E2TG 1/17/2020 - Featured Friday - Goodbye Dave Hogan - Sunshine Boys - Time of Her Own Mix (Known Enemy Remix)

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It is with a heavy heart that I let you know of the passing of long-time E2TG favorite and friend Dave Hogan on January 14th after a short illness. We featured both his solo work and his work with Grimm Generation. In fact, he was the first Connecticut musician that I met in person - thanks to Jason P. Krug - when Hogan played a songwriting festival in Nashville several years back.  In addition to being a musician he was also a DJ on WPKN in Bridgeport, CT.  E2TG Artist of the Year Jason P. Krug wrote a remembrance of David Hogan which you can read here.



Event Alert:

This Saturday at The Basement East - Juliana Hatfield and Sunshine Boys 

Chicago’s Sunshine Boys (featuring Freda Love Smith of Blake Babies, Dag Juhlin of Poi Dog Pondering and Jacqueline Schimmel of Big Hello) released the politically-charged single “Infinity Girl” on Friday, Jan 10.  The band will then embark on a short tour with Freda’s former Blake Babies band mate Juliana Hatfield and there is a show confirmed for The Basement East on Sat, Jan 18.

Please check out, enjoy, and follow the newly updated Featured Friday Playlist.

    Featured Friday Playlist Updated 1/17/2020

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Ghost of Dylan Thomas Mix

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Well, I can't really say that it is good to be back from my week-long vacation, but it is good to be back to blogging.  I hope followers of my Facebook Page enjoyed the throwback posts throughout the week.

And...here we are in August.  Time... thinking about how fast it seems to go got me to thinking about the Stephen King short story.  And somehow, I just found out that this exists!


Anyway, it is Monday - when I shuffle songs connected to the Music City...

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Get Loud Mix

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So, my event calendar never really got off the ground, fortunately, Jared over at Fighting the Nashville Blues - has you covered.  Here are his previews for the week ahead.


So, I am still kind of reeling from the E2TG Anniversary Extravaganza.  Such a good time. I hope to bring you more shows in the future.  It was fun to introduce friends to other friends' music in a live setting.

My daughter and I had a great weekend.  We took in Luella and Tim Carroll down at Phat Bites in Donelson on Saturday morning, and then Saturday night spend some time with The Foresters and Mia Green in at an Airbnb in East Nashville and heard tunes by the aforementioned.  The Foresters should be headed back to Connecticut as I write this, and I wish them all safe travels. They had the opportunity to play Puckett's Grocery in Leiper's Fork yesterday.

Time for some Music City Monday sounds...

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - The Road Got Blurry Mix

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So, spring has arrived and here in Nashville that has meant a brief cold snap. I seem to be over whatever it was that kind of knocked me out at the end of last week... ready to take on a new week. According to Facebook, I have 12 events with 51 friends coming up this week.  Fortunately, I do get Friday off work...

I did manage to venture out into a misty rain last night for a fine night of music at The Basement. Despite some vocal duress, Jon Latham was amazing as always.  Throwing a new song (for me anyway) into the mix and inviting up Peyton Parker to sing on a couple of tunes.  Peyton Parker has been on the current season of The Voice.   Next up was Charlie Whitten, who I saw a few weeks back, I once again was struck by his awesome songwriting, gentle good humor, and his whistling (which especially impresses me because I cannot really whistle).  Closing the night was Caleb Caudle who recently released Carolina Ghost to widespread acclaim. A great ending to a great night of music at a pretty pack out Basement.

It's Monday - I'm in Music City... let's do Music City Monday....

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Sparkle Gone Mix

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Tonight on a very special episode of Music City Roots... Really looking forward to tonight's benefit show for Tommy Womack.  A rare Nashville area appearance of Jason and the Scorchers, Webb Wilder and the Beatnecks, Will Kimbrough, Dan Baird and more guests... If you can't be there, you can watch the livestream.

After that it is Aaron Lee  Tasjan, Nellie Clay, John Calvin Abney, and Levi Parham at The 5 Spot- where conveniently, the Roots bus will drop me off.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Critical of Comedy Mix

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Went out for the first time since Americana last week. Visited Twin Kegs II which is located just 4 minutes from where I live. I don't know what I had never been there before. Neat place.  Saw some great songwriters including the brother of someone from the show Nashville, and a tremendous young writer from Sydney who was celebrating the release of her new album, Love and Lovely Lies . Her name is Imogen Clark. 

We have another fine shuffle with some of those odd connections that seems to happen all the time when you closely follow music and the people who make it.

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Sunburn at Night Mix

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It is Tuesday.  A bit tired today after a night of great music. The Nashville Conundrum was in full effect, but one thing I didn't say yesterday, is that I've learned that it is okay to feel bad for the shows you missed - especially when it means missing the show of a friend, but in the end, when you've made your choice, you should expend more energy appreciating the show you did see than you do regretting the show(s) you missed.  Life is kind of like that, too, I think.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Don't be Koi Mix

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All I can say is that life is probable sometimes, and although we don't always choose the things that happen (or maybe in some ways we do), what we do choose is whether or not to be fully present in those moments (to the best of our ability).

WOW Wednesday Shuffle - Shook Up Mix

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A wonderfully diverse mixed bag of treats for your Wide-Open Whatever Wednesday Shuffle....

Another Random Mix of Great Music - April 4 Edition

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Friday 4/4/2014

Still irregularly posting, but working hard a number of fronts.

Here's my latest collection of music that has crossed my ears and/or mind since we last visited.

No rhyme or reason... never that...

#E2TG is not at SXSW (This is a CXCW plug by the way)

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If, like me, you are not at the South by Southwest confab (conflag?) (whatever), you probably have some good reasons.  Can't get off work, lack of funds, the beer is too expensive, too many damn hipsters, it involves putting on shoes --- the list goes on.

For the last four years, there has been a great alternative to SXSW.  I hope by now, you are familiar with Couch by Couchwest -where the beer is cheap and the only hipster is you.  CXCW is an on-line music festival featuring a staggering number and variety of talented folks who submitted specially made videos specifically for the festival. Often, the videos feature couches. Often they don't. They may be filmed in bathrooms, kitchens, garages, on front or back porches, or in wide-open fields.  Jonny Fritz when he still went by Jonny Corndawg recorded one from the inside of a drainage pipe.



The atmosphere around Couch by Couchwest is low-key, laid back, and light-hearted.  Tacos are a popular food, beer is the drink of choice (often), and most importantly, the music is mind-blowing. 

If you are a regular Ear to the Ground reader you probably already know about CXCW and I hope you've been keeping up.  The festival is on day four, and if you haven't tuned it yet, you have some catching up to do.  Go now to Couchbycouchwest.com.

Ear to the Ground favorites like:

The Foresters

Sci-Fi Romance

MAKAR

Tim Lee 3

The Imperial Rooster

Tipi Valley

Todd Farrell, Jr.

Jeanette Lynne

(And probably some I'm forgetting (sorry!))

have already made an CXCW'14 appearance. Plus - we've been introduced to some amazingly talented folks who will more than likely grace our pages soon. 

We expect to see The End Men, Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray, and much, much more the before the festival wraps up. 


Among the most buzz-worthy moments so far has been Jamie Painter's cover of Jason Isbell's Cover Me Up which has earned a recommendation from Mr. Isbell himself.  Oh and Two Mule Blues set shit on fire. 

So, in conclusion, I get why you're not at South by Southwest. I'm not there with you, but why the heck aren't you at Couch by Couchwest?  Shoes are optional and probably not encouraged.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - A Few of My Favorite Things 2013 Mix Part Four

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And on we go... 

Just in case you  joined us late, we are looking back on some of our favorite music from 2013, and doing it as only Ear to the Ground would...  I created a Playlist with favorites released in 2013.  2013 was a great year for music.  Many of your favorite E2TG artists released new music this year, some new favorites were "discovered", and there was even some notable releases from artists you frequently read about on those "Brand X" music blogs.  All of those and maybe even more are included in the Playlist.  We've been shuffling through that playlist all week, and we will continue until the end of the year (and maybe a day or two more).

Let's get to it, and see what Mr. Shuffle has brought up today... shall we?

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Ex-Eye-Aye-I Mix

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Happy Friday the 13th to all you triskaidekaphiles out there.

Monday starts our march to 2014 by highlighting some of our favorite music of 2013. Culminating in the Third Annual Band of the Year unveiling ceremony blog post.  Who will join The Mobbs and Skeletons in the Piano in this super exclusive category?  You better tune in to find out.  It's all soooo exciting!

Anyway to close out a great year of Shuffles, we have another shuffle with some songs and stuff...

#E2TGWorthy... it started as a simple blog post, but everything got turned upside down. What happened next will change the way you look at simple blog posts for at least a couple of minutes...

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Return of the Living Dead Mix

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Well... after a week long bout with the flu, I can safely say that I am back from the grave and ready to party!



Hall of Fame update - 1. I at least have a template for the Hall of Fame page entries.  I was beginning to work more on the page when I fell ill.  - doesn't "fell ill" sound so sophisticated?  Let me tell you - the reality was pretty awful. 2. I came up with a list of notable omissions from my initial class of twenty - some of these were due to being first mentioned in the pre-blogger days, some due to alternate spellings affecting the tag count.  In any event, I will be adding those names soon.

p.s. I have a literal ton of songs waiting to be added to the active playlist.*

*confession: I have no clue how much a song weighs so I can't truly say that I literally have a ton of songs to add... but it's a bunch.

Let's ease back into things with a pretty nifty Monday Shuffle

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Blue Line Mix

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Some how the release of the new Those Mockingbirds single - "How to Rob a Bank" got past me.  The single is out and it rocks every bit as hard as one would expect from Those Mockingbirds. If you don't know what to expect from Those Mockingbirds, expect THE ROCK.  Seriously. But, now that the song is out there is no need to take my word for it.  Unless you need the validation of a high profile taste-maker - in which case, you have come to the right place. ;-) 

 

Give it a listen:

 

Stream at Soundcloud

 

Buy via iTunes

 

Here is a live performance captured on video

 

 

 

Now, we have a cool shuffle - so let's get to it!

 

After the break

Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - Retreat Mix

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Extended drive this a.m. means an extended Shuffle - so let's get to it - jump to the shuffle after the break

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Don't Rush the Author Mix

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Good morning! 

First of all, I must say that I had a blast hanging out at the Five Spot last night.  Thanks for The Alternate Root for putting on the show, Ear to the Ground featured artist Mark Robinson for hosting, and all the great musicians for making such wonderful racket. 

It was great meeting Mark Robinson and Sue Havlish in person.

It was nice hanging out with  fellow blogger Too Much Country, Miss Shevaughn and Yuma Wray (Couch by Couchwest alum who we've posted about here - SPOILER ALERT: they may just happen to have a song into today's Shuffle...), and James Crawford (a fellow survivor of my hometown, who is about to put out an amazing record - much more to come about that). 

It was one of those only in Nashville kind of nights.  From Johnny Fritz's drummer working the door, to the great music from Mark Robinson, Dave Coleman of The Coal Men (who I also got to meet), Kevin Gordon, Jon Byrd, Eric Brace and Peter Cooper, Amelia White, and  the amazing Tim Carroll closing out the evening.


Switching gears (completely): 

Avant Guard Dogs  are the best band you've never heard. That's right, you've never heard them.  No, it was not them who played the party at your frat house before their first album ever came out. No, you don't own a bootleg import of their unreleased first single on pink vinyl in it's original cover.  What the band does have going for them is some amazing album covers.  Take a gander HERE (where you will also see classic album covers by The Shambles and Quivering Brains.  All of these covers were designed by the amazing Ron Ruelle (Dizzy Gillespie, Tony Bennett).  Seriously, if you need graphic design work - check him out.



Let's get to the music:

After the JUMP

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Swearing Off Mix

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I'm late and running short on time - so to the shuffle

Americana Music Fest Part V - Friday Night

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So, when Friday night rolled around, I was running on about two hours sleep and a day at work - plus a 5 hour energy drink I got for free at Live on the Green.  So, to maximize my musical enjoyment and minimize my frustrations, I decided to stick to one venue.  I picked the Cannery Ballroom. The Cannery holds many great musical memories from back in the day.  Most of the shows I saw back in the late 80s were upstairs, but I know of a few shows which were downstairs.

Anyway, I arrived just in time to catch the last song of Shelly Colvin's 8:00p.m. set, and I heard just enough to wish I had been there the whole time.  The song was beautiful. Shelly is a Huntsville, Alabama native currently living in East Nashville where all the cool people live (Blogger's Note: I don't live in East Nashville, so the last statement is obviously false).  She is a genuine, harmonica toting, folk singer.  

Up Next was Amanda Shires.  Amanda Shires is a Texas born singer/fiddle player, who also currently resides in Nashville.  The first thing I noticed was a familiar looking guitar tech.  Yep, that was Jason Isbell or as he was introduced later when he came on stage a few songs into the set, the future Mr. Jason Shires.  Amanda Shire's music is Americana/Alt-Country friendly with strong Indie Rock street cred.  Ah hell, it's just damn good music.  She was backed by a cracking band featuring Rod Picott and supplemented by Jason Isbell on a number of songs.

Next on the bill was Houston native and recent Nashville resident Robert Ellis.  I wasn't all that familiar with his music, but I really enjoyed it.  It did a new song, Houston, as a goodbye to his hometown, and it reminded me, favorably to Steve Earle's haunting Goodbye Guitar Town.  The set ran the gamut from slow sad country to all out rockers.  Bonus points in my book for having the lovely  and amazing Caitlin Rose out for a song.  I was a bit further from the stage for this set, so sorry for the quality of the pictures.

The headliner of the evening was the legendary John Hiatt, making a rare Nashville appearance. Hiatt is one of those larger than life/down to earth performers.  He took the stage and powered through an amazing set that included some songs from his (what was then) forthcoming  (out on September 25th) album Mystic Pinball and a slew of songs from across his storied career, including that one that Bonnie Raitt covered and the one Eric Clapton and B.B. King did.  He also, at the request of a loud member of the audience) did the classic Memphis in the Meantime.  I've been a huge John Hiatt fan for a lot of years, and this was just an incredibly fun show.  

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Tuesday Morning Music Shuffle - As You Were (We Are) Mix

Calm before storms - morning routine - saying things and writing words and hoping it all doesn't get away.  We are lovers in dangerous times... for what it's worth... I can't get no satisfaction but I if I try sometimes I just might get what I need. Sometimes you can't make it on your own...

I added 23 new songs to the MP3 player this week.  58 total so far for November. Here is a random sample of those 58 songs:

Poison & Wine by The Civil Wars

(Click on picture to purchase and download the Barton Hollow version)
Today, I heard a live version of this song from a live album I got from Noisetrade.

Single Ladies (Put a RIng On It) by Beyonce

click on album cover to purchase and download song)
I know what you're thinking - Beyonce? But, she is Sasha Fierce!

Undone (The Sweater Song) by Weezer (as perfomed by BOTW alums Brother Howe).
(click on the album cover to purchase and download Brother Howe's version of The Sweater song originally done by weezer.)
Brother completely Undo - um come undone on this killer version of the Weezer classic.
In a Razor Town by Jason Isbell

(Click on album cover to purchase and dowmload this song)
Former DBT member now one of the most exciting voices on the Americana scene.  A stand out track from Sirens in the Ditch.

Body and Soul by Tony Bennett and Amy Winehouse


Regardless of anything else, Amy Winehouse had prime chops, and here she goes toe to toe with a legendary crooner on this remake of the 1930 song.

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