E2TG 1/9/2020: 2019 Artist of the Year and more - Good Times Mix (Revolution Remix)

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Beach Notes 1-8-2020

The first ever Decline of Southern Civilization was a success.  Musical performances by Slump Test (Ben Douglas, Twon, and Ryan Dishen), Jibber Jabber, and Stuck Lucky, plus the comedy stylings of Shakes.  Plus, Slump Test opened with a theme song for the show featuring guests Joe Lekkas and some of the Nashville Horns (include Diego on trombone).  Lots of good punk rock music. Met two people, a young bass player new to town from Monterey, California - it was his birthday and a DJ from Australia who plays punk, post-punk, and garage on a station very similar to WXNA (she was with Nashville and Australia musician and DJ Anne McCue). I believe it is going to be a monthly thing, and I can't wait until the next one.

Slump Test (photo by Me)

2019 E2TG Artist of the Year (Golden Earie Award - Part 1)

My decision to make some changes to E2TG for 2020 and my thoughts and thinking about that led me to change how I approached the end of 2019.  From deciding not to hand out or at least name tons of Earie Award winners to my approach to the Artist and/or Band of the Year. Honestly, I think this decision will vary every year based upon circumstances.

In the history of E2TG (8 and a half years or so), we have never awarded Band/Artist of the Year to the same person*.  (*Ugggy won Band of the Year with Valued Customer and then Artist of Year solo (but he had to release new music every month for a year to accomplish that).  Well, that is about change. When I looked over 2019 (where there were a ton of great releases and a bunch of new music from people I adore), at first I was unsure of what I was going to do, but I kept coming back to one person.  If you read E2TG, this will likely not be a surprise. On January 14, 2019, he officially announced that he had signed with ANTI Records.  His year was one of changes and challenges. In midst of all that he released an album which I named as my favorite album of the year on WXNA's website. He completed his first ever tour of England and Norway (in spite of an intense dislike of flying). He toured with some big names in the Americana world, and he had a triumphant showcase at Americana Music Festival.  Of course, I am talking about Darrin Bradbury who released Talking Dogs and Atom Bombs in 2019.

Regular readers know of his importance to this blog. He was our Artist of the Year in 2014 - the year he began to be established in Nashville (he arrived in November of 2013). He champions other songwriters (I can scarcely count the number of people I have met directly or indirectly because of Darrin).  On a personal note, I made a friend when I met Darrin. But it is this most recent year, and the future which earned him this year's Artist of the Year title.  Since, I have been naming Artist/Band of the Year, the award has always represented a recognition of the accomplishments for the year just ending and the promise of the year just starting.  Based upon the post Talking Dogs... songs that I have heard, I am excited to see what comes next for Darrin Bradbury.

                                          Talking Dogs and Atom Bombs Album Cover                    Darrin Bradbury (Facebook Profile Picture)


Here is today's shuffle from all the songs on my phone....

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Hipster Girl in the Old City Mix

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There are two parts of everyone of us.... well maybe more than two...

At this point, I can't see beyond this moment... one more time, one more time... it really makes no difference where or why.  There is an ugliness - I guess it has always been there... That ugliness does not discriminate. It really doesn't! Even though it may seem like it does.  The personifications of that ugliness - they discriminate - it is what they do... but the ugliness deep inside does not.  What I mean is that we all have some of the ugliness inside of us - the hate, the fear, the selfishness, the judgments.

Here's the thing... there is much beauty in the world... not just in special places or certain people. It is everywhere.  We all have the beauty inside of us - the love, the courage, the selflessness, the compassion.

The choice we have each day, each moment is to decide which of those we want to show to the world and more importantly which we want to manifest in the world.  Speaking for myself, I make those choices many, many different times every single day. Sometimes, I make what I think is the right choice and I show the world the beauty and I try to manifest that beauty.  Way too often, I fall short and little bits (or more) of the ugliness comes out.

So, today I am thankful when I allow the beauty to be what the world experiences.  But, I also have to thankful when I reminded that the ugliness is there, too.  Because, I  think that forgetting that I have that ugliness inside of me is far more dangerous than those moments when I show the world that ugliness.

Be good to one another -  I will try.

Anyway, I like sharing beautiful music of all kind.

Quick recap, I had a nice evening at The Country.  I was great to see Russell Thompson play for the first time in several months and to be reminded the beauty of his wonderful songs.   It was also great to experience Maynard and the Musties for the first time.  Really loved their sound and their songs.

Now, it is Friday and we shuffle songs from the Featured Friday playlist on Fridays.  Enjoy!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Wrecks the Body and Destroys the Mind Mix

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Last night, I made my first visit to Little Harpeth Brewery (I love their beer) which located just about five minutes from where I park for work.  It was a fun night of good beer, cheap friends, and music (to paraphrase an obscure Darrin Bradbury song lyric).  Speaking of which, the music for the evening was provided by the aforementioned Bradbury and Hushabye Baby (who I saw for the first time and really liked).

It is Friday! Time for some Featured music... via the shuffle function...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Kingston Springs Mix

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Sorry for the inconsistency of posts the last couple of weeks... things will smooth out, but life sometimes gets all lifey...

I have been fighting with a cold all week (constantly changing weather -winter to spring and back -  doesn't help), and as a result, I have been mostly laying low this week, but I did manage to venture out (in a cold dreary rain) to The Basement (the original one) for some music.  As if the case most nights in Nashville there was awesome music going on all over town, but I just didn't feel up to venue hopping.  In fact, the Basement hosted an early show with Erin Rae and Kelsey Waldron that I totally missed, but I did get to see three awesome sets of music from three of Nashville's best "on-the-cusp" artists. 

Andrew Leahey and the Homestead played their last local show for a bit as they gear up for the release of their new album (on Thirty Tigers) in May. As they have every time I have seen them, they played earnest heartland rock and roll and did not hold back.

Michaela Anne also has an album due out in May.  Backed by her awesome band, she played her solid and gorgeous country songs. A highlight was her performance of "Me and Willie" (a CD bonus track from Emmylou Harris' 1976 album Luxury Liner) which Michaela Anne introduced by recognizing the song's writer, Laurie Hyde-Smith, who had come to Nashville from North Carolina for the show.

Darrin Bradbury closed the night with his first? full band show since his January Basement East residency (with the band that played with him for those shows).  This was an extremely fun set which included an impromptu vocal assist (from the crowd) by Jon Latham. (Do I need to mention that Darrin and Jon are the current and most recently past E2TG Artists of the Year? No? Okay, I won't then).  It was fun seeing so many familiar faces (and awesome musicians/songwriters) in the crowd.

To the shuffle:

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Be My Enemy Mix

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It's been a weird week filled with annoyingly insignificant snow "events", a day off, a significant life event, just one (so far) live music night, and some pretty cool shuffles...

Shuffle.... pretty cool....

Saturday Shuffle - Getting Stuff Done Mix

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Hey, I needed to get some "stuff done" today, and I decided to shuffle some music while I got the "stuff done".  So, welcome to a rare Saturday shuffle.  Limited descriptions  - just a ton of cool tunes.

As I mentioned yesterday, E2TG's reigning Artist of the Year was selected by Nashville's Lightning 100 to be their Artist of the Week.  As part of that, he played a free show yesterday evening at Soulshine Pizza, and he played one of the best shows I have ever seen him put on. I could not have been more proud.

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Baby Out of Jail Mix

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Well, here we are.  Another late posting.  Tomorrow likely will be, too.  Let's jump to it. Plus by stupid bluetooth earphones have bitten the dust.  Replacements are on their way.

We've been doing the "Earies" for about a week now.  I hope everyone is enjoying themselves.  I am coming up with winners faster than I am coming up with Award names.... but it's all good.  I just hope I don't forget anyone, but I probably will...

Today's award is the "I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues" Award.

The premise:  I have known for some time that Nashville is the home to some amazing blues players and music, but that fact came into sharp focus for me this year.  The other thing that came into sharp focus for me is that "The Blues" is not a narrow genre of music and it is very much alive and well in this middle year of the second decade of the new millennium.  This award is meant to recognize some of the best of the blues and it so happens both of this years winners come from Nashville, and they both bring their own unique twist to the genre.

The Award goes to Ted Drozdowski's Scissormen  and Eight O'Five Jive.

Ted Drozdowski is a journalist and scholar of the Blues and an amazing guitar player.  With his trio, he brings Mississippi to Nashville and rolls into a sweet psychedelic coating while telling stories and blowing minds.  Love and Life was one of the best albums of the year and one of the best albums Ted Drozdowski has made.  An electrifying live act (no stage can contain Ted and no utensils or glassware are safe from being used as a guitar slide.


Eight O'Five Jive play upbeat, swinging jump blues that evokes an earlier era while remaining firmly rooted in the present.  Their album, Too Many Men, was smart and sexy and a whole lot of fun.  They won a couple of awards at this years Nashville Independent Music Awards including Best Blues Artist, and now they can add an "Earie" to their award cabinet,






On to the shuffle:

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Just the Same as Dyin' Mix

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"Being afraid of living is just the same as dying."  This line from Two Cow Garage seems like one of the most important for me to remember today.  More about Two Cow Garage and last night's other great music is few...

First, the next 2015 E2TG "Earie" Award:

The premise:  "Kids these days."  I write those words, but how did I mean it?  Was it said with exasperation, as it has been said for generations?  Well, in this case, that is not how it was meant. We live in a time of incredible possibilities - really!  Just thinking about music (keep in mind, I know next to nothing about the recording, mixing, mastering etc. process), the potential for DIY recording, distribution etc. seems pretty amazing.  But of course, availability of technology is just a part of the equation.  It is when and where ripe and fertile minds meet this "new" technology that things start to get exciting.  The driving force for me when it comes to music is the constant search for something new.  E2TG has always been (in part) a balancing act between incredible new music being made all over the globe  and maintaining a health appreciation and passion for the music that made the new music possible.  It's about connections. Right?  Yes!  Some "kids" these days are using the tools of the day to make some really cool music, and sometimes, this exciting new music is forged by an appreciation of music way older than those who are making it.

About three years ago???? I was introduced (by Papa Tune's - of course) to a young band of brothers from Connecticut called The Foresters.  At the time, I think only one of the brother was a teenager - the rest were pre-teens.  I made a joke that their average age was 10 3/4 but that their amps go up to eleven. (or something like that). The Foresters were a pop punk band - formed after the three brothers, named Nork, attended a Green Day concert and asked for a received instruments.  The early music was really good power, pop punk. Over the past couple of years, The Foresters have released a couple of EPs, recorded with and as several different side projects. The influences have expanded and diversified and the music has gotten more complex and better.  The band's latest album, Sun Songs, finds the band reaching a new plateau - while the possibilities remain endless. A couple of years ago, the band were given the Hope For the Furure award by the Couch by Counchwest Music Festival. Well, the future is now, and The Foresters appear poised to find out what happens next - which at this moment is a 2015 "Earie".  Actually, special mention for this award needs to go out to all of the artists on the band's homegrown record label, Dord Music Group.

Congratulations to The Foresters - you are the 2015 "Kid These Days..." Award winners.

Last night was a quintessiential Nashville live music night - with some great shows going on in different venues.  Me, I hung out at The Five Spot.  Early, was a show featuring Fats Kaplin, Kristie Rose, Paul Burch, and more.  Later, I was introduced to my new favorite band.  They are called Red Collar from Durham, NC. They are a high energy, punk influenced band.  Austin Lucas - who I saw for the third time this year was as amazing as ever, and Two Cow Garage who I saw for the second time this year (and who barely made it due to mechanical issues) blew me away as they did the first time I saw them.

Tonight, I'm excited to see Jon Latham opening up for the legendary Malcolm Holcombe at The Basement (not East).

Now, we have a Featured Friday shuffle to close out the post-holiday work week.

Featured Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Talk, Talk, Talk Mix

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Well, it is time for the last shuffle before the long Thanksgiving weekend.  I hope if you are travelling that you have safe travels, I hope you find a place of gratitude, I hope you remember those for whom the holidays are a painful or difficult time.  I hope you do all the things you want to do.  For my Canadian friends, you can like, #tbt tomorrow to Canadian Thanksgiving or whatever...

We have one more awesome featured music shuffle to see this work week off in style.