E2TG 1/24/2020 - Featured Friday - Popeye's Beard Mix (Half Life Remix)

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Well, we made it to the end of another week which means it is time to refresh the E2TG Featured Friday Spotify Playlist.  This week's playlist features some brand new releases and some songs that have just made their way into my consciousness.  We have new music from David Dondero - one of our countries best songwriters, Zander Schloss - punk rock icon turned troubadour, Davis Raines - a highly regarded Nashville songwriter, Jen Starsinic - one of my favorite local writers, June Star - an Americana band from Baltimore MD, Ryan Dillaha - a Michigan based singer-songwriter, Mono Inc - Goth Metal band from Germany, Sunshine Boys - Chicago based power pop band that I saw last Saturday, Michael Zimmerman - surprise release from the Nashville based multi-instrumentalist who I first met as part of Nelson Zimmerman and Quinn, Party of Shine - a new hard rock band featuring Jeff Johnson of Jason and the Scorchers, Rebecca Turner - New Jersey based singer-songwriter, 12xPretty - Electro-pop outfit from Victoria BC, Electric High - hard rock/metal band from Bergen Norway, Mrs. Henry - new live album from the L.A. based band who did the Last Waltz tribute we have been featuring, Kailey Nicole - Nashville (by way of Vegas and L.A) singer-songwriter, and Three Rivers Project - electronica/synthwave project.  Check out the playlist below and please follow the playlist on Spotify if you would like. 

Also, check out the Release listing - we have a handful of albums coming out today (including some from our playlist) and some new additions to our list.   

And the shuffle is down below!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Poison Water Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook! 


In the last few days, I have had more than more conversation about how Nashville's embarrassment of musical riches can be easy to take for granted. On any given night, we can wander out to your favorite neighborhood bar and be likely to see any one or more than one or all of the following: world-class musicians, musicians who have backed up the biggest names in the music business, top-notched songwriters (young and not-so-young).  All of this while mingling with other incredibly talented musicians, songwriters, photographers, journalists, artist managers, publicists, etc - in a totally loose and casual environment.

Saturday - I took my daughter to see Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose at The 5 Spot - with Wes Langlois, Justin Amaral, and Daniel Seymour. Plus special guests Paul Burch and Kevin Welch. 

Last night, I headed to Dee's in Madison for the weekly Madison Guild Monday - this week hosted by Megan Palmer and featuring the "Backyard Bitches" featuring an incredible line-up of talented songwriters - some backed by equally talented musicians.

Well - just four more shuffles for 2017. This is one of those four - so let's get to it!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Bosom of the Valley Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook! 


Well, my outlook on life is much better today. The world is still a ginormous mess, but I am more at peace. Music heals.  Hanging out with friends listening to Jon Byrd and then Kevin Gordon at The Family Wash.  Then heading to The 5 Spot for a bit of $2 Tuesday (it had been too long) and catching a cool band called The Speedbumps and Derek Hoke's always awesome set.

I have a training this afternoon, so I have to post this a little early and can't dawdle too much....

It's Wednesday and we get "wild" on Wednesday by shuffling up all the songs on my phone....

Here goes!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Was it An Accident Mix

Tweet #E2TG


Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook! 


So much on my mind these days... good stuff and not so good stuff and really bad stuff...

I am so happy that WXNA was voted Best Radio Station by the Readers of the Nashville Scene. Even if I did not have a show on the station, I would be a listener and a supporter. Thanks to the incredibly hard work of the Board (all former DJs at Vanderbilt's WRVU), a huge gap in the Nashville landscape was filled in June 2016.  Just yesterday, on my way home from work, I was listening to the station and it occurred to me how much I love listening to shows that play music outside of my "comfort zone" for want of a better term.  The variety of music and talk on the station is incredible.

As for the not so good stuff  and the really bad stuff... well, you can probably guess some of it. #Resist #Persist 

It is Thursday - and it is our recent tradition to do Topical shuffles on Thursday, but to try to get through the many songs in my "new music" playlist- I am devoting Thursday's to new music for the next couple of months.

Shuffle!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle- Lipstick Tubes and S**t Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!



I'm running short on time... It's Tuesday where we take a look at what's "trending" on E2TG.   By the way, my "New Music" playlist just topped 500 tracks. Which means I have a ton of new and newish music yet to be featured here....  it's a great problem to have - especially since I only add music I dig.

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Not Like This Mix

Tweet #E2TG


Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


I genuinely try to avoid hyperbole. I may not always succeed, but I do try.  However, whenever, I try to write about the state of our nation and our world under the current administration, it always comes off sounding like hyperbole. To me it feels as if we have been in one long constitutional and authoritarian crisis since the inauguration, and it feels as if every single day comes complete with several more outrages against the nation and the world and common decency.  The Constitution provides for checks and balances to prevent one branch of government from having too much power, and while to some extent these checks and balances have at least slowed the pace of the corruption of our nation, I don't think the framers ever foresaw the wholesale dereliction of duty by the majority of members of Congress. It remains to be seen what if any action is taken on the Russian interference in the 2016 Election or the seemingly certain involvement of high ranking administration officials in that interference (up to and including the President).  Or if action  is taken if the president will attempt to exercise absolute power to pardon himself and others. Or if he does, if Congress and others will challenge that.  Or if the base of the current administration's supporters will ever admit that the people they supported are corrupt and damaging to our country.

Meanwhile, the Senate is attempting to shove through a "healthcare bill" -the details of which have not been revealed, but which seems like to deprive millions of Americans the ability to have affordable healthcare, and which will likely end up being a huge transfer of wealth from the poorest Americans to the richest.  And let's not forget that the majority in Congress have had years to come up with an adequate plan to either replace or fix the ACA and they seemingly have done nothing.

And all of that is not even to mention the President's reprehensible "speech" to the Boy Scouts yesterday. Or whatever other outrage that has popped up since I started writing this....

Some writers are saying this is the end of the American Experiment, and that the experiment has ended in failure. Is that hyperbole?  Is it?
********************************************************************************

Ah but for today, we still have music...  It is Tuesday, and on Tuesday, we check out what is "Trending" on E2TG. Fortunately, what is trending on E2TG is great music... not the kind of depressing things that are trending on social media sites.

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Hide Your Daughters, Hide Your Sons Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


Well, it is officially the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, or the beginning of the long march to Winter gloom - if you will.  As I mentioned yesterday, we are also approaching the half way mark of 2017.  In an effort to present as much "new" music as possible, I am going to be spinning tunes from my "new music" playlist every day for the next two week. It's Tuesday today, and I would be doing that anyway, but still....


Well - let's get to the music shall we?

Manic Monday Music Shuffle - Punchline Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Hello Reader!

Well - I had the realization that we have just two weeks of shuffles left and then the first half of 2017 will be over.  It's been a busy year so far. I know New Years is the traditional time to make life changes (or at least to talk about it), but I like to think of June 30 as kind of halftime for the year.  In my limited knowledge of football, it seems like teams that are good at making halftime adjustments tend to do better (overall).  Okay sports analogy over.  Anyway, as I sit here on the verge of the 2nd half of 2017, I noticed I have over 300 songs in my "New Music" playlist. All (with one or two exceptions) represent music that was submitted to me in one form or another in relatively recent months.  I also noticed that some recent additions have been underplayed - the nature of the random shuffle, and there are also some stragglers (one or two songs from albums nearly or over one year old). It seems like a good time to tidy up the playlist, but before I do, I thought I would dedicate the next two weeks to just playing songs from the "New Music" playlist to clean it out a little naturally.

This would normally be Music City Monday - but as I suspected over half of the songs in this shuffle would have fit that playlist, too.

Let's shuffle!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Spaghetti Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Okey dokey, I'm back after a long holiday weekend.  Had a good time at Field Day 2017 - with WXNA competing against teams from The Nashville Scene, Fort Houston, Duke's, Third Man Records, and the Belcourt. It was a a true Nashville experience - with Pete Finney playing the National Anthem on pedal steel and Jack White showing up to support the Third Man team and everyone pretending to be blase about it. ;-)

Tomorrow night is the grand finale of the E2TG Residency!!  FuzzQueen opens, to be followed by Amelia White and The Blue Souvenirs!  Looking forward to this show! Doors at 5:30, $5 cover, 21+ only!

It is Tuesday - which means we have our "Trending" shuffle today.  Several Nashville artists to make up for not having a Music City Monday post!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - On Dry Land Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


Hey ho!  It's Tuesday and I am about to head out to a work-related thing. Most likely no shuffle tomorrow. But, PLEASE come to The 5 Spot tomorrow night for Cafe Rooster Night! It's gonna be rad!

Some "Trending" tunes with minimal commentary...  A bunch of Nashville area music today to help celebrate the Predators going to the Stanley Cup Finals!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Strange Cars Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!


I don't know anymore... I mean, I feel like the people who understand that what is going on with this administration is not okay, not normal, and horrible for this country - already know. Those who are know and who are in positions to do something about it and are not - they are complicit. Those who don't know - are willfully ignoring facts that are clear as a bell... Sometimes continuing to speak out seems fruitless, but I am not going to stop.
*******************************************************************************

May 17! I sure hope, if you are in Nashville, you will come out for a one of a kind experience. I am still pinching myself that David Olney and Sergio Webb are each playing full band sets as part of the Sixth Anniversary of Ear to the Ground.  Still not convinced? There will be more beer koozies to give away and I will be reading another short section of one of two novels-in-progress.  Although, seriously if the first part of this announcement did not convince you, but the second part did - you need to go do some research about Sergio Webb and David Olney.

It is Friday!  We've (almost) survived another week. It's time to see what the shuffle would have us feature today...

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - His Home is Hell Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

Before you ask, I did not watch the presidential address last night...  Let me ask... Did he say that he was going to remove white supremacists from his administration?  Did he say he had made a mistake in appointing an Attorney General with an abysmal civil rights record? Did he promise a full, independent investigation into Russia's tampering with the election and his campaign staff's communication with that country?  Did he reveal a healthcare plan that covers all Americans?  Did he denounce the recent racially and ethnically motivated violence and vandalism that are being carried out by people who believe they are acting on his behalf?    What's that... no?  Then, I am really not interested in what ever b.s. he spouted.
**************************************************************************

Hey - shameless self-promotion time.  I am working to release a LONG, LONG overdue novel - sometime this year, and I just recorded a very short Intro - from the beginning of the novel.  Here it is.  More to come about The Drift...




Well - after a couple of nights staying in to work, my week of live music begins tonight.  Earie Award Winner (2015) D.L. Duncan begins his residency at The 5 Spot - early show.  Later, a bunch of my favorite songwriters (lots of Earie winners included) will be at The Country for a round.

Tomorrow night, I am so thrilled to be seeing John Doe at The Basement, and even more thrilled that 2015 Artist of the Year and 2016 Earie winner - Jon Latham will be opening the show!

Time for some Wild Wednesday tunes...

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Right Below the Shoulder Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

I have been thinking lately about the Will Kimbrough song, "Less Polite" (see right below).  Generally, I do believe in civil discourse about political differences. But honestly, lately, it is getting difficult. Don't get me wrong I am willing to have serious and civil discourse with anybody - across the political spectrum - as long as the starting point of that discourse is about how to get rid of this evil and un-American budding dictatorship.  I am frankly disgusted and appalled that more people on the right - of which I know there are some basically decent people do not stand up to this assault on our way of life.

********************************************************************************

Meanwhile, it is the final day of February 2017.  And it is a Tuesday when we present "Trending" tracks from our "New Music" playlist.  Shall we?

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Sh*t Just Got Real Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

#Resist #Persist

Got to catch a solo set by Jon Latham last night followed by hanging with some friends and watching Aaron Lee Tasjan make his television debut on Conan.  It was great to see Brian Wright get some camera time.

It is Friday.  We have some "featured" selections shuffled from the "New Music" playlist...

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Unmade Bed Mix

Tweet #E2TG

Be sure to "Like" Ear to the Ground on Facebook!

I normally steer clear of politics on E2TG, but to me this is no longer political and this is not normal...

When facts are suppressed or denied, when dissent is silenced, when the press is being jailed, when rights that were fought for and died for over a period of decades are decimated overnight... these are not normal times.   #resist

We have a "wild" mix of songs for an overcast Wednesday in Nashville...