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TOMORROW NIGHT! DON'T MISS THE E2TG 5TH ANNIVERSARY EXTRAVAGANZA!!!!!
First of all... I am devastated by the loss of Guy Clark. One of the best songwriters ever and an inspiration to so many of my favorite writers... Rest in Peace...
Well, I've been on the road, so I have not had time to post any shuffles during this anniversary week. But, I am back home. I have created an E2TG Playlist on Spotify which I will be using for the between act music tomorrow night. Representing a good cross-section of music I have featured on E2TG over the last 5 Years.
I decided to preview the playlist and of course I hit shuffle and these are the songs that come up...
See you (in person or in spirit tomorrow night!)
"I've Wasted My Time Getting Wasted" by Reckless Johnny Wales
Since I set my goal this month of counting my blessings in regards to Ear to the Ground, it seems like the universe has provided opportunities to be reminded of these many blessings. Over the past couple of weeks, I have had the good fortune to be in the proximity of (if not hear) some truly remarkable people who I know personally because I made a snap decision to begin writing a music blog in May of 2011. One of those is Reckless Johnny Wales (I ran into him at David Olney's last show before heading overseas), and then I got to see and hear him this past Saturday at Brown's Diner playing and talking with Uncle Tony. He is wrapping up work on his new album, and he played a couple of tracks on Saturday which are incredible. This is from his album American Heart. If you ever meet Reckless Johnny Wales, get him telling stories and pay attention. I was lucky enough to hear some of his stories at the Cash Cabin which he had visited when Johnny was still alive.
"Chasers" by Lucky Jukebox Brigade
Through a twist of fate and circumstance (some of which will come up later in this shuffle), I became aware of a tons of great music coming out of the Upstate New York area. Lucky Jukebox Brigade have always impressed me with their upbeat, catchy and cool songs and quirky videos. They have had a number of lineup changes since I started following them. but there is a consistent excellence to what they do. They recently released an album called, Savage Fantastic and this is a track off that record.
"Glory, Glory" by Lindsay Ellyn
Over the last two years, I have been very fortunate to meet a ton of talented songwriters/singers/musicians and then to watch them grow and develop. I first started seeing Lindsay Ellyn on one of those crazy nights at Fran's Eastside with Tim Carroll and Darrin Bradbury. I finally met her and knew she was working on a record. Out of Road came out early last year and completely blew me away. Playing with excellent Nashville players, the EP really showcases her talent. Since it came out, I have had several chances to see her as she continues to develop her craft. Lindsay and her top notch live band played the first ever E2TG Presents showcase at the late and lamented Building in East Nashville. "Glory, Glory" is one of my favorite songs of hers and it really deserves to be heard by tons of people.
"Maria Sugarcane" by Brian Wright
Another person I first saw at Fran's Eastside (did I mention that was a magical time?).... Brian Wright is a veteran singer/songwriter who came to East Nashville by way of California by way of his native Texas. The first time I saw him play his own songs, I was absolutely blown away. The first time I saw him with a band, I was stunned. He is on the road right now with Aaron Lee Tasjan... if you get the chance to see him in any format, make plans to do it. "Maria Sugarcane" is one of my favorite songs of his - such a powerful song of love and death...
"Crazy Beautiful Life" by Callaghan
Another thing I love about writing E2TG is having things come full circle in the most random and wonderful ways. A few years ago, I randomly came across the music of Callaghan and was impressed. I wrote about her a few time. I kind of lost touch with her, but fast forward to last year. I was writing some live reviews of No Depression (an amazing opportunity that would never have happened if I had not written E2TG), and one of the first shows I covered was Callaghan who had relocated to Nashville and who was about to release a new album. It was a great show. Then, as a result of writing that review, I had the opportunity to attend the wonderful Safety Harbor Song Fest where Callaghan and tons of amazing people were performing. While there, I finally got to meet her."Drinking Song" by The Danbury Lie
I have never been one to pay much attention to genre definitions or commercial potential or anything like that. I know what music I like and the combinations that come up in my shuffle may not make sense to some people, but I really don't care. Thanks to writing Ear to the Ground, I have had the opportunity to hear, write about, and even meet some people whose dedication to their unique visions is inspiring to me as a blogger and as a writer. The Danbury Lie (aka Rob) is one of those really remarkable people. Over the course of several self-made albuns, a book, a DVD, and a video short, I have gotten the opportunity to really get to know him, and I feel like my life is better as a result. I finally got to meet him last year, and as a result ended up in a voice-only cameo on his DVD. "Drinking Song" was first released on Fourth Times a Charm and later included in the retrospective Shallow Cuts. Dig it!
"Coast to Coast" by Those Mockingbirds
Very cool that this song came up. Those Mockingbirds (a New Jersey Rock band) recently ended their long run, but they left behind some great music, and a circumstantially pivotal role in the history of Ear to the Ground. In the first year of its existence, no one really knew about my blog, and so I actively went out an found music to write about. One method I used was checking out bands and artists that followed me on Twitter. I was introduced to several artists/bands that way including Those Mockingbirds. Once I wrote about them (and named them my Artist of the Week), I suddenly began hearing from all sorts of folks in the New York and New Jersey area. It was due to this that I met Popa Tune's, Don Ryan, and through both of them Darrin Bradbury. If you have been reading over the last two years, you know how important Darrin has been to this blog and this blogger. This is the really awesome song that started that whole chain-reaction!
VIDEO PLAYLIST
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