E2TG 10/27/2021 - Midweek Blunderings - Aliso Mix (Clarity Remix)

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We reached the mid-point of the week.  Last night, I made it out to Dee's for the latest edition of Darrin Bradbury's on-going songwriter's night - this week featured Alec Lang (who is pretty new to town and who I enjoyed), Angela Autumn (who was fantastic), and the always great Chelsea Lovitt. Plus Darrin and Irakli Gabriel who played a fun, loose set.  

Then, I headed over to The 5 Spot to catch the latest Swill TV - Live show - featuring the 9th episode of the music video series.  The live show featured performances by Caleb Hayden Christopher - a bartender at The 5 Spot making his stage debut at the venue - his songs were great and his stage presence was fantastic, Sophie and the Broken Things - who I caught one year ago on a livestream and who I have played on the radio.  Sophie's band included the multi-talented Dave Coleman and drummer Lemmy Hayes (Buck 'N' Stuff), and long-time E2TG favorite Tom Schreck with rare appearance of his band Tom Schreck Escapes!  

Tomorrow - catch the next edition of Greetings from Nashville - with a collection of songs that seem to fit the Halloween season. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/6/2021 - In Passing - Can't Dance Mix (Lude Dub Remix)

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"Life is passing me by", "Thanks, but I'll pass", "I passed the test", "I can pass as intelligent", "I don't need a ticket, I have a pass"... English is an interesting language - how one word can have multiple meanings which have to be discerned by their context. 

Just a random thought but it got me thinking about communication and how words and expressions can develop and change over time and by generation or geographic or cultural groups.  How every generation of young people comes up with new expressions - almost a new language that confounds and sometimes annoys the previous generation.  And some new expressions stick and reach the mainstream and other words and phrases and usages fade into obscurity.  

It is also an international phenomenon. In the English speaking world - UK vs. US for example - there are different words for somethings and also - the same but different generational things occur.  It really is amazing that we can communicate. 

And sometimes, someone's speaking or writing can be so filled with idioms and grammatical variations (errors) that the meaning can become obscured - and in order to interpret it becomes a lesson in linguistics. Sometimes, I wish I had a Star Trek Universal Translator for people who are theoretically speaking the same language as me. 

I am not sure why I am thinking about all this...  tangential to all this talk of language and expressions are the general communication issues we all face. I think about e-mails I get for new releases and how sometimes the information I think would be the most important is either omitted or buried in the text (like release date, album title, etc.)

Anyway - onward...   

On we go with the Featured Friday Recap... today songs 27-36:

 

27. "Military Man" by The Rose Petals

Track from the forthcoming debut album (American Grenadine - April 23) by this folk rock duo from Portland, Maine.  We previously featured two separate singles by the band members Peter Donovan and Elijah Ocean. 

28. "Stranger Among Friends" by  Distant Voices

Next up, we have a track from the debut album by UK artist Valdis Stekelis who records as Distant Voices. Long Road to Home is out now. We previously featured an earlier single from teh album. 

29. "Friends" by Vinok

Next up, we have a cool recent single from the Ukrainian/American band who are based in Kiev. Great stuff. 

30. "Things You Said" by Griff Clawson

Next up, we have the latest single from Southern California singer-songwriter Griff Clawson.  We have featured earlier tracks by him, and this latest is really good. 

31. "Mr. Danger" by The L.A. Maybe

Next up, we have some stunning hard rock from this band from the Carolinas. Wonderful grooves here - brought to my mind AC/DC - but not derivative at all. 

32. "Tequila Kisses" by Jon Randall

Singer-songwriter Jon Randall has had a successful career as a songwriter, musician, and producer. He won a Grammy award as part of Emmylou Harris' Nash Ramblers.  His new EP Neon Texas  pays tribute to his Texas roots. 

33. "Post" by Casey Wickstrom; Taylor Rae

Next up, we have a new recording of a song first recorded 10 years ago. Casey Wickstrom is a California based artist and Taylor Rae is a California native now based in Austin. This new recording was backed by a Kickstarter Campaign, and it is a really beautiful and catchy song. Check it out. 

34. "Go Greta" by Sunstroke Rain

Next up, we have a wonderful new single from Swedish visionary artist Sunstroke Rain (the name is an anagram from Karin Turesson - who has worked with numerous Swedish artists including Robyn).  

35. "You Can't Love Me Like I Loved You" by Layla Frankel

Next, we have a single from Nashville-based singer-songwriter Layla Frankel.  It is from her forthcoming Postcards from the Moon which will be out May 1.  She is backed by some top Nashville session musicians on this track. I like it a lot. 

36. "Pushing Me Away" by Mike Donehey

Mike Donehey is best known as the lead vocalist and guitarist for the Dove award-winning Tenth Avenue North.  He is also the brother of Kanene Donehey Pipkin of The Lone Bellow. His new solo effort features a cosmic country feel. His new three-track release A Father & Two Sons is based upon the parable of the Prodigal Son - which each track representing a different character from the parable.  A great way to close out this segment of music.

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 10/20/2020 - 500 Years - Marimba Mix (Stickers Remix)

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 I heard this recently: "When you meet a true friend, you will be bound together though space and time for 500 years."  I don't know if it is true or not, but it does reflect a little about how I feel about friendships. I think about people who were an important part of my life in a particular place and time.  Life moves on, and I have lost touch with those people - either physically lost touch or emotionally I no longer feel connected in the present. But, regardless, the connections that originally formed cannot be broken. 

What I mean is (for example), sixteen year old me will forever be linked to the people who were my true friends at age sixteen - even if 54 year old me doesn't know or can't related those same people today. 

This reminds me of my thoughts about moments in time. I think back even just five or six years ago, and where I was and what I was doing and who I was with - and for sure much has changed in that time. I think by that point in my life, I was aware that moments in time are fleeting. I still have a tendency to want to recreate past moments rather than forge new ones, but I guess that is human nature.  

I am rambling now - but the take away for me - is to enjoy the people that fate or circumstance have brought into my life. Make the most of the moments. Try to preserve the good things and hold onto the good friendships but recognize that change is inevitable and it is actually a good thing. If life never changed, it would be boring. 

Today our Featured Friday Recap continues with songs 16-20...

16. "What a Wonderful World" by Black Needle Noise (with John Fryer & Tom Berger)

We start off this segment of music with a stunning cover of the Bob Thiele and George David Weiss classic first and most famously recorded by Louis Armstrong. Black Needle Noise is the project of legendary producer John Fryer (we have featured this project numerous times. Fryer - whose production credits read like a complete listing of early electronic and industrial music - Depeche Mode, The Cocteau Twins, Nine Inch Nails, and Stabbing Westward to name just a few. Fryer is also a member of This Mortal Coil (one of two constant members of that band).  This is from the covers album This Mortal Cover. Here is teams with Tom Berger. The results are extraordinary.

17. "Song for a Cowboy - Live Acoustic" by Maxximo

Next up, we have a track from New York pop singer-songwriter Maxximo from his Live at Home EP - recorded under quarantine. We have featured Maxximo before. He is a gay Mexican immigrant, and I just dig the spirit and energy of his music.  

18. "Haluum Pois" by Bad Sauna

Also making a return trip to the Playlist is Helsinki based rock band Bad Sauna with their latest single with translates to "I Wanna Get Out".  This is another great song from the band - who have announced that their debut album will be out in December. It is called Olen rikas sillä minulla on teidät (“I’m Rich Because I’ve Got You”)

19. "California" by Malin Pettersen

The last time we caught up with Norwegian singer-songwriter Malin Pettersen, she was singing about Nashville - on "Wildhorse Dream". The album was, in fact, recorded in Nashville. Now, the album Wildhorse is out, and we are featuring a song about California.  The song and its title belies the strong Laurel Canyon influences on Pettersen's music, and she wears those influences well. I am enjoying this album very much. 

20 "Old Guitar" by Matt Eckstine 

We close out this segment of music with Savannah, Georgia based singer-songwriter Matt Eckstine with a track from his new album Lil' Blue.  The underlying theme of Eckstine's work is described as hold fast and roll with the tide - which seems good advice for these times. This is a terrific song, and I look forward to featuring more from this album. 

Tomorrow - we have the next five songs... 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist