Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Went Away for the Holiday Mix (Harmando Remix)

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  *Note: The video playlist at the bottom of the post attempts to closely approximate the shuffle I listened to on my way to work this morning. When a video for a song was not available, I substituted another song by the same artist. When I could not find any videos by an artist, I included a related video or did not include a video for that track. This blog may reference unreleased tracks, however, no unreleased music is ever included.

Moving on.  We've reached the mid-point of the week.  On Wednesday, we get wild at #E2TG - meaning we shuffle up all the songs I have collected over the years. It can be new songs and older songs, songs from albums we are now or have previously featured on E2TG, songs from my personal collection and odds and ends downloaded and saved over the years. Sometimes, songs come up and I have no idea when or how I added them.  It makes for a fun - wild mix of music - so sit back and enjoy.  (Note: a few songs were not available for the video playlist - so substitute songs by the same artists were added).

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - A Few of My Favorite Things 2013 Mix - Part Five

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Stupid winter bugs.... well, I was out sick Friday - so no shuffle.  But, today's shuffle includes music I would have featured on that day - plus a few more.   I'm actually going to be away for the rest of the week.  Ear to the Ground will return Monday December 30 to present the 3rd Annual Band of the Year award (for the first time not based upon a poll).

Let's get to the music...

Ear to the Ground Presents.... 2013 Part I

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So, we mentioned at the beginning of yesterday's Shuffle that we have gone through almost an entire 1/4 of 2013 without naming a Band of the Week, Band of the Month or Featured Artist.  It's funny because, it was circumstances beyond our control which initially created this situation, but as with much of what we do, it seemed to be the right thing to do.

You may be aware, that once we feature a band/artist, we kind of add them to our family in a way.  We have Twitter Lists and Facebook Lists that we have created and that we follow regularly.

Tweets from @joewolfe_maz/ear-to-the-ground-related

One of the things I wanted to avoid was naming someone a Featured Artist and then barely featuring them. It has happened, though not intentionally.  So, as March winds down, I thought I would look back at the first part of this year.

Ear to the Ground Presents.... after the jump

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Auteur Couture Manure Mix

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Time marches on... btw, as is often the case, the subtitle of the post has nothing to do with the music.  This time, it is just a random phrase that jumped into my brain. 

This morning, we had a pre-shuffle that included the likes of:

Dog Without Warning - a bay area band we discovered at Couch by Couchwest this year.  Check out their CXCW set in the Playlist at the bottom of the post.

Son House - the song we heard is included in the playlist below.

Tim Lee 3 who have been featured either pre-shuffle or shuffle every day this week - as they should be! The heartbreakingly beautiful Halo Days is in the Playlist below.

Calicocat - The more we hear from this Nashville band's final album, the more we mourn the demise of the band, but we do wish the members well in their future musical pursuits.  The Video included in the playlist below is about the only one we could find on YouTube. (Although we found lots of videos of actual calico cats).

Next, we segued into our Official Shuffle (patent pending) with a song from.... (after the pic and the jump)

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Death-Defying All Odds Mix

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I hope you haven't forgotten to check out Couch by Couchwest, but if you have, no worries. Unlike that other festival, you can go right now and get caught up. In a day and a few hours, we've already seen our friends: The Foresters, Kassy Key and the Raindogs ,and Cupla. Plus tons of bands who are new to us, but who we are digging on big time.  We hope to have some highlights up soon.

Today was a rainy day, a Monday and it was the first work day after Daylight Savings Time began. How do you improve on that? How about a killer playlist of cool music.

Today's pre-shuffle shuffle included: The Avett Brothers, a triple shot of classic Elvis Costello, Delta Spirit, and The Dead Exs.  All of these songs are included (or represented in the You Tube Playlist embedded below. We have four songs in our actual shuffle today.  Check those songs out - after the jump:

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Time the Tale was Told Mix

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 Greetings from frosty Nashville.  We have a more traditionally-sized Morning Shuffle this morning...   Check it out - after the jump...

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Chewing out a rhythm on my bubble gum mix

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What a week!  Friday is here.  Let's have a shuffle!


Nashville band and past Featured Artist on Ear2theGround just released a live album recorded on Tuesday at Springwater Supper Club.  You can get that via the band's Bandcamp page.  Today's song comes from the September 2012 release from the band's vault.  It's a cover of the song that helped make Hank Williams Sr. an honorary Cajun.  I say, Calicocat have earned that distinction with this awesome cover of Jambalaya (On the Bayou), and I'm 3/4 Cajun so it's my decision - right?

 

Here's Hank!

Here's CCR!

Another Nashville artist is up next.  Harrison Hudson from his 2011 album American Thunder with Every Girl.

 

Shaky is the former guitarist for the Philadelphia band Cold Fronts.  He has has some solo music out now including the song Head Over Heels.  Check it out:

 

Here's a video from Cold Fronts when Shaky was part of the band.

 

And finally, we go back a few years to pick up on L.A. band Beachwood Sparks from their album Once We Were Trees with Confusion is Nothing New

 

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Jambalya We believe it is important to preserve what makes music special, and make it easy to craft listening experiences. At MOG, browse millions songs and play them instantly. Or just turn on radio where you can stop and replay songs. You can also create playlists for any occasion, and even download songs to your mobile. We are dedicated to employing the cleanest but most powerful technology so you can enjoy music as much as ever.

Historic Print (L): Rockaway Beach crowded with bathers and onlookers, New York City, 20 x 24in This is a museum quality, reproduction print on premium paper with archival/UV resistant inks. Date: c1903 Dec. 7. Subject: Notes: H38950  Stereo copyrighted by T.W. Ingersoll (Ingersoll View Co., St. Paul, Minn.). Roller coasters; Photog. Index; Beach scenes; NY--NYC--C- I-; Shelf. Format: SOURCE: Library of Congress

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Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Scratched Mix

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We have arrived at mid-week, and we have a lot of music to present, so let's get right to it.


Pigeon Park are one of our featured artists for October and are in the running to be our Band of the Month.  It's Not That Likely, from the band's self-titled album, finds the find in a decidedly peppy mood with a nifty break-down complete with... is that a Jew's harp??

 

Here's some footage from the band's 2011 tour

Calicocat were a Band of the Week here at Ear2theGround back in March. Now, they have opened up their vaults for a second time with the recent release of The Vault, Vol. 2: Electric Psychedelic Calicocat Swingers Club.  The collection includes a number of very cool cover versions of classic songs, including the song in our shuffle today: the band's rootsy cover of King of Bluegrass, Jimmy Martin's song, Tennessee.


 

Here's Calicocat on Music City Shakedown

Here's Jimmy Martin's verison of Tennessee

As you may know, we use the shuffle feature to help select our daily playlist - hence the Morning Shuffle designation. All that to say that through the quirks of the shuffle process, Canadian band Vulture Kult had two songs in yesterday's shuffle and they are back with another song today.  Not that I'm complaining.  Avenue H. from Don't Let Rock N' Roll Ruin Your Life has a snottier attitude than some of the band's other stuff, I dig it.

Here's a recent live performance by Vulture Kult

 Doug Spears is billed as Florida's Native Troubadour. It's a apt description for this singer-songwriter who released his first album in 2005.  When the Hummingbirds Return is an unreleased song - it is a great song, and one which has a timeless yet fresh quality to it. Spears employees soft-spoken, evocative vocals and crisp, clean guitar work.  A lovely song which add nicely to the southern folk cannon.

Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin is an indie pop band from Springfield, Missouri.  They have just released a collection of b-sides and rareties called Tape Club. Today, we have Letter Divine from that release.

 

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Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Simple Mix

Good morning.  I am still out sick, but I have a burst of energy so I thought I would post a morning shuffle.  I'm actually listening to the shuffle now, so I suppose I will do a live blog of this shuffle... or whatever...


Song #1 - Is called Stairway to the Best Party in the Universe which is on the new album by The Brian Jonestown Massacre.   The album Aufheben and we have linkage below.

Song #2 - Youth is Wasted on the Young is the dreamy pop sound of the Vancouver based Young Galaxy from their brand new album, Shoreless Kid, which was released this past Tuesday.  

Song #3 - Is another track from the classic album, Boylan Heights, by The Connells.  The song today is called Try.

Song #4 - We have If I Went Away, a kind of mellowish and dreamy bit of music from Nashville's own (and former Band of the Week), Calicocat from their newest release - Soup Du Jour.

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Times Like These Mix

Do you remember lying in bed with your covers
Pulled up over your head? Radio playin' so no one can see.
We need change, we need it fast before rock's just part
Of the past. 'Cause lately it all sound the same to me. - Ramones

Radio is a sound salvation
Radio is cleaning up the nation
They say you better listen to the voice of reason
But they don't give you any choice
'cause they think that it's treason.
So you had better do as you are told.
You better listen to the radio.- Elvis Costello

A bunch of new songs added to the playlist last night. As of this morning there were 71 songs added in May which have not been featured on the blog.  Today, we knock out four of those 71:

There is a story of this first record.  Back in March, I was chatting with my friend, rapper and beats genius, Hayden, who was talking about this group that was reuniting for a show.  He had been listening to their music all day and posting songs to Facebook.  L.A. Symphony regardless of what I thought originally, is not the Los Angeles orchestra. Rather, they are an independent hip-hop group.  After talking to Hayden, I stopped by the local Goodwill and as I usually do, I perused the bins of used CDs. When I saw a CD by L.A. Symphony, I knew it was fated that I was to buy this, so I did.  The End.


End is Now is the opening track off the group's 2003 album called The End is Now.

   

Next, we have another track from the recent release by former Band of the Week - Nashville's own, Calicocat. The song today is called I Said and it is off the Soup Du Jour collection.

You can use the Bandcamp widget thing to download Soup Du Jour for free:

 

 Next we have a track from top ten Band of the Year nominee Taco Land.  This time, we have their excellent cover of a Ziggy era Bowie song Five Years.  I love their take on this song, which is from one of my favorite albums of all time.

 

 Bowie doing Five Years live from 1972

Here is Taco Land's Wonderful Rain

Finally, we have a new song from The Holograms  - this is a different Holograms than we featured previously. The other band features our friend Galen Wade. Today's Holograms come from Sweden, and their debut album is due out in July.  The first track is Chasing My Mind

 

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David Bowie Ziggy Stardust Lighters David Bowie Ziggy Lighter This is an officially licensed David Bowie lighter. These David Bowie lighters feature a David Bowie image on them. This is a refillable butane David Bowie lighter (butane not included).

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Wander Lost Mix

Upon this rock

The surface is not level

It slopes sharply downward

It is covered with loose pebbles

The word precarious comes to mind

Neither sure nor secure

Still standing, though, 

Upon this rock

JWM 5/9/2012

First up this morning we have a track from the latest release by recent Band of the Week Calicocat.  Salty Dogs is off of the Soup Du Jour album which was released onto Bandcamp on May 1.  You know, I had Soup Du Jour one time, and I really didn't care for it, so I haven't had it since.  The album is good though, so go get it:

This was the most relevant video I could find from a show that Calicocat was on the bill

Next up we have another Nashville band (by way of West Frankfort, Illinois) Ravenhill are an indie band.  We have a track called Monster Eats Pilot from the band's debut EP Ladies and Gentlemen, I Present To You.

Get the EP on Amazon by clicking below

 

 Here's a live performance of a different song by Ravenhill

Next, we dig deeper into Resurrection by our good friends, The Dead Exs.  The song is called Daddy Issues and it is more bluesy rock goodness - 

 

A different The Dead Exs song live

And finally we have a classic track by the legendary Meat Puppets.  Lost a song which the Minutemen covered many times is off the album II.  It is classic Meat Puppets at their very best.

 

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Affiliated Links:

Meat Puppets Live Meat Puppets Live

Last Chance to Vote for March Band of the Month

Just 5 hours to go.  Northbrook Garage has a significant, but not insurmountable lead so far.

<------------the poll is on the left sidebar near the top of the page.

And if you come to this post specifically to vote for one band, be sure to check out all of our nominees.  One last time here they are.

A Social State

Kafka

Calicocat

Northbrook Garage

Finn Bonel

Band of the Month Polls Have Opened

It's time again, where I wash my hands of the this whole thing and let you  the angry mob decide which of the Bands of the Week from March, 2012 are going to be the Band of the Month and received an automatic bid into the Band of the Year Poll.


UPDATE:  I forgot to mention that the poll is on the sidebar to the left.


We had five Bands of the Week this month so let's recap:


Week 1 - A Social State are a fine indie rock band from Scranton, PA 

Week 2 - Kafka - is an excellent singer-songwriter from Burnley, England.

Week 3 - Calicocat - are a cool indie band from right here in Nashville, TN.

Week 4 - Northbrook Garage - those soulful suburban "babies" from Northbrook, IL

Week 5 - Finn Bonel - the amazing artist from South London, England

Vote now!  One vote per person (or at least per computer) (unless you can beat the system) Just vote!

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Tiger of Manhatten Mix

I'm currently reading Jonathan Lethem's rather trippy novel Chronic City (and yes the titular Chronic is what you think).  I'm a big Jonathan Lethem fan, and so far I'm enjoying the book, but I'm just about half way through - it's very long.  Anyway, there are lots of interesting occurrences and references in the book. The novel falls into the classification of what I like to call hyper-realism, which for me means a view of the world which is skewed from what most of us perceive as reality.

****

We are in a daze, a haze, a maze

we are amazed

we meet an icon and are surprised

to find the truth behind

their facade

And then we are overtaken with joy

and laughter fills the air around our ears

We look around and fine ourselved

unimpressed

****

Our list today features music added into the MP3 for the month of March - it's our last adds for March.

Here is today's list:

 

Dancing Daze is  from The Avett Brothers' 2006 album Four Thieves Gone: The Robbinsville Sessions  which was recorded in 10 days in early 2005.

 

"Mean" Joe Green comes from recent Band of the Week, Calicocat off of their 2011 set, Unnatural Oasis.

  Couldn't find a video of the band doing this song, so here is the classic Coca-Cola commercial of Mean Joe Greene.

 

The Way You Laugh is by Dawes off of Nothing is Wrong.

 

And finally, we have our brand new Band of the Week, Northbrook Garage with their song  So What.

 

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Chronic City The acclaimed author of "Motherless Brooklyn" and "The Fortress of Solitude" returns with a roar with this gorgeous, searing portrayal of Manhattanites wrapped in their own delusions, desires, and lies. Chase Insteadman, a handsome, inoffensive fixture on Manhattan's social scene, lives off residuals earned as a child star on a beloved sitcom called "Martyr & Pesty." Chase owes his current social cachet to an ongoing tragedy much covered in the tabloids: His teenage sweetheart and fiancee, Janice Trumbull, is trapped by a layer of low-orbit mines on the International Space Station, from which she sends him rapturous and heartbreaking love letters. Like Janice, Chase is adrift, she in Earth's stratosphere, he in a vague routine punctuated by Upper East Side dinner parties. Into Chase's cloistered city enters Perkus Tooth, a wall-eyed free-range pop critic whose soaring conspiratorial riffs are fueled by high-grade marijuana, mammoth cheeseburgers, and a desperate ache for meaning. Perkus's countercultural savvy and voracious paranoia draw Chase into another Manhattan, where questions of what is real, what is fake, and who is complicit take on a life-shattering urgency. Along with Oona Laszlo, a self-loathing ghostwriter, and Richard Abneg, a hero of the Tompkins Square Park riot now working as a fixer for the billionaire mayor, Chase and Perkus attempt to unearth the answers to several mysteries that seem to offer that rarest of artifacts on an island where everything can be bought: Truth. Like Manhattan itself, Jonathan Lethem's masterpiece is beautiful and tawdry, tragic and forgiving, devastating and antic, a stand-in for the whole world and a place utterly unique.

Mean Joe Greene and the Steelers' front four This book is in Used condition