Feliz Navidad Friday Morning Shuffle - Comfort and Joy Mix

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Merry Christmas Eve Eve.  As I muddle through my last day of work for a few, and as the year winds down, I have been reflecting on all that I am grateful for in my life.  I know I may sound like a broken record, but E2TG has been one of my life's great blessings (behind my family and maybe one or two other things), and that is because of the incredible people I have been able to get to know because I decided to start writing this thing about five and half years ago.

Today for my first batch of Earie Awards, my thoughts turn toward people who are not specifically musicians that I have featured on E2TG but people who have been a integral part of this whole thing.

I am calling this one (just because I couldn't think of a better name) the "TYFBAFOE2TG" Award - which stands for "Thank you for being a friend of E2TG".

The award goes to Sue Havlish, Mary Sack, Karen Leipziger, Jill Kettles, Gina Frary Bacon, and Gina Sigillito.  Each of these people in their own ways have helped to make E2TG what is today, and I am very grateful for that. I think they each know what they have done, and I wanted to acknowledge them in these few lines. A ton of good things happened in 2016 (and some bad stuff, too) and I am looking forward to what 2017 has in store.  Good or bad (and there will be bad), I know we will get through it together.

Well, I started today with 39 songs left in my Christmas playlist and since this is the last shuffle before the man in the red suit shows up, I thought I would shuffle a few more.

I will see you next week with the last three shuffles of 2016 and the rest of the "Earie" awards including the Artist of the Year award.

Twas the Night Thursday Morning Shuffle - Later Like Dig Mix

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Here we go.... Only 5 more shuffles (including this one) in 2016.

First up:  A pair of well-deserved "Earies" (there will be one more embedded in the shuffle)

1.  The "Outcast" Award goes to Leland Sundries and comes as we received word that they recently signed a publishing deal with Mother West Records.  This New York band released their latest album Music For Outcasts this year, and I got to attend their Nashville release show at the Family Wash -where they tore it up.

2.  The "Key Chain" award goes to Amelia White.  Not only was the "motel key chain" among the best merch of the year, her latest album Home Sweet Hotel was one of the best albums released in 2016. This is one that seems like it has been out for some long that it almost slipped by me, but I do remember attending the CD release show (also at the Family Wash) earlier this year.  Amelia White is one of those performers that I never get tired of seeing live. Her fluid backing band, The Blue Souvenirs, are always on point and always feature some of this town's best musicians.


Well, this is our penultimate shuffle before we break for Christmas, so here is a holiday mix - chex cereal optional.

Good King Wenceslas Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Close Your Eyes Mix

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So, as of about 4:44 this morning, the days have officially started getting longer (see I can be glass half full kind of person... now fill my glass!)  It is officially Winter here in the Northern Hemisphere. Which in Tennessee somehow means the temperatures are going to rise a bit over the next few days. The way it looks now, I may be laying out by the pool on Christmas Day in Georgia... well not really but it is supposed to be close to 70.  Did I mention, E2TG is now a weather blog?

Okay let's move on...

Back in May, this blog turned 5 years old, and we celebrated by throwing a big old party down at The 5 Spot. I am forever grateful to the artists who performed. So, I thought I would give them each an "Earie" which I can calling the "Extravaganza Award".  

By the way, although it would have been understandable if these five acts had decided to just call it year - knowing they could never top playing the E2TG Anniversary Spectacular - they nonetheless soldiered on and did other amazing things...

1. The Foresters came all the way from Connecticut just to play the E2TG show. Okay, fine, they were here for a conference but I am very grateful for the fortuitous timing.  Later in 2016, they played Athens Pop Fest where they got to meet some of their musical inspirations from the Elephant 6 collective. They also put out some early recordings of Robert Scheider of Apples in Stereo on their own Dord Music Group label. Plus Dord got a cool new logo designed by Will Cullen Hart who designed the Elephant 6 logo.

2. Stone Cupid (trio - Julie Christensen, Sergio Webb, and Chris Tench) - I was so honored to have Julie, Sergio, and Chris play the show. Look for some new Stone Cupid music in the coming year,

3 Patrick Kinsley and a Fistful of Dollars - Kinsley and company rocked the house, and I hoping to hear some more new music from them in 2017.

4. BARK - okay Tim Lee 3 already won an "Earie" but this award goes to Tim and Susan's side project which will become their main music project with TL3 going on hiatus. I was happy that so many of my friends and fans got to hear BARK for the first time, and I know that they all became fans.

5.  Adrian + Meredith  - What a great way to close out the show.  A + M certainly did not rest on the laurels that come with playing an E2TG Anniversary Show... They released More Than a Little earlier this year to widespread acclaim.  The album features some of Nashville's finest musicians (which includes Adrian and Meredith themselves),

Speaking of The 5 Spot (way back I was speaking about The 5 Spot)... I took in the final $2 Tuesday of 2016.  As it is every time I go it was a blast.  (It's probably a blast even when I do not go, but I cannot personally attest to that).  Hank Erwin opened up, and his first song was a cover of a Chris Porter song. Porter, you may recall, was killed (along with a band mate) in a tragic auto accident while on tour a few months back... It was my first time hearing Erwin, but I really loved his music.

After that Derek Hoke lead cool band through some classic Christmas tunes with guest singers.

The music for the night ended with Jerry Pentecost leading a song by song tribute to Elvis Costello's second album, This Year's Model,  Oh man, that was fun.

I think I will just post Christmas/Holiday/Seasonal songs for the rest of this week...

Tinsel Thursday Morning Shuffle - Christmas, Daddy-O Mix

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Okay - I am running short on time - so I will defer the Earies until tomorrow.

I decided for the last part of the year to add a bunch of holiday-themed music to my phone, and since I have not created a Throwback Thursday playlist - I created a Christmas/Holiday playlist which I am shuffling from today...

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Cosmo and Seventeen Mix

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PRESENTING THE  1st Annual E2TG Awards - "The Earies"  (The Earies - it sounds kind of strange, but not really). 

Well, it is December, and as I promised, we will begin our month long celebration of all things E2TG.  Welcome to the first annual E2TG awards.  Our red carpet welcome had to be cancelled due to rain in the Nashville area, plus we don't have a red carpet, and someone forgot to book the Ryman.  So, this will be an on-line awards show this year... 

I thought long and hard about how to begin this award month, but finally it seemed fitting and proper to begin the 2015 awards with the artist who closed out 2014 by being named the Artist of the Year.

Presenting the first award for 2015 is ..... me...   Thanks, Joe.  The first award to be presented is the Flattery Will Get You Everywhere Award.  It recognizes the artist or artists who have realized that the blog host is basically a big ball of insecurities and self-doubt and that a little bit of flattery (even somewhat dubious flattery) goes a long way.

This artist not only routinely dedicates one of his signature songs to me, but he also included my likeness on the album cover of his most recent release.  I think "Bob" is a pretty handsome guy, even if I would not say that he is short or tall.     The 1st ever "Earie" goes to Darrin Bradbury.  Darrin is currently on tour out West, so I will accept the award on his behalf.  Also, we don't have actual
statues.  Maybe next year.  



Stay tuned all month for more awards....

On to the shuffle:

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Cold Start Mix

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Well here we are.  It's a new year. 2014 is shaping up to be a good one with new music promised from The Foresters, Humming House, The Lucky Jukebox Brigade, and Taco Land just to name a few off the top of my head.

I haven't finished adding new music to our playlist, but we have some sweet music - new and old already queued up so let's jump to it.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle -Unlicensed Gondolier Mix

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Time marches on... a chilly, winter-like morning in Nashville with some heavy fog in downtown and apparently across the Cumberland...

This was my view when I reached the top of the hill this morning...

 Now the playlist:

By 1991, Sam Phillips had already released five albums.  The first four being on a Contemporary Christian Music label.  By this point, she was married to Producer extraordinaire T-Bone Burnett (they would later divorce), and Burnett had produced two of her albums.  They worked together again on the album Cruel Inventions. From that album, we have the lead track called Lying.

  A Fan-Made video of Lying...

k.d. lang's first release in the States was called Angel with a Lariat which was released in 1987.  I think I totally wore out my cassette tape copy of this one.  Diet of Strange Places is a great jumping in point for this album (which still sounds great, some 25 years down the road).

I can't believe no video found for Diet... here's the title track to the album...

Bruce Cockburn's album Dancing in the Dragon's Jaws was released in 1979 and produced one of this most popular songs (in fact his only song to hit the Top 40 in the US - not that we care about that).  Wondering Where the Lions Are is a great song which has stood the test of time and remains one of my favorites.

 

1979 was a good year for music.  Coincidentally, we have the second song in a row from an album released in 1979.  That year, British/American rock icons, The Pretenders released their self-titled debut album.  We have an instrumental track from that record. Space Invader contains actually sounds from the classic arcade game Space Invaders.

 

Husker Du's entire recorded output was released within an approximately four year period, but they were, are and forever shall be one of the most influential bands ever (IMNSHO). Turn on the News from their second album, Zen Arcade, stands as one of the band's best.

 

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Check out this deal from Amazon - Get this 18 Song Greatest Hits collection from Queen for just $3.99 right now!

 

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Eerily Familiar Mix

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Are you scared yet?

HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone!  A little frost on the pumpkin here in Nashville.

What is your favorite Halloween-themed song?

We aren't doing a theme today, but the shuffle is scary good.


Montreal-based Michael Silver records under the name CFCF.  He teams up here with fellow Montreal Electronic band Austra with a song from the brand new Paper Bag Records album cover compilation Paper Bag Records vs. The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.  They do Soul Love.  Check it...

We continue to delve into the musical treasure trove that is Marvin Country! by Marvin Etzioni.  We pick up today with Gram Revisited which features some sampled talking by the song's subject - the late Gram Parsons. 

 
Here's different, but still excellent song off Marvin Country!

And here is Gram Parson with The Flying Burrito Brothers

Blind Willie Johnson, the early 20th Century Texas Blues/Gospel musician wrote and recorded Soul of a Man. It was released in 1930.  

 

One of my favorite covers of the song

Memphis alternative rockers Sore Eyes reported back in July that they were at work on a new album.  Until then, we have a Bonus Track we culled from ReverbNation.  Check out Let It Go:

Here is a different Sore Eyes song via Youtube.

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Arithmetic Mix

Due to circumstance beyond my control, I didn't have to walk up the hill to work today, so I didn't get to listen to my Morning Shuffle.  I decided to do a hypothetical shuffle of some of my favorite songs.

First up.  Canadian singer, songwriter has been active musically since 1967.  His first studio album was released 42 years ago. Our song today is If I Had a Rocket Launcher from 1984's Stealin' Fire.  By the way, during a 2009 trip to Afghanistan to visit Canadian troops including his brother, Cockburn performed this song and was temporarily presented with a real rocket launcher. No sonofabitch died.

 

Next, we have a song which dates from the time of Mr. Cockburn's first album.  The Revolution Will Not Be Televised by the late poet, artist, author Gil Scott-Heron reflects the turmoil of the times and despite some dated references is still relevant today.

Next, we take a one-song break from political posts to feature a song from 1969.  The most famous version was recorded during Johnny Cash's February  1969 performance San Quentin prison.  A Boy Named Sue was Cash's biggest hit on the Pop Charts spending three weeks at #2.

And finally, we have the hip-hop classic from 1982 - The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five (Featuring Melle Mel and Duke Bootee).  "Don't push me 'cause I'm close to the edge..." try not to get that legendary line stuck in your head.  I distinctly remember hearing this song on the radio while on a family trip during the summer of 1982, and it was a transitory experience.  There is a chance it was not the summer of 82 (which would have been very shortly after the song was released), but I know I heard it during a summer family trip.

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Stealing Fire Mix

Easter Monday - Are you hopped up on sugar or is your blood sugar crashing today?

Reminder to vote - the poll is on the sidebar - Band of the Month for March.  At last review, the kids from Illinois Northbrook Garage have a slight lead, but as we've learned in previous months, anything can happen.  Remember, if you don't vote, you can't complain about the results (well technically you can complain but no one has to listen to you complain.

See above for the Amazon pages for the albums containing today's songs.

SONG #1 - Damn These Vampires is a track from The Mountain Goats 2011 Album, All Eternal Deck.  The Mountain Goats have a new one set to be released this year.

SONG #2 - Peggy's Kitchen Wall is from Bruck Cockburn's 1984 masterpiece Stealing Fire which also includes If I Had a Rocket Launcher and Lovers in a Dangerous Time.

SONG #3 - Nashville Cat's is a cover of a Lovin' Spoonful song by Flatt and Scruggs which was released as a single in 1967.

BONUS SONG:  Visite Du Vigile by Miles Davis comes from the Soundtrack to the 1958 Louis Malle film, the title of which can be translated as Elevator to the Gallows.   Miles Davis recorded the album in Paris in 1957 - mostly improvised after a screening of the film.

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Creation Dream: The Songs of Bruce Cockburn With this release, jazz guitarist Occhipinti tackled the songs of Canadian singer/songwriter Bruce Cockburn. Cockburn himself has had jazz composition training and many of his songs have jazz textures and complex arrangements. This lays a firm groundwork

Flatt and Scruggs: The Best of the Flatt and Scruggs Show, Vol. 9 Relive the glory days of one of bluegrass music's most influential duos in this 9th volume of great live performances from their 1950s-1960s TV show! Lester Flatt brings the traditional sounds and Earl Scruggs mixes in some contemporary banjo pickin' using his three-finger method to this long-lost collection of great television moments with the Foggy Mountain Boys. 1961-1962/b&w/60 min/NR/fullscreen.

3 Films By Louis Malle [4 Discs] [Criterion Collection] Few directors have portrayed the agonies and epiphanies of growing up as poetically and scandalously as Louis Malle. Laced with autobiographical details, Murmur of the Heart; Lacombe, Lucien; and Au revoir les enfants tell stories of youth, set against th

Monday Music Shuffle - Not Morning, Not at All Mix

Quick and easy - taking  a day off so no morning walk and therefore no morning shuffle, but I offer up a Wintry  Mix of Music for your comfort and joy....




Bruce Cockburn is legend wait for it.... ary.   Cry of a Tiny Babe came from his Nothing But a Burning Light Album.  



(click on picture to download a 1995 release from the Columbia Records Radio Hour featuring Bruce along with Lou Reed, Rosanne Cash and Rob Wasserman)




The Who perform Christmas from the rock opera, Tommy. "And Tommy doesn't know what day it is..."




(Click on album cover to buy the Deluxe Edition of Tommy by the Who)


And finally, more from The Walla Recovery's A Star, A Star Vol. 3 - it's the Christmas staple Angels We Have Heard on High.



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Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Bowl of Cherries Mix

So, I tuned into the AMA's last night, and I have to say, I was confused... until I realized that  it was not the Americana Music Awards. But, I pressed on because I heard that KMFDM was doing to close the show, and that seemed such a weird left field kind of thing that I had to watch.  Needless to say, I need to pay more attention to what I hear....
Rainy Monday here in Nashville. I overslept, came home after dropping my daughter off and decided to nap because I had a dentist appointment at 8:00.  Set my phone alarm for 7:26p.m. and my wife woke me up at 7:55. Got to my 8:00 appointment at 8:15.

Got to the work parking lot around 9:40 - had to park in the far lot - which I expected and by this time, I was in serious need of good music.  I shuffled a quick and dirty and random playlist I had created last week and once again randomness paid off...

First off was Something I Don't Know by Band of the Week alumnus Simon Fagan.

(Click on album cover to purchase and download the song)
Next up, the shuffle spit out the lovely A Beautiful Girl by the ubiquitious Band of the Week alumni Ubiquity Machine. Check out and download the song below.




01 A Beautiful Girl by Ubiquity Machine

Song #3 comes from the our neighbors to the North. Bruce Cockburn has been making music for a long time, and Wondering Where the Lions Are is one of this best.
(Click on album cover to purchase and download the song)

The final song comes from Nashville, TN based super-couple Buddy and Julie Miller. God's Wing'ed Horse is a heavenly bit of music.
(click on album cover to purchase and download the song)

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Slice O Life: Bruce Cockburn Live Solo Bruce Cockburn has issued numerous live recordings, and thus far all of them have been band offerings during the various periods of his 40-plus-year career. While the acoustic element has always been a primary part of his stage persona, fans -- and the me

Buddy & Julie Miller Earthy husband and wife singer/songwriters Buddy & Julie Miller offer more rootsy, countrified folk music on their self-titled 2001 release, this time with a full, more rock-influenced sound. While the two have made involved appearances on each others' al