E2TG 1/24/2020 - Featured Friday - Popeye's Beard Mix (Half Life Remix)

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Well, we made it to the end of another week which means it is time to refresh the E2TG Featured Friday Spotify Playlist.  This week's playlist features some brand new releases and some songs that have just made their way into my consciousness.  We have new music from David Dondero - one of our countries best songwriters, Zander Schloss - punk rock icon turned troubadour, Davis Raines - a highly regarded Nashville songwriter, Jen Starsinic - one of my favorite local writers, June Star - an Americana band from Baltimore MD, Ryan Dillaha - a Michigan based singer-songwriter, Mono Inc - Goth Metal band from Germany, Sunshine Boys - Chicago based power pop band that I saw last Saturday, Michael Zimmerman - surprise release from the Nashville based multi-instrumentalist who I first met as part of Nelson Zimmerman and Quinn, Party of Shine - a new hard rock band featuring Jeff Johnson of Jason and the Scorchers, Rebecca Turner - New Jersey based singer-songwriter, 12xPretty - Electro-pop outfit from Victoria BC, Electric High - hard rock/metal band from Bergen Norway, Mrs. Henry - new live album from the L.A. based band who did the Last Waltz tribute we have been featuring, Kailey Nicole - Nashville (by way of Vegas and L.A) singer-songwriter, and Three Rivers Project - electronica/synthwave project.  Check out the playlist below and please follow the playlist on Spotify if you would like. 

Also, check out the Release listing - we have a handful of albums coming out today (including some from our playlist) and some new additions to our list.   

And the shuffle is down below!

Throwback Thursday Morning Shuffle - Little Rhythmic Arcs of Red Mix

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MAY 18th!  E2TG 5 Year Anniversary Extravaganza!  The 5 Spot! 9pm sharp!

"Greetings, my friend. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future." - Criswell - Plan 9 from Outer Space.

Here at E2TG, we care about the future, but we also care about the past.  The present was the future in the past, and the past was once the present... remember that...

Anyway, we devote on day a week to exploring the past.  We call it Throwback Thursday because we are sheep who blindly follow standard internet conventions.

Today's #tbt shuffle awaits, but first...

A massively fun evening at The 5 Spot.  Hanging with some good friends and rubbing elbows with some musical heavyweights... some of whom happen to be friends, too.  Lowell Levinger was amazing... including a David Olney (who was in attendance) song in his set.

Tim Lee 3 killed as always - a good preview to BARK's appearance next week.

RB Morris - backed by an impressive band of Knoxville and Nashville musicians (including Tim Lee on guitar for a few songs).

Throwback Thursday Morning Shuffle - Tommy Said So Mix

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I have a lot on my mind, and I kind of feel an extended non-shuffle post coming on - when I have the time. 

If you have not done so, I recommend watching the video of Michael Stipe singing "The Man Who Sold the World" on Fallon. 

In short, the thoughts in mind are about the concept of limitations vs. the infinite.  They are about the road to peace that is sometimes harder to walk but ultimately worth the extra effort. About the music "industry" and the value of art.  About the "latest next big thing" vs. the really cool thing that may or may not someday be the "latest next big thing" but regardless is pretty amazing right in this moment. 

It's all kind of jumbled in my mind, and for me the only way to unjumble it (or at least the best way) is for me to write it all down.  Anyway, some jumbled thoughts may be coming.

Facebook controls what posts you see and even sometimes what pages you "like". This is why I #Crosspost links to this blog on both the E2TG Facebook Page and on my personal page.   If you want to follow E2TG on Facebook, click the link give us a "Like".  Even if you think (or know) that you "liked" us, go ahead and click the link and make sure you still do "like" us. Or don't.  That's cool, too. Not as cool, but it's cool.

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People sometimes ask me, "How old does a song have to be to appear on "Throwback Thursday".  Usually, I just say, "Interesting question..." and wander off..  Really, though, it's impolite to ask a song how old it is, so let's just say the songs on this playlist are all of a "certain age".

Shuffle:

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Nine Monkey Years Mix

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Let me preface what is likely to be another gushing  paragraph or so about what an amazing time it is to be a music fan in Nashville with the following:  I write a bunch about Nashville's live music scene because that is where I am and it is what I am experiencing. I do know that there are some amazing pockets of awesome musical stuff happening all over the world. Through writing this blog, I have been fortunate enough to "discover" tons of great music from all over and get a peak into some of these pockets of creativity and collaboration.   In that spirit one of my goals for E2TG in 2016 is to forge some partnerships with other writers so that this site can dig deeper into more of the great music happening.  Truth be told, I cannot even adequately cover Nashville's music so I would like to also forge some partnerships here in town.  I will be posting more as I move forward, but if you read this and have some ideas or interest, please contact me at e2tgmusic@gmail.com.  Be sure to put E2TG2016 as part of the subject line to make sure I see it.

For the last three weeks, iconic Nashville musician/singer/songwriter Jason Ringenberg (Jason and the Scorchers, Farmer Jason) has been doing a residency every Wednesday at The 5 Spot.  For me this has been a fantastic combination of the music I listened to in my musical formative years and one of my favorite haunts of this later phase of my life. The music has been fantastic, the guests have been spectacular, and there have been wonderful surprises every week. Last night, Jason was joined by Tommy Womack - one of the best this town has to offer. Tommy Womack played some music from his forthcoming new album, some of his timeless classics, and a pretty darn cool Jason and the Scorchers cover.  Jason played a great mix of songs from his long history, an awesome Tommy Womack cover, and then the two of them played some songs they wrote together. 

If you've missed the first three week, you have one more opportunity to catch Jason at The 5 Spot. Next week, he will be joined by Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose for what should be a wonderful finale.

Forward to the shuffle...

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Joy and Sorrow Mix

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It's my birthday, and I'll cry if I want to...

My Birthday Week continues.  Last night included two stops along the way.  Week 2 of the Jason Ringenberg January Jam residency rolled on... This week guest was Peter Cooper with Chuck Mead joining Jason and Peter for a rendition of The Louvin Brothers classic, "The Christian Life".  Ringenberg really seems to be enjoying this residency - I know I sure am... Next week's guest is Tommy Womack!

From there, I headed to Mad Donna's Loft where I caught the tail end of Simon Reid's set which sounded great, and then witnessed two rocking sets from the always awesome Renee Wahl (who will be releasing some new music soon!) and Brian Langlinais (who will also be releasing some new music soon!). Both Renee and Brian were backed by top notch bands.

Now the "crying": two late nights in a row has worn me out, but I will press on... tonight, the fine folks at The Basement East were kind enough to schedule the grand opening of their new Pub for my birthday.  So, I will be hanging out there this evening. The party begins at 6:00 with some awesome folks doing wicked cool covers beginning at 8:00.

On to the shuffle:

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Down do be do do wop a do do wop a do do wop Mix

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We move confidently into the middle of the week, and step one day further into this September. 

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Pain in the Butt Mix

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Let's jump right into the shuffle... some music for a  rainy Thursday morning here in Nashville....

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - One More Time Mix

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So... much happening.  I was in a car for about half of yesterday.  I have just been catching up with the news out of South Carolina. Sending out good thoughts to all those who lost loved ones.  And sending out as much love as I can muster for this country in hopes that we can finally begin address some of the many issues which lead to this terrible event.  I am not optimistic about things, but I remain hopeful.  If that makes sense.

Switching gears... If you are in Nashville tonight, I recommend heading down to the Basement East for a benefit for Allen Thompson.  Even if the music wasn't going to be good, you should support this because Allen is a great guy.  But this is East Nashville and the music is going to be spectacular.  Even if Allen wasn't a great guy, you should go because the music is going to spectacular.  But Allen is a great guy.


On to the Friday Shuffle!

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Why Do You Care? Mix

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I'm back after a day off.  Still tons going on.  Check out my review of the re-release of the self-titled only album by Haynes Boys.

Also - at press time, my review of Friday night's Matthew Sweet show at City Winery Nashville is on the front page of NoDepression.com.

On to the mid-week shuffle:

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Crazy Flipper Fingers Mix

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First off, I witnessed a great night of music at The 5 Spot last night. Jon Latham, Allen Thompson, Zach Schmidt, Tim Easton, and Darrin Bradbury - powerhouse stuff there!  As a bonus, I get to stick around and see long-time Ear to the Ground favorites Year of October as part of the late show line-up.  I am really proud of how they have grown musically in the past few years since I first heard them.

Also, my review of the Wednesday Night Bobby Memphis Benefit show is currently (at press time) on the front page of No Depression, and although, I can admit that I always happy when something I wrote gets featured like that, what I really hope is that it leads some people to helping out a man who I do not know and did not know of, but who is obviously respected and loved by a large number of people.  You can read the review here.

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Lost Cause Mix

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A great week of live music continued last night: the count: Darrin Bradbury with Aaron Lee Tasjan and Cameron Carrus backing him up, Carl Anderson, and Holy Sheboygan (an awesome band from Wisconsin) all at Foobar.  Then, Tim Carroll and Luella Wood  and a solo Darrin Bradbury set at Fran's Eastside.

Monday Morning Music Shuffle - Who Knows? Not Me Mix

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It's apparently some holiday which you should celebrate as you see fit... 

In honor, today's shuffle hits only high points...

Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Exclusive Exclustivity Mix

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 Greetings from Nashville.  Back with a long set of music for today's shuffle.  So, no more ado about nothing....

Shuffle will follow the.... Might as well.... Jump!

Thursday Morning Music Shuffle - Rockets Mix

Well, I hope everyone had a good fourth of July.  Here in Nashville, it seems like burn bans due to dry conditions kept the private fireworks to a minimum.  The Downtown Nashville fireworks display was, as usual, pretty amazing.  With a finale that did not disappoint.

But, it's back to work now, and a pretty interesting shuffle for this 5th day of July.

First up:  We "discovered" National Grain when we stumbled across some music from an off-shoot band called The Flint Hill Specials.  We checked out National Grain found their Americana, Alt-Country sound to our liking.  This morning we had Pretty Women Won't Give Me the Time of Day from the band's self-titled album which was released in 2006. National Grain hail from Atlanta, Georgia.

could not find a National Grain video, so here's something from Flint Hill Specials.

Second up, is a new song from Joe Jackson's new album, The Duke, which is a tribute to Duke Ellington.  On this first look, Jackson teams up with the one and only Iggy Pop to take on the Classic song It Don't Mean a Thing (If It Ain't Got That Swing).

And finally, we have a track from former Fleet Foxes member Joshua Tillman, who has previously released solo albums as J. Tillman, but who is now recording under the moniker Father John Misty.  His first album under the new name is called Fear Fun, and the song we have today is called Hollywood Forever Cemetery Sings.

 

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Affiliated Links:

DUKE ELLINGTON:EARLY TRACKS FROM THE BY ELLINGTON,DUKE (DVD) *Artist:  ELLINGTON,DUKE *Genre: Music Video - Jazz *Rating: NR *Release Date: 8-AUG-2006

Artist Fleet Foxes Perfect Rock Pop Music Product Type Compact Disc Domestic Track Title. 1 Sun It Rises. 2 White Winter Hymnal. 3 Ragged Wood. 4 Tiger Mountain Peasant Song. 5 Quiet Houses. 6 He Doesn't Know Why. 7 Heard Them Stirring. 8 Your Protector. 9 Meadowlarks. 10 Blue Ridge Mountains. 11 Oliver James. Borrowing from ageless folk and classic rock (and nicking some of the best bits from prog and soft rock along the way), on their self-titled debut album Fleet Foxes don't just master the art of taking familiar influences and making them sound fresh again, they give a striking sense of who they are and what their world is like. Their song titles reference the Blue Ridge Mountains -- never mind that they're actually from Seattle -- but it's the ease and skill with which they mix and match British and American folk and rock from the far and not too distant past that makes the band's music so refreshing. While this mix could be contrived or indulgent, Fleet Foxes use restraint, structuring their flourishes into three- and four-minute pop songs full of chiming melodies and harmonies that sound like they've been summoned from centuries of traditional songs and are full of vivid, universal imagery: mountains, birds, family, death. Despite drawing from so many sources, there's a striking purity to Fleet Foxes' sound. Robin Pecknold's voice is warm and sweet, with just enough grit to make phrases like "premonition of my death" sound genuine, and the band's harmonies sound natural, and stunning, whether they're on their own or supported by acoustic guitars or the full, plugged-in band. "Tiger Mountain Peasant Song" and "Meadowlarks" show just how much the Foxes do with the simplest elements of their music, but Fleet Foxes' best songs marry that purity with twists that open their sound much wider. As good as the Sun Giant EP was, Fleet Foxes saved many of their best songs for this album.

Wednesday Morning Music Shuffle - Stumble Mix

Mid-week and it all goes by too slow and too fast at times and here we go....

SONG #1: Okkervil River - Wake and Be Fine from I Am Very Far

The Austin, Texas based band with a song from last spring's album. 

Someone said to me, "I'll come into your dream and speak it to you." I already knew. I found her in the attic where, dramatically, she leaned into me, and she whispered these lines: "Wake and be fine. You've still got time to wake and be fine."

  

(I Am Very Far by Okkervil River - Amazon)

(Wake and Be Fine via Youtube)

SONG #2:  Ubiquity Machine  -  A Beautiful Girl 

Our good friends Ubiquity Machine with their stellar track, A Beautiful Girl

"God gave me knowledge to open up my mind, but the devil gave me loneliness so I'd leave it all behind."

(A Beautiful Girl via Soundcloud)

SONG #3: Joe Jackson - Look Sharp! (Title track to album of the same name)*

*redundancy intended... :-P

A legendary performer, a classic album, a great song!  

Okay, what you say
Tell me what they're wearing this year
Go on and laugh at me cause you don't see
That I got something going right here
Say I'm just a dreamer
Say I'm just a kid
Well ace, shut your face
Maybe you will see or hear 

 

(Look Sharp! by Joe Jackson - Amazon - Dig those shoes!)

(Look Sharp! live via Youtube)

BONUS SONG:  

I'm in love with the girl who works at the store
where I'm nothing but a ...

(Customer live via Youtube)

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Affiliated Links:

Okkervil River - Wake And Be Fine b/w Weave Room Blues - MP3 Download This Okkervil River download is available in DRM-free, MP3 256kbps format. Okkervil River MP3's will play on iPod? and all MP3 players. Individual tracks and samples of the songs from this album are available by clicking on the product image on the left. Need help? Click here and search for "downloads" to learn more.

Joe Jackson: Steppin' Out - The Videos - The Very Best of Joe Jackson Pop star Joe Jackson has perfected a polished sound that alternates between ska, swing, cabaret, and straightforward pop. STEPPIN' OUT is a compilation of Jackson's music videos and concert performances. All digitally remastered, the videos for Jackson hits including Is She Really Going Out With Him?, Steppin' Out, and I'm the Man. The two live performances included were filmed in 1986 at a New York venue.