E2TG 10/16/2020 - Featured Friday - Murder Industry Mix (Tin Foil Hat Remix)

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I am optimistic. Now, I have no idea how the election is going to turn out, and I have no idea when the pandemic will really be over or what life will love like when it is. I don't know how we will heal the division and hatred and fear that divides our nation, or how (or even if) we will deal with the bigotry which has been emboldened in recent years under a so-called leader to has done the emboldening.  Nevertheless, I am optimistic. 

I see a lot of good people who are united not by a common ideology or a singular political philosophy, but who are united against fascism and hatred and bigotry of all kinds. I see brilliant, compassionate, and creative people who are finding new ways of doing things and who are taking care of one another.

No doubt, the road ahead is difficult and uncertain, but I am optimistic- not that the path ahead is perfect or easy, but that we will continue marching down that road toward a brighter future. 

This week's Featured Friday Playlist is a bit longer than previous weeks, so I decided to start with the first 10 songs for today's post. You can find the recap - below the jump 

 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/03/2020 - Featured Friday - Not Too Hip Mix (Genius Remix)

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It is Friday and that means a brand new Featured Friday Spotify Playlist. You can check it out below or listen and follow the playlist on Spotify.

    Featured Friday Playlist

Topical Thursday Morning Shuffle - An Artist Man Mix

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I need to start by saying cancer sucks... I hate it!  Rest in Peace to Grant Hart (Husker Du).  Along with The Replacements and Minutemen, Husker Du were part of the holy trinity of great American post-punk bands on the 1980s.

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Whew... I am somehow still functioning (at least as good as I normally function).  So far this week, I've seen somewhere close to 15 hours of live music (with 7-8 more on tap tonight), worked my regular schedule, posted my normal blog posts, recorded a radio show, run into a ton of good friends, strategically managed to drink quite a bit for a fraction of the cost ;-), posted on Instagram for the radio station, danced at 1:00am at The Family Wash, and even got to sleep - just a little.

Last night, I saw the amazing Bonnie Whitmore, K. Phillips (who co-wrote the Erica Blinn song we premiered last week), and the always enchanting Amelia White.

Tonight: As if the case almost every day/night this week, there is a ton of amazing music.  I plan to start my evening at The 5 Spot.  E2TG Favorite Mark Robinson Band.  This is Mark's fifth year running of holding down the Thursday early slot at The 5 Spot. This year, in addition to hi stellar band, he will be joined by Dave Coleman (who I saw playing with Amelia White last night), and one of my favorite local songwriters Kevin Gordon (according to my Facebook memories, two years ago, I was attending the City Winery CD Release show for Gordon for his most recent album).

Speaking of City Winery, their lineup tonight includes, Robyn Hitchcock, Dave Alvin, Tony Joe White and more.

If all goes as planned, my evening will end with North Mississippi All-Stars and Blackfoot Gypsies at The Beast.

Meanwhile, I have Shuffle to present.  It somehow is Thursday, and that means today's shuffle comes from the special E2TG Topical playlist... featuring songs from across the six year history of this blog.

Let's shuffle!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Two Pack Habit and a Motel Tan Mix

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Let's jump right into today's shuffle - shall we...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Snow Day Live Mix

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Off work today -  I thought I would semi-live blog today's shuffle....

Numerologists will note that before today's shuffle, my active playlist stands at six hundred sixty six.  Make of that what you will, but beside any other connotations, the playlist is a large as it has ever been, and I hope it generates an interesting mix of music.  I don't know if it will, but I have high hopes because I know the songs that make up the playlist.  I just don't yet know the order they will come out... so without further ado...  let's get ready to shuffle...

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Hide Like a Child Mix

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Old favorites, classic artists, and some first time appearances make this an excellent Tuesday shuffle -

onward....

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Shoot Out the Lights 2013 Mix

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Bang! And with this post, #E2TG closes the door on our extended recap of some of our favorite music of the past 12 months.  The Video Playlist ends up at just over 100 videos. Our Amazon Web Store comes in at 54 items.

Monday - we jump right into 2014 and hit the ground running....

Further ado avoided...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Band of the Year and More Mix

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You have before you, the FINAL Ear to the Ground of 2013, so let's blow this thing out!

First order of business:  As promised, it is time to unveil our 2013 Band of the Year. As announced, for the first time in E2TG history, the Band of the Year will be selected by me, myself, and I.  Back in 2011, I came up with the idea of a Band of the Year, and frankly, I didn't want the pressure/guilt in picking one band over others. So, I created a Readers' Poll, and with a massive last minute push, UK band The Mobbs stormed to a narrow victory over underdogs Ubiquity Machine.

Following the success of that initial poll, I began running Band of the Month polls beginning with December 2011, although initially successful, the concept of pitting bands against each other began to stale.  We carried on, and at the end of last year, we had another successfully Band of the Year Readers' Poll wherein Skeletons in the Piano were selected by popular election.

Since that time, I decided to focus on featuring as much new music as I could, and I dropped the Band of the Month and related features. Although I briefly considered another year-end poll, I came to the conclusion that I wasn't willing to give that power away this time.... oh yeah, and the thing about bands working together for their common good....

So.... after all that background and unsolicited explanation, I am very excited to announce the 2013 Ear to the Ground Band of the Year.

The 2013 Band of the Year were selected for the following reasons:

1. They are among the coolest, most bad ass people I've had the good fortune to get to know as the result of writing this blog.

2. They are extremely generous and supportive of other bands and artists.

3. They released on of the best albums of 2013.

4. I got to meet them and see them blaze through an all too brief set back in early Spring.

5. They had a successful tour in the US and in Europe.

6. The followed up their amazing 2013 album with a brand new single which was accompanied by an incredible video that visually depicted their total bad-assery.

7.  Because I said so......

The 2013 E2TG Band of the Year is.....  THE END MEN from Brooklyn, New York!!!!!!

 



Congrats kids!  Here's to an even better 2014!


Okay, we have unfinished business as we continue to feature some of our favorite music of 2013... let's do it!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Love Hurts Mix

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Today we induct three more amazing artists into our brand new (still under construction) Hall of Fame.  As with the first two groups of additions, these names should be very familiar to regular readers of E2TG.

7.  Tim Lee 3 (Knoxville, TN)
8. Killing Kuddles (Atlanta, GA)
9. Don Ryan (NY/NJ)





Welcome to the Hall...

Also, we have a pretty cool shuffle up next...

Friday Music Shuffle - Pre-Labor Mix

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Looking forward to a long weekend....  I'll leave you with a heaping helping of musical manifestations.



After the JUMP

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Stalagmite or Stalactite Mix

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I am so tired today.  So, I am going to make it short, sweet, to the point, and hopefully interesting - because we have some great music today..



(part of my morning walk -

so you can imagine me as you are reading

and listening to the morning mix)

 

 

MUSIC AFTER THE JUMP

Ear to the Ground _ 2+

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May 15, 2011

This is my very first post, and I don't know exactly how this is going to work.  A more informative post will follow, but I want to see how this works.

If you are reading this, it worked just fine.  If not, well - it didn't.  Or something....

- Work-in-Progress



Somehow, I missed that this past Wednesday marked the two year anniversary of Ear to the Ground.

I just want to give a huge shout out and thanks to ALL the awesome people I've met as a result of writing this. Blogging can at times feel like shouting into a void, but what has kept me going besides all of the great music I've "discovered and uncovered" are the new friends I've met along the way.  

As I've often said, I'm all about looking ahead while carrying forward the legacy of the past. Okay, I don't know that I've ever said that, but I'm saying it now.

So... no big to-do.  How about some music...

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Radio On Mix

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Happy Monday!  Man, it feels like forever since I've done a Morning Shuffle.  Still trying to figure out how to do this on my new phone... 

Anyway, it's a beautiful day in Nashville and very warm for early December.  

Our good friend, Don Ryan just released a new song called Vultures.  We told you about it - did you see it.  Well, here's where to find it --- HERE

Don finished 3rd in our First Annual Band of the Year voting.  We start off a Monday Shuffle with the song Midtown Waiting from his first album Tangle Town.  

 

The second best thing to come out of Idaho (I love me some taters) is Built to Spill. The band has been releasing albums for close to twenty years.  Our song today, Aisle 13 comes from the band's most recent album, 2009 There is No Enemy.

 

The Godfather of Alternative Music - Lou Reed has released about twenty solo records - which does not count his collaborations or his work with The Velvet Underground.  An impressive career.  Here is his take on 80s style hip-hop with his song, The Original Wrapper from his 14th solo album Mistrial.

 

More Meat Puppets is a good thing.  Here is the instrumental Six Gallon Pie from their 1991 album Forbidden Places.  The album is currently out of print.  Here's a link to Amazon to buy a physical copy of the song.

The Modern Lovers first album (self-titled) was recorded in 1971 and 1972, but was not released in 1976.  Nevertheless, it stands as one of the greatest Rock records of all time.  This original incarnation of  the band which featured Jonathan Richman, Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads), David Robinson (The Cars), Ernie Robinson and John Felice (The Real Kids), only made one album but recorded some the most important songs of the Rock era - Pablo Picasso, Modern World, Girlfriend, Hospital and perhaps most famously - Roadrunner which is the next song in our shuffle.

 

And we close out today's shuffle with a song from an underappreciated 80s artist, The Call.  Almost everyone knows their song The Walls Came Down.  Today though we have another track from the band's third album Scene Beyond Dreams which we got from their 1991 compilation, The Best of the Mercury Years.

 
 Could not find a video of One Life... so here's the classic , The Walls Came Down.

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New Year's Doorbusters - Save up to 60%

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Don Ryan - Vultures (New Song Download + Video)

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Some very eagerly awaited new music from Don Ryan comes to us by way of a new song called Vultures.  It is pretty wicked, bad (and by bad I mean awesome).  The song is available for pocket change at Bandcamp.  In conjunction with the song release, we get some behind-the-scenes footage of Don and his band in the studio.  So check it out and download the damn song.

While you are at it - if you haven't go get the Don Ryan's last album Tangle Town now!

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Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Armistice Mix

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Greetings from home.... it's a rainy day in Nashville.  No morning walk, so I fired up the iTunes and created a "Smart-Playlist" of five songs for today's shuffle:


1980s era Nashville rockers, Royal Court of China took their hard rock tendencies up a notch on their second record with A and M Geared and Primed.  Dragon Park is a fitting tribute to a legendary Nashville hangout.  Fannie Mae Dees Park is the official name, but most people know it as Dragon Park for the amazing mosaic tile covered dragon.

Here's a video of the park

Here's the Sam Raimi Directed/Bruce Campbell Produced Video for another RCC song

The Renaldo The Ensemble are a New York-based vaudeville, avant garde, absurbist group.  We have Up which is from the band's 2009 album Why Are You?

Here's a different song from The Renaldo The Ensemble

Leeds-based band The Damnwells are currently taking America by storm.  Today we have She Goes Around from the album No One Listens to the Band Anymore.

Bob Mould is back making angry music which is a good thing.  Today we have a track from his second solo album - 1991's excellent Black Sheets of Rain - Disappointed.

Here's a video for the title track to the album.

We close out today's selections with the title track from our good friend Don Ryan's album, Tangle Town.  If you haven't checked out this album - do yourself a favor and pick it up.

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Featured Friday Music Shuffle - Insider Parades

Blah... Morning Music shuffle is back after a brief interlude due to a bit of the mid-summer blahs. 

And, it's time for our Featured Friday edition - week 2 for August, as we delve into some music from our Featured Artists of the Month.  We have a plethora of great music, so let's get to it.

First up, we have a pleasant little serial killer? folksy-ballad from Loners Society. It's called Jersey Devil, and I'm digging the sound of this one.  Just give a listen, but if you are someone who needs a frame of reference, Blitzen Trapper is the band that first came to my mind when I heard this song.  But, whatever, it's a nifty song...  Jersey Devil is the b-side to the Pinstripes 7" which you can grab right here:

 

Here's the video of the A-side, "Pinstripes"

 

Next up, we shift gears and come up with a searing, soaring rock instrumental from the band, Traverse the Skies.  Grey Knight has a larger than life feel to it, and it made a great accompaniment to a cloudy walk up the hill.  

 
 I hope you are buckled in, because our wild ride takes up down to New Mexico, and a song by our new friends The Imperial Rooster - DWI Marijuana Blues.   Would it be totally inappropriate for me to say that this song could be dedicated to Randy Travis?  If it is inappropriate, remember, I said it, not the Roosters!  Anyway, the song is a rollicking, amped up foot-stomper of a song, and like everything I've heard from The Imperial Rooster, it's a helluva good time.  It's another fine track from their Decent People album.

 

 

Next up we have the hit single from The Danbury Lie's self-titled album, Morbid Becoming. Robert from The Danbury lie is a long-time friend of EttG favorite Don Ryan.  Musically speaking, that set my expectations pretty high, and I have to say The Danbury Lie live up to those expectations.  Morbid Becoming, as the title implies, has a bit of a dark, backwoodsy feel to it. In an inexplicable way, it also brings to my mind the old band, The Balancing Act. If you are not familiar with The Balance Act - google them.  The Danbury Lie are not exactly like The Balancing Act, but sonically, vocally... something reminds me of them, and that is definitely not a bad thing.  

And finally, we close today's Featured Friday shuffle with a song from Pony Boy. We presented Saints and Liars by Pony Boy before, but this gorgeous example of West Coast bluesy, Rock is worth hearing again.  

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TODAY (8/10/2012) ONLY - AMAZON has the 40th Anniversary Edition of L.A. Woman by The Doors for $2.99.

South of Ramona - Step Inside EP (An Ear to the Ground Review)

08/01/2012

Add the date above to your calendar of choice and set an alarm.  I'll tell you why...

Step Inside is an invitation fraught with danger and mystery and wonder and unimaginable pleasure.  It also happens to the title of the forthcoming EP from Salt Lake City band South of Ramona, and the title fits this remarkable record.

South of Ramona was our Band of the Month for May.  They were also our last ever Band of the Week before we moved to the current Featured Artist format.  They did all this on the basis of a 5 song Demo they they released through the fine folks at Noisetrade. 

You have to understand that I loved the Demo.  I mean, I named them Band of the Week off of that set. Having said that, Step Inside is a gigantic step forward.  The band expands on their signature use of folk instrumentation playing rock leads with a confidence and a delicious taste of a sinister circus on the edge of the dusty plain they crossed on their Demo. 


More than once, I was reminded of Ear to the Ground favorite Don Ryan. 

Step Inside opens with a carny's enticing come-on.  Ladies and Gentleman is a :25 second pitch which sets the tone for this tight, cohesive set. 

Carnival Court (Step Inside) is a dark, sideshow tent filled with those enticing hints while delivering with the band's trademark attention to song and melody.  

Night descends on Purple Sky which starts with a chill-inducing intro before kicking into a creepy groove.  


The Lonesome Soul has a gypsy-like lilt, a persistent melody and a haunting vocal.


I, Narcissus starts with a nifty rock riff and breaks into a foot-stomping rave up with dark undertones.  Love this song!


The EP closes with Shangri-la which opens with plaintive whistling followed by a surf-guitar ready riff and more gypsyesque melodies which will have you dancing 'round the dying embers of the campfire as the last sparks float up into the air above the tents and wagons.

So yeah, back to the date at the beginning of this post.  Step Inside drops on August 1 which is just a few days off... so start saving your pennies and be the first on your block to own this record.  And spread the word.  Right now you can get a taste by downloading The Lonesome Soul using the widget below.  And then, when that alarm you set goes off next Wednesday you can go get the whole album.

The band will celebrate the release of the EP with an international tour (note the Vancouver date) - if you are in one of these cities go see them do there thing live.


8.3  Las Vegas @ Yayo Taco
8.4  Santa Monica @ TRiP
8.6  Fresno @ Babylon Club
8.7  San Francisco @ Grant & Green Saloon
8.8  Portland @ Mississippi Pizza Pub
8.9  Seattle @ El Corazon
8.10 Seattle @ The Triple Door
8.11 Seattle @ 2bit Saloon
8.12 Seattle @ Blue Moon Tavern
8.13 Vancouver @ The Cobalt
8.14 Spokane @ The Baby Bar
8.16 Boise @ The Crux
8.17 Salt Lake City @ The Woodshed




I will leave you now with South of Ramona's take on the Jefferson Airplane classic Somebody to Love.  Enjoy!

  

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Free at Last Mix

Remembering Martin Luther King, Jr. on the 44th anniversary of his death.

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Last night I was able to load an eclectic mix of 16 songs, and this morning I did a shuffle of those songs and was well pleased with the outcome... :-)


First up, we did a sneak preview of the new Elika album (Always The Light) - A full-fledged review is still to come, but today we have the first track to make it into a morning shuffle.  Elika are a Brooklyn based band recently signed to St. Marie Records. Their music is dreamy electronic pop with amazing vocals and a strong sense of song which keeps the music grounded in spite of the ethereal sounds. (I am totally going to use that in my review).  The track today is called Stay Beside Me

 

Hat tip to Popatunes yet again... I can't believe it's taken me this long to catch up with Elephant Goes West.  They are from New Jersey (damn there must be something in the water there - okay obvious statement I know), but whatever it is, in this case it's a good thing.  Like fellow NJ resident, Don Ryan, they make wonderfully vibrant carnival-type music.  theme from "Everytown" is from the band's Whirling Dervish EP which you can grab using the bandcamp widget below.

 

I'm sure we'll be hearing more from this band.


Next up - from the vaults comes a song from the soundtrack to Francis Ford Coppola's 1982 box office disaster One From the Heart.  The soundtrack is made up of songs written by Tom Waits and sung by Waits and Crystal Gayle. Today we have Little Boy Blue  by Tom Waits.

 

And finally, we have a new track from Portland, Oregon band The Dandy Warhols.  The song is Sad Vacation. The album, This Machine is out April 24th.

 

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AFFILIATED LINKS

One From the Heart [2 Discs] After completing Apocalypse Now, Francis Ford Coppola initially planned for his next picture to be an intimate romantic musical shot on a low budget in Las Vegas. Three years later, One from the Heart had mushroomed into a big-budget spectacular, shot on

The Dandy Warhols Are Sound The Dandy Warhols opened their 2003 album, Welcome to the Monkey House, with a brief, snide dig at record industry greed and illogic that ran, in part: "When Michael Jackson dies, we're covering 'Blackbird.'" The line was obviously intended as a flip refe

Couch By Couch West - A Wrap Up

UPDATE:  Fixed the Video links for The End Men and The Dead Exs.

First of all - for a definitive wrap up of Couch by Couch West go read what Popa has to say. (link)

This is just my two cents on the matter before we move on.

First of all great performances were legion with big name guests and with bands we've featured here at Ear to the Ground making an excellent showing.

The End Men kicked off the who show with Run Away and were named Most Rocking by the CXCW staff. Take a look and I'm sure you will agree with the decision: 

The Dead Exs turned in a rollicking number that got them named as Honorable Mention of Most Rocking... Here is All Over You going into Nolita Stomp:

Those Mockingbirds did their song The Bloodiest Gums from a Men's Room in New Jersey.  Adam Bird sat on the floor of a men's room, in New Jersey and just got runner-up for Sketchiest Locale. Head to CXCW to see the video that won.

 

David Pattillo of The Dead Exs was having so much fun at Couch by Couch West, he came back and did a solo number called Let the Natives Loose  which will be on The Dead Exs' second album!

The incomparable Jonny Corndawg was a shoe-in for the Best Locale.  Check out this video:

Nikki Sue and the Bad News did a fun version of Bridge by the River.

Will Kimbrough didn't let a little thing like the Atlantic Ocean stop him from sending in a performance of a new song called Home Economics :

Don Ryan is so hip he not only skips South by Southwest , but arrives too late for Couch by Couch West, but he still put up a couple of stellar clips.  The Official unentered entry of The Viral Thought from Tangle Town was followed up yesterday by an "outtake" - a new song called Desiree:

I could go on and on, but you'll have to visit the Couch by Couch West website to see more... I do have one more but I will get to that soon....