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Well, we've reached the end of another work week and another week of shuffles. I haven't had a normal five day work week in almost a month, and I am going to be taking some time off at the end of January, first part of February - more on that later....
I've been thinking about E2TG quite a bit. It has been a part of my life for going on seven years. In the beginning, I stated a philosophy and even though much has changed in those seven years, I still try to stick as close to that philosophy. I recognized early one that I could never "compete" with some of major music sites in terms of covering all the "hot" or "hip" or whatever music. So, I set my sights on featuring music you may not be reading about in those brand x blogs. What that has meant has changed somewhat but not entirely. In recent months, I have had the opportunity to feature some artists that would have never thought possible before.
What thrills me more than anything is the diversity of music that I am able to feature and write about. For me, that is more than a philosophy or modus operandi, it is an imperative. Since I first got interested in music, I have had an almost insatiable appetite for more and different music - always aware of the sometimes obscure thread that runs through it all.
With that being said (whatever it was I said), I have a wonderful and diverse set of songs that came up randomly in my shuffle of my new music playlist. Yesterday - there were only six songs in the shuffle - today, we have twelve.
"Travelling Days" by Tim Easton
We starts things off with another track from the forthcoming Tim Easton album. Paco and The Melodic Polaroids won't be out until April, but I'm getting a listen and I'm digging it. It is a solo acoustic album, and includes some new and some previously released songs. I found a video of version of this song on Easton's YouTube Channel. If you aren't familiar with Tim Easton, I recommend you check out his most recently released album, American Fork - you can spend some time with that album while you wait for this new one to come out."Off the Farm" by Matthew Sweet
I definitely consider Matthew Sweet one of those artists that I would never get the chance to feature, but his Tomorrow Forever album came to me last year, and I have loved having this music in my shuffle. I have been a fan of Sweet's music for some time, and I have to say that this recent music sounds both fresh and as good as some of his classic albums.
"Restless Heart" (Mistr Tahti cover) by Pat Power
We have another track from the brand new Pat Power release Ontario Gothic Vol. 1 which features covers of songs by songwriters from Ontario. By the way for us ugly Americans, Ontario is a province of Canada - which I think is kind of like a state or so. Ontario happens to be the most populous province and accounts for 40% of the population of our neighbor to the north. I actually don't know much about Mistr Tahti - but I love this song. This track - like the one we played yesterday - features guest vocals from Jolene D'Mello.
"Stay Together" by Danny Sandock
As we wait for Danny Sandock's fifth album - which is in the works - we have been enjoying listening to his fourth album Breakin' New Ground.
"The King" by Bashful Hips
Hey! It's great to have Bashful Hips back in the shuffle. Since we last talked about about Ian Fellerman's project, he has relocated from Nashville and settled in Chicago. Now, he has a new album called People. Nature. Death. This is our first listen, and I have to say he is sounding as good as I have heard him.
"Feedback Lives" by The Electric Grandmother
We have another track from Cancelled by Washington D.C. based The Electric Grandmother. You may recall, Cancelled is a concept album about a man whose favorite t.v. show, Police Department. This song is about the show our protagonist so hated. Cop Force featured mindless violence and loose morals in contrast to Police Department's friendly and innocent nature. Look for Mary Alice and Pete in the video.
"Home on the River" by Caroline Cotter
Next, we have another track from a forthcoming album. This is the title track from the new album by Caroline Cotter which is due out on February 9. Cotter is based out of Portland Maine. I don't have a video or music stream for this track but keep an eye out for Home on the River coming soon.
"Jane Eyre" by Rayvon Pettis
Next up, we have a literary track from Dying Light by 2017 E2TG Artist of the Year Rayvon Pettis. One of my favorite songwriters working today and really just an all-around great guy.
"Dixie Melody" by Big Shoes
Nashville's Big Shoes will be celebrating the birthday of band member Mark T. Jordan tonight at Bourbon Street Blues and Boogie Bar. The show also celebrates Jordan's return to the stage following recent surgery. Carefully E2TG readers may note that Mark Jordan sometimes plays keyboards with E2TG favorite Mark Robinson.
"Tenkiller" by Marie/LePanto
I am super excited about the forth-coming Marie/Lepanto album. The title track came up today in my shuffle. I am still only able to show you one track from the album - Inverness. Look for Marie/LePanto on tour next month - including a February 23 set at Exit/In opening for Pedro the Lion.
"uppers n downerzzz" by Ugggy
Next, we have our other 2017 E2TG Artist of the Year, Ugggy with a track from his December 2017 release: The Synesthesia Tape. As you may recall, Ugggy has released new music on the first of every month since March of 2017. You may have also been able to glean that I am a big fan of his music.
"Silent Night" by Jon Byrd
And... we close things out with a great song from Jon Byrd's most recent album Dirty Ol' River. Silent Night is not precisely a Christmas song - but it is close enough for me to include the song on my Double Shot Christmas show. The song was previously recorded by Nashville singer-songwriter and journalist Peter Cooper. A great way to end this week and this shuffle.
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