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

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Didn't Seem to Mind Mix

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Well, I guess you could say we are in the home stretch of the 2017 Earie Award and actually for 2017 for E2TG overall.  In so many ways, 2017 has been a very difficult year for myself and many others. I guess when I look back, I am trying to focus on the good moments, the new friendships, the accomplishments (my own and others), and hope despite the fear.

Anyway, after today, we have five more shuffles and five more days of Earies. The Golden Earies (Artist(s) and/or Band(s) of the Year) will be posted between Christmas and New Year's Day.

Let's jump to it!

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - The Champ Mix

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I'm gonna make this relatively quick. I am actually going out for lunch *gasp*

Have a Happy Thanksgiving (unless you are from Canada - in which case I hope you had a Happy Thanksgiving last month or from somewhere that doesn't celebrate Thanksgiving - in which case have a happy Thursday).

Today, we get "Wild" and shuffle up from the playlist of all the songs on my phone....

Topical Thursday Morning Shuffle - Down by the River Mix

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And then it was Thursday...


Last night, after work, I headed down to The Country to check out Ben de la Cour and Gaelynn Lea (who you read about in Collins' guest post earlier this week). (if you missed it, click the link).

Ben is one of my absolute favorite songwriters.

Gaelynn Lea (who won NPR's Tiny Desk Contest) is nothing short of brilliant. Playing traditional fiddle music and originals using a loop pedal and her unique playing style, she makes otherworldly and music that is at once dark and beautiful.

After that, I headed to Kay Bob's to hang out with some of my fellow WXNA DJs.  Every third Wednesday, Kay Bob's hosts WXNA Night and donates 15% of all sales to the station.  It's a fun hang with good food and a great beer selection.

Then, I crossed the river in time to catch Brian Milligram at The Crying Wolf.  I was reminded about how much I love his music.  Folk-punk delivered with passion. And he can pull off a sad song pretty well, too.

Today being Thursday, we return to our special Topical playlist  - said topic being self-referential and we delve into the history of E2TG.  It's an interesting history (if I do say so myself) covering a wide swath of musical styles. From the beginning, my approach to E2TG has been to write about music that moves me without much regard to the relative notoriety (or lack thereof) of the artists.  To that end, some bands I have written about have gone on to achieve greater notoriety and others have seemingly disappeared - at least from social media.  I take no credit and accept no blame from either. In my estimation, the value of the music itself is not really affected at all by what happens next for the artist. But, that's just my take...

Without further ado, here is the Topical Thursday (E2TG-centric) shuffle....

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Me in the Corner Mix

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Well, it is Friday! Finally!  We are in the midst of a horrible heat wave here in Nashville. And between that and life and world things, I am zapped.  But, hey it is Friday, and I still have music...

On Friday, we feature songs from our New Music playlist.  Let's jump in!

Manic Monday Music Shuffle - Dadaism Mix

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Welcome to Monday, the beginning of the last week of the month of June - which means it is the beginning of the last week of the first half of the year.

Program alert: I will be traveling a bit this week - so there is a good chance that there will be no posts on a couple of days this week - which makes our quest to feature as many of our "new music" playlist songs as we can while we can.

Let's get to it!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle- Burn it Down Mix

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Okay - I need to get some things out:

Take care of those less fortunate, protecting and empowering the oppressed, having compassion for others, honesty and transparency from our elected representatives, and respecting our planet. These should not be controversial of divisive issues. But, it seems they are... and to be honest, I don't get it. When I read the comment sections on posts (which I really need to stop doing), I realize that I do not ever share the same realm of reality as some of the people making comments.  How do we resolve this?  Listen, in matters of public policy and politics (if you will) there is plenty of room for debate - even among people who fundamentally agree with one another.  But, facts should not be up for debate. But they are... we find ourselves in the era of alternative facts. How do we get out of this place?  Where is the common ground?

Another quick thought before I move on... can I treat everyone by the same standards. Especially our elected officials.  I guess bias is fairly natural.. but when I am reacting to something an elected official has done, I need to ask myself - how would I react if that official was from a different political party or philosophy?  Would I be just has pleased or just as outraged? If my answer is yes, then I need to work toward living up to that standard......
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Last night I made it out for the early show at The 5 Spot.  The Easy Leaves (a California band with Nashville's Adam Kurtz on pedal steel) were great.  Rich Mahan and The Tripmonks were wonderful. When Allen Thompson joined them for a rare cover of the Velvet Underground classic "The Gift"... I was blown away. (I captured this on video which is on my personal Facebook page).

ICYMI:  Another song premiered this morning on E2TG.  Please check out "Isle of Hope" by Jefferson Ross from his album (out today) called Live at Hillbilly Haiku.

Tomorrow - a live Double Shot is coming up on WXNA.  Later tomorrow, I will representing WXNA at Nashville Pride Festival downtown.  Stop by the WXNA tent to hear cool tunes and meet the DJs.

Well, week one of our two week mid-year  "New Music" clearance.  The playlist down below 300 songs - but I have more to add over the weekend.  Let's see what today's shuffle has in store...

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Hide Your Daughters, Hide Your Sons Mix

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Well, it is officially the longest day of the year, the Summer Solstice, or the beginning of the long march to Winter gloom - if you will.  As I mentioned yesterday, we are also approaching the half way mark of 2017.  In an effort to present as much "new" music as possible, I am going to be spinning tunes from my "new music" playlist every day for the next two week. It's Tuesday today, and I would be doing that anyway, but still....


Well - let's get to the music shall we?

Manic Monday Music Shuffle - Punchline Mix

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Hello Reader!

Well - I had the realization that we have just two weeks of shuffles left and then the first half of 2017 will be over.  It's been a busy year so far. I know New Years is the traditional time to make life changes (or at least to talk about it), but I like to think of June 30 as kind of halftime for the year.  In my limited knowledge of football, it seems like teams that are good at making halftime adjustments tend to do better (overall).  Okay sports analogy over.  Anyway, as I sit here on the verge of the 2nd half of 2017, I noticed I have over 300 songs in my "New Music" playlist. All (with one or two exceptions) represent music that was submitted to me in one form or another in relatively recent months.  I also noticed that some recent additions have been underplayed - the nature of the random shuffle, and there are also some stragglers (one or two songs from albums nearly or over one year old). It seems like a good time to tidy up the playlist, but before I do, I thought I would dedicate the next two weeks to just playing songs from the "New Music" playlist to clean it out a little naturally.

This would normally be Music City Monday - but as I suspected over half of the songs in this shuffle would have fit that playlist, too.

Let's shuffle!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Flipping That Pillow Mix

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Okay - I am back... well at least the current administration hasn't been doing any insane things lately... wait, what? oh, never mind... seriously, what exactly does this President have to do before the Republicans take action?
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So, as we embark on the seventh year of E2TG - there is a lot going on...

Nashville's Listener Supported, Community Radio Station, WXNA 101.5 is in the midst of their Spring Pledge Drive, and they need YOUR support.  I am proud to be a part of this great organization, but even beyond that, I am so glad this station was formed to fill a gap in the Nashville radio landscape.  To be honest, I had pretty much stopped listening to the radio for the last several years. Last year, when I got a new car, I got a free trial subscription to satellite radio and was considering extending the subscription until WXNA came along. Now, I listen to WXNA on a regular basis, and it is truly one of the best stations I have ever heard. The variety of the programming, the fact that real people select what to play, and the fact that it is a voice of the community and for the community are all important to me.  Please consider giving or upping your recurring gift during this Pledge Drive.  wxnafm.org or 615-933-WXNA (9962).

Tomorrow night!!!! is Week 3 of the E2TG Residency at The 5 Spot, and we have a good one.  David Olney (Band) + Sergio Webb (Band).  It all goes down at 6:00pm (Door at 5:30) $5.00 cover.  More E2TG Beer Koozies will be available, and I will be reading a short selection from one of my novels-in-progress.

Okay - it is Tuesday and we have a shuffle of some tracks that are "Trending" around here.

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Cold Steel Facts Mix

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Remember when he who shall not be names stated: "I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot somebody and I wouldn't lose voters,"?  And his supporters did not even realize they were being insulted?  Well, every time his administration or he makes another insane, blatantly corrupt, or bizarre move - it's like he is metaphorically trying to prove that.
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Made it out for part of $2 Tuesday last night.  Finally got the chance to see E2TG favorite Gabrielle Louise live -and she was wonderful.  Dylan Lancaster was next, and I really dug his set, and as always Derek Hoke (backed by Mark Robertson and Steve Latanation) was awesome!  I had to bow out before The Prescriptions played the late set, but they are going to be holding down that spot for several weeks - so hopefully I can catch them soon.

TONIGHT!!!!!! The E2TG Sixth Anniversary celebration continues with Week 2 at The 5 Spot in East Nashville. As previously announced, Jon Latham is not going to be able to perform due to some serious health issues.  We have some friends of Jon and friends of friends... set to try to fill the gap he left.

Kristen Englenz and Nick Nace - who Jon picked to open for him - are going to get the night started.  Darrin Bradbury, Matt Benjamin, and Sean Quinn and the Tremblers are set to perform. I have beer koozies! Free to the first ten paying customers. I will be reading a short section from one of novels-in-progress.  The night is going to be dedicated to Jon, and the money we make will be going toward his medical expenses.  We will also be talking about a Benefit being planned for June 5 at The Basement East.

Today, we are intentionally "Wild" and coincidentally begin with a couple of tracks that are on our "New Music" playlist - to even things out from yesterday.

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Unintentionally Wild Mix

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When it comes to the current political climate, the one thing we can all agree on is ______.  Is there anything that goes in that blank? Anything at all?  that Trump goes to his Florida resort very often? No? We can't agree on that?  That he plays golf much more than Obama did?  No?  That the possibility of Russian involvement in our elections is troubling? No? Really?  I don't know... surely something goes in that blank?
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Had a good time at Dee's last night.  A collective of artists known as the Backyard Bitches performed - all amazing songwriters and singers.  Sally Jaye, Amy Speace, Amelia White, Rose Pullman, Megan Palmer, Wild Ponies, and more.  As always, Dee's is a great hang.

One of my favorite albums of last year was Gabrielle Louise's If the Static Clears... Nashville - you have two opportunities tonight to see her perform.  She will be down at The Basement for New Faces Night, and then over at The 5 Spot for $2 Tuesday.  I highly recommend you check her out.


Plans are coming together for tomorrow night's Week 2 of the E2TG Residency.  As I posted yesterday, Jon Latham is going to be unable to perform due to some serious health issues. We will miss him and are sending all good thoughts his way.  We want to make sure this is a show that would meet with his approval.  I think we have that covered.  A fellow E2TG Artist of the Year - Darrin Bradbury will be filling in - and we have some more guests.  Kristen Englenz and Nick Nace - who Jon selected to open will play first, and then we will continue with more great music.

Okay - so it is Tuesday, and that means Trending Tuesday.  Well, about three songs into the shuffle - I realized that some of the songs were not actually from my "New Music" playlist (turns out I was shuffling from all Songs somehow).  I made the adjustment, but we have a couple of wildcard selections in the shuffle.  Not complaining.. just explaining....

Wild Wednesday Morning Shuffle - Big Mouths and No Guts Mix

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Thought of the day:  Sean Spicer's comments about Hitler and chemical weapons, might be justifiably dismissed as "poor word choice" (albeit of epic proportions) if it were not for the fact that there are Neo-Nazis working in the White House. Context is important....
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Just announced!  Week 3 (out of 5) of the E2TG Sixth Anniversary - residency at The 5 Spot will be:  David Olney  with special guest Sergio Webb!!!  Both will be playing full band sets on Wednesday May 17.  These are early shows that will have you home (or off to another show) early. I am super excited to have both of these legends on the same stage on the same night.

Previously announced:  Week 1 (May 3) - The Mark Robinson Band and Week 2 (May 10) - Jon Latham (Full Band) with special guests.

And we still have two more weeks to announce!  Soon!

Things get wild on Wednesdays... here is a random shuffle taken from a list that includes every single song in my phone's memory.  This one takes us around the world and back again.

Music City Monday Morning Shuffle - Word of Advice Mix

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Okay. I am back after an unexpectedly long weekend.  Fresh on the heals of the failed GOP Tax Cut for the Wealth (under the guise of a healthcare bill)...  as we celebrate, we must keep pushing forward. My (naive?) hope is that Democrats can seize this opportunity to work with reasonable Republicans to improve the ACA. I hold out hope (naive?) that a single-payer system is still a possibility at some point. Meanwhile, we must keep up the pressure to demand an independent investigation into the ties of the current administration to Russia.

I have tried very hard not to lose real relationships over political differences - even vast ones. But, I have to admit, it disturbs me greatly to see people still posting misleading and debunked memes about President Obama and his family. He was President - his record will speak for itself. I don't particularly care if you like him or not. How about telling me what it is you like about the current President? His many, many trips to his privately owned resorts at taxpayer expense? His administration repeatedly misleading the American people?  His broken promises?
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Warning: "I love Nashville for live music" blurb upcoming:  On a Sunday night (last night), for $5.00 (or $7.00), a decent crowd (which included some really awesome people) gathered to see some songwriters make music.  Beginning with Joshua Black Wilkins (solo) playing songs from his forthcoming album Rogue, followed by Sally Jaye (backed by Anna Joy Harris on fiddle), followed by Jon Latham with a (loud) full-band set that included a powerhouse cover of Springsteen's "Darkness on the Edge of Town", and ending with Zach Schmidt (with a full-band that included 2/3 of Buck 'n' Stuff) playing some old and new songs included the live debut of his new electric guitar.   The quality of the songwriting and playing was remarkable.  This was a nifty cross-section of the incredible pool of talent existing in Music City these days.  And a good example of why I cannot think of anywhere else I would rather be at this point in my life.

Hey - we got some more "Music City" connected songs - so let's move on...

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Looking at Their Phones Mix

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So yesterday, as I worked, I would look out the window and sea picture perfect day while I watched the temperature on my phone rise through the seventies into the low 80s. It was the first day of Spring, and it felt like it.  I hustled home and changed into shorts, grabbed a beer, and sat out on my back deck reveling in the sun and just right temperatures. And the the clouds began to roll in, and in less than a hour it was storming.  I guess that is Spring, too.

You know, like a lot of people, I have been doing a lot of thinking about the state of the world and this country, and our government. Sometimes, as I react to some new revelation, some new affront to decency, some new outrage... I find myself questioning if I am overreacting. Or perhaps more to the point, I find myself wondering if I am reacting to the right things. As I have said before, I NEVER intended, E2TG to be a forum for my political beliefs. I have always and still believe that this country is made great not by a uniformity of opinions and tenets and beliefs, but by the differences. I believe it is possible that not every belief or philosophy of mine is 100 percent correct 100 percent of the time.  Or that the "other side" is 100 percent wrong 100 percent of the time.

So, in the past two months, I have struggled to differentiate the "normal" political issues (some of which are very important) and this new "not normal" world in which we find ourselves. It is a difficult thing to do because the two are often intertwined. The current administration's ties to Russia and white supremacists - their outright lies and attacks on the press... these and more should transcend (D) vs. (R) or virtually any other artificial division.

I don't have a neat wrap up... these are just some things that have been on my mind. ****************************************************************************

On Tuesday - we shuffle up our "New Music" playlist - that is filled with (fairly) recent (including not yet released) music that has come to me by variety of mediums and people. It is today's glimpse at what is "Trending" on E2TG.