E2TG 2/2/2022 - Shadow Talk - Up Arrow Mix (Barrel of Beer Remix)

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Tune in tomorrow to Greetings from Nashville on WXNA. We have a special show lined up. 

Today's shuffle can be found after the jump. 

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 11/23/2021 - The Return - Roofdancer Mix (James Dean Remix)

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I am back.  I got in late tonight so there was no Ear to the Ground radio show this morning.  

Here is the details of last Thursday's Greetings from Nashville - ARCHIVE HERE 

6:01am Greetings from Nashville by Jason and The Scorchers on Still Standing (EMI/EMI Records (USA))

6:01am In the Room by Paul Zografi on In the Room (Zografi Music)

6:04am Hip Replacement by Andy Peake on Mood Swings (Biglittle Records)

6:09am No Truth Pt. 1: Loping by Carrus & Kurtz on The Genius of… Vol 1: There Are No Words (Halfway Rock Music)

6:14am Invisible Scars (feat. Irakli Gabriel and Anana Kaye) by The Tasty Brothers on Single (The Tasty Brothers)

6:18am Let It Be by Mt Vice on Let It Be – Single (Mt Vice)

6:21am Dream by Mac Gayden on Come Along (Arena Recordings)

6:25am Before Love and War by Jason Ringenberg on Rhinestoned (Courageous Chicken Entertainment)

6:32am The Death of James Dean by Mighty Joe Nolan on The Death of James Dean – Single (Mighty Joe Nolan)

6:34am Childish Things by Will Payne Harrison on The Stratford Sessions – EP (Will Payne Harrison)

6:38am Down the Stretch They Come by Tim Carroll on Slippery Slope (594509 Records DK)

6:41am Raymond and the Wires by Robyn Hitchcock on Robyn Hitchcock (Yep Roc Records)

6:46am It’s a Sin by Will Kimbrough on I Like It Down Here (Daphne Records)

6:50am Lovely Lady by Father Sunn on Emblem EP (Father Sunn)

6:53am I Want You Around by Sour Ops on X (Feralette Media)

6:57am Searchlight (Live) by Jack Silverman on Live at the 5 Spot (Centripetal Force)

I am planning a special Thanksgiving edition of Greetings from Nashville on Thursday morning. Not all the songs are specifically about Thanksgiving but they fit in my mind - you'll see...

Thursday morning at 6am only on WXNA 101.5FM or wxnafm.org

Today's shuffle below....

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 12/8/2020 - You Never Can Tell - Evolution Mix (Eternal School Bus Remix)

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I'm a little short on time, but what I was thinking about with "You Never Can Tell" in the title - is  the unpredictable nature of life sometimes... I mean, sure, life can fall into routines and can seem very predictable for some time, but the fact is everything can change in a moment. That can be frightening, but I TRY to reframe it is exhilarating. It doesn't mean that the change is always what one could consider welcome or "good", but the exciting part comes when you treat life as an adventure.  None of us are getting out of here alive. Religions or philosophies can tell us what (if anything) comes next after life, but the truth is we don't know.  So, if we accept the temporary nature of this existence then I think we can face the uncertainty of life in hopeful anticipation.  

Look, my philosophy in this matter doesn't shield me from pain or from being angry or scared when life throws a curve ball, but it can and has helped me through to the other side of that momentous change. 

Nothing in my 54 years caused me to predict or anticipate all that 2020 had in store for me and the rest of the world. And, in a million years, I would not have wanted any of the bad things to happen to myself or others, what I do know is that I was forced out of a routine (and maybe into another), but it has been at least a chance to reset some things and begin to forge some new paths. 

I started to write that nothing in my 54 years prepared me for what 2020 had in store, but I don't think that is true. I was prepared - even if I didn't know it at the time. Life moves on - whatever moment I look back on is gone. That is a loss but it is also an opportunity - an adventure. 

Our Featured Friday Playlist recap rolls on with ten more songs - today: 26-35

26. "Water Rising" by Dan Lipton

We start things off with the title track of the recently released by DC based singer-songwriter Dan Lipton. A wonderful song to kick off this segment of music.

27. "Counting Up" by The 1984 Draft

Our next track is part of a 7" released called Destination Breakdown by this rock band from Dayton, Ohio.  The rock band previously released a compilation track, a pair of EPs, and full-length album. They also made an appearance in an NFL Films documentary about the actual 1984 NFL Draft.

28. "Rat vs. Mole" by The Amber Bugs

Next up, a fun track from a London indie band who enjoy exploring many different genres and sounds.

29. "Until I Find That Road" by Tinkers Lane

Next up, we have another UK band - this from Milton Keynes - 50 miles northwest of London.  The song written by the band's front man Ian Roberts from letters that his father wrote to his mother when his father moved to England from Scotland ahead of his family.

30. "Don't Play the Fool" by Karo Glazer; Zsüd

Our next track is girl power manifesto from Poland via the Eastern European Music Academy.  Zaro Glazer is a Polish vocalist, producer, and composer known as Lady Dynamite. Karo Glazer is a vocalist, composer and music producer.

31. "ITRL" by Madeleine Mayi

ITRL = In the Right Light. Next up, we have a new single from L.A. based singer-songwriter Madeleine Mayi. 

32. "The Business Deal" by Quiet Marauder

We next head to Cardiff, Wales - with a track from the Tiny Men Parts EP. The EP is a reimagining of the band's 2013 debut Men - which clocked in over 5 hours and 111 songs. This song is every bit as fun and wonderful and you might imagine from a band that would release such a debut album.

33. "Perfect Storm (Lupine Mix)" by Weird Wolves;The Singularity - Julian Shah-Tayler

We have previous featured Julian Shah-Tayler aka The Singularity - the UK born, L.A. based artist. Here he teams with Austin, Texas based Weird Wolves for a great track.

34. "Lundi Matin" by Kaky

Kaky is a French rapper who recently signed to RCA/Sony France. This really wonderful song is filled with great energy and a fun story - even if you don't speak French.

35. "Woman in Red" by Victor Jones 

 We close things out with the lead single from a forthcoming (this Friday) wintery chamber pop album called Long Cold Night Walk.  This is really excellent stuff. A great ending to this long segment of music. 

We still have twenty songs to go in this week's playlist - more than last week's playlist in total.  Songs 36-45 tomorrow.
 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 8/20/20 - Something to Say - Life's a Beach Mix (Birmingham Remix)

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I feel like I should always say something...But, I played Benchmark's new song "Our Finest Hour" this morning on my radio show, and one line stuck with me - "Right now, I know I still need to listen, before I speak."  It seems like there is a lot of talking and a lot of shouting and not nearly enough listening.

Look after nearly four years of the Trump regime, I think it is clear to most sane people, that he is an existential threat to this nation. I am not saying I need to listen to MAGA heads to see if they will convince me of anything. I guess I am thinking of some of the more nuanced debates (or which should be nuanced debates) between different factions of the left side of the proverbial aisle. I think social media SEEMS TO demand that everyone jump into every conversation and contribute something - so you see at lot of posts like - well, I don't know much about that but, here is what I think... 

Anyway, we have a Featured Friday Playlist to wrap up and a shuffle to get to... let's go... 

Today, we wrap up this week's Featured Friday Playlist, and we prepare the way for a whole new list. Here are the final four songs, and as usual, we save some good ones to wrap up the list.. songs 18-21:

18. "How to Fall in Love - Take 7, Acoustic" by Michael McArthur

Florida singer-songwriter Michael McArthur makes a return visit to the Playlist with the title track of his brand new EP. We previously featured his stunning cover of "Purple Rain" - here he is singing his own songs and the results are equally stunning. The plaintive opening harmonica and sparse acoustic instrumentation catches ones attention, and then his rich vocals come in and carry the listener away.  

19. "Dark Slopes Away" by Mt. Doubt

Next up, we have the new single from Scottish indie rock band Mt. Doubt. It is the first taste of their new album Doubtlands due out September 25. The song has a cool vibe that I really dig. 

20. "Firewood" by Saronde (Feat. Idd Aziz)

Next up, we have some wonderful Afro-funk - via Saronde - a Kenyan duo who founded Beating Hearts Music. The track borrows from a 50’s Kikuyu all female acapella sung by young unmarried girls as they collect or carry back home firewood and features noted African singer and musician Idd Aziz. As someone who has a deep - if shamefully underexplored affinity and connection to African music, this track struck a chord with me. Wonderful!

21. "Sauce (Took Off)" by SLiCE Bellefante 
 

We close out this segment of music and this week's Playlist with a little bit of hip hop from New Jersey. I don't have a lot of information on the artist, but I dig the vibe and I'm happy to have this track closing out our playlist. 

By way of a preview-  The new Featured Friday Playlist is already at 15 songs and over an hour of music and there are several new releases scheduled for tomorrow. So, look for the list to be much larger than this week's list. Already, I am digging the variety of the music, and we already have some favorites on board. Until then... we have another daily shuffle down below....  

 

    Featured Friday Playlist

E2TG 8/13/2020 - Setting Sights - First Schism Mix (Rollin' Remix)

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Well, I wrote an extended bit below the Featured Friday Playlist - so I will just say... tune in tomorrow for a new Featured Friday and find your joy where you can!

And today, we wrap up our recap of the week's Featured Friday Playlist - just in time for tomorrow's unveiling of a whole new playlist. Songs 24-28

24. "Dyfodol" by Ci Gofod; Lloyd Bastian

As always, we like to  end the weekly playlist on a high and interesting note, and this last segment sure starts us off in the right direction. Ci Gofod is a bedroom recording project based in Wales. Although he grew up in Wales, Ci Gofod (real name Jack) had never learned the Welsh language. He decided to learn using songwriting as a tool to learn the language. Dyfodol is his first Welsh language release - with more to come. Dyfodol means "future" and the song reflects the anxiety most of us feel about it.   

25. "In the Unknown" by Nelss

Nelss was born in Portugal and now lives in Paris, France. He recorded this single - ahead of an EP called Moonlight in his home-studio in the City of Lights. The music falls into the synth-pop/disco area successfully blending genres to create a unique sound. 

26. "A Feel" by Drumagick

Drumagick is considered Brazil's kings of drum 'n' bossa. This tragic brings some intergalactic vibes, and it is a great addition to our playlist.  

27. "Coup de grace" by PXPRS

Next up, we have the debut single by this Bristol-London based trio. This is the rocking side of electronic music. It is jammed packed with noise and sounds that captured by attention.  Look for a full album later this year.  

28. "Baggage" by Phillip La Rosa

We close out this segment of music and this week's playlist with a song that packs a powerful emotional punch. Phillip La Rosa is a singer-songwriter based in Perth, Australia. The song is about broken people connecting by unpacking their baggage. A great ending to the playlist. 

A final word.  I hope everyone is enjoying our Featured Friday Playlist. I put a lot of thought and energy into putting the list together and then sharing a little bit about each song. First and foremost, if any of the music piques your curiosity, follow the artists on social media, share about the songs you like, if you are able buy some merch and/or physical copies of the music. 

As I have shared before, the list in ordered in a way that is a little bit intentional (that word again) and a little bit arbitrary. Personally, I recommend you listen to the playlist on shuffle. The list is diverse enough that although not many people will dig everything on the list, there should be something there that anyone will like. 

I don't know how to impart this, but my wish is that everyone will develop open minds and open hearts toward music. There is so much wonderful new music being made, and of course, we all have our all-time favorites that we go back to. I have always envisioned E2TG as a place for anyone interested to discover new music that is not driven by algorithms telling you what you might like. I enjoy stepping outside my comfort zone each week. Okay, after over nine years at this, my comfort zone when it comes to music is pretty darn big, but I am always looking to be challenged and to find something new. 

Something I have said before, I cannot say that I like every artist or style of music that I feature equally, but I do believe it all has merit and deserves a chance to be heard.  Along the way, I feature music that may already have a sizable following, but if you haven't heard it - then it is new and unknown to you (and me). 

    Featured Friday Playlist