Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!
All of this happened a long time ago when the world was a very different place. Of course, none of us knew that at the time.
(From The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres) Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)
E2TG January 2018
E2TG February 2018
E2TG March 2018
E2TG April 2018
E2TG May 2018
E2TG June 2018
E2TG July 2018
E2TG August 2018 (coming soon!)
Well another Americana Fest is in the books. Once again, it was a wonderful experience (and there are so many ways to experience it). It is overwhelming, but when you accept that you can't do everything and just enjoy what you can do, it all works out. I am still recovering and have not yet processed everything, but I can say, it was great to meet some out of town friends, see and hear some E2TG favorites - including four past E2TG Artist/Band of the Year winners: Brian Wright, Darrin Bradbury, Jon Latham, and Ladies Gun Club. I also saw some potential 2018 artist/band of the year contenders.
It's time to get into the shuffle. It's Monday, so we dig into our Music City Monday playlist to get a random shuffle of great artists who do or have called Nashville home. Let's go!
"Two Days" by Mark Huff
My Americana week kicked off (pretty much) with emceeing a show last Tuesday with Amelia White, Mark Huff, and UK artists Robbie Cavanagh and Demi Marinner. We are currently featuring Huff's latest album Stars for Eyes, but this track goes back to his 2010 album Feels Like California.
"I Ain't Living Long Like This" by Rodney Crowell
Rodney Crowell is definitely one of the patron saints and a towering figure in the Americana music community. This song was the title track from Crowell's debut album which was released in 1978. Americana was not even a gleam of a gleam in the eye back then, and Rodney Crowell was just considered country.
"Drinkin' at the Bar" by Little Bandit
I hate that I missed it, but I am so glad that there was a first ever Queer Roots event during this year's festival. Here's to that being an annual event and even bigger next year. I mention that because Little Bandit played the event this year. He is one of Nashville's absolute best - tearing down all sorts of barriers and making great music while doing it. This is the first of two songs in the shuffle from his amazing album, Breakfast Alone. This first track is a lively, honky tonk number about favorite pastimes.
"Chase Me Out of the Dark" by Glossary
Being out of the loop musically for many years, meant that I was way late to the game on Glossary, but I can now say that they were one of the best bands ever to come out of Nashville - especially in terms of songwriting. This is from their 2008 album, The Better Angels of Our Nature. One of my favorite songs of theirs.
"Crawling at Your Feet" by Aaron Lee Tasjan
Forget the awards... I mean congrats to who were nominated and who won, but Aaron Lee Tasjan is the undisputed King of Americana Fest. I lost count of how many times he performed throughout the festival. I was fortunate enough to catch a few of his performances. This is a track from his new album Karma for Cheap. Expect to see this album on a lot of Top Ten lists at the end of this year. If I did a top ten list, I know this would be up around or at the top. Tasjan is not only a powerhouse performer and a super-talented musician and songwriter, he is also one of nicest and most genuine people you will ever hope to meet. His performance of "I am Woman" at the Better Together show on Tuesday - endures as a favorite moment of the festival which was filled with favorite moments.
"Stones in my Pathway" by Webb Wilder
Webb Wilder - another pioneer of Americana music - makes to appearances in today's shuffle. The first is a cover of a Robert Johnson song - from his most recent studio album - Mississippi Moderne. The album is a tribute to the music of Wilder's home state, and it is impossible to talk about Mississippi music without mentioning Robert Johnson."#17" by Cloverbottom
I dare say, that Cloverbottom have very little to do with Americana music, however, I will say that many of the Nashville music fans and artists who do associate some with Americana remember and love Cloverbottom. The band formed in 1980 and played fast-paced punk rock music - they helped pave the way for the Nashville underground rock and roll scene which thrived in the mid to late part of that decade. This is a live performance from the Return to Elliston Square Live album which we have been featuring quite a bit on Music City Monday. The band was led by Rick Champion.
:"Kids" by Diarrhea Planet
I would venture to say that Cloverbottom blazed the trail for many Nashville rock bands that may not have ever heard of them. Diarrhea Planet is one of those bands. They played their final shows a week or so back at Exit/In -otherwise, I'm sure they would have had a showcase and Americana Fest. (okay not really). They were one of the best Nashville underground rock bands of the last decade or so. This is a track from their 2013 album I'm Rich Beyond Your Wildest Dreams.
"Money" by Little Bandit
Our second track from Breakfast Alone is "Money". Oh, how can something so elusive cause so much trouble.
"Powerful Stuff" by Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks
And we close with our second track by The Last of the Full Grown Men. This is the title track from his most recent album - a compilation of rare/unreleased tracks. Powerful Stuff was co-written by frequent collaborator (songwriter and producer) R.S. Field). It was a staple of the band's live shows until it became a hit for The Fabulous Thunderbirds when it was featured in the 1988 film Cocktail. This recording was discovered recently and released for the first time on this compilation.
VIDEO PLAYLIST
No comments:
Post a Comment