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Back in the early 1990s, before blogs and social media, I used to change my outgoing answering machine message every day. On January 14, 1993, I used a portion of this song from the self-titled debut album by Cracker. Since then, it has become a (not exactly annual) tradition. Twenty six years after the first time I used this song, here is "Happy Birthday to Me" by Cracker. I remain, "Thankful for the Small Things Today".
I will be celebrating tonight at the Radio Cafe with a show featuring Ryan Sobb, Jeremy Ivey, and Darrin Bradbury. Three of Nashville's finest - a great way to spend the evening.
We have our weekly Music City Monday shuffle. This is a good one! Let's get to it!
"Start the Dance" by Andrew Leahey and the Homestead
Andrew Leahey and the Homestead are set to release a new album in 2019. This was a single released ahead of that album last year. It finds one of Nashville's best bands on the top of their game.
"I Saw The Master" by Daryl Dasher
Daryl Dasher also has a new album set for release this year. He is a long-time Nashville singer-songwriter. This is a track from his 2009 album, Long Road Now.
"I Drove Her Out of My Mind" by Johnny Cash
We move from today of today's best Nashville songwriters to one of the all-time greats. This is a track from the 2014 posthumous release, Out Among the Stars. The album came from some 1980s recording sessions produced by Billy Sherrill which were shelved by Columbia Records. The recordings were discovered by John Carter Cash in 2012.
"Sick - Outt" by Sad Baxter
Back to the present. Sad Baxter are one of the hottest local bands around. This is from their EP So Happy which was released last summer. The first time I saw them was when they were backing Bill Eberle a few years back at a show at The Basement. Then, I ran into them again at a show at Betty's which featured Nashville band The Mumzees and some NYC friends - NO ICE and The Regrets. They have garnered some well deserved attention for their latest release - which made some top ten lists locally.
"Sunday Mornin' Comin' Down" by Kris Kristofferson
When Kris Kristofferson sang this song at the show I saw last year at The Basement East, it was one of those almost religious experiences that happen all to rarely at music shows. The song was first recorded by Ray Stevens. Johnny Cash took it to number one. There is nothing like seeing the songwriter himself sing this one. One of the most iconic songs of Outlaw Country movement."Lifers" by Jon Latham
When it comes to those religious experiences at music shows, not many contemporary songwriters do it better than Jon Latham, and this is a song that gets to me every single time I hear it. The title track from his most recent album. It is very much a theme song to the East Nashville songwriting community. The video comes from the E2TG Sixth Anniversary residency show in 2017.
"No Mistake" by Joanna Barbera
Joanna Barbera is one of my favorite local songwriters. Nashville will try to hold onto her as long as we can (she has moved around quite a bit in her life). Her songs and her voice are incredible. I was so happy to have her be a part of my 7th Anniversary residency last June.
"Fly So Free" by Luella and the Sun
Featuring incredible vocals and Luella and guitar by Joe V. McMahan, Luella and the Sun were one of Nashville's hottest bands. They broke up in 2013. McMahan is a busy producer and plays guitar with Kevin Gordon among others. Luella has a solo career going - look for her at select dates around town. This song was featuring in an episode of the NBC series Parenthood in December of 2013.
"Yet" by F.U.C.T.
Going back a ways, we have Nashville hardcore band F.U.C.T. from the Return to Elliston Square 1979-1989 compilation. This band had and has a devoted following. From the liner notes of the Return to Elliston Square album (written by Reverent Keith Gordon):
"There may have been local bands that rocked harder than Forever Ungratical Corinaric Technikilation (F.U.C.T.), but none did it with the zeal and unflagging spirit of Nashville’s hardcore heroes. In their day, F.U.C.T. would pull ‘em in from all over the south, and all ages. It helped that the band was mostly as young as its audience – and as rowdy – and singer Clay Brocker’s fierce onstage presence and natural charisma, along with the blistering metallic onslaught of the band’s songs, earned them a significant following that remembers F.U.C.T. fondly, even today. Uncompromising and influential, the band still plays live occasionally."
"A Songwriter's Prayer" by Tommy Womack
We close out today's shuffle with a track from There I Said It by the one and only Tommy Womack (singer-songwriter-musician-author-radio host). One of Nashville's realest and finest.
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