Throwback Thursday Morning Shuffle - Salvation and Sin Mix

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Happy Thursday... sending good thoughts to everyone in the path of Hurricane Matthew. And especially thinking about those who have lost life and property in the Caribbean.

Congratulations to WXNA-LP Nashville for finishing second to Lightning 100 in the Nashville Scene Readers Poll for Best Radio Station.  A remarkable achievement for a low power station that has only been on the air for 4 month.  Super proud to play a small part in the station, but props go out to our super hard working and dedicated Board and our fearless leader Heather Lose. This achievement is a testament to the impact the station has already had on the community.

Well, the Buck N Stuff show was the epic throw down that I expected. My favorite moment was the Buck Owens cover that they performed. #BuckNStuff are the absolute best. They announced last night that they will be playing The 5 Spot for New Years Eve.  Make your plans now.  2017 is sure to be the Year of Buck N Stuff.

It is Thursday when we throw things back, and I think we have a really awesome shuffle today... shall we?

Throwback Thursday Morning Shuffle - No Profanity and No Dogs Mix

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There are times when the world gets me down... I try to generally stay positive about things, and I know that overall, I am definitely one of the fortunate ones. Sometimes, though, it all gets overwhelming - even the stuff I love, and I have an urge just to run away from everything - at least for a day or a week...  And then, something happens to flip everything around in my mind and my psyche. Over the last couple of days, I have become acutely aware of something: relative to nothing but my own experience and life, I have gotten to know a whole bunch of people. When I go out to hear music (which you may have gathered is something I do every now and again), I usually go by myself, but I rarely stay that way. And it is not just a bunch of people I know, but it is a bunch of people that I genuinely care about. Not only that, but I have been fortunate enough to get to know some amazingly talented people, and sometimes, I get to see a bunch of those amazingly talented people make music together (or at least on the same night).

Megan Palmer celebrated the release of her new album What She's Got to Give at The Basement East.   Darrin Bradbury opened the night with an inspired solo set that included the rarely performed classic, "Denim-Clad Acid-Wash Man"  ("His only regret, his Steve Miller tat") and the resurrected lost gem, "Van Rock" ("'Cause gas and rent are the same in a van").

Megan followed with a full-band set (she played the new album top to bottom) plus added the favorite "Richland Woman". The band was filled with East Nashville favorites including a pretty amazing group of background vocalists -  (Tim Easton, Aaron Lee Tasjan, Ariel Bui, Emma Berkey, Nellie Clay and more) - but the star of the show was Megan Palmer which was appropriate since many people know her from backing up all sorts of folks. The songs were amazing, and Megan played fiddle, guitar, and keyboards and sang beautifully.  Her cover of John Hartford's "In Tall Buildings" (which is on the new album) was so incredibly moving that several people remarked that it brought tears to their eyes.

The Allen Thompson Band closed the night.  I always love to see Allen Thompson sing, and the band sounded tight and loose at the same time. It was a great set to end a really incredible night that made me happy to be at the place in my life to be able to experience it.

By the way, Megan Palmer's new album is absolutely fantastic, and you really need to buy it.

So it is Throwback Thursday at E2TG... The #tbt playlist is actually the smallest of the five I have, and I guess that speaks to the amount of new music I regularly post. Still, it is fun to take a day to just take a spin through some amazing songs of years gone by.  There are some classic songs from some classic albums represented in this list.. so sit back and enjoy....

Music City Monday Shuffle - Locked Horns with Legba Mix

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Good morning - I am back after an extended weekend.

As I reported Thursday morning, Thursday night was one of those impossible choice Nashville nights.  I ended up following musicians from gig to gig because I figured that was one way, I could be sure to catch as much as I could without being late for something else.

Thursday Night Recap (since this is my first post since then):

Started out at The Basement East for the inaugural edition of Lightning 100's Thunderground.  $3.00 cover, $2.50 PBR pints and tons of cool music.  Enjoyed hanging with some fine folks and hearing Don Gallardo and How Far West - who sounded so damn good.  Becca Mancari was next, and I really dug her music.  There was more awesome music on tap there - including Steelism, but I followed Adam Kurtz over to the American Legion Post 82 for the 3rd ever performance of Buck 'N' Stuff (the premiere Buck Owen's tribute band!).  First up at the Legion was Matt Campbell - Troubadour who was backed by the farmer and Adele from The Farmer and Adele. Buck 'N' Stuff did not disappoint - there were flying beer bottles and lots and lots of Buck Owens' covers.  After Buck 'N' Stuff wrapped up their set, I followed Buck 'N' Stuff bass player Cameron Carrus to The 5 Spot spot - to wrap up my night with an awesome set from Luella. Luella was backed by Tim Carroll, Toby Caldwell, and Cameron. 

I spent the weekend with my daughter, and so I missed the reportedly (and expectedly) excellent Darrin Bradbury, Joey Kneiser, and Austin Lucas show.

Ah.. why cry over missed shows...   Onward and upward!

My daughter and I had a an enjoyable afternoon yesterday at Sugar. A Bakery in Leiper's Fork, Tennessee listening to Lindsay Ellyn and Taylor Alexander backed by the Jess Perkins.  They play just about every Sunday and mix up classic country covers with their own original music.  Great music, great food, and a great atmosphere. Leiper's Fork is located south of Nashville near Franklin.  The drive is gorgeous.

It is Monday - where we feature songs associated with or connected to Music City USA.

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Games People Play Mix

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Did you miss me?  I'm back after a two day absence with another shuffle of songs across a broad musical spectrum.  Meanwhile, it is Friday! So let's celebrate!

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Kiss Me Once, Kiss Me Twice Mix

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I try really hard not to pay attention to things like page views - I really do, but a couple of things have happened in the last 24 hours that I am pretty happy about.  My total Page Views since I switched the blog to Blogger a little over 3 years ago reached one of those milestones with lots of zeros. The number isn't really important because it is all relative. I mean, I know some of those brand x music blogs probably achieve the same number is a month or week or day or hour or whatever, and that is the part I don't really care about.  It's just nice to see those zeros and know that among those site views are people who come to enjoy the music that I am so happy to feature.

The other thing (and rather inexplicably) but the daily site views for the current 24 hour period has exploded. I know I owe a big thanks to the people who share my posts across the webbernets....  It's still not that important because I have a great shuffle today and for all I know something like 12 people will look at it, and if I don't get too worried about that, I can't really get to excited for the higher numbers... but I do.  And I thank everyone for it. 

As I said, we have a great shuffle with some old friends and some newer ones and some classic tunes...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Kilos, Ounces, and Pounds Mix

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I'm back!  And rushed again... let's get this done....

Monday Evening Music Shuffle - Iced In Mix

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No work today due to President's Day.  Didn't leave home today due to Nashville Ice Storm 2015.  Got bored this evening due to cabin fever, and so I'm doing a rare evening shuffle for you and for me...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Baboon Heart Mix

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Well, here we go. Another short shuffle that covers a ton of ground. For the literary minded among you, we have a song inspired by Upton Sinclair and another inspired by a Tennessee Williams' play.  Plus, we have some Piedmont Blues for North Carolina, one of Paul Revere's Raiders doing a Ray Charles song and so much more... let's get to it...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - I'm Not Down Mix

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Every other Sunday Night, an amazing cultural exchange program takes place in Nashville.  The East Side Invasion at Bobby's Idle Hour features some of East Nashville's best songwriters holding court at the legendary Music Row watering hole.  Curated and hosted by performing songwriter Lindsay Ellyn, the typical evening includes two songwriter rounds, a set from a featured artist, and a show closer by Darrin Bradbury. The night is a casual, laid-back affair that happens to include some of the best songwriters Nashville (East or West) has to offer. Plus, I'm usually home before eleven to get ready to face Monday morning.  Come on out sometime. The next East Side Invasion is February 8.

In the shuffle today, we have some great songs by some of my heroes, another awesome track from a new Alt-Rock band that we have been featuring, plus something completely different... let's dig in!

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Move over Captain America Mix

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I would like to preface today's shuffle by saying that a big pet peeve of mine are people of a certain age who loudly decry "music these days" and who pine for some different era. They usually "prove" their point by referencing some trendy pop act of today and offer up for comparisons sake some legend of a different era who has stood the test of time.  It is not only the logic that is faulty, but such statements are a sign of laziness. There is a ton of great music being made "these days" - far more than even this music blogger than cover.  So my advise to those who would rant in the manner mentioned above is either 1. Seek out music - there are far more ways to do this than there ever were or 2. Shut up and admit that you are unwilling to do so and that you prefer the music of your younger days.

All that being said,  music has a special power to evoke... music which was an integral part of the formative years of our lives does hold a special place.  It is in that spirit that I offer up today's shuffle which a total throwback to my days of yore.

Fine, Fine Music (Cavalcade into Spring)

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Just a cavalcade of Fine, Fine music (some old and some new) - (heroes, friends, madmen, geniuses, and the like) - to herald the beginning of spring!

 

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The Bluefields - In-Store @ Grimey's - 5/17/2012

First of all apologies for the crappy cell phone pictures, there were people there with better camera equipment who took better pictures, so hunt them down.




The Bluefields have this released their first album, and they were booked to do an in-store performance at Grimey's New & Preloved Music (one of the best record stores in the world - btw).  

Warner E. Hodges, Joe Blanton & Dan Baird

Dan Baird played bass and sang

So I posted a brief commentary on Facebook on this show as soon as I got home. 

Words can not express how awesome it was seeing The Bluefields this evening at Grimey's New & Preloved Music.Warner E. Hodges Dan Baird and Joe Blanton brought the house down. - oh and I will try to find words to express how awesome it was tomorrow.

After I posted it, actually just before (as you will see from the last line), I thought, well I'm a writer and a music blogger so I best find some words to express how awesome it was.  Well it took me a couple of extra days, but here goes nothing.


When I approached Grimey's, I saw the band standing out front. I got there early, and I had some time to think about this event. 


First of all, if you don't know, I need to tell you about the Band:


The Bluefields are Warner E. Hodges (Jason & the Scorchers, Homemade Sin), Joe Blanton (The Enemy, Royal Court of China) and Dan Baird (Georgia Satellites, Homemade Sin)




Warner E. Hodges :


Memories: Seeing the Scorchers play Labor Day 1985 at Cat's Records.  Such an amazing experience. The Movement (Richie Owens band who played one of my favorite song's Lost Horizon) and the later Tim Kreckel and the Sluggers  opened the show and were both amazing, but the night belonged to the Scorchers.  From the first explosive note, you could see where that the name was appropriate.  The stage burned, and every moment was a joyous and infectious blur of twirling microphone and slinging guitar.

In the later part of the 80s, I got really into the local music scene in Nashville.  Bands like The Questionnaires and Walk the West and others.  I was still going to school in Cookeville, but whenever we could we would drive up to Nashville and catch a show (it was usually weekends at the Cannery) and at almost every show I attended, Warner Hodges joined the band for the encore and it was always the Rolling Stone's Honky Tonk Women.

Flashforward:  2012 - I got to stand next to Warner's mother, Blanche (a musician herself) and watch as Warner and the Bluefields tore it up. I got to tell her how much her son's music had meant to me over the years, and she told me that he originally had not shown an interest in the guitar and that he had not begun playing guitar until he was ten.    Warner plays with such intensity and yet such ease, and he flashes this genuine and warm smile periodically throughout the show.


Joe Blanton:


Memories:  Around the same time that I saw the Scorchers for the first time, I remember hearing this local band on WRVU (sadly off the dial now) - The Enemy had this one song, Jesus Rides a U.F.O. that I loved. I remember going to see R.E.M. at Vanderbilt in November of 1985, and a friend pointing out the members of The Enemy in attendance.

MP3: The Enemy - Jesus Rides a U.F.O.

A few years later (very few) The Enemy broke up and out of the ashes came Royal Court of China. To me Royal Court of China always had a larger than life feel.  They played blistering hard rock suffused with a Southern Gothic spirit.  Joe Blanton's voice I remember most and the perfect blend of the two styles of music.  RCC got signed to a major label and made an amazing debut record.  After that, the band split with a couple of members forming The Shakers who took the Southern Gothic mysticism to new heights while Joe and some others carried on as Royal Court of China and made a stunning hard rock album.  I loved The Shakers and the hard rock RCC album, but I always missed that perfect fusion of the original lineup.  Still Joe Blanton's guitar and vocals were always amazing.

Flashforward 2012 - Joe Blanton still has an amazing rock and roll voice, and he can play guitar pretty well, too.  Before the show, it was clear that he was the detail man of the band - setting up video cameras.


Dan Baird:


Memories:  I don't remember the year exactly - maybe 86? But, this "new" band started getting tons of airplay on WRVU.  The Georgia Satellites.  They reminded me of the Scorchers in a way, but it was different, too. Then, I heard The Song, and damn if it wasn't stuck in my head all the damn time.  RVU played it to death, but I never got sick of it.  This had happened before with songs I heard on WRVU - Peter Case's Walk in the Woods comes immediately to mind.  But, then this funny thing happened.  Suddenly, this song began to get airplay on commercial stations and on MTV (and yes kids, MTV used to play music videos).  And wouldn't you know it, this song made it to number one and Keep Your Hands to Yourself became and remains a iconic Rock n Roll song. The band ended up on Dick Clark's New Years Rockin' Eve.

Dan Baird has been making music, great music ever since.  As a solo artist and with his band Homemade Sin (of which Warner is a member).

Flashforward 2012 - When these three guitarists formed a band, Dan Baird got volunteered to play bass. Dan Baird, who I think has one of the most distinctive voices in rock, joked repeated about his voice and his ability to play the bass.  As I've before and I say again, I am a non-musician music lover, and so my take on music is always much more emotional than technical. So, I don't know how Dan Baird's bass playing would be considered by a bass player, but I can say that the whole band sounded great to me.

Overall, my overall impression was of these three world-weary musicians who have seen the highs and lows of a life in music and press on because it is who they are. What I heard in the songs of the Bluefields from their debut, Pure, was maybe not the pure youthful, reckless country soul of that early Scorchers show, but truthful, direct songs that told stories that we all know so well.  What I saw, was these veteran musicians having fun doing what they love.  And what I felt was truly blessed and fortunate to have the opportunity to witness it and to shake the hands of these men whose music made up such large part of my life.