Topical Thursday Morning Shuffle - Old Bones Mix

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Well, we sure do live in interesting times.  Interesting is an interesting word.  It can be positive, negative, or neutral... or even ironically.  Time will tell, how "interesting" these times are, but from this up-close perspective, it sure is interesting.  #Comey #DumpTrump #Resist #Persist
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So, last month, as you may know, E2TG turned six years old.  It has been quite a ride to be sure.  To celebrate, I created a 450 song "retrospective" playlist of music that have been featured in some way on this blog.  That is basically 450 different artist - with allowances that some may be crossovers (solo acts vs. bands they were in/ people in two or more bands etc.)  It has been fun revisiting all of the great music. I have lost touch with some of these fine folks and in some cases, I cannot find updated information, but they were all a part of getting me to this point, and while I am not entirely sure that I know where "this point" is, I do know that a whole bunch of good stuff is happening and has happened because I started writing this blog. My point being that every step along the way was important, and I am grateful of ALL of the awesome music I have encountered.  Today's shuffle spans the six years pretty effectively - picks up on some rare cuts from the past, and well - rocks.  In many cases, I could not find a video of the particular song today, but I think I got at least something to represent each artist.

Let's shuffle!

Wild Thursday Morning Shuffle - Complicated Mix

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I'm befuddled and bewildered... first of all, my bluetooth kept crashing on my phone.  I'm hoping the situation resolves itself because I have already restarted my phone, and that is about the extent of my technical knowledge....

Anyway, I powered through today's shuffle - from all the songs on my phone. The shuffle brought up some gems from the depth of my playlist along with some slightly more recent faves.

I'm going to skip the "Earies" today. I need to regroup and get a running list going so I am don't confuse myself.

Anyway - some upcoming events I wanted to clue you into... as always, this is not comprehensive and just off the top of my head -so sorry for any omissions....

Tonight: Fats Kaplin hosts the early show at The 5 Spot. His shows are always amazing. I had to miss last week, but I will be there tonight.  After that, the incredible Collins Family will be hosting their second annual Christmas Extravaganza also at The 5 Spot. Some pretty awesome guests plus Smoking Flowers all doing holiday tunes.  Benefits for that show are going to Standing Rock.

Friday: As always, Tim Carroll Rock n Roll Happy Hour goes down at The 5 Spot. If you've never been, go! If you've been, well, then I don't need to tell you.  A bit later Nathan Dohse of AGD Entertainment will be at The Country for his first live show in a very long time.  Closing the night will be one of my faves Patrick Kinsley and A Fistful of Dollars.

Saturday: The 11th Annual Get Behind the Mule - Tom Waits tribute and benefit for Second Harvest Food Bank is at The 5 Spot. Some awesome guests this year. Mary Sack puts on a a great show.

Sunday:  Don Gallardo will be opening for SHEL at 3rd and Lindsley for the long running Nashville Sunday Night show and broadcast.  A bit of trivia - SHEL was the band that was playing at The 5 Spot right after I met Darrin Bradbury in person for the very first time.

On to the shuffle:

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - This One Last Hope Mix

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These are hard times. These are tense times. These are scary times. These are sad times. These are disheartening time.  The issues are systemic and complicated and cannot and should not be reduced to memes. But that is what we do.  This is not a political blog or a social issues blog. This is a music blog, but I am a human being writing this and I notice things.  I do not propose solutions to all of the world's ills. But I do have a modest proposal..

STOP! RIGHT NOW!  Stop treating everything as an either/or, black/white, pro/con issue. My opinion is that very few things in this world work this way.  There is a philosophy that I used to be a proponent of (and sometimes still am) that our choices are either love or fear. In other words, in any given situation we can choose to react out of love or react out of fear. Honestly, I think as a way for me to evaluate my own reactions, it is a good philosophy. The problem is when I start using that to evaluate another persons motives is where I get into trouble. It's where I fall into that either/or trap.

I don't think either side is exempt from falling into this trap and it cuts across just about every issue. Guns, abortion, gay rights, police shootings, terrorism, even silly things like the Beatles vs. the Stones.   This idea that if I concede even a small minor point that I am now an enemy of a cause I consider myself a supporter of... It is how "Gee, maybe we might want to consider looking into how this thing is being done" is interpreted "so, you want to scrap the whole way of doing things?"

Or more pointedly, "There is a systemic problem of how some law officers interact with people of color." is heard as "So, you hate all cops?"

On social media, this attitude just creates fruitless and frustrating flame wars.  In life, it has deadly consequences as we have seen over the last couple of days.  So, I think we all need to STOP.  It is possible to support the good work that law enforcement officers do on a daily basis AND to demand that when one or some of those officers do wrong that they not be given a pass.  And to realize/admit that those bad apples are more than just aberrations (even if they may be in the minority), to realize that there are systemic and societal issues of race that we need to have honest conversations about. But, we cannot have those vital conversations if we approach it from a position of protecting our view of either/or.  Being willing to listen and to try to understand another viewpoint is not the same as agreeing with or giving into that viewpoint. But, it does, I think, demand a willingness to concede small points while standing firm on others.

I have no idea if any of what I have said makes any sense. I am frustrated and sad and scared and disheartened. I just feel like in our discourse we need to find some small point of agreement and build from that.  Sadly, I do not think this happens very often in our world.

But, this is a music blog.  I love music, and I believe that love is ultimately the answer to everything.  Love with hard work, love with compromise, love with actions, love with heart-felt disagreements, love in all of it's complicated versions and varieties.  As I said, I love music - so for today, I will share the love by sharing some music. Some of it you may like, some of it you may not, but I send it all out with love.

Speak powerfully against hate and fear, but speak powerfully out of love. Combat hate and fear with love not with more hate or fear.

So... music!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Like I Care Mix

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The First Annual E2TG Anniversary Extravaganza!  May 18! The 5 Spot! East Nashville! Everything is falling into place... you are the missing piece!  Be there!        



Wow!  The days seem to be flying by of late... The anniversary show will be here before I know it!  So much to do, so little time... 

A lot on my mind, I kind of feel another of those long, multi-subject posts coming on.. kind of the state of my mind address/manifesto...

Kind of sort of non-music related, but I went to an art talk last night at The Red Arrow Gallery in East Nashville.  The talk was between Joe Nolan (who besides being an excellent songwriter/singer also writes about art) and Lindsy Davis.  Lindsy's incredible show at Red Arrow is closing this weekend, so if you are in Nashville go see it.  (Just to make a connection for you) Lindsy also happens to be the creator of the "Bob" image from Darrin Bradbury's album The Story of Bob (which I use as my profile picture on Facebook).  So, see it does relate to music... Anyway, the talk was illuminating and inspiring and seems to have set off some creative sparks for me personally. 

So, the moral of all this is to say, go out and explore some art.  Even if you don't think of yourself as an "art" person, go to an art talk (if possible one with Joe Nolan) and listen and take in the art with an open mind and open heart.  Art (visual, musical, verbal, whatever) is an important part of the fabric of our world.  As governments cut funding and society tries to marginalize true art (while elevating people who almost literally do nothing), art endures and it is vital and needs to be supported.

Coming down off my soapbox - it is Friday.  Featured stuff coming up...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - The Pills Ain't Working Mix

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I am back after an extended time away...  When I last posted, storms were on the horizon for Nashville and that appears to be the case today six days later. In fact, as I look out the window, the rain has started.

This is always an odd week.  Christmas is over, New Years Eve is still a few days away. There is a sense of winding down of the old year and anticipation of what is to come.  In my office, there are many people out this week.  The overall pace of life seems just a wee bit slower.  But, here at E2TG, we keep pushing to the end.  We have more "Earies" to hand out and more shuffles to be shared.

The "Connections" Award. 

The premise:  Although, I don't always explicitly state it, one of the central themes of Ear to the Ground has always been the thread of connectivity that runs throughout all music.  The Shuffle (which to me is more than random) can often serve to highlight those connections. When songs that seem to be incongruous are placed together, they can often serve to reveal previously unseen connections. These connections come in all different forms and can be difficult to explain.  Long time readers may recall a post I made a few years ago when I shuffled together the then new records by Imperial Rooster and Black Jake and the Carnies.  These two bands came from different regions of the U.S. and were not even aware of each others existence but I found connections.

The Award:  So for this award, I thought about artists/bands who have come into my consciousness who have no visible connection but who speak to me in very similar ways despite their obvious differences.

1.  Tim Lee 3/Bark - A long time favorite of #E2TG, I first encountered TL3 via Couch by Couchwest.  They are based in Knoxville and have roots in Jackson, MS. As I have gotten to know Tim and Susan Lee, I have discovered their deep connection to much of the music I listened to growing up.  To illustrate, I found out not too long ago, that Tim Lee produced or co-produced Will and the Bushmen's Gawk album which has been a favorite of mine for a long, long time.  In 2015, Tim and Susan celebrated their vinyl anniversary (33 1/3 years) with the release of a new Tim Lee 3 album (331/3) and the very first EP from Bark.  I was lucky enough to see both configurations live in 2015.  The music of both bands manages to sound both fresh and familiar to me.

2. Susan James - A couple of years ago, I got the opportunity to hear and write about Susan's then new album, Driving Toward the Sun.  Susan is based in Southern California. At the time, I saw where D.J. Bonebrake of X (one of my all-time favorite bands) had acted as emcee for a CD release show for an earlier album.   In 2015, Susan James released Sea Glass which marked a departure from the Americana feel of her previous two releases.  Sea Glass is a wonderful example of California pop music.  Several times on the album, the Paisley Underground sound is evoked very effectively.  It is an album I want to hear over and over. 

Just to put too fine a point on my premise, Tim and Susan Lee have some very deep and personal connections to the original Paisley Underground scene of the 1980s which is evoked so well on Susan James latest album.

On to the shuffle:  I am going to be shuffling from the "Featured  Music" playlist for the three days I am at work this week.  Trying to get through some of 2015's featured music to clear some room for the many new releases expected in early 2016.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Close Your Eyes, Breathe Slow and We'll Begin Mix

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"Close your eyes, breathe slow, and we'll begin..."  - from "The Pan Within" written by Mike Scott and recorded by his band, The Waterboys from their album This is the Sea.

Last night I took the Blackstone Bus to Music City Roots at the Factory in Franklin.  I think the bus is one of this town's best kept secrets.  Every Wednesday, the bus departs from The 5 Spot in East Nashville makes a stop at Soulshine Pizza in Midtown and then makes its way down I65 to Franklin. 

Reasons it is such a cool, awesome deal:  1. The ride is free.  You pay your (usually $10) Roots ticket, select the Blackstone Bus option. 2. They serve samples of different varieties of Blackstone Beer (the longest currently operating local brewery). 3 You get some free hors d'oeuvres courtesy of Monnells.  4. There is usually awesome live music on the bus and 5. You don't have to drive.

About #4 - the scheduled music performer was under the weather, but because Nashville - it turned out that The Worry Dolls were on board.  The Worry Dolls are recent transplants from London. I had seen them at a showcase during Americana, and they graced us with some songs on the bus.  I nice treat to be sure.

This weeks Music City Roots was pretty eclectic.  Host Jim Lauderdale opened the show with a song from his new album - which I now really want to check out.  A bluegrass band from Italy played one song.  I really dug them a bunch - they are called La Terza Classe.  The Orphan Brigade played next, they are a really interesting group of experienced players with a pretty fascinating story. They completed their current album in Kentucky at what is called the Most Haunted House in America. I really liked their music which is kind of moody roots music - I guess.  LynnMarie was next with her polka band.  They won me over by opening their set with a cover of The Who's "Squeezebox" and a song written about LynnMarie's son who has Down's Syndrome. The latter song really spoke to me.

Amy Black was up next - backed by some of the players who joined her when I saw her CD Release show at The Bluebird Café and supplemented by a horn section and noted Nashville bassist Hags Haggerty.  They sounded fantastic.

Ted Drozdowski's Scissormen played the final set of the night and did what they do best - bringing the authentically original take on psychedelic North Mississippi blues music. And for those who read yesterday's post - no, the MCR stage could not contain Ted Drozdowski.  Drozdowski is a phenomenal guitar player and his band provide some amazing support. 

The closing Music City Jam featured a pretty awesome version of a song Muddy Waters recorded called "Rollin' and Tumblin'".  It was amazing to hear the different takes from everyone on stage.

On to the shuffle:

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - White Light Had It Mix

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Exciting day yesterday as the #E2TG Facebook Page barreled over 400 Likes on our way to 500!  Welcome all the new "likers".  To get in on the party, click the clink above and give us a "Like".

Let's get  to today's shuffle....