E2TG 3/20/2020 - Featured Friday - Live Til We Die Mix (Ain't Going Down Remix)

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Today, Bandcamp is waiving their profit sharing so that artists will receive 100% of all purchases. Consider purchasing music or merch from your favorite artists. Bandcamp was a huge source of music in the early days of E2TG - before I began getting submissions from publicists, and I still regularly get music via that site. I know that many musicians are deeply affected my this health crisis, and every little bit helps.  I understand that Bandcamp's site is being ovewhelmed right now, which is wonderful. Keep trying.

    Featured Friday Playlist

I feel like one of my jobs is to keep the music going, so here is the brand new Featured Friday Playlist. Enjoy and support these and all artists.

Featured Friday Shuffle

Since I am not commuting, I decided to shuffle and listen to the whole Featured Friday Playlist this morning. Maybe I will start doing that every Friday...

"Isabella" by The Blam Blams (from single)

Delighted that their is a new single from Nashville's The Blam Blams. I am very excited about what they are bringing to the Nashville music scene. 

"Rely on Me" by Jon Magnusson (from Live in Studio Silverraven)

Our old friend from Sweden has been releasing these live versions of his songs of late. Here is the latest.

"Code Blue - Remix" by I Ya Toyah, Grendel (from Code Blue Reloaded - Remix Version)

"Live Till We Die" by Chris Moyse (from Bitter Ballads & Cynical Prayers)

One of my favorite local songwriters just released his new album.  It has been highly anticipated and I am glad it is out in the world. 

"Throw it Back" by Trez (from single)

Latest single from Nashville based hip-hop artist. Produced by long-time E2TG favorite Hayden "THC" Coleman. 

"Ain't Going Down" by Strange Majik (from 20/20)

The new album from long-time E2TG favorite Strange Majik is out now. Check it out. He is on bandcamp so consider making that purchase.

"When I Was a Writer" by Matt Wilson and His Orchestra

"Lose Me Head" by Gina Sicilia (from single)

I am blown away by what I have been hearing from the forthcoming new album by Nashville based singer and songwriter Gina Sicilia. Check out her latest single. 

"Best I Can" by Carl Anderson (from Best I Can EP)

Another local favorite who has been releasing some new music of late. Check out Carl Anderson's latest EP today.

"Blood" by KID BE KID (from Lovely Genders EP)

"Steady on Your Knees" by False Heads (from It's All There but You're Dreaming)

False Heads is a high-energy UK band that we featured several years ago. They have been on a steady ascent ever since. Check out this new music from them. They were supposed to make their first trip to the US for SXSW. Maybe when they do come a Nashville stop might be possible.

"Songs I Wrote" by Sha Davis (from Songs I Wrote When You Left)

"Dead Flour" by Toni Sauna, Marek Pedziwiatr, Wildcookie (from Dead Flour EP)

"Who Knows How Long This Will Last" by Dan Tedesco (by Who Knows How Long This Will Last EP)

Digging this - from this Iowa based singer-songwriter. Lovely music. 

"Springsteen on the Radio" by Foley and the Fire (from single)

Nifty new single from this UK band made up of veteran musicians with an impressive list of credits. 

VIDEO PLAYLIST

I decided not to do the video playlist today.  The whole point of the video playlist is to provide a way to stream the music in the shuffle. You can do that via the Spotify playlist - above. Enjoy!

Recent:

2/01 - Glenn Jones - Ready for the Good Times (LP)

2/02 - Karabas Barabas - Degenerate National Anthem (LP)
2/04 - Mayflower Madame - "Vultures" (single)
2/05 - Joseph Mooradian  - "We all Work Too Much"/"Dash My Dreams" (single)

2/07 -  Palm Ghosts -  Wide Awake and Waiting (EP)
2/07 - Emily Zuzik - "Trouble" (single)
2/07 - Chicago Farmer - Flyover Country (LP)
2/07 - Surrija - "Barcelona" (single)
2/07 - The Flyin' A's - No Holds Barred (LP)
2/07 - Christopher Paul Stelling - Best of Luck (LP)
2/07 - HMS Morris - "Babanod" (single)
2/07 - Tiny Fighter- "Strangest Thing" (single)
2/07 - Wynnm - "Fire on the Moon" (single)
2/07 - The Golden Cage Society - Mira (Mini EP)
2/07 - Alienbaby Collective - "Degenerate Moon" (single)
2/07 - Eric and the Anti-Vaxxers - Timeshare Girlfriend (EP)
2/07 - Sammy Brue - "Teenage Mayhem" and "Crash Test Kid" (singles)
2/07 - Lucille - "Kerikeri" (single)

2/07 - Jon Magnusson  - Always a Rebel (Live in Studio Silverräven) (single)

2/07 - Thomas Passon - "Über" (single)

2/07 - BisonBison - "Hover" (single)

2/07 - BisonBison - Hover (LP)

2/13 - Little Triggers - "Bang" (single)

2/14 - Grant Peeples - Bad Wife (LP)
2/14 - The Heliocentrics - Infinity of Now (LP)
2/14 - Johanna Kuvaja - "Back for Good" (single)
2/14 - Sarah Reynolds - "I Need Love" (single)
2/14 - Afterimage - "Six Seconds" (single)
2/14 - Kalee Smyth - "Bring Our Love Down" (single)

2/14 - Harry Stafford - "She Just Blew Me Away" (single)

2/14 - Kid Be Kid - "Blood" (single)

2/14 - Chris Maxwell - New Store No. 2 (LP)

2/18 - David J - "I Only Hear Silence Now" (single)

2/19 - Paisley Fields - "Ride Me Cowboy" (single)

2/19 - Tom Cridland - "The Laws of Success" (single)

2/21 - Sarah Morris - All Mine (LP)
2/21 - Kindergarten - Iphigenia (Reissue) (LP)
2/21 -  Hot Club of L.A.- Cinema Swing (LP)
2/21 - MUUK - Balbuceo (LP)
2/21 - Aaron Beckum - Songs from a Triangle Room (EP)
2/21 - Every 13 Days - Étant Donnés (Reissue) (LP)
2/21 - Seablight - High-Rise Mannequins (EP)
2/21 - Various Artists -Typical Girls Vol. 5 (LP)
2/21 - 12xPretty - 12xPretty (LP)
2/21 - Arkane Skye - "Don't Ask Me Out" (single)

2/21 - Easy - "Crystal Waves" (single)

2/21 - Blue Lucas - "Train Station" (single)

2/21 - Stumbleine - "Supermodels" (single)

2/21 - Jesse Blake Rundle - "The Death of a Soldier" (single)
2/21 - Whitney Shay - Stand Up! (LP)

2/21 - 100 Mile House - "Test the Timber" (single)

2/22 - Charlotte Eagle Sings - Embracing the Old Ways (LP)

2/24 - Jon Magnusson - "Set Me on Fire (Live Silverraven Sessions) (single)

2/28 - Kristen Englenz - Ingenue (LP)
2/28 - Brett Ryan Stewart - "All or None" (single)

2/28 - Close Lobsters - Post Neo Anti... (LP)
2/28 - The Heliocentrics - Infinity of Now (LP)

2/28 - Scenius - "Glass Rain" (single)

2/28 - Jeffrey James - East London (EP)

2/28 - Charmless i - "Long Time Coming" (single)

2/28 - Gallary 47 - "I Wish I Was" (single)

2/28 - Xirita - "Don't Go" (single)

2/28 - Son of David - "Carry On" (single)

2/28 - Harry Stafford - "Painted Ocean" (single)
2/28 - Strange Majik - "World On Fire" (single)

2/28 - MUUK - Balbuceo (LP)

2/29 - Jimmy Who and the Night Creatures - Tinker's Blues (EP)

3/04 - Zoe Schwarz Blue Commotion - Chameleon (LP)

3/04 - Iron Mike Norton - "Help Me Make It Through the Night" (single)

3/06 - Surrija - "Sylvette" (single)

3/06 - Dean Fields - While the Baby Was Sleeping (LP)
3/06 - Broads and Milly Hirst - Ollust (LP)
3/06 - The Mastersons - No Time for Love Songs (LP)
3/06 - Ghostwood Development Project (Feat. Kool Keith) - "Gulley" (single)

3/06 - The Mystery Plan - Ballad of JC Quinn (LP)

3/06 - Brian Wright and the Sneakups - "Patrick's Crossing" (single)

3/06 - Jonny Polonsky - Kingdom of Sleep (LP)

3/06 - Tiny Fighter - "Perfect Game" (single)

3/06 - African Head Charge - Drumming is a Language (LP)

3/06 - African Head Charge - Songs of Praise - reissue (LP)

3/06 - African Head Charge - Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi (LP)
3/09 - Marco Bonvicini - "Colors" (single)

3/09 - Terry Presume - I Got Nothing to Lose (EP)

3/13 - The Flatmates - The Flatmates (LP)

3/13 - Kleenex Girl Wonder - Ponyoak (20th Anniversary Edition) + BLP (demos and out-takes) (LP)
3/13 - Sandwick - Reconstruct (LP)
3/13 - Foley and the Fire - "Springsteen on the Radio" (single)
3/13 - Kalee Smyth - The Ceiling (EP)

3/13 - Sha Davis - Songs I Wrote When You Left (EP)

3/13 - The Losing Touch - "Through the Night" (single)

3/13 - Gerry Gareau - Feet Off The Brakes (EP)

3/13 - Ayla Brook and the Sound Men - Desolation Sounds (LP)

3/13 - The Academy of Sun - "The Parts That Need Replacing" (single)

3/13 - Sunday Morning - Consequences of Love (EP)
3/13 - Rosemary Fossee - "Tu me manques" (single)

3/18 - Marco Bonvicini - Colors (EP)

Today!:

3/20 - Matt Wilson and His Orchestra - When I Was a Writer (LP)
3/20 - Chris Moyse - Bitter Ballads and Cynical Prayers (LP)

3/20 - Samuel Boller - Kingdom of the Sun (LP)
3/20 - The Blam Blams - "Isabella" (single)
3/20 - Jon Hassell - Vernal Equinox (reissue) (LP)

3/20 - Kid Be Kid - Lovely Genders (EP)

3/20 - Toni Sauna - Dead Flour (single)

3/20 - Ender Bender - "Star Killer" (single)

3/20 -  Strange Majik - 20/20 (LP)

3/20 - I YA TOYAH - Code Blue: Reloaded (LP)

Upcoming:

3/27 - Mayflower Madame - Prepared for a Nightmare (LP)

3/27 - The 81s - 2 Things and 118 Others (LP)

3/27 - Mayflower Madame - "Swallow" (single)

3/27 - Alienbaby Collective - F I S H B O W L / T E R R E S T R I A L (Double EP)
3/27 - Mairena - "Weird All the Time" (single)
3/27 - Lucille - Come on,Fly (LP)

3/27 - Nicole Boggs and the Reel - "Money" (single)

3/27 - Ben Reel - The Nashville Calling (LP)

3/27 - 100 Mile House - Love and Leave You (LP)

3/27 - Watermelon Slim - Traveling Man (Double Live LP)

3/27 - Lilly Hiatt - Walking Proof (LP)

3/?? - Harry Stafford - Gothic Urban Blues (LP)
4/01? - Ten Penny Gypsy - Fugitive Heart (LP)

4/02 - I Am A Rocketship - "My Nature" (single)

4/03 - Chip and the Charge Ups - Lightning in Our Veins (LP)

4/03 - Surrija - Surrija (LP)

4/03 - Stumbleine - Sink Into the Ether (LP)

4/03 - Neutrals - Rent Your House (EP)

4/09 - Ellison - "Sing" (single)

4/10 - Eliza Gilkyson - 2020 (LP)
4/10 - Dan Montgomery - Smoke and Mirrors (a phonographic memory) (LP)
4/10 - Pokey LaFarge - Rock Bottom Rhapsody (LP)

4/10 - The Dream Syndicate - The Universal Inside (LP)

4/13 - Pilotcan - No More Shan Goodbye (LP)
4/17 - Paul Burch and WPA Ballclub - Light Sensitive (LP)

4/16 - Destijl - Greatest Hits Vol. 2 (LP)

4/17 - Aimee Stevens - "Hell is a Teenaged Girl" (single)

4/24 - Nicole Boggs and the Reel - "I'm Gonna Break Your Heart" (single)
4/24 - Ben Bostick - Among the Faceless Crowd (LP)

4/24 - Kyle Lalone - Somewhere In Between (EP)

4/?? - I Am A Rocketship - Ghost Stories (LP)

5/01 - BOAT - Tread Lightly (LP)

5/01 - Laura Cortese and the Dance Card - Bitter Better (LP)

5/08 - Brian Wright and the Sneak-Ups - Lapse of Luxury

5/20 - Town Meeting - Make Things Better (LP)

5/31 - Debra Power - That's How I Roll (LP)

6/05 - Nicole Boggs and the Reel - "None of Your Business" (single)

6/12 - Sammy Brue - Crash Test Kid (LP)

7/03 - Nicole Boggs and the Reel - None of Your Business (EP)

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Can of Worms Mix

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The Drift - A Novel by Joe Wolfe-Mazeres Available at Amazon.com (Kindle edition also available)

I am continuing to work on my Spotify playlists for E2TG.  So far, I have completed nine - January - September 2018.  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.

JUST ADDED!  August and September 2018 Playlists!

E2TG January 2018
E2TG February 2018
E2TG March 2018
E2TG April 2018 
E2TG May 2018
E2TG June 2018
E2TG July 2018
E2TG August 2018 (NEW!)
E2TG September 2018  (NEW!)
E2TG October 2018  


Hey, it is Pledge Week at Nashville's All-Volunteer Community Radio Station, WXNA.  I am thrilled to have a small part in this valuable community resource. WXNA recently announced that we are moving our studio early next year, so one of goals of this Fall's Pledge Drive is to raise funds to defray the cost of that move.

As always, WXNA can be heard at 101.5FM in Nashville (as I like to say, within the Briley Parkway loop) and it can be streamed anywhere at wxnafm.org or through the TuneIn app.

If you want to pledge your support, contact WXNA at 615-933-9962  or go on-line at wxnafm.org


I am happy to report that the inaugural Word No Music: A Reading was a huge success. It was well-received and a ton of fun. It is my intention to make it a recurring event into 2019.  Look for an announcement of the next show, coming soon!

A busy weekend ahead. Tonight, a release show for the new Christmas single by E2TG favorite Ted Drozdowski at Dee's.  Tomorrow, a morning of Pledge Drive fun at WXNA, including Double Shot with our Pledge Drive theme about "Our Favorite Producers".

Next week is Thanksgiving in the U.S. - so a short week of shuffles...

Now, we have our final shuffle of this week, and it is another good one! Let's go!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - I'm Not Perfect 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)

I am continuing to work on my Spotify playlists for E2TG.  So far, I have completed three - January - March 2018.  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 (NEW!)


In case you missed it, last Friday, we premiered a new song, "Gloria" by Nashville singer-songwriter Benjamin Jason Douglas from his album First World Blues which is being released this coming Friday.  Check it out HERE !


Back out to The 5 Spot last night to see three of Nashville's finest:  Erica Blinn and her killer band, Patrick Kinsley and a Fistful of Dollars, and Adrian + Meredith.  A solid night of music with some good hangs.


Well - for me at least - this week has flown by, and here it is Friday.  I'm just going to jump right into our final shuffle of the week - it is Featured Friday - where will shuffle up the "New Music" playlist to see what comes up.  Some of the songs today have been in the "New Music" list for some time, and MAYBE it is time for a refresh of that list, BUT these are all great songs - so who am I to complain?

Let's shuffle!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Hills of Tennessee 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)

Well, here we are. It's Thursday.  Time keeps ticking. The world is a mess, and it's not in my kiss. 

I'm a bit short of time - so let's jump right in to our Trending Thursday Shuffle!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Gonna Leave a Mark Mix

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TONIGHT!!!!!   I am so excited to kick off the month-long E2TG Residency at The 5 Spot in East Nashville. I am looking forward to each week and each artist/band on the bill.  If you are in the Nashville area, I sure hope you can make it.

We kick things off in fine fashion tonight with Clark Paterson who has put together a great band.  After that, I will read a brief passage from The Drift (copies will be available for purchase). Then - Rayvon Pettis will take the stage - backed by The Big Dumb.  Finally, The Big Dumb will close things out for Week 1 with a set of their own original music.   All this for $5.00. 

21+ Be sure you have a valid ID for admission.

Today, we jump back into the "New Music" playlist with a typically eclectic collection of songs...

Let's go!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - No No No But Yes Mix

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Well, country music was saved last night, thanks to Buck N Stuff.  Their CD release show for their live album Saviors of Country Music: Live at The American Legion Post 82 was held at The American Legion Post 82.  There was lots of Buck and a fair amount of Stuff to be had. The awesome Brandy Zdan opened the show. It had been a minute since I saw her perform, and it was a good reminder of how good she is.  She was playing songs from her forthcoming album which judging by her performance is going to be amazing.

It's time for our Featured Friday shuffle... The thing I love about playing random shuffles for my daily posts, is the weird things that happen with randomness. If you look at yesterday's shuffle and today's, it might be hard to believe that they came from the same playlist of songs.  Yesterday's shuffle was dominated by  EDM, industrial, punk, and jazz music. Today's is almost exclusively singer-songwriters (albeit each very unique and different).  I don't plan this - it just happens...

Let's shuffle!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - You'll Dance to Anything Mix

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Damn, I'm running short on time, but a couple of quick shout-outs.  First to Mark Huff for a fantastic set to celebrate the release of his new album Stars For Eyes at The 5 Spot.  Some of my favorite people played with him - Dave Coleman on guitar and Lisa Oliver Gray and Julie Chirstensen on back ground vocals. 

Ben de la Cour has a great CD release show after that at The Basement.  Chris Moyse opened with his great songs, Becky Warren rocked the house, and Ben de la Cour sounded fantastic as always with a pretty rare full-band set.  The most special moment was at the end of the set when his band left the stage and Ben sang "Uncle Boudreaux Went To Texas". The first time through a couple of people sang along with the chorus, the next a few more, and then it seemed like the whole audience was singing along.

So- it's Thursday - time for Trending Tuesday.  A quick technical note - I discovered some problems with a new music playlist.  There are some older songs included in that playlist. Not sure what happened. The last time I had to recreate playlist I must have added a few extra tracks. No worries, I think it''s fixed now, plus even though a couple of these songs are not "NEW" they are still songs and they are still good. Let's shuffle:

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Poison Water Mix

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In the last few days, I have had more than more conversation about how Nashville's embarrassment of musical riches can be easy to take for granted. On any given night, we can wander out to your favorite neighborhood bar and be likely to see any one or more than one or all of the following: world-class musicians, musicians who have backed up the biggest names in the music business, top-notched songwriters (young and not-so-young).  All of this while mingling with other incredibly talented musicians, songwriters, photographers, journalists, artist managers, publicists, etc - in a totally loose and casual environment.

Saturday - I took my daughter to see Fats Kaplin and Kristi Rose at The 5 Spot - with Wes Langlois, Justin Amaral, and Daniel Seymour. Plus special guests Paul Burch and Kevin Welch. 

Last night, I headed to Dee's in Madison for the weekly Madison Guild Monday - this week hosted by Megan Palmer and featuring the "Backyard Bitches" featuring an incredible line-up of talented songwriters - some backed by equally talented musicians.

Well - just four more shuffles for 2017. This is one of those four - so let's get to it!

Mondo Monday Morning Shuffle - Beans, Rice, and Bleached Ravioli Mix

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Thanks to everyone who donated to WXNA during the Fall Pledge Drive, we exceeded our goal!  I know WXNA is a true labor of love for everyone involved, and it is very refreshing to feel that love echoed back from our community.  I am extremely proud to be a part of this incredible radio station!


Heading into a holiday shortened week of shuffles.. thinking about all I have to be thankful for. 

Here is the latest shuffle from our "New Music" playlist.

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Bruised Orange Mix

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Kind of a gloomy day in Nashville, and Daylight Savings Time is approaching which means it will get darker earlier. 

The world is pretty dark, too, to be honest, but music is my light, and we have some good stuff today to fight the darkness.

Here's today's shuffle of our "new music" playlist.  "new" as defined by me to fit my intention for this playlist.

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Trippin' Balls Mix

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Man - music sure is good for the soul.  After getting into a bit of a funk earlier in the week, I have gone out to hear live music the last two nights and I feel so much better.  Last night, I headed out to Dee's in Madison. Allen Thompson has been hosting a semi-weekly residency there for a few weeks - but this was the first time I was able to make it out, and I am glad I did.  2015 E2TG Artist of the Year, Jon Latham played solo and as he tends to do - he kind of sort of ruled hard.

Allen Thompson and his band were up next... I was reminded of how much I love hearing Allen Thompson sing - whether it is a cover or an original, I know of few singers who throw so much of themselves into a song.

The crowd was filled with lots of my favorite people from the Nashville music community and some of them joined Allen and his band - including Todd Snider, Aaron Lee Tasjan, and Rorey Carroll (and Jon Latham).

Anyway, it is Thursday and for now, we are still working our way through the "New Music" playlist.  The playlist had been down below 400 songs for a day or so, but I added some new music last night and it is up over 400 again. 

Today's shuffle is a good one...

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Leave it on the Shelf Mix

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Tentatively emerging from a blue funk I've been in, and a wonderful night of live music definitely helped out with that.

It started at The 5 Spot with Philly band Lady HD.  I really loved their sound. They said they were on their first tour and apparently the bass player was a fill-in from Nashville, but they sounded really tight.

Next up was Sean Quinn and the Tremblers. This version of the Tremblers featured Robbie Crowell on bass. Quinn is one of my absolute favorites.  His original songs reach a kind of pure power pop heaven for me.  He covered Chris Isaak's "Baby Did a Bad Bad Thing" which I have heard him do before but last night the song just seemed to pop.

Kristen Englenz was up next with Sean Quinn sitting in.  This was my first time seeing her perform since week 2 of my residency and the first time with a full band. She sounded great. I only wish I could have stayed longer, but I had to hot-foot it over to the Basement East.

It was a night of the songs of John Prine -sponsored by Prine's label Oh Boy Records. It was a benefit for Jessi Zazu (Those Darlins) who is fighting cancer. The show was a sell out. The lineup included Jason Isbell, Amanda Shires, Ruby Amanfu, Lilly Hiatt, Elizabeth Cook, Cory Branan, Colter Wall, Caitlin Rose, The Whiskey Gentry, John Prine's son Tommy, Andrew Leahey, plus two E2TG Artists of the Year - Jon Latham and Darrin Bradbury (and more).  A great band backed several of the performances - led by drummer Jerry Pentecost and featuring Adam Kurtz of Buck N Stuff fame who played pedal steel, mandolin, and bongos.

I know I am biased but in my opinion (besides Jessi and John Prine's songs), the star of the show was Darrin Bradbury.  I say that because he performed solo and later with the band, he joined Elizabeth Cook for a fine rendition of "In Spite of Ourselves", and he ended up singing the last verse of the last song, "Paradise".

Overall, the music and the show was just about perfect and hopefully raised a lot of money for a great cause.  If you couldn't make it last night but want to help out Jessi, you may do so by visiting her You Caring site.



Whew!  And it is now Friday and the heat has at least temporarily broken... and we have a fine playlist of Featured Friday songs...  Now!

Trending Thursday Morning Shuffle - Which Way to Jump Mix

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To me the biggest danger to as the weeks and months go by, is that the insanity that we are seeing will begin to seem "normal".  It is human nature, I think, to survive regardless of the circumstances. And sometimes to survive it becomes necessary to accept the unacceptable on some level just to make it through the day.  The fact is (I must repeatedly remind myself of this) that there is so much about the current administration that is not normal, is not "okay". From the fact that white supremacists still have a seat at the table of power, to the attacks on the press, to the attacks on science... it is not normal, it is not okay.
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We have reached Thursday... and we continue to work our way through the "New Music" playlist.  Let's jump to it!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Pencil to a Fish Mix

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Without a doubt, there is a lot of ugliness in the world, which is why it is so important to seek out and notice and acknowledge beauty as much as possible.  Last night's Jon Latham benefit at The Basement East was teeming with beautiful moments. Featuring terrific solo sets from Sally Jaye, Rayvon Pettis, Brian Wright, Becca Mancari, and Peyton Parker to a scintillating full band set from Sadler Vaden. Jon's awesome band (Andrew Leahey, Sean Quinn, Raun Schultz, and Cory Nichols) played his debut album, Real Bad News in it's entirety with guests ranging from Darrin Bradbury's deliciously over-the-top reading of "Major Key" to Brian Wright and Sally Jaye's moving rendition of "Conversation at a Funeral".  Top to bottom, great performances by some of Jon's friends who happen to be the cream of the crop of Nashville artists.  The show ended with the band doing "Last in Line" from Jon's forthcoming album Lifers.  Then, everyone who played and more took the stage for the title track of Lifers with Jon himself leading the way.  Jon and his band closed the night with their version of Springsteen's "Darkness of the Edge of Town".   The love and respect and beauty was impossible to miss.

Well, it is Tuesday, and that is when we shuffle up our "New Music" playlist.  The fun thing about using the random shuffle function is you never know what it will bring up...

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Keep On Goin' Mix

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First of all, I need to offer all the kind words and encouragements for my recent run of commentary. Believe me when I say this is something I would rather not do. But, I feel it is something I must do.  I have tried my best to distinguish partisan differences which will always exist and always be up for debate from the far more serious threat to our nation and our way of life. The problem, as I see it, is that the more outrageous the words and actions of the current administration get and the more deafening the silence from many of the leaders of the Republican Party (save for a few brave voices), the more difficult it is to do. It is hard to unwind abuses of power, overt racism, xenophobia, homophobia, and other forms of bigotry from the policies that arise out of those evils. More to the point, when party leaders look past or ignore fascist words and actions for the sake of their agenda - it is hard to not harden your heart to that agenda - which may or may not reflect those despicable characteristics.  We are watching and we are speaking out. Customs agents asking passengers on a domestic airline to "show their papers".  State leaders voting to effectively make political dissent illegal, Executive branch officials asking the intelligence community to discredit the free press and to produce intelligence reports that support their agenda.  An administration that has made up three non-existent terrorist attacks and yet calls America's major media organizations "enemies of the people" and purveyors of "Fake News" which seems to be defined as any news that does not support the agenda of that administration.

So, yeah, I don't see myself stopping writing these relatively brief commentaries any time soon - although I really wish my reasons for doing it would go away and soon.

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I had such a good time last night at the 10th Anniversary celebration for Jon Byrd's album Byrd's Auto Parts. The show - at the Family Wash - featured many of the players on that album.  The second set featured guest spots from David Raines, Amelia White, and Kevin Gordon. The night was a reminder of how great a music town we have in Nashville.

All right - well it is Friday and right now it is about 78 degrees on February 24 in Nashville. On Friday, we go back to our "New Music" playlist and we hit shuffle and see what happens. Here is what happened when I did that this morning....

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Like No One Else Mix

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Well, I am back after an extended weekend - some much needed time with my daughter.

Let's see... so Lady Gaga is keeping it real by playing a "dive bar" tour which tonight will be my favorite joint - The 5 Spot. And by keeping it real, I mean shutting the place down for two nights, barricading streets, buses, trucks, (and from what I hear) a ton of gear to play two songs tonight.  Cool, cool..

Anyway, I will be across the river at The Basement for the fourth ever show by Buck N Stuff.  Regular readers will recall that Buck N Stuff is THE best Buck Owens tribute band that I have ever seen.  Okay, they are the only Buck Owens tribute band I have ever seen, but I'd be willing to bet that if I had seen others, they would still be the best. Breathing new life into Buck's great songs, it is sure to be a wild, fun, totally awesome experience. 8:30pm.  My prediction: Buck N Stuff will melt faces, reassemble faces from the melted remains, and then melt faces once again.

Now, it is Wednesday and we are about to get "Wild"

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Snow Day Mix

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A rare snow day off work, but the shuffle must go on....

Had a blast last night before the winter weather descended... a night at The Family Wash for a pair of CD Release shows by two of my favorite East Nashvillians.  Amelia White and The Blue Souvenirs (tonight featuring Sergio Webb, Justin Amaral, Megan Palmer, and Ron Eoff). Amelia's new album is called Home Sweet Hotel.  Stone Cupid (Julie Christensen, Sergio Webb, Chris Tench, Bones Hillman, and Steve Latanation). Stone Cupid's new album is called The Cardinal.  Amelia and band were wonderful as always, and Julie and Stone Cupid rocked the house.

To the shuffle: