Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Hair with a Spoon 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


I don't always go to Madison Guild Monday at Dee's, but when I do, I always have great hangs with friends, meet new people, and hear great songwriters (both familiar and unfamiliar).  Last night was no exception, and in fact it was exceptionally fun. Got to hear Shawn Conerton, Frankie Zwick, Weston Harris Hill, Sean Quinn, and another wonderful songwriter that I am not allowed to mention. 

I got three new CDs in the mail yesterday, and that pushed me to finally add some new music to the "New Music Playlist".  Of course, none of those new songs came up in today's shuffle, but soon!

In any event, we have some cool music to feature today - so let's go!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Southbound Ghosts Mix

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As I mentioned yesterday, my debut novel, The Drift is available via Amazon.

For those who read on Kindle, it is now available in that format!  If you buy the physical copy of the book, you can get the Kindle version for just $0.99. 

I'm happy to say after one day on sale, The Drift is already the best-selling novel of my career! Did I mention it's my debut novel. ;-)   But seriously, thanks everyone who has expressed interest and/or bought it. It means a lot.


While I am in a promoting mood, I want to remind you that E2TG will take over The 5 Spot in East Nashville every Thursday in June from 6-8:30.  Tons of great music and fun.   Details below:

Week 1:  Clark Paterson, The Big Dumb, Rayvon Pettis
Week 2: The End Men, Ted Drozdowski's Psychedelic Circus, Ben de la Cour
Week 3:  Brian Milligram, Microwave Mountain, The Coal Men
Week 4: Joanna Barbera, Bee Taylor, Eli Cook

Onward.... It's time for another Trending Tuesday shuffle on E2TG...  I added a ton of new music to the New Music playlist since Friday.  That playlist is up over 650 songs.  Truth is, I am adding music faster than I can feature it. I know I need to do a clean up and move some older "new" songs out, but I have trouble doing that for some reason.

In any event, we have some cool tunes to get to - so let's not dawdle.

Featured Friday Morning Music Shuffle - Runnin' and Tryin' Mix

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Last night's Music City Roots: On the Road was a total East Nashville experience. Held at The Basement East - with special guest host Derek Hoke, and featuring four of the best artists/bands in on that side of the Cumberland River.

Little Bandit opened the show. Led by Alex Caress, Little Bandit has quickly become one of my favorite bands. I was admittedly late to the party, but I'm happy to be here. Alex's voice and the wit and heart in his songs shines. My friend, Jamie Timm (of Microwave Mountain) joined on guitar and sounded fantastic.

Next up was Elise Davis. This was, I believe, my first time seeing Davis (at least outside of a tribute show), and I was impressed by her songs and her voice. I definitely want to hear more.

Next up was E2TG Artist of Eternity - Darrin Bradbury making his third appearance as a guest (fourth overall appearance - he did an original and hilarious take on the Vietti Chili song his first time there) used the occasion to give MCR listeners/viewers a peek into his loud music past. With an awesome band - Laur Joamets on guitar, Cameron Carrus on bass, and Matty Apples on drums - Bradbury played a solid mix of older and newer songs with an a markedly rock approach. Songs like "Exile on Myrtle Beach" and "New Ownership Blues" were given new arrangements which made me think of Dylan's Rolling Thunder Revue era.

Finally, Allen Thompson closed out the night with a very large band  (I think I counted twelve people on stage) including a horn section and backup singers. It was a rollicking set that garnered a standing ovation.

Everyone joined ATB on stage for the jam of the Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want".

All in all a wonderful night of music. There was decent crowd which I can't help thinking would have been bigger but for the fact that half of East Nashville is in Austin for SXSW.

Tonight, I'm heading to The 5 Spot for Tim Carroll's weekly throw-down and then sticking around for Maxwell Putnam's CD release show for his new album Ode to a Tinhorn with guests Justin and the Cosmics (who we played earlier in the week) and Mark Fredson.

By the way, I don't do a whole lot of cross promotion, but in case any E2TG readers don't know, I co-host a weekly two-hour radio show called Double Shot with Joe and Sue (me being Joe and my dear friend Sue Havlish being Sue) on WXNA - Nashville's Community Radio Station. It's on 101.5FM in Nashville and can be streamed world-wide at wxnafm.org or via the TuneIn app. Double Shot hits at 11am Central Time (currently Daylight Savings Time)  on Saturday.

Well... it is Friday and let's see what we have to feature today!

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - My Compass Broke Mix

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Woohoo! I made it to the end of the week! 

Last night was Music City Roots - on the road at 3rd and Lindsley. I sure liked it being about 8 minutes away from my home rather than 30+ minutes.  (Their forthcoming new permanent home will be pretty close, too.).  As for the music, there was nothing at all to complain about. From Jim Lauderdale's opening song to the final jam of  "I Shall Be Released" it was great music all the way through. 

Kevin Gordon played some songs from his forthcoming album.  He's one of my favorite songwriters and performers. Backed by his usual stellar band.

Katie Pruitt - I'm not sure if I had seen her before, but she was on my radar.  Now I'm a fan.  She spoke her truth bravely and with grace and without apology.

Lillie Mae - played in a family band for many years, came to Nashville and cut her chops on Lower Broadway, played with Jack White, and she is now signed to Third Man Records. Great songs, well-played by Lillie Mae and her siblings.

DADDY closed the night. Will Kimbrough plus Tommy Womack - you cannot go wrong here. Backed by an incredible band and the golden tones of Lisa Oliver Gray.  The wit and wisdom of Tommy Womack  and the sharply focused songs of Will Kimbrough in a rock and roll setting.   

Tonight, I am going to see Pylon Reenactment Society.  The music of the legendary Athens band  Pylon as interpreted by the original lead singer and a new band.  You may recall, E2TG has been featuring the debut EP from Pylon Reenactment Society in recent months. I am stoked for this show!

It's Friday, and we have one final shuffle for the week- it comes from the New Music playlist... let's shuffle!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Ignite Albania Mix

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Okay... so I had a long commute to a training class, and I am pressed for time... so I am going to have to be very brief with my descriptions (especially on artist I've written about before and recently).  It will be the same tomorrow....


Here goes...  Sorry to be so brief... more on all of these artist/albums later.

Featured Friday Morning Shuffle - Feedback Downerzzz Mix

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Well, we've reached the end of another work week and another week of shuffles.  I haven't had a normal five day work week in almost a month, and I am going to be taking some time off at the end of January, first part of February - more on that later....

I've been thinking about E2TG quite a bit. It has been a part of my life for going on seven years. In the beginning, I stated a philosophy and even though much has changed in those seven years, I still try to stick as close to that philosophy.  I recognized early one that I could never "compete" with some of major music sites in terms of covering all the "hot" or "hip" or whatever music. So, I set my sights on featuring music you may not be reading about in those brand x blogs. What that has meant has changed somewhat but not entirely. In recent months, I have had the opportunity to feature some artists that would have never thought possible before.

What thrills me more than anything is the diversity of music that I am able to feature and write about. For me, that is more than a philosophy or modus operandi, it is an imperative. Since I first got interested in music, I have had an almost insatiable appetite for more and different music - always aware of the sometimes obscure thread that runs through it all.

With that being said (whatever it was I said), I have a wonderful and diverse set of songs that came up randomly in my shuffle of my new music playlist. Yesterday - there were only six songs in the shuffle - today, we have twelve.

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - Big Drum, Small Axe Mix

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Well, yesterday was a holiday.  I was going to try to post something, but I ended up spending a large portion of my day at the eye doctor.  Then, I went into work today (and listened to the shuffle below while traversing the snowy roads of Nashville with people who do and do not know how to drive in snowy conditions.  Then, around eleven, pretty much everyone decided to go home, so I slipped and slid down the hill to my car and made my way home where I am writing this post.

Anyway, it's extremely cold, and I am sipping on a hot beverage.

I have to give a huge shout out to everyone who made it out Saturday for my birthday bash.  Special thanks to those who bought me beer and to those who unexpectedly brought me presents, and extra special thanks to Conrad y Skordalia, Danny Henry, and Nelson, Zimmerman, and Quinn for providing great music.

Onward and upward - as they say...  By the way, several songs in this shuffle are brand new and/or not yet released, so I could not find the videos for the exact song in some cases. I have tried to post a video to represent each song, and where possible, I have provided link or embeds for the song featured. In a couple of cases, you will have to wait until release to hear some of the songs.  In any case, let's go!

Trending Tuesday Morning Shuffle - God Save the Drag Queen Mix

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Well, it is January 9, and I am finally digging into some of the brand new music that has come my way.  This is the first Trending Tuesday Shuffle of the year.  This shuffle comes from my brand new "New Music" playlist. I've added well over 200 songs from recently received albums, and I added in some "holdovers" from my last New Music playlist.  This new playlist started the year at just over 400 songs.

For those new to E2TG, I want to explain.  The primary outlet of E2TG is the morning shuffle - which is exactly what it sounds like - if it sounds like this: every morning that I work, I hit the random shuffle (either on a specific playlist or on all the songs on my music player), and I write about the songs that come up.

I very, very rarely will do a full-album review, however, through the shuffle I usually cover most of the albums that I select to feature. Almost all of the music on my New Music playlist had either been submitted or at least recommended to me.

I hope that clears things up.  So... on this dreary, foggy, misty morning, I left my home and I hit shuffle on my brand new "New Music" playlist, and these are the songs/tracks that came up....