E2TG 8/30/2021 - Music City Monday - Said and Done Mix (Black Angel Remix)

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Heading into another week and soon another month.  The news is heavy.  Music remains a refuge for me, and I hope for you too. Enjoy! Be part of the solution. 

Featured Friday Playlist recap (part 2 - the adventure continues) (songs 13-16):

13. "Weather Vane" by Emperor of Ice Cream

Irish band Emperor of Ice Cream - recently released their long-shelved debut album nearly 30 years after forming. This is the follow-up single, and my introduction to the band. I dig it. 

14. "Crazy Game of Phobias" by Jata

Next up, we have the title track from the forthcoming debut EP by this synth-loving pop artist from Italy. 

15. "Opposite Faces" by Thadeus Gonzalez

Next up, we have the title track from the recently released third album by this singer-songwriter from Oakland,California. 

16. "Liar" by Mary Jennings

And we close this section of music with another track from the recent Matriarch album by Nashville's Mary Jennings. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 4/26/2021 - Music City Monday - Same Mistakes Mix (Rooftops Remix)

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Running short on time... Here's today's music.

Featured Friday Playlist Recap Pt. 2 (Songs 11-16):

11. "True Blue" by DL Rossi

After featuring some of the pre-release singles - Lonesome Kind - the third album from DL Rossi is out now. The album was recorded in Nashville where Rossi lived before returning to Michigan to deal with a family health issue. 

12. "The Chain" by Eagles vs Drones 

Next up, we have a cover of the Fleetwood Mac song by this UK metal band led by Nathan Peach and Mark Vincent. Great cover. 

13. "I've Always Been Crazy" by Shannon McNally

Another cover - this time the lead track from Shannon McNally's forthcoming The Waylon Sessions tribute album - due May 28.

14. "Ghost a Go-Go" by Lowbelly

Next up, we have the first single from the recently released first album in 13 years (called II) by this eclectic band from Boise, Idaho.  Fun fact, in fifth grade, I had to do a report about a state and my report was about Idaho.  The band's story is one of resilience which I hope to share in more detail. In the meantime, check out the album and enjoy this track. 

15. "Off Guard" by Kid Hastings

Next up, we have the new single from California based indie pop artist Kid Hastings - the song was written calling two breakups and being hit by a car while skateboarding. Really interesting music, and I dig it. 

16. "Mutant Fur" by Dontmesswithjuan

And keeping things interesting - we have the latest single from the forthcoming album Juan & the Pursuit of Happiness - which tells a fictional story of Juan - this track is about mutations and transformation and change. Dontmesswithjuan is the project of a Montreal-based female artist who chooses to stay out of the spot-light. Really fascinating.  I dug this track and I am ready to dig deeper. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 3/10/2020 - David Olney (The Artist with a "Big A") - Make Do and Mend Mix (Peace of Mind Remix)

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The Artist with a "Big A"

Last night's Celebration of Life for David Olney was a  "not exactly somber"/"not exactly light-hearted" affair.  In many ways, the event was a perfect fit for the man.

Here are my impressions as they are coming to me as I write this.  The first word that came to mind as I arrived at the Belcourt Theater was community - that word has been on the fore-front of my mind lately anyway. But, I was struck by all the familiar faces I recognized waiting in line to enter, and that sense only increased as the night wore on. 

There were definitely some heavy-hitting in attendance.  Emmylou Harris arrived with The Road Mangler Phil Kaufman, Hayes Caryl showed up, Mary Gauthier and more. It was a packed house. 

The first thing I noticed was Olney's guitar with his trademark fedora balanced on top. The house band was David's band - Ward Stout, Sergio Webb, Daniel Seymour, and Justin Amaral.  They took the stage and played some of David's music as instrumentals - which was an emotional moment. 

(An aside - one recurring theme of the night was that David Olney was an Artist (with a capital "A").  Watching his band - both during the waiting period and during the celebration proper, I was struck with the feeling that not only was David Olney an Artist, but he surrounded himself with Artists. I have had the opportunity to witness Sergio Webb's guitar playing up close, and while I am not a musician, even I could recognize that there was something extraordinary about the way he coaxed sounds from his guitar. I have also had the chance to see Justin Amaral in various settings, and his talent and artistry is unquestioned - see him with The Fats Kaplin Gang if you need proof. Daniel Seymour, too have seen in a variety of settings, and seeing him play stand-up bass is treat no matter the style of music.  As far as I recall, I have only ever seen Ward Stout play with David Olney - but I recall when David first added him and how quickly he established himself as part of David's sound.  Nashville is filled with incredibly talented musicians, but it was clear to me last night that these artists where something special - and I sure hope they find many opportunities to play together in the future.  

The night was filled with performances and speakers.  The stories shared were a reminder of the way David Olmey touched peoples' lives. The musical performances were a testament to the greatest of his songs and to the way he inspired other artists. 

The musical guests were all amazing in their own way.  I feel like if I try to name some that I will forget another. 

I've run out of time - so there will be more later. Suffice it to say, that the event was yet another gift from the man who gave us all so much of himself. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Middle School Frown Mix (Greying Out 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.


Got to check out The Lilliston Effect for a bit at Dee's yesterday afternoon.  They play the Sunday brunch there on a regular basis - for great Sunday afternoon jazz  - check them out.

Last night was a stellar night of the best songwriters that East Nashville has to offer. It was the Nick Nace CD Release Show for Wrestling With the Mystery - which we are covering here.  Darrin Bradbury opened. Great to see him again. He played mostly new songs and songs from his latest album. The new songs are among the best I have heard from him.

Jon Latham was next. It has been a while since I saw Jon solo, and I was reminded of what he can do with just his voice, his guitar, and his songs.

Next, Jon joined Nick's band for a great set of songs. Nick is an incredible songwriter with an easy, charm. Megan Palmer, Erin Nelson, and Katie Blomarz rounded out the wonderful band.

Ryan Sobb and his band closed the night.  Ryan is one of the best and most unique songwriters around, and his power trio - featuring Chase Ballenger and Preston Cochran just seems to get better and better. They earned an encore last night.


Let's move on to the shuffle! It is Music City Monday!

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Since You've Been Gone Mix

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Well, the 2019 Edition of the Magnolia Roads American Roots Hoedown IV is in the books. Over two nights, 13 acts featuring at least 54 artists performed. There was also a silent auctions which raised money for the Ben Eyestone Fund of Music Health Alliance, a COMMUnity Canvas - collaborative painting, and just a ton of fun.

Thank you to Emily Hansen of Magnolia Roads for letting me be a part of this.  I got to see old friends like The Truehearts, Chris Wilson, Don Gallardo, Mike Younger, Rich Mahan, and Lady Couch; people that I saw at previous Magnolia Roads events - like Jenny Lee West, Arkansas Dave, Bonnie Blue, and Jason Daniels; and some new folks like Bryan Haraway, FunkyJenn, and Jeff Mix.

Until next time!


Now, we jump right into another fantastic Music City Monday shuffle!  Let's do it!

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Fist Fight Mix

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All of this happened a long time ago when the world was a very different place. Of course, none of us knew that at the time.
(From The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres) Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)

If you have read The Drift, please consider writing a review on Amazon. If you haven't read it, you can get your own copy through Amazon or if you are in Nashville, you can get them from me.

I am continuing to work on my Spotify playlists for E2TG.  So far, I have completed seven - January - July2018.  These are meant to be a cross-section of music I featured during those months - not necessarily music released in those months.   If you are interested, you can check out the playlists (links below)  and follow my personal profile to find out when new playlists are created.

E2TG January 2018
E2TG February 2018
E2TG March 2018
E2TG April 2018 
E2TG May 2018
E2TG June 2018
E2TG July 2018
E2TG August 2018 (coming soon!)
E2TG September 2018  (coming soon!)

SAVE THE DATE!!!!!  Thursday, November 15, 2018 - We have a pretty cool event in the works.  More to come!


Now, it is Monday - a very wet and gloomy commute this morning, but some awesome tunes to get me through.  Let's shuffle!

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Close to the Edge Mix

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All of this happened a long time ago when the world was a very different place. Of course, none of us knew that at the time.
(From The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres) Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)

We are back after the weekend.  Busy week ahead. 

Let's just right into this Music City Monday shuffle. This shuffle comes from a constantly changes and growing Spotify playlist which features a broad cross-section of Nashville-related artists/bands from the past and present. Well-known and should-be well-known.  

Let's go!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Cure for Myopia Mix

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All of this happened a long time ago when the world was a very different place. Of course, none of us knew that at the time.
(From The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres) Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)

This is the first "Wild Wednesday" shuffle since May 30!  So, a reminder - "Wild Wednesday" simply means we shuffle up all the songs on my phone. In addition to the "New Music" playlist, my phone also contains a variety of other songs  - songs that were once in a "New Music" playlist, songs from the E2TG archives (i.e. songs by long-time E2TG  faves) and other random songs from other sources... (classic, rare, and sometimes weird tracks).    If you think of a Venn diagram.  Songs on my phone memory is a big circle and the "New Music" playlist is a smaller circle completely contained in the bigger circle.

Now that I have over-explained - lets' get right to the shuffle.   Time is short - so I will keep my comments to a minimum.  Let's go!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Honk if You Feel Fine Mix

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First off, I join the rest of the Nashville music community in mourning the loss and celebrating the life and spirit of Jessi Zazu of Those Darlins. I am a fan of that band and have written about them on E2TG.  I never got to meet Jessi, but I have been reading about her courageous battle with cancer.  I send my love out to all those who knew and loved her.

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Second, I guess Americana Week is officially kicked off.  One again, Lil Deb and Shilah threw one hell of kick off party.  Whiskey Wolves of the West opened, Chuck Mead and his friends once again blurred the lines of Americana with his set that included covers of The Jam's "In the City", Ian Drury's "Sex and Drugs and Rock n Roll", and even Paul Anka's "(You're) Having My Baby" with Sarah Gayle Meech.

Cafe Rooster Records hosted the third segment and they tend to do, they ruled. It was great to see not one, not two, but three E2TG Artists of the Year rocking the packed house.  It was also great to see hear (on a night of many covers), many in the crowd singing along to Jon Latham and Darrin Bradbury original songs. Ladies Gun Club made a rare appearance (that I really hope will be less rare in the months to come), and guests Lilly Hiatt and Aaron Lee Tasjan were awesome.  (Aaron Lee is up for an AMA award - Best Emerging Artist - tonight!)

The Mavericks closed the night and were nothing short of spectacular with many guests and surprise covers.

Beyond all that, it great to see some many people - some I haven't had the chance to see a some a while.   I'm pretty tired today, and there are still five days to go!


By the way, ICYMI, please check out yesterday's guest blog post by Collin de la Cour  (the first ever E2TG guest post!)



It's Wednesday, and we get wild - with a shuffle of ALL THE SONGS on my phone.....

Let's do this!

Topical Thursday Morning Shuffle - Walkin' Blues Mix

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In light of some recent headlines... I need to restate something I have been posting since January... There are still known and avowed white supremacists in positions of great power in the Executive Branch of the United States of America in 2017.  This is the world view that is behind the decisions being made and it is the true undercurrent of the phrase "Make America Great Again".  Please know that the last thing I want to devote time to on E2TG is politics, but I also believe that silence is acceptance - so since I cannot accept this, I must not be silent. #Resist #Persist
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On a happier note, I made it out to The 5 Spot last night to check out Lynn Tayloe and The Barflies plus Stuffy Shmitt.      In additional to the Taylor and Shmitt, I had the great opportunity to see some of my favorite players - Sergio Webb, Chris Tench, and Parker Hawkins.  It was another great night of music in Nashville.

Well - it is Thursday - somehow - and that means we post from our current Topical playlist - which continues to be songs covering the 6 year history of E2TG.  Let's shuffle!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Tonic and Gin Mix

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Running late due to some non-technical difficulties.... what can I say, Wild Wednesday is not just a shuffle thing...

Trivia: I previously had a Gin and Tonic Mix shuffle for a completely different reference...

Let's jump right in with a pretty darn wild Wednesday shuffle