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Well, here we are. Another late posting. Tomorrow likely will be, too. Let's jump to it. Plus by stupid bluetooth earphones have bitten the dust. Replacements are on their way.
We've been doing the "Earies" for about a week now. I hope everyone is enjoying themselves. I am coming up with winners faster than I am coming up with Award names.... but it's all good. I just hope I don't forget anyone, but I probably will...
Today's award is the "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" Award.
The premise: I have known for some time that Nashville is the home to some amazing blues players and music, but that fact came into sharp focus for me this year. The other thing that came into sharp focus for me is that "The Blues" is not a narrow genre of music and it is very much alive and well in this middle year of the second decade of the new millennium. This award is meant to recognize some of the best of the blues and it so happens both of this years winners come from Nashville, and they both bring their own unique twist to the genre.
The Award goes to Ted Drozdowski's Scissormen and Eight O'Five Jive.
Ted Drozdowski is a journalist and scholar of the Blues and an amazing guitar player. With his trio, he brings Mississippi to Nashville and rolls into a sweet psychedelic coating while telling stories and blowing minds. Love and Life was one of the best albums of the year and one of the best albums Ted Drozdowski has made. An electrifying live act (no stage can contain Ted and no utensils or glassware are safe from being used as a guitar slide.
Eight O'Five Jive play upbeat, swinging jump blues that evokes an earlier era while remaining firmly rooted in the present. Their album, Too Many Men, was smart and sexy and a whole lot of fun. They won a couple of awards at this years Nashville Independent Music Awards including Best Blues Artist, and now they can add an "Earie" to their award cabinet,
On to the shuffle:
"Pissing At Will" by Ohioan
As I think I mentioned when I played them before, Ohioan are not from Ohio. They are from Tucson. This is the a-side to their recent single. I grabbed this off of Aquarium Drunkard a few months back, and I like it a bunch.
"Fits and Starts" by Brian Keenan
The title track from the new album by Brooklyn singer-songwriter Brian Keenan. I am really enjoying his new album.
"Goodbye Girl" by Squeeze
Originally the first single from Cool for Cats. Another in a long string of classic songs by the newly reformed Squeeze.
"None of That Now" by Michelle Lewis
Michelle Lewis is a Boston singer-songwriter. This track comes from her Live at Club Passim EP. The video performance I found is from Belcourt Taps here in Nashville.
"I'm Here to Get My Baby Out of Jail" by Porter Wagoner
I was introduced to this song on the Knitters' Poor Little Critter on the Road album back in the latter part of the 1980s. It struck me (not for the first time) that here I was a good Tennessee boy, and it took a bunch of L.A. punks to introduce me to classic country and western music. Ah well... I do remember Porter Wagoner coming to my hometown and stopping the in the store where my Mom worked. So there is that.
"From Here to Burma" by Blake Babies
Another from the live Blake Babies album. In the introduction to this song, they say it will be on an album some day, and it was included on the band's album Earwig.
"Cumberland Mountain" by Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau
2015 "Earie" award winners, Richie Owens and the Farm Bureau with a song and story that comes from the same source material as the book, "Cold Mountain". At least I think that is what Richie told me... it had been a long night of big fun so I could have that wrong.
"Beggars and Choosers" by Soul Asylum
And we close out the shuffle with a song from one of my all time favorite albums, Hang Time.
VIDEO PLAYLIST
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