars about the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the only thing likely to "go viral" over here is an actual virus.

Really, I got to thinking about the artists I consider E2TG featured artist. When I began writing E2TG way back in the spring of 2011, I began naming a Band of the Week just about every week.  I did this for a about year, before switching to a featured artist designation - wherein I would name ten or so "featured artists" every month and put them in "heavy rotation" for the remainder of that month.  That carried on for just over six months. Since, then I keep featuring new music, but I haven't really been very organized about recognizing those bands.  So... I decided to take stock - at this random point in E2TG history and go back and formally recognize all of the bands that I consider part of the E2TG family.  To do so, I decided to use the TAG "cloud" on the sidebar and begin with the most tagged bands and work my way down.  So, for the near future, I am going to name three, two or one band every day to join the E2TG HofF.  It's a purely honorary title - as currently it does not come with a cash prize nor is there an actual Hall.

I am going to create and maintain a Sidebar linked Page for the Hall of Fame artists - with videos, songs, links, an on-going web-store and more.  It's still under construction, so will update when I have a Page set up. 

So without much more ado, E2TG is pleased to announce our inaugural class of Hall of Fame inductees:

 

 

 

 



1. THE END MEN from Brooklyn, NY

2.TACO LAND - from San Antonio, TX

3. SKELETONS IN THE PIANO from Saratoga Springs, NY

Stay tuned!  More to come.

Shuffle is up next

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - It Ain't Easy Mix

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Wow! I can't believe another month has come and gone. It's November! 

I'm going to start something new on Monday - unless I don't.  In the meantime, I have a nifty ten song Shuffle to send you into your weekend.

"Red Lights" by JWM

Today's Mix begins after the jumpy-thingy

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Scary (Good) Mix

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Happy Halloween!

First off - we have a treat!  How about the brand new video of a song we presented a week or so ago.  Our friends Those Mockingbirds released the song "How to Rob a Bank" back on the 22nd of October.  Now they have an instructional video.  An Official Video anyway... Here it is!



I never quite have it together enough for a holiday-themed shuffle... but today, the Randomizer came up with alien arachnids, electrical discharges, monks, extinct birds, and puppets.  Which can create some pretty frightening images if you use your imagination.

Jump to see what I am rattling on about... if you dare... bwahahahahaha!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Onward Mix

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Longish shuffle today - time is fleeting... here we go...

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Foggy Notion Mix

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For me, the thing about Lou Reed's music that is most significant is not that it made me fall in love with Lou Reed's music, it is that it opened up my mind to the possibilities of what music could be.  It started this life-long quest for what is next and what else is there.  Certainly, I did fall in love with Lou Reed's music both in and out of the Velvet Underground, but I didn't stay there.  I don't know how many posts I say in the hours after the news of his death broke about Lou Reed being the doorkeeper or gatekeeper. It was also so gratifying to see a very diverse list of people who acknowledged the influence that Lou Reed had on their music.

See, I don't write Ear to the Ground to make money - I would have quit long ago if that were the case, and I don't write to make friends with so many cool artists - although that it is a pretty nifty side-effect. I write Ear to the Ground (and I keep writing on those days when I am not sure anyone is reading) because music moves me.  Lou Reed's music moves me and the band who you've never heard about - there music moves me.  And the music that is being made somewhere in the world that I haven't heard yet - that moves me. See, I'm passionate about music. I write Ear to the Ground because even if I stopped writing this blog, I would still be thinking about music and wondering what was next and what else was out there waiting for me to hear.



Let's Shuffle

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Linger On Mix

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Lou Reed (1942-2013)

 

It is impossible for me to say with any degree of certainty that Ear 2 the Ground would not exist if it weren't for Lou Reed.  But, what I can say with absolute certainty is that it would not be the same. The simple but truthful reason is that music would not be the same.  Walk on, linger on...

 

 

 

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - In the Basement Mix

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"Sometimes words have two meanings...."

Ah hell - we have a jam packed Mix of music so let's get down to it.... 

After the jump....

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Blue Line Mix

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Some how the release of the new Those Mockingbirds single - "How to Rob a Bank" got past me.  The single is out and it rocks every bit as hard as one would expect from Those Mockingbirds. If you don't know what to expect from Those Mockingbirds, expect THE ROCK.  Seriously. But, now that the song is out there is no need to take my word for it.  Unless you need the validation of a high profile taste-maker - in which case, you have come to the right place. ;-) 

 

Give it a listen:

 

Stream at Soundcloud

 

Buy via iTunes

 

Here is a live performance captured on video

 

 

 

Now, we have a cool shuffle - so let's get to it!

 

After the break

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - In any Language Mix

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First off, let me be the first (okay not the first by far) to say that the notion that Nashville is a great town for music is not hype. I don't get out as often as I would like, but it seems like every time I do - amazing things happen.  Now, I don't think I am that lucky a guy (although pretty lucky all things considered) nor do I think my mere presence inspires such awesomeness to occur. Therefore, my conclusion has to be that remarkable, amazing, and awesome music happens all the time in Nashville (East, West, and all points in-between).

Last night, it was an incredible night of music at The Basement.  Nashville people (or anyone who finds themselves in Nashville on a Tuesday night) get yourselves down to The Basement (under Grimey's New and Pre-Loved Music) for New Faces night. Local and in-town artists of the Indie persuasion take the stage. Grimey curates, mans the soundboard... There was so much goodness last night, and I will definitely be back. I posted a bit about it over on Facebook. Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray were phenomenal.  They played at least two songs which will be on their next album - set for a spring '14 release - which were both really great.  Fun night...


Today's shuffle commences after the jump...

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Invitation to Robbery Mix

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As you may or may not know, I create a playlist and let the Shuffle function determine the mix which I call my Morning Shuffle. Am I sometimes tempted to take control and create the mix myself? Sure. But, what I like about the Shuffle mode is the way randomness tends to parallel real life.  Sometimes there seem to be patterns - like last week's day of several animal themed tracks in a row. Sometimes - like today - there is no discernible pattern. Just a collection of cool songs - old and new in a variety of styles and moods. You know kind of like life....



Today's shuffle emerges - after the JUMP

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - 99 Mix

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Earlier this year, E2TG featured several songs by Christian Robins from his debut mixtape called KidGrownUp.  At the time, he didn't have any videos for us to feature.  However, he just dropped the Official Video for his song "Suburban Trap Rap".  So we thought we would post it now.





Now, let's get into today's shuffle ---- you know the drill - JUMP

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Elephants, Teddy Bears, Monkeys and Coyotes - Oh My! Mix

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We have a damn fine shuffle to close out the week.... the first five songs even start a bit of theme (purely thanks to the shuffle function).  Due to circumstances (yada yada), this will be the final shuffle of the week.  So it's a nice way to go out.

Jump past the break to see today's shuffle...

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Strings Mix

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Time marches on.... we have a ton of cool tunes and not as much time as I would like...

First off - here is an updated version of yesterday's "Retreat" Mix video playlist - we received a link for the New Victorians to the video for "Letting Go" so we substituted that for the song we originally included:





Jump to the Shuffle!

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Retreat Mix

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Extended drive this a.m. means an extended Shuffle - so let's get to it - jump to the shuffle after the break

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Fast Cars and Loud Guitars Mix

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"Fast Cars and Loud Guitars. Local Bars and goin' to far." - Tim Lee 3.



So - I headed out Friday night to a well known East Nashville hot spot to meet and see my favorite Knoxville rockers, Tim Lee 3.  I had an awesome night, met some cool folks, and saw some incredible music...

I was so glad to finally get to meet Tim and Susan Bauer Lee in person.  First up, the audience was treated to a 20 minute preview of Tom Weber's incredible film (10+ years in the making) called Troubadour Blues.  It's about the modern purveyors of the folk tradition of the travelling musicians who get paid to drive from town to town and get rewarded with the chance to perform for an hour or two.  The film features the likes of Peter Case, Dave Alvin, Mary Gauthier and many, many more.

The live music began with RB Morris of Knoxville. I was shamefully not familiar with Mr. Morris' music, but that deficiency is in the process of being corrected. He is a top-notch singer songwriter and a poet - gratefully, we treated us to a couple of poems from his latest book.

Next up was Nancy Apple from Memphis.  The undisputed Queen of Memphis Country, Folk, Blues what have you.  Her song about finding out that Johnny Cash had died struck a chord with me.  I got to talk to Nancy and share a couple of my Memphis stories.

Next a couple of locals were invited to join in on the show.  The thing is, when you are in Nashville (and East Nashville in particular), the caliber of locals is pretty darn amazing. Julie Christensen was the first local - a fairly recent arrival. If the name doesn't ring a bell, try this: she was a founding member of the legendary Divine Horsemen and an integral part of the L.A. Scene which helped bridge gap between punk rock and what would eventually become Americana music. Oh, and she also spent many years singing with the one and only Leonard Cohen.  Beyond that incredible history, she is a breath-taking singer and songwriter.  She performed a song by Memphis song writer Dan Montgomery which has me scrambling to find out all I can about him.

Next was the second local, Amelia White - who we first saw perform last year at the Five Spot. She was every bit as amazing as we remembered.

Next up was the Tim Lee 3. Now, regular readers should already be all over Tim Lee 3, but for the uninitiated, they are a tight three piece rock combo from Knoxville featuring Tim Lee (The Windbreakers) and his wife Susan. They rocked the house thoroughly playing a couple of songs from their latest album, Devil's Rope, one from their previous double album Raucous Americanus, and a hand full of new songs which bode well for the next Tim Lee 3 album. 

The night ended with RB Morris joining Tim Lee 3 for a few more of RB's songs including one of his which had been recorded by Marianne Faithful and John Hiatt.

What a night!
Today's Shuffle is up next:

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Riff Raff Mix

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Well... here I am on a Friday with a lot of ground to cover. So, I am going to riff for a little while... I like riffing. I use to call this kind of writing - Stream of Madness writing... meaning, I just let the words fly, without any inclination to edit in order to mask my insanity....

Let's post a picture and then we will jump into the madness...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Spice of Life Mix

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As usually seems to be the case, I added a ton of new music to my active playlist last night, and not one of the new songs ended up in this morning's shuffle. Rest assured they will turn up sooner or later.

 

 



What's exciting to me about today's shuffle is that every song in the mix is either new, relatively new or at least new to me. It also excites me that there is such an incredible variety to the music.

Well - enough vagueness... Jump past the break to see today's Morning Shuffle:

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Bank Robbery Mix

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So - I just received word that Those Mockingbirds will be releasing the first official single from their highly anticipated new album on October 22.  It's called "How to Rob a Bank" and we have the cover artwork post above. The cover art was hand-drawn by Bella Agnello who happens to be the 7 year old daughter of legendary producer John Agnello who was worked with Sonic Youth, Dinosaur Jr., Kurt Vile and more.  I would hit up Those Mockingbirds on FACEBOOK so you don't miss out.

What some of you may not realize, is that I give a ton of credit to Those Mockingbirds for the success of Ear to the Ground.  Here's why.  I started Ear to the Ground in May 2011 without a clue or a direction.  Over the course of the remainder of that year, I began to find my voice. Late in the year, I came across Those Mockingbirds via a Twitter follow (I think and choose to believe). I quickly became enamored with their melodic hard alt rock sound. I named them my Band of the Week.

Shortly after that, I received a contact from Don Ryan who was and I suppose still is friends with the band, his video This Town still ranks among my all time favorites. Around this time, I met venerable NJ music blogger and raconteur Popa Tunes who turned me on to Dead Exs, The End Men and so many more.  Through The End Men, I met Gypsy West and Chris Peck's band The Disappointment. Through Don Ryan, I met The Danbury Lie. Somehow, in all that, I met Skeletons in the Piano who ended up being our Band of the Year for 2012...  And in all that, I became the number one ranked Tennessee Based Music Blogger Who Mostly Blogs About Bands from New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut  (an albeit lightly populated category).  Of course, I've diversified since them, and I've even been known to write about Nashville and Tennessee  bands on occasion.

My point being, Those Mockingbirds play a vital role in shaping this blog which all of you have come to know and love.  By the way, the mockingbird is the State Bird of Tennessee. Coincidence? You be the judge.

Ahem.... now that I've made this post all about me, I will turn it around and implore you to grab the new Those Mockingbird single on October 22 and keep your ear to the ground for impending details on the full album.

Today's shuffle is after the JUMP

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - FIGJAM Mix

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H/T to Darby Cockroach for the subtitle to today's post.

Thanks to this blog and the magic of the Internet and Social Media and Purple Faeries, I have had the good fortune to virtually or actually meet a number of amazingly talented people from all around the world.

Today's Mix includes some great new music from some of those amazingly talented people....

To the Shuffle:

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Or Else... Mix

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We are back after a couple of days where I was not able to post + a weekend....  We have 12 cool songs to get us back on track...

JUMP to it!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Melon Farmer Mix

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Let's jump back into the Shuffles with an extended mix of music.

As usual, time is short - so no dilly-dallying.  Which is a shame, really, because I am so good at dilly-dallying....

JUMP to the tunage!

E2TG Presents: The Grimm Generation - The Big Fame - Review Vol. 2

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For Vol. 1 of this review -   GO HERE

 

 



For Vol 2. - Jump with me

E2TG Presents: The Grimm Generation - The Big Fame - Review Vol. 1

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"Great Rock and Roll record define the time they were made. Welcome to 2013."

 

 

 

I can't remember when I first came across the music of The Grimm Generation. I think maybe another band I follow mentioned them.  I do remember hearing "Sometimes I Subtle (Sometimes I'm Drunk), and I remember thinking, "Wow, this is music everyone should hear", and at  the same time thinking, "I feel like I already know this music.".  I later had the opportunity to do a brief e-mail interview with the band, and it began to make sense.

 

You see, and what has recently begun to gel in my mind is that The Grimm Generation make the music I would make if I made music (and if I was talented).  We come from the same place age and influence-wise (and perhaps experience-wise as well), and so - although I do like have very diverse tastes in music - The Grimm Generation manages to hit all the right spots in my psyche, and thus, as word began to build about a new album I couldn't help but be excited.

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - The Simple Joys Mix

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I have to be very quick.... Please take a moment to check out all of our great artists

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Rock Light Drive Mix

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Short on time today  - The Shuffle is after the JUMP

Good stuff follows!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - A Little Poison Mix

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Things are hopping.  Music is being made and released and for a part-time, amateur music blogger, it can be a bit overwhelming... but in the best way possible.  I can only say if you've sent me music in the past few weeks; I beg patience, and I promise -  I'm listening and will be posting soon.....

Today we have a mix of music to delight and inspire - but that is every day, but today is especially delightful and inspiring, but so is every day. Ah hell, comparisons are stupid. We have a great mix of music, and so, let us leave it at that.


JUMP - THEN SHUFFLE

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Such an Icy Feeling Mix

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After a busy and pretty awesome weekend, I'm easing back into the a busy and pretty hectic week. 

We have a pretty cool mix of music today and I don't want to waste any time....

So without much more ado, E2TG is proud to present.... Today's Shuffle!  After the JUMP